Those Who Kill and Those Who Dont (Open RP)

"Tick-Tok, Freedom Phalanx Reserve!" Tick-Tok said poudly.

((Hermod, Lieutenant Hawk is a WOMAN))

(OOC Post: And where in my post do I surrgest otherwise...as of now.)

((Thanks Unkown, after reading your fanfic thats a hefty compliment!))

Blood Wolffe had to stay out of the helicopter, being that close to Fox for that long would have driven him insane. He didnt know what it was but when he got close to him he was ready to snap.

He could keep up with the helicopter on foot.

Striga Isle loomed over the fog. The Council base they were headed to was new. The paint was still fresh and the ground around it still had the tracks of bulldozers and excavaters and such.

Blood Wolffe peaked over a cliff looking down on the base. There were two guards standing next to each other leaning against a tree.

"Another dollar, another day" said one.

"When is our shift over John?"

John looked at his watch, "One more hour, then we can get the hell out of this creepy place... Whats that?"

A blue ball was flying from the top of the cliff down to them.

"OH SH-"

The softball sized energy ball hit him in the chest, ripping his shirt and skin open. John bent over gasping for air as blood dripped out his mouth.

"Are you ok? John?"

The explosive ball inside him exploded, killing them both. Blood Wolffe had a clear path to the entrance and the guards didnt have time to raise the alarm. But it went off anyways.

Blood Wolffe went inside to look for the other heroes. They had better chances as a pack than flying solo.

Heroes were starting to converge from everywhere onto the base.

((I am kinda lost as to who I am with here. Also, unkown, use Wolffe Gunner, I like the interaction between our two unwilling allies.))

((People still read my fanfic? Ever since I let on the fact that I "borrowed" some ideas from an Anime, I thought that the few people who WERE following it stopped, which is why I've been concentrating my time with this RP Thread, but... Anyway, yeah, I HAVE been caught up with controlling the "bad guys" in this RP Thread. Since I probably don't need to do that for the remainder of this Saga, I'll go back to concentrating on my "other" characters. (I won't say "good" characters, since Wolfe Gunner and the Super Group "Final Justice" aren't necessarily "good" by everyone's definitions of the word) ))

Wolfe Gunner spat on the ground, being one of hundreds, if not thousands of Heroes converging on Striga Isle. Rock, Fire, Snow, Giant, and Mirage, his five wolves, kept a tightly-nit circle around their master.
Wolfe Gunner stopped as he saw the wolf-man run head-first into the entrance to the base, the two guards on duty being destroyed by some type of energy ball. Wolfe Gunner stopped for a moment, thinking hard. He looked down at his five wolves; they seem to nod in agreement.
"You know, this'll be the last time we can do this..." Wolfe Gunner chuckled, pulling out a magical trinket from underneath his shirt.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Wolfe Gunner yelled, aiming his rifle at the oddly-dressed man who was petting his wolves. The man had fur clothes, and when he turned to Wolfe, Wolfe could see his face-paint, the symbol of a wolf's claw on his forehead.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" The man said apologetically. "It's just that I haven't seen many wolves since-"
Wolfe Gunner fired a warning shot at the man's feet. "They're NOT wolves!"
The man hesitated, then continued. "Yes, of course." He quickly turned back to the wolves, then back to Wolfe, obviously pondering the situation. "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My tribe calls me He Who Runs with Wolves, but you may call me Wolf Runner." He extended his hand towards Wolfe.
Wolfe turned down the man's offer. "Name's Wolfe Gunner." Wolfe spat on the ground. "You stink like wolves, you know that?"
"Well, so do you." Wolf Runner said as politely as he could.
Wolfe Gunner instantly raised his rifle towards Wolf Runner. Wolf Runner raised his hands in the air instictively. "Listen, I came to the city to get AWAY from the wild, so unless you-"
"Can I ask you something?" Wolf Runner asked, keeping his hands raised.
Wolfe studied the man. "What?"
"If you hate wolves so much, why do you keep these five with you at all times?"
Wolfe narrowed his eyes at the man. The two men stared at each other for some time, neither one moving. Finally, Wolfe lowered his rifle.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I owe these five guys." Wolfe sighed, taking out his flask. "I took something away from them. The same thing those accursed wolves have taken from me." Wolfe Gunner took a sip from his flask, then sighed once more. "I met these five when they were just infants, before they had a chance to be turned into the same vile ANIMALS that killed my parents." Wolfe Gunner chuckled to himself. "Funny. I've just met you, yet you're the only person I've ever told this to."
Wolfe stood there, his chuckle becoming friendly laughter, and soon Wolf joined in the laughter as well.
"That's a pretty good bond you and your... friends... share." Wolf said after the two men calmed down. "What do you call your friends?"
Wolfe Gunner looked at Wolf Runner. "Well... I never named them." Wolfe Gunner admitted after some time.
"Oh..." Wolf Runner thought the situation over. "Would you mind if I performed a ceremonial ritual with your friends?" Wolfe Gunner eyed his new friend suspiciously. Wolf Runner raised his hands defensively. "Don't worry; it's perfectly safe. In fact, it might help you and your friends become closer than EVER before."
Wolfe Gunner studied Wolf. He seemed non-threatening, open. And his five wolves, who always growled and barked at strangers, seemed very trusting of him.
"What kind of ritual is this?" Wolfe Gunner asked.

Wolfe Gunner concentrated on the trinket in his hands. "Alright, guys..." He said, watching as his wolves began to glow. "One last time; after that..." Wolfe thought for a moment, then sighed. "Hell, I think a vacation is LONG overdue." The five glowing wolves howled for one moment, then turned into wisps of light. The light then was sucked into the trinket, where it glowed with a constant, white light.
Wolfe's body changed. His right arm erupted into flames, but his skin wasn't burned, and the flames seemed controlled, not moving from his right arm. His left arm grew cold, soon covered in ice. His body turned into solid stone, his legs grew incredibly muscular, and the symbol of an eye appeared on his forehead.
The names "Fire", "Snow", "Rock", "Giant", and "Mirage" were given to my friends during that ceremony... Wolfe Gunner thought as his eyes converted from the eyes of a man to the eyes of a wolf. As much as I hate this transformation, the ability to Control the powers of Fire, Ice, Earth, Gravity, and Illusion has been necessary twice in the past.
Wolfe Gunner dropped his now-useless rifle to the ground and ran after the wolf-man. However, this is the last time I can transform like this and maintain my humanity. If I ever transform again after this time... Wolfe Gunner's stomach turned at the thought. ...I will be forever trapped in this half-human half-wolf ABOMINATION of a body.

((Still waiting for Grey_Wind's response with my other characters... ))

((Whoa! Jeez... Take off for a while, and everything here just goes nuts... Let's see if I can work myself back in here. ))

Rock-Hopper watched his newfound allies descend into the sewer. He allowed the rest to go first, deciding to take up the rear. He was just about to lower himself into the storm drain, when he was approached by an older woman. Her face was covered in dust, with trails cleaned by tears streaking down. She looked at him, hope clear in her eyes.

"Please, stop them. Save those people. I believe in you."

The penguin-man was struck silent for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something, but the right words wouldn't come. I'm not sure we can do this. How can I tell her that? How can I tell her that when I go in there, I'm not likely gonna come out? He looked for something comforting to say to the woman, but gave up and simply nodded. In spite of his despair and anger, the woman looked comforted. With that, he lowered himself into the hole.

When he dropped down, Rock-hopper couldn't see anyone from his team. Voices filtered down the tunnel to where he was standing.

"I...we...help is appreciated, but we don't..."
"Tick-Tok, Freedom Phalanx Reserve!"

Rock-Hopper could only assume that his group had met up with someone else down here. He followed the voices down one tunnel and ran into the heroes he had met on the surface chatting with another group he didn't recognize.

Night Shrike grinned from beneath his helmet.

"I suppose you'd be rather embarassed if I decided to activate the four mines placed around the area you're standing in," Night Shrike said sardonically, "so we'd better be friends. We all need to become a team here. Trust me, if I thought different, i'd be the first guy outta here...no offense, I like to go it solo."

Shrike could see he wasn't being as pleasant as people liked him to be. He moved towards Lieutenant Hawk and offered her a handshake. "Night Shrike. Pleased to meet you, ma'am. We're headed for my CnC, gona snag a quicker form 'o transportation. Comin for a ride?"

At the moment Fox's strongest sense, hearing, told him someone else had come into the sewer, he hoped it was one of the heroes he had met. My god, how do you get into the Phalax? "Uh Shrike," he hesitated, he didn't want to burn any bridges at the moment. "Shrike, we need to hurry, we don't have alot of time till Requiem kills the next hostage and the sleepers are rampaging in the street, could we hurry to...CnC. Uh, are you guys coming?" Fox liked having more allies, but when they had names with ranks in them it made him very nervious. He pussed it aside for the moment, he just hoped they didn't try and take command, he might find himself following.

(OOC Note: Fox's biggest fear is leaders, he has listen to one all of his life and it's hard for him not to follow orders. So anyone who starts giving orders is likly to scare him.)

(OOC: Night Shrike, without giving too much away, was once special forces for a high-ranking military organization. He somewhat despises those still involved in that type of thing after all he has seen and done, and doesn't particularly care for these people right off the bat. He's trying, though.)

Blood Wolffe was walking down the hall of the entrance to the base. It was strange, apart from the two fools outside there was no resistance. Blood Wolffe was still very cautious. Who knows what other new monsters the Council has cooked up. He stopped for a moment to catch more of a new yet familiar scent. He turned around and saw Wolfe Gunner in his new form. He noticed his more obvious features but what really caught his attention was his eyes. He gave Wolffe Gunner a smug, sharp-toothed grin as if to say, "You hate wolves so much and look at you now."

"There are alot of sleepers in the room straight ahead of us, I was planning on sneaking by them but you are kind of high profile, you think you can stay hidden, or do we go through?

... and there is the scent of something else in this base, but I am sure you caught it already."

Blood Wolffe gave him another sneer.

Ugh, this is so not cool, Candi thought to herself. I don't know anything about leading heroes.

The makeshift contingent of heroes Rick Davies had put together was off on their first mission. This, the first strike force, was combing Atlas for the sleepers, while the next teams were being assembled.

We'll see if this works. Candi looked around at the other heroes under her command as they came upon the first of the sleepers pulling citizens from their cars to kill them.

"Here we go!" she shouted, "You know what to do!" hoping that they all did and that they wouldn't have to rely on her for instruction.

The first beast growled with frustration as it was locked unmoving in a block of ice. As a blue man with claws leapt past it he dropped the teleport beacon onto it and continued onwards towards the rest of the mob. With a bright blue flash and a 'whop' of displaced air the beast vanished to be held in the makeshift stasis field hastily erected deep in the heart of 'the Zig'.

One down a thousand to go, but at least it's working so far,

A dark blast of energy caught one of the fragile flyers headlong and she tumbled to the earth. Candi knelt to heal her but a large shadow blocked out the light. A hideously mutated man loomed over her about to bring its fists down. Candi fell back as the thing suddenly disappeared leaving a grinning Patchworks in view from where he had placed a beacon on its back.

"Thanks, Patchy" she sighed with relief.

He waved and waded back in to help the others. The dark, tentacled sleepers were sniping the support teams that were hanging back trying to keep the monsters locked down. The melees were doing their best to keep the sleepers attention focused on them without hurting them too badly, but it was rough going. A few of the sleepers died as heroes were forced to protect themselves or others. Through the war of attrition, heroes vanished as their rescue net transporters saved them from certain death and sleepers winked out as the strike team's members got close enough to attach their beacons. Then, suddenly, it was over. The heroes cheered into the aftermath of the battle. This went on for a minute then Candi called out.

"We've got to get back!" she yelled over the celebration. "We need to resupply and tell the others what they're up against."

The others agreed and they headed back towards City Hall.

-Quinn stalked onward. He was alone now, having been cut off from his team by a squad of Vampyri and thier pets. He still wasn't sure how it had happened. He had been scouting an intersection of corridors when one of the team mind-lnked him the message of the attack. By the time he returned, they were all gone. The fighting had been fierce, but the scent trail was too muddied to follow. So he went back to the intersection, and continued on. He hadn't been able to mind-link with any other Kindred since, but then telepathy was never his stong point. Others could send to him, but he only seem able to be able to 'broadcast' a few feet. He hadn't tried his comlink. No sense in giving either his or others positions away. Assuming the enemy didn't already know where he was...
-He was entering into more tidy areas. The feel was more corporate office, less warehouse or hanger. And he was coming upon more normal soldiers. Those in small numbers he dispatched quickly, stuffing thier corpses into closets, vent shafts, whatever was handy. Larger numbers he either waited out, or skirted around. Time to thin them out later. The clock was ticking on innocent lives....kids lives...and he had to keep focus. Somewhere in here was either a cure, or someone who knew of one. Villians always had a cure or disable switch or something. So as not to hurt/ infect/ kill themselves. At least he hoped so.
-He ducked into a closet as he detected another large squad approaching. Listening at the door, he heard them stop near where he was for a briefing. "Sir, this corridor is secure!" "Very good. See that it stays that way. We have most of the intruders that entered from the cellars contained down there, but some straglers have gotten thru." "Isn't there a risk of them breaking thru, sir?" "DO YOU DOUBT THE ABILITIES OF THE COUNCIL!" "SIR, NO SIR I DO...erk!" Bloodfang heard the distainct sound of bones breaking, then the thump of a body hiting the ground. "Any more questions?" the leader asked? "Good. Just to set your minds at ease, we sent the new recruits to play with the intruders. The intruders are so busy trying to save them, they aren't making any progress, and are losing more than a fair share of thier numbers...judging by the number of Hospital Teleports we've been monitoring. Carry on men."
-Quinn waited, but at least half the group seemed to be staying put. He didn't know if the leader was still there either. If they were going to start checking for intruders at this level, they were bound to find some of his victims. He checked the closet and noticed a filter vent for the ventilation system. "Save me the trouble of cutting my way thru the roof" he mused. Quietly entering the duct-work, he activted the flight runes on his armor. "Will be a whole lot quiter if I'm not banging around in here..." He pulled the filter cover back in place as best he could, and continued on, moving with the air flow. He stopped at every vent he passed, but most were either in similar closets, or feed smaller ductworks. When he finally went as far as he could, he doubled back to the first vent he could find that he could fit thru, and waited. No new scents (though the airflow was making it difficult. Then the thought hit him. His scent was being blown thru-out the complex!) Hearing nothing, he cut the vent away, and dropped doen into the room. "What a noobie mistake! Concentrating too hard !" he silently chastised himself. Then the door to the closet openned.
-"Welcome Quinn Isarian, aka Bloodfang. We've been expecting you. Won't you join us...."

Wolfe Gunner ran with Blood Wolffe into the heart of the base. Blood Wolfe could sense it, the smell of another abomination, but this one seemed scared, helpless...
Their fears were confirmed as Wolfe Gunner came to a HUGE room, in the center of which was a horrible sight; a beast, having the body of a monster, but the head and face of a young girl, was fighting off several Heroes on the ground.
Sniffing the air, Wolfe Gunner watched the Heroes fight the beast, the beast lashing out with tentacles and swiping at them with claws. Several Heroes jumped out of the way as the monstrosity bit down, trying to EAT the Heroes.
"Who the hell are you two?" Captain Eagle asked, looking back at Blood Wolffe and Wolfe Gunner.
Wolfe Gunner was busy looking past the fight, though, at a small opening that led into another room.
"Come on!" Wolfe yelled, taking Blood Wolffe by the hand and running towards the opening.
The monster, seeing the charge, tried to smash the two as they rushed towards the room she was guarding. Jumping quickly, Wolfe Gunner and Blood Wolffe were able to make it into the room just as the monster smashed the area above the opening, collapsing it in on itself and closing it off to the Heroes that were fighting the monster.
Wolfe Gunner looked up, looking his altered eyes gazing upon Requiem, who had been busy talking to another Hero when they burst in.
"Well, well..." Requiem chuckled. "THREE Heroes. NOW it's fair."

"Tick-Tok, Freedom Phalanx Reserve!" The Clockwork proudly declared.
Lieutenant Hawk and Sergeant Falcon looked at each other, then burst out laughing.
"You... a member of the Freedom Phalanx Reserve?" Lieutenant Hawk wiped tears from her eyes as she patted Tick-Tok on the head. "How cute."
Captain Eagle and the rest of the Super Group "Final Justice" turned around the corner just as Night Shike was offering his "quicker transportation".
"No need for that." Captain Eagle declared, talking into the communicator on his wrist. "Private Dove, are you in position?"
"Yes, sir!" Private Dove's voice crackled back, and in the next instant, before any of the four Heroes could react, they and the Super Group were teleported into the heart of the Council Base. Private Dove stood up, saluting the Captain as he took a quick glance at the four new Heroes.
"OK." Captain Eagle declared to his Super Group. "We all know what we're here to do; I know some of you have reservations about it, but it IS something that must be done."
Private Dove asked to be recognized.
"Yes, Private?" Captain Eagle asked, turning to Private Dove.
"I... just can't believe that there isn't any other way..." Private Dove said softly.
"Private, private..." Captain Eagle said, placing his hand on Private Dove's shoulder. "In times of war, the greater good MUST be protected. At ANY cost. And while our lives may be forever tainted because of our actions, we can rest assured that future lives will be in MUCH better hands because of what we do here today." Captain Eagle looked into Private Dove's eyes. "You don't think like myself, the Lieutenant, or the Sergeant. I understand that. You're young, naive. Don't worry." He turned away from Private Dove. "When you're older, you'll understand."
At that moment, a rumbling could be heard throughout the room. The center of the floor opened, and the dreaded Super Sleeper arose from the pit. It had tentacles coming out of it's back, had huge, grotesque muscles, but the most horrifying thing of all...
"I want my mommy..." The thing wailed sobbingly. Anyone could see that, at it's heart, it was just a 7 year old girl.
"*******!" Captain Eagle cursed under his breath. He turned to the four new Heroes. "You four stay in the back; only Heroes as powerful as the members of 'Final Justice' have a chance against this thing!"
As the Super Group began fighting, two Heroes rushed into the room.
"Who the hell are you two?" Captain Eagle yelled, turning to the two Heroes. The two jumped into a small opening that the monster left open. The monster smashed the opening after they leapt into it, causing it to collapse.
"[Censored]!" Captain Eagle yelled. "Lieutenant Hawk! Search for another way in! Now!"

"Welcome Quinn Isarian, aka Bloodfang. We've been expecting you. Won't you join us...." Requiem chuckled, holding what looked like a remote control in his hand. "I must thank you for bringing all those Heroes and innocent victims to the hospital." Requiem laughed. "You Heroes are so predictable." He pressed the button on the control box.
Paragon City has strategically-placed hospitals in almost every city zone in the city. Knowing that the chaos from his plan would put many Heroes and innocent lives in the city, Requiem had placed several of his Kamikaze Sleeper Agents in the basement of each hospital. And when he had pressed the button, the Kamikaze Sleeper Agents exploded. All across the city, every single hospital collapsed as the bottom of the buildings exploded. Thousands of Heroes and innocent people died instantly, and many others were now trapped in the rubble of the buildings.
Requiem chuckled as he threw the now-useless control box down, crushing it under his heel. "Now, on your left is a machine that can pacify the Sleeper Agents for one hour, PROVIDED one of you Heroes sacrifice your life. You can maintain their happiness, so long as you Heroes keep on sacrificing yourselves every single hour." Requiem laughed once more. "You'd be doing my work for me. Now, on your right is a machine that can stop this whole mess completely. It will free the Sleeper Agents for a moment, but then they will die a most EXCRUCIATINGLY painful death." Requiem smiled wickedly. "No more Sleeper Agents, no more threat to Paragon. You can stop all of this, all you have to do is kill some inncent victims." Requiem paused for a moment, studying Bloodfang's reaction. "Of course, there IS the password. Don't be foolish; I haven't written it down or told it to ANYONE, not even Vandal or Nosferatu. And, being the sport I am..." He extended his tentacles from his body, transforming into his true Nictus-form. "I'll make you a deal. Best me in battle, and I'll tell you the password. Of course, one Hero alone doesn't stand a CHANCE against the power of the Nictus-"
Two Heroes crashed into the room at that moment, causing Requiem to turn to see Blood Wolffe and Wolfe Gunner.
"Well, well..." Requiem chuckled. "THREE Heroes. NOW it's fair."
Requiem prepared himself, getting into a fighting stance. "Come on, the clock is ticking." Requiem smiled. "THEIR fate is in YOUR hands."

Tick-Tok watch the entrance collapse.
"If you didn't believe me when I said it watch this!" Tick-Tok said as he pointed his finger at the door. He shot a Thunderous Blast at it and the entrance was there again. Tick-Tok then took out the appropriate papers and showed them to the Non-Believers.

Fox looked around and quickly figured out they had been teleported. He saw Rock-Hopper behind them, "I want my mommy..." Fox saw the unholy creature for the first time.
"My...God..." Was all he could say, he had to remain focused, but the little girl, there was something wrong. He quickly igured it out, she was still aware, SHE'S STILL AWARE!
"You four stay in the back; only Heroes as powerful as the members of 'Final Justice' have a chance against this thing!" For a second Fox thought about staying, then he caught up with himself. He didn't have to take orders. Fox stood tall and drew two knives and looked at the girl and felt sick. He couldn't do it, not like this, it didn't matter what people thought of him, it mattered what he thought of himself. A haze memory told him he had killed childern like her, but he wasn't that man, he was Fox Soldier, he was a Hero.
But the thing was, he could do it and so many people would die if he didn't. Fox made the hardest decesion in his life, he was going to go into deep trance, surronded by strangers and against a little girl. He was going to hate himself for this, but he couldn't think of another way.
"Tell me to kill her. Don't ask, just do it." Fox said to Grey Shrike and Tick-Tok, he didn't say it loud enoughh for Rock-Hopper to hear so no one else would know. "And when it's over tell me to wake up." He hoped he could trust them. Fox heard the girl crying as he went into Deep Trance. All of his sense were sharp, except he lost feeling, short of death nothing could stop him. His mind closed off all uneccary functions, like logic and reason. He was a weapon waiting for a hand to weild him.

Most of the Super Group "Final Justice" cheered as Tick-Tok blew the entrance to the control room open.
I knew he just needed some incentive. Lieutenant Hawk thought, smiling to herself.

"What's this?!" Requiem looked, shocked, at the many Heroes that were now facing him.
Wolfe Gunner looked at the monstrosity behind the Heroes, looked at the machine, and jumped in before anyone could stop him.
At my power, I should be able to hold off death for about 15 minutes... Wolfe Gunner thought to himself. After that...
The machine began to suck out some of his power, causing him to yell in pain.
The monstrosity that had been fighting the Heroes stopped, yelling as it shrank, continuing to reduce in size until it was once again a little girl. The Sleeper Agents that were in the city also stopped their rampage, turning back into normal citizens.
Wolfe Gunner gritted his teeth; the pain was EXCRUCIATING. "I can't keep this up forever!" He yelled to the other Heroes. "Take him out NOW!!!"
Captain Eagle turned to Lieutenant Hawk. "Right. Can you read his mind?" He asked her.
"Not right now; if you manage to knock him out, I should be able to pick the password from his subconscious mind."
"Right." Captain Eagle smiled as his Super Group turned back to Requiem. "It's over, Requiem!" He declared.
"Not quite!" Requiem shouted, Vandal and Nosferatu walking next to him. "Now... witness the ULTIMATE power of a Nictus!" Using his tentacles, Requiem absorbed a screaming Vandal and Nosferatu into his body, adding their dark power to his own. His muscles increased in size, and a black aura surrounded his body as his power tripled.
"I would sooner DIE than turn back after all this!" Super Requiem declared in a booming voice. "You can't stop me! You can't stop the Council!" Requiem looked around at Tick-Tok, Fox Soldier, Night Shike, Bloodfang, Rock-Hopper, and Blood-Wolffe. "NOW... DIE!!!" Requiem yelled as he attacked.

"The Council's Ultimate Plot" Saga: The Final Battle, Super Requiem!!!

-Bloodfang stood in shocked silence. "How'd they know my name? Could he be the one who has been shadowing me?". Before he could do more than enter the room, two more heroes appeared. The wolf boyz from earlier. Alot was happening. He heard Requiem's speach, saw the entrance get buried, then cleared, and more heroes enter. Then the absorbtion of the other two Council. One of the wolf boyz (he couldnt keep them strait right now. One looked alot more wolf-like than before. And hadn't one had a gun? Then he caught thier scents. Wolffe Gunner and his wolves had become one. He was in the machine. Blood Wolfe was the other one)jumped into the machine that Requiem had indicated. Instantly he was in intense pain. The other heroes took up positions to attack Requiem, but Quinn just stood there. Slowly an evil smile crossed his lips.
-"I have a better idea. Your'e three villians now, Requiem. I fgure you should provide at least three hours of freedom for the innocent's you have enslaved. Maybe more. In that time, I'm sure one of the more mechanical heroes can hack your files". With that, he turned all business. "Wolfe Gunner, get out of there. I need tyour strength here if this is going to work! You there, in the patriotic get-up. We have to get him" indicating Requiem "into that machine, and keep him there! We might even get him to give us the password and the cure in exchange for his life!".
-Requiem laughed "Do you realy think it will work? You pathetic little group cannot hope to beat me, not now!" Quinn nodded his way. "Youre right, but I am going to die trying, even if I have to...hey that might work better! Gunner, get out here now! I need to be in there!" he shouted as he leapt past Requiem towards the chamber. He sent out a desperate mind-call as he landed "Clarisa, I need help. Big magic help. Any chance you can hear me?"...no reply...then "Loud and clear! What do ya need?"
-"I need to be able to boost my summon foe to astronamical levels, to pull a Deamon to me. Tell me how...."

Shrike placed a hand quickly on Fox's shoulder. "I order you, from now on, to make choices for yourself."

With that, he dove behind a nearby machine and closed his eyes. "Nicole", he whispered under his breath, "One day you told me I could call upon you...that time is now. Give me strength". Shrike waited.........
and felt nothing.

He opened his eyes. In his open palm were two gleaming white bullets engraved with luminescent runes.

A tear slid down Night Shrike's face within his helmet, and he opened the chamber in his rifle. The bullets loaded, he peeked around the corner at the ensuing battle.

Fox came out of the trance expecting to find blood on his knives and be standing outside of the base. He was shocked to find himself standing in the same spot. Grey Shrike ran towards a machine and Fox followed, he had no idea what was going on. The super sleeper lay on the ground, a girl again and unconcious. Maybe it's over. the he saw Requiem, the man who had caused all this, before he even knew what he was doing he throw a knife right for Requiem's heart, it hit something else and was deflected. Requiem grinned and a bolt of black came from his eyes, Fox barely dodged. "Well done Fox, the first to acctualy try something." He said sarcasticly. Fox had a knife in each hand and was ready for battle.

Seeing Requiem for the first time, Rock-hopper's eyes blazed. Mallet in hand, he launched himself into the air at the Nictus, coating himself in a thick layer of ice as he jumped. Swinging hard, he brought the mallet down on Requiem as he landed. The hammer ricocheted off of some invisible force before actually hitting the Council leader, but some of the force of the attack seemed to get through, as Requiem stumbled a bit under the mallet.

Not wanting to allow his target a chance to recover, Rock-Hopper followed up his attack with another swing of his hammer, then a stone covered straight arm punch. While the flurry of attacks was keeping Requiem off balance, it seemed to be doing little to no damage.

Requiem lashed out a large tentacle at all the heroes, everyone avoided it and it collided with the wall causing rubble and dust to fly everywhere. Blood Wolffe saw Wolfe Gunner in the machine, in some serious pain. He jumped over to him and yanked him out with both hands.

"What are you doing!?" He said, "Did you choose for them too?" Referring to the wolves that were now a part of him.

"We can beat him." He whispered.

Blood Wolffe turned and blasted Requiem with all his anger, sending wave after wave of energy at him. It was hopeless, he simply didnt do enough damage, everyone had to focus on him.

Requiem caught Blood Wolffe's eyes and smiled. He didnt know if anyone else heard it but He told Blood Wolffe telepathically "You can end this now with the switches on the other side of the room. Stop the chaos and the carnage. Thats what you are here for, right?"

Blood Wolffe looked at the switches. Requiem grabbed him with a tentacle and threw him by them. Blood Wolffe looked at the heroes, fighting Requiem, thought of the ones dieing on the streets, the families killing their own. He began the sequence.

Blood Wolffe flipped switch one and a female computer voice came on saying "Phase one engaged, one minute until phase two is ready."

On top of the base a satelite dish began to align properly, getting ready to send the lethal signal everywhere.

"Im sorry."

Shrike knew what he had to do. As Rock Hopper sent a flurry of blows at Requiem to keep him off balance, Shrike aimed his rifle at Requiem's midsection.

"This must end", Shrike whispered to himself, still caught up in sorrow of memories he had kept deeply buried.

Shrike pulled the trigger.

-"...too powerful for you. Your mastery of magic isn't strong enough to summon him to you against his will. Mordachai and his clan have broken thru, and are on thier way up to you now, but are meeting heavy resistance still. Just hold him off as long as you can...." Clarisa mind-linked to him. Quinn looked around in frustration. Everyone was starting to concentrate on Requiem now, but to no noticable effect. He saw Blood Wolfe pull Wolfe Gunner from the machine, heard the little girl become a monster again, then saw Blood Wolfe hurled across the room, get up, and start flicking switches. "NO!" he yelled, jumping to his feet. As he turned, Requiem lifted him into the air. "You have always wondered which myths about your kind were true...here's a clue!". With that, he hurled 'Fang across the room, impaling him on a wooden beam jutting out of the debris. Quinn's scream of pain died on his lips as he went limp, his armor turning brown with rust. His armor was ancient, but he had become a vampire withen his normal lifetime, so his body didn't decompose. The last thought to cross his mind was "...not the kids. We can still save the kids....".

-Psych Nurse was pulled from the debris of the Hospital. She was airlifted to Atlas plaza, where a makeshift field hospital had been set up in city hall. Already her mutant metabolism was healing her injuries, but it would be weeks before she could help anyone else. She had been lucky. She had been in the ER, using her innate ability to teleport others to supplement the overloaded Hospital network, when the building colapsed. Another hero, a tank she thought, had sheilded Kendra with her own body, saving her from being crushed completely. That hero died of her injuries before they could be rescued. Many more were buried still. Kendra lay in the bed, wondering why no villian had ever tried that before. The hospital network was the key to the whole system, and until now, no one had targeted them as a whole, not even the Rikti (or whaterver they were called...she didn't care). Her attitude was changed. Until this, she had abhored the taking of other's lives, seeing it as evil as the acts commited by the villians of the city. Not anymore. Anyone so tainted as the Council, to use civilians as weapons, destroy hospitals (where heroes were just a fraction of the patients...all those poor families, and the doctors and nurses), and hold the city as hostage like this deserved death. Even if it had to be by her own hands.

-Clarisa felt Quinn's dying scream. She knew he could be raised again, but not until they finished the business at hand. This battle was over for him, but not for the rest of them.

Bloodfang's scream caused Wolfe Gunner to turn to the machine Blood Wolffe was at.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Wolfe Gunner yelled as he punched Blood Wolffe across the face, knocking him away from the machine. He turned to see Bloodfang's body impaled on the wooden beam, then turned back to Blood Wolffe. "All of these Heroes here have fought and DIED so we can save those people WITHOUT having to kill them. Do you want to make everything we've done so far amount to nothing?!"
Wolfe Gunner concentrated, waving his arm in front of him. Several Fire Wolves appeared in front of him. Waving his other hand, a large Frost Wolf appeared next to them. Concentrating, Wolfe Gunner was able to Animate Stone Wolves, as well as summon a Wolf Phantasm.
Wolfe Gunner concentrated even harder, and all of the pets that he had just summoned combined into one, singular sword, glowing as it hovered in the air in front of him.
"This..." Wolfe Gunner said, motioning to the sword. "Is the Sword of Wolf's Heart. Unfortunately..." Wolfe Gunner narrowed his eyes. "It's useless to me. Only one who posesses the heart of a wolf can wield this weapon. So..." For the first time, a smile spread across Wolfe Gunner's face. "Are you a civilized human being, or the no-good, blood-thirsty animal I always knew you were?"
Wolfe Gunner turned as he heard a shot come from Night-Shike's rifle...

"Are you a civilized human being, or the no-good, blood-thirsty animal I always knew you were?"

Blood Wolffe thought about his options. He could finish the sequence and end the carnage, or take the sword and risk them all dying and Requiem winning. An animal will always take the easier path to victory, there are no concepts of fair fights. But then, killing all those civilians IS the Council winning.

So Blood Wolffe reached for the sword. "I am a blood-thirsty animal. But with this... I think I can do some good."

The spirit of the sword searched Blood Wolffe to see if he had the heart of a wolf. He could feel its surprise when it found out just how much wolf was in him, or rather, how little human.

The vampires and the other heroes were keeping the full of Requiem's attention. Blood Wolffe lept on top of him stabbing him in the back through his shield several times. On his last stab he went to the hilt through Requiem's abdomen. The adrenaline flowed again and Blood Wolffe growled and bit into Requiem's back.

"ENOUGH!" Requiem screamed. He grabbed Blood Wolffe with one of his tentacles and slammed him into the concrete wall several times. When one tentacle gave him the opportunity he bit it off near the tip. Then the last throw into the wall made the sickening crunch of bones breaking.

Requiem grabbed the hilt of the sword to remove it but it burned so badly he couldnt hold on to it long enough to do anything.

One less tentacle, one gunshot wound and a sword to the stomach, a couple smashes from the hammer... How much is left? He thought in his head as he gasped for air.

Requiem had caused severe damage to Blood Wolffe, he couldnt move he was in so much pain.

He turned to Wolfe Gunner unable to get up, "You can... wield it. You have the heart of a wolf. Like it or not. Being a wolf is not being a murderer... its love for the pack. I have seen the way you act with yours. They are your pack... you are their alpha. Now go... guide them to Requiem's throat. Show him no mercy." That was all Blood Wolffe could say without passing out.

Between him, the vampires, Shrike, and the other heroes, Requiem was going down.