Valor Bridge, 02:35
Listening? Not so much. Looking? Most certainly.
"Looks like this is our chance, boys." said the unseen source to the unseen receiver, the only current trace the young male tone upon the air, "Go get 'im."
Upon that command, a second trace added itself in the form of a reverberation in the road deck. Then another. And another. With slow, steady, purposeful gait, the heavy footsteps closed with the site of the attack, the owner of those feet drawing closer with a sense of frightening inevitability. Each step was measured, each impact precise, and only time itself seemed to bear witness to what came.
Until it did away with its concealments.
Still walking, still advancing, ever-closing was the mechanical monstrosity of just under three meters, the glowing-red strips of luminescence that served as the eyes of the cold machine that so many in Paragon City rightly called an 'assault' robot seeming to fix each and every moving thing within the hulking mechanoid's sight and writing 'target here' all over it. Indeed, that seemed to be the very thing the machine had in mind as it decloaked, a faint shimmer wrapping about its frame for the briefest of moments, indicative of some form of protective force.
"Targets acquired." the mechanical monster stated coldly, monotonously, its voice carrying naught but that unfeeling emptiness of the pure machine as came to a stop. Its knees bent slightly in preparation for a missile volley from the minirak modules that jutted from its shoulders, "Targets locked."
"Hang on there, big guy." chuckled the same voice that had initially commanded the machine to move, its owner stepping from the figurative shadow of the 'bot - and looking rather unimpressive next to it.
He stood at roughly two meters, a quasi-reptilian creature of slim build and deep-green, scaleless hide, and thus looked downright scrawny beside the mechanoid. Being plantigrade didn't really help that picture, though the claws that tipped the long, flexible digits of his five-fingered hands did offset that just a little in combination with the heinous number of small, sharp teeth that graced the grin of his raptor-, perhaps even deinonychus-like jawline. In contrast, his rather average-looking ensemble of black work boots, cargo pants, T-shirt and a jacket that would've fit more to a biker didn't add much at all - especially since the T-shirt was white as snow. Then again, that may have said something after all, considering how hard it could be to keep white clothing clean in his line of work. Still, for all the lack of physical imposition that he was (especially next to the assault bot), he did have something that could frighten even the most hardy of souls.
His eyes.
Irised gray as the very surface of the lifeless moon that orbited this planet, icy as its very darkest spots, their large, black, almond-like pupils spoke volumes of the terrible intelligence to which they granted sight upon the world. Cold, calculating, considerate of every factor, and yet caring for none, this was the picture they painted of the mind behind those eyes. A heart appeared entirely absent.
But perhaps appearances could be deceiving.
"Howdy, boys." he casually greeted the initial attackers with a nonchalant wave of fingers, "We all know how this is gonna end. How 'bout you fellers step aside?"
Or they could be spot-on.
"'course..." he smirked toothily, "I am still workin' on Weed Whacker..."
Listening? Not so much. Looking? Most certainly.
"Looks like this is our chance, boys." said the unseen source to the unseen receiver, the only current trace the young male tone upon the air, "Go get 'im."
Upon that command, a second trace added itself in the form of a reverberation in the road deck. Then another. And another. With slow, steady, purposeful gait, the heavy footsteps closed with the site of the attack, the owner of those feet drawing closer with a sense of frightening inevitability. Each step was measured, each impact precise, and only time itself seemed to bear witness to what came.
Until it did away with its concealments.
Still walking, still advancing, ever-closing was the mechanical monstrosity of just under three meters, the glowing-red strips of luminescence that served as the eyes of the cold machine that so many in Paragon City rightly called an 'assault' robot seeming to fix each and every moving thing within the hulking mechanoid's sight and writing 'target here' all over it. Indeed, that seemed to be the very thing the machine had in mind as it decloaked, a faint shimmer wrapping about its frame for the briefest of moments, indicative of some form of protective force.
"Targets acquired." the mechanical monster stated coldly, monotonously, its voice carrying naught but that unfeeling emptiness of the pure machine as came to a stop. Its knees bent slightly in preparation for a missile volley from the minirak modules that jutted from its shoulders, "Targets locked."
"Hang on there, big guy." chuckled the same voice that had initially commanded the machine to move, its owner stepping from the figurative shadow of the 'bot - and looking rather unimpressive next to it.
He stood at roughly two meters, a quasi-reptilian creature of slim build and deep-green, scaleless hide, and thus looked downright scrawny beside the mechanoid. Being plantigrade didn't really help that picture, though the claws that tipped the long, flexible digits of his five-fingered hands did offset that just a little in combination with the heinous number of small, sharp teeth that graced the grin of his raptor-, perhaps even deinonychus-like jawline. In contrast, his rather average-looking ensemble of black work boots, cargo pants, T-shirt and a jacket that would've fit more to a biker didn't add much at all - especially since the T-shirt was white as snow. Then again, that may have said something after all, considering how hard it could be to keep white clothing clean in his line of work. Still, for all the lack of physical imposition that he was (especially next to the assault bot), he did have something that could frighten even the most hardy of souls.
His eyes.
Irised gray as the very surface of the lifeless moon that orbited this planet, icy as its very darkest spots, their large, black, almond-like pupils spoke volumes of the terrible intelligence to which they granted sight upon the world. Cold, calculating, considerate of every factor, and yet caring for none, this was the picture they painted of the mind behind those eyes. A heart appeared entirely absent.
But perhaps appearances could be deceiving.
"Howdy, boys." he casually greeted the initial attackers with a nonchalant wave of fingers, "We all know how this is gonna end. How 'bout you fellers step aside?"
Or they could be spot-on.
"'course..." he smirked toothily, "I am still workin' on Weed Whacker..."
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
"Somebody say Weed-Whacker?"
From far above, what looked like a girl, maybe in her older teens or her early twenties, sat carelessly on a ledge above the road, staring down at the group below.
Her hair was short and fluffy, flipping out on the sides a little, and two decidedly canine ears stood at attention on top of her head, though at the moment they were tipped back with a hint of aggression.
A jagged, predatory grin spread across her face, and her orange eyes practically glinted at the Circle mystics below (presuming that's what they are. XD) as she leapt down, pinning them between her and the reptilian figure.
"Now what did I tell you jack*sses about pulling stuff like this, eh?" she mock scolded, stretching her arms and cracking her knuckles.
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
Valor Bridge, 0220
From her perch on one of Valor Bridge's cable's Balgair watched the convoy inch its way over the bridge through the scope of her rifle. Balgair never cared for bridges, she'd blown up a few too many far too easily to ever feel safe on one, no matter its size.
A black and purple stealth suit was painted over her, and a set of NVGs covered her eyes and a black fabric mask covered lower half of her face. Oddly, her hair was a bob of purple--hard to say if it was natural or not.
Rifle tightly packed into her shoulder with a good cheekweld, Balgair whispered into her headset.
"Omega is approaching point Charlie. Moose, Knuckles get into position."
"Right boss." came the dull voice of Moose.
Glancing away from the target, Balgair zoomed in to make sure that her two dullard mercenaries were actually getting into position. Satisfied, she resumed checking on the target.
"Ocnar, are those Trips set?"
"Need three ticks."
"Don't have'em. Sev, Samwise get ready to take out the escorts."
"Roger."
Cussing, Balgair slung her rifle and began the tricky descent down the bridge. How many people were after this guy anyway?
"Ocnar, clean up those trips then join Moose and Knuckles behind those bots. Sev, Samwise, Rick make sure the target is secure--he's no good to us dead."
As her men moved with the clockwork precision she paid them for, Balgair was already on the bridge level, unfolding a large device from her back. Tossing it over her shoulder, it began to float behind her and project a force field. It wasn't stealthy by any means, but stealth had been tossed out the window.
Approaching from the side, she brought her assault rifle to her shoulder and disengaged the safety.
She needed to buy time for her boys to get into position. So, she held off on the fireworks right away. Instead she brazenly stepped into the group, forming a triangle with the other two around the bladed cultists.
"Step away from the car."
From her perch on one of Valor Bridge's cable's Balgair watched the convoy inch its way over the bridge through the scope of her rifle. Balgair never cared for bridges, she'd blown up a few too many far too easily to ever feel safe on one, no matter its size.
A black and purple stealth suit was painted over her, and a set of NVGs covered her eyes and a black fabric mask covered lower half of her face. Oddly, her hair was a bob of purple--hard to say if it was natural or not.
Rifle tightly packed into her shoulder with a good cheekweld, Balgair whispered into her headset.
"Omega is approaching point Charlie. Moose, Knuckles get into position."
"Right boss." came the dull voice of Moose.
Glancing away from the target, Balgair zoomed in to make sure that her two dullard mercenaries were actually getting into position. Satisfied, she resumed checking on the target.
"Ocnar, are those Trips set?"
"Need three ticks."
"Don't have'em. Sev, Samwise get ready to take out the escorts."
"Roger."
Valor Bridge, 0235
Cussing, Balgair slung her rifle and began the tricky descent down the bridge. How many people were after this guy anyway?
"Ocnar, clean up those trips then join Moose and Knuckles behind those bots. Sev, Samwise, Rick make sure the target is secure--he's no good to us dead."
As her men moved with the clockwork precision she paid them for, Balgair was already on the bridge level, unfolding a large device from her back. Tossing it over her shoulder, it began to float behind her and project a force field. It wasn't stealthy by any means, but stealth had been tossed out the window.
Approaching from the side, she brought her assault rifle to her shoulder and disengaged the safety.
She needed to buy time for her boys to get into position. So, she held off on the fireworks right away. Instead she brazenly stepped into the group, forming a triangle with the other two around the bladed cultists.
"Step away from the car."
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
Bell Point Hospital roof, 0230-ish
Caemgen crouch on all fours at the edge of the rooftop watching traffic, enjoying the light breeze through his hair and across his wings, taking in the scent of the water and waiting.
Waiting sucks, he thought to himself as he idly picked up a loose pebble with his tail and chucked it over the street below, over the park and on to the rooftop of the Green Line station across them both.
The witch had sent him here, Fenian Girl or Fenian Lass or whatever the press was calling her these days. She wasn't a typical dusty book reading, spell chanting witch but rather a mystical energry wrapped around her foot as she kicked your aaa... Butt. Still, when she had her hunches it was best to listen to them.
That listening was why there was six feet, 220 pounds of demonic looking muscle perched atop a hospital doing nothing but waiting, watching and wishing he had brought a snack like Fenian had told him to... No clues as to what was going to happen. No clues as to what he should do about it. No clues as to when other than "tonight.".
Yeah, waiting sucks big time.
Still, it's better than grocery shopping, he reminded himself. Paragon has a lot of freaks in it and most times people are polite enough to act like they don't notice the red skin, the dragonish wings, the horns or the tail... But ya get up close to them, say close enough to pay for groceries, and not many can hide their revulsion at the eye sockets filled with smoke and fire....
Letting out a sigh, Caemgen once more used his tail to throw a small stone across the street, over the park and onto an metro-rail station rooftop. There was no sign of anything wrong but he would carry out his vigil just as he had promised the witch that he would. With that smile of hers she could get him to agree to anything... Though he was begginning to regret not listening to her about the snack.
He really could go for a pudding cup...
Caemgen crouch on all fours at the edge of the rooftop watching traffic, enjoying the light breeze through his hair and across his wings, taking in the scent of the water and waiting.
Waiting sucks, he thought to himself as he idly picked up a loose pebble with his tail and chucked it over the street below, over the park and on to the rooftop of the Green Line station across them both.
The witch had sent him here, Fenian Girl or Fenian Lass or whatever the press was calling her these days. She wasn't a typical dusty book reading, spell chanting witch but rather a mystical energry wrapped around her foot as she kicked your aaa... Butt. Still, when she had her hunches it was best to listen to them.
That listening was why there was six feet, 220 pounds of demonic looking muscle perched atop a hospital doing nothing but waiting, watching and wishing he had brought a snack like Fenian had told him to... No clues as to what was going to happen. No clues as to what he should do about it. No clues as to when other than "tonight.".
Yeah, waiting sucks big time.
Still, it's better than grocery shopping, he reminded himself. Paragon has a lot of freaks in it and most times people are polite enough to act like they don't notice the red skin, the dragonish wings, the horns or the tail... But ya get up close to them, say close enough to pay for groceries, and not many can hide their revulsion at the eye sockets filled with smoke and fire....
Letting out a sigh, Caemgen once more used his tail to throw a small stone across the street, over the park and onto an metro-rail station rooftop. There was no sign of anything wrong but he would carry out his vigil just as he had promised the witch that he would. With that smile of hers she could get him to agree to anything... Though he was begginning to regret not listening to her about the snack.
He really could go for a pudding cup...
You’d think in a city that was practically a breeding ground for heroes, it would be the safest city in the world. Agent Filch coughed heavily as he regained consciousness, he had been in an armored black SUV about two vehicles behind the Circle’s target and his charge. He did not know what was wrong with the man or why the Circle wanted him…all his handler said was that it was important and everything else was on a ‘need-to-know’ basis. Yeah, Filch was cursing when he had been removed from his deep-cover op in Berlin…it was his first big job since leaving training.
The SUV he was in had been rolled to the railing of the bridge like a kid’s toy and was nearly crushed like a can. Fortunately, he was alive and little worse for wear…he could be dead like his colleagues. His vision was hazy as he looked over his body; his suit was stained in blood, not his though. With a sigh, he unbuckled his seatbelt and squeezed himself out of the broken window. Coast was clear…in the way that no attention was directed at his location. There were robed guys heading to the main vehicle, but they had been distracted by incoming heroes or whatever. Now they arrive… Filch thought to himself, Come on, heroes, you’re practically inbreeding in Paragon and you didn’t see this coming?
Slowly, he got to his feet and hastily made his way toward the estate car with his sidearm drawn and ready to take a shot at any Circle that made a move to attack him.
The hot air from the burning vehical pushes the black smoke away to disclose the ragged figure advancing along the bridge's road way . The painful thin female , swamped by the overlarge torn and shreded trench coat , lookes as if she had been at the center of the blast that had hit the convoy. Rent clothing and flesh appears covered in fresh blood splats , her shoulder lenght black hair is half red stained . She seems to stagger forward , hands reaching out as if she can not clealrly see her path ..it is only as she nears the VIP's car that others can spot that her unshoed feet are about a foot above the bridge's surface , and that the black swirls around her are not smoke ..and now she is near enough to see her eyes , shinny black bottemless pits .
From he blooded lips comes a mumbling of strange magical phrases, harsh and and broken the voice drones out .
The head snaps up and the face turns apon the attackers of the convoy ..
"no more ..i am here to take back what is mine .."
Valor Bridge, 02:37
The Circle mystics were suddenly caught between two groups of what appeared to be a mish-mash of the Citys superheroes.
The girl who had vaulted from the sky had floored three of the twelve robed figures and their knives clattered to the ground.
We should not have waited! Hissed one of the remaining figures.
In response to the intrusion the mysterious figures readied their knives and rushed towards the girl. Simultaneously the figures near to Balgair and the woman surrounded by magical energy raised their knives in the air and then brought them down, signalling for their demonic back-up which hovered in the air above to cover their comrades.
Keep the congressman safe! Another of the figures cried as it readied its sharp, gleaming knife. He must be taken alive!
Magical energy swirled around the spectral demons overhead and blasts of dark power hit the tarmac around the Circle mystics and the estate carrying the congressman. Their howls grew louder as they concentrated their fire into a circle, trying to prevent the intruders from reaching the remaining mystics.
Matron Knowles put down the receiver and looked to her staff: her four nurses stood in the small office looking concerned. Nurse Geoffries was the first to speak:
We had better inform the other wards that there may well be more heroes incoming this evening.
The Matron nodded to her colleague who exited the room.
You three may as well stand down for now. Once Nurse Geoffries has contacted the other wards then please inform her that she is to take a break too.
The three remaining nurses nodded their assent and made their way to the break room.
After a few minutes, Matron Knowles picked up the phone and hurriedly dialled a number. The phone was answered and she spoke in hushed tones:
The plan has been breached No, I dont know how either Yes, yes of course I know how important it is Very well. I will phone you again once he has been secured.
The Matron put the phone down quietly, worry streaked across her face. She looked at a list of patients, checked her watch, and hurried out of the office in the direction of the morgue.
The Circle mystics were suddenly caught between two groups of what appeared to be a mish-mash of the Citys superheroes.
The girl who had vaulted from the sky had floored three of the twelve robed figures and their knives clattered to the ground.
We should not have waited! Hissed one of the remaining figures.
In response to the intrusion the mysterious figures readied their knives and rushed towards the girl. Simultaneously the figures near to Balgair and the woman surrounded by magical energy raised their knives in the air and then brought them down, signalling for their demonic back-up which hovered in the air above to cover their comrades.
Keep the congressman safe! Another of the figures cried as it readied its sharp, gleaming knife. He must be taken alive!
Magical energy swirled around the spectral demons overhead and blasts of dark power hit the tarmac around the Circle mystics and the estate carrying the congressman. Their howls grew louder as they concentrated their fire into a circle, trying to prevent the intruders from reaching the remaining mystics.
***
Bell Point Hospital, 02:40
Matron Knowles put down the receiver and looked to her staff: her four nurses stood in the small office looking concerned. Nurse Geoffries was the first to speak:
We had better inform the other wards that there may well be more heroes incoming this evening.
The Matron nodded to her colleague who exited the room.
You three may as well stand down for now. Once Nurse Geoffries has contacted the other wards then please inform her that she is to take a break too.
The three remaining nurses nodded their assent and made their way to the break room.
After a few minutes, Matron Knowles picked up the phone and hurriedly dialled a number. The phone was answered and she spoke in hushed tones:
The plan has been breached No, I dont know how either Yes, yes of course I know how important it is Very well. I will phone you again once he has been secured.
The Matron put the phone down quietly, worry streaked across her face. She looked at a list of patients, checked her watch, and hurried out of the office in the direction of the morgue.
Quote:
"That's my line, you--" Balgair was cut off as she jumped out of the way of the demon's circle.| Keep the congressman safe! Another of the figures cried as it readied its sharp, gleaming knife. He must be taken alive! |
Letting out a burst from her assault rifle, Balgair sent bullets into the crowd of knife wielding Circle of Thorns.
"Moose, Knuckles! Light'em up, check your fire--only the CoT!"
More stacatto gunfire emerged as her mercenaries complied with her orders. The fire was in short bursts as the mercs took the time to actually aim. Soon after, a fourth rifle joined the noise, and Balgair heard on the comm, 'bang out 3."
Averting her eyes, Balgair heart the deep 'fwump' of a flashbang grenade going off as Ocnar joined Moose and Knuckles.
Though safely inside her force field generator's bubble, Balgair felt a chill running up her spine. Too many people here. Even if they stop the CoT, there was no way she'd get the target.
Down the road, three figures were trying to approach the vehicle while all the excitement was going on ahead. The dark energies from the demons made it difficult, and the large Commando, Samwise spotted a man in a suit ahead of them, also trying to get near the vehicle.
Nevertheless, he moved forward, brandishing his Frankengun as if that alone could keep him safe.
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
There was this THING about Paragon City.
Events draw attention. Which isn't saying much. Lusca draws attention and there is rarely anyone these days who cares to put her down. Yet, strangely, when a few actually bother to try, passer-by supers become less apathetic and join in the fight. So it wasn't events that drew attention.
Events where there were a lot of supers drew attention.
A lone figure walked casually down the opposite side of the bridge. Wearing heavy brown rubber gloves and boots, with a sturdy looking tech helmet and power armor underneath a plain light blue t-shirt and khakis, the figure walked with an air of confidence and power that would have offset any foe.
........Had he been any taller than 4 feet. For the figure was not a man, but-
"Look at all those mean ghosts." Whined an Urban Fellow of Merry Wit (age 8). "They've gone from stalking me and living under my bed to hurting people! That's just plain mean!" With that, the boy ran forward at a ninety-degree angle like a Hollywood ninja and jumped onto the roof of one of the stalled cars, and flung out his hands. An explosion of brightly colored confetti shot out in every direction, as did a veritable swarm of seeker drones with buzzing blades that started to home in on the Circle Mystics.
The swirling deepened and gathered around the slender figure , raw magic both guarding and reaching out to bring harm . The eyes flicked towards the demons , as magical chants raced from the lips , and the whole body errupts in a mass ok razor edged shards of crystalised magic .Each shard a hooked blade of hate , dripping with arcane venom . And as the shard took form the woman flew straight at the awaiting demons .
(( translation ..Dark armour toggles on plus death shroud , then build up , Spines ..then fly to be followed by spine burst and general spine combat ))
Charging up into the mass of demons the woman unleashed the shards in a explosive wave , crying out in a beastial roar ....there was no skill just simple a reckless rampaging assult on the demons
((for ref this is Dire Lament , see listing in uionverse hand book ))
"Hm." the quasi-reptilian being remarked listlessly, a smirk momentarily gracing his lips upon spotting a certain were-human, but then quickly becoming a frown as he remarked to the assault bot, "So much for missile volley cluster[bad word]. Guess we'll have to do this the long way."
"Command confirmed." the monstrous machine quarred in its cold, monotonous tone, then raised both arm cannons and retracted the protective covers over their barrels before proceeding to pup the hovering spirit circle full of sun-hot plasma. It wouldn't get them all in one strike, true, but it could keep this up for a good long while.
Meanwhile, its boss blinked out of existence with naught a trace but the characteristic sound of air collapsing into a vacuum that hadn't been there the instant before. Literally no time later, at the very same moment, the green-skinned alien reappeared next to the mangled conveyance of a certain VIP, having jumped the distance by teleportation.
"Personal space, please." he gave a brief chuckle before flinging both arms wide, a powerful bubble of unseen force expanding from him in all directions in an attempt to fling anything he considered hostile - which right now were the members of the Circle of Thorns - a good ways away; perhaps even off the bridge entirely.
Assuming he succeeded, he'd waste no time making his way to the VIP, even if that involved having to open the dented rear door of the scrunched-up car. He might not have had super strength, but in Terra's relatively low gravity, he could still rip open a car door without extenuating exertion. Whatever happened, one way or another Charlie wouldn't have to wait long to recognize this being. They'd covered things up well, but there were always leaks and gossip, especially among the escorts of people such as this certain VIP. Charle remembered him well from the reports he'd gotten hold of.
Acid Zero - the Khelari who'd just last week murdered the Secretary of Defense in cold blood...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
((Wow, seems those circle guys are out numbered and out matched >_>; ))
((WARNING: Loooong post!))
Valor Bridge, 02:40
Charlie, the driver of the besieged estate car, tried to remain as still and calm as possible. But the sudden arrival of the Thorns combined with the fierce battle raging outside was too much for his nerves to stay put in the ravaged vehicle. He plucked up the courage to try the door handle, hoping that he could roll out of the car and find shelter away from the attack. The body of a Circle mystic flew across the bonnet, a hail of bullets signalling its fate and rolled up to the gap in the roof. It teetered on the edge before slumping down over the passenger seat Charlie freaked out, almost kicked his door down and rolled onto the cold tarmac. A few stray bullets pelted the drivers side window, providing the perfect shield. The sight behind him was a mixture of hope and hell he managed to clock, in his adrenaline-fuelled state, the figure of an officer brandishing a gun and then, unfortunately, noted the giant robot and its humanoid companion.
Acid Zero! No way! he had meant to whisper to himself but it came out as a shriek.
First the Thorns and now some intergalactic psycho were after the congressman. Who else was in on this?
An unholy scream in the sky forced his head to look up as he witnessed an awesome sight: A swirling miasma of black energy was hurling sharp thorns at the spectral demons that hovered above the bridge. Charlies jaw dropped open as for a brief moment the cloud of magic dispersed to show the form of a blood-soaked woman, her face a mask of terror and fury combined, throwing everything she had at the demons. Just as quickly the black cloud covered her again and the six demons that stood creating a dark barrier round the estate car howled and dropped from the sky. Charlie braced himself for the impact, his muscles hunched even though they desperately wanted to tremble and shake. But the impact never came: Instead, the bodies of the demons evaporated in mid-air, their screams echoing out across the bay.
Almost as soon as the demons on the eastern side of the estate had dropped, a hellish, whirring sound erupted somewhere to the left of the robot. In the blur of the action it looked to Charlie like a cloud of blood was descending and he wondered briefly if he had done more damage to himself jumping out of the car than he had first thought. But a breeze blew the blood over the estate and little drops of confetti landed on his prone body.
The remaining Circle mystics howled in pain as from one side a barrage of seeker drones cut them down where they stood. From the other hails of bullets shredded the group. The remaining demons on the western side of the bridge, only six in number, flew in to try and take out the flying figure of Dire Lament. The magical darkness dissipated around the estate as they switched targets, leaving the figure of the girl who had leapt from the sky stood over the three mystics she had taken down.
Charlies heart missed several beats as the figure of Acid Zero teleported right next to the back of the estate, three feet away from him. In all of this confusion, mayhem and madness he had only served to save himself. As the reptilian man reached for the handle of the trunk door, Charlie shouted out, No!
Nurses Celo, Corzetti and Brown sat in the break room, relaxing and drinking coffee.
So, what was it like in service in New York? Corzetti asked, a petite brunette who had a musical laugh.
Were you there when the Rikti invaded? The first time, I mean. Brown piped in. She was fuller-figured than her colleagues down to the fact that she had four kids waiting at home.
Nurse Celo replied, flicking back her pale, white hair, Fraid so. I was newly-graduated and terrified to begin with. Never mind the sight of those spaceships on the six oclock news and then the sudden influx of patients. Scary.
Belindas been gone a while. Corzetti was referring to Nurse Geoffries.
Shes probably fussing over her regular patients. You know what shes like. Brown laughed.
Nurse Celo put her polystyrene cup down on a counter, Ill go get her. If weve to care for this congressman tonight I mean this morning now then well all need to be well-rested.
Celo left her colleagues gossiping and went off to find Nurse Geoffries.
Some of the children are exceptionally restless tonight, Matron. A mousey, student nurse greeted Angela at the nurses station.
Ive checked the thermostat, checked their notes, heck Ive double-checked everything! the student looked genuinely worried.
Let me see what might be wrong with them, sister. Angela replied. And for future reference, please do not swear or curse especially on this ward. She bustled past the timid girl and homed in on a cluster of beds.
Her austere nature softened as she pulled up a chair by the bed of a little boy whose whiteboard proclaimed him to be Alex Gough. The boy stared at the Matron, wide-eyed. He looked as though he had seen something truly horrific.
B-b-b-b-bogey he stuttered and Angela noticed he was shivering.
Its alright Alex, Im here to help you. Now let me start by telling you that theres no such thing as bogeymen.
Angela checked the boys charts he was in for blood tests: A sad case. It was a rare infection that was fast becoming something akin to gout. He was on a mild painkiller.
The Matron was about to prescribe that the student nurse read him a story to calm his nerves when the lights went out. The children who were still awake, as one, began to cry. The student nurse and her senior colleagues, who had been making rounds, started to calm the children as the Matron scanned the room for signs of turned-off equipment.
Curiously the monitors and automatic drips remained on. Matron Knowles silently crossed herself and then clapped her hands, attempting to bring order.
There is no need to worry children. Nurses, continue to calm them down. Im going to contact the building managers office and see if they can return power to the lights.
The Matron tried the nurses station phone first but there was no signal. Then she remembered that the phone system had been replaced a while ago and needed a power supply to function properly. It was probably the same one that had tripped the lights. Sighing heavily and muttering about useless technology, the Matron bustled away to find the building managers office. It just so happened to be in the basement, along with the morgue.
Charlie, the driver of the besieged estate car, tried to remain as still and calm as possible. But the sudden arrival of the Thorns combined with the fierce battle raging outside was too much for his nerves to stay put in the ravaged vehicle. He plucked up the courage to try the door handle, hoping that he could roll out of the car and find shelter away from the attack. The body of a Circle mystic flew across the bonnet, a hail of bullets signalling its fate and rolled up to the gap in the roof. It teetered on the edge before slumping down over the passenger seat Charlie freaked out, almost kicked his door down and rolled onto the cold tarmac. A few stray bullets pelted the drivers side window, providing the perfect shield. The sight behind him was a mixture of hope and hell he managed to clock, in his adrenaline-fuelled state, the figure of an officer brandishing a gun and then, unfortunately, noted the giant robot and its humanoid companion.
Acid Zero! No way! he had meant to whisper to himself but it came out as a shriek.
First the Thorns and now some intergalactic psycho were after the congressman. Who else was in on this?
An unholy scream in the sky forced his head to look up as he witnessed an awesome sight: A swirling miasma of black energy was hurling sharp thorns at the spectral demons that hovered above the bridge. Charlies jaw dropped open as for a brief moment the cloud of magic dispersed to show the form of a blood-soaked woman, her face a mask of terror and fury combined, throwing everything she had at the demons. Just as quickly the black cloud covered her again and the six demons that stood creating a dark barrier round the estate car howled and dropped from the sky. Charlie braced himself for the impact, his muscles hunched even though they desperately wanted to tremble and shake. But the impact never came: Instead, the bodies of the demons evaporated in mid-air, their screams echoing out across the bay.
Almost as soon as the demons on the eastern side of the estate had dropped, a hellish, whirring sound erupted somewhere to the left of the robot. In the blur of the action it looked to Charlie like a cloud of blood was descending and he wondered briefly if he had done more damage to himself jumping out of the car than he had first thought. But a breeze blew the blood over the estate and little drops of confetti landed on his prone body.
The remaining Circle mystics howled in pain as from one side a barrage of seeker drones cut them down where they stood. From the other hails of bullets shredded the group. The remaining demons on the western side of the bridge, only six in number, flew in to try and take out the flying figure of Dire Lament. The magical darkness dissipated around the estate as they switched targets, leaving the figure of the girl who had leapt from the sky stood over the three mystics she had taken down.
Charlies heart missed several beats as the figure of Acid Zero teleported right next to the back of the estate, three feet away from him. In all of this confusion, mayhem and madness he had only served to save himself. As the reptilian man reached for the handle of the trunk door, Charlie shouted out, No!
***
Bell Point Hospital, 02:40
Nurses Celo, Corzetti and Brown sat in the break room, relaxing and drinking coffee.
So, what was it like in service in New York? Corzetti asked, a petite brunette who had a musical laugh.
Were you there when the Rikti invaded? The first time, I mean. Brown piped in. She was fuller-figured than her colleagues down to the fact that she had four kids waiting at home.
Nurse Celo replied, flicking back her pale, white hair, Fraid so. I was newly-graduated and terrified to begin with. Never mind the sight of those spaceships on the six oclock news and then the sudden influx of patients. Scary.
Belindas been gone a while. Corzetti was referring to Nurse Geoffries.
Shes probably fussing over her regular patients. You know what shes like. Brown laughed.
Nurse Celo put her polystyrene cup down on a counter, Ill go get her. If weve to care for this congressman tonight I mean this morning now then well all need to be well-rested.
Celo left her colleagues gossiping and went off to find Nurse Geoffries.
***
Matron Knowles received a page just as she was rounding the basement steps that lead to the morgue. It was from one of the sisters on the Childrens ward. She couldnt very well raise suspicion so she turned back on herself and made her way there.
Some of the children are exceptionally restless tonight, Matron. A mousey, student nurse greeted Angela at the nurses station.
Ive checked the thermostat, checked their notes, heck Ive double-checked everything! the student looked genuinely worried.
Let me see what might be wrong with them, sister. Angela replied. And for future reference, please do not swear or curse especially on this ward. She bustled past the timid girl and homed in on a cluster of beds.
Her austere nature softened as she pulled up a chair by the bed of a little boy whose whiteboard proclaimed him to be Alex Gough. The boy stared at the Matron, wide-eyed. He looked as though he had seen something truly horrific.
B-b-b-b-bogey he stuttered and Angela noticed he was shivering.
Its alright Alex, Im here to help you. Now let me start by telling you that theres no such thing as bogeymen.
Angela checked the boys charts he was in for blood tests: A sad case. It was a rare infection that was fast becoming something akin to gout. He was on a mild painkiller.
The Matron was about to prescribe that the student nurse read him a story to calm his nerves when the lights went out. The children who were still awake, as one, began to cry. The student nurse and her senior colleagues, who had been making rounds, started to calm the children as the Matron scanned the room for signs of turned-off equipment.
Curiously the monitors and automatic drips remained on. Matron Knowles silently crossed herself and then clapped her hands, attempting to bring order.
There is no need to worry children. Nurses, continue to calm them down. Im going to contact the building managers office and see if they can return power to the lights.
The Matron tried the nurses station phone first but there was no signal. Then she remembered that the phone system had been replaced a while ago and needed a power supply to function properly. It was probably the same one that had tripped the lights. Sighing heavily and muttering about useless technology, the Matron bustled away to find the building managers office. It just so happened to be in the basement, along with the morgue.
"DakkadakkadakkaCAKE!" The Urban Fellow of Merry Wit said randomly, producing a two-layer cake complete with pink frosting and lit candles seemingly out of thin air. The cake was entirely edible, but had been summoned for a different purpose. Rocket thrusters fired on its underside, and the second layer suddenly sprang upwards to reveal a hidden gun turret within. A party-blower attatched to an air pump on the turret's side went off with a "Pethewn!" noise, and the turret started targetting the ghosts heading for Dire Lament with an endless barrage of bullets. The cake it was situated inside of used its rocket thrusters to navigate closer all the while, increasing its accuracy while the birthday candles atop it burned menacingly.
But the Urban Fellow of Merry Wit wasn't done!
"Wicked ghosts MELT ON CONTACT WITH WATER! AHAHAHA!" He laughed triumphantly from his position atop the stalled car, reaching behind himself and pulling out of thin air a novelty omni-directional kiddie sprinkler system. (Batters included.) He tossed this right into the middle of all the action, and the sprinkler went to work sprinkling. Only, it wasn't sprinkling water. Rather, a highly acidic chemical designed to weaken defenses and lower the resistance of just about anything, including force fields.
Crazy people.
This town was full of crazy people.
With people screaming about cake and metal spikes flying through the air, Balgair couldn't help but repeat that mantra to herself over and over again as she slung her assault rifle and drew a pistol gripped sawed off shotgun from her hip.
Her force field generator shrieked an audiable warning as the field integrity began to collapse under an acidic spray. Ignoring the device, Balgair let out a few blasts into whatever Circle she could see, but for the most part let more martially inclined interlopers do the fighting.
"Samwise, Rick, Take the truck, I'll meet you there. "Sev, get over to the firefight."
Knowing already that this was going to hurt, Balgair charged through the black ring that the circle demons had formed, gasping as the darkness sucked something out of her.
Stumbling as she pushed through it, she heard her Force Field Generator explode as it came into contact with the magic forces.
The lizard looking man next to the estate vehicle looked familiar. Balgair didn't keep such good track of who's who amongst the meta human community--something that she'd have to work on if she was going to keep on taking jobs here in this part of the world.
Still, she wasn't about to let anyone walk away with the target.
"I swear to god, if I was double booked..." she muttered as she limped toward Acid, only giving a half glance to Charlie.
Her Commando and the medic, Samwise and Rick, stumbled through the darkness, worse for wear than she was, but both were alive. Brandishing her shotgun, Balgair spoke to Acid, "I didn't just mean the Circle should step away pal."
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
"Sorry, pal." Acid answered Charlie coldly as he yanked the door open, "If it's gotta be done, it's gotta be done."
He didn't waste any time, reaching inside and pulling the congressman up by the collar of his suit, already extending his senses into the man's body. Not that he got anything from them just yet, what with both of them being in their respective current states - the human incapacitated and the Khelari's concentration mostly focused on making sure the rather sizeable force bubble he currently projected didn't fling everything away from him. Unlike a great many force-fielders would tell you, that actually took a lot of effort. It was this very same thing that allowed him to 'see' Balgair coming without needing to look at her. Just like anyone else (aside from the Thorn forces, of course), Acid had to keep the repelling forces from doing what their name suggested.
Until her presence became unwanted, that was.
He didn't even have the dignity to give her a vocal answer, merely flicking the 'IFF tag' that regarded her and her mercenaries in his mind into the 'off' position. No sooner had Balgair spoken her words than the force bubble assaulted her just as it had the Circle...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
She didn't see it, but something hit Balgair right in the chest, sending her flying back--over the murky circle barricade this time. Landing roughly on her back, the mercenary commander rolled on the ground until she slammed into one of Valor Bridge's support cables.
Vision fuzzy, and feeling numb all over, Balgair knew that her Mercs had been similarily ejected. On her radio, she issued commands, "Screw the circle, Kill that @#$!% lizard man! Immobs first, and aim, he's a force fielder!"
"What about the target?" Sev asked.
"Doesn't matter, just stop that iguana!"
Moose, Knuckles, Sev, and Ocnar all ceased firing at the Circle and looked down the street at Acid. Reloading fresh clips into their assault rifles, they opened a new barrage at the Khelari.
In a few seconds, Samwise would pick himself up and whip out his flamethrower.
Not satisfied, Balgair shouted, "He's got the congressman, stop him!" hopefully catching the attention of the heroes present.
Still not sure of her own aim, Balgair tried to stand herself up, feeling for her triage station in her kit.
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
The were-human (for that is what she was) simply snorted at the dark vortex.
"AS IF." she jeered.
She grabbed the daggers of the assaulting Circle cultists by the blades, slashing open her palms as she wrenched them away and tossed them to the ground, dispatching them with a pair of sharp claws.
With that, she slammed her bloody hands on the ground, and began chanting an incantation.
"By the authority of Rosalind! Yeah, that's right, dammit, Rosalind! You don't need a big damn fancy name to --"
She could practically hear Emry's voice in her mind telling her to get back to it.
"Er...By the authority of the Dread Trio your power is null!"
This didn't completely disarm magic, of course, that'd be way too powerful. Instead, it allowed a small flash of light to momentarily enter the dark barrier...Rosie somersaulting out of it, and dashing back in to flank Acid.
"Howdy stranger." she quipped to the cold-eyed fellow.
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
Held in midair by strands of magic , the gaze of Dire Lament swept the bridge , her head snapping around bird like , where ever she spotted a servent of the Thorn , she struck ..hate given form by magic tore at the Circle minions .
Around her plused a deadly cloud , and slashing shards ripped at her foes ...
..only when the last of the Thorns lay inert was her attention given to the others upon the bridge ...
Valor Bridge, 02:45
Charlie was being tossed around like a ragdoll and, for the moment, it was the best position to be in: from the direction of the confetti had come a device which was spewing acid. Droplets of the stuff had singed his suit jacket and burned through to the bullet-proof vest he wore underneath, before the force field employed by Acid Zero had rolled his body gently away (at first) from the estate. Now he was barrel rolling towards the deep, western side of the bridge and he was getting dizzy.
Before the force field had been erected a few stray drops of acid had hit the side of the estate car, the smell of burning paint filled the immediate area. The back tyre on the drivers side of the car came into contact with the hazardous liquid and slowly deflated.
The force field buffeted the acid spraying device sending it off course. More drops of acid fell on the exposed tarmac, littered by the bodies of the Circle mystics and combining with the blood from the were-girl, providing yet more interesting aromas.
The last of the demons fell in the air, dissolving mid-flight, pierced by bullets from the cake device and shards of wild magic from Dire Lament.
Charlie collided with the concrete wall of the western edge of Valor Bridge, hitting his head and very quickly fading out of consciousness. He thought he saw one of his colleagues lurking way behind the robot, not daring to make a move with all this metahuman activity in the vicinity, as his eyes closed and his brain switched to standby.
***
Bell Point Hospital, 02:44Doctor Carson stepped away from the array of fuse boxes, located in the building managers office in the basement of the hospital.
In his left hand was a paper file. If anyone had been in the room with him then they might only just have made out the writing on the front of the file, owing to the darkness. As a matter of fact there were people in the room with the Doctor but they werent conscious: the building manager and two maintenance technicians lay in their seats, breathing, occasionally snoring.
The Doctor heard a noise from outside in the corridor and flattened himself against the wall. A silvery powder dropped from the recesses of his coat. He edged towards the door and creaked it open.
Doctor! Its you! Matron Knowles gasped. Something strange is happening, upstairs.
You mean more strange than our business, Angela? the Doctor smirked.
Its the children. One of them mentioned something about a bogeyman. You dont think she hesitated, looking for the right words, You dont think our involvement has anything to do with it? Angela peered over the Doctors shoulder and noted the sleeping men. She raised an eyebrow.
Theyll be fine when they awake. Carson explained. Anyway we havent used the children at all. Theyre probably just alarmed by my sudden trick with the lights.
No, no. Thats not it. They were acting strangely before you cut the power. I dont like this situation, Alan, not one little bit. First Congressman Wolfe is delayed and now the children are acting as if theyve seen ghosts. Or worse.
Before Doctor Carson could respond, footsteps were heard on the stairs. He pulled the Matron into the office quickly and shut the door as quietly as he could. The pair crouched by the door and saw a shadow pass the frosted window. It hesitated and grew larger at the door. Instinctively the Doctor and the Matron scurried under two desks nearby.
The door creaked open and the pair heard footsteps: High heels, possibly. They saw black, shiny boots and a black cape swish past them. Then they heard whatever it was give a wry chuckle. The figure, almost entirely a mass of blackness, bent down and ran a finger in the trail of silvery powder. It sniffed the dust and chuckled again. The figure retreated back into the corridor and was followed by the sound of the door creaking closed.
Doctor Carson and Matron Knowles breathed a sigh of relief.
***
Valor Bridge, 2:46
Acid Zero stood with the congressman in his grasp. The man looked like a crazed experiment with wires and a drip still attached to his naked body. During his capture the thick bedclothes that covered his vulnerable form had slipped off and his thin, silk dressing gown dangled unglamorously on the drip line, which remained attached to a device inside the estate car. The heart monitor proclaimed him dead but only because the wires attached to his body were coming unstuck in the cold air. It was emitting an annoying flat line beep.
A breeze came in off the coast: Gentle but decidedly cold.
The congressmans eyes opened slowly and when he took in the face of his captor they widened dramatically. He tried to flail his arms but his nerves were shot through with pain and instead he screamed, the sound muffled by the oxygen mask over his face.
The reptilian figure of Acid Zero clocked an odd-shaped pendant round the congressmans neck. It glittered under the light energy bouncing off his force field.
To all present on the bridge, no matter their current state of standing, leaping, flying, staggering or laying flat out, the air became thick. The breeze rose to a light wind and crackles of power danced around those of the magical inclination. It felt as though some intense power was gathering and homing in on the congressmans pendant.
Someone or something not present on the bridge was trying to retrieve Congressman Alistair Wolfe II and to those of the magical persuasion, it was looking for a way to exploit their own power!
((Looking to wrap up this section of the tale now, as if you hadn't guessed
. Poor Caemgen, so lonely atop the hospital...))PS ((Am I being too descriptive? Looking for feedback so far (please send by PM so as not to clog the thread). Hope you're all enjoying this.))
The Urban Fellow of Merry Wit, A.K.A. "That Kid" to people with no patience for such names, seemed entirely unperturbed by the magical forces descending upon the immediate area. He jumped off the roof of the stalled car with an acrobatic flip, running along the pavement until he was right behind Acid Zero and Rosalind.
He then tugged on the Lycan's sleeve, and pointed a VERY cheap-looking plastic super-soaker at her.
"BANG!" He said, flashing a wide and cheesy smile that showed all of his pearly whites. "You're dead!" Of course, no such thing occured, but given what the little demon is guise of a boy had produced so far, it would not have been surprising if the cheap-looking super soaker was actually a molecular destabilizer. The turret-bearing-cake fired its rocket thrusters and halted at the edge of Acid's force bubble.
Rosalind frowned slightly as her eyes fell on the glittering pendant. She took out a little notepad and nodded offhandishly to Acid.
"Magical Artifact, class 5E, Ace." she commented. "Some kind of ...I can't imagine it would be a power limiter, or a power enhancer, at least not for him. Well, without more study of it. I don't suppose we can get Mr. Operetta Drama Government Guy to shut the hell up, can we?"
As UFMW tugged her sleeve, grinned and 'shot' her, Rosie paused for a moment, glancing down at him with bright orange eyes.
The next moment the notepad was flung in the air as she tackled the little kid to the pavement about as gently as a dog could manage to do.
"YOU ARE THE MOST ADORABLE THING IN THE WORLD!" she squealed.
Before their eyes, a poof of smoke obscured her form for a moment, and then a medium sized border collie was playing and roughhousing with the kid, seemingly with no care as to what else was going on.
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
Crazy people.
This town was full of crazy people.
The words just wouldn't leave her addled skull. For all Balgair knew, she might be actually saying them.
She possessed no sense of magic to discern what was happening by the vehicle, but that sixth sense that gave her bad feelings when an op was about to go belly up was tingling.
It was most definately not a pleasant tingle.
Not even bothering to tell her mercs to cease firing at Acid Zero--maybe one would get lucky and kill the lizardy *******, Balgair dragged herself behind some form of cover, it might have been a vehicle once, or maybe a dumpster.
Pulling her night vision goggles off her face revealed blue/green eyes and a purple X tattoo across her face. Bloody hair stuck to her goggles and she hissed as she yanked them off.
As she hid/recovered behind the cover, Balgair noted Charlie's unconscious form. Fortunately for him, he was within arm's reach, so she pulled most of him behind the cover with her.
Least she could do with all these crazy people running around.
Infinity
Sam Varden 50 MA/Reg Scrap
Doomtastic 50 SS/Inv Brute
Ceus 50 Eng/Kin Corr
Cinderstorm 50 Fire/Fire Blaster
Keeping his distance, a young man in his last couple of teen years, peered down at the battle from behind one of the huge cables that suspended the bridge. At first he had been perched high up on one of the horizontal cables until the car convoy was delayed, then he quickly moved closer as the others came to the rescue, first running across the cables then sliding down one to get nearer to the bridge.
As he moved closer, the shadows around him began to reach for his body, embracing the milky skin of his slender frame, writhing around his hips and tracing up his torso and finally his entire body. His shape distorted and finally melted away into a 2D figure then folded into the ground and disappeared. He reappeared in the shadow of a downed car a little to the west of the commotion on the bridge, still merged with the darkness to continue to observe the situation.
It was only until after the whole force field and the pendant of the congressman began to react did the shadow dweller reveal himself. An odd pulse of power followed by some sort of magical pressure disrupted the effect of his shadow ninjutsu. His short spikey black hair with yellow highlights bound by a silver banded cloth headband was first visible followed by his face which had dark eye shadow makeup with a yellow assassins mask hiding his face. His shadow veil finally dissipated to reveal the rest of his body.
Oh, well this is embarrassing, he said aloud and grinning under his mask. A visible ninja is like getting caught with your pants down, he said to no one in particular. For a ninja, he seemingly talked to himself a little too much not to mention he didnt seem to dress like one. For one, his fingerless leather bound gloves were bright yellow which would be very visible despite the thick black leather straps that bound them up to his forearm and his boots were similarly yellow with black buckle straps bound to his calves. Although he had a dark tactical belt with various ninja tools and a ninja-to strapped to his back, he was showing a lot of skin for someone who hides in the shadows. His black leather shirt left his midriff exposed and over that a yellow cloth half shirt tank that covered even less. The black leather shorts resembled bike shorts with yellow hot pants over that.
With bullets and bodies flying, Jase tried to weave out of the fray only to stumble upon a half conscious driver and a stealth suit wearing female. As if oblivious to the two, he ducked behind the same cover. Whew! Crazy people, he sighed aloud, shaking his head, This whole city is crazy. Sitting Indian style, Jase finally turned a head toward the woman, Need a hand? he said with a wry smile, This situation might have just hit a crescendo. Who knows whatll go down next. Even though what he said was vague, most likely Balgair felt the same.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Through the darkened hallways, a boy wondered silently. He didnt seem frightened by the blackout but he did seem lost and curious. Before the lights went out, he just wondered around talking with the hospital staff, visiting with patients in their rooms if their doors were open and overall just acting like a curious kid. When asked where his parents were, he lied saying they were watching TV in their room and he was bored. If anyone decided to take him back to his mom, hed inconspicuously disappear on the way.
But after the lights when out, it wasnt hard to move about the dark corners of hallways to investigate the situation. It wasnt long before the 7 year old found his way onto the roof through a stair case behind a pair of double doors. He strolled across the roof, taking note of the demon who sat on the roof edge. The kid seemed more curious then surprised and walked toward the roof edge too. Getting on his hands and knees, the kid peeked his head over and took a long look down. Whatcha waitin for, Mister? he asked without looking over at Caemgen. The boy just kept looking out at the traffic below with wide-eyed curiosity.
((My first attempt at a spot of Open RP (making as opposed to participating).))
"The VIP will be arriving shortly, doctor. Any last minute instructions for my staff?"
Matron Angela Knowles, resident at Bell Point Hospital for the past 20 years, stood attentively in the staff room of Florence Ward - a ward for non-supers in a city chock-full of meta humans. She had seen much hardship and tragedy, especially in the past 10 years, with civilians caught up in the troubles of super-powered beings fighting in the streets.
Opposite her was Doctor Alan Carson, a consultant surgeon who specialised in spinal injuries. He was a typical doctor; neatly-parted hair, bespectacled, conservatively dressed, in his mid-50s and with the kind of face that gave little away.
"Very good, Matron. Just stick to the plan we drafted and all should go well. It's imperative that the cong- I mean, our VIP, be treated as if he were made of glass. That is, urm, to say that his condition is terribly fragile."
The two medical professionals nodded to each other and Matron Knowles made her way to the nurses' station to make sure her staff were fully-prepared.
A convoy of cars moved slowly across the bridge, coming from the direction of Brickstown. The drivers were tense as they had been forced to make a detour from the main road due to a group of Freakshow who were rioting. Several of the city's Heroes could be seen in the rear view mirror, swooping across the sky and casting down balls of energy at the Freaks.
As the convoy made slow progress over the bridge, the driver of the central car looked out of the window and saw groups of Tsoo and Family consorting amongst the shadows cast by the steel struts and wires that held the suspension bridge together. The driver caught the eye of one particular Tsoo, who flashed a dagger which caught the moonlight and who made slashing motions across his throat.
In the back seat of this particular car - a souped-up and modified estate - lay a man under the supervision of a burly, male nurse. The laying man was rigged up to various devices and his pulse registered regularly as a high-pitched beep. His breathing, aided by an oxygen mask, was regular.
One of the motorcycle units up ahead radioed the driver of the 'ambulance':
"Come in Charlie. Having problems. Seems to be an obstruction in the road. Roger."
The driver, presumably Charlie, sighed and slowed the car to a stop.
"We'll have to try turning around. Get a message through to Bell Point and tell them we're delayed further. Roger."