Collateral Damage

[Cicada]

Newsline, Channel 7

We interrupt this broadcast to bring you breaking news. Mayor Elanor Stevens, Patriot City's Mayor of 5 years, has been confirmed deceased as of 7:37 tonight at the age of 37.

Deputy Mayor Alan Barnaby has refused to release any details, and it's too early to get any word from the Coroner's office.

Mayor Stevens had been elected in 2006, demonstrating a passion and resilience for public concerns first. The first female Mayor of the city, Stevens' work out shined her gender, effectively serving as an example to women across the city.

Landslide after landslide victory, Stevens remained in office and would continue on to deal with the sudden urgency to address the overnight concern for superhuman activity.

Stevens stance for superhuman rights had served as a guiding light for supers and non-supers alike. Under her administration, Patriot City's population of known superhuman individuals has skyrocketed, many of these individuals coming out about their spectacular abilities.

Stevens promoted a strong policy for fairness for everyone, fueled by her long time discrimination as a woman since early in her political career.

We'll keep the details coming as more is released, so stay tuned for more updates...



Roleplay Adventures Presents

Collateral Damage

Created by ZanNight (http://role-player.net/forum/member.php?u=14421)


Starring:

Simon Hope / Black Jack (http://role-player.net/forum/showpost.php?p=757253&postcount=16) - Played by ZanNight (http://role-player.net/forum/member.php?u=14421)
Malcom Stern / Maurauder (http://role-player.net/forum/showpost.php?p=757225&postcount=5) - Played by StormWolf (http://role-player.net/forum/member.php?u=58)
Faustus Castor / Dr. Faustus (http://role-player.net/forum/showpost.php?p=757254&postcount=11) - Played by ravenhairdemon (http://role-player.net/forum/member.php?u=15617)
Lux Marie Creldenson / Shockwave (http://role-player.net/forum/showpost.php?p=757371&postcount=20) - Played by CurleyQues (http://role-player.net/forum/member.php?u=17154)
Rose Mikamino / 8 (http://role-player.net/forum/showpost.php?p=757596&postcount=28) - Played by Lizard-Wizard (http://role-player.net/forum/member.php?u=16933)
Melissa Dante / Supernova (http://role-player.net/forum/showpost.php?p=757684&postcount=29) - Played by Sweets (http://role-player.net/forum/member.php?u=12688)
Boris Zakov (http://role-player.net/forum/showpost.php?p=758006&postcount=43) - Played by Cryptographer (http://role-player.net/forum/member.php?u=17067)
Graham Bell (http://role-player.net/forum/showpost.php?p=758804&postcount=17) - Played by ZanNight (http://role-player.net/forum/member.php?u=14421)
Antonio Guerro / Styx (http://role-player.net/forum/showpost.php?p=758923&postcount=67) - Played by SandQueen (http://role-player.net/forum/member.php?u=14572)
Lawrence "Lar" Garna (http://role-player.net/forum/showpost.php?p=758294&postcount=55) - Played by Shin Majin (http://role-player.net/forum/member.php?u=16943)
Evaine Garna (http://role-player.net/forum/showpost.php?p=759609&postcount=73) - Played by Shin Majin (http://role-player.net/forum/member.php?u=16943)
Mike Scotson / Warp (http://role-player.net/forum/showpost.php?p=759835&postcount=75) - Played by CurlyQues (http://role-player.net/forum/member.php?u=17154)
Peyton Turner / 2 Pistols (http://role-player.net/forum/showpost.php?p=760797&postcount=101) - Played by Ladaron (http://role-player.net/forum/member.php?u=16316)
Wilson Dunning / Grey (http://role-player.net/forum/showpost.php?p=761147&postcount=111) - Played by Zeos (http://role-player.net/forum/member.php?u=17178)





Chapter 1
The Big Bang that started Everything


"Problems cannot be solved on the same level of thinking that created them." ~ Albert Einstein.

[CurlyQues]

Lux was dressed impractically as ever, her calves elongated by the toe less, black, strappy sandals she wore - which went perfectly with her pencil skirt and white blouse, even Mike had complimented her on how 'chic' she looked. Lux had just finished ruining the third job interview of the week - her blonde hair still bouncing high in a very professional-looking ponytail. Mike had talked her out of dark-rimmed, rectangular glasses. Lux shifted her weight, feeling soreness began to creep up her toes - Mike was supposed to pick her up ten minutes ago. Lux shivered - it was particularly cold, and Lux was beginning to wonder why she had thought exposed skin was a good idea in the middle of October. Lux sighed as she glanced at her watch - 11:03 A.M. Mike was so seldomly late that his new-found lack of punctuality worried her. Another of Lux's concerns was that her foot was going to cramp up any second; sure, the extra four inhes of height were great, but at what cost?

Vibrations from Lux's pocket drew her attention Way from the impending doom her feet were facing. "Mike, I thought we established this rule, where if I leave the house wearing my Gucci's, you aren't a minute late. I hope you realize my ankle pain will be flared up for weeks now." Mike sighed in response to Lux's whiny tyrade. Not because it annoyed him, but because he actually felt bad - he was still forty minutes away from her.
"Please tell me you remembered your blazer?" Before Lux had dashed out the door to catch her cab Mike had told her to grab the black business jacket that matched her skirt. The pause was enough explanation.
"I didn't want to look desperate.. Or old." Lux explained, closing her left hand in an attempt to warm her fingers up. Mike sighed again.
"Thirty minutes." Click. The line was dead, as Mike had anticipated. Lux was mad, but he figured half an hour outside on an October morning would cool Lux down.

Lux hesitated, eying the sidewalk with distaste. The blonde wasn't fond of getting her $54 skirt dirty - or looking unsightly in the middle of town. She would have loved to get a cab, but her wallet (accesorized with more rhinestones than imaginable) was lying on the island in the kitchen of her apartment. Lux reluctantly sat her pink Prada purse lovingly beside her as she sat on the sidewalk. The tips of her French-manicured toes had turned cherry red. She looked longingly at a telephone-wire... Then remembered the last time she'd attempted traveling that way. Ending up in the middle of a sex hotline's office was awkward - explaining that to her father was even worse. Lux casted an impatient glance at her watch, 11:18. Lovely.

Her ponytail was beginning to make her head ache, but she distracted herself by thinking on the events of last night. The mayor who had stood up for the rights of "Supers" since the beginning was dead. And the chances of another pro-super being elected was highly unlikely. Lux still couldn't comprehend why people loathed supers so much. The good ones, anyways. Patriot City had it's fair share of villains, but the 'Heroes' - I.E. Herself - didn't hesitate when it came to beating them senseless. Still, they insisted on public displays of how dispicable supers supposedly were. Poppycock. That's the word that came to mind whenever Lux heard an anti-super ranting about the destruction of society that they were going to bring upon the 'normal' citizens. Lux mumbled something about the stupidity of these people before her attention was redirected.

Lux had forgotten she wasn't in the best part of town - and it seemed she had remembered too late. The knife pressed to the back of her neck sent the first electric sparks to her fingertips. She couldn't do anything yet - too vulnerable. "The bag, sweetheart." Lux instictively clutched her purse against her chest - there wasn't any chance she would give up her baby, especially to someone who obviously didn't appreciate Prada. The knife poked the back of her neck harder.
"I really would advise you stop that." Lux used her 'Shockwave' voice - stern and feminine. The mugger laughed which only made electrical sparks jump finger-to-finger.

[Sweets]

Melissa yawns as she wakes up and rolls over in her large round bed, she stares at the clock on her nightstand, 11:30am. She looks around her large condo and smiles. She had grown up in a small house and an even smaller town, the sound of the big city below her and the large condo all to herself made her happy about what her friends had done to her. They had left her in the chemical fire and she now had the ability to create and control fire. At first she had thought that she created it out of thin air, but the chemicals in her body are so flamible that once it's released from her body the fumes ignite and she can control it, to a point.

She gets out of bed and smirks as she looks out onto the city from the large window that covers the whole wall. 'Tonight' she thinks to herself 'Tonight is the night.' She had been planning for almost a month. She had only done small stores and houses so far, but tonight was the night that she was going to rob a bank. It was only going to be one of the small branch banks, but still a bank. Her hand engulfs in fire and she looks at it. She makes the fire concitrate to just her pointer finger and it turns to a blue torch flame. She balls her hand into a fist and the fire goes out. She walks to her kitchen and begins to make breakfast.

The condo is very upscale for her taste, but she liked it that way. She smirked to herself as she made brunch 'Hopefully I'll be able to move into one of the riches condos after tonight's break-in.' She was going to go for the safe boxes; just cut into them with her fire, and then send the items to be 'washed' and a month or two later...Cha-Ching! She would have even more money. She hopes that there are lots of jewels, she loves jewelry. After all, to everyones' knowledge she was an investor and a wizz with stock, and she should have the finest things that she wants.

[Cicada]

BEEP!

Located in southern Patriot City, Simon Hope was on a race against time. He focused on the task at hand while maintaining his composure to avoid making mistakes.

BEEP, BEEP!

Simon could practically feel the clock ticking against him. He grimaced whenever he felt a dull pause, a wasted second being all it would take to completely mess everything up.

BEEP!

Was he going to make it? Was his pace fast enough to keep up? Was it already too late? Had he already lost so many precious seconds to make it impossible to catch up?

BEEP.

Simon made a fast glance at the clock while he worked. 11:34. Less than 60 seconds away. Was it a fresh minute or a stale one? Would it end any moment now? It's now or never, the final push. The razor-thin line between making it, or explosive defeat. He couldn't afford to lose, not after all that was at stake.

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

Finish. Simon hit the button, locking the screen and clock. He too in a breath, looking up at the clock. 11:35. Not a second to spare.

"It's not a race, son."

Simon looked up at a customer with a confused look on his face. Simon looked to the left. Groceries were towered on one another, the bagger frantically putting away items.

"Oh...sorry...uh, you're total is $90.82." Simon said with a smile.

The man swiped his card. Simon grabbed the receipt and offered it to the customer, who put it in his wallet. The customer stood there and stared at the mountain of groceries waiting to be placed into bags.

Simon turned off his register light, and walked away from the counter. It was the end of his shift anyway. He walked over to the customer service counter and was met by Lisette coming out of the office door squinting at a piece of printer paper.

"So, this is it huh?" Rodger said after suddenly appearing on Simon's side, startling him. Rodger had a smug look on his face, almost of disgust towards Simon.

Lisette placed a finger down on the printer paper. "Rodger, 305 RPM...Simon," she traced her finger downwards. "314!"

Simon held up his arms victoriously. Rodger pouted, and grimaced as he slapped a twenty down on to the counter and walked away.

"314? Wow, that's like a record for you isn't it?" Lisette said, with an excited smile on her face.

"It sure is! I've never even broken 300 before! Rodger didn't do as well as he normally does either, so I guess that helped."

Lisette wrinkled her nose as she smiled, which Simon always liked about her. He also liked her black curly hair that ran down a little past her shoulders. Simon sometimes wondered what he'd look like if he had black hair instead of blonde.

"You can do a lot when you put your mind to it." Lisette said happily.

"So whaddya say? Ice cream on Rodger and President Jackson?" Simon held up Rodger's twenty triumphantly.

"I shouldn't, I'm supposed to meet someone for lunch in half an hour and I don't wanna lose my appetite."

"Oh, well another time then. I'll save the twenty." Simon said walking away, pointing the bill at her. "Just shout when it's rocky road time!"

"Ok!" Lisette said enthusiastically.

Simon stuffed the twenty in his pocket and clocked out. He took off his apron and slung it over his shoulder on the way to his car, a Mazda Miata. It was a small car. Lisette said the color was "British Racing Green".

Simon opened the trunk. Inside, was a jungle of knives, swords and other blades of various designs. There were a few nun-chucks laying around too. Simon threw his apron inside it, and closed it.

Simon walked over to his car door, opened it and looked towards the store. Lisette was waving. Simon gave her a smile and waved back, then got inside the car.

[Lizard-Wizard]

Rose glanced at her watch - 11:37. She had been up for nearly 5 hours now, running tests, collating data and conducting experiments at the Patriot City University labs. In her opinion, this more than qualified her for a break.

“Doc,” - that was the nickname the students gave to Dr. Hugh Parsons, the professor Rose was doing research for “I’ve been here for long enough now, I think. May I be excused for a while?” She knew he would say yes, he always did, but it never hurt to be polite.

"Of course, Rose," He replied, "Same as always." Half an hour was her allotted time, as per usual. Rose made her way from the lab, taking off her glasses and labcoat, picking up her bag, and letting down her hair as she went. She was restless, and ruffled her hair out to remove any kinks from the ponytail. Her shoes clicked briskly as she walked, and as she stepped outside a small breeze picked up. Why was she feeling so agitated?

Rose made her way from the campus towards her favourite coffee place– it was more upscale than the coffee shops other students normally visited, but Rose wasn’t one to go for lower quality coffee if she could get an excellent espresso somewhere else. She ordered her drink and chose to sit inside – the weather was getting colder, after all. Rose noticed she was fidgeting, it was as if she felt… off. As if something was missing. She glanced at her watch again – 11:41. Rose sighed, and closed her eyes. Then, the realization came to her – it had been five days since she had gone out ‘adventuring’ (Rose’s term for when she assumed her role as 8 and did whatever she felt like, not what was expected of her). Five whole days, no wonder she felt so tense. There was nothing quite as relaxing for her as breaking into houses and beating people up, all while being perfectly anonymous. Particularly now that Mayor Stevens was dead... Stevens had been like a godsend for the mutants, always advocating their rights, and now that she had mysteriously died, there was no doubt in Rose's mind that there would be trouble - trouble which Rose could exploit. Rose smiled, and adjusted the scarf around her neck as the espresso she had ordered was placed in front of her by a smiling waiter. Yes, tonight she would go out again.

[ravenhairdemon]

Faust was breathing heavily and hiding behind a school bus. Gunshots could be heard from inside a bank. He turned to a police man hiding behind the same bus as he and asks. "Are there any civilians inside the bank?" he inquires to which the lawman nods in disagreement. "Good" Faust says and grabs a rock from the side walk. He clenches it and electricity could be seen sparking from his hand as he throws the rock into the bank. "Fire in the hole!" he shouts and ducks. Laughter could be heard from the side of the bank robbers and they all gathered to look at what exactly Faust has thrown at them: a rock. A few seconds after they gathered, the rock exploded with a force stronger than an average grenade, killing the bank robbers in the process. "And that's the end of that." Faust says and readies his revolver. "I'm just gonna take a look around inside the bank. Stay here." he tells the rest of the officers and heads inside.

Smoke was everywhere inside the bank. Charred corpses and blood greeted him as he took a step inside. "I guess I overdid it a little." Faust thought to himself. A bank robber had caught him off guard. He rose up from behind the bank teller counters and started firing at Faust with an assault rifle. Faust touches the ground and makes it rise, forming a makshift cover. The gunshots stopped. The eye patched assassin took a glance at the bank robber and could not see him. "Hmph. Probably hiding behind the counter again." he thinks and takes aim at the wall behind the counter. His revolver, resonating with his power, fires a bullet that ricochets off the wall and into somewhere behind the bank tellers' counter. A scream of pain could be heard and Faust knew he had hit his target. He walked slowly towards the robber and over the counter. He sees the man injured, his right shoulder wounded. "Oh well. Sorry boy, but you're a scum to society and it's my job." Faust tells him. The robber's pupils dilated with terror as he was shot in the head by the assassin.

Faust walks out of the bank. "All clear. All yours." He tells the police and heads to their leader. "My pay?" he asks him with a serious look. "Y-yes... Here..." the police chief replies and hands him an abnormally thick envelope. "Good. Good. This will suffice. Thank you for your patronage." Faust says and walks away in delight.

[Darton]

Boris watched the city from the top of the Zarko-Tech skyscraper. It was late morning, he had his coffee, he went to run, then arrived at the building. His office was enormous. The main item in the room was the Zarko-Tech CEO's huge pinewood desk, with his laptop, cellphone, and tons of paper. You could merely see the persian carpet thanks to the gigantic worktable. The back wall was one, continous bullet-proof window.
Boris couldn't understand his father's purpose with this enormous "looking-glass". Why somebody needs bulletproof window at the top floor of a skyscraper? He turned around, and went to his desk. The CEO sat down, and he started to gaze the ceiling.
That's when his secretary, a middle-aged, but good looking woman, Charlotte came in. He coughed silently, to get the attention of his boss.

"Yes?" Asked Boris.

"Sorry for interrupting your meditation, but we have the evaluation of the last month. Do you want to see it now?"

"Yes, bring it on." He slowly stood up, and went to the window again.

He remembered his first day as the leader of this corporation. He was clumsy, afraid of everything. He almost ruined everything, but his Vice-President saved the day. He tought everything to Boris. And whe the new CEO learned everything, the old mentor gave notice to him.

"I was your fathers underling, not yours. I'm old, and tired. Find somebody else to my place." The old man said.

But he couldn't fill the space. There was no man like the old veteran, and both of them knew it.

His chain of thought were cut again, when Charlotte opened the door again with a dossier in her hand.

"Oh, and Mr. Zarov..." Boris turned around, and looked at the woman. "You have a meeting at 2:00 pm with the Military advocate. Don't forget!"

The secretary rushed out, thanks to her phones ringing. Boris himself walked to his desk again and opened the thick dossier. He couldn't concentrate on the numbers, but he tried, tried really hard, but he couldn't think anything else, but his irritation of meetings. He never liked peoples and he never will. He finally tossed the file into a drawer, and started to oganise his desk... Once again...

[CurlyQues]

Mike's eyebrows lifted above their regular arch as soon as the familiar blonde came into view. Then he gussed he really should be blaming himself, considering the fact he'd been the one who'd been nearly an hour late. Mike shoved the topic he'd wanted to disuss prior to the moment down to the bottom of his mind, reaching across the passenger seat to open the door for Lux.

Lux dusted off her skirt, slinging the Prada purse over her shoulder triumphantly. Her eyes narrowing the second Mike's Pontiac turned the corner; alhough, as she settled into the leather seat, she found the only thing she could think about was how silly her hair looked. Lux's jaw went slightly agape as she caught sight of herself in the mirror - immediately, she was adjusting her blonde curls - which had gone insane in the midst of the little... Spat. Mike waited patiently, not saying a word until he knew Lux was content with her appearance.

"So, care to explain?" Mike asked, looking over at Lux as the engine started. Lux returned his look, bit her lip, and slumped lower into the seat. Lux had done the exact thing Mike had warned her about a dozen times.
"He was trying to mug me - it's not like I killed him." Lux mumbled the last bit defiantly, avoiding the parental look her friend was directing towards her. Mike sighed - which gave Lux the urge to hit him.
"Second degree burns aren't too peachy, dear." Lux winced at the word 'dear', it always meant Mike was in a bad mood when he used any sort of endearing terms.
"Can we just go? I'd like to get lunch, dad." Lux ignored Mike's rebellious scoff, and in turn he disregarded her crossing her arms firmly over her chest - identical to a child.
--

Lux stepped onto the sidewalk gracefully, feeling put-out by Mike's typical apparel. Lynyrd Skynyrd t-shirt and a pair of jeans? No. She'd been fighting the urge to point this out until they finally pulled up to Lux's preferred lunch Cafe. Nestled right between a bank and jewelery store, it was the perfect place to await evil-doers and what have you. At least that's what Lux was constantly telling Mike.

The two walked inside without exchanging words, finding it unnecessary to discuss Lux's failed job interview. Lux picked the usual table, beside a window that overlooked the sidewalk in front of the Cafe - she liked to watch for any 'suspicous' behavior. Or for a big white van full of masked shooters - those were always just as good.

"Two soups of the day, and two coffees, please." One of the good things when it came to Lux and Mike was their identical eating habits. Lux enjoyed the fact they always ate the same thing - unless they agreed to each try something new. The two sat silently, waiting for either crime or their food. Mike was hoping for the latter.

[ravenhairdemon]

Faust found himself wandering on the streets, a thick envelope in his hands. He opens it and finds money. Lots of it. "Where did I get these?" he wonders. Little did Faust know, his alter ego just saved the day... And his bank account. "Heh, why do I always find myself with money when I need it? It just pops out of nowhere." he says in his minds and takes a stroll towards the nearby park.

"Hey Faust. Great job earlier." a policeman tells him. A smile was his only reply. "Job? What job?" he wonders and looks behind him. A charred bank with broken windows and blood all over. "Did... Did I so that? Impossible. I'm not even armed." he reassures himself and continues walking to the park. "Strange though. He knew my name. Nah, probably some guy from my army days." he says to himself, trying to dismiss the odd conversation earlier.

Faust take a seat on a bench in front of a fountain. "Ah, nature is so beautiful..." he thinks. Suddenly, he felt something at his waist; a gun. "Huh?! A revolver? Why do I have one of these?" he wonders as he perplexedly examines his gun. "Hmm.... Zarko-tech. Isn't that the famous weapons company? Did this gun from there?" he thinks and holsters the revolver once more. "I have to know why this gun is in my possession. I could get sent to jail." he says to himself and takes off.

[Darton]

Boris arrived with the elevator to the ground floor, and walked across the lobby to the receptionist's table. He weared his ordinary clothes, with a black trenchcoat. He stopped at the receptionist girl, and looked her up and down. She was about twenty years old, natural red hair, white skin, freckled face, kinda cute. Boris checked her nameplate quickly: It said "Suzie".

"Hi sweetheart... I mean, Suzie! I have to ask you a favor..." The girl didn't even recognize his employer for one moment, but then she blushed, and said something like "Anything you want, Sir..."

"I don't want anybody to ask for me in the next two hours, so if somebody's looking for me, tell him or her that I went out with a taxi. It wouldn't be a lie, I will do that. If something's really important, you can use this number." The CEO took out his wallet, and handed over a small card. "But only if it's vitally important, do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Now be good, and remember the things I told you." He winked on the receptionist girl, then turned around and he's set off to the exit, but before he could reach it, he sticked at the tourniquet, started searching something.

~My Wallet...~ He cursed himself in mind, and turned around to get it from the receptionist's desk.

[StormWolf]

Patriot City North - 5:00 AM

Beep Beep Beep Beep

You are tuning in to Sean and Gus in the early morning, bringing you some tunes to get your ass out of bed and in the groove. Hero, by Skillet (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGcsIdGOuZY) for Metal in the morning

With a groan, Malcolm sat up from his bed, his short hair a mess and his bare chest sweaty from his apartment's lack of air conditioning. Rolling his head on his shoulders, eliciting a few satisfying cracks from his thick neck as he stood up. Walking over to the portal to his kitchen, Malcolm gripped the fixed pull-up bar and started doing his morning exercises, the muscle groups in his arms, shoulders, chest, and back bunching up and lengthening with every repetition. Without stopping, Malcolm hooked his legs on the pull-up bar, hanging upside down and starting his vertical crunches. Curling his head as close to his knees as he could until his abdominals couldn't take any more. Releasing the bar with his legs, Malcolm landed on his hands, remaining vertical without any support and finishing his morning workout with vertical push-ups.

Dishes clattered as Malcolm Stern cooked himself a hearty breakfast of steak, eggs, and whole milk - scarfing it all down with gusto before six AM. Taking a quick shower and getting dressed in his usual courier garb. Stuffing his power bars and energy drinks in to his courier bag. Leaving his small apartment and locking the door, Malcolm trotted to his mail box to receive the first package he was to deliver that day. Removing the lock and chain from his bike in the apartment garage. Mounting his loyal steed, Malcolm Stern started his delivery routes for the day.

Patriot City Downtown - 11:30 AM

Malcolm was speeding down the bicycle lane, the weight of the package he was supposed to deliver before lunch weighing on his back heavily. Whatever it was, it was dense as hell. His third meal of the day fueling his powerful legs as he rocketed through intersection after intersection, sweat clinging to his brow and dripping casually down his strong face. The big screens on the sides of buildings spouted hot topics from the news, primarily channel seven. They were always outspoken on their opinions and outlooks on issues. That was probably why they were so popular. It was all 'assassination this' and 'super-huumans that'. Malcolm hated the news because it was never good - it was always doom and gloom with global warming, war on terror, and anit-superhuman violence and hate crimes. Some supers, like Malcolm on occasion, actually risk their lives to save those that would hate them. It didn't make sense, but it didn't stop Malcolm Stern from doing the occasional heroic act.

Reaching the Corporate District of Downtown, the skyscrapers cast long shadows even this late in the morning. More building mounted jumbo-vision screens spewing advertisements and news flashes. At least here, there was as much FOX and CNN as there was Channel 7. Malcolm's eyes scanned the neon logos and signs of company buildings to find his delivery destination. The package he was currently carrying was addressed to Zarko-Tech and had been handed to him from a middle man in Patriot City Midtown. These corporate tycoon types always had their dirty laundry, and that was why Malcolm's courier business never asked questions about what he was delivering. This was probably some sex tape collection or embezzlement records that the CEO wanted to keep hidden from the press and his wife. It was exactly that kind of crap Malcolm didn't want to get tangled up in. If he remained ignorant, that means he would be useless in a court hearing because he wouldn't know jack shit.

Finally reaching Zarko-Tech Tower, Malcolm hopped off of his bike and placed it in the bike rack on the side of the building, in a very clean looking alley. Putting a quick lock on his bike, Malcolm trotted to the front of the building humming to himself as he passed through the automatic glass doors. Once through the doors, Malcolm actually broke in to song. If he couldn't have fun with his deliveries he would work for the US Postal Service.

"Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit. He took the midnight train goin' anywhere..." Malcolm sang in a comical falsetto that was not meant for a man his size to sing. He noticed a few people in the lobby looking at him with either looks of searing hatred, confusion, or jovial enjoyment to see something a little different.

"Package for whoever runs this joint. Just sign here... here... here... and here," Malcolm said to the foxy little secretary at the front desk, shooting her a charming smile, "Oh, and your cell number, address, and favorite foods." With that the secretary just smiled and rolled her eyes, taking the heavy package from him. "Next time, maybe? Okay, see you then." Malcolm spun on his heel and started walking back towards the street, continuing his song.

"A singer in a smokey room, a smell of wine and cheap perfume. For a smile they can share the night, it goes on and on and on and on...-" There was a deafening boom and a rush of concussive force that threw Malcolm off of his feet and sent him crashing through the reinforced windows of Zarko-tech's lobby, his movement stopping when he slammed in to a parked car and severely warped its side. Looking up from where he was, he saw the burning wreck that was once the lobby of Zarko-Tech. Holy shit... I delivered a bomb... Malcolm thought to himself in shock and disbelief. Reaching in to his bag, Malcolm pulled out his Marauder leather jacket and his sunglasses, donning his alter ego in the midst of the chaos so that he could use his powers and remain anonymous.

"Figures things couldn't stay simple until after lunch..." Marauder murmured as he stood up and ran inside the burning building, finding people who were alive and started escorting them to a safe distance, a few people at a time. With his focus settling on his heartbeat, Malcolm Stern, also known as Marauder, channeled the excess chi in his body, allowing him to lift up a fully grown person like a toy and putting his body to work with healing the bruises and hairline fractures he sustained from smashing in to the parked car. The adrenaline from the explosion was fueling Marauder with more than enough energy to work on all cylinders until the bystanders were safe.

[Darton]

Boris hid his wallet back in his pocket, when a cheerful, singing delivery boy stopped by him. He didn't care about the guy, just started to walk towards the exit, when his head started to hurt.

"What the..." He almost fainted thanks to the monstrous headache, when pictures rushed his mind. Horrible pictures. An explosion and the blastwave, blood, gore, screaming people, debris everywhere. He spinned around, and tried to find the source of the blast. Less then two minutes. The delivery boy finished the paperwork, and cheerfully started to walk towards him. Less then one minute. The package! His head ached like hell, his forehead throbbed. Less then ten secounds. With a lone effort, Boris screamed.

"TAKE COVER!" But it was too late. The blastwave sweeped his legs, lifted him from his feet, and flinged him towards a pillar. The dust, sounds of screams through the nauseatic buzz... He feels something. Pain. Pain at his left arm.

~Pain... Pain is good. It means you are alive! Get up... Get up!~ He tried to stand up, but he could only fight himself up to his knees. He stared horrified at the infernal havoc...

[Lizard-Wizard]

Rose was finishing her espresso, which had just begun to cool. She stood up, placed money on the table -including tip- and walked back outside. The skyscrapers of downtown Patriot City were visible to her, as it was just beyond the university. She still had some free time before she had to go back to her lab, so Rose wandered down the street, peering into windows as she went. A few ambulances and police cars wizzed by, interrupting the flow of traffic and startling the pedestrians who were trying to cross the street. A small crowd was gathering at the window of an nearby electronics shop ('Electrozone', what an unoriginal name), so Rose walked up to see what they were all so surprised about. They were all staring at a TV, which was broadcasting the news. What she saw on the news surprised her, too:

"...bring you this important message. This is Samantha Myers reporting from downtown Patriot City where a bomb has just exploded at the Zarko-Tech headquarters. As you can see behind me, the scene is one of absolute chaos. Ambulances and police cars have been called, and all civilians are advised to stay away from the downtown area in case of a second attack." Rose could see the headquarters on the screen, the ground floor had been totalled, and she could see some people rushing about trying to get away or give aid to the injured. "So far, there is no news as to who sent the bomb or why there was a bombing at all. Again, civilians are advised to stay away from the downtown area. This is Samantha Meyers reporting for Channel 7, we will bring you more information as the situation develops."

The image changed to the man back at a news desk, who began speculating about who had sent the bomb, but Rose lost interest. People were muttering around her, some about how a rival weapons company may have sent it, but most about how the supers were somehow behind this. Rose failed to see why people who had developed superhuman abilities would need use of a bomb, but it was useless to speculate, the truth would reveal itself eventually. However, Rose now realized she had a choice - she could go back to the lab and carry on her normal business... Or go to the Zarko-Tech building and raid it to the best of her ability. It was unlikely an opportunity like this would present itself again, after all, the information contained within that building would likely be worth a considerable amount. She sighed, and looked up at the sky as if asking for a sign, then continued walking. She would need to weigh out the positives and negatives, and decide soon- if anything to think of a plausible excuse for Dr. Parsons.

[Shin Majin]

Lawrence, or "Lar" as his teammates called him, sighed heavily as he finished strapping on his helmet and climbed into the armored vehicle. Apparently, there was a massive explosion at the Zarko-Tech head office building. Details were sparse. There was little information as to the cause, but it was a suspected bombing. Normally, his team was deployed to counteract things like this, but there was no warning beforehand this time. He just hoped this wasn't another super-related crime. The last thing his household needed was for some punk with more power than responsibility to destroy what the late senator had built.

Apparently, his unease was apparent on his face, because the guy next to him noticed. "There's no use in worrying about it. Just do what you can and things'll sort themselves out." Lar nodded. "'Guess you're right." Looking down, he noted his automatic rifle, and double-checked the safety. Really, he wished he didn't need to bring it, but with the rising incidence of super involvement in crimes, he couldn't take any chances.

[CurlyQues]

Shockwave stepped onto the sidewalk outside the Zarko-Tech building with her usual grace, her cape fluttering about in the wind. Her blonde hair floating in a way similar to that of her cape, a few pieces drifting to stand on edge - electrical sparks were popping out of her fingers. She was excited. There hadn't been anything nearly as exciting as a bomb in what seemed like years (but they were really weeks). Warp exited the yellow Mustang with less grace than his female counterpart, and his hood secured tightly around his face. He took his usual place behind Shockwave.

It was made apparent people were still being carried out of the building, and, with her usual impulsiveness, Shockwave walked into the building - coughing as she inhaled dusty bits of what probably used to be part of Zarko-Tech. Warp was only a few steps behind her, using a part of his cape to cover his nose and mouth.
"You realize, most likely, we should have spoken with the police outside?" Warp scolded, rewarded a pained expression from Shockwave. No response, she was doing her "job".
Her lacking observer skills failed to help her realize there was already another Super on the job, as Shockwave began to help a middle-aged woman to her feet.

"Warp, care to see if you can find anything on any security footage, or the computer - if there are any left, anyways." She called from across the room, receiving a thumbs up. Warp hated drifting away from Shockwave - knowing perfectly well without her he could be taken out in a matter of seconds. But he went on his way, trying to find any remaining electrical devices. There didn't appear to be any - and Warp wasn't about to venture up the remainder of the staircase.

"I can't find anything." He reported, walking beside Shockwave as she helped both the woman and a twenty-something man out the door; neither was injured very badly, which was good considering she didn't specialize in the strength department.

"Look harder." Warp made an effort to keep his jaw shut as he wandered back inside. Eventually, after a ridiculous amount of searching the building, he came across a small enclosure (one of what he assumed was many) where a few security T.V.s had survived. There was nothing suspicious on the tapes. Just the delivery man dropping off a package Warp was sure he hadn't known was booby-trapped.

Shockwave went about helping another older woman up off the ground, ignoring the soreness starting to build up in her arms. Muscle-work was definitely not her forte.

[Cicada]

Graham Bell was peering into the inside of a coffee cup looking for all the answers to life's questions. He didn't find any, and responded by taking a long sip.

He found it funny that while he ate breakfast most mornings at this very same cafe, The Dahlia Cafe, he was seldom recognized or remembered by any of the staff. He liked it that way, he supposed, but then it always ended up reinforcing a feeling of not belonging. To be fair, he didn't.

Graham quietly finished his eggs, and wished he had left a strip of bacon for last. At least he still had his coffee, which was the biggest reason he kept coming to this cafe. He took another sip luxuriously, and closed his eyes.

"You ok darlin'?"

Graham was startled and opened his eyes to a server.

"Uh yeah - just enjoying the coffee." Graham replied.

The server smiled politely and set the check down on the table. Graham didn't bother opening it before fishing out the correct amount. He always ordered the same thing, so it was always the same total.

Graham always had the facial expression of someone who was in pain. A man who had been to the top of the mountain and been defeated and tossed back down to the ground. It always made him a little angry when someone asked him if he was doing alright.

He was dressed nice. He wore a gray suit with a black shirt underneath, the suit was unbuttoned this particular morning. While he wore more lavish clothing, Graham Bell wasn't a businessman of any kind. He didn't even have a job. His only occupation was more of a hobby.

His phone vibrated inside his jacket pocket. He set down his coffee cup and took it out. He opened a text with a lone asterisk inside. Graham replaced his phone, put the tip on the table and quickly left the cafe.

[Ladaron]

Peyton eyes opened slowly as he rubbed his chest, He rolled out of the body hitting the floor with a thud "Ouch" he said to hisself. Climbing off the floor slowly Peyton did a blind shuffle towards the bathroom as he rubbed his eyes, coming out of the bathroom Peyton walked towards the couch turning on the T.V. as he plopped down.

Slowly flicking from channel to channel as he chewed on his nails spitting them out the window, as he spat out the last one smoking coming from down town caught his eye.
Peyton walked outside his trailer looking in the direction of the smoke. "Hey Jimmy what happen?" He said as he walked towards his neighbor sitting on his porch. "Don't watch the news some bomb took out the lobby of Zarko-Tech." Jimmy repiled "D#$n really, is anybody hurt? Who did it?" Peyton asked worrily. "Hell if I know go see." Jimmy said in a sly remark.

Peyton scoffed and walked back towards his trailer grabbing a black bag he jumped in his el camino and drove towards Zark-Tech. Peyton drive was short as he was stuck in traffic, parking his car he jumped out grabbing one of his pistols and his mask and started walking towards the tower. Arriving at the tower Peyton was stuck behind the police line with the rest of the onlookers. "Hey buddy everyone ok?" He asked as a officer walked pasted him. "Not sure all I know that there is a couple of super's in there not sure if they helping, hell might have caused it if you ask me." The officer repiled hearing the comment Peyton rolled his eyes as the others around starteed to agree.

"Yeah supers killed the mayor now they bombing us." Some guy said. Peyton looked around as mumers shot through the crowd rallying everyone up. "Time to go Peyton said to hisself as he snuck off out of veiw keeping a eye on the oncoming riot.

[Zeos]

'Another day... another accident." Wilson sighs as he walks by a shop, the news blaring the breaking news. Knowing what he has to do, he zips up his jacket, no alter ego, no worries, just a simple pass by, feel sick for a few days, no need to get involved. Zarko-Tech was not that far out of the way in his daily route, not that Wilson had any particular thing to do, no job, no school to go to.

A smokey street "Bingo", passing through to his usual bystander position, no one even noticing him like every normal accident he goes to. A quick glance gets Wilson's attention. "Other supers? Why would even one be here? Ugh" he shakes his head, "DO NOT GET INVOLVED", a thought constantly running through his head, causing an enormous headache. Wilson gets to work, giving himself an overview of the situation.

"So many hurt, in pain, if I don't start soon, a lot of these people are going to die."

A shiver runs through his spine, sweat beading on his forehead, he bites his tongue as he feels weak, an unfortunate side effect, having to nearly kill himself to save others, something that Wilson will ever be able to just ignore. "I'm going to have to wear myself thin this time, I'm not sleeping well tonight."

Unable to completely focus, he just begins to work on anyone he picks up on, stretching out his powers to their limit. That feeling, where it feels like his whole body is being deflated, he coughs into his hands. Blood, lots of it, every single time. Taking off his glasses, he almost doubles over coughing, several bystanders attempting to help him, Wilson just shrugs them off. "I... think I overdid it this time."

He stumbles forward towards the building and passes out.

[Shin Majin]

As the armored SWAT vehicle pulled to a stop outside the Zarko-tech building, Lar swung open the door on the back and leaped out, landing on the pavement into a crouch. Sure enough, smoke was pouring from the entryway. Apparently there was a fire. There were also several supers, among which he identified at least Marauder and Shockwave. Lawrence took deep interest in the politics and identities of para-humans. After all, his daughter was one. He also noted a man cough several times, then collapse, his hands stained with his own blood. Several bystanders were already attending to him, and an ambulance had already arrived, so he had other matters to attend to. As he rushed into the burning lobby, he felt a small relief in that it didn't look like there were any hostile supers.

Elsewhere, at the Garna residence, Evaine sighed heavily to herself. Her father was late again. With another sigh, she plopped herself down on the floor in front of the television. Her stupid tail made sitting on the sofa uncomfortable. Carefully taking the remote in her massive hand she flipped to the news. There was never anything good, but she still liked to keep up with current going-ons involving para-humans. After all, it pertained to her own well-being! She didn't expect what she saw, however. Apparently, some corporation building had been bombed! That would explain why her father was late. She cursed lightly to herself. Really, she wanted to help with these sorts of things, but her father was strongly against it. Her curse did make her stronger and tougher, but what good is that if you can't use it? Besides, she was an adult now. She made her own decisions...not to say the police wouldn't stop her if she tried to help.

[Sweets]

Melissa growls a bit as she sees on the news that a bank was robbed earlier and how there was something going on at the Zarko-tech building. She scowls at the t.v. and turns it off. She throws the remote on the couch and her hands catch fire. Almost a month of planning gone down the drain. She balls her hands into fists and the fire goes out. She marches to her bedroom and opens up one of her draws in the large dresser. She takes out a red jumpsuit made from fire-resistant material. She puts it on and puts the yellow gloves laying next to them. She runs to the closet and grabs a pair of yellow boots and a red mask laying next to it. She puts it on and grabs the fire-proof bag next to the fire exit in her condo. She engulfs herself completely in flames and jumps off of the fire escape and flies off.

She looks around and sees the bank that was broken into, everyone would be too occupied with that to get to her immedately. She passes it by and arrives at a different bank. She blows open the doors with a fire ball and screams at everyone "Get down right now!" She sends a stream of fire across the air and everyone gets down. She glares at everyone and engulfs herself in more and more fire. She thinks to herself and smirks 'Get ready to find out why I call myself Supernova.' She makes the fire bigger and bigger. The people in the bank scream and many try to run away. She makes the fire around her explode and the bank becomes charred.

She walks calmly over to the safe and focuses the fire to her pointer finger and begins to cut the door open. She laughs to herself a bit as the bank around her is still a bit on fire "Almost a month of planning and I just blow it." She chuckles a bit as she finishes cutting the door to the safe.

She enters the safe and begins to cut open the safeboxes and empty all of the contents into her bag. She smiles as she sees all of money, jewels and other various items. It was putting her in a better mood. Once she finishes she burns the entire room and smirks 'Maybe I should just do it like this from now on. No more planning, just do it on impulse.' She stands up and looks at the inside of the bank and all of the charred bodies. She sighs and looks contently at her work.

[CurlyQues]

Shockwave knelt down beside the collapsed man, sliding her hands under his shoulders and pulling him up. She shooed away the otheres trying to attend to him, the E.M.T.s busy with those who'd already gone a large amount of time without care. Her blonde hair was peppered with grey bits of dust, and other small fragments of debri - taking away from the way it normally glowed. But a fellow Super needing help? That was one of the few things more important than her appearance. Warp had disappeared altogether, and Shockwave was sure his feelings were going to be hurt since she hadn't immediately gone searching for him. She was serious about this, though.

"Hey, you need to wake up, there's some people in need of saving." Shockwave's voice was stern, but the unmistakable compassion hidden behind the normally fierce words was a telltale sign she actually care about whether or not people were going to be okay. She let her hand gently collide with his face, not enough to actually hurt, but enough to send a jolt through his nerves. Concern was beginning to grow in Shockwave's stomach - it wasn't like Warp to be away from her side for an extended amount of time. Especially since he hadn't announced his leaving.

Shockwave groaned mentally, sliding an arm underneath his shoulders to encircle his back. He was heavier than her, even if not by much. The hero fought the urge to collapse to her knees, pulling him towards the vivid yellow vehicle parked near the curb.

"L- Shockwave," Her had had spun around at Warp nearly blowing the whole secret identity business, luckily he'd caught it in time. "Bank, on 82nd, break in. It's a super." Shockwave wanted to put her fist in her mouth right then, gazing at Warp who had stood from beside the Mustang - prior to this announcement he'd been listening to a police scanner.

[Ladaron]

Watching the crowd grow more and more enraged Peyton grabbed the nearby officer from before "You to clam these people down man before they start a riot." Peyton explained "What do you expect me to do tell them the supers are there friends hell I got half a mind to join them." the officer said as he pulled away from Peyton's grasp.

Peyton walked out the crowd into a nearby alley he stood on the metal trash can to climb up the fire escape. On top of the roof Peyton popped in a piece of strawberry gum as he eyed the crowd then back at tower "Time for work." Peyton said to his self as he made his way down the other side of the roof, landing on the ground he stayed crouched as he sneaked pass officers into the tower. Met with smoke and ash Peyton started to call out is there "anyone in here?"

Peyton kept searching as he stepped over rubble over the floor he saw a figure in the smoke, making his way towards he saw a leather jacket with the words Marauder. Placing his hand on the man shoulder "Hey guy need some help?"

[Zeos]

Wilson's colour slowly returns, wiping the dried blood from his lips "Huh? Oh..." He struggles to his feet, still severely weakened, but able to move on. He brushes himself off and takes off his hood, Wilson's jacked covered in soot. "Thankfully, with all this confusion, no one will even realize who I am if I come with you." The girl, he somewhat recognized her, though he couldn't put his finger on it, possibly another super-related event. "Thanks for the hand, a man showing up in hospital with wounds that seem to come from nowhere? Not going to happen anytime soon."

He turns to the girl, all costumed up "I'm glad my power lets me be a little more anonymous in helping people, you, I don't even know what you can do, but I assume that it involves getting up close and personal" He coughs again, clearly not recovered from his episode. "I don't even have to wear a costume, though, I sometimes imagine it in my dreams. Ah crap I shouldn't have mentioned that."

Wilson shakes his head, looking around, a regular Joe with two supers, not suspicious at all. "There is one thing bothering me though, how did you recognize me? I sincerely doubt anyone knows what I look like, and I pay attention to these things. I don't dress like you, I don't act like you... what tipped you off?" He smirks, wondering if the girl had been keeping tabs on him.

[Sweets]

Supernova lifts the bag slightly to weight it properly in her hand. She engulfs herself in flames and jumps into the sky. She makes sure she's careful to keep as little heat on the bag as possible by letting it dangle below her. She smirks a bit "That was A LOT easier then I thought it would be." She laughs and spins a bit in the sky before landing on her fire escape. She looks around, she had been too risky and impulsive just leaving her condo as Supernova, she could have been seen.

She quickly goes inside and takes off the smoking outfit. She tosses it in the shower and runs the cold water as she changes clothes. She puts on a pair of dark blue denim jeans and a regular black t-shirt. She walks around barefoot and waits for herself to cool down to make sure that nothing in the bag will be damaged. She remembers seeing a lovely necklace made of diamonds in the bag; she'd hate to catch it on fire.

Once she cools down she turns off the shower and hangs her Supernova costume over the shower railing. She picks up the bag and walks to the living room as she glances through it. She sits on the wooden floor of her living room and empties the bag into piles; cash, things she wants to keep, and things that she will use to pay her 'connections' to make sure that everything is 'washed'. She looks at the diamond necklace. She holds it up so she can get a better view "Such a shame that I'll have to wait until you're washed to wear you." She puts the necklace down carefully and smiles with self pride as she looks at the piles before her and then begins to count the money.

[CurlyQues]

"Female tuition," Shockwave replied, tapping her temple with her index finger. Then she directed her attention to Warp, who she gave a simple wave - signaling her dismissal of the robbery. The hero assumed by this time, there was nothing any Supers would be able to do if they hadn't already done it. Warp's eyebrows narrowed, forming a furious "V" as he slid back into the Mustang's passenger seat, placing a hand on the radio to listen for further news. Shockwave decided she'd deal with that late. Her gaze drifted back to Wilson, who she offered a bit of a forced smile; although, it could have won plenty of prizes.

"I manipulate, or rather I can manipulate, electricity." Shockwave explained, holding a hand up, little sparks of electricity jumping from finger-to-finger. She was aware she'd danced around his earlier question - but that was simply because she had assumed he was a Super. Most normal people wouldn't bother themselves to assist the injured - sad, but true. With the sparks on her fingers, pieces of her hair started to float up into the air again - and she resisted the urge to reach up and fix them. "And your's?" Shockwave inquired, studying him profusely.

There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary about him, but then again.. when she was Lux, there probably wasn't anything that screamed "Super" about her - except her super good taste in clothing. Shockwave resisted the urge to giggle at her own poor attempt at a joke. She was also aware that Warp was going to nag her ears to pieces the instant she got behind the wheel of the Mustang. A bit more electricity ran through her body as she grew more anxious, globs of hair beginning to float up - Shockwave fighting the pained expression that wanted to spread over her face.

[Cicada]

On the opposite side of town, far away from the Zarko-tech building, was a greasy looking bar with even greasier looking people inside it. The place was a known mob establishment, with plenty of "Legitimate Businessmen" inside. Typically people knew to stay away from the bar, however two newcomers were seated at the counter.

"I'd like the strongest liquor you carry, and my friend wants a Whiskey. Got that chicken-neck?"

The bartender gave a smug look and went off to get their beverages.

"Why are exactly are we pushing people's buttons in a mob building?" Graham asked in his usual gravely voice.

"Because sometimes field trips are exciting." Black Jack responded. "Besides, it's not like this particular mob family's one of the biggest and we need some information. Don't get nervous, you'll draw attention to us."

Graham turned his head around, and saw almost every ugly-mug in the joint squinting over at the two of them.

"Being all dressed up in black and white tights doesn't necessarily blend in with these guys." Graham hissed.

"I'm a trend setter." Black Jack replied as the bartender set down their drinks. "We'd also like to pay a certain someone a visit? If you could point out the biggest mob meat head to take us to Mr. Drakarov himself, that'd be just peachy."

The bartender looked over the two customers towards some thugs at the nearby table. Two of them got up and started talking with Black Jack.

"Looks like you've had enough to drink." said the fat one.

"Actually I just started, but I'll let you know if I need an extra side of fat to go with my next couple rounds."

The thug looked back towards the rest of his buddies still seated at the table. The other thug stood behind Graham.

"Let's take a walk outside, get me pal?" Fatty said while parting his coat to reveal a gun.

Black Jack noticed Graham moving his hands away from his glass. A buzz was in the air, and Black Jack could feel his heart beat start taking off - the rush was coming.

Silverware on the bar started twitching, gravitating towards Graham.

"Well shucks, if you wanted to dance you didn't have to sugarcoat it like that." Black Jack smirked. He took his shot of liquor and tossed it back, then slammed it down on the counter.

The two thugs rocketed backwards, Fatty slamming into a wall and "Thug #2" plowing through a table. Black Jack twisted around his bar stool, unsheathing his katana and launching himself into the air. The nearest "Legitimate Businessman" was standing and struggling to get out his gun only to have his hand confiscated by a swipe of Black Jack's sword, followed by a sharp slice across his neck.

Gasping for air, and fruitlessly trying to seal up his sliced-open neck, the man withered to the ground.



* * * * *

Clark Henderson was snapping photographs of Zarko-tech. He was taking pictures of everything, the supers inside, the damage, even the surrounding area.

"Excuse me, sir? I'm gonna have to ask you to step back."

"I'm with Grover Media." Clark said.

The EMT didn't appear to care or take much notice, and he rushed back to an ambulance. Clark snapped more pictures.

There was a television van for Channel 7 nearby, which Clark smirked at. He snapped a few pictures of the truck, and then ran off to the next place he had to be.

[SandQueen]

"I'm looking for Tuco." Guerro said just loud enough to be heard over the news broadcast. There was some sort of bankrobbery or corporate theft involving supers and swat. The kind of things they wrote comics about. Maybe a movie deal would be in order.

"Don't know no Tuco, esse." The man said.

Guerro put one of his hands on the counter and leaned in slightly. "His car's in the parking lot. The '57 Chevy.... seafoam paintjob, white soft top. Plates say 'MUERTO'. If your boss wanted to not attract attention he failed."

"The hell you want, cabron?"

"Mr. Esteban doesn't like how Tuco's been handling his operation. That would be Mr. Esteban in Jaurez if you were unsure."

"Don't know no Esteban, you get the hell out pendejo."

A wisp of smoke wiggled from beneath Guerro's hand. "Your choice." His hand came off the counter and extended, palm out, towards the clerk. A sickly green flash arced from his hand to the man's chest. The air was filled with the smell of smoke, then burning hair, the crackle of sizzling flesh, and then the nauseatingly sweet aroma of rotting flesh. The clerk reeled back, clutching at his chest where a hole had been flayed clean through his shirt, chest, sternum, and lungs. A spiderweb of necrosis had flared across the man's pectorals and up into his neck. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Guerro turned and walked towards the rear of dry cleaner's. He walked around the counter and softly pushed a rack of shirts out of the way. "Tuco?" He called out. "I know you're here."

Guerro walked past the tanks of chemicals, ironing boards, and mechanical apparatus that composed the establishment. That would be the legitimate part of the establishment. Guerro reached a pair of plywood doors. One of them said EXIT and one said OFFICE. Antonio tapped a knuckle on the latter and called out "Tuco... you in there."

A gunshot rang out and a clean hole appeared at roughly head height. Well that answered that question. Guerro rested a hand on the doorknob and let out a heavy sigh. His grip tightened and the lock melted, running down the door in a long streak before pooling on the carpet. The door swung in slightly and after a second another shot rang out.

Guerro's eye twitched. Sooner or later someone would come in to pick up their shirts and find that corpse and sitting around firing a gun was going to attract all the wrong attention. Guerro took a step away and faced the wall. He took a deep breath as a searing green light began to emanate from his chest. His fists tightened and in a snap of motion he raised his arms and brought his fists down on the wall.

With a tremendous crunch the wall's studs were ripped from the mounts as the entire panel caved in on itself. A cloud of green that had come and gone like a camera tore fat chunks from the studs and drywall. A snap of heat ignited the carpet and in a moment it was beginning to spread further into the office. There was little left of the place, let alone of Tuco.

As the fires spread Guerro turned and left. The lights were flickering erratically, he must have caught part of the breaker box with his pulse. In a moment he was back out on the street. He found a payphone and placed a single call which only consisted of the word "Done"


+++

"Someone just killed Tuco Sandoval."

"What? Why?"

"Hell if I know but it was a super."

"How can you tell?"

"Because when you shoot someone it doesn't cause the powergrid of the entire block to hiccup or the building to shake."

"Electrical and concussive? Do we have anyone in the database that would match that?"

"No. Police are three minutes out, I'll keep my ears open."

"See if you can get eyes too. We might have a new foil in town."

[Zeos]

He sighs, looking at the girl, taking a bottle of water and rinsing the blood off his hands, the other man seemed almost ignoring his presence. "You've scraped your arm on some debris, that and your arms are extremely tired, just let me show you." He smiles, even in his exhausted state, damaged, he could still heal the girl without blacking out again.

That same feeling, a weight lifted, then pain, far less this time, like rubbing a bruise, he feels himself repairing any damage done to Shockwave's body, even if it was simple muscle damage. During these times, he wondered what else his power could do, what effect it had on certain conditions, though he never really got the chance to test it that often. Wilson breathes out heavily, sore again, he stops using his power and grins.

"I don't really have anything to go by, but those who even know I exist call me Grey, long story. Most people don't even believe that someone with my power even exists, I kinda like things that way." Even Wilson realizes that statement was childish, but doesn't care. His face lights up with a wide smile, laughing.

[CurlyQues]

"Well, isn't that nifty." Shockwave murmured under her breath, looking over her arms as she noticed they were cut-free. Her curiosity sparked, electrical sparks started popping from her palms. She looked up, quirking an eyebrow slightly. "Do you need a ride anywhere?" Common courtesy, one of the few things her mother had instilled in her before passing over to the other side. Shockwave anxiously stretched her fingers, letting them flit about as she shifted her weight. Surviving victims had been pulled from the ruins, and were being tended to - any who had been killed were of no concern to her. She saved people. She couldn't do anything for their corpses.

"Shockwave, we have things to do." Warp called, looking quite angry beneath the velvet hood. Shockwave knew by "things" he meant they needed to get home and feed the cats, and on the way home it meant she would be receiving a verbal lashing. This made her hesitate. Shockwave looked to Wilson apologetically, shrugging her shoulders - her attempt to look casual ended up being more silly than anything, given the cape and all.
"Ignoring him, he's impatient; although, it seems you aren't exactly in perfect shape to be hanging around," Shockwave said flatly, noticing the very slight indications in the way he spoke and stood - one of the few occasions where she was able to observe something besides an inability to apply make-up properly.

Warp remained in the passenger seat, furious there weren't any crimes occuring that could have Shockwave running for them. It got to him that she so caught up in talking to someone who wasn't anything more than a civilian. Some people might label his reaction to this as jealousy, but, in all honesty, he was just annoyed Shockwave wasn't being kind enough to him. She knew he hated being at crime scenes while they weren't doing anything helpful. He never did anything helpful, so he was never content to be there. Warp turned around and peered at Shockwave and the man. She needed to hurry up, because Warp was about to leave her behind. Which would probably earn him a full-blown, electrical melt-down.

[Lizard-Wizard]

A text message had changed the course of her day - "lab cancld, c u 2mrw or whn situatn imprvs - Dr P". Rose wasn't sure why he had chosen to cancel lab, but it probably had to do with the Zarco-Tech explosion, it wouldn't have surprised her to learn classes had been cancelled and the students made to go home. This gave Rose an excuse to go home too, and change into the outfit she wore when she was "8". By the time she was out and on the rooftops -she traveled on rooftops when possible, to make her less conspicuous and for ease of mobility- the streets were relatively empty. No surprise there, what with the explosion and the bank robbery.

People were afraid to be outside. This only gave her more opportunities. She had already broken into a jewelery store and stolen a large emerald bracelet and canary diamond necklace -Rose preferred to pick out the most valuable items and take them, rather than cleaning out the whole shop- and incapacitated two guards in the process. She calculated her next move, and decided that due to the anarchy currently being loosed on the city, it would be a wasted chance to not act. She made her way towards another jewelery store which she had been observing for some time, and decided she would go through the airvents. No one ever checked the airvents.

[Darton]

Boris tried to stand up, and after three attempts, he rose successfully. That's when his asthmatic seizure arrives. He barely could breathe, he started to suffocate. Boris tried to find his inhaler, but when he pulled it out from his pocket, it fell apart. It must have been broken when the blastwave threw him to the column.

His powers weren't much help either. The adrenaline rush confused them, the CEO of Zarko-Tech wasn't sure what's the present and what's two minutes in the future. He heared words and recieved pictures from others minds, but incoherently, like a continously tuning radio.

"Help..." He whispered through his gasps, and started to stumble across the ruins of the visitor's hall. He didn't know where were he going, he just went. He needed help. He gathered all his strength, and yelled. "HELP!"

One of the survivors, a Zarko-Tech office worker cought sight of him, and ran to the CEO.

"How can I help?" The young man asked.

"Asthma... Need help... Fast... Go..." He slowly sat down on a pile of debris, while his employee looked around and started to run as fast as he could to find a doctor or somebody who knew how to treat Boris's condition.

The CEO tried to calm down, and forced himself to take deeper breath. He fought his own body, own lungs, and waited for the help. His powers slowley stopped working, and he could look around. The destruction, the death, the grim scene... And the help, which arrived fascinatingly fast. He couldn't not admire everybody, who was stronger than him. Some of the survivors alredy shook off the shock, and started to search for others, who were alive, but have been stuck under large concrete slabs or other kind of debris.

He slowley stood up, and looked around for the delivery guy...

[Shin Majin]

Lar breathed heavily as he wiped the sweat from his brow. The outfit was hot and heavy, even in the chilly October air. That aside, things seemed to be going about as well as they could considering a crowded building just got bombed. There was nothing that he could see that linked the crime to supers in any way. It was probably a terrorist suicide bomber or something. True, it was still tragic, but it could have easily been much worse. At this rate, he might even make it home in a timely manner...

Lar snapped back to reality as he spotted a pale, dark-haired man standing relatively near the blast zone. His expensive-looking clothes were marred by the blast, but he didn't appear to have been badly crushed or burned. He rushed over to the man. "Are you injured? Can you walk?"

[Zeos]

"I don't know where I should go, so many accidents in one day, all super related, I should go home and rest. Knowing what is going on, however, is kinda bothering me. Zarko-Tech... why them, I don't quite get it." He grips his head "I feel bad for you supers that are dragged into this, to them, I'm just some random kid, but you..." Wilson looks at the two heroes "Are in a mess bigger than any single person combined. Discrimination, accusation, the works. I can't do much to fight crime out here, and even when I'm healing people, I can only do so much without killing myself."

Quickly he slaps himself "SHUT UP", yelling at himself, something he rarely does out loud. Reaching into his pocket he pulls out his glasses and a smaller metal object. Wilson blows off the dust on his glasses, probably going to need to clean them more thoroughly when he gets home. The second object, a Caduceus, placed into the hand of Shockwave. "If you ever need a hand, you'll figure out the little thing's secret."

Another dumb grin, his large glasses almost making them worse in the state they are in. "If you want me to leave.. um... W-Man, I'll leave wherever you want me to!" A snicker. Once again Wilson reaches into his coat, grabbing a bottle of painkillers, low strength, over the counter variety. Downing two, he places the bottle back into the pocket, a lot of little things kept for certain occasions. Wilson looks down and sighs "Today, today has been weird. All this stuff, it has to be a coincidence right?"

[Cicada]

5:00 PM

Newsline, Channel 7

...and we'll have more word on the progress of the PPC later in the week.

Alan Barnaby, assuming position as Mayor held a press conference recently regarding the Zarko-tech explosion that took place this morning.


"We have no information at this time to suggest that this was a terrorist attack of any nature, however that's not the point I'll be addressing today." says Barnaby.

"It's been made obvious, that the superhuman involvement with criminal investigations, like in the aftermath of the Zarko-tech building, is cluttering the way for real police work. From this moment on, the official stance of the PCPD is that superhuman individuals are just as much a civilian as everyone else. Any previously titled superhuman consultant will have their clearance revoked, and will be put on review after their worth to actual criminal procedure is determined."



Barnaby made no further comment on the sudden change in policy or what's prompted the sudden attention. Barnaby as well as the PCPD still over no public information into the Zarko-tech attack.

While the majority of the superhuman population associated with such access before being revoked are in uproar, other citizens are also confused.

"Well that just doesn't make sense." says Claire Gorman, Interior Designer. "The Mayor is totally pulling an issue out of nowhere. I for one felt a little safer knowing there were some good superhumans out there lookin' out for the rest of us."

While confusion from all sides has blossomed, not everyone is opposed to the sudden ruling.


"Finally, we got someone in office that's gonna keep those freaks in line." says Peter Barcia, math teacher. "Just because they can fly or freeze people to death doesn't mean they should be all about in the city's business. You don't see all of us given the rights to tamper with evidence and waste taxpayer's dollars by getting in the way of trained individuals."


Mixed feelings across the board. This is Samantha Meyers with Channel 7, we'll have more at 10.





The following is an excerpt from the popular
Internet Blog "Last Cricket of the Universe".

Taking away superhuman consultant status from them? That doesn't make any sense. We all know Barnaby has had a chip on his shoulder against superhuman individuals since the Grover Tower thing, and they STILL didn't take away that privileged even when they found out it was caused BY supers! Saying that they're reviewing their effectiveness is just insult to injury.

What's going on?

Why now?

What's going on with Zarko-tech that's so important? Let's face it, Grover Tower was a terrible, terrible tragedy but the second Zarko gets slapped around a little, it's all super's hands off.

Pretty friggen' curious.

[ravenhairdemon]

Faust was walking with a fast pace. His mind set to getting to Zarko-tech and finding out how this weapon got in his possession. He passed by the bank he just saved but tried to be as anonymous as possible. Faust continued walking, asking for directions to the Zarko-tech building while doing so.

Finally, he got tired from all this walking and decides to grab a bite in a diner he just spotted. "Welcome to Joe's diner! Please, have a seat!" the perky waitress told Faust. He takes his seat and immediately knows what he wants; a cheeseburger. "Excuse me miss, could I have a cheeseburger? Just a plain one will do." he tells the waitress who welcomed him. "Sure thing! That will take around 5 minutes. Anything else?" she replies with the same perky smile. "Umm... Just water. Thanks." He replies with a horrified look as he could feel his gun almost drop from its holster.

As soon as the waitress left, Faust fixed his waist holster and revolver under the cover of his trench coat. He let out a sigh of relief as he did and started watching the news channel on the diner's TV. His eyes widened at the sight of Zarko-tech smoking and the knowledge of it being bombed. 'Crap! I may have to leave sooner than expected.. I hope the burger comes soo-" he was saying to himself in his head before being cut off by the waitress. "That will be 7 dolla-" she says and gets cut off by the one-eyed man. "I think I'll have this one to go. Here's a hundred. Keep the change." He tells her as snatches the burger from her tray and leaves a hundred dollar bill in its stead. Faust gets up and runs through the diner's door, leaving the waitress dumbfounded.

"Err.... I have to run quickly! I have to get to Zarko-tech befo-" he was telling himself in his head as he stops running. A blank stare fills his face and for a moment, he seemed lifeless. He regained consciousness moments later and checks his watch. "Ten minutes!? How did ten minutes pass by so fast?!" his surprise making him unconsciously verbalize his inner monologue, causing the people around him to stare. "Umm.... sorry!" he says and continues running.

After a much marathon-like running through the city, he finally got there and saw the smoking building of Zarko-tech. Faust fell to his knees and started breathing heavily. He was gasping for air and after a few moments, he started breathing again normally. He got up and a serious expression filled his previously fatigued look. He approaches the officers and asks one of them what happened in the building. "Major Faustus Castor, reporting. What has happened here?" he asks.

[Shin Majin]

Lar turned off the television, swearing softly to himself. While he thought it was true that superhumans shouldn't be given special treatment by law enforcement, he thought it absurd, obscene even, that they should take any blame for what happened at Zarko. If anything, any supers he could could recognize seemed to be helping, and weren't doing a half-bad job of it. Still, Barnaby's declaration probably just made his work a lot harder. Firstly, he'd be receiving much less superhuman assistance, since to legally help in that type of emergency would require them to join the PCPD or the fire department or such, and discrimination against superhumans would make that difficult.

More importantly, it may become part of his duties to prevent civilian superhumans from getting involved. That would make it that much harder to actually get anything important done. "Damn politicians..." He grumbled. Just what was Barnaby trying to pull with this? Supers were hardly involved in the matter, and he just pulls the issue out of his ass. Does he have some sort of vendetta against them, or is this some sort of political thing beyond his own understanding?

"It's like a cons'iracy or so'thin'." His daughter, Evaine commented. It was sometimes difficult to understand her words, but it wasn't her fault. It was just another complication of her monstrous body. "I really don't see any sense in it, 'ut I guess that's 'olitics 'or you, huh?"

[Ladaron]

Peyton fist went into the wall beside his crouch as he watched the evening news. "What about all the people that we pulled from the fire?!" He said in a uproar as he kicked his little black and white t.v. on the fire cracking the screening. Calming down Peyton laced up his boots and grabbed his two six shooters putting them in the holster.

"I need to find out who did this, I remember seeing a bike messanger bag in the rubble maybe I'll start there. Peyton said as he jumped in his el camino and took off towards the delivery company.

Parking a couple of blocks away in a back alley Peyton put on his mask and strapped up his holster and walked his way towards the company. He looked through the window not seeing a light on in the place. "Guess they close hope they got a back door. Peyton said as he walked around back. "What the hell who bulids a buliding with no back door?" Looking around trying to find another way spotting a small window he sighed knowing that was his only way in.

Peyton shimmed his way through the hole "Got to lay off the snacks." He said trying to squeeze his way through. Inside the office he pulled out a lil flashlight and began to looking threw the paper work on the desk. "Maybe if I can find who delivered the package I can question him picked up by Malcolm Stern, but no address."

Peyton took the file and closed the draw leaving the office he looked at the small window he struggled to get threw and back the front door only to be greeted by pcpd "HANDS UP NOW!"

[Sweets]

Melissa stares at her t.v. as the broadcast finishes. She stares at it with a blank angry expression. She doesn't really know how to feel about it. On one hand she now faces the risk of pretty much being shot at whenever going out as Supernova, because no one will just leave it up to a superhero to catch her. But with all the supers pretty much being outlawed that will mean that she won't have to worry about anyone using superpowers against her.

She turns off the t.v. and looks at her condo. One of her connections had sent someone over and collected all of the goods to be 'washed'. In about a month one of her offshore investments would go up and she'd recieve a large amount of money. She smiles to herself 'Not bad for someone who got a B- in math.' She feels her stomach growl a bit, she puts on one of her favorite jackets; a sleek brown jacket lined with real rabbit fur and covered with real fox fur on the inside. She loves fur and always has. She touches the jacket once it is on as she remembers how she got it and laughs a bit to herself 'Robbing a vacation home. Found over $800,000 in cash alone. This was the first thing I bought with it.' She checks herself in the mirror in the hallway before she grabs her keys and takes the elevator downstairs.

When the valet to drives to the front of her building with her car she immedeatly gets in and tips him well. She drives around the city until she finds a place that will hit the spot; Joe's Diner. She parks the car and walks inside. As soon as she walks inside she feels like she has just missed something...she shrugs it off her shoulders and smiles at one of the waitresses going by. She has been wanting a cheeseburger all day, and Joe's (in her opinion) had some of the best in the city.

Once she orders a cheesebruger and chocolate milkshake she sits and plans in her mind what her next move it. 'Has to be somewhere small...' she taps her finger on her chin 'I can't just go on impulse this time. The bank was lucky...'

[Lizard-Wizard]

Rose had stolen a fire opal ring and a sapphire bracelet from the other jewelery store, managed to get it to her fence and sell what she had acquired that day, and returned home in time to watch the news. Counting the money laid out in front of her -a quarter of the sum, she would get the rest in increments later on to avoid suspicion,- Rose considered the feelings about the new law regarding the supers. In a way, it was good, they would have less influence, but at the same time Rose was worried this could lead to increased police surveilance.

Truth be told, she didn't care much. She wasn't a super, after all, and this increased focus on supers could actually be used to her advantage. Rose stood up and beeped in the code which would grant access to a hidden room behind a wall in her house. It wasn't really her house, at least not all of it. Rose lived on the top floor of a relatively spacious townhouse not too far from the University, the ground floor as currently vacant. It was old as well, which led there to be some confusion with the floorplans, which had ultimately allowed for this hidden room to have been built. It was where she kept most of the things she didn't want people to see. She made her way towards the safe and deposited the money, making a mental note to take it to a bank later on. Through her father's connections, Rose had managed to acquire an private bank account, which made transactions like this relatively easier.

The door closed behind her. Rose straightened her skirt, re-knotted her scarf, and grabbed her bag, having decided it was time for something to eat. It had been a long day, after all.

[Cicada]

Black Jack and Graham had collected their money from the greasy dude in the Adult Video Store like they always did, and went to the neighboring strip club to blow it off as quick as possible.

Black Jack pulled his mask aside to take a swig from his beer. Graham was smoking a cigarette. There wasn't any smoking allowed inside, but Graham had bent the fingers of the bouncer's in half enough times to be given the privilege.

"It must be neat to be able to throw a chair across the room just by looking at it. Imagine what you could get outta the strippers!" A mildly intoxicated Black Jack said. "All I got is this lousy costume."

"Yeah but you sure look pretty in it." Graham said sarcastically.

The greasy dude from the Video Store came over and sat at the table. Black Jack was focused more on his beer, Graham stared "Grease Ball" in the face.

"Got a prize for the two o' ya's."

"It's almost my bed time in a few hours." Black Jack said seriously. "Some of us got a morning shift."

Graham glanced a look at Black Jack. He found it strange when BJ said shit like that. Graham ultimately didn't know anything about him, aside from he really had a thing for gang dudes, and really really liked strippers. Graham got little snippets from things BJ would say, but he really didn't get much out of who he was when he wasn't stabbing people to death.

"This is a big one, about 8 hundred grand ridin' this."

Black Jack set down his beer and paid full attention.

"By all means, let's have a conversation." Black Jack said enthusiastically. Grease Ball put two pictures on the table.

"The bald one is a scientist. Weapons development or some shit."

"Ok? Next?"

The Grease Ball picked up a picture and held it up.

"This one's Boris Zakov, CEO of Zarko-tech. Both work at the Zarko building."

Black Jack blinked. Graham didn't say much.

"Time limit?"

"It's public. It's whoever gets to them first, gets the prize. You two aren't the only ones onto this, and you're late as it is."

Black Jack and Graham both stood. Graham grabbed the pictures, and the two walked out of the building. Grease Ball took the remainder of Black Jack's unfinished beer, and took a few sips.

[CurlyQues]

"Only the naive believe in coincidences." Shockwave's final words remained, ended as she raised her hand in farewell - turning her back to Wilson and walking to the Mustang, where Warp was anxiously waiting. He turned to her as she slid into the driver's seat, then inquired about Wilson. She looked to him and sighed. "I have the feeling we'll be seeing him again." She said quietly, shedding her alter ego as she slid the key into the ignition.

~~

The charred remains of the television remote met the wall with a very loud, noticeable "thud" - leaving behind a black smear. "This is outrageous!" Lux screeched, her hair standing straight up in the air. Mike looked at her, not very intimidated by the blonde wearing Winnie the Pooh pajamas. Sparks were rapidly shooting from her fingertips, circles of electricity running up her arms before disappearing at her elbow. Mike quickly slid to the other side of the couch.
"You need to calm down before you deep-fry me," He wasn't sure if he should actually be afraid, seeing as she hadn't ever actually hurt him, but then again... He didn't think he'd seen her this mad. Ever. Lux spun towards him on her heel, then let her expression soften a bit.
"I'm going out."
"Like that?" Mike asked skeptically. It was the middle of October and she wasn't dressed in anything but shorts and a tank top. Not to mention a lack of make-up (or eyeshadow, anyways) and the stuck-up hair. Lux glanced at herself, cursed silently, then walked into her bedroom.

Nearly two hours later she exited. Despite the way he viewed her as a sister, he had to admit, she as looking.. attractive. The thought made him queasy and he was somewhat disturbed by the way she was dressed - especially for going out.

"Where in the hell are you going?" Mike snapped, eyeing the strip of black cloth around her that hardly passed for a dress. Lux looked to him, adjusting the straps of her dress, taking a silver shawl from the hat-hanger.

"Out," She replied coolly, picking her purse up off of the end table. Mike's eye twitched. Her blonde hair had been curled meticulously, more so than usual - the bouncy locks crowding her high cheekbones. Her eyelids donned smoky silver eyeshadow, accented by a thin line of eye liner. Eyelashes were curled and coated in thick mascara. Lux's make-up was tied together by the cat-eyes and glittering pink gloss wiped over her lips.

"You can't go out like that at nine!" Mike commanded, being so bold as to step in front of the door.

Lux raised a perfectly waxed eyebrow, blinking as she stepped forward. A spark jumped from her index finger as she pressed it against his chest. The jolt stunned him long enough for her to make it out the door. He watched helplessly as her black stilettos clicked against the ground.

--

Lux pushed her hair behind her ear, resisting the urge to admire the French manicure that graced her fingers. Looking in retrospect, Lux began to second-guess herself for her choice of shoes. Definitely not the sort you want to dance in. But she wanted the extra inches. Giving in to her urge to be tall, she dismissed her shawl to remain in the passenger seat, bypassing the lengthy line and going straight to the bouncer.

The bouncer was a very tall, very well-built man - definitely the cliched sort. Lux smiled at him, and he nodded with approval - Lux frequented this place. As the blue velvet rope was opened, Lux walked in. The blonde immediately felt at home as she walked into the crowded room, directing herself towards the bar. The stilettos made it easy to sit down on the royal blue bar stool, resting her arms against the wood. The bartender greeted her, his eyes looking at her knowingly.

"Hello, love, I have just the remedy for that," Lux loved mind-readers, and was content as he set a martini-glass filled with transparent, pink liquid in front of her. Lux gave her mental thanks, telling him to place it on her tab. She spun around on her stool, legs crossed elegantly. Haven was really a lovely place. They never requested ID's, since the bouncer new full-well who he should and shouldn't let in. Lux tipped the glass, and sighed inwardly as the strawberry taste slid over her tongue and down her throat. Haven was a very modernized, night club for Supers; results were that the majority of the patrons and the Entirety of it's staff, and CEO owned intense prejudices against non-supers. Reasons why Lux often felt guilty about visiting the place. Non-supers were turned away at the door.

Warmth fluttered throughout Lux's stomach, the bartender had been right. Not to mention extremely cute. And British. Double whammy.
"Thanks, darling." Lux smiled, and resisted the urge to blush as he winked at her. She was simply happy to be in the company of people such as herself.

[Sweets]

Melissa finished her cheeseburger at Joe's Diner and went back to her car. She was already late for the gym. It wasn't like there were appointments or anything but she always made sure she went to the gym at least 5 days a week for 2 hours. She drove as fast as she could, afterall, even though the gym was open 24/7 she had to go to school tomorrow. She went to college, originally she went community college but now she was going to the university. It was her first year going but so far it was so good. She was currently just taking a bunch of different classes that had almost nothing to do with each other but she enjoyed them. Some art classes, psychology, medical classes, history, philosophy. She wasn't really in a hurry to graduate. She giggles a bit to herself as she pictures getting her master's degree as an old woman.

She arrives at the gym, a 24 hour fitness gym. She had seen the commercials and thought it would fit perfectly into her lifestyle and 'alternate' lifestyle. She goes to the lockeroom and quickly gets changed to workout. She works out for the next 2 hours and smiles at the end of it all; feeling more energized then before.

[Zeos]

"Ugh, what a day"

Wilson grabs his head, exhausted, in pain, the only thing that could possibly make his day better is if he laid down in bed immediately. Yawning, his walk home took ages, the diner he had eaten at to calm himself down was miles from home, taking a detour was likely a poor idea.

Popping another few painkillers, the previous set wearing off hours ago, Wilson thinks of any way he could get home faster, only one thought popped up. The twisting maze of alleyways, dangerous but would allow him to skip a few blocks. "I guess the alleys are the way to go then..."

Wilson began his walk, head down, telling himself to just keep moving, not bother anyone he passes, just. KEEP. MOVING. A hand, powerful, grips the hood part of his sweater, pulling him to the ground. The fall knocks the wind out of Wilson, unable to regain his composure, the man punches him in the face.

Two words are all he hears "Money now!", a switchblade flicked out, Wilson sighs "I have no money, seriously." He grabs the man's wrist and punches at his chest. A reasonable blow, but Wilson isn't the strongest, the man shrugs it off and kicks him square in the face, breaking his glasses. The attacker reaches back with the knife, and in one quick motion, stabs Wilson in the sternum, blood pouring out of the wound. The man seems to realize what he has done and steps back.

"I, what... can I do? I can't heal myself like this...." He looks at the attacker, "No... Could I?" A shivering hand reaches out towards the man, Wilson closes his eye as he pulls the knife out, the wound could potentially have him bleed out, severe damage to a few organs.

The man turns to run, but collapses to his knees, spitting up blood "What the hell did you just do to me?" The man clutches his chest, his colour fading quickly. "I can do this" Wilson mumbles to himself, feeling himself regain strength.

The process is brutal, Wilson can feel his insides fixing themselves, pain leaving his body, the man's condition worsening by the second. "I... didn't think my powers worked that way!" Wilson smiles then looks at the man, laying on the ground, not breathing. He runs his bloodied hands through his hair as the man lays there motionless.

"He's gone, I've killed him!" Wilson jumps to his feet, his stomach still sore, he grabs the knife and puts it in his pocket. "My blood is going to be all over here, I don't think I can go home, this isn't good" Wilson zips up his jacket, hiding the bloodied shirt underneath, he runs out down the alley way, catching his breath as he reaches the street. "Where can I go? There has to be some sort of safehouse or something..." He realizes that he's talking to himself, and has been for some time, smacking his head once more "Calm down calm down!"

He takes a good look around, he's heard a few whispers of a place for heroes only, but isn't completely sure. Walking back into the alley, he finds a dirty, disgusting towel, fashioning it into a cape. Wilson uses an old bandana in the trash as a veil. Raising his hood, Wilson takes on a persona that he never thought he would take. Having to hide his identity, if only briefly, scares him.

Far from home, and possibly unable to go home soon, he strolls down the street, people giving him odd looks, he stops outside of a club, one that he constantly saw people being stopped from entering. The bouncer eyed him up, almost unsure of what to make of him. "You.. uhh, really wearing that?" A man in the line just eyed him up as well.

Wilson sighs and pulls off his hood and mask, comically leaving the cape on, lifting up his shirt, he reveals his wound, healing still. "Yeah, deal with it." The bouncer laughs and unhooks the chain. Before he walks in, he notices police cruisers arriving at the mouth of the alleyway he had walked out of, Wilson puts his hood back up, zipped up his jacket and enters, sitting down and nearly passing out in the nearest chair.

[ravenhairdemon]

"Tch. I can't believe they sent me off after I worked so hard just to get there!" Faust was raging in his mind as he was walking away from the scene. "Damn. I'm so hungry now. I don't wanna waste too much cash though." he thinks and gets a cab. "Hey pal, go to-" he tells the driver who had a cold, odd and otherworldly stare through the rear-view mirror. "Faust. You've got another job. The paper envelope beside you has all the info you need." he tells the one-eyed assassin and starts driving. "Heh. Another one? Who am I to kill this time?" he says and starts reading the envelope. "WHAT?! A protection job? Are you kidding me?!" he asks with a loud tone. "No, I'm not." the driver replies. "You are to protect the CEO of Zarko-Tech, Boris Zarkov. I believe he is already aware of you being hired as we sent a messenger to him already." he tells Faust. "We're here at your house buddy. Take the envelope with you. It has a down payment already." he adds. Faust's expression looked quite peeved as he has never took on a special job involving the protection of someone. "Tch. Fine." he tells the cab driver and gets out of the car. "By the way. Nice place you got here. Though a mansion IS too big for one guy like you to live in. Anyway. Get your ass back to Zarko-Tech in 3 hours." the driver says from his car window and drives off.

"What a day. Saved some bank and wasted my time running to Zarko-Tech for nothing." he speaks in his head and takes off his trench coat. He lies down on his bed and touches his eye patch. "I've forgotten how long it's been since I lost my eye.... Tch. Doesn't matter." his train of thought leaving his mind as he gets up and goes to his refrigerator. He grabs some left over pasta sauce he made yesterday and gets a pack of pasta strings. "This shouldn't take long." he says to himself and proceeds to soften the pasta just by touching it. He puts it in a large bowl and heats the sauce with a touch as well, pouring some into the pasta right after. "Damn, this is good!" he says in his head as he starts eating before he gets to the table.

"Ah that was good. I guess I better leave early. Gotta protect this Boris guy." he says and prepares his things to go. He gets a backpack and wears his trench coat as he leaves his mansion.

[Darton]

"I don't care that you are still investigating the circumstances, I want to hear the name of at least one suspect!" Yelled Boris to the phone, threw it to the wall. It shattered into pieces. "Impotent police douchebag!" Roared the young director at the ruins of his phone.

The door opened, and the secretary stepped in.

"What now?" The CEO was furious. He was standing behind the desk of an interim CEO office in the city's one and only Zarko-Tech factory.

"I just wanted to ask if I could help with anything?"

"Get me a new phone and find everything about private investigators in this dumphole called Patriot City. I want to find a suspect, and if this shady, backstabbing bombsender moron wanted a war, then he just got himself one!" He bellowed like a madman. "I will find him or her, and if this piece of garbage gets into my hand, I will personally strangle him to the freaking hell!"

The secretary escaped before he could yell some more. Boris fell into his chair, and looked around. First in his life, he wanted to kill. He wasn't mad because of the building, nor cause the giant fall of the Zarko-Tech stocks, but this was his grief for the dead. People died there, and Boris Zarkov didn't knew why. He only knew that it has some connection to him.

The CEO pulled out his gun, and looked at it. Charlotte stepped in once again with a new mobile.

"You were fast." Sait Boris.

"Your father had the habit to smash his phones, so I always keep a spare one. And you aren't any good as I see. What the..." She noticed the gun. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I will kill that bastard... That no good murderer..."

"But please, put it away for now." She dropped the phone gently to the desk, and walked away.

Boris put down the gun next to the mobile, and walked to the door. Opened it, and yelled out to Charlotte.

"If somebody wants to talk to me, let him or her in. If it's an other assailant, I will simply shoot the moron."

And Charlotte obeyed his employer...

[Cicada]

11:50

Black Jack and Graham had made their way into the Zarko-tech building. There weren't many people around, making it easy to get inside the giant hole through the front of the building. Security was heavy, but manageable.

Only the big shots would be working at Zarko-tech right after an explosion, let alone at this time of night. Black Jack took out both of the photos he was given. Weapons Scientist guy would most likely be in one of the basement levels, according to the layout Black Jack had "found". CEO man would be more towards the top of the building.

On to the scientist.

Black Jack and Graham breezed past security, disturbingly unnoticed, and stepped into an elevator. A key card slot was next to the control panel, which Black Jack frowned at.

Picking up on queue, Graham put his hands behind his back and took hold of a guard. Before the guard could gather what was happening to him, Graham flung him towards the elevator doors. Black Jack and Graham moved aside towards the sides, as their new guest slammed into the back of the car. Black Jack liberated the unconscious guard's key card, and slid it through the reader.

They rode down towards the lowest level of the basement in Zarko-tech. When the doors opened, they faced a cold and dark hallway towards a set of open blast doors. Unsure of the "lack of security" encountered up to this point, Black Jack and Graham cautiously moved forwards, Graham's hands behind his back.

Down the corridor was a mess of doorways, homogeneously labeled and unappetizing. When the hallway ended at a set of double doors, the key card reader already accessed and activated, a man fitting the description as "Weapons Scientist guy" was sitting behind a desk focused on some papers.

"Well shit," Black Jack said. "This was fucking easy."

[CurlyQues]

"The cape is a bit much," Lux giggled, edging her stool closer to the familiar face. Her eyes slid over him, noticing the posture he possessed - very haggard, looking a bit sleepy. Her normal brilliantly blue eyes were glazed over with what was probably too much alcohol; although, if asked, she would claim the perfect amount was all she had consumed (the perfect amount being however much she wanted to ingest). One hand elegantly held the glass of pink liquid, the other cautiously grasping the desk.

"What on earth is a boy like you doing in a place like this?" Her words were gently
slurred as she leaned forward, a smile gracing her features. Despite her inebriated state, she still maintained the ability to be charming. The hand gripping the bar lifted momentarily to push tendrils of blonde hair from her eyes, her entire body wobbling as the stability was removed. Lux giggled at herself once again, eyes glittering with a very ridiculous sense of security. There were reasons Mike disliked his blonde companion when she drank. She was silly and immature as it was, but when you added a few of Haven's special martinis.. Well, things got out of hand. One night, she'd even been bold enough to walk in singing the words to "Any Way You Want It" loudly as possible.

Lux wobbled a bit more before gripping the bar again, staring intently at Wilson and his make-shift superhero apparel. Her blonde hair was messier than she allowed to be most of the time, but no sparks popped from her hands, and her hair was not frizzy due to her powers. It didn't occur to the inebriated girl once that Wilson hadn't viewed her out of costume, or that she could be releasing his identity to a possible foe.

[Ladaron]

Peyton walked out of the police station "PC finest can kiss my ass!" He said as he shuffled down the stairs walking towards the cross walk waiting on his turn, Peyton cursed his self for tossing his gun away before the cops could see it. "What's the reason anymore watching the city reject use for all we do." Peyton crossed the street as he kept pondering his thoughts. Maybe I should just be for me maybe the normals just afraid to see that we are the next step in this world, maybe I should show them.

Peyton stopped in front of a army surplus shop. He walked in grabbing a cart he grabbed a couple of pump action shotgun, a grenade launcher, 2 desert eagles. Picking up ammo and a ski mask Peyton handed towards the door before being stopped by the clerk. "Hey buddy ain't cha gonna pay for that?"[I] The clerk said.
[I]"Yea sorry long day." Peyton said as he turned around with a smirk on his face holding one his new six shooters. "Sorry you have to be the first to see just how much my faith in man has gone." Peyton pulled the trigger a wide spread orange colored beam engulfed the man. the wall where he once stood was on fire as small explosion started to go off from the mixture of the heat and the large amount of gun powder.

Peyton walked out the burning store jumping into a random car he hot wired it and loaded the guns in the trunk pulling off driving to his trailer.

[Zeos]

"Shockwave... I guess you're right, no such thing as coincidences" He throws off his cape and turns to the barman "You wouldn't happen to have anything VERY strong wold you?" The man nods and looks back, grabbing a large bottle, unusual for a club like this, he begins to mix.

"I discovered something about my powers that I really don't like" He sighs and scratches some more of his own dried blood out of his hair, the girl seems to be a little too drunk to notice how crappy he looks. The barman hands him a drink which Wilson immediately chugs back, a very stupid idea. He almost coughs it back up and lays his head down on the bar.

"I don't know how long I can keep anonymous anymore, I just left a whole person's amount of blood at a crime scene, not to mention, probably a lot of fingerprints. Even if it counts as self defence, they're going to be all over us supers. My family, this isn't good, if something happens and I'm not there."

Wilson begins to cry, surprisingly not even drunk. He turns to the girl, so much kindness. He didn't get a chance to see how she looked before, with the mask, her eyes were gorgeous, though he'd never tell. He sits and thinks "What do I do now? I... I finally have a way to use my powers to stop people, but home is out of the question." He turns to Shockwave. "How did you do it? Become a hero?"

[CurlyQues]

"Lux, dear," She corrected, wincing at the use of her alter ego. She liked to keep it under wraps, even in the presence of mind-readers and fellow supers. Better safe than sorry. Lux felt her head loll to the side, before she gently tilted it to study the moisture beneath his eyes. She wasn't used to people crying, neither her or her father had done so since her mother died - and Mike never had anything to cry about. Sitting upright, seeming to regain quite a bit of her composure, Lux cleared her throat.

"I just did. It's just a part of who I am, I believe," She explained, glancing at her feet for a moment - admiring the way her toes looked in the stilettos. "I made a costume and went out on the streets, I mean, I wasn't by myself.. then. I don't know what I'd do without Mike, you know? He's my family, really. All the tabloids say he and I - Warp and Shockwave - are lovers, but we're not. He's just. My best friend, more there for me than anybody's been. He's the reason I do this, too. We used to read comic books, all the time... And when we exchanged secrets, I thought, hey, why not? But Mike brought it up first. I bought the fabric and made the costumes.. And here we are today." Lux was aware her rambling had gone on several minutes too long, but this didn't seem to face the blonde as she adjusted her dress.

"Why can't you go home?" Her voice was gentle now, eyes looking into his to attempt to find the reason for his sadness - the glaze covering her iris and pupil had dissipated. Lux was sober now, at least a bit more than she had been prior to their speaking with one another. Her blonde hair was crowding her face again, making her look as if she was attempting to hide behind the sun. Lux awkwardly glanced to the ground, flipping her hair over her shoulder simultaneously.

"Sorry, that's a personal question. My advice is.. do what you have to," Lux paused, her expression hardening. "But you've already decided to be a hero, and you can't change that. You already started walking down the path." Lux's voice had shifted into Shockwave now; although, the sparks of electricity were absent.

[Zeos]

"Lux... Nice name, Wilson is what I usually go by." he sighs and scratches his head. "I had a little run in with the law a few years back, something that I was suspected of but no real connection to. They have my DNA, my fingerprints already, and likely just found a lot more of both just down the block."

He lifts his shirt, revealing the large gash, still healing even now, hiding it once again. Wilson orders another drink, which he also gulps down, that one burned. He laughs "Yeah, it was painfully obvious you two weren't together, if you're smart enough, platonic relationships are noticeable, I just think it's just them trying to find a big story for the tabloids."

Wilson coughs, very tipsy now, really poor idea in a club full of other supers. Scanning the crowd, he smirks at finding injuries on many of them, ranging from minor to severe. "They've been busy", he chuckles. "Sometimes, sometimes I wonder the extent of everyone's powers, what effects what, if some could make someone else stronger, or abilities they never even knew they had."

Wilson's eyes dart to his hands "I have no idea what my powers will do in every situation. Healing brain tissue, I have no idea what that would do, or if I healed someone with child, what effect would that have on the baby? Would it grow faster or what."

He sways back and forth "The world's changing, and we're going to be involved with it some way or another. What happened today, I think it's just the start. Something big is coming, I don't know what, just a hunch."

[ravenhairdemon]

Faust arrives at the Zarko-Tech building and eyes the surroundings for his target. "Hmm.... She must be it. She fits the description and picture in the documents." he says to himself and approaches the lady."Excuse me miss." he asks her. "I am here for the special assignment regarding this corporation's CEO. Please, I need to see him." he adds to whcih the lady had asked him to wait a moment.

Faust had entered the office of Zarko-tech's CEO. "Sir. I am entrusted to protect you from any more attempts in assassination. I am sure you have been informed of this." He tells the Russian CEO. "Leave your assailants to me." he adds and places his backpack in a corner of the room. Faust gets two of his Zarko-tech revolvers, five candy bars, two bags of marbles, bullets and two Bowie knives.

"Alright sir. I am obliged to divulge the following information: I am addressed as Faust and someone has hired me to protect you. I am a super." he says to the CEO "My powers can easily be described as "Transmutation"." he adds and takes a seat on one of the chairs on the opposite side of Mr. Zarkov's desk.

[Shin Majin]

(Ignore)

[CurlyQues]

Lux studied the gash for a moment, smiled, then looked back to his face. She seemed a bit perplexed at the mention of trouble with the law - Lux was offended majorly for minor crimes, ones simple as jay-walking. An eyebrow quirked upwards, and her posture immediately improved. "What sort of run-in are we referencing, here?" Her voice was low, and quiet - she knew better than to be vocal. Not that being quiet accomplished much, back to the mind-reader and super-human hearing matter. She flipped her blonde hair from her eyes for the second time, suddenly looking excessively exhausted.

"I figured my own out, I think," Lux added the last bit reluctantly. She hated admitting she wasn't completely, a hundred percent sure about who and what she was, and what it was that she did. "It's really just silly, and useless if you ask me. What does manipulating electricity accomplish?" Her lips tightened to a thin line, the perplexed expression returning full-force. Lux twiddled her thumbs in her lap.

"The world is perpetually changing. We've always been a part of it, and will continue to be. There isn't anything that can change change." Lux had confused herself, but it didn't show. She seemed to relax a bit, setting her now-empty martini glass on the bar. Lux let the mind-reading bartender know he 'ought to stick Wilson's drinks on her tab, and that a Ginger Ale would be peachy. When the transparent, bubbling liquid arrived she sipped it in a prudish manner. "Now, enough of this serious talk, it makes a girl sad," Lux waved her hands in a shooing manner, dismissing the earlier topic.

[Zeos]

"Yes yes, of course". Wilson coughs again, getting sick? Just that thought runs through his head. "So, what does a beautiful girl like yourself do when not hero'ing." The drunkenness slightly overwhelming his self control over certain phrases.

Wilson catches up with himself and laughs, the whole day's events just a blur in his head, ending it off like this isn't too bad considering all the other horrible things. "How did they get away with this place? Excluding the non supers like this, not that I'm complaining." He laughs as the bartender hands him a glass of water. "That's convenient"

Taking a sip of the water, he watches as the dried blood on his lips mixes with the drink, Wilson breathes out heavily, slugging the whole glass back. Wilson wasn't much for chit chat, even drunk, though that was more due to a lack of experience, never having many friends recently. He liked it that way, well, did, the events of today making him realize something. Not sure what, but something. Wilson just passes this off as drunken nonsense.

"I'm glad I met you, you know, you and... Warp? Eh, I like W-Man myself." Wilson grins, the dumb look on his face becoming trademark.

[CurlyQues]

"I find its best not ask questions," Lux smiled, winking in a very mock-flirtatious manner before sipping the ginger ale. "Enjoy it, while it lasts." She added the last bit and a sudden sense of morbid-despair hatched inside her stomach and clawed at her insides. Lux shrugged, attempting to dismissing the feeling - it dissipated only a small bit. Lux flipped her hair out of her eyes again, ignoring the urge to finger-comb it. "Mike, yes, we've known one another since High School," She pauses to smile and glance down. "He graduated before me, but still did all my home work. Only reason I graduated on the Principal's list." Lux turned her head to observe the mingling Supers. All of them knew better than to use their powers in the midst of the crowd. One of the only things Haven asked. She'd witnessed a fight once.

A body guard had walked in. He was actually very scrawny, and Lux swore the security shirt he was wearing almost hung off of his branch-like torso and arms. That's all it took, with that, neither of them found the ability to use their powers. Lux assumed that was the security guards power.. Making others' cease working in his presence. The two had been asked to leave and refrain from returning. They didn't. Lux studied her cuticles for a moment - perfect, similar to the rest of her. The alcohol had numbed the pulsating pain in her toes, which relieved the blonde a great deal.

Lux stared blankly at the dance floor, ignoring her urge and longing to mingle with the crowd. She hadn't ever been much of a wall-flower. She truly loved being amidst people, better yet.. being the center of it. That was what Lux excelled at, and the constant rivalry with her father's girlfriend had only intensified her addiction to the feeling. Since graduating High School, she hardly ever got the opportunity to be the center of it all, not even as Shockwave. Lux knew she should probably return home, since Mike would be angry with her as it was. A small battle began inside her, and Lux pushed guilty feelings back victoriously.

[Zeos]

Still a little tipsy, Wilson notices that Lux was looking a bit conflicted, zoning out a bit. "Well, you seem to have a lot on your mind." He turns to the bartender for another water, keeping himself hydrated will keep himself cool. Wilson grins at the thought of high school, he not even that far out of it, only a few years, noting that the girl couldn't be that much younger.

Taking another drink, Wilson thinks of his friends, proper kids, going to school to progress their education, Wilson didn't have the money for such things. It didn't bother him at all though, they were still always around, and he figured he'd go to school eventually.

He turns back to his companion, she was still out of it slightly, Wilson finally noticed what she was looking at. "Oh, would you care to dance or..." His drunkenness leading to a bit of charm, well, in Wilson's mind anyways. "Should I escort you home? We've had a long day, maybe calling it a night soon would be wise, though I hope that I can go home."

[Sweets]

Melissa walks around her condo nervously. She had heard from some connections that jewels were selling extremely high on the underground market. She had decided to rob a jewelry store. The one off of 32nd street. She flips through the channels while constantly looking out the window waiting until nightfall. She had to be smart about this one, she had to actually stick to the plan.

She was going to leave tomorrow night. She would steal a car by one of the nightclub near her condo and drive it to the jewelry store. She would park in the back and melt the lock away, if that didn't work then she would melt the door down. If there was a security alarm then she'd destroy it. Then go for the safe in the back where they kept all of the jewels until opening time and run back to the car and drive away. She would ditch the car (setting it ablaze of course) and either walk or fly home depending on how safe it all was. She already had an extra pair of clothes packed in her bag incase she had to walk.

She looks out the window again "It's not even close to tomorrow night!" She walks to the kitchen and looks around even though she knows she doesn't want anything. She goes back to the couch and throws herself on it as she lays there listening to a commercial about some new type of conditioner.

[Darton]

"Alright Mr Faust, I see you are capable of some interesting things. But I approved your arrival because I hope you can tell me more about the investigation."

Boris didn't even blinked through Faust's little exhibition. You can say: He saw that coming.

"My name is Boris Zarkov. Call me Boris. I don't like it when I feel superior to a man or woman who's job is to protect me. In case of danger, you will tell me, what to do. I can't let myself to think that you will respect my rank or wealth, and you shouldn't respect it. Let's say... We are short term friends."

He stood up slowley from his desk, and walked to his super bodyguard, and reached for a handshake.

"So just call me Boris. And you will be Faust for me. Is that ok?"

[ravenhairdemon]

"Agreed, Boris." he casually tells his boss as he shakes hands. "I have been informed that there will be an attempt to take your life again tonight. But do not worry yourself. I've got it under control." Faust informs the CEO. He approaches Boris' desk and lays his hand on it. "Nothing will be able to penetrate your desk now. It is harder than diamond. Take cover behind this when things get ugly." He tells Boris as he reloads his revolvers.

"By the way. I have to compliment you on this gun. Zarko-Tech really makes high end equipment. This never failed me back in my army days." Faust mentions as he twirls the revolver around. "Limited edition, 45 caliber with a hard oak handle. Pretty fancy if you ask me." he adds.

Faust brings out a piece of paper and carefully explains his plans. "Now Boris, to keep you safe we need to push the desk towards a wall. You hide under it, creating a barrier between you and your assailants. I will take care of them." he gives his awfully simple plan to the CEO. "Also, please tell your workers to go home just a little early but keep the security tight if you can" he adds.

[CurlyQues]

"You're welcome to borrow my couch for the night," Lux replied quietly, pushing her 1/3 full glass over to the bartender. Slinging her purse over her shoulder, the blonde quietly held out her hand to Wilson - smiling softly. It was a simple, affectionate gesture that every few received. The hand that was not extended pushed tendrils of her behind her ears - a pair of sparkling, dark blue earrings dangling from the bottom piercings in her lobes.

"If it suits your fancy, that is." She added, drifting towards the exit in the midst of the crowd. Lux was beginning to feel exhausted and nothing sounded better than falling into the depths of her high-thread count of egyptian cotton blankets. Her messy hair was long-forgotten as images of the plush pillows flooded her mind.

[Cicada]

Clark Henderson, who had somehow received access to Haven despite not being a super, was inside taking photos with a professional camera. Management didn't bother him, or seem to care about him.

While he looked nondescript and random in the subjects in his viewfinder, they were in fact more focused on a couple of supers at the bar who were starting to leave. Clark knew better than to point the camera directly at them too many times, and instead took pictures off of reflective surfaces, such as a mirror or even zoomed in on someone's sunglasses.

He'd digitally correct each of these pictures later.



* * * * *

In the underground labs of Zarko-tech, a man behind his desk whirled around to the oncoming Black Jack and Graham.

"How nice of you both to join me. I don't get many visitors down here." The scientist pressed a button on a remote he had hidden in his sleeve. "It's unfortunate that the pleasantries won't remain pleasant for very long."

"My thoughts exactly. Glad to see you're such a good sport." Black Jack said cheerfully.

Graham squinted at the scientist.

"Should only be just a few moments now, takes a moment for things to warm up." The scientist said while flashing a grin.

Graham pushed outward in his mind, to grab the man behind the desk only to feel his range slipping away and harder to push forward. A large metallic cylinder off to the side of the room, which had been unnoticed was starting to revolve quickly. Graham blinked, and tried to push again only to feel his brain going blank. Graham crumbled to the ground, eyes wide open.

Black Jack looked down towards Graham, and then angrily at the scientist who sank in his chair.

"You...aren't a super?" The scientist gulped, before a Shuriken buried itself into his left shoulder. The scientist yelped.

"You got it buddy," Black Jack said as he walked up to the desk. He bent over and brought his face close to the man's. "What'd you do to my friend over there?"

"It's uh...he's been - suppresed - his p-powers."

"What's the matter Doc? You were so calm before." Black Jack unsheathed a Sai and brought it up to the man's neck, pressing a little bit into the skin. "You don't seem so cheerful anymore. Now TURN THAT FUCKING THING OFF."

"Well, I-I'm not supposed to t-turn it off." The scientist gulped.

Black Jack walked over to the spinning cylinder, and inched his Sai close to it.

"DON'T! That could blow us up!"

Black Jack squinted towards the scientist, and without moving his gaze, slapped the cylinder with his Sai. A small spark, and the scientist tensed up, before letting out a sigh. Black Jack pulled the Sai away.

"So then how do you turn this damn thing off?"

The scientist didn't say anything.

"Is that damn thing gonna kill him?" Black Jack spat towards him.

"No. W-well...if exposed for a good amount of time it's possible...it hasn't been tested extensively and there are known pr-" The scientist screamed as Black Jack slowly pressed the Sai into the scientist's stomach.

"You aren't very helpful. Maybe the head of this place'll know more." Black Jack withdrew his Sai from the man's stomach, only to slice it across the man's throat. Black Jack stepped away from the gushing blood and started to pick up Graham.

"I gotcha. Jesus you're heavy." Black Jack put Graham onto his back, and power-walked as fast as he could over to the elevator. Black Jack swiped the security keycard, and pressed the button for the highest floor.

The elevator doors opened, and Black Jack stepped out into a lit corridor.

"ZARKO!" Black Jack screamed.

[Zeos]

Wilson quickly takes the girl's hand, soft, very soft. In his inebriated state, the gentleness is soothing, stress fading away. It had been so long since he had gone home with a girl, even if it was just to crash on her couch. "It certainly would, erm, tickle my fancy!"

An almost childish glee fills him, getting a good night of sleep would really make the next day all that better, able to relax. "Just lead the way!" He stands and walks with the girl, so trusting of him, had he been a villain, he could use this information against her, but not to worry. He laughs to himself as they begin to leave, he didn't expect to be playing 'Show me yours and I'll show you mine' with his identity, but Wilson was grateful that he finally had someone to talk about supers.

He heads out of the club with Lux, still clutching her hand as he is led along.

[Ladaron]

Slowly walking down the street unwrapping a pack of gum Peyton paused in front of the bar called Haven a local hangout for supers, he looked from side to side before heading in. Slowly making his way to the bar "Water please?" He asked the bartender as he turned around scanning the room. Peyton grabbed the glass as he kept looking around sipping from his glass, he looked in the corner of the room spotting the man he saw at the Zarko-tech explosion along with a interesting looking woman.

He walked up to the two at the table "I hate to be blunt both didn't I see you both at the explosion down town? If I'm right you were doubled over in a pool of your own blood." Looking at the two as he set his glass down at their table he looked both over carefully not seeing any weapons he thought "I can take them both If things get hostile." Peyton thought to his self as he waited for a answer.

[ravenhairdemon]

"Hmph. They're here." he says as he turns his head to the direction of the sound. "Quick! Hide behind your desk and pull it towards the wall." he instructs Boris and gets his equipment.

Faust gets a bad of marbles and, with a touch, it glows with a gentle light. He opens the door and scatters them all over the floor. He looks around and finds a security camera which he attaches some candy bars too with some tape.

"Don't worry Boris. The only way they're gonna get past this is with a hole in their gut."

[CurlyQues]

"This is it," Lux exclaimed quietly, pushing the door open as she pulled Wilson in behind her. Her blonde hair fell rebelliously in her face, masking her blue eyes. She continued to pull Wilson into the house, eyes darting around to see whether or not Mike was asleep - the way things appeared, he definitely was. The lights were all off, until her fingers found the switch to a desk lamp sitting beside the sofa. "Home sweet home."

Lux meant that. It was home, with Mike there. Albeit, an expensive apartment, but Lux thought every penny was worth it - but it wouldn't be if she didn't have Mike's companionship. "Do you like it?" Lux's question was a tease, and she turned her head to study Wilson as he examined the room surrounding the couple. That made Lux's smile widen a bit, a couple. She hadn't had a boyfriend since Junior year in high school. Butterflies fluttered about in her stomach, and that made Lux smile even more.

[Zeos]

Giving the room a look over, Wilson lit up immediately. This place was one of the nicest he had been in for ages. "Gorgeous!" Sneakily ambiguous, whether his comment was about the apartment or the girl, he would never let on. Touring the building in his mind, it reminded him of a lounge, a place to sit back, listen to smooth jazz music, and drink with a friend, or companion. Wilson immediately got nervous "I would never be able to afford something like this, though with the combined income of you two, I wouldn't suppose it would be impossible."

Laughing "What kind of guest am I? Shouldn't ask too many questions!" Wilson turned to Lux, a wide grin appears, noticing that her face was lit up, red cheeks, his own face brightens as well. Wilson begins to stutter "I.. uh, where is Mike, you'd think he'd appear immediately, you did make it kinda clear that he would do so." Ugh, thinking to himself, trying not to kill the mood is hard. The girl was beautiful, and it had been so long... no FOCUS.

[CurlyQues]

Lux smiled and shrugged nonchalantly, completely disregarding the fact that Mike was probably still mad - and his anger would only be fueled by her bringing somebody home. Once again, it was one of those things that often made people confuse them for a couple. In actuality, the only reason (well, there's more than one, but bare with me) Mike would be angry with her for bringing unwanted company over was that 1) They had identities to protect, and revealing their home to anyone without having to was, well, stupid and 2) the last time Mike brought a girl home, Lux disapproved and sent her packing. Eventually, the two had come to an agreement that no romantic interests would be brought back to the apartment. Lux had broken this rule by bringing Wilson over, yet she did not acknowledge it and hardly even thought of the repercussions. As of the moment, Mike was still hiding and not crashing Lux's miniscule party.

"Oh, it's nothing about the combined income, sweety," Lux's girlish giggling filled the room once again, her eyes lighting up and laugh-lines forming over her face. At most times, she was concerned this would cause premature wrinkling, but not then. "My daddy is rich, neither of us work." She sighed on the last part, seeming rather content with her life.

[Zeos]

"I wouldn't be surprised if he was angry, though, to hell with it." He laughs, getting someone all riled up was apparently one of his specialties, it happened so often that he figured it may as well be a secondary power. Coughing, Wilson figured he had not completely healed yet, just need a bit more time until he should try anything like today again. He looks over at Lux, listening to her story of how she didn't pay for the apartment. "Makes sense actually, you're contributing to society, saving people daily, so I can't really joke about you riding off of daddy's money." A joke which he wasn't sure he should have said, however Wilson was exhausted and not really thinking straight.

Running a hand through his hair, Wilson realizes that he is disgusting, covered in a load of blood, dirt and debris. "This is going to sound odd, but, may I use your shower, I'm kinda covered in... me!" He takes off his jacket "And possibly laundry too, I can't walk around like this." Another big grin on his face "If that is alright with you, I hope I'm not completely bothersome."