Episode 2: The Wolf of New York

[IamNotLoki]

A TV Clicks on.








News anchors look up at the camera as the music from the intro fades.


They started reading the words from the prompter.


New York City, November 9, 2016!  Every day, reports of strange phenomenon are reported to the police and news agencies.  People are getting more and more intrigued by these strange characters emerging from obscurity and demonstrating strange powers.  This time we have acquired footage of what seems to be a man... walking on air!  Let's show the footage!


The screen now shows a low resolution iphone video of a figure walking in the sky.


It's a bit blurry and out of focus but I think our watchers can see clearly what's going on!  What does this mean?  We have brought genetic expert Claude Blume with us to try and explain what's going on!


The camera moves to show a white haired man with blue-framed glasses.  He looked very sleek and professional.


"The comic books are becoming real, Luanne... I believe genetic mutations are causing abnormalities that push humanity towards evolution.  This isn't the first time this happened.  Lets look back to last week when we saw a strange fight occur in Brooklyn where the two fighters seemed to be throwing flames and ice at each other!  And the day before that we had that incident where a woman was reported to have driven her car into a river!  When rescue personnel came to rescue her, they reported that they did not see anyone in the car!  These events are all related Luanne and you better watch out!"


Luanne looked back at the camera.  


And there you have it folks.  Genetics.  Stay tuned for more updates on this rise of strange events here!  


She touched the device in her ear.  Her eyes opened wide.


This just in!  Beaking news!  The latest victim of the New York City Mangler has been discovered!  The serial killer that targets seemingly random types of people and brutally mutilates their bodies as if they were attacked by some sort of animal!  Stay tuned!

 

[IamNotLoki]

Objective: In this episode the characters receive cards/recently receive cards and attempt understand what the cards do.  They also might want to discover others that have received these powers.  This is the time for origin stories and character development.


Side Quests: Investigate the New York Mangler.


Side Quests: Investigate the Olympus Group.

 

[Eagleye415]

Lavernius Alexander ducked into an alleyway. He ran down followed by a group of 4 men. LA reached the end and looked around. No exit? This is gonna be bad. Suddenly, a ladder fell off the top of the building and landed nearby. He looked in shock at the ladder and quickly began to climb up. Lavernius entered the building next to him through a second floor window. He could hear the men cursing and yelling after him and he chuckle. LA quickly ran through the apartment, startling its inhabitants, and threw the front door open. He knew that they would be coming up the stairs if they still wanted to pursue him. So, Lavernius started going up. He took the stairs two at a time and was almost at the top when the 4 men realized where he had gone. LA kicked open the door to the roof and slammed it behind him. He took a few moments to catch his breath before looking around. Lavernius looked across the roof at the next building and realized that the building was too far away. He tried to think of a way out and scanned the roof desperately. A flash of black caught his attention and he looked at the small black box. 


Lavernius walked over to the box and lifted it in his hand. It was obviously out of place. Upon closer examination, he could see that the box had a small, silver logo of a flaming eye. LA carefully removed the top of the box and slid it into his pocket. He picked up the note with writing on it that said:


Dear Lucky Participant,


Your unique characteristics and qualities have gathered our interest.


We have been watching you carefully and we came to the conclusion 


that you are a perfect candidate to participate in our special experiment.


Enclosed in this box is a god's name.  We offer that god's jurisdiction to you.


Once you pick up this object, you will receive that god's powers and abilities.


Feel free to use that power however you wish.  Consider it as a gift.


We will be observing your progress, but we will not interfere with your choices.


We hope you enjoy the gift we have given you.


With great promise,


Olympus Group


Lavernius was intrigued by this Olympus Group and slide the note into his pocket for later examination. He turned his head toward the door as loud banging came from it. LA had assumed it would open easily. It jammed? No way. Lavernius looked back down into the white velvet inside of the box and saw a simple black card almost like a credit card. It had a red caricature of the Devil with a Pitchfork and the flames of Hell at his feet, sitting on a throne. The symbols next to him didn't make sense, but then it was like he had always understood the language. Lucifer..? LA pulled the card out and felt power take hold of his body. He heard the door giving way and turned to look at the opposite roof. It wouldn't be so hard after all. Lavernius backed up a few yards then took off running as the door finally gave way. His eyes glowed an intense crimson red as he jumped off of the roof. He seemed to float in the air as he passed between the buildings. Then, LA fell on to the new roof top and rolled out to break his fall. He felt his heart beating wildly and grinned widely. His chuckles could be heard on the entire block. 


@IamNotLoki

 

[Sir Mayday]

Tavi felt his throat close up as everyone raised their glasses in the air.


"To Jake, a friend we will never forget!"


"Jake!"


"Jake, we will miss you man!


"A good friend!"


"He would have been a great doctor!"


" Yes, one of the best."


Tavi drowned the glass in a few seconds, and rolled the taste over his mouth. The drink was good, but he still felt empty and full of regret. Plus, it didn't help that the drink had no alcohol in it. He would have given anything for a beer, over this virgin pina colada.


"Dude you sure you don't need a ride?" Tavi asked.


"No man, I'll be okay" Jake said as he turned around and started


Tavi leaned against the wall and looked at all the people gathered here, at Jake's apartment. Jake's family was here of course. Tavi had given his sympathies for their lost, and had shared a hug with Jake's mom. She had tried to give him a smile but, couldn't bring herself too. He didn't take no offense, he hadn't felt like smiling recently either. A lot of the medical students were here too from the New York Medical College. Even a few professors had shown up to give thier regrets. Jake had been popular with a lot of people on campus. They all said the same things. He would have made a good doctor........ It was a shame he died so young........ Don't worry the police will catch this "Mangler".


Tavi got tired of it eventually. He knew they meant well. Yet, that wouldn't bring his best friend back. Tavi decided to leave the apartment and grabbed his jacket. He told everyone he was heading out to get some rest, that he wasn't feeling well. Noone believed him, but they went along with it and said their farewells. As he walked outside, he just stood outside he closed his eyes as he felt the air flow over him. He still was not used to not feeling any warmth or cold from the air. That card changed me...maybe like those other people all over the news. Maybe if I had been with Jake, he wouldn't have died..maybe...but I still don't know how it changed me and what I could do...


As Tavi contemplated he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned around and found Jake's younger sister holding a duffel bag in her arms.


"Hey Sydney" Tavi said looking down at the ground.


"Hey Tavi.....look the family has been going through Jake's stuff, and....well I think you should have this. You guys always found the time to go out into the woods and do whatever together. It seems right..you know"


Tavi looked at the duffel and felt his throat close up again, as he saw Jake's "hunting duffel" as he use to call it. He couldn't say a word as Sydney offered it too him, and he took it. Tavi nodded his head to her in thanks and she gave a small smile back. She then went back into the apartment building, leaving Tavi with the duffel in his hands.


As he got into his car a couple blocks down, he couldn't help opening the bag and looking inside. His eyes started tearing up when he saw the bow, quiver, and arrows in the duffel. He felt his fists clench and knew what he was going to do.


"I promise you Jake, I'll find this Mangler...and I'll stop him." Tavi said as the tears started pouring down his face. As he said those words, a warm feeling started to come inside him, and if you listened closely enough, not to the cars, construction, and noises of the city. You could hear it. The quiet squeal  of a boar.

 

[IamNotLoki]

Spectral green scales floated above a young woman's head as the Police Commissioner Jim Irons stared at her through one way mirrors.  He watched as a detective questioned her about the death of the latest Mangler victim, Victor Wells.  She claims she witnessed what happened to the young man while she was riding her bike at the park.


"It... It was a monster..."  She said... her eyes wide open.


"Miss, please calm down..."  The officer tried to put her at ease.


"N-No you... you don't understand..."  She paused.  Her pleading eyes piercing the officer's.  "What attacked that man... it... it wasn't human!"  She slammed her palms on the table, causing some coffee to fly up from the coffee mug the officer offered her.


Commissioner Irons scratched his rough, 5-o-clock shadowed chin as he watched the scales above her head go swing up and down frantically.  This was normal.  Commissioner Irons have seen many of these spectral scales... and from what he has seen, most people's scales swing wildly... at least the scales of most innocent people see-saw this way.  The commissioner has also seen the scales above the heads of rapists and murderers who had a lot of evidence against them... he saw how their scales barely moved at all... the side with the flames have sunk to the bottom while the side without flames floats above.  This imbalance means the person is most likely a serious criminal.  The woman he's observing doesn't seem to be a serious criminal.


 young man wearing glasses stood next to the commissioner.  "Good morning sir..."  the young man's name is Mark Hamilton, a new detective fresh from the academy.  Commissioner irons considers him sort of like an apprentice.  The young detective considers the commissioner as his mentor.  "Looks like you're hard at work again, any new leads on the Mangler case?"  The bright eyes young man saw that the commissioner reached inside his trench coat and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.  He motioned the pack towards the young man who refused the offer with raised hands.  The rugged-looking commissioner pulled out a white stick from the package and put it in his mouth.  


"Sir,"  The young man thumbed at a "no smoking" sign near the hall.


"Crap... I forgot..."  The edges of Jim's lower lip dropped as he facepalmed.  He pulled out the cigarette and put it in his chest pocket.  "Those signs were Amanda's idea... she keeps bugging me about smoking..."  He smirked and crossed his arms, returning his attention to the interview.


"She's a witness apparently..."  Jim his lazy eyes was reflected through the glass.  "She says the latest victim was attacked by a monster," 


"Monster Sir?"  Mark looked at Jim with a confused expression... he couldn't resist the urge to smirk at the idea.


"Yeah..."  Jim scratched the back of his head.  "...monster..."  he repeated lazily.


The interview went on.


"What does this monster look like then, Miss Sanchez?"  The officer asked the witness.


"I-I couldn't see it clearly... it all happened so fast... and I was really scared... I thought it was going to go after me..."  She rested her forehead on her palms.  "I know this... this sounds crazy...  I don't even believe myself when I say these things..."  She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to focus.


"It was huge... a very large and scary creature.  While it was attacking that man... I heard the sounds of growling... low grumblings... like... like a dog..."  She opened her eyes and looked at the officer.  "I couldn't see its front... but it looked like a giant mass... of fur..."  She shook her head.  "I'm telling you the truth, take it or leave it!"  She looked at the officer adamantly.


The officer sighed before Jim walked in the interrogation room.  "That's enough Tom... Miss Sanchez... you can go home now..."  He smiled at the young woman who seemed to be at the verge of tears.  She grabbed her belongings and walked out the door.


Jim smiled at officer Tom and pat his shoulder.  "She saw what she saw... don't think too much of it..."  He said as he exited.


Mark followed Jim to the police department's roof.


"Sir, do you really think she's telling the truth?  A monster?"  Mark asked.  


"Mark, with the strange things going on these days... it wouldn't be surprising if the mangler really was a monster..."  He said before taking out his cigarette.  

 

[PressureCooker]

Matthew had finished his 5th pint by the time he decided to go home, even though he was only feeling a bit tipsy. Ever since he had found the black card with a skull in a top hat carved into it, drinking hadn't been the same again. Now, the most he had gotten had been a slight tingle, and he was pretty sure that it was because he needed to use the bathroom.


"Right", Matthew coughed, "I think its about time I started going home now". The bartender nodded, and Matthew slid a few crumpled dollar bills onto the counter. As he walked out the door, Matthew realized. He had been going to the Celtica for a few months now, and he had never learned the bartender's name. Every time he came in, the bartender and him would strike up a friendly conversation, the topic of which varied, but Matthew had never thought to ask his name. I'll do that tomorrow, he thought to himself. 


The cold wind blew through the street as Matthew quickly strode down the sidewalk. He pulled his jacket closer, and felt the lump of his wallet in the front pocket. For no particular reason, he took out the wallet, opened it, and looked at the black card that sat in one of the pockets. He pulled the card out, and felt the smooth black surface. He remembered finding it a few days ago, lying neatly on top of his pillow. Attached to it was a note that read:


Dear Lucky Participant,


Your unique characteristics and qualities have gathered our interest.


We have been watching you carefully and we came to the conclusion 


that you are a perfect candidate to participate in our special experiment.


Enclosed in this box is a god's name.  We offer that god's jurisdiction to you.


Once you pick up this object, you will receive that god's powers and abilities.


Feel free to use that power however you wish.  Consider it as a gift.


We will be observing your progress, but we will not interfere with your choices.


We hope you enjoy the gift we have given you.


With great promise,


Olympus Group


Initially puzzled, he had then proceeded to pick up the card for closer inspection. Upon touching it, he had felt a rush of...something...flow into his body through his fingertips. It wasn't exactly energy, instead, it was a sort of essence that both energized and intoxicated him at the same time. It was a funny feeling, and Matthew decided that he should have a drink on it. Without further thought, he slipped the card into his wallet and went on his way. Ever since he found the card, Matthew felt more lively, and walked with a little bit more jaunt in his step. He had not been able to piece together the card, or the mysterious "Olympus Group", even after scouring the internet on the cheap laptop he had back at home. Occasionally, he would take the card out, and just look at it, but nothing ever came.


Matthew was shaken out of his thoughts when he felt a solid object prod against the back of his head. Before he could turn, he heard a wheezy voice say


"If you don't wanna end up with a bullet in the back of your head, I suggest you keep walking until you reach that alleyway over 'ere"


Shit, Matthew silently cursed in his head. He heard two new voices chime in their agreement behind him. His heart was beating quickly, and he stiffly stepped forward toward the alley. 


"Hurry up, stupid"


The lead thug taunted, and prodded the back of his head with the gun again. Matthew's heart was audibly thumping with each step, and his mind was racing.


"I said hurry up"


The thug said, and prodded the gun with more force. The entrance to the alley was approaching. Despite the thug's demands, Matthew didn't speed up. His muscles were tense, and he was thinking about how he could get out of this.


One of the thugs behind him became impatient and spurted out, "You're going too slow, here let me help you out". He then proceeded to forcefully push Matthew into the alleyway, where he then proceeded to fall face first into a puddle of sewage. Wiping his face, Matthew heard the three men snicker at their little antic. He was now angry, and he felt energy suddenly course through his veins. The lead thug approached with a smug yet menacing grin on his face, his gun drawn haphazardly in front of him. Without hesitation, Matthew flipped over, and grabbed the man's gun. Before he could react, Matthew punched him in the crotch, and knocked the man down. The other two rounded on him. The nearest one took a swing, but Matthew ducked and elbowed the man's exposed side. He let out a small cry of pain, but was immediately silenced by a hard blow to the head. The other thug decided not to try a punch, but instead charged him. Matthew quickly sidestepped, and slammed the man's head into the coarse alley wall. He then followed up with a few more punches, and the man crumpled to the floor. With energy still pumping through him, Matthew spotted the lead thug get back up, groaning. He ran for him, intending to pound the jerk into the ground for thinking they could rob him. Instead, he watched in seemingly slow motion as the thug stumbled back with his gun raised in front of him, and then fired.


Matthew didn't hear the gunshot. Instead, he felt the searing jolt as the bullet tore through his upper chest. He fell to the ground, too much in shock to do anything, even to make a noise. He heard the rhythm of his own rapidly beating heart, and then experienced a feeling that his whole body was slowly distenegrating into a million parts, and then saw his vision go black.

 

[IamNotLoki]

@AyyyLmao


Commissioner Irons came back from the morgue with Hamilton.  Jim combed his hair back and exhaled.  Mark Hamilton looked at Jim as the older man loosened his tie.  "cause of death... fracture of the spine... bruising and hemorrhaging of most internal organs..."  Irons repeated the autopsy report.  "brutal as always..."  Jim scratched his head.  Mark remained silent and followed Jim towards his car.  


BANG!


The pair looked towards the direction of an alley across from the morgue where the gunshot originated.  The duo raced towards the alleyway and took out their guns.  They saw the a man lying on the floor... a circle of blood spreading on his upper chest.  Detective Mark saw figures running away from the scene.  "Crap...  NYPD! FREEZE!"  He said before bolting after them, leaving Jim with the injured man.  


Jim propped him up and tried to stop him from bleeding.  But the man already feels cold... he has been on the ground for quite a while.  His vital signs are fading.  "Shit..."  Jim said as he reached for his cell phone.  "Dispatch, we have a mugging here at Myrtle and Cedar... send paramedics, ASAP!"  The man called for an ambulance.  He looked above the man's head... the scales were moving quite slowly...  the flaming side seem to be a bit heavier than usual.  The cop applied pressure on the man's wound... hoping the paramedics would arrive here in time.  "You're not a saint... but you still need a chance to change your ways..."   He whispered to himself as he applied more pressure on the womb... trying to stop the man from bleeding out.  It seemed like a hopeless effort.

 

[The DoomyFish]

Mr.Mechanic automotive shop.
​

Brooklyn, 3:34 Am.
​

The buzzer ringing jolted Tyson awake from a particularly strange dream. Looking at his bedside clock he groaned. "Who the F**k is here this early." He growled. After grabb his cane he Staggared to his feet with a moan. Before going any further he pulled the drawer open and drew his Dw1911 .45 semi automatic pistol. He always felt better with the comforting silver weight in his hand. 


After a long period of slowly maneuvering down the stairs,all the while listening to the buzzing continue and growing more annoyed, he opened the inner door slightly, Leaving the pistol hidden behind the door he looked outside. Finding no one he began to grumble and started shutting the door. Then he saw the box on the doormat. He reached through the iron gate and picked it up looking both ways and seeing no one. Huh. Weird. he thought to himself. 


He opened the box and read the letter in his swivel chair. 


Dear Lucky Participant,


Your unique characteristics and qualities have gathered our interest.


We have been watching you carefully and we came to the conclusion 


that you are a perfect candidate to participate in our special experiment.


Enclosed in this box is a god's name.  We offer that god's jurisdiction to you.


Once you pick up this object, you will receive that god's powers and abilities.


Feel free to use that power however you wish.  Consider it as a gift.


We will be observing your progress, but we will not interfere with your choices.


We hope you enjoy the gift we have given you.


With great promise,


Olympus Group


"yeah sure, godly powers,what kinda joker..." he cuts his words off when he touches the card and feels a warmth surge into his hand. He immediately dropped the card but the feeling didn't fade away. Nervously he bent down, painfully, and picked the card back up. 


"Ok that's weird" he grunted looking at the card. He got up and took the card with him going back to his room. Heading to his closet he put in the code to his walk in safe. He set the card beside his medal, on the top shelf. The safe was around the size of the closet, the top shelf was where his medals, rank, and military mission reports were. The middle shelf held his BDU's,helmet, and dog tags. The bottom shelf held around 20,000$ Cash, his boots, and a jar holding the three bullets that were pulled out of his back.


"weird night" he said to himself as he closed the safe. 


He climbed back into bed leaning his cane against the bedside, but he kept his pistol with him just in case...

 

[Jailbird]

Delphina leaned against the wall as she tapped away at her phone.The news of the mangler was plastered across every social media site,app,page, and idea.  All of it's victims were random and none of them had any concrete connection...at least that's what the media said,"D!  D!  Delphi!"A female voice screeched through the phone


"What!? What do you want!?"Delphina barked back at her from Cece


"Are you listening?"


"Yes...."Delphi lied to get her friend to shut up, even though she would continue to speak constantly.  Cece was one of Delphi's closest friends ever since she has been in the USA.  Cece was a bright eyed and bubbly girl and she was one of the few people who could actually deal with Delphi's I'm gonna break all your bones attitude.


"Anyway,Zander and Slater want to know if you will be willing to go on a double date!?"


"No."Delphi responded nonchalantly as she sucked on her sucker.  Delphi could hear Cece starting to whine and groan over the phone,"Maybe......"


"Yesh!"Cece and Delphi had created their own mini-language that they used quite often around each other.  Their slang was usually met with many weird looks,"Okay! I will tell them to meet us around *-ish on saturday night,kk?"


"Whatever!  Just tell them if they try anything I don't approve of I'm snapping their necks!"


"Stop being so violent! Space out astro-beast!"  Cece also had her own dialect that she seemed to make up on the fly


"Space....out?  Fuck that! Cya later air head!"  


Delphi leaned against the wall of the roof's entrance to the stair case.  She always came to the roof of her building to think or talk on the phone,"Some odd shit is going on.....well, as long as those oddities stay away from my family I don't care."  Delphi grumbled to herself as she removed the sucker from her mouth and placed back in.  Reaching into her bra she pulled out a card with the image of a pair wings with a throne in the center.  She had received a few days ago after she had helped her siblings with their homework.  It was just laying on one of the pillows in her bay window,"What is this?"Delphina thought about it for a moment just as she heard some yelling coming from the next building over.  She ignored it for a while until she heard somebody laughing from behind her.  Stepping out from behind the wall she looked at the male who was laughing like a maniac,"Uh....Are you okay dude?"


@Eagleye415

 

[Eagleye415]

Lavernius Alexander turned to face this new female and laughed that lit bit harder. He could hear the men cursing on the other roof and had to wipe away a tear. LA looked at them and pointed making himself laugh so hard he couldn't breathe. He ended up having to actually brush away a few tears from his eye. Lavernius finally managed to calm down a few minutes later and caught his breath. The adrenaline of the chase finally leaving his body.


"I'm great. It's been one hell of an eventful night." Lavernius said with a pleased grin. He turned to give his full attention to the girl and let out a long sigh. "Sorry. I should introduce myself. My name is Lavernius Alexander, but people call me LA."


@Jailbird

 

[Birdsie]

David Corrigan, AKA Mephistopheles


Location: What's The Scoop, Ice cream parlor - 2nd floor - David's office


Once again, David held the Black Card in his right hand, sitting on his comfortable office chair. This card, using it's power, David climbed his gang's ladder of leadership, combined with charisma, all in three days. This card, he received it three days ago from an organization of mysterious individuals that called a themselves the Olympus Group. David definitely planned to investigate whatever he can about them. His left hand, meanwhile sunk into the strawberry sundae on his desk using a silver spoon. The strawberry sundae itself stood in a glass chalice. Even though the card didn't look like much, upon touch one could feel the power it exuded. The writing on it was unintelligible to your usual person, however David understood what it said, as if with intuitive aptitude. The card read; Mephistopheles, and it pictured a winged demon flying above a city. David made some research and knew that by doing the will of the gods that you possess to he card of, it's powers grow. He wondered, from looking at the winged flying demon: 'Will I fly too, or will I end up like Faust? Nevertheless, I did everything in my ability to satisfy you, Mr. Pheles. I made deals...'


David dropped the card on his desk, next to the now-empty, translucent chalice that used to have strawberry sundae in it. David grabbed the remote and turned on the TV in his office. The channel happened to be Cartoon Network, and Adventure Time just happened to play, and few knew that Adventure Time was his favorite show. David sat back relaxed and enjoyed only 30 seconds, as then the episode ended. "Bollocks," the man exclaimed, sighing in annoyance. "Shitty luck," he added, grabbing the remote and changing the channel. He strolled through the stations and stopped in the news. It spoke about the Mangler again. "Heh, what a psychopath. Not getting anywhere near him." And turned off the TV, saying "Nothing interesting these days..." and shortly afterwards he yelled. "Max! Fetch me some sundae!" And heard a distant response.: "Yes, Mr. Corrigan!"


As Corrigan sat back, relaxing, he heard an ambulance drive and stop nearby. He looked outside, as he saw the paramedics exit it. 'Maybe someone will want to make a deal?' David's mind after the years he spent studying was like that of a corporate drone. He saw occasions everywhere and once he did, he didn't let go until he had a juicy bite from it. David looked back at his office door and yelled. "Nevermind, Max!" Taking his card with him and leaving the office. David walked into another room and armed himself. "Better safe..." He started, opening a green, metal wardrobe. It was full of weapons, ranging from two small knives, through a large machete, several handguns, two submachine guns, two rifles, a sniper rifle disassembled into parts and an RPG with a bayonet affixed to it. "Than sorry." David finished his sentence. David stared at the weapons and said. "You all understand me." Taking a Colt 1991 in his hands and loading it up. Be in took an extra magazine and shoved it into his suit, then he also took a swiss army knife and did the same. He hid the gun in his suit and closed the wardrobe. One would ask how he achieved wealth to buy those weapons. Well...

1. He didn't. They belonged to his predecessor, but he took over.
   
2. Even if he didn't, be still could. He made a few deals in the past three days, even though his sudden rise to power was unexpected.
   

David left the safety of his parlor and made his way across the street then into a dark alley. He slowly walked the dark streets, drifting from corner to corner until he saw Commissioner Irons over a dead body. David hid around the corner quickly in hopes that he wasn't compromised.


@IamNotLoki

 

[AllQuiet]

"...You've got to be kidding me..." Jennifer mutters to herself, a simple phrase that perfectly reflected her extremely stressful and infuriating day. First she'd spent half the day trying to get the Sibyll Security site back up from home since some jackass decided that a DDOS attack would be funny. It took her ten damn hours just to get the site back up... On a day when she was supposed to be off from work. Normally it would only have taken about three, but, she'd made the idiotic decision to work on getting the site back up from her laptop. A laptop which only had about fifty percent charge, and died about two hours in. Oh, but that wasn't even the worst of it. No, she'd had to go to some stupid family get together with her aunt and uncle from Seattle about an hour later. So, instead of getting a while to relax, she'd spent two more hours dealing with an idiotic situation she didn't want to be in.


Well, at least she'd just gotten back home and could just go lie down and relax in her room without having to deal with anything else stressing her out, right? Haha, NOPE! What does she find as soon as she walks in the front door? A strange box lying on the little coffee table she had set up next to the couch. Her first order of business was to hold it up to her ear and make sure it wasn't ticking. After all, what if it was a bomb! After not hearing any ticking sounds, she'd decided to shake it a bit. She could hear something moving around in it when she shook the box, but, it probably wasn't very large. It was then that she'd decided to take a closer look at the box, staring at the strange logo on the top cover.


Now, twenty or so minutes after said events, and she was just sitting on the couch, silently staring at the box and debating whether to open it or not. She sighed, deciding to just open it because why not at this point, it wasn't like her day could get any worse. She quickly opened the lid and snatched a piece of paper out of the box, a note of sorts. Strangely enough, whoever had written it had thought it a good idea to write the entire thing using white ink on a black sheet of paper. This was more of an odd choice than anything else, but, it still unnerved her. The paper also felt strangely smooth, and pleasing to the touch, almost like velvet. 


Dear Lucky Participant,


Your unique characteristics and qualities have gathered our interest.


We have been watching you carefully and we came to the conclusion 


that you are a perfect candidate to participate in our special experiment.


Enclosed in this box is a god's name.  We offer that god's jurisdiction to you.


Once you pick up this object, you will receive that god's powers and abilities.


Feel free to use that power however you wish.  Consider it as a gift.


We will be observing your progress, but we will not interfere with your choices.


We hope you enjoy the gift we have given you.


With great promise,


Olympus Group


Jennifer sat there for for a moment, just silently staring at the letter before uttering a single word, one that quite honestly summed up her current feelings very well. "What?" Jennifer just sat there, staring into the box at the black card inside. The letter seriously confused her, and it almost seemed like a quite elaborate prank to her, but, that wasn't what she was thinking about at the moment. What she was thinking about was why she was able to read the strange symbols on the side of the card enclosed within the box. She didn't recognize the language, but, somehow she could tell that they spelled out a name that she remembered reading before somewhere, the name of the goddess who's picture was on the card. Hecate. Not really thinking much, she snatched the card out of the box and immediately felt a strange power course throughout her body. Jennifer just sat there for a moment, utterly confused and glancing back and forth between the card and the letter before walking over to the front door, locking it, and heading upstairs with the letter, card, and box in hand. She tossed the now empty box in her closet, and laid down on her bed, silently staring at the ceiling. "...What the hell just happened?" She asks herself, staring intently at the ceiling as if she expected some sort of answer from it. She spent about twenty minutes like this, trying to comprehend what the hell kind of situation she'd just gotten herself into.

 

[PressureCooker]

@IamNotLoki


The body in the commissioner's hands began to decay rapidly. The skin shriveled up into dust, along with the clothes, and then simply scattered into the air. Only the skeleton was left.


-----------------


Meanwhile, Matthew felt a zooming sensation, like he was being shot through the air at a hundred miles per hour. Only, he couldn't feel any air, and he couldn't tell what position his body was in. He was surrounded by complete darkness. Where am I? Matthew thought to himself, as he looked around, trying to spot even a glimpse of something other than black. Suddenly, he heard a laugh. The laugh had a deep and somewhat michievous tone to it, and it seemed to emanate from all around him. He also began to feel a burning sensation, gentle at first, but quickly intensifying until it felt like he was in the middle of a furnace. A bright purple-gold light flashed in front of him, blinding him, all while the laughter grew louder and louder...


...and then Matthew woke up on the ground. Still trying to register what had just happened, Matthew was gasping for breath. It was several minutes before Matthew realized where he was. He was laying on the ground next to the dumpster behind the Celtica.


"What the hell?"


In shock, Matthew scrambled back a bit, still breathing heavily. Now, he was absolutely bewildered. He just remembered how he had been shot, and gingerly felt around his chest. No wounds. He felt around the rest of his body, and found that he was still wearing the same clothes that he had on before he "died". Matthew sat back against the wall. He had died, he was sure of it. "Am I in heaven?", he wondered aloud to himself. Nah, he thought, heaven wouldn't smell this bad. Matthew was sure that he had died after he got shot; he vividly remembered the feeling in his body as his life bled out of him. But Matthew then remembered the place he was after he blacked out. He remembered the burning sensation, how terrible it was, and yet, he vaguely remembered being invigorated as well. Suddenly realizing something, Matthew pulled his wallet out of his jacket, and took out the black card. Once again, he ran his finger over its cool black surface. To his surprise, the card felt warmer, similar to the burning sensation he felt before he, well, came back to life. The card also seemed to buzz very faintly in his hand, as if it was containing some sort of energy. 


A car horn snapped Matthew's attention back to where he was. The sky was still dark. He estimated that maybe an hour had passed since he had gotten shot. The Celtica had closed its doors for the night, and so Matthew could see that the front parking lot was abandoned. He decided that his best course of action would be to return home where he could process things through. His gaze drifted back to the card. The carved skull on its front seemed to grin back as Matthew scrutinized it again. He would definitely have to do research.


Stepping out of the alley, Matthew took the same path that he had taken an hour before, although this time, he walked at a much quicker pace. "This is surreal", he quietly mouthed to himself. As he rounded the corner, he saw the alley again. This time, a man was crouched over in it. He appeared to be wearing a police uniform. Initially, Matthew froze, but he managed to get his feet to move him back around the corner out of sight. He didn't know how the police would react to the story, but he decided that it would be best to not get involved with them at all. Matthew then walked off the other way, intending to take the longer way home.

 

[IamNotLoki]

Jim's old eyes popped wide open as the body he held in his arms began to rot rapidly.  He instinctively dropped the body out of shock.  His eyes then looked at the green scales floating above the rapidly decomposing body.  The scales moved frantically before bolting sideways as if dashing after something far away.  "That... never happened before..."  He told himself as he noted the scales' behavior.  He has observed scales remaining after a person dies... no matter if someone is alive or dead, the scales will remain even if the person died.  He has observed enough bodies at the morgue to prove this theory true.  In this case, the scales seems to be dashing away from the dead body to fly off to some unknown location.  "Strange..."  Jim said as he heard sirens getting louder.  The ambulance and police he asked for arrived.  Police and medical personnel hopped off their vehicles and surrounded the Commissioner and the skeletal remains.  "Sir they got away..."  Mark came running back to the alley, trying to catch his breath.  I'm sorry..."  He apologized as he panted.  "What... happened... to the victim?" Mark said as he looked at the skeletal remains.


Jim rubbed his temple.  "He died... the body decomposed just as soon as he did..."  Jim tried to create theories on how this could have happened.  Could this be caused by a 'Black Card'?  Did a black card destroy the man's body to hide evidence?  He thought to himself as police investigators marked the skeleton and began taking samples.  


The police started asking their commissioner a flurry of questions.  "I dunno... no idea..."  He said tiredly as he combed back his hair with his fingers.  Part of him wants to take his own black card to the lab and analyze it... but he knows it will be very scary if the Anubis card fell into the wrong hands.  He fought back the desire to tell his comrades about the events that happened to him this week.


"Just wrap it up, I want to know everything about the victim... name... age... gender... what position he plays in his school hockey team..."  Jim sighed and started to head back to his car.  "Bring me back the results as soon as possible!"  He told the CSU team.  "Come on Mark, we got a lot of paperwork to do..."  

 

[Birdsie]

Jim's old eyes popped wide open as the body he held in his arms began to rot rapidly.  He instinctively dropped the body out of shock.  His eyes then looked at the green scales floating above the rapidly decomposing body.  The scales moved frantically before bolting sideways as if dashing after something far away.  "That... never happened before..."  He told himself as he noted the scales' behavior.  He has observed scales remaining after a person dies... no matter if someone is alive or dead, the scales will remain even if the person died.  He has observed enough bodies at the morgue to prove this theory true.  In this case, the scales seems to be dashing away from the dead body to fly off to some unknown location.  "Strange..."  Jim said as he heard sirens getting louder.  The ambulance and police he asked for arrived.  Police and medical personnel hopped off their vehicles and surrounded the Commissioner and the skeletal remains.  "Sir they got away..."  Mark came running back to the alley, trying to catch his breath.  I'm sorry..."  He apologized as he panted.  "What... happened... to the victim?" Mark said as he looked at the skeletal remains.


Jim rubbed his temple.  "He died... the body decomposed just as soon as he did..."  Jim tried to create theories on how this could have happened.  Could this be caused by a 'Black Card'?  Did a black card destroy the man's body to hide evidence?  He thought to himself as police investigators marked the skeleton and began taking samples.  


The police started asking their commissioner a flurry of questions.  "I dunno... no idea..."  He said tiredly as he combed back his hair with his fingers.  Part of him wants to take his own black card to the lab and analyze it... but he knows it will be very scary if the Anubis card fell into the wrong hands.  He fought back the desire to tell his comrades about the events that happened to him this week.


"Just wrap it up, I want to know everything about the victim... name... age... gender... what position he plays in his school hockey team..."  Jim sighed and started to head back to his car.  "Bring me back the results as soon as possible!"  He told the CSU team.  "Come on Mark, we got a lot of paperwork to do..."  

@IamNotLoki


The body in the commissioner's hands began to decay rapidly. The skin shriveled up into dust, along with the clothes, and then simply scattered into the air. Only the skeleton was left.


-----------------


Meanwhile, Matthew felt a zooming sensation, like he was being shot through the air at a hundred miles per hour. Only, he couldn't feel any air, and he couldn't tell what position his body was in. He was surrounded by complete darkness. Where am I? Matthew thought to himself, as he looked around, trying to spot even a glimpse of something other than black. Suddenly, he heard a laugh. The laugh had a deep and somewhat michievous tone to it, and it seemed to emanate from all around him. He also began to feel a burning sensation, gentle at first, but quickly intensifying until it felt like he was in the middle of a furnace. A bright purple-gold light flashed in front of him, blinding him, all while the laughter grew louder and louder...


...and then Matthew woke up on the ground. Still trying to register what had just happened, Matthew was gasping for breath. It was several minutes before Matthew realized where he was. He was laying on the ground next to the dumpster behind the Celtica.


"What the hell?"


In shock, Matthew scrambled back a bit, still breathing heavily. Now, he was absolutely bewildered. He just remembered how he had been shot, and gingerly felt around his chest. No wounds. He felt around the rest of his body, and found that he was still wearing the same clothes that he had on before he "died". Matthew sat back against the wall. He had died, he was sure of it. "Am I in heaven?", he wondered aloud to himself. Nah, he thought, heaven wouldn't smell this bad. Matthew was sure that he had died after he got shot; he vividly remembered the feeling in his body as his life bled out of him. But Matthew then remembered the place he was after he blacked out. He remembered the burning sensation, how terrible it was, and yet, he vaguely remembered being invigorated as well. Suddenly realizing something, Matthew pulled his wallet out of his jacket, and took out the black card. Once again, he ran his finger over its cool black surface. To his surprise, the card felt warmer, similar to the burning sensation he felt before he, well, came back to life. The card also seemed to buzz very faintly in his hand, as if it was containing some sort of energy. 


A car horn snapped Matthew's attention back to where he was. The sky was still dark. He estimated that maybe an hour had passed since he had gotten shot. The Celtica had closed its doors for the night, and so Matthew could see that the front parking lot was abandoned. He decided that his best course of action would be to return home where he could process things through. His gaze drifted back to the card. The carved skull on its front seemed to grin back as Matthew scrutinized it again. He would definitely have to do research.


Stepping out of the alley, Matthew took the same path that he had taken an hour before, although this time, he walked at a much quicker pace. "This is surreal", he quietly mouthed to himself. As he rounded the corner, he saw the alley again. This time, a man was crouched over in it. He appeared to be wearing a police uniform. Initially, Matthew froze, but he managed to get his feet to move him back around the corner out of sight. He didn't know how the police would react to the story, but he decided that it would be best to not get involved with them at all. Matthew then walked off the other way, intending to take the longer way home.

David Corrigan, AKA Mephistopheles


Location: Back Alley.


David made a photo of the crime scene, including Jim and Matthew, before the latter decomposed, speaking of which. As Matthew's body started rotting and turning skeletal, David was a little shocked, an expression of sudden fear growing on his face, which was quite natural. David calmed down quickly. 'I see... How particular. It's doubtful that a thing like that occurs naturally.' David thought, being a little shocked himself, just like Jim. He calmed down, and stopped peeking out the corner, then took some time to think. 'What if he's a black card user?' And started walking away, not being stupid and not wanting to be caught anywhere near the crime scene. Questioning and a search were the last things he needed, but he kept thinking about what he saw. 'That was clearly a black card.' David finally decided. David saw a man who was suspiciously quickly walking away from the crime scene. David ran after Matthew, yelling. "Hey, you! Wait!"

 

[Metalgeardude]

 Rakutsu would feel someone shake him awake causing his eyes to open to see words coming from the person's mouth, but he himself wasn't able to hear what they were saying because of the loud music blasting through his headphones. Then he looked around to see that the train car was completely empty other then them. He must have slept through the entire ride home and was about to miss his stop. Fearing this, he grabbed his bag and hurried out the train. One of the reasons he didn't go to the mall until that late in the night. It took him about twenty minutes to walk back home, but he didn't mind the long walk and actually wanted it. At least his aunt wasn't home. Thank god for that. Hurrying to his room, he would look on in confusion as their was a box on his desk where he kept his laptop and various papers. Opening it, he would find a letter.


Dear Lucky Participant,


Your unique characteristics and qualities have gathered our interest.


We have been watching you carefully and we came to the conclusion 


that you are a perfect candidate to participate in our special experiment.


Enclosed in this box is a god's name.  We offer that god's jurisdiction to you.


Once you pick up this object, you will receive that god's powers and abilities.


Feel free to use that power however you wish.  Consider it as a gift.


We will be observing your progress, but we will not interfere with your choices.


We hope you enjoy the gift we have given you.


With great promise,


Olympus Group


He was starting to feel like he was on one of those hidden camera shows before he actually touch the card in the box.

 

[Jailbird]

Delphina looked the man over as if she was a cop inspecting a suspect.  His clothes were normal, worn like homeless person and not extravagant like a person of wealth, but he was tired and sweating.  Delphina looked over LA's shoulder and noticed the people yelling across the gap and she figured he was running from them.  She watched him as he wiped away his tears,"....Should you really be laughing?  What if they have gun?"  Delphina watched as he completely calmed down.  Delphina pulled off her hood revealing her silver hair and golden brown eyes.  Most people found her appearance very striking and beautiful, which is why she was scout to be a model, so she wouldn't be very surprised if he was caught off guard, either by her beauty or that she is a somewhat well-known model.


"OK, first off: Why were they chasing you and why are you so ready to introduce yourself?  I mean what if I was working with them?  I could kill you right now....but I'm not with them....I do have a serious question.....How the FUCK did you cross that gap,"Delphi pointed at the huge gap behind with a bewildered look on her face,"AND DON'T SAY YOU TOOK THE FIRE ESCAPE, BECAUSE THAT IS OVER THERE,"She barked as she pointed to the right," AND ONE IS OVER THERE!" and to the left.  Delphina slipped the black card back into her bra as she was yelling at LA,"Oh, and don't think about lying because I will rip your trachea out and shove it back down your throat, full Mortal Kombat Style!"The young woman threaten the male in her frustration.


@Eagleye415

 

[Eagleye415]

Lavernius Alexander was caught off guard by the sudden onslaught of words and struggled to catch up for a moment. He grinned at the girl and scratched the back of his head.


"I should be laughing. They don't have guns. They were chasing me because I defied them. I like meeting new people. You're not working with them. I jumped across." LA rattled off with a massive grin. He noticed a lack of shouting and realized the men had left. "Also, ripping my trachea out MK style? Hardcore." He spun on the balls of his feet and walked over seeing if the gap was as large as he thought. Lavernius spotted the men at the bottom of the alleyway pondering if they should come after him. They seemed to decide he wasn't worth it and left. "Looks like I'm home free."


@Jailbird

 

[AllQuiet]

Jennifer continued to lay in bed silently for a while before realizing something. "...What the hell am I freaking out over? I mean, sure, mysterious package arrives with a note inside promising me the powers of some lesser known Greek goddess, but, still, why am I freaking out? This is a good thing, isn't it?" She asks herself, getting out of bed. "I mean, the powers of a goddess? Who wouldn't want those? And besides...maybe I could be...a real life superhero!" She suddenly realizes, her mood going from one of worried confusion to one of pure excitement. After all, if she truly had been given powers by that weird card she'd picked up, she could be a superhero! Fighting crime, bringing justice! She quickly ran back downstairs, trying to come up with a plan of what to do. "Ok, step one, figure out what kind of powers I got from that odd card. Step two, erm...fight crime?...I'll figure that out later." She mumbles to herself, pacing back and forth by the front door. "But, how am I supposed to figure out what kind of powers I have? Maybe I should just put myself into a dangerous situation and see what happens? That always works in the comic books...but this is real life, not a comic book, and I'd probably get injured, or even killed if I did that... Ugh, I don't know what to do..." She mutters, trying to think of what to do. She sighs, unable to think of a solution to this quandary. So, she decided to do the logical thing and just sit outside on the steps of her front porch staring up into the sky until she could think of something. Because that was totally going to help and not just be a complete waste of time.


As she stared up into the sky she begun to think back to the letter. "I wonder...what exactly compelled them to give something like that card to me? I'm just some nobody, with no real qualities that make me stand out, so, I'm not really that unique. It's a bit odd..." She mumbles to herself. She takes out her phone and checks the time real quick. "Hmm...I don't really have anything to do, and there's nothing good on TV right now most likely, so... Meh, I think I'll just go for a walk, try to sort my thoughts out." She mutters, shoving the phone back into her pocket and standing up. Jennifer locked the front door, and headed off in a random direction for her walk. Didn't really matter if she got lost, she could just use the GPS app on her phone to find her way back home, so, she decided that she was probably fine as long as she avoided any place that seemed shady. Besides, she was bored, and just wandering around seemed like a good cure for her boredom.

 

[Alias]

After a long day attending classes in the university and rearranging new sets of books that were just delivered in the book store, Jonathan was glad he can finally enjoy a quiet evening in his dorm room as he has no classes the next day and it is also his day off. New York has always been a bustling place even at night as there are still many people running around seeing the sights or visiting the stores to buy things, but tonight is different. Because of the 'New York City Mangler' dominating the news with his (or her) victims of gruesome murders, the people who are up at this hour are either people who are trying to get home as soon as possible or people who don't really care much since they think that they're not the next victim. 


Only a few people are up at the dormitory at this hour, which Jonathan took note of as he quietly navigated the hallways until he found his dorm room. His room is rather small compared to the other rooms, which is understandable since he doesn't have a room mate to share with. It is also a bit cramped as it only has enough space to fit a bed, a small desk, a small tv, some drawers, and a small bathroom. The clutter around his room didn't help either in getting enough space to walk, but it somehow relaxed him as his room also looked like this back at home. Mom would kill me if she saw this mess, he thought.


However, among the clutter is a black box that he doesn't remember owning. He picked it up and set it on the table to examine. The box contained a black card with a strange language on it. "Hermes", he instinctively read out loud as he realized that it was in Greek. He found it odd that he was able to read it as he doesn't remember studying Greek in the past. It also contained a note, written in English this time, that is addressed to him. It reads:


Dear Lucky Participant,


Your unique characteristics and qualities have gathered our interest.


We have been watching you carefully and we came to the conclusion 


that you are a perfect candidate to participate in our special experiment.


Enclosed in this box is a god's name.  We offer that god's jurisdiction to you.


Once you pick up this object, you will receive that god's powers and abilities.


Feel free to use that power however you wish.  Consider it as a gift.


We will be observing your progress, but we will not interfere with your choices.


We hope you enjoy the gift we have given you.


With great promise,


Olympus Group


Upon reading the note, the first thought that crossed his mind was: How the heck did this get in here? Thinking someone was able to pick the lock on his door, Jonathan was about to get up when he accidentally hit the mug beside him. It was as if time slowed down as he watched the mug fall ever so slowly. His reactions, however, were not as he was able to catch the mug without falling. "Woah", he muttered. Prolly just luck, he reassured himself. He then got up and decided to go to bed, but instead of walking he zoomed towards the bed and hit the adjacent wall hard enough that the plaster on it fell. "Oy, keep it down!", the neighbor yelled. "People are trying to sleep here!"


"Sorry!", he yelled back. What the hell is going on?, he panicked. Then he remembered what was written on the note. What kind of god was Hermes again... Oh dear, it all finally clicked. Could it be? How is this possible? I have to try it out, but what are it's limits?, his mind began buzzing with questions as he tiptoed his way outside of his room while trying hard not to zoom past the door by accident. Once he was outside, Jonathan took a deep breath and began running. At that moment, all his assumptions are confirmed. He gained this strange power from the card. With the wind on his face, he yelled with excitement as he ran around New York. Strangely, his fatigue is gone and he feels like he can run another lap.


Tonight, New Yorkers noticed a strange blur running around their city. Most would think that it was just a trick of the eye. But only Jonathan knows the truth behind the speeding blur.... or so he thought.

 

[doneanddusted]

Sunni had always been having the same cycle almost every day. Go to school, despise the first class, love the others, go home, do homework. The same, boring, useless cycle of a student in middle school. Sunni expected this day to be extremely normal, which it was... mostly. The girl had returned from school on her one free day with homework from almost EVERY. SINGLE. CLASS. Her shoulders had red marks on them, aching from her over-stuffed backpack filled up with binders and textbooks and notebooks and folders... and... and... The girl was glad to come back home. None of her parents were home either, so for the moment she had to whole house to herself. Sunni dropped her backpack down next to the sofa. It made a loud BOOM sound when put on the floor. Sunni then sat down on the sofa, sighing as her stress seemed to be absorbed by the soft, leather cushions. The girl then opened her backpack and took out an agenda book. She opened to today's page... and found a strange black card on it. Maybe Sunni accidentally put it there? Maybe a friend had snuck it in there? Sunni considered throwing it out... but she saw the white ink on there and decided that reading it wouldn't hurt. They were written in Japanese, as if whoever wrote it clearly knew that Sunni's English wasn't the best.


Dear Lucky Participant,


Your unique characteristics and qualities have gathered our interest.


We have been watching you carefully and we came to the conclusion 


that you are a perfect candidate to participate in our special experiment.


Enclosed in this box is a god's name.  We offer that god's jurisdiction to you.


Once you pick up this object, you will receive that god's powers and abilities.


Feel free to use that power however you wish.  Consider it as a gift.


We will be observing your progress, but we will not interfere with your choices.


We hope you enjoy the gift we have given you.


With great promise,


Olympus Group


Now that sounded a bit suspicious. Special experiment? Was there any harm? Where were all the contract papers? Sunni looked on the back of the card, just in case there was something else. Written in golden ink was the name, "DEMETER", also in Japanese. Sunni had no idea who Demeter was, so she quickly took out her phone and searched it up on Google.


"Greek goddess of agriculture and harvest..." Sunni mumbled to herself as she read. 


So Sunni now gained the power of this... agriculture goddess? That was cool, but Sunni doubted the truthfulness of that. She stuffed the card in her folder and got started with homework.

 

[Nenma Takashi]

Yukari place the black card on the counter of the book store that she ran sitting behind the counter and flicked one of the edges. Spinning the card she continued to do this thinking about what had just happened. After Jonathan one of her employees left she found a box in her office with a note attached to it the note read.


Dear Lucky Participant,


Your unique characteristics and qualities have gathered our interest.


We have been watching you carefully and we came to the conclusion 


that you are a perfect candidate to participate in our special experiment.


Enclosed in this box is a god's name.  We offer that god's jurisdiction to you.


Once you pick up this object, you will receive that god's powers and abilities.


Feel free to use that power however you wish.  Consider it as a gift.


We will be observing your progress, but we will not interfere with your choices.


We hope you enjoy the gift we have given you.


With great promise,


Olympus Group


 Inside the box she found the very same card she was spinning right now with the name Athena written in strange symbols. She didn't know why she could read the words nor what it meant but she did know one thing. She had changed she felt smarter now for some reason, she looked at her right arm and thrusted forward with it she heard a sharp sound like a blade slicing through the air. Her whole arm was like a weapon now it was strange and looking at her left arm she clenched her fist. It felt stronger like it could take on any attack that came it's way no problem, Yukari brought her hands together as the space between her fingers began to spark and as she pulled them away the sparks got bigger. When they reached shoulder length apart the sparks became bolts of lightning she put her hands to her side and the lightning stopped. "Athena." She whispered to herself she had many books on the Greek Goddess a warrior who was a god of war similar to Ares but while Ares focused on strength and brutal conquest in a war. Athena was a tactician and strategist one who played the long game Yukari's kind of gal. She wondered who was this Olympus Group? What did they want? Why did they choose her? And from the way the note is so cryptic about who it's talking to. How many others have gotten the very same note with a god's name inside.

 

[Sir Mayday]

Tavi wiped his face with his sleeve as he made his way to the front of his car.He opened the door and  got into his car. He rested his head against the wheel while he tried to recompose himself before driving. He was about to start the car, when he heard a rustle next to him.


Tavi has seen a lot of weird stuff in New York. He had seen rats that are bigger than most cats. He had seen a blind guy, beat up a guy who tired to mug him. He has seen a group of nudist march onto campus, and get into a violent confrontation with campus police. Yeah, he has seen his share of this crazy city. That didn't prepare him, for when he got his still crying self into the car for a FUCKING GOLDEN BOAR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. Tavi just stared dumbfound at the boar, while his mind tried to comprehend what was before him.


"Oink" the pig well...oinked.


"WHAT THE HELL?" Tavi yelled, as he suddenly tried to jump out of the car, but instead he slammed into the door. He fogrot he had locked the doors.


"FUUU...(slam)...ugh" Tavi  yelled and then winced

"Oink" the boar said while it sat on the passenger seat. It stared nonchalantly at Tavi.


".....Is this a prank?....Riley!! Abel!! Are guys there?! I know this may seem funny, but now is not the fricking time to put a pig in my car!"


"SQUEELLL!" The boar screeched angrily.


"FUDGE SORRY SORRY" Tavi yelled as the pig startled him with it's aggressive behavior.


".....oink" the boar then sniffed and started to rub it's head against the glove box. When it saw it wasn't making any progress, it began to slam it's head against it.


"Stop that!" Tavi yelled as he tried to grab the boar. Yet, when he tried to grab it his hand went straight through it. Tavi immediately turned white and felt his his body begin to tremble.


The boar stopped slamming it's head and looked at Tavi. It then turned to the glove box and gave a sort of...nod. No it knows..it knows..it knows...it knows. Tavi then gulped as he finally understood what the boar wanted. Tavi slowly reached for the glove box, and opened it. He reached inside and grabbed the black card he had hidden away. As he took it out, he turned the card over, and looked at the illustration of the sun with the boar inside it and the name "Freyr". This card....did it...bring this boar  here?....or did I?


"Oink!" the boar huffed happily.

 

[IamNotLoki]

A strange man wearing a crisp white suit moved through tables of people dining and conversing... his movements appeared smooth and flawless as if he was nothing more than a white shadow.  A live jazz band played a haunting tune as the man approached a table occupied by a beautiful woman wearing crimson lipstick.








The man wore a black mask on his face with a flaming eye inscribed on the forehead.  Although this seems out of the ordinary, the patrons of the cafe seem to pay him no mind.  As if they were all affected by some sort of spell.  The man pulled out the chair with a black-gloved hand and carefully sat down in front of his beautiful company.  "Bonjour, Mademoiselle Elsa..."  The man's voice sounded deep but gentle with a very distinct Parisian accent.  The eye holes of the mask  remained dark and abyssal... as if there was no face behind it.  "How is my favorite Agent doing?"  The man continued as he leaned forward, moving the mask's lips to the top of the woman's soft, snow-white hand.  The woman watched the masked man with look of boredom before her crimson lips formed a confident smirk.  "Charming as ever, Mister Pierre..."  Elsa greeted, her voice was appropriate for an adult woman, smooth and dark... it was as if her voice was that of the night itself.  She pried her eyes from the masked man and observed the pianist playing on the stage.  


The mask man sighed and leaned back on the chair. "You have given out all of the new cards to our newest participants, oui?"  The man said as a waiter brought a bottle of red wine to their table.  He young waiter skillfully poured wine into two glass chalices.  He doesn't seem to make any eye contact with the masked guest.  


The woman smiled charmingly as the waiter passed her by.  "I found the new participants quite interesting..."  She picked up the glass and stared at the rim.  "A  few of them are starting to excite me."  Her sultry voice hinted at her hidden thirst for sadism.  "There is that old commissioner that has the Anubis card... I still wonder what he's going to do with the power to read souls.  I was also intrigued by the man who currently owns the Mephistopheles card... in just 3 days he managed to climb his way up the ranks of a very dangerous gang, he seems to be a very good match for that particular card.  But the one that interests me the most is the one that owns the Fenrir card... if you haven't been watching the news lately--"


"Oui, oui... I am quite aware of the publicity made by the one holding the Fenrir card..."  The man moved his black mask up revealing chapped lips.  He moved the glass of wine to the lips and drank from it.  His face still obscured by the mask.


The woman looked at the man and smirked playfully.  "What did the higher ups say about the situation?  Are they going to do anything at all?  At this rate a lot of our participants are going to die..."  The woman stared wistfully at the glass of wine.


The man's chapped lips smirked.  " [COLOR= rgb(34, 34, 34)]Ne t'en fais pas.[/COLOR] They said that we should keep our status quo.  What is happening is only natural... if some of them happen to die, it will be alright.  The fate of humanity depend on the results of this experiment, we must try our best not to interfere..."  The man said as he carefully brought his mask back down.  "Keep following your directions, mademoiselle, simply observe and catalog the participants and their actions.  The cards will find a way to bring us closer to our destiny, with or without the help of human users,"  the man leaned back on his chair.  "Although, part of your job is to tug the participants toward a desired outcome... little conversations with some of them might speed up the results of this experiment,"


The woman tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.  "I actually have already spoken with the one holding the Fenrir card..."  She said simply as Pierre leaned in.  "Oh?" He replied.


The woman gave a worried smile.  "Frankly, I am worried for my own safety,"  


"Do not worry about anything, Mademoiselle, you are an important member of our group... we will not allow an harm to come to you, that is a promise..."  The man reached inside his jacket and pulled out a red rose.  He placed it on the table in front of Elsa.  "Well, until next time, dear Elsa... I will be working hard as well..."  He stood up and pushed his chair in.  The mask man soon faded into the crowd of people.


Elsa was now alone, looking at the white rose left on the table.  She crossed her legs and leaned back on the chair.  As people moved around her, she quickly faded into nothingness.

 

[IamNotLoki]

Mark Hamilton walked towards Commissioner Iron's office holding a file in his hand.  "Looks like crime lab figured out who those remains belonged to..."  Mark said as he slapped the file on Jim's desk.  Jim picked up the folder and thumbed through the paperwork and photographs of the young man.  


"His name is Matther Hansen.  Our cops arrested him before for selling and possessing illegal drugs.  We don't have any records of him being in any gang nor do we have records of more serious crimes..."  Mark explained as Jim flipped through the pages.


"How about the body... did we find anything suspicious during the autopsy?"  Jim said he stared at Matthew's arrest photo, he confirms that he was the man he saw in the alley.


"Yeah, about that... uh..."  Mark scratched his head.  "The autopsy folks say that the cause of death was definitely the bullet wound to the chest... however they cannot explain why the body rotted so fast!  In fact right now, the bones are gradually turning into dust... the team barely had any time to study it.  I think 70% of the remains turned to dirt already..."  The young detective explained. 


"Dammit!  Dammit!"  Jim rubbed his temple and leaned back on his swerving chair.  He then looked at the ceiling with his lazy eyes.


"Where does he live?"  He asked Mark.