Episode 5: When the Knights Go Marching In

[Giyari]

Mood: Fucked it.
Location: 108's grounds
Company: Pack 1, Police.
@'s: Zahzi Malikai
Other:

BUTCHER​

The grin on Kezia's face persisted as the figure on the roof repaired. She had heard of Red's titanium skin, how thick a protection it gave however was not something that anyone except the man himself probably knew, at least from the Casino footage and what little if his file wasn't redacted, they didn't have the exact details. Still, taking a blast like that was impressive, even if the rifle was in "automatic" mode. She doubted he could take a full strength pulse, but then again at this distance Kezia wasn't sure she could hit him accurately...

Lining up another shot, Kezia found herself interrupted as the water dome behind her all but exploded. Looking to her team mates, she watched as the knights scattered to avoid the fallout... at least most of them did. Looking over as Khan, who had just dispatched the damned robot, was for lack of a better word obliterated, Kezia, Kezia momentarily froze. Her armour could probably have taken that hit, but she was without any doubts that broken bones would be involved... They were outgunned. The icing on the cake was the announcement from the main building. Reinforcements for the inhuman scum.

They couldn't win this, not anymore. Their point had however been made, the Supers had been reminded just how special they were not, they had field tested their new equipment with devastating results, and shown what proper coordination could achieve. This was just a taster, only the beginning.

"This is Pack 1 leader, withdraw! Withdraw!" Butcher announced through her comms to those still able.

Watching as her team collected and lay down covering fire, Kezia pulled the metal spear from the previously pinned knights leg on her way towards the main building, letting the injured woman be carried by one of Khan's back-up.

"Remember this day! Remember that no matter your power, you can and you will fall! We are just the tip of the iceberg, the calm before the storm! You shall all know havoc!" She cried with hre rifle raised, shooting the odd blast towards the fleeing crowd as they made for safety.


"Pack 3 brace for incoming water, pack 2, abandon post and withdraw, report with your footage to command." She added, rounding the corner of the main facility building, aiming to retrace the path of the truck. Shots rang out asa pack member rounded the corner and found themselves floored by incoming fire from the police. Looking over at their barricade, Kezia smirked and raised her hands.

"Don't be stupid, boys. drop your weapons. We've been had, I guess." she said to her comrades. It was one thing fighting disorientated supers, but a trained force of men equipped with super resistant riot gear... As high tech as the knights could be, they were evenly matched, but out experienced. They wouldn't win in a firefight.

As the knights lowered their guns, an officer stepped forward.

"Take 5 steps back and then do not even twitch another muscle or I will put you down!" He cried out as he edged forward with another squad.

"Weapons secure!" another called out from under his mask as he placed himself between the knights and their discarded rifles.

"Alright, alright. I'm not about to commit suicide by cop." Kezia joked as another squad approached with restraints.

 

[Malikai]

THE SECOND POLICE POST
​

It seemed like his message had been unheard at first, as no sort of response came from the knights. Then, although unnoticeable at first, footsteps began to sound from around the corner. A few of the officers held steady, some of them tightening their grip on their weapons. Price stepped down from the top of the car, having enough with the theatrics behind it. He stepped behind some of the SWAT members, watching the corner intently. After what felt like minutes, one single knight stepped out from behind the corner. Although Price had given the SWAT orders to not fire to kill they decided to go against that and the man was instantly dropped by several tens of rounds going through his body at various points.

"God dammit! I told you to go for nonlethal shots!" Price shouted at a few of the men, though they made no indication that they actually heard him. Soon after, the knights stepped around the corner, dropping their weapons on the ground. Price was one of the officers to approach them. He watched as another officer told them to step back, and then looked over at Price for further direction, "Against the walls. Move and it'll be much more painful for you."

Price walked up to the knights lining themselves up against the wall, pulling their hands back and cuffing them. After each one he handed them over to two officers and directed them to be placed nearby the SWAT vans he planned on taking them away with. Finally he got to Kezia, who was still in her armor. Price pulled the armored hands back, putting a larger set of handcuffs that locked down onto the armor. The two officers walked up to Price ready to take Kezia as well, but Price held up his hand, "Hawk, go search for other people in the chaos. Dawkins, tell that asshole on the roof to come meet me personally down there. I'd love to discuss the metal spear he felt fine with throwing toward us."

Price walked Kezia personally over to where the other knights were and had her sit down. He smirked down at her, if only for a quick second. Price directed a few officers to look over the knights while he waited for Dawkins' message to get through to 'metal man' or whatever. While he was waiting he began to pay attention to some of the parameds that were coming out of the school now. They began to drag various students and people out on stretchers. Some people were also walking on their own, but many were clearly injured.

Price watched as the fire trucks began to move around the side of the building, maneuvering their way to put out whatever large fire was still going on behind the school. He trusted they would handle the situation well enough without police help, and the medical staff had begun to pick up people that were unconscious behind the school to get them to ambulances as well. Rescue operations were underway. Price sighed, thinking of how he was going to make his public statement in what was likely less than a few hours.

 

[Lemon Boy]

Mood: Unnerved
Location: Disused industrial complex > Getaway car
Company: Four Knights & Remaining Drones
@'s: Syrenrei welian Zahzi Giyari simj26 The Fuzzy Pixel Gus Malikai
Other: So instead of writing a novel replying to the entirety of the two pages, I wrote this post instead. If anything's unclear or whatever, feel free to ask, it was really hard to react and write about two whole pages of stuff in one post.

Good ShepherdHell on earth was all that Christian witnessed as a thousand things happened at once within only a few short minutes. Fire, smoke, blood, metal and water were the predominant elements that littered the facility, now a battlefield, as the Knights on the ground below dealt with the monster on the roof. That one had cost him quite a few drones, which was concerning, as he had lost a vast number of them by the time things were coming to a close. A woman had crashed into one with her body and thrown it into the bay, where it began to rapidly dissolve in the water as the self destruct sequence activated. An insurance policy to make it so that the Commonwealth couldn't get their fiendish hands on the sanctified technology they were using and twisting it to their own ends.

What really got him, however, was the sight of a woman dressed as a nurse, not the usual type of nurse costume either but one of the ones you'd wear to a Halloween party, indecent, who was armed with a gun and quite suddenly, a grenade that dropped to the floor from god knows where that was swiftly launched from at her feet to beneath the drones that he had controlled, setting up some sort of elaborate trap in the event that someone walked in. There was no time to react, no time to send out a tendril to grab it and throw it back. The grenade exploded, and with it, the drones were sent flying, crashing into the walls with an audible thud and a crack of electronic systems within. One of them was beyond saving, and Christian hit the self destruct sequence, the metal and all the systems within beginning to turn into a pool of hot slag on the floor. The other drone, however, was functioning. There was severe damage, guns jammed and quite a few features locked out now as a result of the damage dealt to it, but it still functioned.

He thought about giving chase; Christian could quite easily track down anyone within the vicinity with the heat sensors and various other tracking systems installed in the drones, but as the drones outside witnessed the carnage being dealt, the sheer death and destruction, alongside the arrival of the police, he lost his nerve. Not enough time, not worth it. He wasn't sure he wanted to chase her anyway. The crushed and impaled corpses of his fellow Knights both saddened and disgusted him. He felt sad that he wasn't able to protect them like he should've with the drones, proxy soldiers made to serve as distractions so the real valuable ones, his allies, could avoid the real trouble, but that wasn't how it turned out. Disgusted at the sight of their twisted bodies and the fact they weren't strong enough. He knew, in his heart, that despite them being his comrades, some of them friends, that they most likely deserved death if it had came to them. God would've intervened if they had been pure and strong enough. They weren't.

However, there was another sick feeling in his stomach as he surveyed the corpses of the demons. The fiends, the unclean and unholy. The sight of their motionless bodies brought him no joy, no satisfaction like he thought it would. He had gotten some satisfaction out of shooting the boy who had attacked his drone during the moment but now?
He wasn't so sure. The sight of them brought another feeling that he wasn't so sure he was comfortable or happy with. Willing his body to stop quaking and trying with all his might to put the other thoughts aside, he took a shaky sigh, manoeuvring the drones in a tactical retreat, all of them going various directions, through twisting alleys in the shadows throughout the city, others disabling flight and unsheathing metallic tendrils that would unseal manhole's that they would dive into. If anyone tried to follow, they'd have a hell of a time and Christian was more than ready to simply destroy a drone that even got close to leading any pursuers to him.

Despite the bitter taste that it left in his mouth, there was a strange comfort in retreating. He wasn't sure he had it in him to keep going. Not now, not at the moment.
"Pack 2 to Pack 3 and Pack 1, we're pulling out. Area's too hot now and they'll be able to find us if we stay. Good luck, and may God watch over you," Christian said, although his voice lacked the enthusiasm it had at the start of all of this.

The holographic display dispersed at his command, shrinking into nothingness as he now left the drones to fulfil their commands, only his cybernetics processing their movements now. Removing his helmet, he wiped the sweat off his brow and rubbed the cybernetics that covered his throat and mouth. He hadn't even gone out and fought like the others, but he felt tired.
"We're leaving, pack everything up. Quick. No point in staying now, we can't do anything. Camille you're driving, go get the van ready whilst the rest of us pack up. Evelyn you're at the front. Blake, Jasper, you're with me at the back. Jasper, help me out with looking over the damaged drones when we get there."

He was glad this was over.

 

[Zahzi]

Hunter Red Ward

Location: Facility 108 Rooftop----Courtyard
Nearby: No one in particular
Disposition: This is far from over.

Red watched as everything unfolded below him. He watched as the first responders were taking care of the surviving Knights and seeing to the injured. It became a moot point to continue corralling the civilians into the school at this point. He stared down at carnage below, his eyes dull. They went to such lengths to get their message across.
"You wanted to make it known your power, and you chose a school filled with untrained children and their parents." he growled, glaring down at the one who had shot at him.
"Try your little toys against actual combatants for a change. Your zealotry will get you killed."

After a few moments, the metal in the sky slowly found its way to the ground, the center piece carrying Red as he continued to survey the area.
The 'Red' on the rooftop slowly broke itself down, revealing itself to be nothing more than a metal puppet.

He eventually made a b-line for Swan, passing by him as everything continued to calm down, continuing his trek toward the police.
"I don't think we need to worry about working in the shadows anymore."



Jordan Brahn

Jordan Brahn
Location: Facility 108 Obstacle Course Goal Point.
Nearby: Too many to count.
Disposition: Oh hey....Police are here....

Jordan finally snapped back into consciousness with a groan after apparently using his mother as a landing pad after a CERTAIN METAL MANIPULATOR flung him toward her. It wasn't that it was a BAD idea, but the boy is already damaged goods, ya asshole!
He looked around at the chaos around him, noting in particular the hard-to-miss Knightkebabs just past the metallic barriers ahead of them.
"Well. I think it's safe to say whose handiwork THAT is...." he mumbled as he looked up to see his mother.
"...Shit." He knew the second she realized he was awake, he was liable to have his bones shattered more than they already HAD been today in a panicked vicegrip that had landed him in the emergency room more than once in the past month. Perhaps playing dead was a good idea....Wait, no, that's worse. Then she'd go into a panicked frenzy and probably break even MORE.
Fuck.





Gil Brahn

Commonwealth Soldier RETIRED
Location: Outside Men's Bathroom, Inside Facility 108
Nearby: Morgan ( welian ) and Luther ( Syrenrei )
Disposition: ....I'm getting too old for this.

Gil watched and listened as everything went on around him. He was still dumbfounded by the antics he had seen from the militant nurse helping them, but he knew better than to say anything ill about it to her. She literally just popped a live grenade from herself. And judging from his OWN wife, he knew a thing or two about crazy women and how not to antagonize them.

He gave a sigh as he heard the anarchy outside dying down and the police and paramedics making their rounds.
"Well, it seems we're alright, Morgan, and miss....I'm going to stick with Miss." he said, before he decided now was a good time to stop crouching at the doorway with the rifle.
Problem.
"........."
He remained there for a time, staring at his legs. They had long since fallen asleep.
"....Morgan. I could use a little assistance."​

 

[Necessity4Fun]

​

Location: AEGIS Training Facility 108 - By the entrance of the main building -> Inside.
People Around: Mitch (Copy Machine), an injured and downed Jeremiah and Naran -> Just Mitch

Interactions: yoikes

Hope he got to enjoy his bullshit TV series thus far... That asshole. You can bet your horses that I'm still mad!

A couple of clouds passed by her vision as Juliana admired the sky, which was possibly one of the few things that hadn't been utterly ruined by today's events... To be honest, it was a really boring thing to do and she'd love to be doing something else more exciting, however, as soon as she had lied down in the grass her body had just decided to lock into that position completely. Really, moving as much as her fingers hurt. There was so much that was sore and throbbing that at some point Jú had just stopped feeling it at all, as if her pain receptors had all gone numb with the overstimulation or something. Not that she knew how this stuff worked... Like, daaaamn this was probably what running a marathon twice in a row felt like!! So. not. fun.

Still, curious as she was, even while stuck in a lying position like this the Brazilian turned her head (the neck was the only thing that remained functioning properly) this and that way, trying to follow the events that were happening all around her. She saw Mitch call a stranger for help, --well, not a complete stranger just a teacher Juliana hadn't interacted that much with--, and then observed as the two talked amongst themselves as if she could not hear them:

"Hey guuuuys~! I'm not down yet, you two can just, ask me stuff, you know?"

If the girl's protest had been heard it had remained unaccounted for as they seemed to proceed according to their plans instead. With a slightly irritated glance and an eye-roll, Jú had decided to let it go and just watch whatever it was they were trying to do. She saw the woman in a rather interesting checkered shirt pick JJ up carefully and then take him inside in a hurry.

Up until that point, the teenager hadn't noticed that the blonde been injured, taken by surprise once Naran had turned towards the door and the sight of definitely gross and unpleasant dry blood had filled her vision. Juliana held her breath as she silently accompanied the two with her gaze. The girl had long ago gotten desensitized to this type of thing, due to news medias apparently having a fetish for broadcasting nothing but disaster, however, having someone she knew in a similar position was still quite the shock. Jú couldn't help but be worried, even if she had decided to just keep it to herself...
When Mitch had approached, she had just gotten the normal carefree spirit she was used to:

"Yo! I would greet you but my arms won't move. So, what was that all abo-AaAAAaaaiiiiIII...", the pain response had come back full-force when Copy Machine had picked her up, "Hey! I'm fine, just drop it!", she had protested, but then thinking about it again... "Okay, scratch that. Don't drop me... ...Argh, fine. Just don't forget to bring my purse along, will ya? And move a little less!"

Just as they had done with JJ, Juliana had been brought inside. Honestly, her situation did not compare at all. There was nothing here that a long, well-deserved hot shower and relaxation could not solve. In her opinion, Mitch was simply overreacting. Not that the princess treatment wasn't enjoyable though, it most certainly was. She'd have prefered if everything didn't hurt during it though...
As medicine employees paced back and forth in the background, through the building's corridors with understandable apprehension, all the girl could think of was about finally getting home after today. Glancing over at Mitch, Jú recalled something, well, several somethings, one of them being the fact that it was probably a good idea to call her caretaker now:

"Psst, Copy Machine. Is my phone still with ya?", she had asked just by proxy, assuming that the answer was most definitely a 'yes', "Just pull it out, swipe left to enter the menu, there's no lock or anything... One of the icons in the screen should be the contacts book, it's an orange thing with a person's shape on it. Type the letter M in the search bar, find 'Marcelo'... It's M-A-R-C-E-L-O, then call the number for me and set it to the speaker so that I can hear it too..."

The instructions had been surprisingly precise, as if she had done this a hundred times before. Juliana bet she could do this with absolutely everything in the device, knowing the world contained inside it like the palm of her hand and all... such was the power of her addiction.
Once those had been given, there was a sigh as she muttered, mostly to herself:

"Gotta let my jerk of a cousin know that I'm still alive but can't take the stupid bus back home."

 

[Bag o Fruit]

Chris Kravitz Gus
Lioness075 "Hey, idiot! Turn around out there! You're going to just hurt yourself or drown! You can't climb a burning ship at a normal human speed without burning yourself!"

Chris turned his head as he swam. Fuck you too, Casan... he thought, and ducked under, diving underneath the boat and up to the chain of the anchor, where he surfaced. He wrapped his legs around the chain, pulled his bandana from his pocket, tied it around his face, and zipped his hoodie. He scaled the chain in a few seconds and landed, soaked, on the burning deck.

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Scarlet Calloway	Rank: A
Attire: Small square black plastic glasses, grey sweater with an anime-style cat on front, cropped light blue jeans, grey Converse sneakers	Location: Edge of the Lake --> General Exam Area --> Cafeteria
Tagged: Ixaix (Hyou), Necessity4Fun (The Pellegrinis)

The exam seemed to continue on as smoothly as any giant gathering of supers could. Students deftly dodged and bounced along floats while many others fell into the lake waters below. A surprisingly small amount of students were injured in the entire process and Scarlet did her best to direct parents and help any who required her aid. She was content to have no need of her shapeshifting abilities. As much as she enjoyed them, she did have trouble ignoring her beastial instincts and there was always the chance that she would lose control or simply leave the area in pursuit of whatever her current form desired.

Scarlet thoroughly enjoyed the company of the Pellegrinis and thoroughly disliked the company of Hyou, who seemed more intent on flirting with her than anything else. It was rather irritating and she did not enjoy any kind of flirting to begin with. She had no interest in romance in the real world and much preferred to read about it in books than to experience it personally.

As the exam concluded, everyone gathered for the final speech, though Scarlet hung near the back with more of the parents. After all, she was not celebrating any personal success today in the exam. No need for her to take up space for some of the more excited students. Without thinking too much of it, Scarlet hung near the Pellegrinis still, enjoying their company still and wishing Hyou would take a hint already.

Not long after the speech began, chaos followed with the arrival of the Knights. As gunfire began ringing out, Scarlet decided to protect the Pellegrinis. Shouting over the fight, Scarlet said, "Mr. and Mrs. Pellegrini, come with me! You'll be safe in the school cafeteria! Nobody should be there!" Uncertain if Hyou was still following her like a lost puppy, Scarlet ushered the Pellegrinis towards Facility 108 and ran behind them to try and protect them from any harm.

Her duty to protect them came much quicker than she had anticipated, as Scarlet heard gunfire breaking out once more. This time, it was aimed at them. Wasting no time, Scarlet began sprinting and leapt beside the Pellegrinis while her form contorted and began to shift into something far bigger than Scarlet was. Dark brown fur grew exponentially with her new hulking form, as Scarlet was now a brown bear huffing and running alongside the parents she was determined to protect. The gunfire continued to ring out all around them, but the small group soon was inside of Facility 108 and came to an abrupt halt at the cafeteria.

At the moment, the lights were off in the cafeteria and it occasionally lit up with the gunfire outside or from bright explosions that seemed to ever-so-slightly shake the foundation of the facility. Every once in a while, dust shook down from the ceiling. Scarlet lumbered away from the Pellegrinis, and likely Hyou, though her steps were uneven and her form seemed to shake ever so slightly. With a labored huff, she sunk to the floor onto her left side and let out a beastial groan. If anyone were to approach her right side, they would see four bullet wounds along her right shoulder and arm, as well as two in her right side. As a brown bear, she was not dying rapidly just yet and her abilities would keep her alive for the time being. But she was not invincible and her labored breathing suggested there was a time limit to her survival right now.

Spoiler: Brown Bear Form

 

[welian]

Dr. Mrs. Jules Lacy Brahn

Overview

Location	The liminal space of plot convenience
Tags	Lemon Boy yoikes

So many things happening at once – the wind picked up suddenly, from where she couldn’t tell, although if she had to hazard a guess she would say it would was the female student who was screaming, surrounded by a whirlwind, and was being approached by a vaguely familiar face. She didn’t hazard a guess thought, because she was having her own personal meltdown among the chaos.

The only thing that pulled her out was the sudden splash of cold, grimy, harbor water. Mrs. Brahn could almost taste the plague and poverty, gagging as some of it got in her mouth. Somehow, at some point during her flashbacks, her little boy had ended up in her arms. She held him tightly, unintentionally suffocating him in her motherly… figure. “It’s okay sweetie, Mommy’s here now,” she murmured madly.

”Mrs. Brahn, I need you to get a hold of yourself. The people here, not just your son, need you. I’ll get you through this if you listen to me very carefully. You're the only person here I know of that has some high level of first aid training and right now that could be essential in saving some of the lives here. If your son could be of aid in that as well, that would be fantastic."

“I don’t!” she protested, but it didn’t matter. Her voice was completely drowned out by the roar of rushing water and the screaming. “I’m not that kind of – augh! Fine!”

“Jordan, you need to get inside, now. It’s not safe for you, and there’s nothing you can do here.” Mrs. Brahn glanced around, and nearby, saw a young student unconscious on the ground. “I’ll grab her, you just – you just start herding people into cover, okay?” She failed to notice her own hypocrisy, as there were more important things at stake, like not dying.

Mrs. Brahn reluctantly let go of her youngest son, and gently shook the girl’s body. She was breathing, thank god. So was another woman who had fallen just within arms’ reach – her mother, perhaps? Between the sudden wind, and rain of the water dome collapsing, the gasses spewed across the grounds had been diluted. Still, it was unpleasant, she could feel her eyes and throat tingling from the fumes as she tried to drag her two new friends to safety.

“Jordan, I told you to go inside!”

“The big water lady told you not to do something stupid.”

“No! She told me that if your son could be of aid – oh.”

Mrs. Brahn watched as Jordan used his robotics to lift and carry the girl’s mother into the nearest building, away from the terrorists and the vile, infamous Red Ward. Hell, he was probably staging this himself to prove the world still needed a villain like him…

“… Carry on, then.”

That just left the girl.

 

[welian]

Morgan Brahn

Overview

Location	Aegis clinic
Company	Papa Bear and Sexy Nurse
Mood	Existential crisis
Actions	Freaking out, still.
Tags	Syrenrei Lemon Boy Zahzi and honorable mentions of Gus and The Fuzzy Pixel

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…” It was official – despite explicit instructions not to, Morgan was in fact freaking the fuck out. Part of it was the whole terrorists attacking the school and killing people thing. The other part was that he just watched his gorgeous teacher drop a grenade from what he was pretty sure was her unmentionables and was now trying desperately to think of anything other than what else might be between her legs. In that regard, the threat of death was a wonderful thing.

But he wanted to try, at least, to be a little helpful, so he leaned against the wall, his forehead to the drywall, and closed his eyes. He could hear his father’s mind, a familiar voice, and Miss Luther’s mind right next to him. Things were muffled past the walls, but as he concentrated, more and more came into focus, like snippets of a radio station just barely out of range.

“…. F-four?” It was so hard to hear over the fearful thoughts, but he thought he felt about four minds that seemed sickeningly proud of the carnage. It all went dim, as the distant explosion of fireworks destroyed his concentration, and it took Morgan several seconds to get back into it.

There was one that didn’t seem so far away, one who seemed as though he might have been persuaded –

“NO!!”

Morgan flung himself back, landing hard on his ass. He started through the wall fearfully, his eyes wide.

“H-he was there, and – and the spikes, and…. He just…. The boat, Mom…. She…”

The last fragmented thoughts were digging into his brain, like splinters. He didn’t know this Knight’s name, but just as he was about to reach out, he was gone. His mind was gone, destroyed, a sudden and grotesque cry of pain, followed by an abhorrent silence.

He slowly looked over at his father, lost and confused. Slowly, he stood up and brushed himself off, his legs shaking with fear, and offered a hand to his father.

“…. Someone’s mom is dead, and I don’t know whose.”

 

[yoikes]

Mitch Castle & Tomoko Sato & Naran Ihbarhasvad
worried & ( ± _ ± ) & relieved
all 3 is inside the main building
Necessity4Fun Malikai
​

She thought Juliana passed out when she hit the ground, so when she suddenly called out to them Mitch ended up having to deal the 'usual' Juliana. Not that she hates it, hearing her specifically requested that Mitch have to bring her purse along gives her a sense of normalcy -- in the aftermath of what could be one of the most devastating attack the Knights has ever done.

She stayed by Juliana's side, as she doesn't know what else she can do at the moment. Paramedics came by to do some quick checks on her, but she isn't hurt. Physically, but she's having a lot of thoughts.

Why? The Knights.... They were shooting at us, killing us, and enjoying every second of it. But why did they surrender to the police with no resistance? How's everyone doing? Her friends, teachers, are doing? Are they okay? Are they alive? Mr. Aaron---

"Psst, Copy Machine. Is my phone still with ya?", Juliana's question snapped her back to reality.

"O-oh, i think i have it here..." Mitch find Juliana's phone in a pocket of her jacket. She also find her phone. On the screen of her phone, she can find hundreds of notifications. Missed calls, unread messages...

"Gotta let my jerk of a cousin know that I'm still alive but can't take the stupid bus back home."

My family.
Mom.

Mitch do as Juliana's asked her to do, then hand it over to her. "You know... I think i have a few phone calls to make too... Do you mind if i...?"

"Huh?", the other girl turned her head slightly confused, "Oh, nah~ Nah, It's cool. Just leave mine here somewhere before you go, can't hold it myself..."

Mitch isn't sure why she did it. Maybe it's a mix between wanting to lift their spirits, not making Juliana worry, and wanting to make it quick. Or she just simply want to pull a prank.

Mitch placed the phone on Juliana's forehead, and then quickly make her escape. She can deal with her complains later.

Naran is not sure what to do.

The fight is over, and she was being useless. Where was she, when the innocent are dying? So much for being a "hero"

She wondered if she should try to find Aaron, to check on his condition. But looking at the unconscious blonde kid she saved with the glasses girl...

Naran decided that it might be better if the boy have someone who can explain to him what happened when he wakes up.

When Tomoko wakes up, the first thing that comes to her mind was the smell.

The second is that she is in a place with so many people.

She feel like she was just waking up from a deep sleep. Maybe she did.

Erika is standing by her, looking slightly pale but there's a smile on her face.

"Erika-neesan?" Tomoko weakly called. "Warui hito wa...?"

"They're gone," Erika sighed. Tomoko sensed a feeling of gladness. "You're safe now"

 

[Necessity4Fun]

Kendrick Haywood

​

Location: AEGIS Facility 108 - Pier, Edge of the crowd -> Somewhere near the shore
People Around: Very huge crowd -> Manami

Interactions: @Gus (I say silent interactions count! Not that it matters that much XD)

Today's Toys: Ted, Spiral, Lieutenant George, Humphrey and Millie.

*reflecting on life and offering a friend in need support, even if silently*

Frantically, Kendrick's gaze had gone over the multitude, searching for any of the similar faces he had participated in the exam with. The facts that 108 was located in an old shipyard, making most of the ground flat and that he had decided to stick right by the edge of said crowd weren't aiding his task at all! What good was his height for against this intense of an agglomeration?!

He thought he had seen Marianne's signature crochet hat somewhere, at least he hoped that was her, but the rest of Team Snowglobe didn't seem to be together with them, which was odd. Miia did look completely normal and would blend in incredibly well, but Manami and Sam? How was he not finding them?!
And then he discovered why. The two girls weren't sticking by the sides like everyone else, no, they were still in the middle and feasible of getting injured!

The speedster said something to the other and then took off running towards the water. Kendrick had facepalmed. There went Samantha again, recklessly running into danger! He couldn't say he was surprised, not after all the interactions they had had thus far. This was very characteristic of her.
Their aquatic member though, he had never seen her so distraught before. Actually, he couldn't remember if he had ever seen her being sad at all... The girl could certainly take care of herself, as he had witnessed first-hand lots of times, but in this state? He could only worry that staying where she was would make her into a sitting duck and/or the victim of missed attacks!!

In the corner of his eye, he saw Red on the rooftop seemingly instigating the conflict even further. Uhh, what? He would have expected this type of behaviour from the Knights, not one of their own! This was a terrible terrible idea! Fearful that such an action could put a halt on the police's negotiation attempt, --that yes, he had no expectations for but still wanted to see where it went--, Kendrick had glanced at Manami with exasperation, shouting at her to get out of there and run to safety.
His voice, however, had not reached anyone. The ruckus of paramedics and firefighters moving in to either help the injured or put out the flames of the boat, plus the numerous SOS pleas that started popping out all around the crowd around him were so intense and loud, that his warning had been drowned out entirely. There was no way he'd be able to reach to her from this distance.

Frustrated, the boy had clicked his tongue hating the fact that he could do nothing more than watch and hope. He would, he really wanted to go to her right now, but until there was 100% certainty that the situation had been defused it would just be too risky. If he jumped the gun right now and made a run for it, Kendrick would be an easy target, an effortless kill. Then instead of supporting Manami, he'd just be bringing her more suffering... There had been more than enough losses today, he didn't need to add to it.

Just as the teen had been thinking about this, another student, a black haired girl, had done the exact opposite.
With no concern for her own life, she had recklessly run right into the line of fire. Unbelievable! He didn't know whether to be impressed or incredibly appalled by her actions, even if she had done so to take another person out of there.
That individual had been extremely lucky to have picked a moment where everyone seemed too distracted and focused to notice her, or perhaps that had been planned? Either way, there were so many ways this could have ended badly!

Once that was over, Kendrick's attention had returned to the situation at hand and he had been taken off-guard by what he saw... It worked? Diplomacy had actually worked, against these people?! It all seemed too good to be true, as if some twist had been about to happen and carry everyone's hopes down the drain, but it had never come. The remaining Knights were legitimately surrending! What kind of TV ending was this?!
He wasn't disappointed with it, it was actually the opposite, but the boy just couldn't believe that it was actually possible, that this was actually reality... Perhaps, he was too much of a pessimist as Petra had pointed out a couple of times in the past, always expecting the worst of people, the worst of a situation. Maybe, good endings were accomplishable after all...

Back to the task at hand, however, Manami. Seeing as everything seemed to be resolving itself, there were no more excuses to not go there. Still apprehensive over how to handle things, Kendrick started to slowly make his way towards her, making the best use of his time by also calling home as he did so and requesting transportation. It had been a really quick, straight to the point call and soon it was just the boy with his thoughts again as he walked.

And then he stopped, merely 2 feet away, in complete silence. What if this was the wrong thing to do? Cursed be the Heavens over the fact that he had absolutely no people skills whatsoever. No matter how many times he decided to make something, a little doubt would always come back and waver that certainty. Literally, none of his past attempts at social interaction had gone any well... How could he be sure the same wasn't going to happen now...?
But then he looked at her, right there, sunk to the floor and still wearing that despicable torture device. He had never seen her evoke such an aura of frailty, almost as if a strong breeze could shatter her... Or perhaps, a different kind of 'breeze' had already done just that... She needed him. And in reciprocal, he really wanted to be there for her as well...

Decided, Kendrick took the remaining steps and carefully set himself beside her in the grass. Him, Kendrick Haywood, the token rich and uptight child, had of his very own volition sat down in the dirty, muddy and by now completely soaked grassy floor and not complained, nor flinched or anything of the sort while doing so...
He remained quiet. There was nothing to say, nothing he said would make this any easier. He wasn't even sure if he could ever come to understand what kind of pain his friend was in right now. His relationship with his family was just not the same and probably would never be, despite his own wishes... Instead, the boy just stayed there, observing the firefighters do their job, reflecting on the day's events, thinking of what the aftermath of it all would entail to him, more importantly, what it would entail to Manami...

And there he would stay for the rest of the of the day, well, at least until his ride home finally arrived.

 

[Malikai]

When the Knights Go Marching In.

Giyari, Syrenrei, Malikai​

A man surveyed the current scene at AEGIS. His grimace was hidden by the black box mask held over his face. He had quickly gotten dressed in a heavy jacket and easy to fit cargo pants. Slowly and cautiously he moved around the edge of the building and began scanning across the school for his target. Of course this was a perfect time for him to be interrupted however. As if the world wanted to play a prank on him his phone began ringing a very familiar song. He quickly picked it up and pulled his mask up a bit so his voice would come through normally, "Yeah? Yes I know. Yeah I know that's where she's- Okay I understand that but- Look, look, could you just realize that I'm not driving the whole way? Alright. Okay. Yeah, whatever." He groaned and put his phone back in his pocket.

Focusing back on the mission took a bit, but it didn’t take him too long to find her. She was standing far off from most people. Specifically she was nearest the corner that the man was hidden behind right now. Right next to her stood a man that was all too recognizable, Dammit! Jason Swan? Of all the people... I think I’d rather deal with an S rank than him. Well, not like I can back out of this now. Besides, I’m pretty sure that Jason can’t take a bullet much better than any of the Knights could. Stepping out from behind the corner and walking slowly over to the pair the man drew out his pistol and pointed it at Swan. Once he was standing a few feet away from the two, long enough a distance that he would have time to shoot before they could reach him, he growled out with his distorted voice, “Turn around and put your hands in the air where I can see them.”

Swan froze as his attention to the scene in front of him was snapped away by a voice from behind. The cries of panicked students and shouting orders of the emergency services must have covered the man's approach… He had let his guard down, with the knights arrest he had thought all was safe. His eyes darted over their surroundings, they were secluded, amongst all these people this man had waited till they were alone. Putting his pistol on the ground, Jason raised his hands slightly to keep them in view and turned around to face the stranger, "I could kill you where you stand before you could even flinch. What makes you think you have the luxury of talking?" Swan responded calmly with a deep scowl carved onto his face. He was in no mood to be tested, but seeing as this man had decided not to shoot him in the back of the head, Swan decided he would return the favour and give him a chance to explain himself before he blew him off the face of the earth.

The man winced, though it could hardly be seen under the mask he was wearing. Years of practice let him hold his gun steady, pointing at Swan’s head, ”I think you should feel lucky that I gave you a warning at all,” The man’s eyes darted over to Imogen, ”You, you’re going to be coming with me. I don’t want to hear any complaints or I will shoot the man standing next to you.”

“Me?” Imogen asked with clear confusion and trepidation. It was not often someone as jaded as her was caught so off-guard. Jason Swan was a man in a position that made him a more worthy target. By comparison Imogen was only an underling, someone who did not often get recognition, and that anyone would seek her out was unfathomable. But mistake or not Imogen recognized that Jason’s life was on the line, “I understand,” she said quickly and decisively. Imogen glanced over at Jason and gave him a nod of respect. She was not going into this blind. She had no illusions about what sorts of people the Knights of Raguel were. No blood would be shed, however, for her- not if she could help it. Sacrificing herself for others was precisely why she believed she had her powers.

Jason's eyes darted over to Imogen as they spoke, was that all it took? A threat of a gunshot and Imogen was ready to fall in line? Taking a single fluid side step, Swan moved to block Imogen's path, keeping his eyes trained on the man holding the gun trained in his direction. Sure he threatened to maul this masked stranger where he stood, but the possible collateral damage at this point in time was high. They were far from secluded, people were all around them and even if they weren't close, soundwaves traveled fast. At best he could take this man down, and maybe keep bystanders injuries to at most a pushing force, at worst, he could deafen someone caught in the echo. Either way the reactions needed to fire on this man without casualties were not possible at this time.

"Fuck you. You think the threat of a bullet scares me? I've seen far worse than a gunshot in my time. I've witnessed the skin burn from peoples bodies while they ran in terror, and you're threatening me with that peashooter." Swan growled before turning his head slightly towards Imogen, "Nothing good will come from this, you know that, right? Nothing at all."

The man’s eye twitched, only slightly visible with the mask. Hearing Swan talk with such confidence was irritating to him, and he needed to put him in his place. Holding the gun steady in his hand he quickly moved his arms to the side before pressing the trigger aiming directly for Swan’s left forearm. A muffled sound rang out and the man kept his gun trained on Swan’s form, ”I had hoped not to resort to violence or threats, unfortunately I’ll be doing both. If the woman doesn’t come with me, or if you try to get up from where you are I won’t hesitate to kill you. The moment I do I’ll also let my friend’s know to blow the charges at St. George’s Elementary School and at Lincoln Middle School.” The man spoke with complete calm in his voice even with how both of the charges were just bluffs. With any luck Swan wouldn’t realize or at least he would believe that one set of the charges was real.

Imogen knelt down next to Jason. It was not an act of defiance or refusal to comply with leaving with the other man- she was true to her word and had not been swayed- but rather was an act of compassion. Had she not cared about Jason she would not have so readily agreed to be taken hostage. “You have to let me do this,” she said quietly. “This is who I am. I can’t let you be hurt further or killed on my behalf. I couldn’t live with myself,” she added, then smiled albeit a bit sadly, “and I have a very long life ahead of me I’m told.”

The Knights of Raguel didn’t appear to want to kill her. If they had, they wouldn’t be extracting her from the situation like they were. Imogen knew her value to the world was her regeneration; anyone could die, but very few could take the hits she did and keep going. If they didn’t want to kill her she was certain she could endure- and maybe, just maybe, she would be rescued later if it wasn’t too large a risk. Jason winced at the pain. It was slow to appear, fading through his arm as the ringing in his ears dimmed. Powers or not, a silenced gunshot was still loud at such a range, "Ugh…" He groaned slightly, placing his hand over the hole in his jacket as it began to stain with blood, "A compromise… then. You're taking me too." Jason added through gritted teeth. His voice was fairly calm given the situation, but with the risk of untold misery in store for Imogen and countless more innocent lives not involved at stake, Jason wasn't going to let this go, "I'm sure whoever pays you off would not mind meeting me…"

The man with the mask wanted to laugh at that. The idea that somebody was paying him for any of this, ”I’m sure that their focus isn’t on you,” The man’s head turned to look at Imogen, ”You’re the only one the Knights are expecting and wanting,” The man’s distorted voice twisted the words almost to the point of being indistinguishable.

“You’re in no condition to go anywhere,” Imogen scolded Jason lightly before standing to her feet. She turned, stepping forward so that the muzzle of the knight’s gun was pressed against her torso. Any shot would have to go through her before it could hit Jason. It was not impossible to hit him this way, but Imogen wagered it would be hard for the knight to gauge how a supernaturally healing being would alter his trajectory, “I’ll go alone,” she stated simply. No matter how upset this would make Jason she wanted him safe. There was nothing he could do in accompanying her as an additional hostage except put himself in danger. Arguably he’d make a bad situation even worse for her.

"But…" Swan began, but the look of determination across Imogen's face stopped his words dead. She meant this, and she knew what could be ahead, her eyes said as much. Taking a step backwards, Swan gripped this arm tightly as blood dripped from his fingertips onto the worn concrete. How many times had this happened today, how many times had he been powerless to save someone. Raising his eyes to the two figures in front of him, Swan felt his determination set ablaze. No more, "I'll find you…"

The man chuckled, walking up to Imogen and forcefully sticking a pair of handcuff limiters on her. The handcuffs clearly bore the letters BPD on them. The limiters did nothing, but the man wouldn’t know that, ”You’ll try,” was all the man said before he walked off with Imogen following close behind.

 

[welian]

Thank you all for participating in Episode 5! This episode is now closed. Stay tuned for Episode 6 and the aftermath of this horrible attack on innocent (and not-so-innocent) supers. I can't promise it'll be any better organized, but it certainly won't last eight months! In the meantime, as always, take this weekend to update your character profiles.