Fandom A Midnight Dance with Death(IC)

[MidwayLives]

It'd taken time to acquire you. All of you. But no matter how long each particular encounter lasted, the end result was the same. You went under and woke up here. The last few things you can remember before it all went black was a cloaked figure watching you from a distance. Then steadily drawing closer and closer. You may have asked them what they wanted. They wouldn't have answered. You might have even tried to defend yourself. It didn't matter. Whoever they were, it'd seem as though whatever you did didn't even come close to fazing them. You were taken down with relative ease-or so at least it seemed that way given how little effort your assailant seemed to be putting in. Hoisting their rifle over their shoulder, they walked over to your downed form as the sedative began to take it's toll upon you. The whole time you'd fought they hadn't said a word. For a curious second you might have even wondered if they could talk.

Their face was hidden by a strange gas-mask like contraption. Reaching their free hand up to adjust a nozzle on the side, steam hissed out.

Then they spoke to you.

"Not fast enough."

Before you could even begin deducing whatever the hell that meant, they raised their boot and smashed you in the head.

Your head hit the ground.

"Fast enough." Were the last words you heard before it all went black.

When you awoke it looked as though you'd been dragged to a prison and not a good one either(Were there any 'good' reasons to be in prison?) With cuffs around your wrists that seemed to suppress whatever inherent abilities you may have had(with the exception of those who's powers are artificial/spiritual in nature such as Daria/Tooru) and a tight metal collar around your neck. You can see through the steel bars infront of you that there are others who've also been unfortunate enough to get caught up in this situation. You haven't been addressed or informed of anything by...well, anyone since you ended up here. The halls as far as you know have been empty. Though every now and again, you might feel as though you're being watched. Those with a quick enough eye might be able to see shadowy humanoid like figures crawling along the walls with what appeared to be sensors/lenses like ones you'd see on a camera in lieu of regular eyes and scars running down the side of their temples, the rest of their body rail-thin and covered in a white and grey armor. They say nothing even if you see them. They only look and leave.

What has happened to you?

~~~~



"..."

Hei wasn't one to boast. It really wasn't his sort of thing. But he was comfortable enough with his abilities that the fact that he'd ended up...Wherever this place was felt odd to him. The encounter with the one who'd attacked him had felt strange from the word go. The person hadn't even bothered trying to make their presence hidden from him. Having spotted Hei atop a rooftop, they started to approach and drew a rifle from over their shoulder. Hei hadn't any idea who this stranger was or what they wanted but slipping his knife out from his right sleeve, he flicked it towards them. Instead of trying to deflect the knife with their rifle or even dodging it, they instead held the rifle with their left hand and grabbed the knife with their free hand.

Hei scoffed.

"Die."

The familiar blue glow indicating Hei was activating his power began to shine around him. The current traveled through the wire attached to the knife. The voltage would have been enough to kill this masked nuisance and Hei could begin the process of figuring out who sent them/what for by searching the corpse. Worked better than trying to get information out of a resistant living target. But right before the shock hit the target, Hei was sure they'd said something but he couldn't make it out, muffled by their mask as it was.

*BZZT*

They convulsed but didn't drop. The rifle hadn't fallen from their grasp either. Smoke hissed off their body showing that the attack hadn't been stopped or negated in any way that Hei could see. Had they somehow managed to die on their feet? Admirable if utterly pointless. If this had been some kind of assassination attempt, Hei almost couldn't believe how amateur it'd been. Gripping onto the wire, he go to retract his knife-



.... "Hm."

Had he pulled the knife back that fast? He didn't even remember going to pull it back. Giving the lightest shrug of his shoulders, Hei looked over to where the body was. Or where it had been. There wasn't any sign of the stranger. Corpse or anything of the sort. Where could it have gone to? Had he actually had an ability that countered Hei's and was just faking it? But then how was it he'd been able to slip past Hei without him so much as even noticing?

*step*

Hei heard something behind him and turned and curving the wire, the knife swung through the air on a downward arc towards it's target. The stranger had somehow crossed over to the rooftop that Hei was standing upon(and that had been parallel to the one the Stranger had been residing on)and raised his rifle and was about to pull the trigger-

*BANG*

The knife tore through the upper right shoulder of the stranger's cloak and seemed to have dug itself in. The shot had been ruined in the aftermath of Hei landing that hit and instead flown past Hei's left side. Hei didn't know what had happened last time or what this stranger's deal was but he wasn't going to take another chance. He was making sure they stayed down this time. Ripping the knife free, Hei moved in and went to bat the rifle aside and move in to place his palm over their mask. Just like he had before the knife landed the first time around, Hei was sure he'd heard them say something but it was just too hard to understand with this mask on. He landed his attack and the blue glow returned to shine as brightly as ever. "This time stay dead."

*BZZT*

Their body shook and their rifle collapsed to the floor. Trails of smoke billowed off their person. Whoever they were they'd managed to surprise Hei twice. Once with their utter incompetency from the looks of things and twice with their strange ability to somehow get up after taking one of his shocks point blank. Whatever the case may have been, it was over now. As Hei went to pull back his hand, he felt a tight grip overtake his forearm. Looking up, he saw the person's head twitch to the left and then to the right. Hei may have just written it off as post-mortem spasms initially but dead people didn't have a grip like this. It...It was going to break his arm! Twirling the knife, he sought to plunge it into the attacker's chest. The attacker reached for something on their belt and thrust it towards Hei.

*SPLURCH*

The knife hit flesh, Hei was sure of it. Just as he was sure that his attacker had also managed to stick him with...something. Taking a step or two back and pulling whatever it was out of his neck, Hei gave it a closer look. He didn't recognize the chemical name but it was a sedative. This person hadn't come here to kill him. They wanted him alive and docile. Reaching down to rip the knife free and flinging it to the ground, Hei's opponent stepped forward with what looked like some kind of thick black sludge-like substance oozing out of the gash in their chest left from Hei's wound. Reaching a hand up and holding it towards Hei, the hitman heard the person's voice clearly for the first time.

"Pause."

Hei felt his entire body freeze. He couldn't move a muscle. He was frozen in place staring ahead. Watching as this masked entity walked over to pick up their rifle and looked down at Hei. "Not fast enough." Whether they were talking about the sedative's effect on Hei taking it's time or Hei's own speed, one couldn't be sure.

*THWACK*

Hei was out like a light. The punch having been hard enough crack the roof tile as Hei crashed against it.

Cut to now and his cuffs had been extended to enclose his hands. If he'd even tried generating/activating his ability, the thing around his neck started beeping. Hei had a pretty good idea of what would happen if he didn't stop while he was ahead. The glow faded and Hei slumped against the wall, his expression unreadable behind his mask. His eyes scanned over the others who'd presumably been caught and imprisoned here....

~~~



One issue after another it seemed like.

She'd been liberated by All For One of all people. But beggars couldn't be choosers. Least not when escaping from a place as secure as Tartarus. The fact that they'd gotten away at all was a feat of extraordinary proportions. Something she could have only expected from a devil like him. This new-found freedom wouldn't last long however. Soon, she'd be confronted by the same masked stranger that seemed to have been given the task of apprehending everyone here. Getting followed by villains who held a grudge/agenda against her for one reason or another. But this one was different. They didn't make the slightest attempt at trying to get her by surprise. They'd just....followed her from the shadows. Stealthy enough to avoid being detected by the locals but still present enough to be clear as day to her.

When they wouldn't respond to her queries/demands that they explain their intentions, she stood her ground. Leading them to a secluded part of town where there would be minimal if any risk of civilians getting involved, she stepped a few feet away from them.

She ordered them to stop and they wouldn't.

Shifting her arm into it's rifle form, she fired a shot that seemed to tear right through their right side, cloak-armor-flesh and all. But they didn't fall to the ground or even falter slightly. A foul smelling substance dripped out of the wound her quirk had left. Then it was gone as though it'd never happened. The only reminder that it had was the tear in their outfit revealing just how cold and pallid looking their skin looked behind it.

"Stop."

She raised her rifle.

"Or the next shot will take you down."

They made some kind of wheezing hacking noise. It almost sounded like...laughter?

Instead of running or surrendering, they instead raised their rifle and pulled back the trigger.

*BANG*

The shot Nagant fired destroyed the vial the sedative was in mid-flight and continued to soar. Until it crashed right through the front of the stranger's mask, splitting it in twain and causing them to fly back. "That wasn't a bullet they were shooting at me..." Nagant noted as she saw the yellow liquid splatter across the ground along with shards of glass. Just...who was this guy-

*shunk*

She felt what may as well have just been a sharp pinch. Glancing down she noticed the needle from the sedative poking deep into her neck. It'd been thrown with such accuracy that it'd narrowly avoided puncturing her carotid artery. Just achieving this angle alone and not even through a firearm, it was so close to her that she could practically read the name off the chemicals involved in this chemical cocktail. Glancing over towards the man she'd shot, she saw them leaning upwards, the halves of their mask laying on the concrete and strands of messy black hair hiding their face. But even with that Nagant could still make out the clouded over eyes and the same tar-like liquid seeping out of the bullet wound on their forehead. The rifle's clip was pulled out and the capsule for the sedative just...thrown by hand.

Perhaps it was just due to Hei's nature as a Contractor but the drug acted far more quickly on Nagant than it did on Hei. She didn't know of any quirk that let you survive a full on round to the dome. Nor one that turned your blood into...that. The last sight she saw before she collapsed and passed out was her attacker slinging their rifle back and picking up the two halves of their mask. When they spoke they still sounded muffled despite the lack of a mask.

"...fast enough."

~~~

While Hei and Nagant and the others here being captured certainly were a challenge, Guzma...

Well, what was there to say about Guzma...?

Through whatever process there was that slotted out who to send this 'Stranger' after, a mixup had occurred. The man they were actually looking for-a man by the name of Cyrus. Simply couldn't be found and so the wrong coordinates had been given. Upon arriving in Alola and trying to look for their target, they came across Team Skull's leader who just so happened to be going for a walk. Wasn't like that was a crime was it and even if it was, who was gonna step up to the leader of Team Skull, huh????

"Y'all idiots...All of y'all...." Guzma muttered under his breath as he walked down the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets. Looking up as he walked, he noticed the cloaked figure who'd appeared before all of you standing across from him.

"Hey! You want an autograph, all you gotta do is ask, pal!"

The figure said nothing.



"Uh, hello?? You deaf there, holmes?? You not hearin me or somethin??"

The figure continued to stay quiet and instead walked towards Guzma.

This guy was weirding him out in a major way. If it was even a dude behind all that...armor was that armor?? Who the hell walked around wearing body armor??? "You got a problem or something with me, dude? You wanna settle it? You don't even know what kind of pain you're bringing on yourself! The name's G-U-Z-M-A! GUZMA! YA HEARD OF ME HAVEN'T YA??"

Whether the figure did or not, they didn't say.



O-K, this guy was clearly not getting the hint.

The second Guzma opened his jacket to reach for a pokeball, the pulled out their rifle. Guzma's hands quickly flew up into the air leaving the Pokeball where it was. "Whoa, WHOA!! Dude, what the heck man???" Was...Was that a gun?? Why did he-she-they whatever have that?? WHAT DID THEY EVEN DID IT FOR?! WERE THEY POLICE OR SOMETHING?? "Look, I'll battle you! I'm good and willing! Just y'know put the...gun(Guzma seriously couldn't believe he was being held up at gun point. The people around him who ran off in terror couldn't believe it either.) But the figure hadn't come here to battle. They came here to take what they believed to be their target. Ignoring Guzma's pleas no matter how desperate they got, they took aim and fired. One sedative right in the neck.

"Not...ya boy....Guzma...."

*THUD*

The figure ignored the civillans yelling for them to stop. Making their way over to Guzma's downed form, they scooped him up over their shoulder.

....Something about this didn't feel right. It'd be almost too easy.



Oh well. It wasn't their place to question. Only to follow orders.

Which left all three of our current prisoners locked up with everyone else, each in their own cells.

Guzma was still a bit peeved about the whole thing.



"ANYBODY GONNA EXPLAIN WHAT'S GOING ON??? NO??? HELLO???"

He remembered some psycho showing up, shooting him with an ACTUAL GUN, and then he woke up here. With this not cool at all collar around his neck and his Pokeballs stored behind some kind of miniature force field in his cell.​

 

[Sleek]

Alpha

Alpha didn't quite remember how she got here. In the few glimpses of consciousness she had to herself, the Boss Monster would mostly still be attempting to reconcile her battered body and new locale with her former situation. The few flashes of clarity she gleaned from the moment would be mostly grim. There was a stranger, a man with a gas mask. More memories would flood Alpha's mind. She'd begin to remember his form, and what it meant. Now, Alpha was by no means stupid. Her circumstances had broke her of any lack of awareness years ago. While his gear and his motives were unknown, the manner with which he'd attack her were very familiar.

The fight lasted a while, or at least, long enough to leave Alpha battered and bloody. She used every inch of her being to resist the man, drawing from all forms of magic she was able. Fireballs, iridescent sabers, lightning strikes, even her own revolver couldn't stop the man. As she finally remembered the sedative, the needle being shoved into her neck as she was defeated, shame and anger flooded her in equal measure. The lives lost, the people she'd killed, everything for freedom. Everything she had done felt like it was done for nothing.

After the initial shock, and the first few waves of shock, shame, and anger, had left her, Alpha would finally pay attention to her surroundings. The cell felt like it was nothing more than a tiny box meant to suffocate her. Every inch was so foreign yet so familiar to her. Each second spent there drudged up long-repressed memories and feelings, from her own past. Another few minutes would pass, then Alpha would struggle to her feet, and tug at her collar. The collar, at least, was new, though no less degrading.

As she paced around her cell, what she did know slowly filled out a list in her mind. What she knew was as follows: Someone wanted her or needed her for something, something big. That much was very obvious, seeing as how there were people locked up in cells, often with varying levels of restraints. Alpha's own seemed to just be her collar, but any attempts to try to summon magic (her gun and knife were missing) caused it to beep. The caprine woman had no intentions of figuring out what it did, but it also meant that for the moment, everyone was kept from using any innate powers. The last thing she knew was that whoever or whatever had found and brought them here, had many resources at their disposal. Having someone with the ability to track down and ostensibly bring everyone here meant that there were some big bucks at play.

All of this, was only added to the headache she felt from listening to some guy scream. Alpha was not one for words in these situations (the loud ones were forcefully silenced), but she felt compelled to break one of her own rules to shout back at the man screaming.

"Shut up! Yelling gets you nothing!"

MidwayLives ​

 

[jump.]

NUMBER FIVE

mood

pissed off, cautious, really feckin done

outfit

here

location

chillin' in his cell

tags

MidwayLives Sleek

Five was well aware that he was most likely walking into a trap. He wasn't stupid, the opposite, in fact. He was smart, often too smart for his own damn good. He knew this was a risk, but it was one he was willing to take. After all, this asshole had been stalking him and his family for little over two weeks. He didn't know who they were. His first suspicion had been the Commission, but their agents didn't dress like that. Not to mention, this guy knew to back off whenever his family was around. Which, most likely, meant they were after him specifically. It made sense in a way, he had a lot of enemies. The ratio of people who disliked him vastly outweighed those who did like him, and well, he wouldn't put it past an old enemy to try and get hold of him.

He'd been on guard the entire time. Standing out in the open, where he knew they were watching him, waiting. Waiting for them to say something, tell him why they were here, or what they wanted from him. Waiting for them to make a move, to lunge and attack.

He saw nothing. Heard nothing. Nothing was happening.

"What? Gonna chicken out now you have me alone?" They weren't afraid of him. He knew that much. They'd been watching in plain sight. Where they knew he could see him. His family thought he was just being paranoid, but Five knew what he saw. He knew they were being followed and observed. And now, he was here to take care of the threat. "Scared of me, asshole?" His taunts met silence and he found himself clenching his fists and jaw in simultaneous frustration. Christ, did this idiot not know how hard it was to make an excuse so he could show up here?

For fucks sake-

"It's about time." A flash of blue light and he was out of his assailants path, weaving and dodging their attacks, slipping the knife -one of Diego's, he'd borrowed it- from the waistband of his shorts. He wasn't stupid enough to come unarmed. Sure, he could take down an army with just his fists, but whoever this was, had been studying him. He didn't wanna risk it. He blinked behind the attacker and plunged the knife into their shoulder, listening for a scream or a grunt or anything from this asshole. Nothing. They just pulled the knife out and lunged at him with a weapon of their own. Five was gone within the blink of an eye.

Did this guy not feel pain? He had a high pain tolerance, but even he would have been staggered by a goddamn knife to the shoulder, who was this guy?

Hissing, he blinked again, eyes narrowed and lips pulled back into a feral snarl. Only to be met by a kick to his already tender ribs. And shit. That had hurt.

He hesitated, wrapping an arm around his chest, sucking in the pain before launching at them again, only for them to dodge out of his path. So, he tried again. And again. And again. Each time he managed to land a blow, they shook it off like nothing. Every other time they just dodged him. The blue energy of his powers fizzled out. He'd tired himself out. Used up all his energy. How could he have been so stupid-

Ironically, it was a goddamn sedative dart that took him down.

And it worked fast. He could feel his consciousness slipping within seconds. He collapsed to the ground like lead, eyes blown wide with panic. This couldn't be the Commission. They'd never been this good. Whoever this was, they were an equal to him. If not better. They knew what they were doing. They knew how he fought. They'd caught him for Christs sake.

Five said nothing. He stared up in defiance as they stalked towards him, his mouth pulled into a feral snarl, teeth bared and ready to bite if they drew to close. They said nothing back. His eyelids grew heavy, limbs sluggish. It was hard to even keep his head raised. He hated sedatives.

At least it was him. His family was safe back at the motel. They wouldn't even realize he was gone yet.

He let darkness claim him.

---

He woke in a cell. Tacky, but fair enough. Whoever this was wanted him for some reason, it made sense that they'd go to extra lengths to keep him contained. Which, in itself explained that cuffs, that judging by the fact he wasn't buzzing with energy after being sedated, likely meant they were supressing his powers. His theory was proven correct when attempting to summon them did nothing more than make the collar around his neck beep. He frowned to himself, staring down at his bound wrists with dazed eyes, but said nothing. The collar was new. He wouldn't have put it past someone like the Handler to collar him honestly, but she was dead and this obviously wasn't the Commissions doing. So what was up with that was beyond him. Was it some attempt to degrade? Humiliate him? It wouldn't work. They could do whatever the heck they wanted to him. He wouldn't break.

There were others, too. Five payed them no attention, after all, if they were all locked up as well, they were likely in the same boat as him. He wouldn't be able to get any information out of them, so there was no point in interrogating them. Instead, he shifted his attention to the cell, lucidity slowing returning as his narrowed eyes scanned his surroundings, lips pressed together in a thin line.

There didn't seem to be any way out. No doors, no windows. Just bars stretched out in front of him and everyone else, keeping them all caged up like animals. Whoever was behind this, knew what they were doing. And it was that that made him feel afraid. If they could get to him, what about the rest of his family? What about Vanya? And Allison and Klaus and Luther and Diego? They weren't safe. And he'd been stupid enough to let himself get caught, instead of remaining and protecting them.

Panic briefly passed across his face.

"Shit..."

He was in quite the predicament now, wasn't he? With nothing left to analyse, he turned his focus to the others, scanning the ones who were also awake with a suspicious gaze. Naturally, the ones who had decided to yell quickly drew his attention. "Neither does yelling back." He spoke dryly, staring towards Alpha with a look of disinterest, raising his cuffed hands up to rub at his throbbing temples. It felt like he had a damn hangover. Falling silent, he let his eyelids slip shut, sucking in air through his teeth, hands curling into fists. "I doubt anyone knows what's going on, idiot." The words were directed towards Guzma, and he cracked his eyes open to glare towards pissed off man. "But giving everyone a damn headache isn't going to help anyone. So please, shut up for a second, will you?"

He needed to think, for Christ's sake.

"Some of us are trying to use our brains."

coded by reveriee.

Spoiler: mobile friendly version.

Five was well aware that he was most likely walking into a trap. He wasn't stupid, the opposite, in fact. He was smart, often too smart for his own damn good. He knew this was a risk, but it was one he was willing to take. After all, this asshole had been stalking him and his family for little over two weeks. He didn't know who they were. His first suspicion had been the Commission, but their agents didn't dress like that. Not to mention, this guy knew to back off whenever his family was around. Which, most likely, meant they were after him specifically. It made sense in a way, he had a lot of enemies. The ratio of people who disliked him vastly outweighed those who did like him, and well, he wouldn't put it past an old enemy to try and get hold of him.

He'd been on guard the entire time. Standing out in the open, where he knew they were watching him, waiting. Waiting for them to say something, tell him why they were here, or what they wanted from him. Waiting for them to make a move, to lunge and attack.

He saw nothing. Heard nothing. Nothing was happening.

"What? Gonna chicken out now you have me alone?" They weren't afraid of him. He knew that much. They'd been watching in plain sight. Where they knew he could see him. His family thought he was just being paranoid, but Five knew what he saw. He knew they were being followed and observed. And now, he was here to take care of the threat. "Scared of me, asshole?" His taunts met silence and he found himself clenching his fists and jaw in simultaneous frustration. Christ, did this idiot not know how hard it was to make an excuse so he could show up here?

For fucks sake-

"It's about time." A flash of blue light and he was out of his assailants path, weaving and dodging their attacks, slipping the knife -one of Diego's, he'd borrowed it- from the waistband of his shorts. He wasn't stupid enough to come unarmed. Sure, he could take down an army with just his fists, but whoever this was, had been studying him. He didn't wanna risk it. He blinked behind the attacker and plunged the knife into their shoulder, listening for a scream or a grunt or anything from this asshole. Nothing. They just pulled the knife out and lunged at him with a weapon of their own. Five was gone within the blink of an eye.

Did this guy not feel pain? He had a high pain tolerance, but even he would have been staggered by a goddamn knife to the shoulder, who was this guy?

Hissing, he blinked again, eyes narrowed and lips pulled back into a feral snarl. Only to be met by a kick to his already tender ribs. And shit. That had hurt.

He hesitated, wrapping an arm around his chest, sucking in the pain before launching at them again, only for them to dodge out of his path. So, he tried again. And again. And again. Each time he managed to land a blow, they shook it off like nothing. Every other time they just dodged him. The blue energy of his powers fizzled out. He'd tired himself out. Used up all his energy. How could he have been so stupid-

Ironically, it was a goddamn sedative dart that took him down.

And it worked fast. He could feel his consciousness slipping within seconds. He collapsed to the ground like lead, eyes blown wide with panic. This couldn't be the Commission. They'd never been this good. Whoever this was, they were an equal to him. If not better. They knew what they were doing. They knew how he fought. They'd caught him for Christs sake.

Five said nothing. He stared up in defiance as they stalked towards him, his mouth pulled into a feral snarl, teeth bared and ready to bite if they drew to close. They said nothing back. His eyelids grew heavy, limbs sluggish. It was hard to even keep his head raised. He hated sedatives.

At least it was him. His family was safe back at the motel. They wouldn't even realize he was gone yet.

He let darkness claim him.

---

He woke in a cell. Tacky, but fair enough. Whoever this was wanted him for some reason, it made sense that they'd go to extra lengths to keep him contained. Which, in itself explained that cuffs, that judging by the fact he wasn't buzzing with energy after being sedated, likely meant they were supressing his powers. His theory was proven correct when attempting to summon them did nothing more than make the collar around his neck beep. He frowned to himself, staring down at his bound wrists with dazed eyes, but said nothing. The collar was new. He wouldn't have put it past someone like the Handler to collar him honestly, but she was dead and this obviously wasn't the Commissions doing. So what was up with that was beyond him. Was it some attempt to degrade? Humiliate him? It wouldn't work. They could do whatever the heck they wanted to him. He wouldn't break.

There were others, too. Five payed them no attention, after all, if they were all locked up as well, they were likely in the same boat as him. He wouldn't be able to get any information out of them, so there was no point in interrogating them. Instead, he shifted his attention to the cell, lucidity slowing returning as his narrowed eyes scanned his surroundings, lips pressed together in a thin line.

There didn't seem to be any way out. No doors, no windows. Just bars stretched out in front of him and everyone else, keeping them all caged up like animals. Whoever was behind this, knew what they were doing. And it was that that made him feel afraid. If they could get to him, what about the rest of his family? What about Vanya? And Allison and Klaus and Luther and Diego? They weren't safe. And he'd been stupid enough to let himself get caught, instead of remaining and protecting them.

Panic briefly passed across his face.

"Shit..."

He was in quite the predicament now, wasn't he? With nothing left to analyse, he turned his focus to the others, scanning the ones who were also awake with a suspicious gaze. Naturally, the ones who had decided to yell quickly drew his attention. "Neither does yelling back." He spoke dryly, staring towards Alpha with a look of disinterest, raising his cuffed hands up to rub at his throbbing temples. It felt like he had a damn hangover. Falling silent, he let his eyelids slip shut, sucking in air through his teeth, hands curling into fists. "I doubt anyone knows what's going on, idiot." The words were directed towards Guzma, and he cracked his eyes open to glare towards pissed off man. "But giving everyone a damn headache isn't going to help anyone. So please, shut up for a second, will you?"

He needed to think, for Christ's sake.

"Some of us are trying to use our brains."

 

[DapperCharmer2.0]

Richard awoke to the yelling, gaining full awareness just as the young boy implied his own intellect; doing so in a passive aggressive way that Richard could respect. He looked around, taking in every slight detail of the room around him. He spotted cells with prisoners. Some were awake, others still in a forced slumber. Richard did not know who these people were, but he knew that Danielle was not among them. A deep hatred began to burn for whoever had brought him here; the one who took her. But Richard stayed, outwardly, calm. Acting out, as the boy implied, would get them nowhere. Richard allowed himself to calm at the thought that his assistant was alive. If his captor had wanted her dead, they would have done so during the encounter. It was much more likely that they were keeping her alive, perhaps as a tool to control him.

Staying silent, Richard thought back to the encounter. He'd know for some time that he and Danielle had been followed by some figure; waiting for them to eventually make their move. When they did, the two had tried their best to hold out; but neither of them were suited to combat. Both were more trained in surprise encounters and torture. Richard lost no pride however, a better man had won; at least in terms of brawn. Had it been a battle of intellect, Richard would have no doubt won. But, alas, it had not been. So now Richard sat in this prison.

"The boy is right," Richard finally spoke up, his voice calm and at an appropriate level of volume. "Whomever has brought us to this place no doubt want us alive, at least for now. Assuming that each of us encounter the same individual, then they would have killed us during each of our encounters; should that have been their goal. As it was not their goal, them it is more than likely that we shall meet them again. And no amount of shouting will make that meeting happen any sooner."

Richard took a brief pause, "besides, there needn't be need to shout. If this captor went to the trouble I assume they went to to capture all of us, it is entirely possible they have this room monitored; an extra precaution to keep us here. Though that is an assumption I make purely, as they say, out of thin air."

Richards tone then changed. It still stayed calm and at medium volume, but there was a hint of....aggression to his words. "If they are watching, however, I hope they hear me now. Because if they do not give my research assistant back to me now, and let us both leave, then I will find them and I will skin them alive. I will shred each an every fibre of they empitermous of of their body and continued taking them apart until they are barely on the cusp of life. And I will keep them in that state of almost death, just enough to feel the torturous pain i will put them through, for eternity."

Richard then looked to the ones that were awake, a hint of madness in his eyes. "The same will happen to any of you, should you become an obstacle that prevents me from my reunion with Danielle."

jump. Sleek MidwayLives

 

[BuggaBoo]

MILEENA​

---

A low gutteral sound reverberated from her throat, yellow eyes narrowed as she slowly turned around.

9 days she had spent setting up the ambush. 9 days of deals, trades and worst of all sucking up to the revanant master. And after all that what did she get out of it? Her quarry had been alerted to her position and fled without so much as a sniff of where they went. Mileena lowered her chin, eyes flashing demonic intent as she spied the cloaked saboteur. Oh, how she hoped it was a blooded Dragonmark. Its murder would be slow and painful.

The rifle sounded out but the projectile never found home. In a flash of indigo energy, she disappeared then, in another flash she reappeared right above it, sais drawn, glinting bright and thirsting for blood. Down came both sharpened tips, but this assailant was faster than she realized. The rifle's stock came up in a swift arc and deflected her attacks. But as she descended, both legs gave a powerful kick which landed squarely in its chest. The assailants head snapped forward and it rolled away with the impact. What looked like its cloak began to shred apart and instantly the tendrils of 'cloth' turned into billowing smoke.

A lone eyebrow raised over a gleaming eye. Both sais twirled in her hands as she lowered herself waiting for the rifle to fire once mor-- a sudden, predatory leap to the left and indigo flashed out once again. No, she decided not to wait. To the right of the billowing cloud she blinked back into existence and slashed right through the smoke of her assailant. The report of the rifle sounded out once more as she landed out the other side, eyes narrowed yet with a hint of satisfaction glinting therein.

It had missed. But Mileena had not.

From one of her sais dripped the ichor of whatever flowed through this creature's veins. She did not even need to taste it to know the truth. It was not a Dragonmarked; the stench alone spoke volumes. Oh, but it was powerful and it was not from Outworld. But from where-- or from when...? She needed to regroup and confer with Shang Tsung to see if he knew who this new player was intruding in their territory. A flash of indigo and she was gone from further transgressions here.

"Not fast enough..." wheezed out the voice from behind the damning gasmask.

What?! How could it have gotten to her here?! This was a secret loc--

The needle of the tranquilizer hit her neck and within two heartbeats she was down. She had underestimated the encounter with this 'saboteur.' It was not here to down her plans. It was here to down her.

The boot came stomping down and the blanket of darkness smothered her.

---

Yellow eyes snapped open, and instantly both vertical pupils dilated like a cats, allowing her to see better in this setting. Memories of the encounter replayed through her head, and yet, she just sat there, chin lowered to her chest, listening to the yelling and banter echoing throughout the chamber. Both hands lay limp in her lap as she tried to attune herself to this place. Oh, she knew exactly what was happening since she was not dead. 'You are more useful to me alive...' was a phrase she had heard all to often. But the words spoken to her by the sorcerer, and later her father, were consoling words. Although she would never admit it out loud, such words were comforting to her. That was because she was loyal to serve and die for them by choice. But this situation...?

Mileena would not even bother to attempt to teleport out from here; she knew it would only end in humiliation. Instead the assassin stretched her neck to the left and right all the while getting a good look at those who spoke up yet more importantly those who chose not to speak. In a single liquid motion, she was up on both feet, both hands stretching above her head. She continued to limber up and at the same time take stock of her injuries, aches and of course the eyes that would watch her motions. When done she adjusted the length of the single braid that neatly bound her hair altogether then she would adjust her face mask, ensuring it covered fully the lower part of her face.

"Threats of death amongst all of us here must be, by far, the most inane thing to utter, my friend..." the dual voices from her throat were not threatening, in fact they were laced with a calm yet scoffing tone, "there are fates worse than death after all..."

Two sharp nails extended from her fingertips and she tapped at the collar around her neck hard enough for the sound to echo and to accentuate her point. She knew all about collars; the one she always wore was invisible and never a burden to her, "...a lifetime of servitude, my friends, and most tortured souls may find death a mercy..."

A sardonic laugh trickled out from her mouth, the twin voices laughing in unison as she elabourared on the madman's point of surviving up until now, "We all wear them... so ask yourselves and answer true... what makes you so worthy to be allowed to wear such an... adornment...?"

 

[Squad141]

Tooru
___________​

A fine situation he had found himself in.

It had certainly been an ambush. From what he recalled, it had been a Wednesday, and the hospital had been generally quiet in terms of incidents. Tooru had gotten a report from the Damo-kan fruit smuggling branch, they had still been seemingly approaching a few suspects of the fruit parlor family, the Higashikatas, who were suspected to have the New Rokakaka growing in their orchards, many of which had been upturned from the typhoon a few months back. Tooru himself was in the staff room, and had his earbuds in, when he became aware of another presence within the hospital he hadn't noticed. From his position, a bulky man wearing a mask entered from one of the lower windows, and somehow slipped past a few staff, pressing past others with a great amount of force, but not enough for the staff to panic.

Tooru quickly stood up, and started walking down the hall towards the main lobby. He'd dealt with enough medical professionals or misguided assassins attempting to take down the Head Doctor, and he had dealt with them a number of times. At some point, he'd even baited them with a faux vial of Locacaca 6251 that would allow one of his other subordinates to take down the invader out of the public's eye. First, he'd have to get back on shift as a nurse, and hopefully tell Tomoki of the suspicious individual. If the man attempted to go up, they'd know for sure that he was an enemy, and could attack outright.

However, not all went as planned. Both the assailant and Tooru entered the lobby at the same time, but instead of brushing by him, the man with the mask reach for his back while walking towards Tooru. This was odd on several accounts. He wasn't after the Head Doctor? How had he figured out that Tooru was the figure of power. But it hadn't mattered very much at the time, because Tooru still had the upper hand. Calmly walking back out in the hall, Tooru started walking through several nurses and doctors bustling about, noticing how his assailant kept any weapons drawn in the presence of others. But Tooru could feel the hostile intent, and 'accidentally' pushed a medical cart with his foot, which drove into the assailants torso, and-

He didn't stop walking.

This was worrying. That would certainly leave a good bruise on most normal people. Did the man have an ability that made pain unassuming? Tooru, now twice as worried, headed towards the staircase to the second, as a young woman in a cast passed him by. Tripping her, she cried out and landed on the pursuer, which would have the same effect as being hit by a cube of cement, and still was the invader only held back back for less than a second, pushing the girl off him to the floor. Now, Tooru was nearly jogging, reaching the main hall of the second hall. He'd have to get Tomoki, since he couldn't get the Head Doctor back fast enough to stage a direct attack unless he got closer. Reaching the doctor's office he was mere feet away from the door, when-

His body began to freeze up. He wasn't going into hibernation now, was he? Of course not, that kind of function was not involuntary. Looking down, he noticed the yellow syringe stuck in his similarly colored pants, small cracks forming on the surface of his skin as his body reacted to the sedative. He couldn't knock on the door, couldn't reach for his phone.

Not fast enough...

____________________________________________________________________​

Now, here he was, in a room full of several people with strange and intense personalities. Some sounded goofy, some like the common civilian, and some as not as human as he was. He was sure of one thing: he had one of the biggest advantages in the room, and could not reveal it for what it was until later.

"Listen, shouldn't we be trying to escape? They wouldn't just lock us up like this without a purpose. I'm not sure why any of you are here, but it sounds like a few of you have criminal tendencies. I don't understand what's going on, and I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be here with you all. Perhaps they thought I was- oh, Doctor!"

Tooru stood up and raised his hands in an aiding position. Anyone who could see into his cell would see another figure emerge from the shadows, rising slowly and steadily with the help of Tooru.

"I hadn't expected you to be kidnapped as well, sir," stated Tooru to the older man.

The other gentleman in Tooru's cell was an elderly man, slightly hunched over, and wearing a wealthy-appearing outfit, consisting of a dark suit and bowler hat that was slightly curved up on one side, and a yellow scarf with small "-" slits along it's side, as well as a silver monocle on his right eye. He didn't appeared worried or in pain, despite similar cuffs and collar from the other prisoners.

"Of course they'd cuff you as well, but you really should sit down," said Tooru. "Does anyone see a cane anywhere? He can't stand on his own very well!"

 

[darkred]

Post apocalyptic scenarios suck, depending on where you came from and where you woke up from.

It was unclear where the assailant came from, but they were wearing some sort of black cloak and a gas mask. He was heading for something, someone. Why? He didn't know and he wasn't going to wait and find out. The figure was able to knock out a few of the soldiers out around him and that said something.. Why was he after whomever, he didn't know

That's what it appeared to look like at the moment anyway.

The half terminator grunted and ran after the man with the black cloak.

The two soldiers he would worry about later.

Seconds later, the half terminator went to tackle the figure, it avoiding him.

It suddenly went through his own mind that they were after him, not who he thought they were going after.

Once again, going after the figure, he grabbed the man as a rifle flexed and was faster than the cyborg in question as the figure snickered "Not fast enough."

Before the sedative hit the cyborg's neck, it stirred memories in him of a worse off time.

A syringe full of clear liquid..
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seconds later, the half terminator opened his eyes and found himself and others in a place he never clearly wanted to find himself ever again. He was wearing his leather jacket, had a very... heavy collar that beeped on his neck and he rubbed his head "Fuck... didn't think I'd find myself here again.."

The sudden screaming from another cell made him push himself up and hold his head. "Shut it, some of us are trying to think!"

The man crossed his arms and frowned.

For some that saw him, he could very easily be mistaken as a normal human. He wished he was but he wasn't.

He made sure he was seeing things right. There were various figures. Other figures he'd never seen before. Humanoids, creatures not human and more.

Some figures here, felt very out of place such as a man who called himself the "Doctor"..

jump. Sleek MidwayLives

​

 

[MidwayLives]

All of this, was only added to the headache she felt from listening to some guy scream. Alpha was not one for words in these situations (the loud ones were forcefully silenced), but she felt compelled to break one of her own rules to shout back at the man screaming.

"Shut up! Yelling gets you nothing!"

He needed to think, for Christ's sake.

"Some of us are trying to use our brains."

"Alright, alright! I got it loud and clear...."

Sheesh, who the hell did these two think they were yelling at?! He was G-U-Z-M-A! The leader of Team Skull! The most notorious band of trainers out there that weren't about to let their leader get kidnapped by some guy(who in hindsight smelled absolutely terrible. Like they hadn't taken a bath in months or anything. Although Guzma would never admit to anyone he was probably too busy being terrified about having an actual real gun pulled on him in broad daylight to notice at the time.) Whatever! They'd bust him out of here in no time and he'd find that psycho and teach them a thing or two! The top lesson of course being that you never ever EVER messed around with him OR his Pokemon! The second lesson being that he wasn't gonna take any guff from...what was it...Guzma squinted and tried to peer past his bars. Looked like a mouthy kid and what the heck was that?? Some kind of talking Pokemon or something? Was this just a parade of the toughest and weirdest folks that the Alola region had to offer?

Glancing over at the table where his Pokeballs were barred from him, he grumbled under his breath.

Once he got these stupid cuffs off, he didn't care what it took. He was getting his Pokemon out here and they were gonna tear this place apart.
​

Now, here he was, in a room full of several people with strange and intense personalities. Some sounded goofy, some like the common civilian, and some as not as human as he was. He was sure of one thing: he had one of the biggest advantages in the room, and could not reveal it for what it was until later.

"Listen, shouldn't we be trying to escape? They wouldn't just lock us up like this without a purpose. I'm not sure why any of you are here, but it sounds like a few of you have criminal tendencies. I don't understand what's going on, and I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be here with you all. Perhaps they thought I was- oh, Doctor!"

"Relax."

Nagant certainly wasn't one to criticize when it came to fighting at a young age. After all, being a hero who fought on the side of law and order and doing all that was right was one of her earliest ambitions. Even as far back as when she was just a little girl with idealistic dreams still swirling around in her head. But seeing what appeared to be a teenager-Nagant would have spitballed around 18-19-with an older gentleman, she had her doubts that they were all pulled here for what she'd initially been suspecting(the heroes or rather the government at large had gotten someone to track down all those that had escaped from Tartarus, her included.) Maybe there was something else going on here. Had another villain gotten ahold of them? For whatever devious or macabre reasons, she couldn't sit back and let what appeared by all accounts to be civilians get caught up any further in this.

"They likely weren't going to afford us any amenities if they could help it. Which probably included the old timer's cane. For now, just let him lean on you. He-" She gestured her head in Five's direction. "Makes a good point. I've seen collars like these before. If whoever that 'thing' that captured us was working for wanted us dead? They wouldn't have just settled with drugging us-" Or in some cases like the yet unspoken Daria simply being beaten into unconsciousness when the drug proved useless. "We would have been killed on the spot. I shot that thing right between the eyes and it kept coming." She could still remember the rancid scent of her attacker's 'blood' as it seeped out of the wound her bullet had left and plopped onto the ground in sickeningly wet chunks.

Guzma for his part continued to whine.

​

"Suuuure okay, I voice my complaints and I get screamed at. The geezer's lost his cane and he gets the friggin 'don't worry' spiel."

As Tooru and the doctor spoke, Guzma's pokeballs began to rattle unbeknownst to him. Almost as if they sensed something that their trainer didn't....

Two sharp nails extended from her fingertips and she tapped at the collar around her neck hard enough for the sound to echo and to accentuate her point. She knew all about collars; the one she always wore was invisible and never a burden to her, "...a lifetime of servitude, my friends, and most tortured souls may find death a mercy..."

A sardonic laugh trickled out from her mouth, the twin voices laughing in unison as she elabourared on the madman's point of surviving up until now, "We all wear them... so ask yourselves and answer true... what makes you so worthy to be allowed to wear such an... adornment...?"

"Bit morbid to think that way....huh?"

Well, Nagant supposed it was at least an honest take on things, right? Death was terrible but the things leading up to it could have been even worse. Mutilation, bleeding out(choking on your own blood or being too tired to do anything buy lay where you fell and let death whisk you away). So, this was her company. Those who spoke their feelings blunt and truly and apparently those who went as far as taking canes from old men. "What a lovely bunch." She murmured while slumping back against the wall. If it weren't for these damn cuffs, she was confident she could have simply blown these bars apart.

"...."

As she started to give even the slightest inclination of activating her quirk, the collar gave off a high pitched *beep!* and Nagant quickly let go of the feeling. These things were no joke. From disabling her quirks , she imagined the explosive yield within it likely packed enough in it to make sure that if she tried pushing her luck? This thing would take her and possibly damage the cells next to her in the process. "Escaping should be a priority but we'd basically be walking around blind. No idea why we've been taken or who even did it. The one who took us here-" If it WAS the same creature(Nagant was loathe to call it a man after she'd seen the damage it endured first-hand) "-Couldn't have been intelligent enough to orchestrate this all on it's own."

It was then that Hei finally spoke up.



"You're wrong."

Nagant glanced over in the vague direction of wherever Hei's cell was.

"Pardon?"

"I said what I said. You're wrong. That thing is smarter than you're giving it credit for. I killed it. Twice."

Hei had felt it's body convulse the second time he'd placed his hand upon it properly. It went still for a second or two and he could see the smoke wafting off it's body. But whatever strange abilities it happened to posses allowed it to continue moving. Even after the fatal damage that'd been inflicted upon it. "It knows it should have died and kept on coming at me until it got me. It wasn't just a dumb brute." Hei leaned against the bars and looked down at his own unique cuffs. "But I'll give you this much: I agree that it's probably not the one calling the shots."

Guzma erupted yet again.



"Gee, I sure am glad that we can just throw all our planning time away on dumb stuff like this. WHO CARES IF THAT WACKJOB WITH THE GUN WAS 'BEHIND' THIS OR NOT?? As far as I'm concerned IT'S the reason WHY I'm stuck here and I'm not gonna rest until I show it who it's messing with! That includes finding and kicking the butt of the scumbag who ordered that thing to grab all of you losers and lump me in with em!" Guzma stomped his foot. "So c'mon! Go ahead and show yourself! Or are you too much of a coward to come pop up before us in person?? Huh?? You big baby??' Guzma seemed to taunt the empty halls.

Only for one of those camera-creatures to lean down in front of his cell bars, a grin spreading across their face. "AAAAH!!!" Guzma yelped as he jumped back from the bars, nearly stumbling over and hitting his head on the wall in the process. "D-DON'T SNEAK UP ON ME! How many times I gotta complain before something goes my way?!" Guzma complained aloud as the creature clambered off the bars and rose to it's feet, arching it's back in the process. The 'lenses' where it's eyes should have been began to glow and the creature's lower jaw dropped as a voice came out of it's mouth though it didn't seem to belong to the creature to all.

"Out of everyone here, I'm shocked to see that you've come the closest to figuring out the lack of a 'warm welcome.' With your myriad of strange abilities split up among the lot of you, I hope you can understand one's reluctance to get a tad too close." The creature swiveled it's head in the direction of Mileena and then over to Richard. "Especially to some of you who are so....eager.' As the lenses continued to glow, the creature's arms fell to it's side as the eyes seemed to project some kind of image that appeared blurry at first before finally clearing up to show what looked to be an older man with a black labcoat slung over his shoulders and decked out in a matching black suit. His hair was as grey as dust and his eyes hidden away by a pair of glasses which he slowly pushed up back over the bridge of his nose. Placing one hand on his hip and the other within a pocket on his labcoat, he chuckled.

"I'm glad that all of you seem to have awoken. At first I was worried that given the differing sets of 'biology' among the lot of you, I might have overdosed and or caused a chemical reaction that I wasn't prepared for. Given how you all seem to be doing..." The jacketed man seemed to ignore Guzma's furious cries and growls. "Ah! Where are my manners, do excuse me. I've been quite busy....You can call me Dr. Nocturne. It's quite pleasure to meet all of you. I'm sure by this point in time you're all intimately familiar with my latest pet project.." The hologram gestured down the hall as the sound of a door sliding open hit the prisoner's ears and the stench hit their noses next. For most of those gathered with good enough eyesight, they'd have spotted the figure before the smell hit home. Their cloak was in tatters after all the roundups they'd been subjected to, revealing what appeared to be a black mesh of a body vest and black combat fatigues underneath ending in a grey pair of combat boots. Spread across the body armor were tears and rips in it that the Stranger had suffered from knife stabs and bullet wounds. Their mask had a welding seam running down the front of it all the way down to the nozzle rendering it non-functional as an actual gas mask.

Their gloves were torn up revealing the pale coloring of their skin and how their fingernails seemed entirely black. Two of the camera creatures including the one currently projecting moved over on their wobbly legs to stand over by it's side. "I call it 'Vinci.' " For those who had a passing interest or even the vaguest bit of knowledge might have known of Leonardo Da Vinci's interest in human anatomy and the illustrations he'd done reflecting upon it. "A beautiful name for something just as stunning, wouldn't you all agree?"

'Vinci' gurgled. It almost sounded like a laugh.

"Neither alive and not truly dead. A wonderous example of the undying spirit..."

Three of the prisoners had differing reactions to that little tidbit as the Doctor continued to praise his 'pet.'

-Hei didn't seem too surprised. Some kind of Frankenstein's monster scenario? An undead reanimated by...? Hei mused over the idea of lightning. Maybe another reason why his attacks couldn't seem to keep the thing down for good, perhaps?
-Nagant was grossed out at the very notion. A dead body that continued fighting? It would have been an authoritarian dream come true. No need to feed or care for. Just a weapon, a tool.

Guzma had probably the most 'normal' reaction.



"Yo yo YO!! Are you saying that THING is a Z-O-M-B-I-E, ZOMBIE?!" What was this waking nightmare?!

Nocturne seemed amused by Guzma's frightened query than anything else. "Haha, yes, I suppose the 'living dead' is an appropriate moniker for my Vinci. But I see my creation as more than just a shambling consumer of living flesh. To use such a descriptor carries such a negative connotation, don't you think so? " One of the camera creatures reached up to pat the towering Vinci on the back. "I'm nothing if not a man without some reason. After all, I don't believe in cruelty without results.." Vinci opened up his cloak and let a cane drop to the floor. Tooru might have recognized it as the one the good Doctor he was so acquainted with used. "N-2, return the cane to those occupants, won't you?" As the one creature that wasn't projecting moved to do so, Nocturne chuckled.

"On top of that, I pose a question to you all. What are you willing to do to get out of here? Anything?" ​

 

[Sleek]

Alpha

More people started to wake up. What seemed like another test subject (he had that look in his eyes, that kind of look she was so familiar with in her younger years), a masochistic....ninja? Or was she sadistic? Alpha couldn't quite tell, and thought she might've even been both. Following those two, was a man who seemed to carry himself with an air of arrogance that the Boss Monster already felt chafe against her psyche. They'd just met, albeit in the worst possible way, and he was already giving death threats. A sardonic smile spread across the goat-woman's lips as she thought about the men like him she'd taken down. He would be another notch in her belt, if it came down to it. The last two seemed to be fairly inoffensive. Two men, one younger and one older, in a cell together caught her attention. It seemed as though even medical equipment was withheld, for the moment. The last guy to finally catch her attention just seemed to sorta stand there.

All of this spun in her mind even as the guy she'd told to put a sock in it, decided right then and there to open his yap again. If it wasn't for the fact that he had decided to back down, Alpha would've given half a mind to give him the verbal lashing she thought he deserved, though it would've probably just made things worse. The woman from earlier decided to try to calm the only pair in the cells, and then remark on that weird ninja from earlier. Then, the talk turned to the idea of escape. Alpha would've found the notion funny if she wasn't still partially re-living some very firmly buried memories. The notion that whatever attacked them was smarter than they thought crossed their minds, but Alpha knew better. DETERMINATION existed in all forms. Even monsters, with their fragile bodies, could harness the concept. That thing, was probably just some human. Hell, he was probably dead by now, having succumbed to his wounds.....

The train of thought guiding her along to the conclusions she had found so far, would be harshly derailed at the sight of their captor. He was wise in choosing not to reveal himself in person, as Alpha would've tried to kill him on the spot, regardless of the cost. The thought of killing him, of burying her knife into him or watching as he bled from six different bullet holes, continued to fester in her mind as he talked. 'Dr. Nocturne', was the name they gave him. The name didn't matter to Alpha, he was just the same as the others. He wanted to play god, and he wanted to do it using pawns in a game of his own design. Though, after a second, the passing mention of 'biology' hit her like a truck. He knew. He knew everything. The revelation was so shocking, that the notion that the frankenstein monster wasn't even alive, didn't faze her.

Then he asked what they wanted, what they would do, in exchange for freedom. It was a hollow question for Alpha. She didn't want freedom. She wanted this man dead, and it likely showed, with how her remaining eye darkened into an obsidian orb, a gently glowing cat's slit of an iris being the only indication of where her gaze was so firmly planted. Her collar began that monotone warning beep again, which Alpha ignored. It wasn't beeping because she was trying to summon her magic. The warning was because of her rising DETERMINATION to see her new goal through, to kill that doctor who had so wrongly imprisoned them there.

And Alpha didn't plan to rot here.

MidwayLives DapperCharmer2.0 darkred jump. Squad141 BuggaBoo​

 

[Squad141]

Tooru
with the Head Doctor
______________________________​

Biology... from what Tooru could see, his eyes adjusting to the pale darkness that surrounded the imprisoned inmates, he could make out small dissertations. One wore a gas mask, another wearing some dark paint around her mouth. Some of them seemed abnormal even in human standards. He had guessed that a few were also inhuman, but not to this extent. That mattered very little at the moment, though. He had been offered the Head Doctor's cane, and couldn't stutter even once. Surviving called for all hands on deck, all of the time.

Reaching with what might he hand, Tooru grasped the handle of the wooden cane, and pulled it into his cell, hesitating before handing it to the elderly man standing in the shadows next to him, who leaned on it and stood taller than he had seemed, still remaining completely silent.

Anything...

It was a hard question. Many would immediately think of loved ones, or pets, or even places and trinkets they enjoyed. Tooru didn't have family, only worked with others like himself in the means of co-workers and colleagues, and while he enjoyed thralls of everyday life, he could easily go without those. The only thing that could be offered for a ransom would be the broken wasps nest that he spent most of his childhood in, but even then, there'd be nothing to leverage.

Unless, the man wasn't talking about a humanoid 'anything'.

If that creature, the one that had been named Vinci, could be killed multiple times until it's goal was meant, and even surpass his ability, who knows what else it could do. What if Nocturne found the harvesting location of the New Rokakaka, and had snipped it from the Higashikata Estate Orchard?

"It would depend on what freedom would mean," stated Tooru, facing the projectionist creature. "I could easily stay in here for the rest of my life, hypothetically, if there weren't any stakes. The good Doctor might not though."

The Head Doctor and his black bowler hat shook their head slowly, seemingly agreeing with Tooru.

 

[jump.]

NUMBER FIVE

mood

alert, angry

outfit

here

location

still chillin' in the cell yo

tags

uhhhh p much everyone is in proximity so wont bother with individual tagging~

He'd zoned out throughout most of the chatter. The others didn't matter, they were in the same situation as him and they didn't know what was happening. He wasn't going to get information out of them, so attempting to interrogate, or communicate was pointless for now. Instead, he directed his focus to his surroundings. His mind was still sluggish, still slow, which meant the sedative hadn't quiet worn off yet. It also, most likely, explained how unnaturally calm his emotions were. Normally he'd be fuming at being stuck in a situation like this, but thanks to the drugs, he came off as indifferent more than anything else. Five paced, back and forth in his cell, eyes flicking around the area, searching for weak points, any potential hints or clues. He was fairly certain he'd caught something watching him, but as soon as he turned to look at whatever it was, it was gone, almost as if his mind were playing tricks on him. Maybe it was. He was more... Paranoid, than the average person. It could just be a figment of his imagination but-

He was being threatened. He bristled, stopping in his tracks, eyes narrowing into slits and focused intently on Richard as he spoke, lips pulling back into a teeth-baring snarl. He didn't even know this guy, and he was making threats already? Jeez, who did this asshole think he was? He'd never even heard of a Danielle, and judging from everyone else's reactions, neither did they. Despite his displeasure, he refused to comment upon it. After all, whoever this Danielle was, wasn't his problem. And it wasn't as if he planned on sticking around these weirdos, anyway. As soon as he figured a way out of this place, he'd be long gone. And then, that masked woman had spoken up. Rambling on about- Why the heck was he even listening to this? He had to make a plan, he had to get out, and get back to his family.

He hissed under his breath, jaw clenched and brow pinched together. He resumed the pacing. There were no weak points in the bars, no way to slip through, and no way to break them. Not if he remained restrained like this, anyway. He couldn't use his powers because of these damn cuffs, nor could he use his full brainpower with the sedative still running through his veins. It always had to be a pain in his ass, didn't it? At least he hadn't been out for long this time, that was something. There was also the collar. It wasn't the worst, not as bad as the cuffs at least, but it was still annoying. And he didn't know what it did either. Was it a shock collar? Some kind of trap rigged with explosives? It beeped when he tried to summon his abilities. So maybe it was. Maybe it would blow him, and everyone else in proximity up if he tried to escape. And had it not been for his family, he probably would have let it.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but these assholes seem to know what they're doing." Five finally stilled, leaning against the wall of his cell, towards the bars so he could look out and watch the others. He crossed his legs at the ankle. "I doubt it's possible to escape. They've put a lot of effort into getting us here, they wouldn't let us leave that easily." He watched Tooru with a bored expression, taking more interest in his elderly companion rather than anything else. Whoever was behind all this had stooped so low as to take a senior citizen. After a moment of silence, he nodded in agreement to Nagant's words. "What she said. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't human. It shook of a damn stab wound like it was nothing." Not to mention the stench. He knew that stench from anywhere. It was the stench of death. That being hadn't been alive, at least, not fully.

As the conversation continued, he silenced once-more, simply listening to the passing words, eyes flitting curiously from speaker to speaker. Narrowed and attentive, analysing. From what he could tell, most of them actually had some common sense, which put him at an advantage. He could work with someone who had a brain, he wouldn't lose his temper as easily, heck, he could even bounce ideas off them. That white haired guy though? He was going to be a problem. He was far too loud, too impulsive. Didn't think before he spoke. Obviously didn't know how to use his brain, or he'd have realised that yelling all the damn time was just getting on everyone's nerves. His lips tugged into a frown, and he stared Guzma down in silence, the only indication of his irritation towards the other being the slight flare of his nostrils, and his tightly balled up fists. And then, that idiot seemed to have... Done something.

At least, someone was now speaking. Immediately, his attention was on the mechanical being, and the projection of whom was most likely the mastermind behind all of this. If he were capable, Five would have folded his arms across his chest, he would have tipped his head back and laughed at the absurdity of the situation. What was this? Some-kind of supervillain wannabe? Superheroes existed when he was a kid, and now that his family was all grown up, they were extinct. Heroes and villains didn't exist anymore. There was just people.

"I'd say it looks more like a Picasso, personally." He commented dryly, watching the scene with a single eyebrow cocked. The stench from the thing was overwhelming, but he didn't show any signs of disgust, nor did he react to 'Vinci's presence. Instead, he just kept his eyes upon the projection of Dr Nocturne. This man wouldn't reveal himself simply to show off, no, there was a reason behind all of this. A motive.

...And there it was.

"I mean, I could use a good cup of coffee or something to write on, but I'm quite comfortable here." He approached the bars, tilting his head as he squinted towards Nocturne. "It's cozy. Four walls... Company." The sarcasm dripped from his mouth like venom, and he stretched his lips into a wide animalistic grin. "I think a better question is, what will you do for us? Clearly we're of value to you, or you would have disposed of us already. You're not going to kill us, do what do you want? Quit it with the cryptic bullshit and just be out with it already. The sooner we know what you want, the sooner we can come to an agreement."

coded by reveriee.

Spoiler: mobile friendly version.

He'd zoned out throughout most of the chatter. The others didn't matter, they were in the same situation as him and they didn't know what was happening. He wasn't going to get information out of them, so attempting to interrogate, or communicate was pointless for now. Instead, he directed his focus to his surroundings. His mind was still sluggish, still slow, which meant the sedative hadn't quiet worn off yet. It also, most likely, explained how unnaturally calm his emotions were. Normally he'd be fuming at being stuck in a situation like this, but thanks to the drugs, he came off as indifferent more than anything else. Five paced, back and forth in his cell, eyes flicking around the area, searching for weak points, any potential hints or clues. He was fairly certain he'd caught something watching him, but as soon as he turned to look at whatever it was, it was gone, almost as if his mind were playing tricks on him. Maybe it was. He was more... Paranoid, than the average person. It could just be a figment of his imagination but-

He was being threatened. He bristled, stopping in his tracks, eyes narrowing into slits and focused intently on Richard as he spoke, lips pulling back into a teeth-baring snarl. He didn't even know this guy, and he was making threats already? Jeez, who did this asshole think he was? He'd never even heard of a Danielle, and judging from everyone else's reactions, neither did they. Despite his displeasure, he refused to comment upon it. After all, whoever this Danielle was, wasn't his problem. And it wasn't as if he planned on sticking around these weirdos, anyway. As soon as he figured a way out of this place, he'd be long gone. And then, that masked woman had spoken up. Rambling on about- Why the heck was he even listening to this? He had to make a plan, he had to get out, and get back to his family.

He hissed under his breath, jaw clenched and brow pinched together. He resumed the pacing. There were no weak points in the bars, no way to slip through, and no way to break them. Not if he remained restrained like this, anyway. He couldn't use his powers because of these damn cuffs, nor could he use his full brainpower with the sedative still running through his veins. It always had to be a pain in his ass, didn't it? At least he hadn't been out for long this time, that was something. There was also the collar. It wasn't the worst, not as bad as the cuffs at least, but it was still annoying. And he didn't know what it did either. Was it a shock collar? Some kind of trap rigged with explosives? It beeped when he tried to summon his abilities. So maybe it was. Maybe it would blow him, and everyone else in proximity up if he tried to escape. And had it not been for his family, he probably would have let it.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but these assholes seem to know what they're doing." Five finally stilled, leaning against the wall of his cell, towards the bars so he could look out and watch the others. He crossed his legs at the ankle. "I doubt it's possible to escape. They've put a lot of effort into getting us here, they wouldn't let us leave that easily." He watched Tooru with a bored expression, taking more interest in his elderly companion rather than anything else. Whoever was behind all this had stooped so low as to take a senior citizen. After a moment of silence, he nodded in agreement to Nagant's words. "What she said. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't human. It shook of a damn stab wound like it was nothing." Not to mention the stench. He knew that stench from anywhere. It was the stench of death. That being hadn't been alive, at least, not fully.

As the conversation continued, he silenced once-more, simply listening to the passing words, eyes flitting curiously from speaker to speaker. Narrowed and attentive, analysing. From what he could tell, most of them actually had some common sense, which put him at an advantage. He could work with someone who had a brain, he wouldn't lose his temper as easily, heck, he could even bounce ideas off them. That white haired guy though? He was going to be a problem. He was far too loud, too impulsive. Didn't think before he spoke. Obviously didn't know how to use his brain, or he'd have realised that yelling all the damn time was just getting on everyone's nerves. His lips tugged into a frown, and he stared Guzma down in silence, the only indication of his irritation towards the other being the slight flare of his nostrils, and his tightly balled up fists. And then, that idiot seemed to have... Done something.

At least, someone was now speaking. Immediately, his attention was on the mechanical being, and the projection of whom was most likely the mastermind behind all of this. If he were capable, Five would have folded his arms across his chest, he would have tipped his head back and laughed at the absurdity of the situation. What was this? Some-kind of supervillain wannabe? Superheroes existed when he was a kid, and now that his family was all grown up, they were extinct. Heroes and villains didn't exist anymore. There was just people.

"I'd say it looks more like a Picasso, personally." He commented dryly, watching the scene with a single eyebrow cocked. The stench from the thing was overwhelming, but he didn't show any signs of disgust, nor did he react to 'Vinci's presence. Instead, he just kept his eyes upon the projection of Dr Nocturne. This man wouldn't reveal himself simply to show off, no, there was a reason behind all of this. A motive.

...And there it was.

"I mean, I could use a good cup of coffee or something to write on, but I'm quite comfortable here." He approached the bars, tilting his head as he squinted towards Nocturne. "It's cozy. Four walls... Roof over my head... Company." The sarcasm dripped from his mouth like venom, and he stretched his lips into a wide animalistic grin. "I think a better question is, what will you do for us? Clearly we're of value to you, or you would have disposed of us already. You're not going to kill us, so what do you want? Quit it with the cryptic bullshit and just be out with it already. The sooner we know what you want, the sooner we can come to an agreement."

 

[darkred]

The cyborg was almost silent as the mechanical "camera" popped out from the wall in front of the cell, showing off a man in a lab coat. The "man" was already used to the darkness of the cell, as it brought him bad memories once again.

Marcus crossed his arms, irritation setting in but keeping any signs of it well hidden from the crowd.

"I've been here before, why do you think a man such as me deserves it so much?"

To deal with a criminal, you had to have the mindset of a former criminal in trade of sorts.

Marcus stood a clear distance from the cell bars.

@ MidwayLives @ DapperCharmer2.0 @ darkred @ jump. @ Squad141 @ BuggaBoo Sleek

​

 

[BuggaBoo]

MILEENA​

---

The words of the others echoed throughout this chamber allowing her get a better sense of who the players were here.

The inflections, the emotions and even the word choices of the others around her spoke volumes. What was not said was just as important as well. But the beeping of the collars... ahhhh, yes, that spoke loudest of all to her.

"Bit morbid to think that way....huh?"

The wild-haired female here had dropped a rhetorical question at Mileena, but Mileena had responded by lowering her chin and giving the other female a level gaze. What the masked Outworlder had spoken was true; she had seen effects of those forced into lifelong servitude first hand. Mileena had said her piece, her opinion, on the matter and there was no more need for her to speak any further. It was up for the others to hash out what they wanted to do. She listened for certain words in their speech: I, we, need and of course you. But even more importantly, like earlier when she was limbering up, she paid attention to those eyes that watched them hidden in the dark. Or so they thought they were hidden. Vertical pupils dilated further and spied the damned thing.

Perhaps accidentally a little to bold, perhaps deliberately a little too bitch, she winked at the lensed thing clambouring on the wall. Then of course it went up to the loudmouth. Perhaps it was the wisest decision, out of them all, this poor soul with a bad case of verbal diarrhea, Guzma, seemed the least to reach out and tear the thing limb from limb from being in such close vicinity. When the goggled mouthpiece jumped and screeched in terror, a wickedly delicious smile could not help but manifest from behind the assassin's mask. Finally, true fear here.

And so the person behind this whole kidnapping operation, one Dr. Nocturne, finally revealed itself-- ooooh, and was that a barb tossed at Mileena herself? Another feral-yellow wink she tossed back. A door slid open then the reintroduction of the stench of her defeat wafted into the room. Without turning her head, her gaze slid over to the cloaked assailant, 'Vinci. As soon as it gurgled during its introduction, Mileena turned her head and gave it a slow and deliberate nod, all the while noting the areas where it had taken damage. Her eyes widened as a revelation slowly dawned upon her. It was not alive.

Immediately thereafter Dr. Nocturne confirmed this kind of being; a pet project that he called 'an example' of the undying spirit. She had heard such a similar phrase before. In her Outworld, the revenant master, Quan Chi, held onto such things quite dearly. And if this 'Vinci was but merely an example, then did that mean there were more? But a question even more poignant chased upon the heels of that one; was the method to break its link with its master the same here as in her world? And now, she turned to fully face this braggart 'mastermind' as the others made their thoughts known about what they would give up.

~​

"On top of that, I pose a question to you all. What are you willing to do to get out of here? Anything?"

Alpha - The death glare from the lone eye of the pale, fluffy creature gave Mileena pause. Was it truly going to see what the result was when the warning beeps of its collar ceased and entered the next phase? To be honest, the assassin would not have minded such an event; then the rest would see exactly the what the collar had in store to 'placate' its disobedient wearer. But then again... a single-minded weapon to destroy their captor may come in handy too.

Tooru and Five - The little boy was as petulant and flippant as one was to expected, but the words it did speak gave a bigger glimpse into its inner workings. The little boy was a big believer in cutting to the chase. Oh, she suspected it knew its worth alright. And where the other who seemed so preoccupied with the welfare of the 'good doctor', held off offering anything to exchange, the little boy was up to task. It was a case of show and tell now. And so the negotiations had begun.

Marcus - Created as a monster just like Nocturne's creation? And this male had been here before. Intriguing. Out of all that was said here, even with the possibility of this male being delusional, she would so love to hear more about this one's experiences with his prior incarceration here. And if it knew anymore on this 'Vinci, then perhaps a fount of knowledge she had in her midst here...

~​

"Freedom. Desperation. Sacrifice. Are all of you so alike...?" a measured and slow blink she gave cameras trained on her. Her master Shang Tsung, her father Shao Khan, the revenant master Quan Chi, the revenant master's god master Shinook and now this megalomaniac. It was the same old song and dance with these types.

A deep breath she took before continuing, "Of course there is much that I may do, and, to such extreme lengths I will go to earn my freedom from you, Dr. Nocturne. Yet 'anything' is too steep an asking price--" the dual voices from her throat lowered, and the next words she spoke were almost spiteful, almost thinly veiled venom, "--especially if you cannot guarantee that freedom is a certainty. Death is not a fate I choose as a freedom... and neither is becoming that."

A low gutteral sound reverberated from her throat, yellow eyes narrowed as she tossed an upward chinbob in the direction of the stench of Nocturne's 'pet project.'

 

[MidwayLives]

Amid the sea of reactions his presence drew out and his query even more so, Nocturne couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, yes, the lot of you are quite a handful....That much is clear...."

​

"So...What, is that smelling bag of puss and whatever else supposed to knock our socks off? I ain't impressed, I'm grossed out. You've got us caged here like...Like..." Guzma hated feeling as though he were just a prisoner. Made him feel like he was just like everyone else here but he knew that wasn't true. He didn't walk around wearing a mask like some of the weirdos here and he was at least human! He couldn't say the same for that thing that'd joined in the chorus to tell him in so many words to just put a sock in it. Guzma still didn't have the slightest clue who or what they were. The only thing that even made the slightest bit of sense was that it was some kind of strange Pokemon that could walk and talk like normal folk. Guzma didn't want anything to do with something like that. Too out there even for him.

"...Like rats in a maze."

Guzma rose to his feet and pressed his forehead against the bars.

"Why don't you quit the mindgames and come out and face us yourself??"

Nocturne laughed yet again. Something that absolutely incensed Guzma.

"My dear boy, if there's anything I can offer you at this very moment, I'd ask that you take this friendly piece of advice to heart. One's personal safety becomes before anything else. I'm certain most of you are....unhappy about your current situation. An understandable feeling if an ultimately futile one. If I were to simply waltz down here and act as though everything were fine, why, that'd be putting my safety at risk wouldn't it? Would the collars explode before any of you were able to harm me? Would you throw your own life away to even attempt it? Hypotheticals I've no interest in seeing through. Perhaps if you all act as is asked of you, things will change. But as business currently stands..." Nocturne inclined his head slightly to the right and held his hands-covered in blue surgical gloves- up in a 'well what can ya do?' manner. "I prefer keeping my distance, you understand."

Guzma grumbled something definitely not PG under his breath.

"Hahaha! There is no need for such anger, my boy! If anything you should be thanking me. That piece of advice could prove to save your life..." As Nocturne seemed to give the other cells a lookover, he chuckled quietly to himself. 'From not just enemies you face on the battlefield but the very people you sit across from as well.~' He kept that last bit in his thoughts.~
​

Then he asked what they wanted, what they would do, in exchange for freedom. It was a hollow question for Alpha. She didn't want freedom. She wanted this man dead, and it likely showed, with how her remaining eye darkened into an obsidian orb, a gently glowing cat's slit of an iris being the only indication of where her gaze was so firmly planted. Her collar began that monotone warning beep again, which Alpha ignored. It wasn't beeping because she was trying to summon her magic. The warning was because of her rising DETERMINATION to see her new goal through, to kill that doctor who had so wrongly imprisoned them there.

The doctor could feel the stare piercing into him even though all that stood before Alpha was little more than a hologram, a virtual projection of Nocturne from wherever he currently was. He slowly turned to face Alpha and ran one gloved hand over his slicked back hair and held the other under his chin as he flashed her a smile. From the outside it looked as though it were meant to be a disarming smile, one full of warmth and the willingness to open up and embrace a new friendship. None of those were the feelings that Alpha perceived radiating off the Doctor's body language. "My my, what a fierce stare you have there my dear." Reaching up past his chin to readjust his glasses, he couldn't help but laugh yet again. "I'm sure you'd like nothing more than a chance to get at me wouldn't you? Did this one put up quite the fight, Vinci?"

"...y...es...." Vinci croaked out. It seemed that apart from the words those it'd captured/fought had heard it say, it's vocabulary was very limited and the creature struggled to get it's thoughts(whatever they may have been) across. Nocturne seemed pleased at the garbled answer regardless as he clasped his hands together. "Marvelous. I'm sure you'll do a fine job." Whatever that job was or what it entailed was a mystery still but then Nocturne brought a finger up to around his neck. "However....I suggest you cease whatever it is you think you're doing. If not for your own sake but for the sake of those who'll have to clean up the viscera your body will leave behind." Alpha could have seen the other creature that appeared to have been modified/surgically altered by Nocturne to act as a living(if this could be called living...)camera/projection caster. It's mouth was open and it seemed to be salivating at the thought of cleaning up the mess Alpha would have left if her collar went off. "It's always such a mess...." Nocturne ruminated wistfully.
​

"It would depend on what freedom would mean," stated Tooru, facing the projectionist creature. "I could easily stay in here for the rest of my life, hypothetically, if there weren't any stakes. The good Doctor might not though."

Nocturne smiled at Tooru's response.

"Yes yes, given your rather unique structure....I'm certain you could outlive your imprisoned comrades. It wouldn't even be a contest." It seemed that Nocturne had at least done some homework/research before sending Vinci out to grab those like Tooru and the others. 'Freedom.....I must say I quite enjoy your question. It has the potential to be quite existential doesn't it? Would you consider yourself free if I were to release you all from your cells? Would you consider it freedom if I removed the collars from around your necks?" Nocturne gave a wave of his hand and for one reason or another if anybody's collar was currently beeping it seemed to stop upon the gesture. "Or would that still not satiate you? Your appetite for freedom...No, perhaps it truly wouldn't be quenched until you're once more free to do as you've pleased. Unshackled by the whims and wills of others." He clasped his hands together once again and save a soft melancholy smile.

"If you crave a specific answer, I'm afraid it's one likely all of you could have figured was coming. If you gave it even the slightest bit of thought." Nocturne didn't see himself as a man with hard to understand or mysterious intentions. Certainly not in this case. "It's as I said before, I'm not one for abject cruelty without some kind of gain. In this case though the collars are quite cruel I must admit, what would I stand to gain if I simply released you from their grip?" He shook his head from side to side. "Nothing I'm afraid....No, the only freedom I can offer you is..." He gestured to the lock on one of the cell doors.

"Liberation from your cage.~"
​

"I'd say it looks more like a Picasso, personally."

Throughout all of his posturing and taunting, it seemed that it was this one little throwaway comment that seemed to earn anything from patronizing laughter and a mocking smile from the doctor. His left eye twitched ever so slightly and it pulled at the corners of his smile ever so slightly. For someone who seemed so proud of the work he'd put into 'creating' Vinci, having it mocked didn't seem to sit quite well with him. "Ahaha, humor in times of great peril. Most people do it to mask their insecurities, their fears, the weight of being uncertain as to what's to come next." Nocturne rattled off as though dealing with comments like that weren't anything new for him. "Charming to a fault and even admirable to be snide in the face of uncertainty takes quite the deal of effort. My hat's off to you, boy." Nocturne said with seemingly the first bit of genuine feeling ebbing off his words.

"That said...you're certainly welcome to make as many snide comments as you'd like. Neither Vinci or I can dictate the flow of that." He waved his hand again and a beep rang out from Five's collar.

"....Much."

He let that threat rest where it did and his smile never broke.

The beeping stopped.
​

"I think a better question is, what will you do for us? Clearly we're of value to you, or you would have disposed of us already. You're not going to kill us, so what do you want? Quit it with the cryptic bullshit and just be out with it already. The sooner we know what you want, the sooner we can come to an agreement."

"Of value to me? Oh no...It's not me who inquired about this lot." Nocturne clarified with a slight nod of the head accompanying it. "You see, making passion projects like Vinci don't come without resources. Resources I must admit that I'm ill-equipped to find on my own. Call it a twist of fate, an act of whichever god you believe in, I met a man who needed a bit of help with a certain task. Something that'd required those that not many would miss or just the opposite: those with too much to lose." Nocturne's smile seemed to grow wider. "Somethings or someone that they'd do anything to keep safe."

He spread his arms out to the side.

"I call him my guardian angel, the Benefactor behind my work and the one who tasked me with gathering all of you. He is the reason I've come before you all. He'd like to explain things a bit more clearly....himself."
​

"I've been here before, why do you think a man such as me deserves it so much?"

Nocturne looked over his glasses, letting Marcus get a good view of the blood red pupils that stared back at him. With something vaguely resembling a somewhat muted but sympathetic gaze. "Oh....my dear. It's not a question of whether you 'deserve' anything at all. It's a question of how far you willing to go for what you hold most precious on this little world of ours?" Family, friends, loved ones, a special place, a certain object. Nothing was off the table.

Nothing would be spared if certain tasks were not followed to the letter. If orders were not obeyed.
​

"Freedom. Desperation. Sacrifice. Are all of you so alike...?" a measured and slow blink she gave cameras trained on her. Her master Shang Tsung, her father Shao Khan, the revenant master Quan Chi, the revenant master's god master Shinook and now this megalomaniac. It was the same old song and dance with these types.

A deep breath she took before continuing, "Of course there is much that I may do, and, to such extreme lengths I will go to earn my freedom from you, Dr. Nocturne. Yet 'anything' is too steep an asking price--" the dual voices from her throat lowered, and the next words she spoke were almost spiteful, almost thinly veiled venom, "--especially if you cannot guarantee that freedom is a certainty. Death is not a fate I choose as a freedom... and neither is becoming that."

A low gutteral sound reverberated from her throat, yellow eyes narrowed as she tossed an upward chinbob in the direction of the stench of Nocturne's 'pet project.'

Once again as with Five, Nocturne seemed personally affronted at the reaction Mileena had given to Vinci. "Hmph..."

The abomination itself didn't seem to notice or acknowledge it.

"I can only offer what I've been authorized to share with you all. While it is not the true freedom that I'm sure all of you crave, I can say this much." He held his arms out in a dramatic fashion and laughed harder than he'd had before. "Hahahaha! I offer a hand to you all! If there is anything in this world that you cherish, be it someone you care about or perhaps just the continuation of your own life-not a selfish ideal at all!-, you'll take the hand stretched out to you and allow it to pull you to freedom!" The locks on each cell beeped and the doors slowly slid open. The field around Guzma's pokeballs faded and he quickly scrambled to grab them before any of them fell to the floor.

The cuffs still remained where they were. Any attempts at removing them would be met with the collars beeping growing steadily louder. A strong indicator to stop while one...still had a head to keep.

"Come! Step outside of your confines! Take a look at your surroundings! This is not where you wish it all to end do you? I'm certain that it's not so please! Allow Vinci to guide you to where you'll learn all you need to know..." The projection started to grow dimmer but Nocturne let one more warning go before it faded completely.

"Don't do anything...rash.~"

The projection faded for good and Venti stared down those imprisoned as they likely went about taking in the fact that while they'd managed to escape one confine, they were still stuck in one with no seeming way out and now they had to follow this thing around. The two camera creatures shambled beside Vinci and continued on down the hall. Vinci raised one of his hands and motioned for those gathered to follow in step behind him.

"Follow...."

Vinci turned and began stomping down the way it'd come.



"Doesn't seem like it's really leaving us much room to negotiate, huh?"

Whoever was behind this certainly had their fingers in more than enough pies:

-bankrolling abhorrent projects like the ones this Nocturne got up to
-No doubt likely paying to keep things hush-hush so Nocturne can 'acquire' the parts he needs for said experiments.
-Getting this colorful rogue's gallery together for some kind of task.

Nagant felt a familiar painful feeling swelling up within her. One that brought back a whole bunch of bad memories.

"Ugh..." She grumbled as she started to follow after the creature, making sure to keep a few feet of distance between it. Lessen the stink somewhat.

Hei followed without so much as a word spoken or any acknowledgment of the others.



Guzma followed, mumbling vague threats under his breath. He didn't care if there were a dozen of these 'Vinci' things. He had his team back at his side and beckoning call. No matter what came up his Pokemon would crush them flat! He had nothing to be scared about anymore!

Well....apart from the explosive collar still strapped around his neck.​

 

[darkred]

Before Marcus left his "confines", he searched the "prison cell" for anything of use to him. Anything right now was better than nothing. He in particular was looking for something small and light, and sharp enough.

He looked back and made sure to search the area fully before he followed the shambling undead Davinci to their capturer.

MidwayLives




​

 

[Sleek]

Alpha

That cold, dead, murderous glare continued to bore into the twisted abomination in front of her. More specifically, into the projection of Nocturne. Whether by the collar's beeping, or just a good sense of what was around him (she figured the former), he seemed to feel it bear down on himself. He gave her a smile, something she found to be more infuriating. The way he talked, these things....she really felt like she was back at square one. The only thing warming her SOUL was the feeling of pride at his words, though at her own handiwork. Alpha HAD torn that thing a new one, considering the pock-marked condition of his gear from the volley of bullets, magical or otherwise, she had filled him with.

That pride was enough to calm her, to anchor her in that moment from the blind rage she had felt. It was a soothing warmth that eased the muscles of her mind enough for her to more clearly see what was around her. Everyone seemed rather like-minded (for the most part) in their forced camaraderie, which was another comforting thought. Alpha wouldn't have escaped her last prison without the aid of others, and seeing as how this time, she seemed to be paired with real, bona-fide humans......

That smirk blossomed into a twisted smile, as she relished the thought of her inevitable revenge. Those thoughts, so carefully nurtured, bore fruit in the form of her eye slowly fading back to its wondrous blue-upon-blue hue. With it, came the cessation of her collar's warning. Revenge would come soon enough, a voice seemed to say in her soul, she only needed to bide her time.

More knowledge would flood her mind as another bombshell would be dropped, that Nocturne was not alone. He needed someone to help him with his mad schemes, and that someone was a person of great influence, or power, or even wealth. Someone with the ability to help the Mad Doctor get whatever he needed to make more of these fleshy golems. They just wanted people who could fight, and kill, in return. Alpha didn't relish the thought, seeing as it too was only yet another reminder. A sense of Deja-Vu would fill her mind as she went over what she knew, and then caught onto something seemingly small. The Doctor didn't know what that tell was. If her collar was beeping from her anger, she reasoned it must be the latent DETERMINATION inside her. He must not know about that resource, or maybe even about the power of a Human SOUL. He wasn't infallible, as that also meant that the others probably had secrets and abilities the doctor (and by extension, the benefactor) didn't know of.

Again, her thoughts were derailed by the doors opening. Nocturne had finally gotten tired of toying with his catch, and was finally ready to get the show on the road. As 'Vinci began to leave, and several others followed, Alpha would file in with the crowd. Hopefully, her gear would be returned to her. Another thought would grip her. What if they had taken her journal? That would tell them everything. Who she was, WHAT she was, and what she was made for. The idea sickened her, and hastened her step.

She didn't want to give them any chances.

MidwayLives jump. darkred BuggaBoo Squad141​

 

[Fuyou-Kay]

Daria

thunk

"...Huh?"

Daria turned around and found herself face to face with some sort of cloaked figure wearing a gas mask. In their hand was a broken syringe, a quick analysis revealing its contents to her. This guy just tried to use a sedative on a humanoid module? An android? Clearly whoever was attacking her hadn't done any kind of research on their target.

"Hahaha, are you an idiot? Well, it's too late to say sorry~" Daria laughed and her right arm began to morph into a weapon, a beam of light lashing out like a whip as she finished her sentence. It cleanly sliced them in half, and the battle was done. Another human killed, though it was rather rare they went for her first. She'd thought that they hadn't done any research if they were targeting her, but now that she thought about it most people outside of Waldecia didn't even know she existed. Perhaps she should have kept them alive instead, but that would've been too much of a pain really.

Just as she was about to move on, she heard a gunshot from behind her. She turned around. Her Field Module had created a barrier in response, blocking the bullet. That was absurd, a human getting up after the damage she'd dealt. No, actually, now that she took a proper look, she hadn't done any damage to then?

"Who the hell are you?!"

Daria's whip transformed into what looked like a pincer with a ball of light in between the two ends. A blast of energy was fired. It missed, and blew a hole in a far off skyship for her efforts. Another gunshot, this time from her right. Daria took aim, and then heard the same sound from behind this time. Immediately whirling around, she fired again without a second thought. Another miss, and this time a punch landed squarely on the side of her face.

"Not fast enough."

That was the last thing she heard after they broke through her barriers, putting her down with a flurry of blows and an electric shock strong enough to knock her unconscious. Guess they'd done a bit of research after all...

---

Daria had been feeling two conflicting emotions. Pissed off, yet despondent. Losing to that masked weirdo wasn't part of her plans. Well, not that anyone losing to anyone was part of anyone's plans, but that wouldn't stop her from being pissed off about it. But more than that, now she no longer had her mission. If she'd been taken here, then the order to stop humans from going to Waldecia could no longer hold. Which meant, she had nothing to do. Normally, this would have been cause for celebration. No orders to follow and true freedom.

Of course, that wasn't going to be the case here. She'd been taken here against her will to simply follow someone else's orders this time. Normally she'd have said something to the various people screaming around her, but all she managed this time was a sigh. She really wasn't feeling too chatty anymore.

And that was about when the one, or at least someone, behind this strange gathering of individuals made his appearance. There was some sort of explanation, but other than learning why that stupid thing wouldn't die she didn't care too much about the details. Something about funding, or whatever. Long story short they just wanted to use them, as expected. But honestly, it was definitely better than just sitting in this cell all day. Plus, this was a pretty rare chance for some sort of freedom. Whatever this group of weirdos was wanted for would probably be pretty chaotic, so who knew what might happen? Maybe a certain collar might be disabled, or even removed? It was definitely far better than possible alternatives, like just being put on death row or something.

"Well, at least we're out of here," Daria said with a shrug, walking out of her opened cell with a slight grin on her face. Best to go along for now. She'd already tried killing the thing, and clearly straightforward methods didn't work on it.​

 

[BuggaBoo]

MILEENA​

---

So there was a bigger fish in the food chain above their captor. Seemingly a benefactor and enabler for Nocturne, this admitted coward of a revenant maker.

Mileena's eyes narrowed, a smirk lilted up at the corner of her mouth behind her mask. If this male cowed to another then there was still a chance for it to be brought to its knees in front of her. But of course, that was not her end goal. No, there was much more to be done than for it to submit. And there was still yet so much to do and yet so much more to discover to get to that point.

Behind the threat of detonating decapitation and an obvious show of power it had over them, there was also 'Stinky-Vinci' to contend with. But were those truly the only means that protected he from them? No, it was his hidden location. The assassin paid closer attention to not just the mannerisms and garb of the mad scientist, but also anything reflective that it wore that would mirror what it was in front of. Something reflective that could provide at least a singular clue... like its glasses.

NOCTURNE: I offer a hand to you all! If there is anything in this world that you cherish, be it someone you care about or perhaps just the continuation of your own life-not a selfish ideal at all!-, you'll take the hand stretched out to you and allow it to pull you to freedom!"

This offer broke her concentration and for a moment she was no longer a crafted, living weapon. Yellow eyes dulled and lowered. They aimed at the floor beneath her but focused on something else beyond the tangible. Into her own thoughts she found herself, staring into an abyss of screaming darkness, demanding-- no, dominating her to do as she was trained for, do what she was sharpened for, kill with what-- those eyes. They stared at her like no other. The pair of radiant orbs brought about the serenity of silence in the midst of a thundering and wide awake, awestruck moment... By all damned gods below, there was something she cherished. And it was in reach. That hand held out to her... it was in reach. That smile --she was made for. Yellow eyes blinked once, twice. The gleam and trembling edge of feral rage returned once more into her eyes. Mileena never reached out for anything. She only took as she saw fit.

The cell doors slid open and Mileena paused momentarily to see the make of the locking mechanism before slinking forth beyond its cold, metallic confines. It took so much of her willpower to resist leaping at the rank revenant pet of Nocturne, rip off her mask and rip its face and throat out. But a single deep breath took care of that; Master Shang Tsung disallowed the use of her skill and prowess upon inefficient and gratuitous kills. Once more she stretched out her arms as she followed in line behind the pale, horned and fluffy headed being. As she strut along, Mileena secretly double-checked the length the cuffs afforded between her wrists and the width of the corridor.

A bit of a sneer lifted up her top lip as soon as she saw Guzma collect some of its belongings. Apparently someone had become a new 'teacher's pet.' Fair enough. Nocturne was too proud of its creations and even took offense to any derogatory off-handed comment made by the captives. And, to her, it seemed as if this spikey-haired, goggled buffoon's fear and shock in response to their captor (and its putrid scented minion) may have been inadvertent flattery. The wild-haired female that tossed up the rhetorical question to her earlier seemed to regret her decision to be the first to follow behind 'Stinky-Vinci' yet Mileena could see the wheels turning in her head. The masked male stepped in behind her and remained silent; it seemed as if it only piped up when it had something profound to say. Always watch for the quiet ones...

ALPHA: That smirk blossomed into a twisted smile, as she relished the thought of her inevitable revenge. Those thoughts, so carefully nurtured, bore fruit in the form of her eye slowly fading back to its wondrous blue-upon-blue hue.

And speaking of quiet ones...

Oh but she did note the horned and fluffy-headed creature's demeanour change from that of unbridled rage into that of placated compromise. Yes, it seemed as if another here had wheels turning in their head and so all the individual plotting had begun. The beeping had ceased; pity, the assassin truly did wish to see the capabilities of the collar. But that only meant that there was another here with whom she may attempt to ally herself. Enemy of mine enemy is a friend after all. Well, that of course only held true if the horned and fluffy-headed being was her enemy-- Mileena's eyes narrowed and again behind her mask a smirk lilted up at the corner of her mouth in slow realization as to the true nature of this 'congregation' of friends with specific sets of skills.

Friendship...? the echoing laughter of her father rang throughout the darkened hallways of her mind.

 

[jump.]

NUMBER FIVE

mood

enraged

outfit

here

location

finally out the cell woohoo!

tags

p much everyone in proximity again lol

The sudden beeping of his collar didn't phase him. He knew that Nocturne's threat was empty. He wouldn't dispose of him for a stupid comment alone. Even so, the irritation present on the man's face was enough to cause a wide smirk to blossom across his own, rocking back on his heels as an amused chuckle spilled from his lips. Nevertheless, he shortly fell silent, mouth still tugged into a shit-eating smirk and eyes narrowed into a venomous squint. He didn't bother to speak, only listen, head cocking to the side as the others spoke words of interest, or revealed further information.

It seemed as if someone else was behind all this. Much like Vinci, Nocturne was just another pawn in the grand scheme of things. And if he were to make any guesses, so were they, most likely. They were here for a reason, after all. Whoever the mastermind was wouldn't go through all this effort for nothing. As Nocturne's speech continued, a feeling akin to unease began to build within his stomach, his flitting gaze growing more rapid, and body thrumming with restlessness. "Oh....my dear. It's not a question of whether you 'deserve' anything at all. It's a question of how far you willing to go for what you hold most precious on this little world of ours?" Number Five wasn't stupid. He was the opposite, in fact. Too bright for his own good. A mathematical genius, caged within the body of a teenage boy. He knew what that sentence meant. He knew the threat that was behind their captors words.

His family wasn't safe. His family wasn't safe, and they wouldn't be safe, unless he cooperated with the person behind all this.

It took every ounce of physical restraint he had not to lurch forward and grip the bars of his cage with his hands, scream into the void, let his anger bubble over and explode. The rage itched. It bubbled and pricked beneath his skin, as trapped and as caged as he was, begging -no, demanding- to be set free. He clamped his jaw shut, lips pulled back into a rapid snarl, eyes narrowed into a glare, and hands balled into fists. He could feel blood dripping down his palms, but he didn't care. All he cared about was that damn threat, the safety of his family, the only goddamn reason he was alive.

The others probably wished the same as him, wished to see everyone behind this dead. Wished to personally deliver the killing blow. He didn't care for them, they could try if they wanted. But this kill would be his. He was faster than them. He could close distance within the blink of an eye. He would be the one sending these people to Hell. He would be the one watching the light fade from their soulless eyes. No-one messed with his family.

A beep signalled the opening of their cells, but Five didn't move from his position. Instead, he remained rooted to the spot, eyes narrowed in suspicion as he observed the others, watched as they left their own cells. And waited. He wasn't one for self-preservation, but with the lives of his family at stake, he'd need to watch his own back. So he lingered, eyeing the others as they slowly filed out one by one. There didn't seem to be any threats of further danger, but even so, he remained tense and on edge, body coiled and wound up with tension.

His gaze rested on Guzma for a moment, watching as the man retrieved some kind of balls? Five had no idea what they were, but they were enough to grab his attention. After all, Guzma was the only one with those weird looking things in his cell. Were they some kind of personal weapon? A belonging, or item? Obviously they couldn't be of much threat, as everyone else remained cuffed, and he doubted their captors would risk providing weapons for dangerous individuals. "Nice balls." He commented dryly, pulling his eyes away from Guzma, and settled them back on Vinci instead, finally pushing himself into motion.

After all, there didn't seem to be much else to do than follow the retched thing. So he stuck to the back of the pack, mainly so he could keep an eye on everyone else, and assess the surroundings at the same time. The others were still... Weird. Some weren't even human, for Christ's sake. That goat woman? She'd caught his attention, especially with the small stunt she'd pulled shortly ago. He'd watched as her collar beeped with an inquisitive gaze, expression falling into disinterest as the beeping stopped. A shame, really. It wouldn't hurt to see just what the price of disobedience looked like.

"Not a talkative bunch, are you?" A pause. If he were able, he would've stuffed his hands into his pockets. This agitated restlessness wasn't exactly comfortable. His collar beeped as the blue hum of his powers crept across his hands. He flexed his fingers, watching the energy fizzle out. "Makes a nice difference. Usually people never shut up." Even so, he wasn't fond of silence. It reminded him too much of his old apocalyptic home.

coded by reveriee.

Spoiler: mobile friendly version.

The sudden beeping of his collar didn't phase him. He knew that Nocturne's threat was empty. He wouldn't dispose of him for a stupid comment alone. Even so, the irritation present on the man's face was enough to cause a wide smirk to blossom across his own, rocking back on his heels as an amused chuckle spilled from his lips. Nevertheless, he shortly fell silent, mouth still tugged into a shit-eating smirk and eyes narrowed into a venomous squint. He didn't bother to speak, only listen, head cocking to the side as the others spoke words of interest, or revealed further information.

It seemed as if someone else was behind all this. Much like Vinci, Nocturne was just another pawn in the grand scheme of things. And if he were to make any guesses, so were they, most likely. They were here for a reason, after all. Whoever the mastermind was wouldn't go through all this effort for nothing. As Nocturne's speech continued, a feeling akin to unease began to build within his stomach, his flitting gaze growing more rapid, and body thrumming with restlessness. "Oh....my dear. It's not a question of whether you 'deserve' anything at all. It's a question of how far you willing to go for what you hold most precious on this little world of ours?" Number Five wasn't stupid. He was the opposite, in fact. Too bright for his own good. A mathematical genius, caged within the body of a teenage boy. He knew what that sentence meant. He knew the threat that was behind their captors words.

His family wasn't safe. His family wasn't safe, and they wouldn't be safe, unless he cooperated with the person behind all this.

It took every ounce of physical restraint he had not to lurch forward and grip the bars of his cage with his hands, scream into the void, let his anger bubble over and explode. The rage itched. It bubbled and pricked beneath his skin, as trapped and as caged as he was, begging -no, demanding- to be set free. He clamped his jaw shut, lips pulled back into a rapid snarl, eyes narrowed into a glare, and hands balled into fists. He could feel blood dripping down his palms, but he didn't care. All he cared about was that damn threat, the safety of his family, the only goddamn reason he was alive.

The others probably wished the same as him, wished to see everyone behind this dead. Wished to personally deliver the killing blow. He didn't care for them, they could try if they wanted. But this kill would be his. He was faster than them. He could close distance within the blink of an eye. He would be the one sending these people to Hell. He would be the one watching the light fade from their soulless eyes. No-one messed with his family.

A beep signalled the opening of their cells, but Five didn't move from his position. Instead, he remained rooted to the spot, eyes narrowed in suspicion as he observed the others, watched as they left their own cells. And waited. He wasn't one for self-preservation, but with the lives of his family at stake, he'd need to watch his own back. So he lingered, eyeing the others as they slowly filed out one by one. There didn't seem to be any threats of further danger, but even so, he remained tense and on edge, body coiled and wound up with tension.

His gaze rested on Guzma for a moment, watching as the man retrieved some kind of balls? Five had no idea what they were, but they were enough to grab his attention. After all, Guzma was the only one with those weird looking things in his cell. Were they some kind of personal weapon? A belonging, or item? Obviously they couldn't be of much threat, as everyone else remained cuffed, and he doubted their captors would risk providing weapons for dangerous individuals. "Nice balls." He commented dryly, pulling his eyes away from Guzma, and settled them back on Vinci instead, finally pushing himself into motion.

After all, there didn't seem to be much else to do than follow the retched thing. So he stuck to the back of the pack, mainly so he could keep an eye on everyone else, and assess the surroundings at the same time. The others were still... Weird. Some weren't even human, for Christ's sake. That goat woman? She'd caught his attention, especially with the small stunt she'd pulled shortly ago. He'd watched as her collar beeped with an inquisitive gaze, expression falling into disinterest as the beeping stopped. A shame, really. It wouldn't hurt to see just what the price of disobedience looked like.

"Not a talkative bunch, are you?" A pause. If he were able, he would've stuffed his hands into his pockets. This agitated restlessness wasn't exactly comfortable. His collar beeped as the blue hum of his powers crept across his hands. He flexed his fingers, watching the energy fizzle out. "Makes a nice difference. Usually people never shut up." Even so, he wasn't fond of silence. It reminded him too much of his old apocalyptic home.

 

[MidwayLives]

Before Marcus left his "confines", he searched the "prison cell" for anything of use to him. Anything right now was better than nothing. He in particular was looking for something small and light, and sharp enough.

He looked back and made sure to search the area fully before he followed the shambling undead Davinci to their capturer.

Unfortunately for Marcus, his search would lead him nowhere fast.

The cells had been thoroughly inspected by Nocturne's other creations before those abducted by Vinci had been put into them.

For precisely this kind of reason.

By all means it seemed that Nocturne had left but for a split second or two, Marcus might have felt as though he could hear his mocking laughter on the wind.

But perhaps Marcus's efforts would not be in vain....
​

Again, her thoughts were derailed by the doors opening. Nocturne had finally gotten tired of toying with his catch, and was finally ready to get the show on the road. As 'Vinci began to leave, and several others followed, Alpha would file in with the crowd. Hopefully, her gear would be returned to her. Another thought would grip her. What if they had taken her journal? That would tell them everything. Who she was, WHAT she was, and what she was made for. The idea sickened her, and hastened her step.

She didn't want to give them any chances.

And that was about when the one, or at least someone, behind this strange gathering of individuals made his appearance. There was some sort of explanation, but other than learning why that stupid thing wouldn't die she didn't care too much about the details. Something about funding, or whatever. Long story short they just wanted to use them, as expected. But honestly, it was definitely better than just sitting in this cell all day. Plus, this was a pretty rare chance for some sort of freedom. Whatever this group of weirdos was wanted for would probably be pretty chaotic, so who knew what might happen? Maybe a certain collar might be disabled, or even removed? It was definitely far better than possible alternatives, like just being put on death row or something.

"Well, at least we're out of here," Daria said with a shrug, walking out of her opened cell with a slight grin on her face. Best to go along for now. She'd already tried killing the thing, and clearly straightforward methods didn't work on it.

"Not a talkative bunch, are you?" A pause. If he were able, he would've stuffed his hands into his pockets. This agitated restlessness wasn't exactly comfortable. His collar beeped as the blue hum of his powers crept across his hands. He flexed his fingers, watching the energy fizzle out. "Makes a nice difference. Usually people never shut up." Even so, he wasn't fond of silence. It reminded him too much of his old apocalyptic home.

If Vinci had anything to say or comment, he....just didn't.

He kept his focus forward, slightly swaying from one side to the other as he walked. Almost as if he was unused to the basic action of walking.

Which given he was a mishmash of various corpse parts might not have been far off.

While the others had reacted in their own ways, they were certainly not alone in them.

~~~



"Sheesh...."

Whatever was keeping this 'thing' up and moving around smelled like death warmed over.

Having been able to simply shoot Vinci straight in the head and it not putting him down made one thing clear.

This guy wasn't gonna go down just like any run of the mill horror movie monster.

The fact that masked guy mentioned he'd outright killed this thing/seen it stop only for it to keep coming after him nearly sent a chill down her spine. Somebody or pieces of multiple somebodies were carved up, stitched up, and filled with some kind of absolutely revolting cocktail of chemicals and god knows what else.

Whoever was bankrolling Nocturne, Nagant had a couple of ideas as to why.

-Be test dummies for more things like Vinci?
-Or even worse, be turned into something like that?

"Yikes...."
​

"Makes a nice difference. Usually people never shut up." Even so, he wasn't fond of silence. It reminded him too much of his old apocalyptic home.

"Ehhhh, talking might be the only thing that could take somebody's mind off the explosive-laden collars around our necks."

She nodded towards Vinci.

"Well, that and this guy's smell."

An attempt at a joke to brighten the mood, desolate as it seemed.

Vinci either didn't hear or even acknowledge the insult. Maybe he couldn't?

~~~~



"..."

Hei simply stayed quiet and bided his time.

Eventually this thing's guard would be down and he'd find a way out of these cuffs.

He'd dispose of this crime against humanity and take out the ones behind this.

Killing was one thing but he'd never done it with a bomb around his neck.

As for interacting with the others? Hei didn't seem interested in partaking. These people's lives meant absolutely nothing to him.

He had to focus on him and him alone.

A task impeded-even if ever so slightly-by Guzma bumping shoulders with him.

"Hey. You said you killed that thing right? Like one-down-in the ground?"

Hei didn't say anything but yet Guzma continued.

"....Okay, taking your silence as a 'yeah I sure did.' Listen, I had a plan-"

"Don't."

Was all Hei said.

"Don't??! This thing could be leading us to our death for all you know and I'm not supposed to try and do anything about it?!"

Hei stopped walking and motioned for Guzma to lean in. Once the trainer eventually did, Hei stomped on his foot and pressed his forehead against Guzma's.

"Stop. Speaking. So. Loudly. You don't even have the slightest clue what abilities this thing has. Or if that doctor can see or even hear us through it. How do you plan on dealing with the creatures next to it? What if you attacking it triggers our collars? I'm only going to warn you once." Hei shoved Guzma back and shook his head. "I'll see you dead before I end up a casualty of your stupidity."

Then Hei moved on.

~~~

It might have seemed obvious at this point but Guzma had quickly reached the limit of people either:

-insulting him
-patronizing him
-a little bit of column a and a little bit of column b

Watching in anger as Hei walked away from him, Guzma's face shifted as he hunched over slightly, his entire being pulsing with rage.

"I didn't even mean to get caught up in this stupid place..."

Guzma grit his teeth. He felt like he was on the verge of exploding.

Not...literally. Hopefully anyway.

"No matter what I say....Everyone's got a 'wise' comment for ol Guzma..."

His eyes narrowed and his hands balled up into fists.

Then the -figurative- explosion went off and like any explosion, the shockwave was massive.



"THE REST OF YOU CAN FOLLOW THIS ROTTEN BAG OF GRIME AND MUCK BUT I AIN'T GOIN FOR IT! THERE'S ONLY PERSON IN CHARGE OF MY LIFE AND THAT'S ME! G-U-Z-M-A! I'M TAKING THIS THING DOWN AND THEN I'M TAKING DOWN EVERYONE OF THE FREAKS AND WEIRDOS BEHIND IT!" Guzma bellowed with such bombastic presence, you'd have to be hard of hearing to not hear it pillaging your ears. Nagant groaned and Hei's gaze turned back towards Guzma. His ability was restricted but if he broke this idiot's neck before he did anything more, there was the slightest chance this situation could be salvaged without him being forced to die alongside this blowhard. Just one good blow to the neck.

Then Vinci came to a stop.

"YEAH! YEAH THAT'S RIGHT MAGGOT BOIIIIIIIII!!! I'M TALKIN TO YA! WHY DON'T YOU TURN AROUND AND FIGHT US-" Guzma said completely ignoring the fact that as it stood it seemed like nobody was on his side with Hei slowly moving towards him, intent on breaking Guzma's neck.

Vinci slowly turned....

Guzma grinned and reached for one the red and white balls he'd grabbed on the way out of his cell. "Heh! Here, take this! Go Masquerian!" The ball hit the ground at Guzma's feet and a bright white light erupted forth from it.

Hei was forced to come to a stop due to the sudden flash. What was this idiot doing??

As the light faded, a strange looking creature-looked almost like an unorthodox combination of a butterfly/moth with two pairs of rhombus-shaped wings on each side of its body. It's eyes locked onto Vinci who still hadn't said anything. "Go! Use Ice Beam on this freakshow!" The creature cried out. "Masquerain!" Then as Hei lunged to take Guzma down, whatever the talking idiot had unleashed fired a bright blue beam straight at the zombie. Vinci didn't seem perturbed however and made no attempt to dodge, instead only shifting it's tattered cloak to the side and raising it's left hand, scarred up with stitches running across it's fingers and down the length of the arm proper.

"Heh. Yeah, go ahead and just try to tank it! You brainless freak!"

Vinci didn't respond to the comment and still seemingly refused to dodge.

'Once the beam hits, this thing will be a zombiesicle and we won't have an undead babysitter anymore.'

The beam sailed forward but just before it hit-

"Stop."

The beam distorted with edges of it jutting in and out. Almost as if it were being disrupted in some manner.

"What the-What the hell's going on?? What are you doing?!"

The beam continued freaking out before disappearing entirely. As though it'd never been fired in the first place. Guzma couldn't believe his eyes and neither could Nagant for that matter.

"With just a word....It completely nullified that attack." It seemed as though refusing to stay dead wasn't the only trick this thing had up it's sleeves.



Hei lowered his cuffs as he'd been seconds away from likely killing Guzma. What Vinci had done may have been a surprise to the others but not to him. This thing had something each time before Hei 'killed' it and then 'fast forward' when it suddenly overtook him in terms of speed. This 'stop' command seemed to just negate anything thrown at it. Almost like this thing just refused to allow that attack to connect. So it just stopped....existing.

"Unbelievable..."

Guzma was understandably a bit taken aback. Oddly enough despite Guzma's clear attempts at 'killing' Vinci/trying to escape, none of the collars had beeped. "I...What...." The trainer could only mutter in disbelief as both he and Pokemon along took slow steps back. Lowering it's hand, Vinci looked towards Masquerain and spoke again.

"Fast....forward."

Having seen the hulking mass of dead meat look towards that cute thing, Nagant's eyes shot wide open. "Hey! Stop standing there gawking and recall your pet! That thing is coming for it!" She barked out as Guzma blinked back to attention. "R-Right! Masquerain return-"

"Masquera-in!!!!"

It was too late.

The ball was crushed underfoot and Vinci closed one of it's hands around Masquerain's diminutive body. Vinci had closed the distance in seconds.

"L-Look! I-I know I messed up! I shouldn't have attacked you! But let my Pokemon go! It was only doin what I told it to do! The one you should be squeezing like a tube of toothpaste is me! So c'mon! Just let me return it!"

Vinci tilted it's head as though it were considering Guzma's words.

"No."

*squelch*

With a mighty flick of the wrist, Vinci threw the crushed up carcass of Masquerain against the wall. Watching in horror as it slid down to the ground and left a bright blue sticky trail on the wall where it'd been thrown against, Vinci continued to speak. Though by the pauses between each word it was clear it either was uncomfortable with speaking or struggled with the act altogether.

"....can't kill any of you....right now. doctor's boss....wants you....alive."

Vinci nodded towards the meat patty on the ground, spreading blue blood across the floor.

"but....i can....kill....it."

Vinci looked towards the others.

"follow. no....more....talking."

Just like that, Vinci turned away from Guzma and kept on walking.

~~~

Hei sighed. Crisis averted. His head wasn't blowing up yet.

He stepped past the animal-or whatever it'd been, it was dead now-'s corpse without a comment.

It'd only been doing what the idiot commanding it to do had asked of it.

All the way to the grave.

Guzma fell to his knees. One of the pokemon that he'd raised. That he'd seen grow throughout the years just as he himself grew and changed as a person. It was just little more than a fleshy bloody ball laying on the floor. The wings would never flap again.



"Masquerain...."

No matter if he said it's name, it wouldn't change what had happened.

"....My little dude..."

What he'd caused by not taking Hei's strongly-worded 'advice.'

"...Not you..."

~~~~



Nagant could only look upon Guzma with pity. His heart had been in the right place but not the right time. Both he and the pet he'd brought out had paid for it. One with it's life and the other....Well, Guzma was still around to feel the anguish. In better times she might have reached a hand out towards him. But with some of the other people here, she had to focus on herself. There just wasn't room for sympathy here. Not when their lives hung in the balance. She steeled herself and continued to walk past Guzma. Even as she could hear him sniffling. Whether anybody attempted to comfort Guzma or not, the group eventually found themselves lead to what appeared to be some kind of control room. The room itself was a sickeningly consistent shade of dull white all the way across from the walls to the floor. Neon lights glowed overhead as a steel staircase lead up to a grey desk with a man sitting at it. Behind said man was a massive monitor that seemed to show camera feeds of areas that those gathered might have been to at one point/frequented. The two 'camera creatures' that'd been accompanying Vinci grinned and walked away on all fours up the stairs as Vinci stepped off to the side.

Sitting at the top of the staircase appeared to be a young boy-if one had to hazard a guess they were probably around 11-12. He was dressed in all black-clothing with a black long sleeved shirt and matching jeans with tears in the knees. His bright red sneakers appeared to be the only 'bright' color on him beside his eyes. Which even through the shaggy bush of jet black hair resting atop his head stared dead ahead at those who'd gathered(including Guzma albeit incredibly reluctantly at this point)with his blood red eyes which seemed so glaring you'd almost swear they were glowing like gems. There wasn't a collar to be seen on him.

The man at the desk was dressed in a black longcoat with a grey scarf masking his mouth/nose. He looked up from the laptop that seemed to have been occupying his attention to address those he'd ordered Nocturne to have Vinci capture. Despite most of it behind masked away, one could tell this man had seen his own fair share of ordeals with a complexion that looked utterly weathered with short silver hair and piercing grey eyes. The camera creature shook it's head and just as it'd done before, a projection of the heinous doctor who'd created both of them and Vinci reappeared.

"Not going to join me in person, Nocturne?"

The projection of Nocturne shook his head. "Ah, I'm afraid not sir. There are some gathered that I'd believe would try to play a bit....rough if I appeared physically. I think I'll be keeping my distance for the time being.~" Nocturne explained with a smug glance being thrown both towards Mileena and Alpha.

"Alright then." Rising to his feet, the man exuded an aura of bloodthirstiness. As if taking the lives of everyone in this room if they forced his hand was something he'd relish in. Standing at around 6'4, he nearly stood shoulder to shoulder with Nocturne's star pupil, Vinci. He came to a stop, his black steel-toed boots ceasing their trotting around in the process, at the top of the staircase standing beside the young child who'd still yet to say a word.

It might have also been obvious by this point but the man spoke with quite a thick German accent.

"Everyone. My name is Christof Lotz and as of now? You all work for me."

Squad141 Squad141 BuggaBoo BuggaBoo Sleek Sleek darkred darkred Fuyou-Kay Fuyou-Kay jump.

( Ringrose Stricken Steel nocchi Clan Ize expect a DM from me shortly explaining how/when you'll jump in!)​

 

[darkred]

>>Marcus Wright>>>​

---

​

---

Marcus inwardly cursed as his search ended up fruitless. Whoever was inside before cleaned the cages throughout. Ignoring the stifling laughter coming from around the area, Marcus frowned and ran ahead to catch up with the group following behind the shuffling Davinci.

After finally catching up with the group, he smelled blood a fair distance away, some sort of animal blood. He didn't catch right away what was killed, but he heard crying. He was silent as he walked away.

As he stopped, he looked up at the man with the German accent named Christof Lotz and frowned.

MidwayLives Squad141 BuggaBoo Sleek darkred Fuyou-Kay jump.​

 

[BuggaBoo]

MILEENA​

---

And as predicted, the bumbling bufoon got someone killed.

Quite anticlimactic and pathetic really, Mileena mused to herself as she unceremoniously stepped over the blubbering Guzma as it kneeled over the pooling blue ichor. What a waste. If it had only paid attention the first time it was attacked it should have known that any future transgressions would prove to be fruitless without first figuring out Stinky-Vinci's weaknesses. Instead, the goggled goof got its little minion killed. First the rotted creature stated; 'Not Fast Enough.' Now it was; 'Stop. Fast-Forward.' Resulting in squashed bug. No prisoners this time. Boo-hoo.

A sharp, toothy sneer lifted most of her top lip. And also from behind that mask of the assassin escaped a low, throaty growl. Yellow eyes narrowed then shot daggers in the back of the lensed-creature that projected the hologram of the bespectacled mad scientist. Mileena was even more annoyed at Nocturne than the impulsive idiot. This was another missed opportunity to see the collar's 'effectiveness' put on display. And a welcome show it would have been; if it survived the blast, Mileena would have definitely taken the goggles as a souvenir. But regardless of her annoyance, she continued to march in step like rank and file soldiers ready to meet their doom on the battlefield.

Climbing the last of the steps led her into the control room. Here, she did note the non-collared little boy and wondered if this would be the fate of the collared, mouthy little-boy in their group. To become a servant of these megalomaniacs surely was not on the little-boy's bucket-list-of-things-to-do-before-I-die, she was certain. But here they all were, presided over by this scarf-wearing 'brains of the operation' and it was telling all of them that they all worked for him now. Mileena merely stood there, chin up, cuffed arms lowered and hands folded neatly at waist level. And as per usual, she would not only size him up as he spoke but also get a visual of the surrounding area.

So they were to all serve this 'Christof Lotz.' And of course, they all would. How else were they all to be freed as Nocturne had stated earlier? Well, maybe not all... there was still a chance that someone amongst them might not have learned their lesson and maybe, just maybe, that someone might decide to throw another red and white ping-pong ball at the scarfed man or even the little servant boy.

 

[MidwayLives]

After finally catching up with the group, he smelled blood a fair distance away, some sort of animal blood. He didn't catch right away what was killed, but he heard crying. He was silent as he walked away.

As he stopped, he looked up at the man with the German accent named Christof Lotz and frowned.

So they were to all serve this 'Christof Lotz.' And of course, they all would. How else were they all to be freed as Nocturne had stated earlier? Well, maybe not all... there was still a chance that someone amongst them might not have learned their lesson and maybe, just maybe, that someone might decide to throw another red and white ping-pong ball at the scarfed man or even the little servant boy.

Cristof raised an eyebrow at Marcus's frown.

"Oh? Do you not care for your current circumstances?" He asked though the answer was as obvious as the sun was bright.

Then although the group couldn't see it, they could feel the wicked aura emitting from Christof's person. As though smiling behind his scarf radiated just how wicked of a man this really was. "Feel free to voice any complaints or issues you have. I'm more than willing to hear them." He placed a gloved hand atop the boy's head. "But ultimately I'm afraid...The needs and wants of those such as your ilk are of no concern to my goals."

Hei as usual said nothing.

Nagant scoffed. Just another egotistical tyrant who was letting the current level of control he had over them get to his head.

Guzma-of course-was the one who voiced his thoughts. His face was soaked with dried tears and his eyes were red and puffy. Stepping towards the staircase, Vinci started to move only for Christof to shoot a glance at Nocturne's projection. "Ah. Vinci, stand down my boy."

The undead goliath did as it was told. "urgh......"

Guzma balled his hands up into fists as he stopped beside Vinci. He didn't give one crap whether this thing had self-awareness to realize what it was/what it'd done. It'd killed one of his most treasured companions. Then tossed it's body aside as though it were little more than the wrapper of a candy bar that he'd savagely devoured. All in front of Guzma's eyes. Attacking him here would solve nothing other than getting himself (and possibly the others) killed. Instead he tilted his head upwards and glared daggers at the man who was apparently responsible for all of this. Christof returned the stare with a cool self-assured gaze. "Have you something to say to me? If so, go on and say it then. You're in no danger for simply speaking your mind."

"I wanna know why the hell you brought me here."

"Oh?"

"Don't 'oh' me, you scarf-wearing bastard! I was just minding my own business when that 'thing' appeared out of nowhere and attacked me! I don't even have the slightest idea what I have in common with any of these other guys!" Guzma gestured towards Five. "This one's a kid for crying out loud!" Then he threw up his hands in Mileena's general direction. "I don't even KNOW what the deal is with her!" Then he finished by gesturing at Alpha. "Is this one a Pokemon or something else?? I don't know! What I DO know is that freak killed one of my companions in cold blood! I don't care what it takes! If I gotta beat the answers out of you! I want a reason and I want it NOW!" Guzma solidified his righteous fury with a defiant stomp on the floor.

Nocturne twitched and muttered something under his breath. There these cretins went again insulting Vinci-his prized work-as though it were a crime against nature. What and who were nature/god respectively to judge how he did his work?? The views of the trees and some imaginary figure in the sky above would not dictate his actions. He'd work and do as he pleased without judgment! "You inspid fool, I'll-" Christof held up a hand. Nocturne grumbled but seemed to relent on carrying out the rest of whatever threat he had planned for Guzma. "I was actually going to explain why I had Nocturne's creature capture you all but if you'd like, I can tell you specifically why you were captured. Guzma was it?"

Then what the man said next shook Guzma to his core.

"You were an accident."

"...W-What?"

"Just as I said. I'd only recently learned of your world and the strange animal-like creatures that inhabit it. 'Pokemon' are what I believe you referred to them as. There was one in particular that I'd desired. A man who went by the name of Cyrus." Christof closed his eyes and sighed. "But alas no matter how hard the zombie looked, it couldn't find him. Instead, I believe you were taken as some kind of replacement. Nothing special about you intrigues me in the slightest." Then Christof's eyes grew cold. "I'd have let Vinci kill you where you stand but the bond you seem to have with your 'Pokemon' is one not so easily replicated. Even if I were to have Nocturne force them to obey, I doubt it'd last long-term. Thus you remain alive. Not for whatever potential you may or may not believe to have in yourself. But for those marvelous animals of yours..."

"....."

"Does that answer your question, Guzma?"

~~~~



How...How did you even begin to respond to something like that?

His entire life had been turned upside down all just because...what? He was the second best thing to whoever this 'Cyrus' guy was? Kidnapped and beaten up in broad daylight? Having an explosive collar strapped to his neck. Watching Vinci's cold dead hands squeeze Masquerain until the poor Pokémon exploded like a wet balloon. All because him being taken was just an accident.

Guzma fell silent.



"If you're done picking on the weak and stupid, I'd ask that you get to the point of all this."

Hei said, finally speaking up for the first time besides his earlier comments to Nagant and Guzma.

Christof seemed absolutely delighted at the notion.

"I'd be glad to." Then he eyed the cuffs binding the hands of those currently assembled. "Nocturne."

Whatever he was going to be asked to do, Nocturne seemed reluctant. "Are you sure, sir? Some of them might-"

"Nocturne. Do it."

The scientist nodded his head and with a clap of his hands, the cuffs beeped before opening up and falling to the ground. It seemed as even though Marcus was unable to find anything to pick the locks, the cuffs had been deactivated all the same. Hei rubbed at his wrists and attempted to channel his power. The collar gave a slight 'beep!' as a warning and the killer sighed. Well, it was a step in in the right direction. Nagant blinked at what had just been done. Was it a sign of flaunting his power yet again? Their hands were free and yet there was still the tense feeling of helplessness that Nagant just couldn't shake off. Giving it a bit of effort, her arm shifted into it's rifle form. It was only out for the briefest of seconds before the collar made it clear that action was not a-ok.

*beep beep beep*



"I don't appreciate being mocked. If you're gonna free our hands, what's the point if you're gonna keep the collars?"

"That's a simple one to answer. With the collars I can exert my influence over you all. If I were to order Nocturne to deactivate them as well....Well, what reason would you have to do as a I say?" Christof glanced over some of those in particular. From Richard who hadn't said so much as a word since following the group to Hei and then to Marcus. "All the same,I wouldn't recommend defying me. What would your loved ones think if you ended up like this?" He waved a hand in Vinci's direction. Snapping out of his despondent funk, Guzma's face looked as though he were going to wretch. "Wait...The zombie's made out of other people that you've captured for this whole shindig??"

Come to think of it, the more Guzma looked over Vinci some things didn't seem to match up. All of the exposed skin was pale and blue-ish like that of a corpse that hadn't been prepped properly/was undergoing the process of decomposition. But some of the coloration of the skin didn't match in some spots. The left arm was white and the right black and Vinci's hands looked off as though someone had taken two hands from opposite cadavers and stitched them onto the opposing arms. That bombshell might have also explained why Vinci gave off the scent that it did. The various parts that made it up had individually undergone different stages of rotting with Nocturne having done his best to stave it off by embalming Vinci with whatever that black gunk was.

"Nothing went to waste, I can assure you of that." Nocturne commented proudly of his experiment.

"Ugh...." Guzma felt as though he was going to heave. That was absolute nightmare territory. Dying and having his face or limbs stapled onto somebody else's corpse and turned into some kind of brainless monster. "So, while I cannot and will not remove the collars, I can at least do this much for you all." Christof snapped his fingers and one of the camera creatures ambled down the stairs, shaking and looking over the prisoners with saliva dripping down it's exposed gums. "ghfhh....." It croaked as it moved to walk past Vinci and towards a nearby computer. It's spindly fingers tapped out a pattern on the keyboard and next to the computer, a wall slid to the side revealing the equipment that'd been taken from them all upon being captured/imprisoned.

Grabbing as much of the stockpile of weapons and whatever else as it could, it moved to lay them at the feet of whom each item belonged to. Hei snatched the knife from the abomination's grip and pocketed it. The temptation to drive it through the camera lenses that made up the specimen's eyes had been high but Hei resisted it at the very last second. Nagant had her weapon built into her body so she only watched with a blatant expression of disgust as the creature shambled past her and handed off Mileena's sais to her. "You won't be of much use to me with just your bare hands, now will you?" Christof quipped though he stifled a chuckle as he looked at Hei who'd managed to 'kill' Vinci twice during his capture and Mileena and Alpha who clearly expressed killing intent towards Nocturne. "Well, some of you might be examples to the rule."

~~~



Accepting his knives without so much as a comment shared, Richard glowered at Christof.

The bastard knew what he implied with the stare earlier. That regardless of the collars, if they didn't dance to this man's tune, whatever loved ones they may have had would be in danger.

Even if they did listen to every detail, every task, who's to say they wouldn't still be at risk?

Nothing.

The only way he'd be sure is if this bastard was dead. He'd seen some of Vinci's abilities. The undead freak had the power to 'stop' any attack launched it's way. To increase it's speed-in short bursts or for a long period of time wasn't confirmed-and to freeze someone or something in place if that masked guy's words carried truth to them. Weighing out the options in his head, Richard knew that this thing was simple as far as strategy went. It'd do whatever it needed to try and get a fight over with. If it didn't work then it'd just keep hammering away until it did. Which meant that any blow Richard landed would need to be a decisive one. Right out of the gate. As long as he kept that thing out of his way, taking down the architect behind his being here.

He stepped towards the staircase and was only able to take a step onto the first stair before Vinci grabbed him by the arm. "Get....back...." The zombie ordered. Richard exhaled and nodded. "Okay." He said and as he started to pull his foot back, he could feel Vinci's grip on him relaxing. The second the zombie's grip left his arm, Richard lashed out with a knife slipping into his grasp from his sleeve. He moved to try and plunge it right into Vinci's shoulder. Grasping the living one's wrist with his hand, Vinci easily stopped the strike. "How dare you!!!" Nocturne screeched while Christof could hardly contain his laughter. "Hahahaha! It seems there's quite a number of impulsive youths among you lot isn't there?" From Guzma attempting to attack Vinci and now Richard. Only Richard's real goal wasn't Vinci at all.

"Sto-"

"Stop." Richard repeated, cutting off Vinci, as he twirled a knife in his free hand and stuck it right into Vinci's exposed neck. The same black goop practically spurted out over Richard's own gas mask and torso as Vinci lost it's grip and stumbled back as Richard gripped onto the knife's hilt and tore a jagged swath across the zombie's throat. "Urgkkk....ghhhhfkk....aghhhhhhh..." Vinci couldn't speak thus it couldn't activate it's powers. Vinci fell onto it's back.

Nocturne....wasn't happy.

"You son of a bitch! LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE!!!! VINCI!!!!"

Richard's collar and only his began wailing like a police siren. But it didn't stop his stride in the slightest. Pulling out three other knives from his jacket(he'd been given back the whole lot of them by the camera monster)he flung them at the child, Christof, and the other camera creature that was projecting Nocturne's image. The child casually swung the knife away from him, smashing it to pieces in the process. The knife hit home on the creature and it shrieked and cried as the same black substance that kept Vinci moving seeped from the wound, distorting Nocturne's projection. "Eeeeeeek! Skreeeeeeee!!!!"

Christof merely captured the knife out of mid air-inches away from his face as it were-.

Stomping up the steps, Richard reared back the knife left in his hand and struck it downwards. For a split second those with sharp enough eyes like Mileena and Daria and Fives might have actually seen Christof lean into the knife strike. Which on it's own seemed foolish and suicidal but-

*shatter*

The knife's blade broke into pieces and fell to the floor at Richard and Christof's feet. Richard's eyes lit up and he blinked in utter disbelief. What in the hell was going on here? Why had the knife broken? This guy looked like any other man. Was he some kind of cyborg? Had he broken the knife in some other way that Richard somehow hadn't seem? It didn't make any sense! Christof either feeling the confusion in the air or just amused at the situation threw back his head and laughed. "Hahahaha, it seems I've left you looking for answers...Ones I'll gladly give you..." The beeping grew louder. "But first...Vinci." Richard looked back over his shoulder. It couldn't have been. He saw that thing fall down with it's throat cut wide open like a Christmas ham.

Indeed the wound was still there but upon being prompted, Vinci slowly sat up from the puddle of black liquid. Placing one hand towards Richard and the other digging inside the wound to try and find it's vocal chords, it pulled at them. "Pause." The others could feel a slight chill in the air and Hei bristled. That was the ability Vinci had used to freeze him in place. Unable to speak, unable to even blink. He could only watch as Vinci beat him to the point of blacking out. Richard froze in place. He couldn't even move his eyes. "Thank you." Christof said to the injured zombie before glancing at the others. "Any others wish to attack me? Now's your chance."

Presuming nobody took Christof up on his offer, he chuckled and turned back to Richard who's collar was still steadily beeping. "If I were just an ordinary man, your plan might have worked. Disable Vinci even if only briefly, stab me, maybe even find a way to disable your collar before it exploded." Shifting his scarf slightly, Christof showed a star like scar on the right side of his neck. "Much like how Vinci has their powers, Nocturne and I have our own. His ability allows him to learn at a much quicker rate than any normal human. Myself?" He tapped where Richard had tried and fail to stab him. "Have you ever heard of the saying 'I think therefore I am?' Well...." Christoff glared. " 'I believe I am invincible and thus I am.' As long as I believe in whatever I claim, it becomes true. So, truthfully it didn't matter if you stabbed me, shot me, blasted me, what have you. None of it would have worked. Because I don't believe it would."

The last light on the collar had been tripped.

"Nocturne. Use the boy and remove this cretin from my sight. I'm done looking at him." He glanced over at Nocturne's shimmering projection. "Do it before the explosion destroys this room." Although neither Nocturne or Christof had outrighted stated it, the yield inside the collars was enough to demolish a regular-sized house. Just completely eviscerate it. Which meant that for Richard...

"Wit-With p-pl-pleasure, sir." Nocturne growled, his speech broken up due to the projection being disrupted and Alpha might have been interested in seeing the strange looking book that Nocturne had pulled from his jacket. It was purple in color and had some kind of indecipherable text on the cover. "Science isn't the only field I dabble in. You have to be able to acquaint yourself with all kinds of methods....Such as magic." He flipped the book open and the boy moved towards Richard. A glow came from the interior of the book and the strange boy held his hand out towards Richard.

"Do it, Unity! Durando!"

Just then, the others would have seen what appeared to be a massive black spherical distortion appear from the boy's palm. It looked about as big as a boulder in a quarry. As tendrils surged from all around it, it began to encompass Richard's person. The man's thoughts wandered to that of his assistant, Danielle. The loved one that Christof had implicitly threatened. His vision grew blurry and the last thing the others would have seen of him was this-

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*

The explosion was mostly contained within the sphere but it didn't spare the rest of the group from seeing Richard's person explode into bloody chunks, bits and pieces of metal and plastic from his gas mask and knives swirling around the gore and viscera. While the explosion itself had been contained, a portion of the shockwave hadn't. Cascading across the room, those with a weaker disposition like Guzma were thrown back, slamming into the wall. Hei dug in his heels and held his arms over his face as he gritted his teeth and tried to prevent himself from being tossed back. Nagant shifted her arm back to rifle form and rested against the rifle's stand to try and ground herself.

Neither the boy that Nocturne had referred to as Unity or Christoff appeared to be effected by the shockwave. The projecting creature sniveled and shrieked as it hid behind Christof for protection. Once the shockwave had fully subsided, Unity waved his hand and the sphere-still full of the human soup that just seconds ago was once a human being named Richard-dissipated.

~~~



"Where....Where did it go?"

Both the sphere and Richard's messy remains.

Christof shrugged.

"Wherever trash is to be properly disposed of I suppose." The man shook his head from side to side while sticking his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "Ah, it's a almost a shame to lose one of you so early on. Is what I would believe if I didn't have spares. Unity." The boy nodded and held out both of his hands this time. The book that Nocturne was holding gave off that same almost blinding glow. "DemiDurando!" Once he'd finished reading off what by all means sounded like some of spell or incantation, two black spheres-these ones around the size of basketballs appeared in front of each of Unity's hands. The one on the right if looked into revealed what appeared to be a room with others in a worse predicament to the group's own. Only they hadn't been split up. With their wrists bound to the wall and their own collars strapped around their necks, the red glow of the room made it seem like that it was more than a little warm in that room as well.

"Bring them here." Christof ordered and Unity nodded. The sphere on the left began to grow bigger while the one on the right grew smaller. By the end the one on the left had engorged itself to the size of a SUV while the right was no bigger than a golf ball. Just then one by one these 'new' prisoners were hurled through the sphere crashing onto the ground with little to no preparation, practically landing atop eachother. One girl seemed to resemble a child-similar to Unity-in stature, another looked...well, he looked like a bit of a jackass, and more.

"Now. That you're all together, do any of you have further attempts on my life that you'd wish to make?"​

Squad141 Sleek Fuyou-Kay jump. BuggaBoo Clan Ize nocchi Ringrose darkred Stricken Steel FactionParadox Funnier President

 

[jump.]

NUMBER FIVE

mood

agitated, restless

outfit

here

location

still with the others hehe

tags

everyone in proximity!

Well shit. These assholes weren't fucking around, as evidenced by the brutal death of Guzma's weird... Moth thing. He didn't often feel sympathy for others, after all, why should he? He didn't know them. They didn't mean anything to him. So why should he care? But that creature -fuck... Maybe he had a slight soft spot for animals- staring at it's lifeless body made him feel physically sick. Who would do that sort of thing to an animal? What kind of sick bastard would even think about killing an animal?

Nothing was said to Guzma, or anyone else. Five swallowed down his discomfort, finally peeling his eyes away from the dead insect thing to focus on the situation as a whole. There wasn't a way out of this. It was cooperate or die. Cooperate, or watch loved ones die. And loved ones for him meant his family.

Christ, he was fucked. The whole scenario was fucked.

His palms bled from how hard he'd been clenching his fists. Yet, he continued to dig his nails in.

He followed without a word, eyes set upon Vinci's back, expression blank. He couldn't risk displaying fear or discomfort. He couldn't let these assholes know they were getting to him. And that he was afraid, not for his own wellbeing, but for that of his family. He didn't care about what could be done to him. But them? His siblings? Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus and Vanya? They were in danger. And if he even stepped a damn toe out of line, they could end up as dead as Guzma's beloved pet. He raised his cuffed arms up, threading his fingers through his hair, fisting at the strands in frustration. A near-silent "Shit..." Was breathed out through clenched teeth.

All that was left to do, all that he could do, was listen and comply. So, he did.

The mastermind, Christof, introduced himself, and all Five could do was stare. He didn't have any words to say to this man. Well, he did, but the particular choice of words darting through his mind weren't exactly pleasant. So he kept his mouth shut, listened to the German bastard speak, and observed in silence. Fortunately, once again, Guzma was willing to speak for them all.

"This one's a kid for crying out loud!"

His mouth pulled into a tight frown, head snapping towards Guzma to glare daggers at the man. After a long moment, he pried his jaw apart further enough to speak. "I'm older than you, asshole." The man looked what? Somewhere within his thirties? Heck, he was probably older than most of the people here. With a huff, he rocked back on his heels, tightening his jaw once again. His teeth felt like they could break in half, but quite frankly, he didn't give a shit. He turned his attention back to Christof. "As much as I appreciate a good monologue, I want to know why I'm here and what you've done with my family." The feral snarl was back on his face, lips pulled back, teeth bared. He didn't care for all this talk, he didn't even care that his hands were now free. He knew damn well that if he attempted to jump, his head would likely be blown off before he could even step out of his portal.

Even so, now that his powers were no longer being supressed, he could feel the violent thrum of energy pulsing through his veins. It was uncomfortable. It burned. The sedative had caused a build up, and he needed to expel the excess energy. But he couldn't. He bounced restlessly in place, stuffing his hands into his short pockets as he fidgeted, continuing to rock back on his heels, body restless and agitated. "What she said." He nodded towards Nagant, eyebrows tightly knit in irritation. "If we can't do anything, you might as well have kept these cuffs on."

Now he was buzzing with too much energy. It was uncomfortable. He wanted to expel it. But he didn't want to be blown up.

"...Unless this is only temporary." Perhaps they'd be allowed use of their powers once their higher-ups were safely tucked away God-knows where. From what he could gather, Christof had picked them in particular for a reason. And as he'd mentioned to Guzma, he wished to utilize their abilities. So it was just a matter of waiting until he could safely jump. Which could be who-knows how long, given these idiots seemed to enjoy talking.

He fell silent, rolling his eyes as the talk continued, only displaying interest as Richard seemed to incapacitate Vinci. Wasn't that thing unkillable? What was this idiot doing? He was going to get himself killed if he kept this up. An eyebrow raised, mouth tugging into an amused smirk as Richard's attempted assault continued. "You really had to go and pick the ones without any braincells, didn't you?" He glanced at Christof, watching Richard's failed attempt to kill him, watching as the knife seemed to shatter upon impact with the German man's body.

...Interesting.

"Then why don't you just believe we'll all be obedient?"

Five returned to silence after his comment, distracted by the escalation of events. And well... The whole magic bullshit that was now taking place. Richard had been contained in some kind of magical sphere, presumably to prevent the room, and the rest of them from blowing up. And honestly? Watching someone get blown to smithereens didn't sound like a bad source of entertainment. Unfortunately, his viewing experience was disrupted by a goddamn shockwave.

His scrawny stature meant he was sent flying backward by the sudden blast, and he likely would have collided with the wall behind him had he not thrown himself through a spacial portal. The collar beeped viciously, but he came out unscathed, aside from a brief loss of balance that left him stumbling. Calculations were always made on the fly, and given that he'd been taken aback by the shockwave, he'd messed up his momentum somewhat and ended up nearly colliding with the wall anyway. He took a moment to catch himself, before turning his attention back to the sphere, and what remained of Richard.

He emitted a low whistle, leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest. "What a way to waste a good explosive." Well, now he knew for certain not to fuck with these guys. Not that he was stupid enough to do so, anyway. He had brains, unlike some of the others here. As much as he wanted to tear Christof and his companions apart with his bare hands, he knew better than to act on his impulses. Especially since it could get his family killed.

He only blinked at the others that had been thrown into the room, staring between each of them with disinterest. They didn't look too out of place, and were seemingly stuck in the same boat as everyone else, so his attention didn't linger on them for too long. Instead, he nodded towards Christof. "I don't know. Are you going to tell us what this is about yet?"

coded by reveriee.

Spoiler: mobile friendly.

Well shit. These assholes weren't fucking around, as evidenced by the brutal death of Guzma's weird... Moth thing. He didn't often feel sympathy for others, after all, why should he? He didn't know them. They didn't mean anything to him. So why should he care? But that creature -fuck... Maybe he had a slight soft spot for animals- staring at it's lifeless body made him feel physically sick. Who would do that sort of thing to an animal? What kind of sick bastard would even think about killing an animal?

Nothing was said to Guzma, or anyone else. Five swallowed down his discomfort, finally peeling his eyes away from the dead insect thing to focus on the situation as a whole. There wasn't a way out of this. It was cooperate or die. Cooperate, or watch loved ones die. And loved ones for him meant his family.

Christ, he was fucked. The whole scenario was fucked.

His palms bled from how hard he'd been clenching his fists. Yet, he continued to dig his nails in.

He followed without a word, eyes set upon Vinci's back, expression blank. He couldn't risk displaying fear or discomfort. He couldn't let these assholes know they were getting to him. And that he was afraid, not for his own wellbeing, but for that of his family. He didn't care about what could be done to him. But them? His siblings? Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus and Vanya? They were in danger. And if he even stepped a damn toe out of line, they could end up as dead as Guzma's beloved pet. He raised his cuffed arms up, threading his fingers through his hair, fisting at the strands in frustration. A near-silent "Shit..." Was breathed out through clenched teeth.

All that was left to do, all that he could do, was listen and comply. So, he did.

The mastermind, Christof, introduced himself, and all Five could do was stare. He didn't have any words to say to this man. Well, he did, but the particular choice of words darting through his mind weren't exactly pleasant. So he kept his mouth shut, listened to the German bastard speak, and observed in silence. Fortunately, once again, Guzma was willing to speak for them all.

"This one's a kid for crying out loud!"

His mouth pulled into a tight frown, head snapping towards Guzma to glare daggers at the man. After a long moment, he pried his jaw apart further enough to speak. "I'm older than you, asshole." The man looked what? Somewhere within his thirties? Heck, he was probably older than most of the people here. With a huff, he rocked back on his heels, tightening his jaw once again. His teeth felt like they could break in half, but quite frankly, he didn't give a shit. He turned his attention back to Christof. "As much as I appreciate a good monologue, I want to know why I'm here and what you've done with my family." The feral snarl was back on his face, lips pulled back, teeth bared. He didn't care for all this talk, he didn't even care that his hands were now free. He knew damn well that if he attempted to jump, his head would likely be blown off before he could even step out of his portal.

Even so, now that his powers were no longer being supressed, he could feel the violent thrum of energy pulsing through his veins. It was uncomfortable. It burned. The sedative had caused a build up, and he needed to expel the excess energy. But he couldn't. He bounced restlessly in place, stuffing his hands into his short pockets as he fidgeted, continuing to rock back on his heels, body restless and agitated. "What she said." He nodded towards Nagant, eyebrows tightly knit in irritation. "If we can't do anything, you might as well have kept these cuffs on."

Now he was buzzing with too much energy. It was uncomfortable. He wanted to expel it. But he didn't want to be blown up.

"...Unless this is only temporary." Perhaps they'd be allowed use of their powers once their higher-ups were safely tucked away God-knows where. From what he could gather, Christof had picked them in particular for a reason. And as he'd mentioned to Guzma, he wished to utilize their abilities. So it was just a matter of waiting until he could safely jump. Which could be who-knows how long, given these idiots seemed to enjoy talking.

He fell silent, rolling his eyes as the talk continued, only displaying interest as Richard seemed to incapacitate Vinci. Wasn't that thing unkillable? What was this idiot doing? He was going to get himself killed if he kept this up. An eyebrow raised, mouth tugging into an amused smirk as Richard's attempted assault continued. "You really had to go and pick the ones without any braincells, didn't you?" He glanced at Christof, watching Richard's failed attempt to kill him, watching as the knife seemed to shatter upon impact with the German man's body.

...Interesting.

"Then why don't you just believe we'll all be obedient?"

Five returned to silence after his comment, distracted by the escalation of events. And well... The whole magic bullshit that was now taking place. Richard had been contained in some kind of magical sphere, presumably to prevent the room, and the rest of them from blowing up. And honestly? Watching someone get blown to smithereens didn't sound like a bad source of entertainment. Unfortunately, his viewing experience was disrupted by a goddamn shockwave.

His scrawny stature meant he was sent flying backward by the sudden blast, and he likely would have collided with the wall behind him had he not thrown himself through a spacial portal. The collar beeped viciously, but he came out unscathed, aside from a brief loss of balance that left him stumbling. Calculations were always made on the fly, and given that he'd been taken aback by the shockwave, he'd messed up his momentum somewhat and ended up nearly colliding with the wall anyway. He took a moment to catch himself, before turning his attention back to the sphere, and what remained of Richard.

He emitted a low whistle, leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest. "What a way to waste a good explosive." Well, now he knew for certain not to fuck with these guys. Not that he was stupid enough to do so, anyway. He had brains, unlike some of the others here. As much as he wanted to tear Christof and his companions apart with his bare hands, he knew better than to act on his impulses. Especially since it could get his family killed.

He only blinked at the others that had been thrown into the room, staring between each of them with disinterest. They didn't look too out of place, and were seemingly stuck in the same boat as everyone else, so his attention didn't linger on them for too long. Instead, he nodded towards Christof. "I don't know. Are you going to tell us what this is about yet?"

 

[Ringrose]

Ejected from the small room he was stuck in, Travis braced for impact. "Ahhhh, fuck!" He pulled himself off of the others. The sterile white control room was caked in a layer of soot, like an explosion had just gone off. Travis coughed, dusting himself off with his hand. "Man, what the fuck IS today!?" he said in irritation. "First I get ambushed on the fuckin' john by some freak, then I get shoved into some serial killer dungeon and left to stew..almost broke my fuckin' aviators on my landing.." he grumbled.

The assassin looked around, trying to get a feel for his situation. He saw a wide variety of weird people, one of them seemed upset about something, another was a weird animal looking thing with an eyepatch. Another was some patchwork nightmare, made out of corpse parts, like something out of a zombie movie. He caught the last sentence Christof had said; was the soot an explosion from some failed assassination attempt? he turned to address his presumed captor.

"I'd love to, but I guess you aren't into the idea of mutually killing each other." he tugged at his collar. "Personally I'm just glad to be unchained from the wall. Wish I caught the last few minutes of pro wrestling before I got snatched. That was some good shit I had on TV you know." he complained. "If I wasn't under the threat of death you'd be getting a nice close-up of my Beam Katana. But I guess I've never been thrown into a survival game before like in anime, so there is that. That is what this is, right? I'm on the money?" he asked the German.