The Two Six: Season 3 ((Open RP))

Quex watched Josiah fluster himself. Kasoh did that, saying things that could be taken many ways. He did so intentionally and without regret. He called it their...'thing'. She often hit him for it because it was the wrong place or time. So far, Josiah appeared to just be nervous, like a warrior before his first battle. She could understand, Quex still felt ill at ease before engaging a capable foe.

Telling Josiah that probably wouldn't help. She would have to be the strong one who kept the unblooded from slipping on their own swords.

Joy.

She tried to answer his question. "Where I come from, a child has to go out alone and kill one of the clan's enemies before they can be a warrior."

Quex paused, "I've been told many times that is no longer done. So, we will not be warriors. Hunters then. Stay close, flank our prey, corner it, and kill it."

Another pause, "Arrest it, that is."

His skull mask propped over his blonde hair, allowing someone close enough to see his baggy eyes and darting glances, Jack Horton paced along the upper ledge of a large warehouse floor overlooking the three Skulls he had laying trip mines, “No, no! Further apart, if the entire field blows up when one goes off, it’s useless!”

He began pacing again shaking his head, “If I’m going down, I’m sure as **** going to take an army of those PPD slobs with me.”

Leaning casually across the hand guard, Emily Darkgloom watched Horton pace. She obviously wasn’t a member of the Skulls, her strapped leather outfit was a dark purple and had a very fancy magical design etched into it. She had short black hair, and dark sunglasses. A large black circle was attached to her arm, though it appeared to have no thickness, or any reflective properties--it looked like a hole attatched to a single point.

“Its not the PPD you have to worry about Crush. I can kill them all day long. It’s the heroes they’re probably calling as you bury your head.”

“Can’t you take care of them? Didn’t you say you were the best?”

“The best you can afford Crush. You turned his place into a fortress and are ready to go out like some movie gangster when you should be hightailing it. Cops don’t like it when you snatch kids.”

Horton growled in frustration as he waved his arms, “I didn’t have anything to do with that! Are the pigs going to listen to that? No. A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do!”

“Pay a woman to fight off the cops and super heroes for him. Right.” She pushed herself off the rail and floated across the room to the Skulls just finishing laying the tripmines at the entrance of the room.

“You and you, check all the doors again.”

Hmm.... no doors open anywhere. So much for the easy way. And she didn't really want to just teleport in blind - knowing her luck she'd appear right next to that dark-slinging brute the SWAT guy had mentioned and be discovered instantly. Or even worse, right on top of a tripmine and get blown to kingdom come. Neither situation exactly appealed to her, so plan B it was and up the fire escape and onto the roof she went to find a skylight to look through.

The warehouse had two such rooftop windows, but the first she tried was a no go. Below was a room entirely full of Skulls. She went in there and she'd be discovered the moment she got her friends inside, as teleporting them would drop her shadow cloak. The second, though, looked a little more promising. Oh, it was still equally full of Skulls but in this one there was a stack of crates in the corner she might be able to hide behind. She'd just have to hope there weren't any gangers in the little space behind the crates - she couldn't see behind them from here but it was a chance she had to take. So, with a faint surge of purlish-black energy, in she went.

(( gonna be away over the weekend, probably with no computer. so you probably won't hear from me for a few days. ))

He made his way as his mind stretched out trying to pick up stray thoughts. It wasn't his best ability and in truth he hated it. The feeling of being thinned out and stretched over the area was madding.

He hit his communicator "This is Dreg they are very nervous in there. Things going to be very nasty once things start up. Sure you don't want me to go in with you?"

The wait had gotten the better of Josiah. The little bit of sniper training through an M-IV marksmanship course taught him how to discipline himself to stand still for hours at a time, but he wasn't posted up on a rooftop or a hillside. Standing around, with or without purpose, got to Josiah.

He approached Captain Hammer and waited to be recognized.

"Do we have eyes on every side of the building?"

The Captain nodded. "Doesn't mean that every inch of the place is covered. There are plenty of obstacles blocking my sniper's viewpoints."

"What about the initial breach? Did your guys surround the place?"

"Regrettably, no. Once our Picks were in place, we breached the side entrance, thinking less of the circumstance. It won't happen a second time." The words almost spat out of the Captain.

"I imagine not," Josiah peered behind Captain Hammer to the side of the warehouse building, "Captain do you have any minesweepers on you?"

Hammer nodded behind him, "In the armory, why?"

"Well, the Skulls know we're still here. And there's nothing to stop them from resetting that doorway with more mines. And if our additional eyes can't make every inch of this place, I'd just feel a little better scanning the perimeter myself."

The Captain closed his eyes and thought momentarily, "Understandable. But take a couple of mine with you," the SWAT Lead snapped fingers off to the side and two officers rushed over. He directed them to follow Josiah.

After obtaining a minesweeper, Josiah approached Quex, "You coming? Gives us something to do. If not, cool. Either way, can you let Abbie know what's going on?"

Quex frowned at Josiah. Then she looked back at the warehouse. "I have something to do."

She reached into her hip pouch and produced a Cell phone blue-tooth headset. She also produced a small beat up black box and turned it on. She pressed a few buttons then turned on the cell phone head set.

Pulling her own Two-Six earpiece off, she handed it to Josiah and put on the older piece of equipment with much difficulty. She idly wished Kasoh was there to put it on for her. The black box then went back into her pouch.

"Getting boomed because you were impatient is not good impression, so don't. Use this until you get your own."

Quex put her hand to to her headset, fiddling with it, "Dreg, Quex. By the SWAT Captain."

Quex reached into her hip pouch and produced a Cell phone blue-tooth headset. She also produced a small beat up black box and turned it on. She pressed a few buttons then turned on the cell phone head set.

Pulling her own Two-Six earpiece off, she handed it to Josiah and put on the older piece of equipment with much difficulty. She idly wished Kasoh was there to put it on for her. The black box then went back into her pouch.

Josiah squinted his eyes at Quex as she tampered with the device around her ear. More than anything, it just seemed like a painful task. He took the device and placed it around his right ear. After a quick adjustment, he activated the minesweeper.

"Thanks. I-"

"Getting boomed because you were impatient is not good impression, so don't. Use this until you get your own."

Josiah watched Quex walk away, "Really? You too? Not that I know you enough to be surprised about this, but...really?!" Josiah threw up his free hand in defeat.

"Alright, cool. You two come with me." Josiah stepped backwards and beckoned the other officers to follow him. The two looked at each other and then back at Josiah.

"What? What is it," he stopped and stared at the now nervous looking men.

"Well," one of the officers stepped forward, "No disrespect. We're sure that you're a part of the Two Six division for a reason but..."

"You're a rookie, kid," The Captain interjected, "They were following the warrior woman. Not you."

Josiah didn't hide his surprise, "How could you even... you didnt even know who was coming."

"Please kid. You smell of rookie," The Captain pointed while Josiah looked down at himself in confusion.

"You walk and talk like a rookie. Might as well have it stamped on your forehead."

At this point, anyone who wasn't getting ready to infiltrate the warehouse had eyes on Josiah and Captain Hammer. The "kid" looked at everyone and just nodded his head.

"Ok. Ok...," he continued to nod his head and handed the minesweeper to the first officer he came to as he passed them by. He leaned on the back of one of the vans, folded his arms and waited.

"he's not the only rookie around her" Dreg said as he got close. "But we are here willing to do our part. That more then some people." He removed his hood and removed the face mask hiding his mutated face.

"Someone in there is smug. I don't think any mines are the worst thing we face."

Quex tilted her head at Dreg. He could read minds, or something very close to that. "Can you locate the smug one inside? Its probably the boss or Darkgloom. Tell Warpshroud if you do."

She meandered back to the van where Josiah looked put out. This...would be difficult.

"Sorry." She said, then her brow furrowed as she paused again, "It was...joke. A joke. Teasing. Blowing up is bad...so don't get blown up."

Shrugging, Quex added, "English...is not my first language. My jokes...not funny sometimes."

"Sorry I'm not that strong. Best I can explain it is smelling a bad smell. You can kind of figure out where it's from the closer you get to the source but from a distance it just there. I detect things like that I know a general area where and closer I get to the source the more I get. For thoughts however I have to be in touch range but there is always background noise emotions and such I can pick up. Much like being in a crowd you hear everyone talking but can't really make out words unless you are close to the person you want to listen to."

He closed his eyes and seem to fade from sight. Those that knew he was there could barely make him out others would miss him completely. Truth was he was still 100% visible he was just warping peoples minds to Ignore him.

"There once this starts I be messing with their minds from a distance. I might be able to get a few to fight their friends."

"There once this starts I be messing with their minds from a distance. I might be able to get a few to fight their friends."

Sounds useful enough, Josiah thought to himself, almost forgetting that he was bothered by everything that had happened thus far on his first day.

He tensed up and stood a little straighter when Quex approached him.

"Sorry." She said, then her brow furrowed as she paused again, "It was...joke. A joke. Teasing. Blowing up is bad...so don't get blown up."

Shrugging, Quex added, "English...is not my first language. My jokes...not funny sometimes."

Josiah stared at the ground for a moment, thinking, then looked back up at Quex with a raised eyebrow, "Yea, I suppose blowing up would be bad."

"Captain," Josiah called out, "What's the status?"

The black cat approached the Two-Six building, sniffing the air as he drew closer and continuing to do so as he padded silently around the perimeter of the edifice. He had faithfully performed the ritual every day for the last several months, but, once again, the scent of his friend, known to the Furless Ones as "Amerikatt" was but a fading memory.

For a moment, the electric charge of hope coursed through him, but then he realized that the new scent was neither fully feline nor Furless One, and his spirits sank even more quickly than they had arisen.

There had been no word from his friend -- nor her Human partner -- and he had to once again fight back the feeling that they had both met with an untimely demise.

Perhaps tomorrow would yield something new.

He turned around and returned from whence he came.

Kasoh and Irene entered the apartment and rushed to the living room. The small apartment was in shambles. A large high definition television was tossed over and several large objects that had no real place being in a Skull’s apartment were puncturing holes in walls.

Laying in a boneless heap in the middle of a broken coffee table was a young man. Blonde hair, gaunt build. Kasoh put away his scalpel and pulled out his medical scanner. As Irene approached the one eyed doctor put an arm on her and held her back.

“He’s dead. Don’t touch him.”

Kasoh crouched down next to the body and ran the device over it. While it whirred and clicked its analyses Kasoh slowly inspected the body.

“Mustard, this is Onnoroc at 478 West Wilson st, Apartment 421. Got a dead body here. Male, late twenties, will attempt to ID. Likely its Tenpenny. Need a forensics team and the city coroner.”

“Roger that. Will contact.”

Kasoh’s medical scanner beeped and he read the readout then prodded the body in several places. He looked up at the FBI agent, “It was someone with Gravity powers. Every bone in his body is crushed, and powerful enough to emit a Singularity.”

“Family, most likely. They supply the Skulls with ‘dyne, Tenpenny was an ambitious runner. The Skulls were never sophisticated enough to smuggle girls out of the country. It had to be someone with access to the docks. We need the name of his Family contact.”

Kasoh nodded, “Probably the guy who killed him. Consigliere. I’ll check his pockets. Try his computer first.”

“I’ve searched a crime scene before Onnoroc.”

Kasoh grunted, and took his scalpel out to check under the body for traps before he turned it over. Irene walked into the next room.

---

As soon as she appeared in the warehouse, Quex drew her sword and looked for threats. Seeing that Warpshroud had succeeded in finding a good spot to insert them from, Quex moved slowly away from the Warshade, trying to find Skulls laying in wait.

Quex stopped before she strayed to far, reminding herself about Josiah. Instead she crouched behind a crate and kept watch while the others finished zapping in.

Josiah arrived inside the warehouse, guns drawn and ready. He took cover behind a stacked set of crates and waited until it was time to move. Crouching behind one crate, at his size, was not an option. He was working on his stealth options, but for now he'd rely on what he was taught. For a kid who has never been in a fight outside of his military training, he knew he was about to see firsthand how often what you learn is different from what you experience.

He made eye contact with both women and gave them a quick nod. He checked his belt for additional magazines. None. A slow exasperated sigh escaped his lips.

Worst. Day. Ever.

Teleportation was always unsettling for him. But he recovered and once his eyes adjusted to the light or lack of in the building he went behind some crates. Once there he reinforced his mental cloaking.

Then he looked again and spotted a group standing in the connected hallway he looked at Quex and motions to the Hall and then held up five fingers. A grin appeared on his face and he moved from behind the crate and cast his mind forward.

All five went limp as there heads drooped down and they fell asleep. "Mass Hypnosis weak so disturb them will wake them but they be asleep for a few minutes." Dreg whispered just loud enough for the others to hear.

Two Skulls were dropped by Warpshroud's claws, while one who was just out of reach fired his assault rifle into the massive armored form.

"Billy! Get the Q gun!" One of them shouted.

One of the Skulls fired a pistol at Warpshroud, slowly backing away. Finally, he managed to break away, attempting to sprint down the hall to their stash of Quantum array weapons.

Bounding through the air like a leaping cat, Quex went after the runner, taking him to the ground with a well placed tackle. Freeing her sword, she reached back to stab the Skull when he ran further into an intersection.

Quex followed, grabbing the hoodlum by the collar and throwing him back towards the others, just as more assault rifle fire opened up, sending Quex retreating back.

---

Emily Darkgloom was watching two Skulls poorly play cards when she heard the weapon fire. Another intrusion? PPD or Heroes...Only one way to find out.

"Stay on guard. Prep the killzones."

In no real hurry, Darkgloom walked towards the sound of fighting. If whoever was attacking got through the Skulls no big deal, they weren't her henches.

Quex followed, grabbing the hoodlum by the collar and throwing him back towards the others, just as more assault rifle fire opened up, sending Quex retreating back.

As if on cue, Josiah dove outward from behind his crate, guns drawn and firing around Quex's retreating body. He rolled into a standing position and strafed until he came to the other side of the hallway where a crate was waiting to be hidden behind. With a quick mental count of the amount of bullets he fired, he stood up and provided select cover fire.

One bullet bore a hole into one of the skulls hands while another pierced a second Skulls' shoulder. He took cover again, thanked the Lord for extended clips, and waited for the sounds of reloading rifles.

Dreg moved and focused his mind on Billy's. Bill blinks then turns and shoots the Quantum gun not at Warpshroud but at one of the other skulls.

"What are you doing Billy shoot at them!" Another skull noticed Dreg "It's that freak he's messing with Billy's mind!" Dreg however was prepared and the skull screamed then grabbing his head as the Mental attack tears at his mind trapping him in his own thoughts.

Abbie hesitated and looked around when she heard one of them yelling something about a quantum gun, but it seemed Quex and Dreg had it handled already. Those assault rifles would hurt, though. Well, would hurt other people at least. The Dwarf however was made to live on the surface of a star. A few bullets really weren't going to do much to it. Thus, Abbie figured she was the designated meatshield for the day and teleported right into the way of the aforementioned assault rifles. An angry roar that might have been words or might not got most of them focused on her, again providing her teammates with the opportunity to move in and take them while they were distracted.

Josiah peered slightly over the top of the crate to assess his next move. Abbie was playing the game of distraction and from the looks of it, the Skulls were winning. That was good for Josiah. He leaned over the side of the crate and targeted shoulders and kneecaps. Within seconds, Skulls dropped their rifles or faltered back, one by one. Through the confusion of trying to determine where it was all coming from, Josiah dove outward and ran full speed at the group. The ground beneath him disappeared as he swan dove over Warpshroud and landed into a tuck and roll with two assault rifles in his hands once he was standing up again for a two-handed 180 degree arc spray of the enemies in front of him.

Josiah's arms stretched out on either side of him as his eyes and ears focused on every small movement or sound that was made. He backtracked to Warpshroud and while moving the rifles in the direction where possible threat occurred. Once he was next to Abbie, he looked for Quex and Dreg.

Having no qualms about bringing backup, On her way, Darkgloom picked up two patrols of skulls, adding six more guns. "Just stay back and shoot them. Its not difficult, but I'm sure you'll all fail miserably at it."

Walking into the hall, She took a few scant seconds to watch the heroes lay the minions to waste. Just another reason not to have any, huge medical expenses. She noted Josiah's alert gaze and blew him a kiss.

Under her breath, Darkgloom muttered,"Klaatu Verata Ni...no...Fithos Lusec Wecos Vino...that's not it either...hell with it,"

Pointing her finger, Emily Darkgloom shouted, "Ominous Latin Chanting!"

A cloud of darkness formed around Josiah, making it terribly hard to see straight, the cloud emenated for several feet, catching Warpshroud in its edges.

The willoy woman charged forward, hiding her body behind her shield as she slammed into Warpshroud with its surface.

Having no qualms about bringing backup, On her way, Darkgloom picked up two patrols of skulls, adding six more guns. "Just stay back and shoot them. Its not difficult, but I'm sure you'll all fail miserably at it."

"It's not difficult, but I'm sure you'll fail miserably at it," one of the Skulls, who dreamed of being Skulls ever since he was a kid, mocked Emily Darkgloom while she gave instruction. He tapped the guy next to him and pointed at her with a laugh. There wasn't much of a response.

The eighteen year old kid's name was Mr. Bones. His friend, Mr. Cross, had been sent to prison two weeks ago for a faulty bank robbery after he was left behind. Now without the combined moniker with his comrade, Mr. Cross didn't sound that cool anymore. He wasn't sure how long Bones would be in prison, so lately he'd been thinking of a new name. Besides, they were so low in the gang that no one ever called them mister anyway.

Under her breath, Darkgloom muttered,"Klaatu Verata Ni...no...Fithos Lusec Wecos Vino...that's not it either...hell with it,"

Mr. Bones and another Skull looked at one another the way people do when something shocking happens then turned their attention back to her again.

Pointing her finger, Emily Darkgloom shouted, "Ominous Latin Chanting!"

A cloud of darkness formed around Josiah, making it terribly hard to see straight, the cloud emanated for several feet, catching Warpshroud in its edges.

"This heffa doesn't even know what she's doing. Eff this!" Mr. Bones took several steps forward after Emily charged and set his sights on Josiah. He set his rifle to emit three round bursts and fired on the clouded rookie. Nothing he fired hit so he moved a couple steps closer and tried again. Nothing.

"How do we suck this bad?!"

Josiah immediately dropped the rifles and drew out his pistols again. He wasn't quite sure why he did it, but it felt more comfortable having something in his hands that he was more closely familiar with.

"What the hell is this, a cartoon storm? Is it gonna rain?"

His answer came in the form of an impact wave of Darkgloom's attack on Warpshroud. Josiah's body flew backwards into the hallway wall while two bullets flew out of each barrel. One of them caught Mr. Bones in the thigh.

"Sonuva," he dropped to the ground and fired back at a fallen Josiah with every bullet he had left, screaming his lungs out from pain and frustration. Josiah landed on the ground with the wind knocked out him, which only doubled his breathing issues with the billowy mass that continued to surround him. The only thing he could really make out was shapes and few bright colors. Could anyone even see his head in this mess? Pieces of exploding wall debris nicked the side of his face.

Am I being shot at?

He moved swiftly along the wall while still on the ground until he found another set of crates. He scrambled behind one of them and hoped for the best. His focus never left what he could make out.

"Umm... help," He finally said like it was a question when trying to wait it out didn't seem to work.

The continuous clicking from Mr. Bones' trigger finger followed Josiah until he was behind the crate. Not one bullet hit him. It wasn't close.

"Come on!" Mr. Bones slid backwards in a sitting position where other members of the Skull faction were adding their own method to the madness.