Futuristic An Agent of Maniacles

[mmarage]

The twins looked at Denton as they began leaving. "Please make sure to rest, I'd recommend keeping that potion for when we fight the demon, and try finding a healer, but if you really need it, please drink it." 01 advised. With that, they turned and began walking with the others.

02 looked at Kotsu. "We'll see you later, Kotsu." He said as they walked, remembering that they too had a letter waiting for them. They would probably just head straight back to the motel for the day. They might grab something to eat while at the motel, but other than their visit with Kotsu, they had very few plans for the day... nor would they know how to occupy their time while given some relative freedom.

 

[Exzalia]

THE TALK
​

Owl looks up at him and says with a smile. "I'm fine Kotsu. Um...isn't there a coyote we should be killing?" Is what she says verbally but in his head he hears at a yell.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP ME!"

Kotsu holds his ground but the look of terror on his face is evident which is a funny sight for someone who literally just got excited about going up against the wolf solo.

"Uh, we took care of the problem already. He's docile and leaving." Kotsu said out loud and pointed to Marty. He responded back telepathically, disappointed sounding.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have accepted but, you were on top of me, and it wasn't something I didn't want. I'm sorry, that's terrible. If you regret it, I understand. That's why you were down all day today."

Her telepathy is still at a fever pitch, anger overpowered only by rising panic. "Oh if it was just the sex that would have been...I would have gotten over it. BUT YOU DIDN'T WEAR A CONDOM! What if I get pregnant Kotsu? are you ready to be a parent? Cause I sure as hell aint!"

Kotsu blushed a deep shade of red and responded back telepathically. "Uh... Owl...? I don't even know what a condom looks like... But you're saying we could be parents? Under normal circumstances this would be great news! But... If you're not ready, and you don't want to be pregnant, I'm not going to stop you if you have to do what you have to do." Kotsu responded in a sad tone. "Can vampires even have kids with humans?" Kotsu asked her telepathically, but had a sheepish grin on his face.

A parent huh? Well it's A-parent that you're in over your head.

Owl hesrd the voice this time and Kotsu's face turned to that of the same annoyance when you deal with a child sibling who won't stop pestering you for a toy. "Dude what's your beef? Butt out." Kotsu said in his head. "This is an A and B conversation, C your way out."

"Ya thats what I....wait what? Great news? you want to be a father to my kids?" Owl was giving him an incredulous look.

Kotsu blushed even deeper at her remark, but more because of what he was going to say after that. "Well, nothing's set in stone yet, but... well... don't you mean... Our kids...?" Kotsu asked while turning his head slightly and rubbing his neck.

Owl stares at him jaw on the ground, then recovering from his words a little rubs her temples as if he was giving her a migrain. "Oh kotsu." She says out loud shaking her head, then looks at him. The anger had gone out from her, infact she was blushing slightly.

"You're an idiot...but your a sweet idiot." She sighs then adds. "Okay look, I'm sorry for yelling it;s not your fault. We were both drunk and obviously had...have feelings for each other. But we should not have had sex, it was reckless and dumb and short sighted and I really want to do it again...SHIT! I didn't mean to think that!" owl face palms.

Kotsu blushed a deep shade of red which must be comical if anybody was watching the two and basically short circuited when Owl had mentioned she wanted to do it again. "So... So I did good? I didn't mess up or do anything that made you feel uncomfortable?" Kotsu asked telepathically perking up a bit, his usual smile returning, albeit with a very blush filled face. "Ya know, you're cute when you blush." Kotsu said out loud. "And a beautiful lady like you shouldn't hit herself." Kotsu said smiling widely.

"SSHHHHHHH!" Owl slaps his wrist and looks around making sure nobody heard. She takes his hand and leads him away from the others. "Lets not make a target for our selves by dropping those kind of hints okay? As for your performance I'm not any more knowledgeable than you. I've only had sex once before this and it wasn't willingly."

She looks about then looks at him sternly. "And we can not be a couple it's too risky, I have too many enemies and I would make a terrible girl friend, I have issues Kotsu, lots of issues, daddy issues, you never want a girl like that. So enough with he hitting on, and the making me blush things okay we're done. So, I guess I'm breaking up with you? Even though we never dated. I'm prebreaking up with you? an advanced break up? You get the idea we can't be together, sorry."

Owls expressions saddens as she says this and she averts his eyes.

Kotsu's eyes got a little sad, but he tried his best to smile. "I'll protect you from the enemies. I doubt you'd make a terrible girlfriend. You're not Morgan and she even managed to get Denton. I don't care about the issues. We all got our own crosses to bear. Sometimes I wake up covered in sweat because I dream about being turned again." Kotsu said that last bit while dipping his head. "And trust me, that wasn't fun I'd ever recommend. I don't even know how to turn people myself. Ain't never had anybody to teach me anything about nothin'." Kotsu's country accent started to come out, but he didn't care. "Can't stop me from hittin' on you. If you blush from that, well." Kotsu shrugged, his usual grin on his face.
"Maybe if you change your mind, I'd like that. Been workin' with the Maniacles for 30 some odd years and you're the only person who I've found myself comfortable with. Maybe you just don't wanna be dating a vampire. I don't blame you. Too much trouble. But, you should at least give me a fair shot, right?" Kotsu said with a sad smile. "Don't make me beg now. I've done it once for the twins to take care of Carmille naked. I'll do it again." Kotsu said with a smile. "You remind me what it's like to be human again, Owl. And I don't wanna let go of that feeling again."

Owl was inwardly moved, she doesn't let it show. "No Kotsu just...don't. Okay? don't. Now, I'm going back to my room. Good bye." She spins putting on a determined face and trying not to let her true emotions show.

Kotsu reached out his hand for her, but didn't grasp at her. "... I like you. A lot. I'm sorry that I couldn't be better for you. But maybe one day I will be. At least give me the chance then? Please?" Kotsu called back to her, not caring who heard or not. On the inside, Kotsu felt like it would have been less painful fighting twenty queens with his hands tied behind his back, but this new emotion was foreign to him. There was so much cold. Why was there an ice forming in his chest? It didn't make sense. It was a beautiful day outside. Kotsu found himself unable to move, so he slumped under a tree with his knees touching his chest.

 

[TheAdept]

No actual decision had been made to this point so far on Clayton's employment with Maniacles.

"Alright. Well how about I come on your next mission? I could prove myself then." Clayton said "As for now, who wants to hit up a bar with your new buddy Clayton?" He shouted cheerfully to the group.

 

[AbatedBigfoot]

"you're all dismissed" he heard Denton say

"Wait, what the hell?" Quentin didn't even notice the fight was over. Matter of fact he didn't even notice he was standing around everyone. Seeing the twins and Aria standing there outside the wolf's mouth. He was beyond confused. "Did I black out?" He thought. "there's no way I didn't notice all this going down".

He began his walk back to the motel and went to his room. "Maybe I just need some rest" Even though it was still mid day, Q laid down in his bed and went to sleep.

 

[GamerCarrot]

Vivian stopped when she heard the new guy shouted out who wanted to hit up a bar, she hesitated a little but eventually she turned around and approached him. "I'll come with you, I could use a good drink." She said looking at the new guy "The name is Vivian, it's nice to meet you Clayton."
TheAdept

 

[KotaKotsu]

After a few hours of sitting under a tree, Kotsu shuffled home. Still not wanting to move, but he had invited guests to his room. So he had to put on a smile and sound happy. He had to look like normal. He didn't understand though. He hadn't taken a beating by the wolf. And yet he seemed to have the same energy of Denton. Kotsu made it to his room eventually. The first to visit would be the twins. The second, Sam.

 

[mmarage]

The twins had returned to their hotel room. 01 had gotten into the shower to clean himself off. He looked down at his wounds, pleased to see that the salve had done its job. His skin was once again burn free. He got dressed into a new set of clothes, tossing the other set away, too disgusting and tattered to be salvaged, and the two simply waited to meet up with Kotsu.

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu ordered some room service. He didn't feel like drinking blood tonight for some reason. But he was feeling the urge to drink. Also the twins and Sam would want food and drinks. Because that's what being a good host is about. Or so he was taught by his parents.

 

[mmarage]

The twins soon saw that it was time to meet up with Kotsu. They got up from their respective beds and walked out of the hotel room. They glanced from side to side, before making their way through the hallways. They got a little lost... but they arrived just a few minutes later. They hit the buzzer on his door and waited patiently for him to allow them in.

Kotsu opened the door, motioning for the twins to come in. "Come on in, guys." Kotsu said. The first thing they'd see on the opposing wall would be the Cat poster with the caption of 'Hang in there' and on the left, the poster of Francis York Morgan and Francis Zack Morgan. On the right was a signed picture of Frank West from his respectable voice actor Terence Rotolo

The two walked in and tilted their heads as they saw the strange decorations in the motel room. "Huh... did the room come like this...?" 01 asked to no one in particular. No recognition showed on their faces for the old video game characters.

02 shook his head and turned to Kotsu. "Was there something that you wanted to talk to us about?" He asked.

"Yeah, sit down and have a seat. There's some refreshments on the table too. But uh, how the hell did you two get so strong. I'm one of the toughest vampires to exist, save for my lack of experience in the most crucial moments where a teacher would have been helpful. At least I'm durable though. You two took down a queen basically single handedly. And she broke my ribs in like 20 different places.

The two took a seat, placing their hands in their lap as they listened to Kotsu. They weren't currently thirsty, so they didn't take anything. "Oh um... we're just... alchemists, that's all. We take all sorts of ingredients and put 'em into a cauldron to synthesize them. That's how we made those neat bombs we used in our first mission." 02 said, 01 nodding in agreement with them. "So, alchemy and a bunch of training. Practice makes perfect, after all." 02 added.

"If you're wondering about our strength or our accuracy, well... that's just because we had some implants well... implanted in us while we're working for the Maniacles. My brother was always good with a bow, and I got pretty good with fighting with a scythe, so that's why they gave us those specific implants, to better enhance our combat abilities." 01 said.

The two then glanced at one another again, sharing a look, before looking back at Kotsu. "...It's only until our contract with the Maniacles are up. It'll be ending in just a few months, if we remember correctly. Then they'll be taking back the implants." 02 said.

Kotsu grunted. "How much do the implants cost? Maybe I can pay your way. You're one of the best assets this team has. It'd be a shame to lose you guys. Plus, I wanna know you two. Where are you from, what have you done, how long have you been with the Maniacles. Do you outrank me?"

The two glanced at one another as they were hit with those questions. "Um... don't worry about implant cost. We're... not planning on sticking around. Once our contract is up, you'll never see us again. We're going somewhere far away." 01 said, casting his gaze off to the side.

"As for your other questions... well... we've only been with the Maniacles for a few months, and we don't really have a rank, really. We're just a support team. That's all." 02 said.

Finally the two looked at one another once again and then looked at Kotsu. "The rest is classified." They said in unison.

Kotsu smiled. He got what they meant in a sense. And proceeded to sniff them. "You give off the scent of dying man. The both of you." Kotsu let out a sad laugh. "So what, did they give you poison? Or are you like Denton and you'll put a bullet in your head at one point?" Kotsu said using his fingers like a gun. Cocking back his thumb from his index and middle finger and jerking his head with the force to emphasize what he said about Denton. "You all get to die, and I can't even seem to get close no matter how much I try." Kotsu muttered.

The two looked shocked at what he said, but did their best to hide it. "We're... not dying. We're perfectly healthy. No poison, no bullets to our brains either." 01 said, rubbing the back of his head. He froze as he did and tried to subtly pull his hand down behind his back, keeping his fist tightly clenched.

Kotsu chuckled. "You're bad liars. You tensed up instead of staying relaxed or confused after I confronted you. And people give off a smell when distressed or caught. I won't tell anyone. I'm holding other secrets too. You won't get to know about those though either. Suppose we should know each other more though. Feel free to hang out with me whenever we ain't doing anything." Kotsu said, smiling sadly at them.

The two winced, knowing that they had been outed. "...Thank you for your discretion. While we can neither deny or affirm your accusation... supposing that it is true, then you can understand why we wanted to be the bait in today's operation. If, and I am saying if, we were dying, then it'd be better for something to go wrong if we were in there than if someone healthy with many years ahead of them to die." 02 said.

Kotsu laughed heartily. "We appreciate your concerns, but me and Aria are vampires. We don't die easy. And I'm an Instinct 3 vampire, you guys." He said chuckling. "I heal from basically everything. I get broken ribs and they heal in 10 minutes. So both of you guys didn't need to be eaten. Why you insisted on experiencing the inside of a wolf's stomach, is beyond me. This Joe didn't seem to enjoy it much." Kotsu said chuckling and pointing to 01. "We'll be making sure you guys don't die. Maybe we should use those cards Dionysus gave us so you can live your lives out. Before you, uh, both retire." Kotsu almost said expire, but decided to be polite about it. The Joe's seemed like good people. Maybe he could trust them. "Truth be told, since you may not be around for long, maybe I can be selfish enough to request you both to be my friend. I haven't had one in... 50 or so years? Last one injected me full of poison and I woke up as... This." Kotsu said in regards to his vampirism, flashing his nails and fangs.

The two listened to him quietly, both shifting awkwardly as they listened to him. When he asked his next question however, the two looked at him, seeming a little shocked. "Friends... with us...?" 01 asked uncertainly. The researchers, scientists, and guards never really treated them with much warmth. The idea of having a friend... even in their short amount of time remaining... they... wanted it.

02 looked between 01 and Kotsu for a moment. "...That's... a lovely thought, but... after this mission, we'll be returned to the facility until we're sent out onto another mission." 02 said after a few moments, clearly seeming dejected at the thought. "We're... not allowed to roam, really." He added.

"...But... having a friend would really be nice. So... if you're fine... with us... and the idea that we'll be gone from your life in a few months... then yeah. We'd love to be your friends." 01 said. The two gave the vampire a genuine smile, nothing forced, nothing faked.

"So... as your new friends... we can't let you risk getting hurt. Even if you're an... Instinct 3 vampire... whatever that means... It's better that we take any risks that are almost certain will ensure someone gets injured. After all, we're alchemists, we can create some pretty good healing items." 02 said, giving him a confident smile.

"...And... since you're our friend, we trust that you'll be able to help us when we need it. So... trust us when we say that we'll be fine, okay?" 01 asked.

Trust. That was a foreign concept to Kotsu he always wanted everyone to trust him. He never anticipated being able to trust someone. He had a good feeling about the twins though. But he decided if he wanted to have a genuine friend for once, he should take a leap of faith. The same leap of faith he tried with Owl. "Alright, fine. I'll trust in you. Better trust in me next time though."

The twins nodded, smiling at Kotsu as they did. "Right." They said in unison. They... kind of wished they could tell him more, but they didn't want to get him into any sort of trouble. They never knew who might be watching or listening in after all.

Kotsu shrugged to himself about something in his head. Something he wasn't ready to request. "You being around for a couple of months is still better than anything else I've had going on. Quality over quantity, yeah?" Kotsu said with a smile.

The twins smiled at that, their cheeks even reddening slightly at the compliment. "I... I suppose. Though, we're not exactly sure if we're that high of quality when it comes to friends." 02 said, 01 nodding in agreement.

Kotsu stared at them, taking a creep breath. "Denton had the squad kill kids. I lost my shit. Some participated, others didn't." I lost my cool, and in some kisses, it caused us to fight one of those creep corpses that the Queen made as a soldier pest. So, like I said. Quality over quantity, you two. I got labeled as 'insubordinate' I guess. 'hard to deal with'. Never gave the Maniacles a problem before then." Kotsu said shaking his head with a sad smile. "I thought we were the good guys... Weirdly enough, in some cases? We are. Like this job."

The twins' eyes went wide with shock as Kotsu suddenly told them that. "W-What...? He... he had them... do something like that...?" 01 asked, confused.

02 looked at Kotsu. "Were... were they infected...? That's something that pests do, right...? They infect people and then... the only way to deal with them is to... to..." He trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to say it.

Kotsu shook his head, pouring himself a stiff drink from the bottle of wine he still had on his counter. "They weren't infected at all. Completely healthy save for malnourished." Kotsu said, sighing. "I lost my cool. Screamed to the point the church windows shattered around us and I lunged at our teammate, name was Brick Shithouse according to Sam. We just called him Brick. Denton talked me out of it. I didn't even want to hurt him. I just wanted to know why. Still want to know why. Some of our crew got infected. John and Eddie. They were good men. Turned into amalgamations of what they were before. They didn't even look human." He said to both of the twins without so much as even taking his eyes off his drink, and downed it slowly. "If you want some, feel free. Or if you want a smoke. Some food on the table too." Kotsu said, sighing deeply. "Listen, guys. Denton's got eyes on us. Probably his ghosts. Could be spies. But it doesn't change what's been done. He didn't even want to do it. I just want to know why it had to happen." Kotsu said. "Kids, Joe." He said to both of them. "Literal children, ripped out of my arms and gunned down, drank dry of blood from another vampire who's now missing. Probably from saving me. She was bloody, broken, and bruised. Missing her arms and legs. I dunno where she's gone to. But that's a story for another time if you ever meet her." Kotsu said, placing the glass down. "I ain't never seen this type of shit before from our jobs we've done. Until a few months ago. Now I'm just glad to be back on the side of justice." Kotsu said, smiling sadly.

The twins shook their heads at the offer of food, drinks, or a smoke. Right now, their stomachs were turning. The Maniacles... they... were supposed to be good guys, weren't they...? That's what they'd been told since day one. They... they shouldn't have killed civilians... or children...! "...That's... that's completely.... that's completely unforgivable!" 01 snapped, 02 looking surprised at his outburst... though he felt much the same.

02 covered his mouth, looking as though he might be sick for a few moments. "...I'm sorry that you had to go through that, Kotsu..." He said, seeming far more subdued, trying to keep the images out of his mind. The twins had quite the vivid imagination, so it wasn't hard to imagine civilians, huddled up in the church, thinking that they were finally going to be rescued... only to be killed by their supposed saviors.

Kotsu looked at the twins. "Yeah. I snapped. Got reprimanded. I didn't give a shit. That's why I talk down to Denton. A good soldier follows orders. A good leader knows when to disobey them, I feel." Kotsu said, sighing. "Well, that's what I wanted to tell you. So, anything you think you got against these fucks," Kotsu said, inferring the Maniacles. "Anything they did to you. Tell me. Please. I know you two are dying. They musta done something to you two considering you both are powerhouses." Kotsu shrugged. "But that ain't the strangest thing I've seen. And maybe if you've got some time, you could teach me a simple alchemy thing or two. I could teach you how to make IEDs. Learned that from Dead Rising." Kotsu said pointing to the poster of Frank West in the corner on one of the walls in his room.

The twins looked at one another, before looking down at the ground. "...We're sorry, but it's classified." They said in unison, almost seeming defeated.

01 looked at Kotsu, a look of guilt on his face. "...I... If we tell you, then it could put your life at risk. It's... well... it's top secret. I'm pretty sure... if we talk... it's... it's automatic termination." He said. A part of him really wanted to tell him, to let him know what was going on... but... they were afraid that the room might be bugged or something. They couldn't risk Kotsu being put in danger. If they were willing to kill civilians... they were sure that they and anyone they told would be silenced as well.

Kotsu got a crooked smile. "Maybe I'll have to introduce you to the rest of the gang."

You mean Owl, right?

"Yeah. Sounds like a good plan." Kotsu said to himself, smiling devilishly. "Remember when I said to trust me? Now's the chance to trust me."

The twins nodded. "...Alright, we trust you." They said in unison. They didn't really know what he was planning, but the twins had promised to trust him the next time he'd asked. So, they had to keep their promise.

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu told the twins he was expecting someone else but did look forward to introducing them to the group in the downtime that came with tomorrow. More specifically, Owl. But he knew he had an appointment with Sam. And it would be one he couldn't afford to miss. Bidding the twins farewell for the evening, eagerly awaited for the knock on the door.

Kotsu had invited Sam to his room when she had free time. He heard a knocking at the door and went to answer it, opening it to see Sam. "Hey Sam. Thanks for coming," Kotsu said in a pair of basketball shorts and a T-shirt with design long since faded. It was very strange attire compared to Kotsu's usual attire of his trench coat and combat armor.

"You said you needed my help with something?", Sam asked, "Just found your note." She was also dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans.

Kotsu motioned for her to come in and had started walking toward two pairs of suitcases in the corner of the room. "Yeah, come in. Pop a squat." Kotsu said. "I ordered more room service so, help yourself to whatever you like. Sorry I didn't know what you liked so I just got whatever." Kotsu said bringing the bags over to his bed and opening them to reveal different odds and ends that Kotsu had saved up money to buy and a pair of schematics which he handed to Sam. "If you're able to, or if you're interested, could you help me with improving my whips? I realized only recently that I can't keep up with the creatures we've gone up against with the power I have. I need to become stronger. Not just physically, but in whatever way I can acquire more strength."
Kotsu locked eyes with Sam. "Your bike was amazing, even before you made it as sleek as it is now!" Kotsu said with wonder in his eyes. "I'm not sure much about how to use this stuff myself, but you're a mechanical genius!" Kotsu was very genuine in his words. "I want to strengthen my whips. Is there anyway you can use this base design to give it a more physical structure with strength and more length? You can have creative freedom in any other way you want too. Your bike is a work of art, and although you may not have made your body, the maintenance you've done shows it to be a marvel as well!" Kotsu said, not realizing that his words could be taken in a flirtatious way as well, but he was excited and showed a lot of enthusiasm at the idea of becoming more dependable in the team.

"Oh," Sam looked intrigued at the schematics. "It's basically just a pair of winches, I can do that." She looked through the supplies. "Yeah, I can make this happen. It might take a while, since my 3D-printer's back in LA, but I think everything's here." You could almost see the blueprint forming itself in her brain, floating before her eyes amongst calculations and symbols that meant nothing to most people.

"I'll go get my toolbox, and I'll be right back." Sam left the room and jogged across the hall to her room, pulling a drone off the charger and packing the odd loose screwdriver back into the box. She returned and set her toolbox on the floor. "Alright, stand up, I'll have to tailor the harness to your measurements."

Kotsu bounced up, excited for this. "Aw man, you have no idea how much this means to me. You're so freaking awesome, Sam." He had said, standing before Sam and waiting for her to take his measurements and standing still. "I owe you one for this." Kotsu said to Sam with a wide grin on his face.

Sam smiled, "I'm working on a contract to mass-produce Pteranodons for military use," she said as she tossed the drone up. It lit up, hovered, and scanned Kotsu, projecting numbers on the far wall. The numbers looked like gibberish to most, but they were exact measurements of the width of Kotsu's shoulders, the length of his arms, the distance from wrist to wrist, from T-pose to body-builder flex, and the circumference of his chest, biceps, forearms, and wrists.

"Okay, I think this is doable as long as I don't mess up too badly, you'd be surprised how much of making stuff like this is praying you don't screw up. Guess I've got Hephaestus looking in my direction so far, huh?"

Kotsu smiled. "Even if you mess up, we can just keep trying. I believe in you, Sam. Anyone of your prototypes could work out as an idea for the future. And it's great that you're able to sell your design for the Pteranodon! Just wait until it trickles down and you can see kids getting animal versions of em!" Kotsu said with a hearty laugh, but he was quite serious. "Hey, that'd be a good idea too. Just with less guns. Maybe one gun if they get the limited edition model, right?" Kotsu chuckled.

"Yeah, I'd rather the kids not get their hands on a Pteranodon. We've got too many weapons on the street as is." She pulled some tools out of her toolbox and began plugging material in, which the tool braided together into the cord of the whips.

"The winch is the easy part, it's basically just a motor connected to your wrists, sitting on your back. It's when we start adding special features like electricity and fire to it that it gets complicated." She pulled out another tool and began fiddling with circuitry. "The winch automatically retracts the cord, so the wrist bits keep it from zipping all the way to your shoulders, and your own strength lets you pull out as much as you can. You could probably Spiderman across town."

Kotsu's head filled with the idea of him being able to swing at high speeds across town and zip himself places. "You're so awesome..." Kotsu said, staying still but beaming at Sam. "How much is this gonna cost me by the by?" He asked Sam. "I gotta give you somethin'."

Sam shook her head. "Just promise me you'll have a reputation and your face on a billboard when endorsement deals happen." She began working out the shape of the harness and attaching the ancoring bits. "I'll need a day or two to get the compounds you need for the elements, but I should be able to get the basic structure done in a couple hours."

Kotsu beamed at hearing her say this would be essentially free, but Kotsu's face dropped from a smile to a serious look. "Hey Sam...? Are we... Friends?" Kotsu asked. He felt like they could be considered such due to her kindness. But it never hurt to know where you stand with someone. He'd learned that the hard way recently.

"I wouldn't say we're enemies. We're co-workers, this will help keep us both alive. We share a common enemy and have need of each other's skills."

Kotsu smiled. "Then I'll make sure to give it my all and try and tear the fucker apart!" Kotsu had found new resolve pumping his body full of a second wind after their fight with the Big Bad Wolf and after his own mental battle. "Man, I'm starting to wonder if we'll ever get a break."

Sam laughed. "I'm from LA, there's no such thing as a break." Pinning the end of a cord to a spool and winding it around until it rested snugly within the confines the harness allowed.

"Alright, arms out, and don't go gaining weight on me."

"I haven't gained weight since my last friend injected me with poison!" Kotsu said proudly as he T-posed and realized the gravity of his words. "Uh... Nevermind!" Kotsu said not sure how to recover from the awkward feeling in the air now.

"I'm gonna use that," Sam replied as she strapped the harness on. Stepping back to admire her work. "Yeah, that should work nicely for now. I've gotta find a couple air scrubbers to modify, but for now, that should work."

Kotsu felt the weight of the contraption on his body. It was lighter than he expected! He could maneuver easily with this still, much to his delight. Kotsu tried to summon his whips as the blood was drawn into the wire, enforcing his whips and giving them a more physical form. "Oh... My... God...." Kotsu grabbed a drink from across the room with his whip and caught it in his hand, drinking it with gusto. "THIS IS SO FUCKING COOL!"

"Hey, CAREFUL!", Sam ducked under the wire, "Mortals in the room! I'm durable, not invinceable."

"I was being careful!" Kotsu said with glee in his voice. He used the whip to grab Sam by her waist and spin her over to himself and caught her in a hug that was tight but not tight enough to hurt her. "This is so amazing! You're an absolutely genius!"

"Kotsu, this is closer than I'd like to be with any of my co-workers."

Kotsu let go of her. "Sorry, but on the bright side, I don't hug just anybody. So you should take that as a compliment and a down payment toward the promotional advertisement campaigns." Kotsu said, giddy from the idea of what he could do with his new toys before he calmed himself down a little and talked to Sam in a serious manner. "Sam, I'd like you to teach me how to maintanence these if you have the time to go over it. I'm a vampire, and sadly, I'll outlive you through natural progression." Kotsu said with a sour face, remembering his promise to the twins that he made as a base for his thought process. "When you guys are old, I'll be the same age. Forever..." Kotsu sighed sadly. He couldn't bring himself to smile at that. "So, if I don't have a genius as someone who can help me, I should learn what I can to honor their device that they made to help me and treasure it. You didn't have to do this, so it's something to appreciate. Especially something this awesome." Kotsu said, causing his blood whips to extend the spikes on them and retract them. "Oh, that's nice..." Kotsu muttered to himself.

Sam sighed at that. "I'll probably be around longer than you think. There's so much circuitry in my brain I could probably upload my mind into a computer if it had the processing power." Nonetheless, she explained how to repair the mechanism and clean rust.

Kotsu smiled at Sam. "Thank you again, Sam. You're amazin'." Kotsu let his country side slip again. He found himself doing it more often than not lately but didn't really care. "Hey! Me and Aria went on some of the amusement park rides and the like, maybe when you've got more spare time, we can head over there too? I've got a great trick that made even her laugh hysterically." Kotsu said with a smile.

"If we survive, I'll take you up on that." Sam smiled. "But I don't know if my hydraulics can handle drastic G-shifts."

"Well, they weren't anything too crazy, so I hope that they can handle it. Well... Wasn't anything too crazy 'til Aria removed our support bar. That freaked some people out." Kotsu laughed heartily.

 

[Darkling0096]

After leaving Kotsu with his toys, Sam left to find Fizzy asking to take a walk.

Frizzy finally gathered courage enough and he asked Sam "Soo hey Sam, I guess you're still mad at me, cant blame you."

"I was never mad at you," Sam shook her head, "I needed information. If I was mad at you, you'd have woken up without your legs. Again."

"Yeah well miss, you kneed me in the dick. That hurt you know?"

"It was supposed to. Wasn't supposed to knock you out, but I guess you skipped the Balls of Steel package."

He said "You got he info , happy with that miss?"

Sam groaned. "Yeah, I got what I needed. Did I actually break it? Is that why you're being so pissy?"

Fizzy was taken aback, not sure what to reply

"You took advantage of me"

Well I guess I was trying to get advantage of her

"I thought... " the man was nervous

"I thought there was something going on you know, mode than sex and info gathering "

"There was. I haven't been able to talk to a fellow soldier since my squad died. I took advantage of a situation that satisfied my need for both information and equal companionship."

Shaking her head, Sam sighed, "I was a woman sent on black operations. I flirted my way to my objective, broke it, got what I needed, and left, for years. That's how I've come to do things I can't shoot my way through. If it makes you feel better, I can fix anything I broke."

I see, so she sees me as a potential friend. That's good, that's good.... Fizzy closed his eyes and a relaxed smile was on his face
THAT'S NOT GOOD!

His demeanor seemed calm but inside his head there was a fight. What's going on Fizzy? You mad 'cause you couldn't bang the girl? No, is more than that, the girl had a special charm, her auroa, her being, her soul enchanted him

Fizzy realized that despite they've just met a day ago and had a bad start, he had feelings for her.

The man blushed at Sam's offering, to fix his issue

"Y..yeah that would be nice" stated looking st the other side

"I also enyojed last day talk by the way "

"My toolbox is in the compartment, I'll do repairs when we get to your apartment." She felt some heat rising to her face. Fortunately, artificial skin didn't quite translate that into a blush.

Get your shit together, Adams. Just a machine, just a machine. Just a tank that fires a different kind of ammo. Stop thinking. Thinking's dangerous, that's how you got in this situation.

"I'm buying drinks next time." That sounds normal, right?

Next time? She said next time?
Does that mean she is willing to go out with him again

"That's great!!" Exclaimed Fizzy.

He made a great effort choosing an expensive luxurious place to have drinks just to bang a girl. This was different , the girl was more than just a temporary relief for him, she wanted to try it again. He felt for once as if he was touching first layer of heaven.

"We can talk more, it won't be like last night. I won't force you"

"If you forced anything, you must be a hypnotist and a computer programmer at the same time." Sam cracked a smile at Fizzy's excitement. At least he was honest. "But don't get one-shot sloshy next time, you're heavy."

Sam sighed and relaxed a bit. Normally, she went after women. Her first girlfriend in high school, a couple one night stands on deployment, a continued attempt with her prosthetic mechanic, something about the man who shared the experience of losing limbs and knew how fucked up your brain could be after getting shot at, could keep up with her in a drinking competition, even though the doctor kept saying getting drunk regularly would probably hurt her ability to properly move her prosthetics, that was nice.

"You know I've only got half an ass, though, right?"

Frizzy couldnt help but burst un laughs, final relieved

They both continued chatting and walking. Fizzy took a chance and approached his hand slowly toward her, expecting to hold hands.... a slow move for someone who usually just jumped into carnal action. Will she accept? He wondered

Chuckling along with Fizzy, Sam took his hand. Slow move for a fast man, she thought.

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu started to clean the new mechanism he officially nicknamed "The Whip It" and was trying his best to occupy himself with cleaning the room after that in order to distract himself from his current feelings. He didn't know if he should go see Owl. Maybe she wanted space. Maybe he should bother someone else. Maybe he should go to sleep. He'll have to talk to Owl about the Finder twins anyway. Kotsu got up, gearing up and changing out of his casual clothes. The Whip It underneath his trench coat. He walked over to Owl's door and knocked gently. "Hey. It's uh, it's Kotsu."

 

[Kinggunlucky]

Owl was staring at a bottle of wine sitting on her counter in a cold sweat.

"I don't need it, I don;t need it, I definitely don't need it." She chants to her self eyes locked on the stuff, her will was breaking but she hears a knock at the door. Grateful for the distraction she opens it and frowns.

"Hello." She says dead pan squinting at him.

Denton leaned against the door frame, mildly pale in the face, clearly not in the best of conditions. "That was a far more friendly greeting then I expected." He walked forward, letting himself in, holding up his hands as a sign of peace.

"Sure you want to do that? I might touch you." Owl says closing the door behind them.

Denton smirked. A terrible one. The kind any man or woman wouldn't mind giving the old knuckle sandwich. He extended out his hand. "I wouldn't put it pass you. You've already been intimate with one member of our little group. What's one more?"

Owl tilts her head. "You were watching us? and is this a legit hand shake?" She asks reaching for his hand.

He lifted his hand before she could grab it. "I'm afraid not. There is just something so delicious about dangling a carrot in front of a rabbit's face." Denton put his hands in his pockets. "And no, I wasn't watching, but my ghosts mentioned a thing or two. You also seem rather distracted today." He walked around the room, noting the wine. "A little early to be drinking, don't you think?"

"As you can see, I am not drinking. But even if I was, we're in a vineyard. Thats literally the main event here." She gets up.

"Now as much as I would love talking to a war criminal I have other things I would like to do today, so lets skip the forplay get down to it. What do you want?"

Denton whistled, sitting on the couch, and crossed his legs. The smile briefly fading from his face before coming back. He took the bottle of wine from the table and poured himself a glass. "A lot of sexual innuendos going on in this conversation. Bleh. Not hard to see what you have on the brain. And as for wanting stuff...I don't know. You were distracted. Not hard to see. Something is on your mind. I wanted to know...if you were...alright?"

She gets up and swipes the bottle from him. "Two things, one, I did not say you could have that. and two I can perform on the battle field effectively you don't have to worry about my performance." She throws back her head and chugs the whole bottle.

Denton stared.

"It isn't the performance I'm worried about. It's you. Listen Owl. You may not like, but you are under my charge, though. You hardly contributed earlier when I asked to use your sight. Your head was in the clouds," Denton said. "We can't have that on the field. I'd rather not see any of you die." He smiled. "So what's up?"

"My dog died." owl replies in a sort of a, 'fuck off' tone, but she softens after a moment and adds. "Sorry about not using my sight earlier, won't happen again. If that's all, you should leave."

Denton shook his head, standing. "Last I checked Kotsu was doing quite well. I do hope you didn't contract fleas."

Owl finishes the bottle. "Right, if your not out of my room in the next ten seconds, I'm flicking your nose."

Denton stared at the door, then back at Owl, and grinned. "I believe you remember our conversation. What happens if you - "

Read him like a book.

"3...2...1, I warned you."

In a blink of an eye she flash steps in front of him and flicks his nose casting mind delve as she does stealing a memory. Her speed was inhuman and the force knocks him over.There was an audible 'crunch' sound. Denton went on his back, nose beginning to bleed, eyes constantly blinking.

Owl chuckles. "That is your own fault, I warned you." She walks over to him and crouches to were he fell with a wolfish grin.

"That's the thing about you Denton, you think you're some sort of puppet master, that you have us all figured out. Well I have news for you, your in over your head. You, trying to control the lives of mages, and vampires and gods. Well, guess what? You have on strings on me, you, can't, control, me." She chuckles in a mad laugh of one drunk on wine and power.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to study your memory. Oh and feel free to shoot me as was your threat, a deals a deal it's only fair that I take a bullet for this. Not that I'm going to care." She laughs again then turns away the memory unfolds in her mind, and her blood runs cold.

Her eyes widen in utter shock at it's contents she shakes a little and she spins to him amazed and a little terrified.

***

Shame. Regret. Pain. Disgust. He knew the feelings well. It happened every time he was beaten. She'd beaten him. Made him over extend. It was very well played. Denton wrinkled his noise. The pain made him stir, which made his ribs hurt more.

No time to think to deeply on losing a match in the game, though.

Owl...shouldn't have been that fast, or strong. Her eyes changed too. The moment she darted across the room there was a multicolored flare in them. The eyes of Dionysus. Fascinating. He'd known something must have happened

She'd violated his mind. It couldn't go without punishment, but killing her would be ...how to say less then satisfactory. Also it would mean making a permanent enemy of Kotu's. No, something painful to teach a lesson. She asked to be shot. He supposed it would work. Something in her mocking tone made it seem if she though the had been bluffing when they talked in the ten. If supernatural theory rang true than whatever he did shouldn't be permanent.

He didn't think.

Oh well.

If she died then at least they would go out together. Not that Denton was a big fan of mutually assured destruction, but it couldn't be helped. He had to reestablish some form of dominance.

"Hey. It's uh, it's Kotsu."

Ah even better.

Lets see how you react dog, he thought. Denton figured Kotsu would likely kill him. Morgan wasn't to far off. There was a chance she'll hear it to. He hoped the hotel had insurance.

"No, I'm no puppetmaster," Denton said. "I can't control anyone. I can nudge. And I do my best to follow through on the things I say." He produced his gun. Denton shot Owl two times in the stomach. She went down.

Denton dropped his gun and fell on his back.

***

Owl went down yelping in pain, dulled pain as her blood was thick with wine but still painful. She cries out, then the cries subside into low groans.

Note to self, my powers don't make me invulnerable She thinks to her self clutching her belly. Then through the pain she laughs.

"Well to be fair You specifically said it wasn't an order but a warning." She crawls to bedside and grabs another bottle opening it greedily and beginning to down it. "I say this then was a fair trade, what a memory! What a secret. Same time tomorrow Denton? another gun shot for another memory?"

She was mocking him as she drank, she had won this round.

And she knew it.

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu kicked down the door after hearing the gunshot expecting the worse. He seen a bleeding Owl and a bleeding Denton. The gun near Denton and Owl with bullet wounds in her stomach. "Why...?" Kotsu asked, watching Owl laughing hysterically. "What's going on here?" Kotsu asked, whipping the gun into his own hand and using his whips to snatch the bottle out of Owl's hand. All he wanted to do was tell her about the twins cooperation and now there were gun shots. "Give me answers!" Kotsu dropped to the floor after he said that, his stomach growling loudly from not having drank blood the entire day and being swamped in the stink of it.

Jesus Christ dude. What the hell?

 

[Exzalia]

Owl rolls painfully and looks at him, her telepathy rings in his head.

"Don't worry I'll be okay. Denton and I just had...a little spat...owe. But I learned something interesting from him, it would appear Morgan may not be his willing ally."

 

[Kinggunlucky]

Denton sat up. He rolled his eyes at Owl's word. Not telling what she saw. It apparently had to do with Morgan. It made an uncomfortable feeling settle in his stomach. He hoped she wouldn't be in danger. He doubted it, though. Morgan had the most dangerous mage ability within the group. Well, offensively speaking, although Quentin' wasn't a slouch.

"i can assure you that mine and Morgan's working relationship is not currently being influenced by outside forces." Denton stared to stand. "So I can assume you must gotten chummy with Dionysus at some point? You likely wouldn't be conscious if you were still just a mortal mage. Not to mention the insane amount of alcohol intake."

 

[KotaKotsu]

Kotsu came over to Owl, a worried expression on his face, tucking the gun in his back pocket, and looking at her wounds, seating her on the bed. Kotsu replied to Owl via her telepathy. "I'm going to treat your wounds. And also, the Finder twins, they've got classified information they're willing to discuss out of earshot it looks like. If you wouldn't mind, I don't know if you can do a threeway conversation, but it might be good information for you as well." Kotsu proceeded to lift her shirt to see the wound, ripping off a piece of his undershirt to clean her wounds, and poured the alcohol on her wounds a bit to clean them. Kotsu handed Owl the rest of the alcohol to drink as he applied a bit of the salve that the twins had given him. He only had half a tin left, but given that it was only a few bullet wounds, it was easier to work with. "feel free to hit me." Kotsu said out loud as he pulled out some leaves that he stuffed into his pocket when he helped Denton with his makeshift brace, chewing them up with some salve on them, and proceeded to stick it into her bullet wounds to stop the bleeding.
After Kotsu was finished, he glared at Denton. "What the fuck is your problem?" Kotsu's eyes were a deep shade of red.

 

[Exzalia]

Owl smiles as Denton begins to stand she suffers through Kotsu's treatment but doesn't let the pain show on her face, not in front of Denton.

"Indeed Denton and power is not the only thing he has given me. Now lets see if you've learned your lesson, you have ten seconds to leave my room. 10...9...8... "

 

[Kinggunlucky]

Kotsu walks over to him and grabs Denton with his whips, not with any force. "You, talk now. I want answers. First, why did you fire at your own teammate? Second. I want answers about Carmille. Get to talking." Kotsu said with no expression of letting Denton leave. "I'm not going to hurt you, but I'm tired of this. Tired of your secrecy, tired of you trying to be this cold blooded animal. Quite frankly, I'm just tired of you being the worst person I've ever had the displeasantry of working for. And I don't mean that because of your actions either, I mean that because you're not even worthy of ranking above me."

Denton squirmed in the whips. "I believe Owl asked me to leave the room."

Kotsu's eyes glared red. "I'm sure she'll be interested in knowing why you shot, and what happened to our teammate." A light grip was placed on Denton's ribs. Nothing serious, but enough to show Denton that Kotsu was getting fed up with this.

He tried to wriggle free. No success. "And why am not worthy of ranking above? What have you done so far? All you've proven to be so far is a useful hammer. You hammered then enemies...then in a slightly less bloody fashion you hammered Owl. Not you're doing your best to intimidate answers. Why? Because you know you can't get them any other way. So you resort to violence. It's pretty sad. I wouldn't expect anything different from a vampire, though"

Kotsu sighed. "Do you really think lowly of us vampires when you're the one who pulled the trigger on kids dying? Kids who were supposed to be in our care? You just shot your own teammate as well. You take jabs at me for being a vampire. Your immature means to get a rise out of me by mentioning Owl? Means nothing to me. Get some new material. I was bullied my whole life." Kotsu said, getting more disappointed by the realization of how Denton really was. "Sad part? I looked up to you, Denton. I thought you were one of the good guys, man. You just keep letting me and this entire squad down. I already said I don't want to hurt you, and that counters you thinking violence is my only method."
Kotsu shook his head but kept the grips of his whips firm. "I've proven to even be more capable of talking to the group and getting to know my comrades where as you can't even talk to your 'subordinates'." Kotsu used air quotes. "Face it. You're weak, you're miserable, and you just aren't cut out to do anything except for be a fuckin' low life thug. You don't even belong in the Maniacles. Now you ain't answered my questions yet. Or, should I become the monster you keep calling me?" Kotsu's teeth elongated. "I haven't drank any blood in over 24 hours. Please, don't make this happen." Kotsu said, his eyes full of resolve.

You... You really shouldn't be doing this.

"I never claimed I was good. I know exactly what I am. I told Owl if she touched me that I'd shoot her. It's nothing personal. In fact I originally came in here to see how she was doing. She seemed distracted. And I'm not bullying. I am merely pointing out a fact. You kill me now....what happens? Camille dies, you die, Aria dies. So on and so forth. Not to mention you attacking me will prove what little self control you have." Denton smiled. "I'm willing to die to be proven right." He laughed. "Also, a little naive, aren't we? You think I don't belong in my position. You think the other field agents are somehow more saintly? I didn't enjoy what happened in Moonlight. It is protocol. And I am not in a position to disobey those orders."

"I knew you weren't a bad guy!" Kotsu exclaimed, retracting his teeth, but keeping a firm grip on him. Kotsu's face remained stern though. "But do you really think that I don't have some contingency plan? Some plan if there was a falling out with you all? Please Denton. I was trained by you guys for 30 years out of the 70 I've lived. I know how to disappear." Kotsu responded. "I just don't want to. You still shouldn't have shot Owl. Tasing her would have been more acceptable. At least then it was non-lethal. If anything does happen to Carmille or Aria though. Or Owl. Hell, even the Finder twins? I'm holding you accountable. Now tell me where Carmille is."
Kotsu's expressioned softened slightly. "I really wish we didn't have to do this and you could just be honest from get go. If you didn't want Moonlight to happen, it didn't have to. There were alternative solutions. You're just... I dunno. But since that day, you've been less of a hero in my eyes. And that's all I've looked at you and seen for years. Weirdly enough? I guess that's why I called you Captain for so long. Now I repeat, tell me where Carmille is."

"Kotsu...the Earth isn't big enough for you to hide. You have no idea the resources Manialces can bring when they are properly motivated. I could have had you killed anytime I wanted. You're just good. Damn good at killing. And I'm afraid there were no alternatives. You work with what you have." Denton said. "Do you know why I have this job and you don't? I do what needs to be done." He wiggled a bit more. "As for Camille. I don't have a clue. She's been placed out of my charge for the time being. I'm due to get her back eventually, though" He smiled. "That's the truth. I could have told you earlier, but I find suspense extremely enthralling."

Kotsu dropped Denton without being gentle. "Yeah, that's why you don't hide in the same place, dummy. You gotta keep moving when you're on the run. Hence, the phrase. And I want you to remember with those nursed ribs of yours that I took care of? That I'm not just good at killing. I'm just as human as you. The only difference is? I fight for my friends and the people I care about. And whether you like it or not? I care about you too. I couldn't bring myself to kill you." Kotsu said, sighing deeply. He didn't know what to do. He genuinely wanted to avenge Owl, but he doesn't want to hurt Denton because he cared about him. It made his head hurt, so he said what was on his mind.
"I appreciate you checking on Owl, but maybe you should give her space. And apologize profusely when she's ready to hear it. But for now, please just go rest? I'm keeping your gun. Sure you can get another one, but I'm keeping it as a reminder of today. When you actually were forced to hear me out. And when we were actually able to talk to each other. Thank you for telling me about Carmille. I hope that she's okay. If she's coming back? That's good. I miss her. Even if she messed me up last time." Kotsu said with a weird smile on his face reminiscing about her saving him. "Denton, I want you to measure the weight of your words to the blood on my hands and compare us. I'm sure you'll see that, though I'm a good killer; it's the last thing on my mind. I kill to protect you guys. It's a last resort. Maybe I'm just more human than you guys would like me to be. I don't know. Quite frankly, it's a blessing in my opinion. I haven't forgotten who I am. I think you haven't forgotten who you are either. But you hide it under a mask. If you need to talk to someone? There's nobody else but us really. Or at least, me. Just be honest, man." Kotsu turned away from Denton, and walks back into the room to see how Owl was doing, closing the door behind him.

***

Denton leaned against the hallway wall after leaving. He was relieved to be alive. A close call there. Apparently Kotsu never had any intention of killing him. Good. That's a win there. Denton called his bluff.

Very kind of him to say he cared, though. It had caught Denton off guard. Digesting those words were difficult to say the least. Why? One, Denton didn't feel he deserved it. Not after everything. All the pain over the years. Two, he knew he would have to hurt his team a lot more before all of this was said and done.

 

[AbatedBigfoot]

Q began to toss and turn during his sleep. His body was sweating. Since he got his fire magic, his body never sweat. Was it a nightmare? No something much much worse. "AHH" He began screaming and with that, ignited his entire body. But it didn't stop there. He was losing control and in seconds his body turned into the entire room. He couldn't contain the fire as it started to have flakes of blue. He was awake at this point. "No, not now, this can't be happening" he screamed. Unable to contain his powers what so ever they unleashed themselves. Needing somewhere to go, the force of the flames and heat exploded the door of the hinges and shattered the windows. Something was wrong. At this point, there was more blue fire flakes as his flames were getting stronger as well as hotter.

Kotsu being the type of person he was, was the first one to reach Quentin. Shielding his eyes from the heat, his clothes and skin started to burn but that didn't stop him from trying to reach Q.

Q's mind was elsewhere and when kotsu got close, Q's body acted without him and connected a blue fire punch with kotsu's gut. (his response is the outcome).

Q didn't realize what he did until after he hit him,. He walked out of his room and looked down the hallway "h-help m-me" he said in a quivering voice before he fell over and passed out. He was no longer in fire, but the same couldn't be said for his room.

KotaKotsu

 

[KotaKotsu]

Before Kotsu went into the door, he saw Quentin wreathed in blue flames. "Yo, what's going on-" Kotsu took the brunt of the punch, and went hard into a wall, his anger starting to rise, but he quelled the beast within. He ran to his room, called for the bellhop to bring a fire extinguisher to Quentin's room and proceeded to pick up Quentin. "Jesus Christ, can I catch a break?" Kotsu brought Quentin to his room, laying him on the floor. The coldest part of the room, and went back to see the twins, knocking on their door. "Uh, guys? You got anything that could help if a fire extinguisher doesn't? Quentin just lit his room on fire."

AbatedBigfoot mmarage

 

[Freikugel]

After having a couple of drinks and a exciting happy chat with Sam, Fizzy dropped her at the motel. That girl was special and he was happy about that fact

Fizzy Roy lurked outside the motel, sitting at a bench. He was smoking an expensive looking cigarette

The last two days had been quite moved and interesting for him, however there was something he hadn't done yet.
Had a talk with his friend.
He sent a sms asking him to go out take a seat and have a talk. He would had loved to go have some good beers, but that would had interfered with Denton's work.

Denton shuffled out of the motel. His ribs were aching, nose broken, hair a mess, suit ruined. He tried to say something witty to himself, but only thing that came out was a groan. He looked to his right and saw Fizzy Roy.

Denton waved.

"Yo."

"Man you look totally wasted!" Exclaimed Roy genuinely surprised. It wasn't just the wounds, his face reflected a severe fatigue, Fizzy had seen that face many times before.

He stood up and walked toward Denton. "Have a cigar?"

"No thank you," Denton said. "I've...lets just say the cigar smoking wolf put me off it for awhile. And yes, I feel like crap. I got my ass kicked by Owl. A memory stolen by her, then questioned by Kotsu."

Fizzy's face became serious

"Man what's going on? This isn't what I expected when you called me for a special mission. You can't even control what your subordinates are doing anymore? Also working for a God? I've never thought something like that even existed? What mess did you get into?"

"The mess of life my friend." He sat beside Fizzy. "I don't need to control them much. Control is for people who get off on it. I just need nudge, encourage them, and make sure there is always a bigger threat. They'll fall in line eventually. It's not as if I'm planning to run them forever anyway." Denton smirked. "And what about you? You failed quite wonderfully when drawing to bed Sam."

Fizzy took a smoke of his cigarette
"She is one hell of a girl man I tell you. It's funny, actually makes me want to try it harder now. That woman understand the pain..." Stated as he patted his right leg.

"Be truth that you livin' with Morgan now? I tell you that woman isn't good news"

"Christ man, let it go. It's been a decade," Denton replied. "Now yes....a genocidal plot is pretty bad, but we've both done things we aren't proud of. Compared to now we were all children."

"It worries me you are not in real control of this situation. I overheard the staff a few days ago, they don't sound happy about your performance and results. You lost several members in the pest control mission and while you succesfully erradicated that Queen and stopped the civilians, information was still leaked. You know that wasn't the only swarm right?"

"Of course not," Denton said. "They have other agents to deal with them, though. We have bigger fish to fry. HQ might be pissed, but what will they do? I'm more useful alive then dead. At least for now."

Another puff from the cigarette. Enough of a lecture.. Thought Fizzy

"So... regarding that wolf... Like.... what the fuck was that man?!"

"Yes," Denton said. "It was rather unexpected, right? I assumed he would be a lot more dangerous. Not a bad fellow, though...aside from the eating people part. He would have made a good hire."

"I assume the Demon is real as well, can't say I'm excited, these fuckers are really rough, we may end up all get killed tomorrow"

The flashing image of Sam crossed through Fizzy's mind...
Does she even know how terrible a demon is? Does she even know she could die? Do you want her to die?

"Tell me you have a plan.... which doesn't involve crossdressing"

"Binding," Denton replied. "It's the only way to deal with this particular one. It doesn't really exist in a physical sense."

Fizzy felt like facepalming

"Dude we're totally fucked..." He laughed

"Sure you don't want a cigar before your inevitable demise?"

"Don't be so dire my friend. Think of it like this. Once we have it. It'll be ours." Denton crosses his arms. "Maniacles want it. HQ is cooking up something big in the coming months. A raid. They are asking all field agents to do some recruiting. Once I heard Andras was on the island I knew I could use him. It should smooth over any ill will HQ has towards me if I give them the demon."


"And just for this Demon we gotta follow the mayor's play? Also a personal gain huh? Don't like were this is going on man, just try to not get yourself killed..."

Finishing his cigarette Fizzy continued

"... Ahm, you may already know, but I kinda spilled some personal stuff to Sam... Don't blame me, I was drunk, like really drunk and she threatened me but... man the girl was hot"

Denton did know. He'd been meaning to talk about it with Fizzy actually. The moron gave up valuable information they could have used for further gain. "It was a foolish idea. I could have told you Sam Adams wouldn't be an easy lay. At the moment we're at a disadvantage. Owl got the better of me today, but you...keep the robo dick in your pants. Mission first. I think the advice applies to you more than it applies to me."

Denton patted Fizzy on the shoulder.

"Not being on your A-game is how accidents happen. Lets both be on the up and up, huh? When people like us get sloppy...HQ is very good at making sure we get in line very fast. Or go away."

HQ is very good at making sure we get in line very fast. Or go away.
Fizzy pondered about that particular line... Almost like a threat.

Denton was right, he revealed personal info, but he won't give up on Sam that easily.

Fizzy Roy then hugged his friend, a brothership embrace.

"I think you may be right and wrong at some points, just don't do anything foolish, don't die man"

Denton liked the affection. It felt nice to know a friend cared. He had so few these days. Of course, long embraces were both awkward and more dangerously could be considered a form of weakness. Somewhat. You never wanted your guard down to long. Denton broke the hug.

"So, you really want a piece of Sam Adams, huh?"

"Maybe more than a piece Denton" replied seriously

After that short talk both separated

Fizzy was leaving, yet he stopped

"Ah, forgot to mention, 'Liz sends you her regards, my sister, you know her, she applied for the police department..."
He lit another cigarette

"Hadn't been the same since momma die three years ago, but that girl is a sturdy one..."

It was truth that his sister, Elizabeth, asked him to say hi to Denton, however....

Why did I say that? He wondered as he left the place

*********************************

The next Fizzy did was heading to Sam's room. He knocked the door.
I bet she'll get mad... He thought.

"For the love of God, if you're another Jehovah's Witness I am going to rip you to pieces and use your brain as a processor for my-" Sam stopped her rant when she saw who was knocking through the peephole.

Sam answered the door looking frustrated. Behind her, on the table, was a pair of computer monitors and no small amount of wiring between them.

"Ahm, hey Sam, I know we just went for a booze recently but.. something was on my mind..."

Confused, Sam asked, "Something happen?"

Gosh, Sam's looked like a mess, seems she's been working all night long and yet.... she was goddamn beautiful

Fizzy gulped, he couldn't find the right words

"About... tomorrow's mission, the Demon...."

He glanced at her concerned expression

"I've met these things before, they're.... terrifying... There is a big chance we may all get killed tomorrow, so what I wanted to say was...."

Here it is..

"Don't go"

Sam blinked. What? Don't go? She must have drank more than she thought if he was telling her not to do her job.

"Fritz, if a fifty mile nuclear explosion can't kill me, how is a demon supposed to? What if you get killed? Then what am I supposed to do?"

"I appreciate you looking out for me, I do. But if you guys get killed, what am I supposed to do? I don't have a god on speed dial, unlike Denton, apparently.Owl has her mental bullshit, Kotsu, Aria, and Clayton are immortal, Morgan's a Sanguimancer, you and I are only half machine. If it's too dangerous for me, then it's definitely too dangerous for you!"

Fizzy avoided her glance

"I have to ..... to protect Denton... I must go, but I don't want anything happen to you. Besides I have the experience on my side"

"And I have the world's most advanced technology. Even if I don't go, it'll take all of five minutes to deal with the kid. And am I just supposed to sit on my hands all day, waiting to find out if you were killed or not?"

At this point Fizzy wasn't sure what to say
He didn't want Sam to be in that level of danger, and Denton would surely punish him for removing a valuable asset in the team
But his emotions weren't something he could control that easily on these past days

"I.... I'm sorry. I shouldn't had said that. Is just, I wouldn't forgive myself if something were to happen to you..."

He realized now that his petition was like an insult to her abilities

"Forgive me, I forgot for a moment that you were a tanned soldier. I'll be happy to have you with us. Just promise me..."

"You won't do anything foolish, you won't die on the battlefield"

That's the same he said to Denton

"You too. Who else am I gonna drink with?", Sam smiled, "Trust me when I say I can survive."

Fizzy smiled, that went better than he thought. Yet it was still a dangerous mission after all.

"You too, we'll be meeting tomorrow early at 5 pm, better we get some rest"

And then he left Sam's room, his face wearing a concerned expresion. There were too many worries on his mind.

 

[Kinggunlucky]

When the morning came it came with rain. A hard, merciless, and cold rain. The mercenaries gathered outside of the motel in the parking lot as Denton instructed. He and Morgan were the last to arrive. Denton's appearance hadn't improved from yesterday. Pain obvious on him. The way he moved. A tad slower than usual, leaning on Morgan for support. His nose bandaged.

Morgan's usual cold expression was cracked, faltering. She looked uncomfortable in her skin, eyes shifting in every direction, as if desperate for an escape. Her hand tight on Denton's.

He grinned at the team.

The drive to their location was relatively fast. It wasn't a forested area, but one of the many areas where grapes were grown. It was a beautiful, rows and rows of grape plans running up a lush green field. Two satyrs awaited their arrival, both smoking, and leaning against a large van. Not a van like Marty The Wolf had, although certainly cut from the same cloth.

Denton approached, shaking both their hands. He felt strangely good. Not perfect, no. There would be no perfect when dealing with a creature like this. Chances of death were high. It wouldn't be the first time he faced a demon, no. It would be, however,his first encounter with a demon like this. Andras. A demon of destruction. A monster which specializes in ending things.

Now that's not abnormal for a demon or most supernatural stuff really, but this was different. This was...ugh. Denton sighed. He opened the back. Maniacles everything which would be needed.

Rings for each member of the team. The rings all bearing the Seal of Solomon. None were the original, but the function would serve the same, almost. Kind of, Each one was magically enhanced.

Denton didn't think killing it would be possible with their current set up, nor is it what he wanted.

Next was a flask. Denton took it.

And finally lamb's blood. Now it didn't really have to be lamb's blood, but symbolism was important in these things. Demons, much like he did, loved a good ritual.

Denton explained all the items to everyone with the exception of the flask.

He took a breath, looking to Morgan for reassurance before turning back to the group. "Well, here we are. This will be task number 2 for the ever wonderful Dionysus. Andras is not going to be easy. We're not going to be able to hurt him much for one thing. Not with normal means. Maybe slow him down. Maybe. The rings will give us a fighting chance. We can challenge him on his terms. A battle of wills. We're all human or were human once. Think of the things in your head, things you love. Good memories, particularly those where you made something. The opposite of destroying. If we can weaken Andras properly by overpowering him with that, distract him, and get him into my trap. We win."

Morgan cleared her throat. "How bad is this thing?"

Denton leaned on the van. "It's bad. Andras specializes in destruction of all forms and hates humans with a passion unrivaled. He's a near invisible entity, large. You let him get close...you won't like it. I mean destruction as a general term. Andras has been known to destroy people, or in this case crops, by aging them - rapid decay, destroy the magical potential of mages...like cutting in half an important wire that's powering the house. Destroy the vampiric curse, vampire along with it. Destroy ideas in your head before you can capitalize on them. Heart attacks, strokes, memory loss and brain damage. No form of destruction off the table. He can only focus on one of us at a time, though. So, that's Andras."

 

[Darkling0096]

Sam raised her hand. "How fast is he?" Depending on how fast it was, she might be able to distract it with her bike while the trap was set up.

 

[KotaKotsu]

"Pause hold on, you said destroy the vampiric curse?" Kotsu said with a minor smile while taking the ring of Solomon and putting it on his finger. Kotsu thought to himself, "Does that mean I'll finally be good enough for her?"

Nah, dude. I doubt it.