Mr_Grey

Ray Harris was busy eating his breakfast bagel, reading the morning newspaper, and talking to the air. Like other cyborgs in the world, he didn't really have need of an external communications device, he was able to simply think about it, and he linked up to the global communications networks. He liked to call it a Head Phone.

"So, he got home alright? Good. Good."

He sipped from his coffee and sighed. More robberies, more innocent people hurt. Considering what he heard about in the underground, it was probably time somebody hurt that Westin Phipps...

"Really? Well, dang. I wish I could have been there for the party."

There was a "plink" sound as something tore through his window. Ray felt a small impact as Silver Mantis's spike bounced off the energy field protecting his head and clattered to the floor. He returned to his bagel and finished his conversation.

"Well, maybe I can be at the party next time, Cedric. So long, brother. ...Yeah, I think of you as a brother. Your dad's the best dad I've ever had. Yes, Randy! He- Oh, you're just messin' with me. Well, I've got something I need to take care of. Have a good one."

He sighed as the connection was cut.

Damage Incurred: Minimal

"I know."

Reactive Measures Suggested: Violent Retribution; Ignorance; Confrontation; Complaint.

"Well... Let's try this..."

----------

Silver Mantis answered her communicator. There was an Arachnos operator on the other end.

"Ma'am... We're getting a strange call for you. We can't trace it..."

"Patch it through, I think I know who it is."

"Hello? Mantis?"

"Power Breaker. How are you this fine February Eighteenth?"

"Oh, I'm good."

The steel plated cyborg ninja landed on a rooftop and paused. the news she'd just heard couldn't possibly be right...

"What do you mean, you're good?"

"Yeah, that spike you hurled through my window, it bounced off my shields. You want it back?"

"Yes..."

----------

"Are you alright?" Power Breaker asked as he tossed the jagged, serrated piece of steel to Black Scorpion's lackey, "Feeling okay? No fever?"

The villainess caught the weapon and it was simply absorbed into her body. She glared at the brute, growling under her breath. Finally, she answered him with a simple affirmative.

"Cool, because, for a second there, I was thinking that you must be brain-damaged, considering the fact that you sought my attention."

"I sought to execute you," Mantis corrected, "I don't get you, Breaker. You're one of the few that are accepted into the organization, and you just languish away in your apartment. You don't do anything unless you have to, and you're... Nice about it. What kind of villain are you?"

"The kind of villain that doesn't hurt anybody for no good reason and isn't a villain. As it stands, I'm a rogue, and I do what i want, when I want, and not a moment sooner."

Silver Mantis was checking her communicator.

"You've had most of your outstanding warrants officially repealed!"

"Yeah, my work with Vanguard."

"Bull[crap]!"

"Seriously. It's not that hard to be a good person, you know."

She nodded and snapped her fingers. That was all she needed to hear. In Arachnos, that was all anybody needed to hear.

Bane Spiders appeared around them and Power Breaker gazed about impassively. The villainess chuckled and started walking away as the Arachnos elite raised their maces and prepared to capture the renegade. Ray sighed as lightning started arcing from the spires jutting from his body and he selected the most strategically viable Bane Spider...

-----------

"Daos!" Power Breaker shouted as the door closed behind him and the Bane Spider Scout he had in a headlock, "You and me, we need to talk, buddy."

The Arbiter of Arbiters, possibly second only to Lord Recluse himself (even holding authority over the Spider King's inner circle), regarded the Brute standing before him. To think, he was just about to authorize a Retrieval Team to bring the guy here.

"Power Breaker," he intoned, "How good to see you. Now I don't have to expend the resources to get you here."

"Whatever," Harris replied as the Scout disappeared from his grip, "Look, Boss, you better have a good [frig]ing reason why you're trying to set me up."

"Evidence has come to light about your involvement with a hero organization."

"Vanguard? [Frig] you! I'm not the only Chosen One working for them."

"I meant the one under that hero, Mr. Grey. Not a very high class group, but they're under consideration because of that stunt they pulled last year, shortly before the Rikti attacks... In fact, it seems you had some involvement in that..."

"Yeah," the brute folded his arms over his chest, "In all fairness, Daos, they didn't break anything important. You kidnap the friend of a lot of powerful individuals and don't expect any kind of retribution? Come on, Daos. That be stupid!"

"Regardless, I-" Daos stopped as his communicator started buzzing, "One second... Yes, my lord? Yes, my lord. I will send him up immediately."

He turned to the brute and drew himself up. Power Breaker waited for the inevitable order.

"Lord Recluse himself just ordered that you go up into his main audience chamber. My suggestion, beg for mercy."

----------

"Boss, what can I expect up there?' Raymond asked the air as the elevator rose.

"I do not know. I cannot fathom why Lord Recluse would want to talk to you personally. Just stand at the end of the table and wait for him to address you. I will try to support you if I can."

"Great..." the brute muttered to himself, "I'm on my own."

-----------

Standing before the window overlooking Grandville, Power Breaker definitely felt exposed. It was a dark room, and not just because of the lighting. Dark people, dark thoughts, and dark intentions, all broiling together in one place. The disturbing thing, however, was that they weren't truly evil (not this lot, anyway), just selfish and cruel. While those were building blocks for evil, they weren't all that was required.

The only one the brute would keep out of that assessment was Lord Recluse. The Spider King had an air of ambivalence, a genuine lack of concern for anything before him. Power Breaker had seen the future the twisted man before him intended to bring about, and he didn't like it. All those lives lost, just for the sake of one man's illusion of control.

"Power Breaker," the deep, inhuman voice rumbled out from behind the mask, "Last time I spoke to you, you were showing me my own severed head. Not just a battered helmet like most others, you went to my glorious future, and like a few others who wanted to truly drive the point home, you tore my own head from my shoulders to show it to me here, in this time."

"Hey, you know how it is, sometimes," Harris replied, "You need to-"

"Silence!"

"No. Look, if you're going to kill me, you may as well [frig]ing kill me. Just do me a favor, alright, don't make one of these lipstick-headed [girls] do it, shoot me in the head and be done with it."

"Sire, please," Scirocco interposed, "He's just frustrated... He's been dealing with a lot of stress and doesn't realize the danger he's in..."

"Silence, Scirocco. And you, Power Breaker, if I wanted you dead, it would be done by now. I wouldn't waste time with a meeting."

"Alright, then," Harris sighed, "What do you want?"

Why can't I convince my friends to play CoX?

They're all hard drinkers. Really hard.

Whatever money would go into recreational activities winds up drained into their various selections of booze.

Of course, they also don't get D&D, Shadowrun, WoD, WoW, or any other Roleplaying experience. So... Yeah, booze is the way they go.

--Sheldon--

Sheldon's eyes bugged slightly as alarm klaxons went wild. He didn't have time to interpret, he could only hit the exit hatch button and run. Upon hitting the open air, he aimed for the landing pad and prayed his kinetic manipulation didn't wear out by the time he hit the deck.

Then he saw the ports. Lots of ports. This was going to be tricky.

----------

((Kip and crew need interaction.))

I keep forgetting to post these things...

I made another Grey's Army post.

Roland and Kip argue about what happened to the portly defender on Valntine's Day. In Steel Canyon, two former Outcasts are recruited for a new super group and Ashen learns a secret about his friend, Blizzard Front.

--Atlas Park--

There was a knocking at the door. Roland groaned as he picked himself off the couch and, after checking to make sure he was decently dressed, answered the door.

Every muscle in his body ached. It felt like he'd spent the previous night running in a marathon or doing practice drills instead of attending a wedding. Even though it had been crashed, he still figured he could have gotten away with a minimum of pain if he hadn't been hit by Ghost Widow.

"What the Hell was that all about, anyway?" he grunted as he checked the peep hole, "Oh, hey nester, come on in."

He opened the door for his friend and the hero-class field medic entered with his brother in tow. Kip saw the condition Roland was in and growled under his breath.

"I heard you got into a bit of a tussle last night," Nester said, "Kip told me about it."

"How much?" the portly defender asked.

"I just said Jessica dragged you up there," Kip replied.

"How does a low-rent scrapper get invited to the wedding event of the decade?" Nester half-shouted, "And why would she bring you? You two got something going on?"

"If you knew what was going on, you wouldn't ask me that. God... My head..."

"Tell me about it."

Nester rested his gloved hand on his friend's forehead and checked a monitor in his glasses. Frowning, he muttered a few words and Grey could feel warmth flowing into his skin, scalp, and eventually the pain in his head started to minimize. Nester nodded approvingly and gave a thumbs-up to Kip.

"Jessica called me," the short scrapper explained, "She told me what happened to you before everybody was dumped into Galaxy City. What the Hell did you do to [tick] off the [dog]-goddess herself?"

"I think I blinded her a little. I wasn't the only one to get such treatment."

"Yeah, there are pictures all over the Internet of Positron twirling through the air. A few other nobodies like us, too."

"Roland, a flash arrow doesn't do that much to people... Does it?"

"If it gets them just right, they're blind for a while. Maybe it works on ghosts, too."

"In any case, it's good to see you're alright. Now, come on, get up. Your dad wants to get everybody together to talk about how we're gonna get Baker back from Arachnos."

"What?"

"Yeah, he got kidnapped helping our dad on a mission. Dad wants to see if we can do anything about it."

"Why can't we ever just stay here?" Nester sighed, "I mean, why is it we keep having to deal with those nimrods?"

"Because some cosmic force decided we should," his little brother replied without missing a step, "Believe me. I've been through it."

"You guys go on without me," Grey grunted as he rolled back onto the couch, "Thanks immensely for clearing my headache, Nester, but my whole body feels like it's been put through a meat grinder. I just want to sleep off today and forget what happened."

The Durj brothers stared at the round lump on the couch. Finally, Kip tapped his brother on the shoulder and indicated that Nester should leave.

"He's my friend," the defender whispered, "I'm not just going to leave him. He could be really sick, and I can help him!"

"No, a little bed rest and he'll be fine. I've been hit by G.W. before, too. I know what he's going through. Wait outside."

When Nester had left and closed the door behind him, Kip looked down at Roland. The hunter rolled over and looked back up at him. They both wore the same grim expression.

"In a little while, the others are going to figure out that there is no Jessica Starburst," Kip began, "You want to tell them, or should your Dad and I do it?"

"I will, but not today. Not at once."

"Alright. Now... Why do you really not want to go?"

"Because my body hurts like I've been hit by a truck. I feel bruised in places that normally don't get bruised, okay?"

"You're waiting for her."

It wasn't a question. Kip had made the same bold insinuation that Roland had just got done arguing down with the Vindicators. He wasn't being friendly about it, like Luminary was, either. He was more like Mynx...

"Kip, I'm not dating her."

"There's a denial stage for any harsh change," the scrapper pitched back.

"Who tries to live in denial about having a girlfriend?" Roland growled, "Kip, that doesn't make sense."

"I've been in your situation before, Roland."

"Yeah, and we said similar things about you and Sarah. Yes, it does suck to be on the other side of the fence."

"I wasn't talking about your sister."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Roland glared up at Kip, and Kip down at Roland.

"She's not Amy," Grey finally intoned, "Amy was a lot more obvious about her intentions for you. You were the one in denial back in high school. Plus, this isn't high school, this is life. Not everything works to those demographics anymore. Sometimes, Kip, a guy and a girl are just friends or acquaintances and can't see themselves as anything more."

"Keep telling yourself that," Durj replied.

"Why is this such a problem for you?"

"Because I don't feel like burying a friend! I don't feel like losing you to some crazy war you have nothing to do with! Freedom Corps and Arachnos are at each other's throats, and you're shacking up with the F.C.'s boss!"

"We've had our problems with Arachnos, too. Arbiter Taylor's still out there... He's come after my mom, my sister... Grillo kidnapped Sheldon. Arachnos seems to want all of us in a hurt locker, regardless of our relationships."

"One day, Round, they're going to try to hurt her in a way she can't just go to the hospital for. They'll come after you. They'll kill you, just because you're friends with their enemy."

The portly defender sat up and looked to Kip. The scrapper stood before the apartment door, his eyes cast down at the floor.

"I care about my friends, Roland. They're all I've got left, and they're so few."

"I keep hearing that," the hunter replied, "Look, Kip, I can take care of myself. Trust me. Things will be okay."

Kip nodded. It was the slumped, "We'll discuss this more, later" kind of nod.

"Oh! One more thing," Grey rubbed his temples as he tried to remember the prior night, "Ghost Widow says her boss isn't too thrilled about what we did last year, that 'invasion' of their islands."

"He can get the [frig] in line," Kip replied, "What're they going to do?"

"I don't know, but it sounds like somebody's gonna be coming our way. Let dad know."

"Sonova..." Kip muttered, "Alright, I'll check up on you tomorrow."

"What the Hell was that all about?" Nester shouted when his brother joined him in the hall, "Who is Jessica? Why is her relationship with Round so important?"

"You ask him," Kip replied, "just not now. We gotta get to Randy's meeting."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

--Steel Canyon--

"I'm so glad you guys came!"

Ashen Roast and Blizzard Front looked quizzically at Agent Truesdell. He wasn't dressed like a normal Freedom Corps agent. Rather, he looked like a business stiff. A young business stiff, but a stiff nonetheless. This also wasn't a normal Freedom Corps building. It was like an office complex, not a military base.

The two former Outcasts had no clue as to why they'd been called in for the meeting. However, they did notice that a lot of the other meta humans and registered heroes just outside were all former rogues. From the Freakshow, to the Council, to the Tsoo and the Warriors, there were all sorts of unusual characters who had, for some reason or another, broken ties with their former friends and allies. There were even a few Trolls!

"You two have no idea what an honor it is to meet you," Truesdell continued, "Uh..."

"You don't even know who we are?" Blizzard chuckled, "You really are in marketing, huh?"

"Har-har, Blizzard," the agent smirked, "I was looking for your folder... Ah, here it is."

He picked one up and looked through it.

"Ah, good. I was thinking about the right guys. See, I've been dealing with criminals-turned-heroes all day, and it's been putting my brain through a blender. I just wanted to make sure I was talking to who i thought I was talking to."

"That's cool," Ashen sighed as he sat down in the chair in front of the desk, "Huh... This was set lower than it looked..."

"So, what's this whole shindig about?" Blizzard asked as he took the seat next to his friend.

"Boys, Freedom Corps is noticing a marked increase in the number of heroes who come from the various criminal organizations operating in the city. Either through affiliation or full-fledged membership, these guys have something to do with-"

"Get to the point," the blue-skinned Blaster groaned, "Save the spiel for when you have to do the press release."

"You know what this is about?" Ashen, perplexed, turned and asked.

"I have a hunch."

"Gentlemen," Agent Truesdell stood and spread his arms out like a politician calming a crowd, "Freedom Corps is looking for individuals just like you so we can fashion up a super group composed of former rogues and renegades."

"Why?" the fire tanker asked.

"Because, a lot of us realize that many of the problems Freedom Corps and the police officers are having with the gangs and organizations creating a ruckus in the city is the mentality of 'Us versus Them.' If we can show the gangs that we're willing to accept them as hard-working members of society, and even protectors of the peace, so long as they curb their wicked ways, maybe they'll be less willing to pull a pistol or lob fireballs at us."

"This sounds really stupid," Ashen countered, "It sounds to me like you want to sequester us former rogues so you can keep a better eye on us."

"'Sequester?' Where'd you learn a big word like that?"

"High school," Ashen snapped back, "And I think I've taken as much insult from you as I'm willing to suffer. Come on, Blizz, we're out of here."

"Wait!" Truesdell shouted, "Look, I'm sorry! You work as a spin doctor long enough, and eventually everybody looks stupid. I didn't mean to condescend. Come on, calm down... Sit down."

"Why? I saw enough guys come storming out of here already and you would just shout 'NEXT!' What makes us so important to hold onto?"

"Well... We need more public heroes of your particular demographic."

"Demographic?" Ashen balked, "You've got a whole hallway of former rogue vigilantes out there. What makes us so important."

"Not that demographic..."

"Oh." Blizzard Front suddenly smiled as he resumed his seat, "Sit down, Ashen. I think I know what he's talking about. This is probably going to be funny."

"Huh?"

"You see, boys, we need more public heroes of the... homosexual persuasion."

Ashen Roast's eyes narrowed on Agent Truesdell and fire started to emerge from his skin. Blizzard just started snickering.

"Fire tankers get enough crap slung at them, Truesdell," the orange-skinned young man growled, "But I'm not gay."

"Yeah," Blizzard chuckled, "And my boyfriend's much better than Ashen."

Ashen Roast's eyes bugged out and he stared at his friend. Blizzard Front stopped laughing, but he still had an amused grin on his face.

"You're-"

"Yeah."

"But... We've known each other for years, man."

"Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I have to be obvious about it. I like being relaxed. I hate dressing up in fancy clothes when simply clean and comfortable ones will do."

"Yeah, but..."

"I see you two have some discussing to do," Truesdell muttered as he opened another folder, "Ooh... This is my fault... I thought, since you were partners, you'd be... Uh... partners..."

"A common misconception," Bizzard chuckled, "I don't mix my business with my personal life... Well... Not that personal. Ashen and I are friends, you know. I just know he likes girls, and I respect that."

"Hm," was the tanker's quiet comment.

"Ah, jeez," Blizzard's smile faltered a little, "Now you have a problem with it, right?"

"I..." Ashen shook his head and turned toward the door, "I don't know."

"We'll talk later," Blizzard sighed, "I guess this is important to you for some dumb reason. As for you, Truesdell, you've got a deal with me. It'll be nice to see a positive spin on what I'm doing, instead of getting a minor blurb in the Steel Canyon local news that says I'm still little more than a thug with an axe to grind."

He created a sword made of ice and showed it to the other two.

"Does this look like an axe to you?"

----------

"I can't believe you, Blizz."

"You signed the papers, too, Ash."

"I'm not talking about the super group! Why didn't you tell me you were... were..."

"It's not important."

Blizzard Front resumed walking to the edge of the sidewalk and started hailing a taxi cab. It wasn't that eh couldn't just speed over to his apartment, it was that he didn't feel like expending the effort.

"How can you say that?" Ashen shouted, still not content with how the conversation had been going, "Of course it's important!"

"How?" Blizzard was still ambivalent and he opened the taxi cab's door, "Hey, you sharing the ride with me?"

"Yeah..."

They sat in the back of the car in total silence after Blizzard gave the address for their apartment complex. Ashen's temper continued to simmer.

"What's your problem with it?" Blizzard finally asked.

"I... I don't know," Roast sighed, "I thought you were a cool guy..."

"Aside from the obvious joke response," the blaster blew out some icy mist with his words, "What is it about this new revelation that makes me uncool?"

"Nothing, I guess."

"See? That's what I mean by unimportant."

"Oh."

"Who I date is my business, not yours, not my parents', not my brother, not the Outcasts. However, it doesn't change who I am, either. Like anything, this could change. It's not likely, but it can. I'm young, yet."

"Well," Ashen sighed, "I guess my main concern is... When we're working and I go charging into a group of bad guys... You're not... You're not staring at my butt, are you?"

The blaster started laughing. The cab driver was laughing, too.

"And David keeps saying you don't have a sense of humor! No, Ash. I don't stare at you. You're like a brother to me, and I wouldn't think that way about a brother."

"I see."

"So..." Blizzard intoned as the cab reached its destination, "Are you going to be okay about this? We've got a lot of work to do, and if you can't get over this, we're not going to be able to get it done."

"I'm good, I'm good," Ashen replied, "Sorry for freaking out like that... It's just... It was a pretty hefty thing to learn. I thought David was your brother, honestly."

Blizzard paid the fare and they left the cab. As they reached the door of the building, the blue-skinned blaster barked a laugh.

"My brother's name is Louis. Just so there's no confusion in the future."

"I'll try to remember," Ashen replied.

Nice job, guys.

"Solid, get over here!" Cory shouted, leading the retreat back to where Acid Zero was locked in combat with Curtis, "We've gotta get the Hell away from these things!"

Randall batted another robot out of the way and pushed the two blasters in front of him down the corridor.

"I'm going back for Toy Dispenser!" he shouted, "Cory, you get back to Acid and Essex, port the rest of us over there!"

"You've got it boss, Sixty-six, try to keep up!"

"Right!' the android shouted as they bounded down the hall.

Randall turned back to the robot swarm. His left eye twitched a little and he snarled. Gray rock started wrapping about his body again and he started stomping through the ranks of the assaulting drones. When one got too close, it promptly got its head crushed...

James Baker is the face of the Redside BWO. He won the right to call himself that in an unfinished battle where he emerged the victor before he could contend against Draven. Since the fight was happening somewhere in Paragon City (the BWO Staging Area), they had to have a Freedom Corps representative standing by so the use of "Villain-Class" powers wouldn't set off any alarms in the local Freedom Corps post.

Unfortunately, Agent Wild had places to be, so Rage and Draven couldn't square off to settle who actually runs the Brutal Warriors. As it stands, he and Draven discuss future endeavors with Solo, King Slater and the Kingdale Referee acting as a committee to decide between the two in case of an impasse.

Rage uses the Skulls of Cord, also called the Skulls of Rage. They're a pair of mystical artifacts that he and Matt Jones actually wound up having to fight Arachnos operatives to acquire. Rather than let the metallic skulls go to a museum (where they'd likely still wind up stolen and placed in Arachnos hands), James decided to keep the Skulls. It wasn't like he was going to be able to remove them, anyway.

The skulls actually hover a centimeter from his chest and shoulder. This enables him to switch out various thin-fabric articles of clothing (such as linen shirts or spandex), but it's a real pain in the butt. Thank goodness the Rogue Isles are warm pretty much year-round.

Despite the general discomfort the Skulls have afforded the now-magically inclined meta human, they have provided him with major benefits. Chief among the boons is a massive strength increase and a lightning armor. They also help him fly.

Red Hat

Rage likes baseball caps. This is a red one.

Blue Hat

This hat is the color matching his favorite baseball and football team's main colors.

Jared Simms serves as the face of the Brutal Warriors Order in Paragon City. He has a few bad habits (he has something of a propensity to womanize), but he doesn't let them get in the way of his duties. Of course, since he's largely just a posterboy, his duties tend to be few and far between...

As Draven Erickson, Jared utilizes a black broadsword he calls "Crow." This blade has granted him numerous supernatural abilities, the most prominent being the "Shroud." The Shroud is an armor of dark energies that emanate from the mysterious artifact.

Swinging the blade for Draven is a lot like how he used his in-ring baseball bat when he and the BWO were a back yard wrestling outfit. Every day, however, his skill improves and bears less and less resemblance to the crude "club-wielding" method he used before.

Red Trench Coat

When Jared came to Paragon City, the first thing he did was drop by Icon in Steel Canyon. He asked for a red trench coat and they delivered it to him. This is the look he'd always wanted, even when he was in high school.

Red Jacket

Draven's alternate outfit is the red jacket he wore to fight in the various BWO locations (and even the Kingdale Arena) when it was too cold out to wear anything less. It's water resistant, insulated, and surprisingly resilient.

I try to keep my characters as even as possible, but some of them surprised me and wound up having a place closer to my heart than they should have.

Captain Rachek, Ashen Roast, Blizzard Front and even Roland Grey.

I'd originally intended to make Roland into another Tanker-type, but after seeing a TA/A Defender at work, I decided to make Roland into that. As far as his storyline, however, I was lying awake one night when I was struck by the absurdity of how our characters always seem to run into the main in-game ones.

So, I came up with an absurd situation for him. Roland inside my head hasn't been too happy about it, but he's not the one "on paper."

Brutal Warriors Order post again. It's a wrap-up of Psycho13's arc.

----------

Up next, Grey's Army. I need to deal with Roland's February 15th and get on to a new storyline for them...

Plus there's the Air Guard that needs some love... I should cover one of their missions one of these days.

"So this is how it ends," the speakers suddenly shouted, "Not with a bang, but a whisper."

The freaks stopped their moshing and looked to the Disc Jockey booth. Wh1rlin' backed away from the floating microphone as it was set back on his rig. A pair of glowing purple eyes surveyed the crowd of the Iron Hammer before the dark purple circuitry glowed suddenly and the cloaking field faded, revealing Power Breaker. The front door opened and Dirty Ice walked in, stone hammer in hand, but he wasn't holding it threateningly.

"What do you want?" H4nnib@l asked.

"You the boss?" the larger brute queried back.

"Yeah, I own the place."

"I want Psycho13."

----------

"Mantis," the Metal Swiper grumbled as he reached the bottom of the steps, "You might want to stop now."

"I told you not to disturb me this morning!" the cybernetic ninja shouted, "Today, I make this little whelp scream!"

"I think you should really pay attention to your flunky," the captured scrapper wheezed.

Silver Mantis quirked an eyebrow at her prisoner, then turned to regard the two rogues flanking the proprietor of the Iron Hammer. H4nnib@l shrugged and stepped aside for them.

"You're one of Scirocco's flunkies," the metal girl cooed, "Funny that he would have a cyborg in his ranks..."

"Life's got a funny way of turnin' out different from expected," Power Breaker replied, "If I were to retrace my steps back, I still can't pinpoint the one moment in my life that would have led to anything but this, yet I'm still surprised to find myself here."

"You could just walk away."

Power Breaker let the notion hang in the air for a moment, but his posture told Silver Mantis the answer she would receive. He wasn't going anywhere.

"What do you want?"

"I want him."

"I never figured you for-"

"Shut it," Breaker growled, "I'm not in the mood for banter. Just give us our friend, and we'll be going."

"But I'm having so much fun..." Silver Mantis started to saunter back to Psycho13, "I don't want to give up my new toy just yet."

"Toy?" the scrapper gasped, "Like I'm a damn teddy bear... Teddy bear... Hm..."

Though it sounded like he was considering something, Mantis kept her attention focused on the two brutes who had just been led to her. She made a quick mental note that she'd never be coming here again before taking a step toward her adversary and extending her metal spikes.

Power Breaker, despite his reputation as a thuggish bruiser, simply gazed passively back at her. It was maddening that he could be so calm at the moment.

"You're not hopped up on all of those drugs you normally take when facing greater numbers," Power Breaker sighed, "I can put you through the wall easy enough. Now, look, Manti- Psych! No!"

"Wake up, Wolfgang," the scrapper growled before ripping himself free of the spikes holding him in place, vaulting from the wall and wrapping his arms around Silver Mantis's neck.

Spikes pressed into his body, but it was like a bed of nails initially. When she backed into the wall, such was not the case, however, and he was skewered multiple times at once. However, he didn't let up his grip.

"Time to sleep," he gurgled out as they rolled to the floor.

Power Breaker walked over to the heap and gazed down in the same passive way he had been. His body was now radiating energy fields, but that was just a necessary precaution. He grabbed a hold of one of the spikes and rolled Silver Mantis to look at him.

"I know he'll die before you, so I'm telling you to let him go now."

"Never," she gasped.

"Let me make this clear, Mantis, if you don't let him go, I'll take this personal. You don't want me to take this personal. It'll inconvenience you."

"How?"

"Because, I will not end a day, from here on out, without putting you through a window at least once. I will wake up, eat my breakfast, read a paper, then hunt you down. No matter what it takes, no matter where you are, I'll put you through a window. If I have to make up for missed days, I'll put you through a window multiple times in a day. Trust me. After a while, it'll stop feeling good and get boring. Then it'll get annoying. Then it'll start to hurt."

She stared back at the brute and read in his eyes that he was telling the truth. Whatever it took, he would try to follow through on his promise, and likely succeed. There was no way she'd be able to get a hold of all of the narcotics she would need to keep him at bay indefinitely and explain the need for them to Arachnos properly. There was even a likelihood that she would wind up kicked out of the organization for being led so blindly by her vices...

"Fine," she hissed and her spikes slunk back into her body, "Get him off!"

Power Breaker plucked the hand from the back of her head, unwrapped it from the "figure 4" hold and plucked the scrapper's other hand away from Psych's bicep. Hhe then pulled him out of the choke hold and lifted the defeated body into the air.

"Just made it," Baker whispered before passing out.

"So that's it?" Dirty Ice asked from the stairs.

"That's it," Power Breaker replied, "No hard feelings, I hope. Mantis?"

"I'll see you pay for this!"

"As good as can be expected, I guess..."

----------

"How're you feeling?" Daren asked as Levi emerged from the Crowne Memorial hospital, "Doesn't hurt much, does it?"

"Funny you should ask," he replied, "I ache all over, though I didn't feel a thing when it was all happening. It felt like getting punched repeatedly, you know?"

"Weird."

They walked to Randall Grey's apartment, mostly in silence. Solo didn't know how to say any of the messed up things the rest of the group had come up with. Some of the subjects were joking about her ("Damn, she's gonna want to cut his vocal cords out after the third hour but they'll just keep growing back!" -Draven), some were joking about him ("When she's done with Psych, he's going to have to redefine his gender!" -The Kingdale Referee) and some were about both ("I'm kind of wondering what position we'll find them in..." -Various). But now, with him back, and after the stories he had told them as the doctors operated on him, none of it seemed funny.

"Look, Levi," Solo finally muttered, "Jared, James and I have been talking, and... And we think you should take a break from the job."

"Why?"

"Because that... That was more than you should have gone through... Than anyone should have gone through."

"I'm fine," Baker smirked, "They didn't do a damn thing to me that I can't walk away from. See?"

He hopped a little as he walked, demonstrating how he could put weight on his legs. Solo wondered how long it would be until the scars on his face and arms faded away.

"Couple more days, it'll be like I was never locked in that basement with that steel-wrapped witch."

"Look, man..." Solo ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, "We're not just talking about your physical well-being. We're talking about what's going on inside that [frig]ed up head of yours! Ever since you disappeared, you've been spiraling deeper into your moniker. You're like a raving lunatic, and it's a wonder nobody innocent has been hurt. You seriously need to get off the sauce, and the sauce is your freaking knives and the hero work."

"Pft, you're on the other side of the fence. You're probably trying to cut back on the blue population..."

"Dammit, Psych! This isn't a joke! Is it so [frig]ing unbelievable that we care about ya!?"

"Solo," the scrapper replied calmly, "I've been to Hell and back. I'm telling you I feel fine, but if you and the guys think I should lay off for a while, then, fine. I'll lay off."

Simms nodded and they continued to the homecoming party waiting for them. Baker grinned. For the first time in a few years, he'd actually get to relax.

Then the Britney Aguilera song kicked on in his head and he started to writhe, scream and curse. They'd forgotten to take the emergency songs out of his playlist...

I've known lasagna to be made with spinach instead of cottage cheese.

Food is a matter of taste.

Sometimes you like it, sometimes you don't.

Me, for instance, I like liver and onions. This tends to send a lot of people I know into conniptions.

I also like venison. A lot of people keep telling me they can't stand it because "it's too gamey." That never made sense to me, but it helps illustrate my point.

We all have our own tastes, so there is no reason to go hog wild over something as simple as a slightly different recipe.

Who would you like to work with, Quietus?

Some of you may have noticed the bottom link of my sig. The past three weeks I've been working cooperatively with a poster in the RP section who calls himself DogmaoftheBWERP.

The story we presented there is supposed to be one story throughout the totality of, well, forum story writing.

Now, here's the thing...

It's not meant to belong to just the two of us. It's supposed to be for the whole community. Anybody who wishes to add stories to the Cooperative Story Project can, but it's been something of a cold front on our home section of the forums. So, we're advertising where we believe we'll find more enthusiastic writers, hence the reason I'm here now, talking to all of you.

There's just one catch...

You have to be working with somebody else.

It's a social game, these are social stories.

Considering what I've seen here from the Protectors, that should be no problem for any of you.

Stories need not be congruent. The idea is that there are a lot of stories going on simultaneously throughout Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. Think of it as being like the Simpsons episode, "22 Stories of Springfield" or the movie, Pulp Fiction. Granted, that doesn't mean the stories can't also collide...

There's also a support thread available in the RP section for when you want to discuss concepts you wish to bring to the thread or have questions about particular stories or wish to convey feedback.

So, drop by, give it a read, and let us know what you think.

The Brutal Warriors Order...

Their history was covered in the previous version of this thread pretty well (albeit with more spelling and grammatical errors, but still...). The current iteration of the Brutal Warriors, however, is far different. This is due to the fact that the heroes and anti-heroes have learned much of the world they seek to make an honest profit in.

Toward the end of the Rikti War, the BWO was using their dropship to shuttle supplies and personnel across Paragon City. Because of the deal they'd worked out with the hero cop, Joe Durnan, they were unable to refuse the request, and wound up embroiled in a battle over Skyway City.

The battle cost them the ship when the Rikti were able to send the Honoree after this obvious rip-off of their technology. The alien super-being was then chased away by a joint venture of Vanguard, Freedom Phalanx and unaffiliated heroes. The BWO, however, had to deal with their own crash site.

After the war, the group fell into a minor funk. That was when they were contacted by Brother Mauthe, a rogue in the Etoile Isles who has been slowly building up his own army composed of the downtrodden of the Isles. Mauthe required real supplies, not just stolen and possibly damaged scraps he acquired from the various organizations in the City of Villains.

So, the group came up with a new mode of transport, a modified trawler. Equipping it with scavenged materials from their old dropship (including its fusion engine), it now fulfills their needs very well, if not as quickly. They've lost some business from clients who would normally wish to make more expedient trips, but they've also kept a lot of their higher paying clients who prefer discretion over timely arrivals.

-----------

Rankings

Leadership in the Brutal Warriors is an unusual thing. The group is largely friends, and they have a lot of trouble backing down from each other. Some are simply more willful (like Solo Stryker and Draven Erickson), while others are more inspired (the Kingdale Referee and Psycho13 are known to have crazy ideas that work).

In order to settle disputes, the group employs a "Champion System" to determine leadership. The leader then is relied upon to determine the best course of action. So far, Draven Erickson has done a decent enough job of keeping everybody's heads on their shoulders.

----------

The Derrick

The offshore base of the BWO, the derrick is a former Arachnos base. Though the dark organization gutted much of it when they were forced to abandon it by Grey's Army, the Brutal Warriors were able to find some useful equipment left behind after acquiring the base from an impound auction.

Since then, the combined efforts of the Brutal Warriors Order and Grey's Army (especially the Ryat androids) have only strengthened the derrick. With the threat of a roaming Lusca apparent, Dale Simms installed copper rails into the legs holding the platform aloft as well as a "Tesla Generator" that launches lightning straight into the metal. The shock isn't enough to kill the giant octopus, but she apparently has been driven off by it enough times to leave the base alone.

The base has two landing platforms for flying vehicles, the second of which is on top of the main personnel barracks. The second platform is reserved for emergencies, and was designed for light vehicles, such as sky skiffs and small helicopters. However, it has proven to be capable of handling heavy weight, such as the dropship.

The derrick is fortified with an array of automated turrets, all acquired and licensed legally through the authorities available in Paragon City. They're usually arranged in sets of three Dual Artillery Guns, though a couple arrangements (the ones next to the barracks) are Missile Turrets flanked by Quad Howitzers.

---

Base Features and Staging Areas

The BWO base has a lot of the same elements as a typical supergroup base. It has a medical bay and a security/communications/control room, as well as a recreational room. With the funds the group has acquired during their brief tenure as meta human ferrymen, they've been able to make the base meet or beat the latest needs in comfort and security.

Though the base has seen some disuse lately, largely due to the fact that the BWO no longer has an easy means of ascension from the ocean surface to the platform (outside of stairs, their own super powers, or the hover bike; though the group could easily do any of these, the effort would be much too taxing should they intend to bring any more quality materials into the base proper), the group has invested more effort and resources into their staging areas. The staging areas are locations that are unknown (even to most of the members of the group), but located within the Etoile Isles and Paragon City. They provide the group with a place to organize, meet with possible fares, and even "duke it out."

The base itself also provides with these opportunities, but until the group is more familiar with their new method of travel, they're sticking to the staging areas.

----------

Vehicles

The Dropship

The dropship was a torn apart and reassembled Arachnos Flier. The group had utilized an OTTO MCRC-E to bring the machine down and wound up finding (and fighting) Committee forces inside. Some of those forces have since joined the BWO.

The dropship did not resemble it's original design, save for the "lift pods" flanking the main body of the hull. The rest resembled a classic "starship" appearance, with a cockpit toward the front, widening to a crew section near the middle and an engine/cargo bay toward the rear. This gave it the appearance of a giant steel bee at times, though the back was flat to accommodate the cargo door.

The dropship's armaments included two sets of rocket pods, two sets of missile pods, a main chain gun under the cockpit, and two flanking minigun turrets (often operated by two members of the crew, though they could be slaved to the pilot's own firing control). The ship was also protected by an energy field similar to that of Force Field projecting meta humans, save this one could resist energies as well as be overcharged to enable safe ramming capabilities. The overcharging only lasted a matter of seconds, however, so the Brutal Warriors were lucky Solo Stryker had been very judicious with its use.

Though some names were toyed with, the group never really did settle down and come up with one fore the dropship. Some members (Psycho13, especially) postulated this may have been conducive to the bad luck that brought the ship to an early and unceremonious end.

The Hover Bike

Psycho13 once captured himself a Sky Skiff from the Sky Raider forces in Terra Volta. He then proceeded to break the vehicle down into a light and fast scout vehicle. It still retains the rocket pods and one machine gun, plus, it has enough power for moderate cargo-carrying capabilities. However, it lacks the coverable range of distance as its original design had and leaves the pilot exposed to the elements.

The Captured Dream

It's bad luck to have a ship with no name. Such was the case of the dropship, and the BWO was quick to accept Brother Ringo's (one of Brother Mauthe's bodyguards) suggestion. The Dream was his father's fishing boat, ad the arsonist swears he can feel his old man and brother next to him when he pilots the now-modified version.

The BWO ripped out the diesel engine and replaced it with the dropship's fusion core. This gives the boat more power, though Dale Simms is quick to keep the power cut back to keep the vessel from being torn apart.

The underside of the ship has been coated in Teflon. The ultra slick polymer cuts back on water friction and keeps barnacles off the boat, however, some find ways to stick on, so the ship still needs to be brought into harbors for regular cleaning.

A missile turret and a quad howitzer have been taken from the base and mounted on the boat. These are also supplemented by a pair of anti-personnel turrets from the dropship and the surviving minigun. The missile turret is mounted on top of the cabin, flanked by the pop-up turrets. The quad howitzer is mounted aft while the minigun, in a modified, armored turret, is mounted on the bow.

Much of the fishing materials were gutted out of the ship to make it feasible for hauling people. It has a refrigeration unit, a small passenger cabin with three separate rooms, and a cargo bay. Often, the cargo bay is used to carry the hover bike, but passenger needs come first.

There is also a restroom located int eh very rear of the craft. Due to the slower speed of the ship, such a thing has been found to be necessary, as trips can take days instead of hours, depending on the desired location.

----------

Roster

---

Hero Side:

Draven Erickson

King Slater

The Kingdale Referee

Project Whirlwind

Psycho13

Bull-Thistle

Joe Durnan (associated)


---

Villain Side:

Solo Stryker

Ragin James

Dirty Ice

Mark Shadow

Justin Steel w/ Mercenaries
-Mr. Smythe
-Mr. Weston
-Mr. Remington
--Mr. Hackler
--Mr. Coach
---Mr. Kolt

Bioserj

Brother Mauthe w/ "Thugs" (associated)
-Brother Brick
-Brother Hood
-Brother Ringo
--Brother Hand
--Brother Skrap
---Brother War

Joe Durnan is the husband of Sarah Grey and a "Hero Cop" in one of the Paragon Police Departments numerous hero programs. Lacking super powers, he's supplied with an array of unusual attachments for his assault rifle, and even unusual assault rifles, which he uses to enforce the law in Paragon City. He's also supplemented with an assortment of devices which he uses to control and guide the battlefield.

In his personal life, Joe is a devoted husband. Though he's taken slightly aback by Sarah's aggressive nature, he's learned to enjoy it, as his wife is a sweet and fun-loving young woman as well. They're still young, though, and haven't been seriously considering children (despite pressure from Sarah's mother...).

Joe's duties primarily revolve around patrolling King's Row (a duty that has caused him to receive ribbing from other, older officers; he's often referred to as Blue 2, or Steel's Sidekick, but that's also the term for the whole unit that has the King's Row beat). He's usually only deployed when dangerous groups are out in force, but he's also a hero, so he can usually be found in other city zones.

Joe also coordinates with the Brutal Warriors Order. Because of this cooperation, Blue Steel sometimes has a bit of an unorthodox method of deploying into the Rogue Isles to rescue fallen heroes.

Super Flak

This is Joe's personalized flak jacket. It's slightly more resilient than the average SWAT team flak jacket and has enough pockets and sheathes built into it to carry Joe's magazines, cartridges, fuel tanks and devices.

The glasses he wears are shooter glasses, and they cut down on the glare from his rifle.

Super SWAT

This is one of several prototype armors currently being field tested by the police. It's designed to be a light version of the PPD Hardsuit and has proven to be exceptionally resilient at the one thing Joe really wanted it for: resisting the stench of Paragon City's extensive sewer network.

"It just smells so bad down there... I'm so glad this suit comes with a filter."

Another BWO segment. Dirty Ice gains an ally, and Psycho fights for his life.

--Break n' Smash--

Matt had sorely overestimated his capabilities. The freaks worked him to a corner and he viciously swung his hammer at them, batting them around. The freaks didn't let up, however, and as they fell unconscious, each one was somehow reinvigorated and awakened by their Excelsior Injectors.

"Get him!" the Tank Smasher leading the Break n' Smash freaks shouted as they closed and raised their weapon arms as one.

The attacks slammed a few feet from Dirty Ice's head, however. There was a grunt and a pair of glowing purple eyes appeared in front of him.

"Are you alright?" the deep bass voice asked from what looked like the middle of nowhere.

"Breaker?" Jones asked as he pushed himself out of the corner, "Uh... Yeah..."

"What the Hell was that!?" the Tank shouted, "This isn't pro wrestling! Near misses don't [frig]ing count! Kill him!"

"No..." the cloaked brute between Matt and the Freaks rumbled, "You know you've got to back the [frig] up... Back up of of me. Now!"

The eyes flashed brighter slightly and the freaks backed away. Unfortunately, the Tank urged them forward again, which only caused Power Breaker to sigh in consternation. He then raised his hand and gestured.

Red lightning erupted from the spires that jutted from Breaker's torso and launched at the surrounding freaks. The goons were instantly wrapped in cages and stuck in place.

"Look, fellas, I don't want to be here, you don't want me here, let me just take my little fat friend and go."

"No! He wrecked our club!"

"Like you weren't about to do it yourselves," Power Breaker snorted, "I've seen how these things turn out."

"Enough of this!" the Tank shouted, "I'll handle him!"

"Yeah!" a Juicer Chief cheered, "Kick his [butt], Sea Bass!"

"You're kidding..." the brute sighed as 53@ 8@55 hopped over the electrified ranks and brought his hammer arms out to the sides.

Power Breaker then raised his fists and brought them down hard. The force, combined with the peculiar energies that radiated from his flesh, allowed him to tear the Tank's arms out at the shoulder joints. Some of the controlling mechanisms shook as 53@ 8@55 screamed impotently. When he still tried to rush the brute, Power Breaker simply punched him in the chest, knocking him back into the crowd of lesser freaks.

"Get an original name, punk," Breaker growled, then, turning to the other freaks, "The rest of you get out of my way."

----------

--The Iron Hammer Basement--

As the sounds of heavy metal and hard thrashing pounded above, the sounds of metal striking metal rang below. Psycho13 knew he was sorely outclassed, and was using every ounce of desperation he had to keep the metal-wrapped villainess at bay. Wrapping the chain of the shackles around his left forearm, he used it as a guard when she raked her steel spikes against him. The spike she'd hit him with earlier, he stabbed into her shoulder.

It promptly slunk into her and was gone from his grip. Before he could think about it, spikes exploded into his armpit, upper arm and the upper right portion of his torso. The spikes withdrew as he snapped back, screaming.

"Aw... Poor baby didn't know he can't win..."

"Doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying to get out of here."

"Where do you think you can go, cape?" Mantis wiped the blood from her shoulder and admired it, "Even if you beat me, you still have all those freaks upstairs to deal with."

"I'll burn that bridge when I get to it," the scrapper gasped as he sidled over to the implements bag, "For now... Ooh! The meat hook!"

"You have got to be the strangest cape I've ever met."

"While we're on the subject, please stop calling me a cape... Do you see a cape on my body? 'Cause if you do, let me know."

----------

--On the Ferry to St. Martial--

"What the Hell were you trying to do?" Power Breaker growled at Matt, "Shut up. I know what you were doing. You want to know how I found you?"

"I guess," the worn out rogue sighed as he gazed across the water.

"I caught some chatter from an Arachnos listening post. They were sending information to Grandville that some lunatic brute was looking for Silver Mantis. You want to know what would happen if they found you? She'd have two prisoners instead of one."

"I just wanted to find-"

"No crap," Breaker sighed and returned to his seat, "You know, for all the time you and your friends have spent dealing with these islands, you'd think you'd have some inkling of how things work around here."

"Low rent Nineteen Eighty-Four."

"It's exceptionally high rent, but yeah. Now, look, I found where Mantis is keeping Psycho13. I'll take you there and we'll yank him out of there. Now, what you have to do is make a decision."

"What decision?"

"Do you just want to get your friend back, or do you want to make a statement?"

"A statement?"

"Simply put, we go in there, wreck every freak in the building and stomp a mud hole into Silver Mantis."

Matt's eyes glittered with mad glee, "YES! That's exactly what I want to do!"

"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about," the larger brute sighed, "Ice... That crosses a line. It gets you involved. Specifically, you get involved in the fight with Arachnos, and there are very few capable allies in that fight. You want in on that? You want to spend every night lying awake, waiting for their assassins to creep into your bedroom window to slit your throat?"

Dirty Ice stared at Power Breaker, suddenly understanding a little more what the lecture was about. There were consequences to every decision, even the ones that involved the people normally below the notice of the major players.

"Let's just get him back," the blonde young man sighed.

----------

--The Iron Hammer Basement--

Silver Mantis wondered how it had gotten like this. She was obviously hurting the guy, but he never relented. He could apparently feel pain, he just didn't seem to care. A couple of times, he laughed hysterically like stabbing him in the neck was the funniest joke he'd ever heard.

It was almost maddening. Her only real regret was that he seemed so unskilled at fighting back. His assaults were devoid of any real skill, they were mostly just exaggerated swings and flails, all with a vain hope that they would do anything approximating real damage.

However, in the end, it wound up that he had her neck wrapped up in the chain attached to his forearm and was choking the life out of her. While she would normally have derived some form of perverse pleasure out of it, she could see there was no such mirth in her soon-to-be-victim's eyes.

"You want to torture me!?" Psycho13 shouted, "You have no idea what I've been through! You've awakened something in me, and now you're dealing with it!"

Spikes suddenly poked through the links of the chains and Silver Mantis stood. Wrenching the metal apart, she smirked at the astonished young man, now completely defenseless, and giggled.

"Oh no..." his tone sounded defeated, "Another setback."

With a shout, Mantis hurled a single spike that slammed into her victim's shoulder and drove him into the far wall. He grunted when he hit and was busy trying to pull himself free when she ran over and pulled his arm to the side.

"To quote one of my favorite movies," she licked her upper lip as she produced another spike from her wrist into her palm, "'Victims, aren't we all?'"

She drove the metal through the scrapper's forearm and Baker screamed loud. He would have screamed for a while except somethings topped him...

"-Aaaa-Hey! My friend lives for that mov-AUGH!"

She drove another spike into his other outstretched forearm, effectively crucifying him to the wall. However, he was still able to support himself from his feet on the floor. Not-at-all gently, she yanked the spike in his right shoulder out of him and tapped it against her other palm.

"You don't know when to shut up."

"That's funny, my teachers always said I was a quiet boy..."

She smacked him hard across the face and he chuckled. He seemed unbothered, however.

"Do you feel a draft?"

Another smack.

"Hey, if you see Silver Mantis around, could you tell her that her grandmother just came down here and tried to work me over?"

Her knee just slammed into his gut and he coughed a lot. Mantis sighed as he slumped and sauntered back to her bag of goodies. Producing a battery operating buzzsaw, she grinned and turned back to her victim.

"Time to have some fun!" her silk-over-steel voice echoed as the club suddenly became very quiet.

----------

--Hours Later...--

"Oh my God," H4nnib@l muttered, "Will he live?"

"Better than that," Silver Mantis laughed, "Tomorrow morning, he'll be all healed! I tried seeing what would happen if I cut his hand off, then just pressed it against the stump and it grafted right back! I can experiment with him as long as I want! Oh... If I weren't so disinclined toward the notion, I'd almost say I were in love!"

"Poor guy," R4nc1d groaned, "Why'd you cut his legs off and reattach them?"

"I wanted to see if I could put them on the wrong way, you know, left for right, right for left... Didn't work, and the right one kicked me... I didn't want him bleeding out, so I put him back together. Hook him up to another IV and I'll be back in the morning. Ciao!"

When Silver Mantis was gone, R4nc1d looked to his boss and shook his head.

"Alright, I know we don't care about much of anything, but that [girl] is whack. Totally whacked out of her gourd."

"Yeah, but she pays well," H4nnib@l growled, "Get the Doc down here and we'll hook him up."

He walked up to the unconscious scrapper and lifted his chin with one of his claws.

"You. I want better sleep tonight, so I don't want you screaming because you're afraid of the dark. Honestly, what kind of cape are you?"

"I'll try to oblige," the young man whispered, "It depends on what plays in my head."

As the Meat Doctor worked on the unconscious young man, R4nc1d walked over and looked him over. When Psycho regarded him, he waved.

"Would you like something to eat?"

"Thanks, but I've been cutting back on my [urine] intake."

"No [urine]," the freak replied, "Honest. You just look... You look starved."

"Are you coming on to me?" Psycho13 arched an eyebrow at R4nc1d.

"Yeah, are you?" the Meat Doctor chimed in as she turned to face him, "Because, seriously, if you swing that way, I know this guy who-"

"Shut up!"

I hope this is in the in-game GMOTD as well. Not everybody who plays visits the forums.

--Sheldon--

"First plan is this..." Sheldon hit a few buttons as he heard the chatter and explosions coming from his friends, "I make you go fast..."

He released a beam of green-tinted kinetic energy on the pilot as the ship came to a stop. Instantly, the Khelari would feel invigorated, like he could run forever at a speed most people dream of.

"Next, I engage this inertial dampening field..."

Yellow-tinted energy filled the chamber, and the two suddenly felt very light.

"And now we go find your other and see what we can do to help."

----------

--Randall, Cory and Ryat66--

Randall looked down at the little machine and could feel the familiar energy coursing through his arm.

"No!" he barked as he lifted it up and smashed it against the ground, "Bad dog!"

"Oh crap!" Ryat66 shouted, "I hit them, but it just makes them stronger!"

Cory broke another blue crystal in his hand and muttered an incantation. Waving his hands to the sides, an ice patch formed on the ground and he pulled the android with him.

"Randall! This way! Refrain from attacking!"

The tanker stomped into the ground, his rooted foot crushing the robot he just slammed and sending a shockwave through the surrounding ranks. He then turned and followed after the wizard, his crystalline armor twinkling with the energy deflections. He still gritted his teeth with each successful strike, though.

Once past the ice patch, Cory uttered another spell and a wide area was suddenly wrapped in ice. Robots caught in the path were immediately flash frozen and held in a delicate stasis.

"Keep from hitting the imprisoned, Mr. Grey," the warlock shouted over the blaster fire, "We have to make our way to Solid Shot!"

Randy responded by picking one of the frozen robots up and hurling it into the midst of the still-firing robots. He couldn't admire the collision, however, and kept pace with his fellow heroes.

((Cory, Randall, Ryat66 and (soon) Sheldon Wallace are on Rikti Earth at the moment. Not Kip. I'm going to assume, from Khell's post, that you meant Cory, Sovs.))

--Prime Earth: Paragon City: Crey's Folly: Second Base on the List--

"You gotta be freaking kidding," Kip muttered before the beams arced through the air and caught him and the robotic tanker at his side, "AUGH!"

Kip's energy shield protected him, as did Ryat99's ice armor, however, it still hurt like Hell. Nester's Healing Wave Generator soothed the ache and closed up the wounds, but it did little to alleviate the sickness the scrapper felt, nor the android's scrambled sensors.

"Here!" Nester shouted, blasting a collection of nanites into his brother that immediately reinvigorated him, "Kick it through the wall!"

Kip tried. He felt like he could kick through steel all of a sudden. However, he was rapidly disproved as he delivered a savage side kick to the "belly" of the titanic machine and it didn't budge. It didn't hurt Kip, though, so there was some give somewhere...

Cedric bounded to the left flank with his sister, brother and best friend in tow. Roland let fly a barrage of arrows, from a flash to acid and finally a glue arrow. The robots were quickly mired in the white muck and he launched an explosive in their midst before Cedric and Matt closed in on them.

The two friends then tore through the smaller machines, Grey like some sort of crazed berzerker, McGinty like a cartoon-character samurai. The tanker hardly tried to avoid the Kalashnikov weaponry, but Matt often turned aside guns, kicked robots around, and once even deflected a bullet with his sword.

"You're moving like a blur, man!" Cedric cheered as his axe cleaved through a robot's head, "Keep the tunes coming, Sis!"

Sarah nodded and hummed gently to herself along with the hard rock song she'd chosen for the fight. She made sure everybody was hearing it, and the effect invigorated her family and friends, strengthening their resolve. It was amazing how much more effective they could be with the right music.

Nester, however, was having a rough time. With the fight divided, Ryat99 and Aaron having gone to help Kip, he had to move back and forth between the two groups, monitoring their health and making sure nobody died. A bullet grazed his armor and he yelped before blasting the offending robot with an X-ray beam emitted from his visor. That didn't take it down, but it was promptly bowled over by a kick from the wildly yelling Mad Matt.

Ryat99 was shot back by one of the beams from the large robot. When he came back to punch it in the chest, he took note of the machine's make-up.

"I've never seen them built like this," he told Kip, "You think maybe we've found the place we're looking for?"

"Yeah," Kip vaulted off the machine's arm and kicked it's sensor array in, "We found it. On to the next robot."

----------

--Rikti Earth: The Forgotten Sanctuary: The Battle with Malta Group Forces--

"Oh my God!" Cory shouted as he dove behind whatever cover he could find, "Ryat! To me!"

"Not just yet," the android replied before firing a blast of super-condensed energy at one of the approaching robots, "Come on, Cory! Your spells, a few area of effect attacks, we could take these guys really easily!"

"Alright," Simmons replied as he flew out of his cover and over the fray, "But wait for my signal..."

Ryat66 continued to provide support fire for Solid Shot as the wizard found a proper place and fire-bombed a cluster of the offending androids. Energy blasts whipped around him, as if the air currents were carrying them aside. However, one struck home and knocked Cory out of the air. The wizard struggled to his feet, getting knocked and batted about by the offending machines until he finally regained his senses and exploded in a massive conflagration that scored massive burns into each of the assault bots. Cracking a blue gem in his hand, Cory drew his hand around and pulled through the Aether...

-----------

--Rikti Earth: Forgotten Sanctuary: Command Group--

Randall perked up and looked to Acid Zero and Essex.

"I have to go, I trust you can take care of him..."

Before the pink replinoid could reply, Grey disappeared in a flash...

----------

...only to reappear next to Cory. As various stone armors wrapped about his body, Randall's fist slammed hard into one of the robots and the wizard quickly summoned Ryat66 to their side. The android cheered as his electrified fists smashed into another assault bot and they started fighting their way back to Solid Shot.

Next bit of BWO is up.

In it, Psycho13 serenades Silver Mantis to keep her from torturing him while his friends scramble to figure out what to do to rescue him.

--St. Martial: The Iron Hammer--

"You must have really done a number on him," H4nnib@l growled when Silver Mantis arrived the next morning, "I almost didn't get any sleep last night, I could hear him screaming two floors up!"

"I..." the villainess looked askance at the owner of the iron Hammer and made a sound akin to an angry cat, "I wasn't here last night, I had some other schemes I had to work on."

"Then what the Hell was-?"

"You let someone down there with him? You idiot!"

"No! We posted a guard and everything!"

The two stormed to the basement entrance and found a tired, shotgun-toting guard by the name of R4nc1d. The Freak set his gun down and stood to greet Silver Mantis, but was promptly slapped aside. The villainess then proceeded through the door, breaking the lock through sheer angry force.

"Ah, what the Hell, man!?" R4nc1d shouted, but not at her.

"Did you let anybody down there?" H4nnib@l shouted, "Anyone at all!?"

"Just the doc, and I went down with her to make sure nothing funny happened, just like you said Han! It was the weirdest thing, too... He'd stop screaming as soon as the door opened. He wasn't even panting, wounded, nothin'..."

"He's a Regenerator, you idiot! They heal fast!"

"Don't call me that, Hannibal! I hear it one more time, I'll blast your damn face off! I know what Regenerators do, and they don't heal anywhere near that fast. Not a mark on him, this I swear!"

The two Freaks descended the steps and found Silver Mantis examining her victim. Psycho13 looked up to them, humming and grinning. It was an unsettling thing to see.

"Damn, that is one scary looking hero..." R4nc1d intoned.

"I'm living a lie," the scrapper suddenly intoned, "and it's not the best thing for me. But anyone and everyone is gonna hear another story."

"What?" Silver Mantis turned him to face her and he continued.

"I'm building a house... Of murderous intention. To keep it all from coming down, I've gotta focus my attention. 'cause confidence is key... when violating trust... I'm making sure that I believe I'm doing what I must! "

His eyes were blazing as he stared back into his tormentor's. The steel infused woman backed away cautiously and turned back to the two Freaks bearing witness while the imprisoned scrapper continued to sing his demented solo.

"...Which is attempting to kill... the little boy inside... But as hard as I try, the child will not die! nanananananananananana... NOW I'M BURNING ALIVE! Just like you! Oo-wee-oo! Oo-woo-oo! Oo-wee-oo! Oo-woo-oo. Now I'm burning alive! Just like you!"

"Yeah!" H4nnib@l started clapping his claws together, producing a murderous cacophony as he cheered the prisoner's singing, "That [frig]ing rocks, man! This guy's all tied up, but he's giving me a freaking adrenaline rush!"

"Who was that?" R4nc1d asked.

"Bes Worland," Psycho13 stopped swaying to the music and grinned that odd grin of his as he answered, "Burning Black Light. The song's called Lie."

H4nnib@l turned to his minion and the shotgun-toting Freak nodded enthusiastically.

"I'm on it," he said as he started sprinting for the stairs to tell their resident hacker to get a hold of copies of the song.

However, the real action was still in the basement.

"Don't encourage him," Silver Mantis intoned with a slap across the scrapper's face, "Everybody knows Metal is where it's at."

"Well, it's an industrial blend," Baker argued, "I just like Bes, I guess..."

Silver Mantis smiled that tight-lipped smile of hers and turned back to her duffel bag of implements. She started rooting through it and H4nnib@l checked to make sure Psycho13's restraints were still tight. There were minor cuts and scrapes on his wrists where the shackles were, but they were in a state of constant healing and tearing. Otherwise, everything was still fine.

"Leave, Hannibal," Mantis finally said, "I want this session to be more... intimate."

"Lucky me..." Psycho13 actually seemed shaken.

----------

--Skyway City--

"Where's Matt?" Dustin asked as Jared admitted him into his apartment.

"How should I know?" the normally red-coated scrapper replied, "I haven't talked to him in a couple days."

"I haven't been able to find him. I was gonna take him ad James to the Rogues and look for Levi."

"Well, where's James?"

"He's in his apartment, packing to go."

Draven planted his fists on his hips as he considered what his cousin was telling him. He didn't like the fact that they were just going off and doing their own thing without consulting the rest. If they didn't listen to their leader, what the Hell was the point in having the group in the first place?

"Look, Slater, Levi was my friend, too, but we can't just rush into this."

"We rushed into it for Sheldon!"

"That had never been done before! It can't be done by us again! Not now, anyway. We need to find a quick way, in and out, to just yank him away from the big dogs and hope, vainly hope, they don't think we're the ones that did it!"

King Slater almost reached over and hurled his cousin across the room. It was maddening, the idea of leaving their friend to be tortured. Worse yet, it wasn't the first time he'd been tortured, and the fact that they knew who had him this time and weren't doing anything to help him made it worse.

"Once we're out of options, Dust, I'll raise the sword and lead the charge myself," Draven finally said as he saw the anger in his larger cousin's eyes, "You think I'm not hurting, too? He was my best friend, man! I could trust him with anything. Anything!"

They stood there silently for a few moments. Nervous with the issue hanging over them, they started looking around uncomfortably.

"Look," Jared finally said to break the silence, "How about we call Mauthe, Bioserj and Power Breaker, get them to keep their ears out and see if they can find anything?"

"Sounds good, man."

The two started leaving when Dustin's brother, Daren, appeared at the door. He looked freaked out, but calmed visibly when he saw the reason for the open door wasn't that his cousin was violently disappeared.

"Have either of you guys seen Dirty?"

"No."

"Damn, he's already gone, then!"

"What?" the other two asked at the same time.

"Dirty left me a voicemail, said he was headed to the Rogues to find Levi!"

----------

--Sharkhead Isle: Freak Club "Break n' Smash"--

The Freaks had no idea why this Brute was tearing through their ranks. The door had been kicked open and the stone hammer started smashing. Whenever too many Freaks got close, the brute stomped into the ground and the resulting earthquake disoriented many of the villains before they were smashed into by the heavy hammer.

"He's on fire!" one shouted before getting hammered aside.

Matt Jones, now with a space between himself and the ring of Freaks and Mad Freaks in the club, set his sledge hammer's pommel into the floor and looked about. Scowling hard to demonstrate his contempt, he pointed at the Freak Tank standing in the back.

"You! You look like the one in the know! Tell me where Silver Mantis is, I know she hangs out with you losers!"

"Buddy, I'd love to have her around, she's fun," the Tank replied angrily, "But she ain't been round here, ever. We've been told we're not edgy enough for her..."

The brute looked askance at the surrounded jagged scrap metal structures. He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes at the music that sounded like cars crashing into each other. Either the other Freaks were lying to these guys and wanted them to keep going overboard to keep Silver Mantis away, or she had really insane tastes.

"Well," Dirty Ice took note of the angry stares of the very aggravated Freaks that surrounded him, "I guess i'll be leaving you guys alone, then..."

"Oh, no," the Tank rose and lifted his hammer-like arms, "Stay. We've got so much to make up for..."

"Yeah, I don't want to do that..."

-----------

--St. Martial: The Iron Hammer--

Silver Mantis couldn't settle on what she wanted to use first. Every time she found the one that suited her mood, the scrapper would change songs and start singing something else. Now he was singing something that made no sense and was horribly off-key.

"I'm going to... Africa. Yes ma'am I'm a brick-was pres-i-dent linc-oln... okay-mittens. There's a dog, in the vent. Chicken Necks? I pick Ken-Griff-ey Junior-I... fell-out-two-times! na-nana-na nana-na nana-na nana-na, na na na-na na-na na na! na-nana-na nana-na nana-na nana-na, na na na-na na-na na na!"

"Will you stop!?" the villainess shrieked.

"I'm pedaling... Backwards this... Snowflake-tastes like-fishsticks, we're a to-tem-pole..."

She stabbed one of her spikes deep into Psycho13's abdomen. This didn't stop him, he didn't even miss a beat, just started smiling more broadly.

"...Dying tickles..."

Silver Mantis's jaw slacked open as she wondered whether or not the scrapper's mind was truly broken.

"I heard a... Frankenstein... Lives there-she's touching my special air-ee-ah... Go ba-nan-uh!"

He was now lolling his head back and forth...

"Ralphie! Get off! The stage! Sweetheart! Oh-oh, say can you ROCK! I'm a pop sensation! I'm a pop sensation! Salmon gutter! na-nana-na nana-na nana-na nana-na, na na na-na na-na na na! na-nana-na nana-na nana-na nana-na, na na na-na na-na na na!"

The cybernetic dominatrix turned back to her implements, looking for something that would end this madness. As she rooted through the bag, the scrapper continued his crazed singing.

"I'm Idaho... You smell like... Dead bunnies-that's where I saw the lep-reh-caun..."

She held up a meat hook...

"Fun toys are fun."

She put it back in the bag.

"Chocolate... Microscopes... You're not it-that is so nineteen-ninty-one..."

Some blood suddenly escaped from his mouth and Silver Mantis couldn't help but stare in a form of curious terror. She worried suddenly that she actually had damaged something beyond repair and wanted to make sure she hadn't accidentally killed her subject. As she reached for the spike lodged in the scrapper's belly, he grinned.

"I bit my tongue!"

His voice had changed to a high-toned haggard growl, but was slowly turning more manic as he continued.

"Ralphie! Get off! The stage! Sweetheart! Oh-oh say can you ROCK! I'm a pop sensation! I'm a pop sensation! Yvan eht nioj! Yvan eht nioj! Yvan eht nioj! Yvan eht nioj! Yvan eht nioj! Yvan eht nioj! Yvan eht nioj! YVAN EHT NIOJ!"

She'd been so intent on his face, she didn't notice that Baker was now holding his right hand with his left so it put a lot of pressure on the thumb.

"My sash says AQUAMAN!" he finished the song and broke his thumb into his palm.

With a hard wrench, he yanked his hand through the shackle and pulled his arms down, whipping his left arm about to catch his tormentor in the face with the free-swinging chain. Silver Mantis staggered back, more out of surprise than pain, and watched as her subject pulled the serrated spike out of his belly.

"I went through a lot of anguish last night," Psycho13 was shaking with rage, "And now, I'm asking you, would you kindly hand me my medical transporter beacon so I may return home?"

"Baby, that is just not going to happen."

"I see you've made your decision," despite how much he shook, his eyes never strayed the smallest micrometer from her, "Now to make you regret it!"

The villainess smiled. This was going to be more fun than she expected.

((Lyrics from Black Light Burns' Lie and the Bloodhound Gang's Ralph Wiggum. I just heard Lie this morning and instantly became obsessed, and I had this scene orchestrated to Ralph Wiggum in my head since a week and a half ago. The various "na-na" and "oo-wee-oo" moments are Psycho13 making a noise akin to the instrumental between lyrics.))

I've got a new installment to the Brutal Warriors Order up (BWO). If you're wondering how it started, well, it's an offshoot from the main events in Grey's Army. The storyline in Brutal Warriors is usually fragmented, as it's a support group of Grey's Army, but it's usually got action sequences in it.

In this part, the story addresses just what is happening to Psycho13 during his imprisonment under Silver Mantis's heel.