Futuristic Imperium (Futuristic Superpower rp) (O/A)

[PlusUltra]

Turning her attention to the grunt he seemed to have hijacked her comms, Repemtia's expression shifts from annoyance to confusion. She honestly had no idea who this Abyss was or the random string of characters the man blurted out, heck even if she did the fact they actually had the gall to try and give her an order?. Who did they think they were? She had half a mind to simply toss his ball and roll them all over for the audacity.

Instead, however, she would simply scoff and raise a finger to her ear "Who the heck are these Morons?....uhuh, uhuh...Disposable Assets gotcha, and this Abyss thing?...Right so random slasher lucky enough to have a little kick to him?" the girl slowly started nodding as her face went with the realisation then back to annoyance "Ah he's been screwing with the money gotcha, Well I guess might as well then....wait he can do what? Aww common, you know how much of a pain in the ass those types are to pin down without just squashing them, it's not like I can just break the legs." Rolling her yes she shrugs, dropping the condensed ball of people and guns causing the area to shake slightly as it came down before slowly breaking apart.

Turning back to the man who had addressed her initially she goes back to te sweet and happy persona once more "Mr NPC A, would you be so kind as to keep all these miscreants in check while i attempt to locate this dark fellow who has been oh so troublesome for yourselves? Thank you" she barely waited for a response before floating off into the air once more and looking around trying to locate the man, the filming drones as well moving to wide-angle shots to quickly face ID all movement in the area.

 

[Sepokku]

As Rachel fired, several bullets connected with the Drone, all but one of them ricocheting off the reinforced bits of metal. One shot got lucky and buried itself into the wiring of its neck, causing the drone to grow eerily silent. Its greedy claws closed around empty space, Ayako ducking just in time to avoid its wrath. Its single red eye followed Ayako as she popped back up after burying a knife into its shin.

Raising an arm, its forearm dislocated, flipping about to reveal a hidden compartment containing a gun. Its eye gleamed with light like a red dot sight as it attempted to level the gun at Ayako and fire, instead strands of telekinetic wire connected to the arm and pulled it down. Turning back towards the teal-haired White Lotus member, the drone tried to shriek. A gout of fluid exploded out of its neck, forced out by the pressure created as it moved. Taking a step forward, it fell to one knee, unable to support its weight on the leg that had several supporting tendons severed.

An automated voice echoed out from the drone, "Integrity compromised, self-destruction imminent to prevent seizure of company property. Thank you, and have an Omniferous™ day." The drone's chest piece began to glow red and white as several explosive payloads began to burn and ignite.
Nellancholy SnowStorm42 Loomis

 

[SnowStorm42]

Rachel Marewski
​

Rachel was thankful that the drone seemed to not be entirely bullet proof with some of the bullets stunning it enough for Ayako to duck and then counter-attack. The drone didn't seem to want to back down, revealing a hidden gun compartment. Rachel aimed to fire but was met with a nightmarish sound. 'Click. Click. Click' 'Shit' . Rachel reached into her jacket for another mag, ejecting the one in her pistol, but thankfully Molly seemed to rejoin the fray, pulling the drones arm down. The drone seemed to be caught now, and the strain from Molly's attack was causing it to leak fluid. Rachel took the time to reload a new mag, however the drone's chest started to grow red. She had been around enough to know that the glow was a bad sign.

"Integrity compromised, self-destruction imminent to prevent seizure of company property. Thank you, and have an Omniferous™ day."

Rachel's suspicions confirmed, she holstered her gun, her fight or flight kicking in. In the face of a possible lethal explosion she decided to risk something she had attempted very few times. Charging the drone she tackled it and wrapped her arms around it before submerging into the drone's own shadow. The drone, was taken with her, and she began to shift quickly from one shadow to the next, away from the group. The glow of the drone's chest got brighter and brighter and Rachel knew she wouldn't make enough distance, so after another shift she let go of the drone and shifted back through the same shadows she had just shifted through, back to the group. Unsure of how big the explosion radius would be Rachel yelled to Molly Ayako and Kenzo, "Get behind something!" She herself ran toward the group, and fell to the ground, absolutely exhausted.

With whatever strength she had she tried to crawl for some form of cover, before suddenly, a loud explosion sounded behind them, although the magnitude wasn't known to Rachel as she passed out from exhaustion behind her cover.

Nellancholy Loomis Sepokku

 

[Loxely]

ᴅʀ. ᴠᴇʀᴀ ꜱᴏᴋᴏʟᴏᴠ
Location // The Slums
▂▂▂____________. . . _____________▂▂▂
As the camera was raised and photo snapped, Vera's chin tilted ever so gently with curiosity and a hint of dismay. It felt rather invasive to say the least and she considered the possible threat of her identity being exposed. But those concerns were rest assured, knowing her value at Imperium would be her saving grace. She was too valuable of an asset.
Slowly, she lifted her sunglasses to meet the man's gaze. The prosthetic globe gleamed back lifelessly, but it took the opportunity to run another data profile on him. Still, it fell short of any information. Vera digested his words for a moment with a clenched jaw, the woman always seemed to be tense, regardless of the situation. Stoic as ever, she withheld any responses until she was sure he was done.

"Business?" An inquiring tone, but still flat nonetheless. Her finger teased at the trigger of her pistol, considering executing him on the spot. No one would think otherwise considering the rest of the chaos forming around them. However, his suggestion of data peaked her interest. "I wouldn't talk openly about business with all this kakashka unfolding." Gesturing with her left hand, splaying her fleshed fingers at the live rounds flying by. "You have quite the peculiar job." Trailing off while her eyes averted to the prisoner trade off nearby, the commotion grew loudly that she couldn't help but shoot a glance. The droids were a pleasant surprise, the craftsmanship was all too familiar. Omnitech. Oh, dear Lillian is still remarkable as ever. Vera couldn't help but admire Lillian's work, for she was the sole aid in creating her cybernetics.
"The Czarna Dama is near. After you finish your..." Waving her hand dismissively in his direction, "Business, we can speak there in solace. I have an inclination that your boss has some use to me, and I to him."

▂▂▂____________. . . _____________▂▂▂
​

ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ: Crocodile // ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ: n/a​

 

[Loomis]

"Take its head or something!"

Ayako watched as Molly pinned the drones body in place with what seemed like glowing pieces of thread. Taking a deep breath she charged the robot once again and threw her body forward landing on the shoulders of the drone. Flicking out another knife from her arm she forced that into the base of the neck, she could feel the snap of a few connective wires. Hopefully that was enough to get her some leeway into ripping the head off the robots body. Her hands gripped the cool metal head and began to pull up in a forceful manner.

The drone fell to its knees and Ayako knew they were close to finishing off the piece of machine, she just needed a few more seconds and that head was coming right off.

"Integrity compromised, self-destruction imminent to prevent seizure of company property. Thank you, and have an Omniferous™ day."

The emotionless voice echoed out of the drone breaking Ayako's concentration. Of course, kicking herself off the drone she immediately started to run towards Kenzo. She wasn't sure how large the blast was going to be from this thing and she wanted to make sure that he was covered. Glancing over her shoulder she saw Rachel rushing the drone and then disappear into the shadows with the robot in her arms. What is she doing? Still making her way towards Kenzo she slowed her pace to watch as Rachel moved the explosive away from them, hopping from shadow to shadow.



"Get behind something!"

Ayako was almost Kenzo's hiding spot when she watched the bar owner drop to the ground. Everything in her was screaming to get to cover but she couldn't just leave Rachel exposed to the blast, especially after the move she just pulled. Turning on the heels of her feet she booked it towards the unconscious woman while keeping an eye on the blink red and white light coming from the drone in the not so far off distance.

"Come on..." She huffed to herself as she noticed the drones lights were blinking faster, which could only mean detonation was close. Ayako slid her hands under Rachel's armpits and hoisted the woman up over her shoulder. Scanning the alley way for anything that could work as cover the only thing close enough was an inset doorway, just big enough for their bodies, it would have to do. Ayako moved as fast as she could, almost throwing themselves into the safety of the doorway before the gust of the explosion hit them.

"Kenzo!" Ayako called out once the destruction of the blast had settled, peaking her head back out into the alley.

"I'm okay!" The bald man slowly emerged from hiding and gave a meek wave. Letting out an audible sigh of relief she shifted Rachel's dead weight and began to walk towards him.

"White Lotus, mind giving me a hand? I figured I could get her back there and I can also check in his family," Ayako didn't mind transporting Rachel and Kenzo back to the bar herself, Rachel did say it wasn't far off but considering how the day went she wouldn't turn down an ally at this time.

Interactions: SnowStorm42 , Nellancholy ​

 

[Nellancholy]

"Integrity compromised, self-destruction imminent to prevent seizure of company property. Thank you, and have an Omniferous™ day."

Damn suits. Could never do something simply. Not that Molly was a stranger to the idea of packing something that belonged to an enemy full of bombs, but it was extra annoying coming from a literal corpo drone.

The hours of prior exertion did not impede her ability to break into a sprint as the charges lit up, sparking like so many fireworks. Very nice of them to give a few seconds warning, however.

Turning sharply into one of the alleys by the convenience store she came out of, Molly ducked behind a dumpster, throwing out one of the Skorpions that was already bleeding out behind it so she could press herself firmly against the sturdy metal container.

And-

BOOM.

It proved to be a perfectly executed escape as the body she had thrown aside was flung a few meters back, tearing further while the dumpster just rumbled a little from the explosion.

"White Lotus, mind giving me a hand? I figured I could get her back there and I can also check in his family,"

Ayako seemed to be calling to her from across the street, asking for her assistance.

She'd call this a small favor that Ayako would then owe to the White Lotus, but she was far too tired to talk business.

"This'll be the last thing I do here."

Shouldering Rachel like a particularly unwieldy opera costume, she began finding her way back to the bar she supposedly owned.

Loomis SnowStorm42

 

[Gears]

Imperium Clone Division "Ghosts" Commander W-12
“Target is wearing a gas mask and black clothing, his powers are likely neutralized temporarily.” W-15 didn’t like asking for Repemtia's help, particularly after the NPC and expendable comments, but he knew that they needed him contained as soon as possible, before he could cause any more damage to the company.
Eddie Gears
Eddie continued firing at the Revenant, hoping that his shield tech would give out before he could escape. He had spent weeks accounting for all tech that Revenant had in his possession, using a hacked Imperium terminal to find all requested weapons he had put into the system. The fact that he did not see this on the system meant that he was either keeping some off the system or he acquired them illegally. This didn’t matter, seeing as Imperium would turn a blind eye to any illegal activity as long as it was kept under wrap; but who knows what else gadgets Eddie wasn’t prepared for. He had continued firing, adjusting his aim to correct the drag made by the ball of gravity that he was barely staying out of due to his stolen anti grav boots, taken from a imperium corpse. He had ran out of ammo and pulled out a pistol when a Yakuza member dropped on him. After staring at Revenant for a second, considering the probability of taking him out then and there but after a second he turned around and dragged the unconscious man behind cover, but Revenant was already gone, his armored vehicle speeding away.
PlusUltra

 

[SidTheSkid]

---

[Location: Lower Neo-City, An apartment in the Slums.]
[Currently: "Still Cleaning House".]
[Mood: Unimpressed.]

As Faust ventured his way into the apartment, his visage was brought upon a dimly lit corridor; the stench of rotten food from decaying and foul urine from various rodents permated throughout this space, filling his unsuspecting nostrils and making him want to retch. An arrangement of flickering light bulbs dangling carelessly from the ceiling above only added to the unkempt ambiance of the place. The peeling wallpaper around him was stained with filth and grime, and he could just barely discern the noise of scampering rats and other vermin. This was a place where hope had long been extinguished, a place where people had given up on their aspirations and resigned themselves to a life of squalor, a comparable life like farm animals frollicking in their own muck; it was undeniably pitiful in Faust's mind.

As he meticulously scanned around, he was able to recognize a set of stairs situated on the right of him which led to the upper floors of the decrepit building. In spite of the aching temptation to ascend these steps to confront the main extortionists who foolishly claimed in the letter to be on the third and final floor, William knew that his first priority was to rid this place of its inhabitants, believing that it would send a firm message to those that dared to cross him. His mind made up, Faust pressed on through the corridor, 'creeks' resounding through the desolate space as his soles met with the old floorboards. Suddenly, a disheveled figure emerged from one of the many rooms, now stumbling towards him with an uncertain gait and a bottle of whiskey clutched in hand. The man's face was drawn and gaunt, the telltale signs of addiction etched deeply into his features.

> "Urgh? Whooo the hell are you? Never seen yer faaace 'round here."

> "Please accept my deepest apologies, for I am the individual from whom you and your companions pilfered. Allow me to make amends by returning the favor and relinquishing each and everyone of you of your lives."

The addict's face twisted in confusion as he tried to make sense of what William had just said, his hand scratching at the side of his face as if to rub away the confusion. But his bafflement soon turned to horror as he looked toward the open entrance of the apartment, where a corpse lay motionless on the ground. With a sudden burst of andrenaline, he reached for the firearm that was stowed away in his own waistband, his hands fumbling around with the weapon in his haste as he tried to ready it.

Once the addict raised the weapon with trembling hands, their finger twitched nervously on the trigger. But before a single shot could be fired in William's direction, the air crackled with an otherworldly energy as Faust pressed his hand onto the wooden face of the wall beside him. As if through magic, the timber against his palm began to writhe and twist beneath his fingertips, its very fibers unraveling and reforming into something altogether more sinister as it swiftly climbed across the wall. In an instant, the wood paneling beside the addict began to contort and warp, its surface bulging outwards like a giant monstrous maw. The addict didn't even have time to let out a yelp as the wooden jaws promptly closed around their body, crushing their torso with merciless force. The bones in their body snapping like twigs, as their internal organs also ruptured under the crushing pressure.

Suddenly, there was new movement in the hallway as a tousled woman departed from one of the rooms. Her nightgown hung off her lithe frame like a rag, and her hair was knotted and matted. Her eyes, sunken and hollow, peered out from beneath a messy bangs towards the source of the commotion she was drawn to. But as she bared witness of the gruesome scene that laid in wait, her body convulsed in revulsion. Soon a strangled cry escaped her lips, creating a haunting shriek before her feet quickly and instinctively carried her backwards in fear, her movements jerky and uncoordinated as she stumbled towards her room and slammed the door behind her. An insidious grin crept across Faust's face seeing this, his eye glinting with malicious intent. Finally, there would be some real entertainment to be had! The woman's scream would have undoubtedly alerted the rest of the building's occupants, and soon enough they would come crawling out of their hiding places like hungry rats.

The symphony of shuffling footsteps and boisterous voices clamoring throughout the apartment, made him keenly attuned to the imminent danger that was about to befall him. His hand would instinctively reached for the corpse of the addict that was pinned to the wall, seizing his firearm that was held in their still tightened grip; William was able to feel hard surface of the metallic alloys that composed the plating of the weapon. And In a matter of seconds Faust was able to draw out the combination of materials, the properties of steel began to seep into Faust's very being, infusing his skin with a radiant sheen of pure, unadulterated metal. Within moments, the gangsters burst forth from the rooms of the corridors he was in, many also descending down from the stairwell with their weapons drawn and aimed squarely at Faust. He would remained unflinching at the sight, his metallic skin continuing to glint in response to the swaying light bulbs above. And then, the first shot rang out, followed by a barrage of gunfire that consumed the apartment in a roar of thunderous bangs.

"Kill that bastard!"

One of the gangsters shouted out profanely as he joined in on the gunfire, his and bullets of his colleagues ocassionally finding their mark with a resounding clang against Faust's impervious skin. Each impact of lead against his body sent shards of shrapnel richocheting from place to place, some striking into the walls and others shattering the lightbulbs overhead, eventually plunging the section of the corridor Faust was in into complete darkness. The gangsters were momentarily unable to see Faust making them cease their fire, unknowing if they had killed him. However, their expressions became twisted with horror when there was a faint glow that came from within the darkness ahead. Like a smoldering ember, the single, opened eye of Faust radiated a vermillion light, this being the only part of him that was visible in the darkness.

Spoiler: A musical piece for Faust's 'refined' violence.

---

 

[Meatball30]

[JUNCTION STREET - NEO-CITY MIDDLE]
Maybe this is what Neo-City has become.

Tristan hadn't dared to make another move after his previous shelter was sent careening away from the road, bringing him with it. Still crouching in the front door alcove of some long-abandoned business, its door boarded over and marked with bright tape indicating its condemnation, he had watched the gunfire, bloodshed, and incredible displays of superhuman power that were argument in themselves that humanity using them was not... natural. Not sustainable.

Maybe this is what Neo-City always was.

Was his home city ever going to hold itself together to begin with? He dared to peek out from behind the string bass case he'd once again defaulted to using as a shield from any stray shrapnel or debris that sped his way. Even before the sickness, before these powers started to manifest, he remembered the newscasts. The Slums grew every day, shacks and other hastily constructed shelters threatened to press into the rest of the city like a tidal wave of poverty and human despair. Their government could only dam it for so long, Tristan remembered thinking, even then, from the opulent living room of his parents' million-dollar manse.

Back then he'd asked his parents if they were in danger whenever stories of rising crime rates, random acts of violence, and later, more coordinated acts of violence, flashed across their holoscreens. They'd always told him no, of course not. Not in The Acres.

A thunderous explosion pulled him back to the present, but the disintegration of everything he'd been taught to believe about Neo-City entranced him, numbed him. Once upon a time, maybe the wealth and resources residents of The Acres surrounded themselves with made them untouchable, at least while they stayed within their artificial Eden. Maybe powers had leveled that playing field. That tidal wave of suffering, long neglected and angry, might be able and willing to fight back.

He glanced up as an ancient neon sign that once advertised the business he was taking refuge outside creaked loudly, shaking from the force of the conflict around it.
Tristan didn't know any of the people out in the street fighting, dying or dead, but he didn't suspect they'd be there if their lives were going the way they'd planned. Maybe they would have. Maybe they were greedy, not desperate.

The glint of light on metal caught his eye, off his right side. Some unknowable hunk of twisted metal was hurtling toward him, propelled away from the rest of the carnage.

Startled, he dropped the instrument case and instinctively raised both hands.

What started as a low rumble in the air built to an ear-splitting crescendo around him, though it was more like to be lost in the rest of the chaos than not. The roar was gone as quickly as it had come.

Tristan felt the shaking through his body and up to the brightly sheened metal that covered his facial cybernetics as he, willingly or no, summoned what little control of his ability remained after using it only sparingly for the last several years. In his fright, the intense vibration he'd conjured was enough to knock the heavy, decaying sign above his storefront shelter from its perch, slamming into the metal chunk perhaps a dozen feet before it would've planted itself in his chest.

Tristan felt small bits of glass and shards of hot metallic coating graze his skin, but he didn't feel the small cuts they opened, nor the thin trails of blood running down his left cheek. He was still standing through sheer fortune, which made him smile.

Shouldering Rachel like a particularly unwieldy opera costume, she began finding her way back to the bar she supposedly owned.

A small group of... bystanders? Combatants?

He wasn't entirely sure, but they were the only people he saw moving away from the fight. One of them had wounded slung across their shoulders as well, which seemed like a good sign that they weren't sticking around.

He wasn't sure why he hadn't felt brave enough to rush from his cover and away from the fray before, but maybe safety in numbers and the sheer dumb luck he'd experienced would carry the day.

Tristan knelt briefly to pick up his string bass. Instinctively, he opened the case. He was satisfied to find it unharmed.

Without thinking too much, he sprinted from out of his shelter and toward the group making their way away from the combat. He didn't say a word as he approached them and did what he could to support the young woman who was doing her best to carry her unconscious companion, but gave the blue-haired stranger he'd fallen in with a curt nod of silent support, at least for the time being, until they were safely clear of the fight and he could go on his way.

The instrument, now slung over his back, felt strangely hefty, Tristan realized. He didn't pay the detail much mind.

 

[Loomis]

Thankful to not be physically burdened by Rachel's unconscious body she moved closer to Kenzo. She wanted to be able to fully defend him if something else presented itself as a threat. The small group didn't say much in the first few minutes of their jaunt back to Czarna Dama. Ayako welcomed the silence it gave her time to reflect on the events that had passed. What were the odds that Omnitech was involved in the hand off gone wrong today? Was the CEO aware of the Yakuza's interest? Now more than ever she wanted to get back to the office and get more information as to what had peaked the Yakuza's interest in Lillian and her company. She had a feeling that their crossings paths today was more than mere coincidence.

"I must offer my thanks, girl," Mr. Nakamura's voice broke the silence between the three of them, "You put your life on the line for me today, I was not expecting much of a woman." Ayako chuckled at his commentary, not shocked by his honesty in the slightest. Most women in the Yakuza were not on the front lines like she was, as the years went on more and more women were in "combat" roles but it was still rare to see.

"Thank me when you're standing beside your son, we are not out of danger just yet," Ayako reminded him but gave him an appreciative nod. It was as if her comment of danger conjured something up as a man was rapidly approaching the trio. Pushing Kenzo behind her Ayako took a defensive stance eyeing the man for any weapons, but all he had was a guitar? He seemed to only want to help as he quickly tossed Rachel's other arm around his shoulders.

"Hey, how about identifying yourself before charging people like that?" Ayako snapped keeping some distance between her and the newcomer, she was certain he was no threat but she wanted to be 100% clear before letting her guard down.

Interactions: Nellancholy , Meatball30 | Mentions: SnowStorm42 ​

 

[Meatball30]

"Hey, how about identifying yourself before charging people like that?"

Tristan felt daggers staring through him from the moment he approached, but either through the fault of the autopilot daze he'd been reduced to in his pondering and near death, or his haste to put as much distance between himself and danger as possible, he hadn't fully considered the makeup of the group he'd chosen to fall in beside.

The woman who reproached him cut a fierce figure. The odd mask she wore concealed half of her face, but her eyes communicated enough suspicion and hostility that he didn't need to imagine the scowl that lurked out of sight. He didn't fully comprehend what she'd said, coming down from his earlier adrenaline rush he was now fully aware of how loudly his heart beat in his ears, but he caught her meaning as she made deliberate effort to step away from him, her body language ready to pounce should he make a misstep.

The color left Tristan's face when he noticed her missing digit, the sudden flush of cold tingling against the warm blood still dripping down the side of his face unprotected by his cybernetics. His sudden paleness, paired with the scratches across his flesh and chips in his previously well-maintained facial cybernetics, left him looking more like a corpse than any of his fiercer new company.

"I'm sorry," was all he could think to stammer in his initial fear. "I was... looking for a chance to get out of there, and it looks like you guys need a hand anyway," he rationalized, glancing to the immobile woman he was helping support.

"I'm Tristan," he added, remembering her protest, though he wasn't sure it was smart to hand out his identity to this person. For a moment it seemed he intended to ask something else, but he thought better than to say more than was necessary to the Yakuza.

 

[Xen6n]

Power Manipulator

Zelos

Grant Atonal

Neo-City Middle, Junction Street

Grant found it bewildering to be surrounded by so many different things, and he was troubled by the incessant ballistics and superpowers. Being abruptly brought back into the present when he heard a gunshot that was considerably louder and closer than the others, he instantly turned around to see a dead SKORPION and the shadow-walker super standing next to the body of the gang member. And judging by appearances, they just saved his ass. This time, he was able to see the woman more clearly, and a memory of her sparked in his mind. He was unsure of how he first became acquainted with them. He knew them from somewhere, but he couldn't figure out where exactly. Maybe they were a client he'd met while fixing their car who lived nearby? Whatever the situation, he was appreciative. They finally realized where he had seen them when they named a bar, but before he was able to respond, a loud helicopter's chopping noise and blustery winds nearly drowned out the sounds of gunshots.

She spoke loudly through the din before leaving before he could say goodbye to the bartender. They then teleported through the shadow cast by the earth wall he had constructed and disappeared just as soon as they had appeared. Naturally, he wanted to follow them because a night out at the bar seemed much more fun than slouching here, killing guys who couldn't care less about what he'll eat for dinner. Speaking about dinner, he prays his Thai Basil Sauce Noodles are still warm in the microwave, he'll have a meltdown if it isn't.

As the barricade he had constructed shattered at his command, Grant muttered to himself, "Focus, Grant, fight now, food later." Jumping back into the fray, he employed the copied powers he possessed: electricity absorption and earth manipulation. He kicked the ground, causing the ground to split and crack somewhat as the force of his kick caused the ground to tremble. A car was propelled flying at the remaining members of the gang and crushing them under the weight as jagged earth pillars burst from the ground beneath it. He immediately moved in the direction of an electrical post, reached out to it, and started absorbing the electricity it contained. Augmenting his physical capabilities by increasing the electrolyte activity in his nerves and muscles. Sparks flared out from the wires attached to the post as he drained the power the electrical post contained. Aware that Junction Street would have a lengthy darkness following the battle.

Grant was getting ready to launch yet another assault when he heard an explosion take place a short distance from where he was hiding underneath an overturned truck. He glanced back in the direction where he remembered the explosion coming from after turning in that way and pausing as he watched the ongoing gang conflict. It wasn't like he would miss anything either way, and after clinging to these powers, he was starting to feel exhausted. So he launched into a sprint and moved toward the alleyway where it originated.

Soon, he would be confronted by four people, one of whom he knew, and they were slouched unconsciously into a slightly menacing woman. The girl standing next to her appeared to be in her teens and was much too young to be out here; the purity in her eyes made Grant feel a want to shield them. There was another, and the three women didn't appear any less astonished by the person's visit. One thing he was certain of was their superhuman status and all of their abilities. With his spear slung behind his back, he slowly caught up to them. He examined the man who appeared to have cybernetic implants, casting a foreboding atmosphere around them. Whether or not it affected the two ladies or not, they didn't show it.

After giving the unconscious bartender a quick glance, he fixes his gaze on the oxygen manipulator, a power he never thought would exist yet be so potentially lethal to any being if used right. "I presume you just met her as well, but I'm a regular client of hers, and I came to thank her for saving my life back there." Grant looked over his shoulder and, whether he was imagining or not, he thought he could hear more gunshots. He would gesture for them to leave with a greater sense of urgency. "But this is no place for lovely young ladies like yourself, it would be wise to leave now. I know the bar she works at, I can take her weight off you if you'd like." He waited, almost as if he could predict it, he presumed they would have a mistrust towards him and accompanied his statement with another to put them at ease. "You shouldn't be concerned about me; if I had wanted you dead, I would have already killed you." The response came out more menacing than he intended to, and mentally facepalmed.

He would strangely cast a sidelong glance at the cyborg man, unsure of his position in this given the women seemed to want to stand across from him rather than alongside him. The slight impatience Grant displayed was due to his desire to avoid being discovered by the police and the media, as well as his anxiety over the approaching helicopter and the dwindling number of gunshots. In reality, Grant just wanted to spend the entire night drinking and eating cold noodles.

Code by Serobliss

 

[Nellancholy]

"Tristan. I don't recall asking your name." People turned out to be surprisingly ready to come up and start talking in the wake of a ridiculously, almost comically bloody gang fight with multiple interruptions. Molly took a glance over her shoulder, making sure that magical girl and the Imperium enforcers weren't trying to catch up to them. Good. At least she wouldn't need to start running again. Despite her sharp response, she made no move to dismiss him. "Save the conversation for later."

It was in times like these when she almost wished her power worked on living people. Or maybe not, if it would hurt nearly as much as it did when she tried it on that drone. Nevertheless, when the other bulky fellow showed up and introduced him as a friend of the unconscious one, she was more than ready to accept the assistance. "Ha. Hold on to this before you start killing us." Carefully, she rolled Rachel off her shoulder and over to Grant to allow him to lift her. He'd probably do a much better job of it than Molly and Ayako combined, especially while that Kenzo was still running his mouth.

Despite her obligation being discharged for the evening, Molly still followed along, sticking with the group. It paid to have feelers out in the neighborhood, and if there was a bar that served multiple factions as a matter of business, the Lotus would want to keep tabs on it.

Xen6n Meatball30 Loomis

 

[Sepokku]

• Trigger Warning / Disclaimer
• Neo-City Apartment 2:06 pm
• Czarna Dama 3:21 pm

• Apartment post contains body horror, coarse language, and presumed death.
• "I woke up." Lilian paused to once more survey the damage she had done, "The blast must have knocked me out and instinct took over, next time I felt like myself I had made some sort of nest in this apartment. Looks like there were..." She counted seven of them, packed into the tiny domicile like sardines; what a sorry state the city was in. "Seven occupants at the time of my arrival. Luckily whatever demon possessed me had the foresight to cut their optics. Unfortunately, it also did so to everything within a quarter-mile radius, emanating a blackout aura like some sort of eldritch horror."
  
  One of the stronger occupants got an arm free, tearing through nanofilaments that she had woven to keep them still, his targeting software locked onto her despite, having blinded him. "Hey bitch! Eat it." The class A cybernetic arm disfigured in the blink of an eye, reconfiguring into a gun just as quickly and launching an antimaterial round at her. It was quite remarkable really, a true feat of engineering. The bullet's flight path soared straight for her head, following a tolerance within a few microns; a smart bullet, surely.
  
  On reflex, she raised a hand to deflect the bullet, her subdermal weave immediately absorbing its kinetic energy and rendering it nothing more than a pointed lump of metal. Before it could fall, her fingers closed around it, catching the bullet in the palm of her hand. Identifying the assailant, she opened her mouth, chirruping out an information-dense blast of noise. The overwhelming amount of raw bull-crap she had sent him must have overloaded his systems, as he went limp.
  
  "Like I was saying, I found myself in the domicile, having wakened up from some sort of Kafkaesque exodus, only to find out I had unwittingly kidnapped seven law-abiding citizens of Neo-City." Putting a hand to her forehead she affected a Western accent, "Whatever is little ol' me to do?"
  
  The scan came back on everyone in the room, Ares Tech employees; what were Ryn's hands doing this far from Atlas? She shrugged, "Doesn't matter now." The doorbell to the unit rang, Ech0 had arrived with the package. "Right on time!" Clapping her hands together, she separated them, her left hand holding an imaginary microphone. Buzzing in her drone, she put the faux-mic to her mouth and started the impromptu presentation.
  
  Renabling their optics, she moved just enough of the filament so that they could see what was about to unfold.
  
  "Hi, Ryn!" Lilian beamed a shit-eating grin at the camera, truly enjoying every second of the broadcast. "I'd like to thank you for taking the time to help set this up for me. I'm thinking for this collaboration we'll go with our standard rate, sixty-forty. I'll take the lion's share, of course." Steepling her hands she leaned back in the office share she had dragged down from their upper-story bedroom. "I'm thinking we deploy them in Neom, policing the place, you know how Salman loves his little passion projects."
  
  Ech0 entered the room, throwing a heavily sedated Moldova to the ground, "We picked up this little rascal during a routine security sweep. Already cleared it with corporate, she's got an axe to grind, and that axe is named..." She paused, hoping to create suspense, "Rachel?!" The bartender's smiling face appeared on all the monitors in the room. "No, no, no. That just won't do! I spent the better half of this quarter working on the Dama." Biting her bottom lip she pondered a solution.
  
  Then it hit her. "Oh! Let me just," She tore into her memory, searching for data from the last twenty-four hours. "Found it!" She announced in a sing-song. Uploading several new files into the poor lieutenant's head, she returned her attention to the cameras. "Sorry about that! Bit of a technical hiccup, software glitch, no biggie," She promised.
  
  "Right! Now to the fun part." Ech0 brought in the first unwitting donor, and handed them to Lilian, "You see the best part is you really gave me quite the grab bag. Like who the crap are these people? Truly!" Her arm unfolded, proteins and ligaments disfiguring to reveal the S.S.F.E.C.L.A., which, in turn, disassembled into something truly horrifying, like looking into the mouth of a Beast. "This guy right here? Navy Leapfrogger, HALO jumping specialist. You had to have set this up on purpose. What is today?" She paused to look around, "OMNIA, what is today?"
  
  The AI responded, having hijacked every appliance in the smart apartment, "Tuesday, March 4th."
  
  "Oh... It's my birthday..." Her face got pensive for a moment, lost in thought, then her introspection was over. "Ryn you son of a-" Her goofy grin returned, pleased beyond all get out that someone had remembered, even if it wasn't her. "Did you lead me here?! Well, this changes everything." Looking into the camera, she smiled, "In honor of my birthday we'll call it..." Her free hand seized a ballpoint pen and tapped it against her chin for a few moments, "Sixty-forty, in your favor. We're still sending them to Neom though, I promised the Prince."
  
  "Right! Without further interruptions, let's get started!" The SSFECLA deployed an array of lasers, some cutting delicately through the donor, others moving pieces about with specialized beams, while other still spliced fibrous material together. "We'll be making use of his Leapfrog experience for the entry. I'm thinking we fire the units out of a railgun, and have them fall from orbit into target areas, that could be fun!" Instruments of her flesh seized the newly created parts and went to work grafting them into the good lieutenant. Once there was nothing to work with in the neural department, she used her free hand to unweave proteins and fatty tissues, rebuilding Moldova's skeletal system and musculature from the ground up.
  
  "Next Donor." Ech0 produced another body, "Subject is active duty Spetznaz and sporting heavy cybernetic and biotic modifications, we will be focusing on their procedural memory, specifically when it comes to self-defense, this will make up the bulk of the unit's programming. The donor is also in possession of spinal modification, dubbed 'Panzerstecher,' which will be modified before final addition." As with the first, the excess had its deoxyribonucleic acid unzipped and rewritten as more useful mass.
  
  "Another," This one was a retired sniper turned sport shooter, she would make use of his years of experience and integrated targeting software; after running it through an Omnitech patching agent first. The next one was practically useless, turned into chitinous armor, their mantis blades incorporated into several compartments hidden across Moldova's body. She repeated this process twice more, using only the choicest bits modify her patient. The one who had tried to shoot her was spared; he would join Omnitech, enterprising youths such as him made good Corpos when they were properly trained.
  
  With a few more adjustments, adding in some of her own creations, the new and improved lieutenant was finished. "I dub thee... Gugnir Mark I, that you may never miss your target." Her arm folded back to normal, flesh reknitting itself to safely store the SSFECLA in between her radius and ulna. Turning her attention back towards the camera, she smiled and used her index and middle fingers to make a heart shape, "Thanks for the birthday present Ryn! I'll shoot you the schematics in a bit, I've an appointment at a bar."
• Having donned a slate grey pantsuit, Lilian made her way to the bar. The man who had attempted to zero her ass with an antimaterial round followed behind her, having been more than willing to join her employment after seeing what she had done to Moldova; his name was Brutus. He opened the door for her as she arrived at the bar, waiting for her to enter before following her in. Usually, she wouldn't have made such a rare public appearance without more security, but today was special, as were her reasons for being there.
  
  Making her way to the nearest empty barstool, she sat down, Brutus following suit as she ordered a drink, "Corpse Reviver Number two, please." She looked towards Brutus.
  
  "I don't drink."
  
  "Your loss," She shrugged
  

 

[PlusUltra]

The drones finally pinged the location of the individual known as the Abyss and Repemtia's orientation suddenly shifted as she began to quickly move towards the direction. Though rather than flying, it strangely appeared more as if the girl was falling towards them, the wind blowing their costume and hair in the wrong direction as she moved with an ever-increasing speed.

On the topic of not accounting for things, the individual known as the Abyss may also have not accounted for the quick arrival of one of Elysium's heroes in the form of an incoming drop kick to be delivered at terminal velocity. The bare feet of the woman attempted to slam into her new target, followed shortly by the call of "Dynamic Re-Entry!, Gravity Rush!" as well as his entire orientation and perspective-shifting if it connected. What would be noticed is the girl was also far denser and tougher than one would inspect on impact, the force being closer to being hit by a car than a person.

Repemtia's goal was simple, hit him hard, fast and disorientate him to prevent the annoying teleportation. A quick application of her abilities each time she connected aiming to shift his relative gravity, with the first effectively having him begin to fall sideways as his floor now became a wall. "Hello! Seems you made the mistake of annoying the money, companies, and Revenant's merry band, in that order of severity of course!...So in the name of the Moon!....and central business buro, I will punish you!" The girl laughing and sweet playful tone to her voice as the persona came back into play.

Gears

 

[Gears]

Eddie was instantly launched into the ground, bruised and battered. He had expected a quick escape and potentially finding another opportunity to assassinate Revenant, in fact he was contemplating breaking into their HQ and was struck while recounting the layout from the top of his head. Eddie got to his feet, his helmet now battered to the point his energy tracker was offline, meaning he would have no idea if he could make an escape. But that didn’t matter, he had his older prototypes and blueprints to make a new helmet, likely would take a few days plus liberating some recourses… if he managed to escape this shit show. He had messed up saving that lowlife earlier; even though he wouldn’t have successfully assassinated Revenant, he would have been able to escape before this psycho could spot him. He had been relying on his energy monitor for too long, forgetting how to use his instincts to get a good guess on wether he could make an escape.

Eddie assessed his situation while Repemtia monologued about some hero stuff, the stolen rifle was snapped in half, a pity; he had planned on keeping it for later use. He threw the firearm aside and pulled his knife from its sheath before saying “Shut it with your self righteous shit, I have heard it from every other Imperium pawn just fighting for cash.”
PlusUltra

 

[PlusUltra]

The girl would only giggle, wagging a finger as the two continued to fall, given the attack hit the closest floor would likely be the window of the opposing building. Fortunately impacting the reinforced glass would only crack it rather than shatter or break as he impacted into it, while Repemptia herself would land as lightly as a feather, albeit with her hair now falling to the side given she was standing horizontally to any onlookers.

"And you must be the very picture of an upstanding citizen then? Well not upstanding at the moment, guess more side standing?.".

She claps her hands together lightly as she begins a strange mix of a floating side-to-side hop and a skip "Let's begin economics one oh one for you then I guess, under the premise that you are right about the cash part" She shifts a hand to the side of her mouth "Pssh spoiler you're not but regardless. People fight for what they need and want, and enough cash can be exchanged for what you need or want just more directly, So if you put in the work to buy little toys like those knives, or if you put in the work to break in and take them? the only real difference is the later forgoes an equal exchange for goods and services...and that just doesn't sound fair to all those working hard does it?" she lets off another innocent laugh as she gets closer with the swaying walk.

"Truth be told though it really doesn't matter at the moment, its a pitty you decided to go this road but nothing i can do about it, so....if you want to try use that little toy and it makes you feel better, we can have a fun dance, It will likely hurt a bit more but the end results going to be the same."

Gears

 

[Gears]

Eddie glared at Repemptia, his eyes glowing a deeper shade of green before he regained his exposure and spoke to Repemptia. "Can't really get an honest job after spending the first years of my life as a labrat-." Shit, he had said too much, but that didn't matter, there were around a dozen teleporters in the resistance, all of them, including E-28313 were presumed dead. They only had discovered his gold weakness there, but he knew there was a chance they would be able to figure out his identity. They wouldn't expose him to the world, he was a ghost of sorts, no life in the world for them to exploit, no friends or family to threaten. But he didn't say more, knowing that the danger of exposing his full identity could lead them to his weakness, he had destroyed the main records but finding the researchers that had observed him wouldn't be hard.

Eddie had dropped his knife during the attack, but he saw a baton dropped by a imperium officer nearby. He had used one of these back when his friends were alive and he was known as Terminal, back then he was less violent then; only killing as a final resort. Times had changed after the ambush, but holding the baton felt familiar, as he held it in a stance he used then. "And I make most of my gear myself thank you very much."
PlusUltra

 

[SnowStorm42]

BREAKING NEWS!!!!
​

The dust settled on Junction Street. Corpses riddled the street of a few Imperium mercs, and even more gang members, both from the Tiburon and SKOPRION gangs. A few splatters of blood remained, where the bodies of civilians used to be. Individuals in hazmat suits and tinted glass gas masks, dragged civilian bodies into a giant truck, while drones proceeded to go to the blood splatters and began cleaning. The suits left a few of the gang members' bodies, who weren't dead, but took most of the corpses leaving only a handful of the ones no longer living. The rest of the damage remained untouched as they hazmats loaded into a van "All clear. Remove deadzone and inform media" one hazmat said in an earpiece.

The truck and van dispersed from the area, and the "outage" that covered the area suddenly lifted, phones, and televisions suddenly working again. Almost the same moment the hazmats had left the area, news vans came in from all directions, as well as police, firefighters and ambulances. Emergency services quickly sprinted to the gang members, trapped civilians and fires respectively, actually doing their job, while multiple reporters and cameramen rushed out of vans.

"Jennifer Schamber here LIVE at the scene, where two opposing gangs, renowned in the Slums of Neo-City, have taken their fighting here to our beloved city, turning it in to a..."

"WARZONE! Brent Writhers here, as police and emergency services are working to detain gang members left behind and rescue civilians who were caught in the crossfire. Thankfully.."

"Tyrell's esteemed hero, The Lunar Princess"
"Lunar Princess.."
"Lunar Princess.."
"..Lunar Princess, was nearby and was able to jump to action, making quick work of the gangs"

The news channels proceeded to show clips of Repemtia in action, courtesy of her PR team, while other channels showed clips of many gang members being detained and loaded into police vehicles, although these were just actors, to cover up the small amount of gang members ACTUALLY present.

"It seems that thanks to one of Imperium's heroes, the casualties were very low, although the question seems to be. Why was there a gang war so far into Middle Neo? A lot of locals seem to think this was the Anti-Imperium Resistance's.."
"Anti-Imperium Terrorists"
"The Rebels Against Imperium"

"The Rebels' attempt at disrupting peace and causing chaos. It begs the question if it wasn't for Imperium...who could've prevented this? Back to you Jim" Rafael Butrick said, closing his report.

TVs either continued their usual streams, or broadcasts, while news channels that were already on continued to cover and discuss the battle on Junction. With this the narrative seemed to be that somehow the Rebel's instigated a gang war and if it wasn't for Imperium's hero from Tyrell, The Lunar Princess, the casualties would've been worse. Of course these broadcasts couldn't show the many civilians, that actually perished.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Rachel Marewski
​

As the group dragging Rachel along got to the 'Czarna Dama' they were met with the large build of Lazlo as the door opened. "Huh? Whot the fuck are..-" he stopped yelling when he saw they were carrying Rachel. "Ugh. That's just like her. Here ya'll can prop her over in that chair in the corner by the bar. We will take care of her while ya'll can have a seat, and we'll be right with you" Kevin announced to them. Lazlo walked over to the buff one who was carrying Rachel now. "I'll take her off your hands buddy" he said. "And I highly recommend not causing any trouble" Krystal, the bartender, called over to the group. A few of the local patrons, glared at the group, as if warning them what Krystal meant by her words.

The bar itself, was more packed now. New and old patrons alike had flocked in for safety, or to watch the news coverage. Others had just continued business as usual. A lot of the booths were packed with patrons glued to the TVs or arguing and debating over the battle a few blocks over. Some were minding their own business and playing at the pool table, while a middle aged couple were pounding beers and playing darts in the back. On the second floor, Terry was now working and a group of five younger people were dancing their hearts out to music that seemed faint from the first floor, but was just loud enough on the second floor for them to sweat, dance, and laugh. The bar on the first floor had some empty stools, with regulars sitting spaced out, some of them standing with their buddies, but plenty of open space. The bar on the second floor had all it's stools open and one old man sitting all the way to the side minding his own business.

*Flashback contains violence*

'Rain falling, and thunder rumbling overhead, footsteps splashed frantically in a dark alleyway of the slums. The heavy breathing of an older man echoed through the alleyway, belonging to a forty-something year old man, with a chubby build, 5'7 in height, hairy skin accentuated through his white button up shirt, his red tie a mess from all the running and stress. He turned a corner into another alley, and was met by a raven haired woman, with tinted shades, and a long black trenchcoat, leaning against the wall with a smug smile on her face, her arms folded and one leg crossed for a more casual support. "Not this way old man" she sneered. The man screamed and ran back into the originally alleyway, and turned another corner, only to be met with the woman again. "OOF. Wrong again. Keep trying" she said, her smug smile a grin now.

The man fell to his knees. "PLEASE. I BEG YOU". The woman shook her head. "NO NO NO. Come on. I don't get as much if this seems too easy" she said, the grin no longer on her face, being replaced with a pout. She pulled out a pistol and aimed it at the man, inspiring him to keep running. The cat and mouse game continued, until the man made his way inside a house. The woman, was not there. It didn't seem her power worked through walls. He ran upstairs to his bedroom. He quickly shuffled in his closet trying to unlock a safe. After two failed attempts he opened it, grabbing a USB, and turned to get up and run, only to be met with a gun to his face.

"PLEASE! Here! They can have the USB! Just let me go!"

"They thought you'd try that. It's not about the USB though" Rachel said with a dead serious tone. BANG!. Blood splattered the wall, a hole replacing where his eye and nose used to be, as the man dropped to the floor. The clothes in the closet were covered in the various insides of the man's skull. Rachel sighed, and squatted down, picking up the USB and pocketing it. "Papa?" a voice called out. Rachel instinctively, at the sound aimed in the direction of it, before processing the word that was said, and that it escaped from a little girl's mouth, from under the bed. "Shit" Rachel whispered under her breath. Her finger hesitated on the trigger, but remembering the job..her finger began to slowly pull

"FUCK! Rachel yelled as she sprang forward from her chair. Kevin and Krystal each grabbed a side of Rachel's shoulders. Rachel felt their touch and looked at the two, confused. her eyes scanned her surroundings, realizing they were a comfortable and familiar environment. She took a deep breath and let out a deep sigh. "You okay boss?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah. Thanks you two.." Rachel said to them, realizing that she had probably passed out from exhaustion. She could always count on her bartenders to help her when passed out, whether from overuse of her power, or being blasted, black out, obliterated drunk. She looked to Lazlo who was standing in front of her.

"What happened Big Hoss?" Rachel asked one of her favorite regulars.

"You passed out after moving some suicidal droid. They all dragged your ass back here" Lazlo explained, paraphrasing one of the group of supers.

"Copy. Alright. You can all get back to work. I'm good"

"You sure?"

"Yeah" Rachel said standing up. She moseyed her way to the bar and stood on the counter top, before whistling really loud. "To the gang that saved my ass. Drinks on me!" she called out to the supers who brought her in, who loitered around. She made her way off the counter and grabbed a bottle of gin for herself, popping the cap, and taking a swig before making her way out from behind the bar. The truth was, her dream/memory had shook her up a bit, and she was grateful to be alive, thanks to the strangers she was lucky to encounter.

"You really know how to keep me busy boss"

"Quit bitching and get Terry to help you. Make sure they're drunk and fed" Rachel said to Kevin, patting him on the back on her way passed him. Rachel was about to approach each of the supers and give them her thanks individually, and maybe have a drink, when the door opened. Rachel watched as a woman walked in followed by some sketchy figure with a rifle on his back.

"Welcome to Czarna Dama..Make yourself at home..but I suggest you and your friend keep out of trouble" Rachel said to the woman. She got a strange vibe from the duo. Thankfully most of the patrons were equipped. She wondered whether the newcomer was trouble, here for drink, or here for biz.

Loomis Xen6n Nellancholy Meatball30 Sepokku

 

[Meatball30]

[Czarna Dama - Neo-City Middle]

Tristan couldn't shake the feeling he was out of place from the moment he stepped into the bar, still clad in the formal vest and slacks he'd worn to the private lesson he'd given earlier that morning. It was one of his newer clients, a bright young man, 14 or 15 by Tristan's guess, whose parents were hoping to earn him some scholarship or another for performance art. Their son already had a basic grasp on violin and cello, the parents explained, but he really wanted to master string bass.

The haggard musician found a bar stool to settle himself in, resting the bulky instrument beneath the bar top, just between his legs. He wondered if the boy or his parents had been hurt in the flare up, or maybe someone they knew. The morning lesson seemed like a lifetime ago by then.

He yanked a few thin brown napkins from a nearby dispenser and wiped his left cheek. Some of the blood had already dried, clinging to his face no matter how hard he wiped it, but the napkin did manage to remove a few lingering sanguine trails. He regarded the blood briefly before stuffing the paper towel into his pocket.

It wasn't the type of place he'd frequented since moving away from home, and he definitely didn't expect the crowd was hoping to hear any Bach this afternoon, but the rough and tumble places did have an alien charm in his eyes. They were far removed from what he was familiar with; The diversity of the clientele he saw unwinding throughout the bar made the room a microcosmic example of what drew him to The Middle in the first place. He smiled slightly, allowing himself to enjoy the rest, relative safety, and most importantly, the free booze.

Tristan raised a timid hand hoping to flag down the bartender that had shouted at them not to cause issues when they entered carrying the unconscious woman, apparently the bar's owner. He smiled just a bit wider when he caught her attention, the kindness emanating from his steely left eye juxtaposed with the cold inhumanity of his right, faintly glowing red in the dive's dim light.

"Just a couple of whiskey sours, if you could," he asked politely. "And a couple of cherries in each, if you can spare them."

He didn't have much time to look around further before he felt his phone spring to life, incessantly buzzing in his vest. Tristan fished the device from the interior pocket and let it scan his left eye briefly, unlocking and projecting a dim blue hologram. He'd received message upon message from his parents, he assumed after news of the chaos made it to The Acres.

Tristan, turn on the news
Call me, please
Are you at home?

Give me a call when you can son
Text your mother back when you can, love you

Knowing full well he didn't have the energy to explain everything to mom in the exacting detail she'd ask for, he was content to send a short message to his family.

I'm okay, will call you guys and share more later. Wasn't near my place, love you both.

Tristan figured it best not to worry them more than was necessary. Beyond that, the moment they'd heard he was caught up in the violence, he knew they would demand he return to The Acres. He wasn't certain that's what he wanted to do.

He tucked his cell back into his blood-stained vest, turning his gaze to the screen mounted over the corner of the bar. Reporters had finally deigned to show up, mostly praising the Imperium hero that had fought off a fair few of the combatants, nearly killing him in the process. Was the body count really so low?

Maybe I was just afraid. It seemed worse than what they're saying, but... Hell, how would I know?

He didn't often find himself in active combat zones, so it could've been the fear of it all pushed his sense to hyperbolize what he was seeing. The reporters claimed the fight was started by a rebel group. Tristan hadn't taken note of the parties involved.

He sighed heavily, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the bar, content to rest and savor his soon-to-arrive drinks for a few hours.

 

[Sepokku]

"Welcome to Czarna Dama... Make yourself at home... but I suggest you and your friend keep out of trouble." Lilian nodded politely as she watched the bartender start to make her drink. He gracefully grabbed a tumbler, mixed Cointreau, Kina Lillet, lemon juice, and Gin. Then he produced a glass from under the counter, spritzing it with absinthe before pouring the shaken drink into the glass.

"Corpse Reviver No. 2"

Lilian slid the glass slightly closer to herself, running a finger along the rim as she looked around the bar. "Is it always this packed?"

"Usually," The barkeep responded.

With a shrug she put her glass to her lips and took a sip, "Oh, that's nasty. What sort of absinthe did you put in this?" She watched him hold up a bottle of mid-grade absinthe, not terrible, but definitely not what she was used to drinking. The fennel taste was overpowering, making the entire beverage taste like black licorice. Grimacing, she threw the entire drink back, swallowing down the foul liquid in one gulp.

"Right. Anyways, onto the matter at hand." Turning her attention back to Rachel, Lilian smiled warmly, "Would you consider renting some of this space out? I need a new venue."

 

[Loomis]

Ayako crossed her arms as she studied the cyber enhanced man that had entered their small group, his timid demeanor doing nothing to calm her heightened defensiveness. She watched as his gaze landed on her left hand and judging by his obvious reaction he quickly put two and two together.

“Very well,” Ayako stated and began walking again, keeping the distance she created between the cybernetic man. Ayako agreed with Molly in saving any banter for later, she needed to focus on her surroundings and not the chattering of the intimidated young man. They hadn’t even made it a good portion of their walk when another character decided to throw themselves into the mix. Ayako suddenly felt very crowded in the desolate alley.

"But this is no place for lovely young ladies like yourself, it would be wise to leave now."

“What do you think we are trying to do? Take a leisurely afternoon stroll?” Her annoyance with the situation, and his young ladies comment, obvious in her tone. Ayako decided she was done with the interactions and continued walking towards the bar. She needed to get to the safety that Czarna Dama offered, but with someone interjecting every two seconds that didn’t seem likely to happen. She could hear their footsteps follow behind her, once they were tucked away she might be able to entertain a conversation.

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Entering the packed bar Ayako frowned behind her mask. She was hoping for a little more privacy, with this many people crammed inside she wouldn’t be able to relax. As much as she wanted to leave and continue on with her mission to return Kenzo, she did promise the man a drink and he was already rushing the bar to get an order in. Inhaling sharply she slid out the door and stood by one of the windows, the grime of the city making it difficult to see inside. Pushing a button on the side of her mask the electronic trilling of a phone line ringing filled her ears.

“What the fuck is going on.” A gruff voice snapped.

“The hand off did not go as planned. Imperium and Omnitech inserted themselves along with some other gang involvement. I have him now, tending to any possible injuries and we will be at the safe house shortly.” Her heart rate slowly increased as she felt a twinge of anxiety creeping up on her.

“You have an hour.” The line dropped dead leaving Ayako to her thoughts. Her eyes snapped together tightly as she regained her focus on the situation, pushing out the negative words her mind was throwing at her.

"To the gang that saved my ass. Drinks on me!" Ayako reentered the bar to see Rachel standing on the bartop calling out to the mismatched group. Kenzo was downing what appeared to be a second beer and was extending his arm to accept a shot.

“I don’t think so,” Ayako snatched the small glass away from him and passed it off to whoever was beside her. “We need to leave.”

“Why don’t you relax? We are safe here and I think I have more than earned a drink!” Kenzo chortled and tried to get the attention of the bartender but they had already moved on to someone else. Him? Earned a drink? Ayako grit her teeth and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

“We are leaving, I will take you by force if I have to.” Her eyes darkened as she started down the man waiting to see if he would challenge her.

“I don’t think you can speak to me like that,” his voice cracked as he tried to gather some confidence back.

“My only requirement for the job is to get you back safely. Lets go,” Ayako turned on her heel, Kenzo’s shirt in her grasp but what, or rather who, she saw at the other end of the bar stopped her in her tracks.

Omnitech’s CEO stood at the far end of the bar. She wasn’t sure if the woman was aware that her drones were trying to capture Mr.Nakamura or not but she sure as hell wasn’t going to risk finding out.

“Out the back, now.” Forcing Kenzo to turn the other direction she forcefully steered him to the back of the building.

Interactions: Meatball30 , Xen6n | Mentions: Sepokku , Nellancholy , SnowStorm42 ​

 

[Crocodile]

Alexander Zachariah Orwell
​

---

Rake regards the woman more with a smile as she gives her answer. He works a few moments more to collect more footage and data all streaming back towards Legion through one node or another to keep his involvement anonymous and secure. It all served its purpose and already he could see data coming back from this picture he'd snapped of the one in front of him. Interesting details to be sure for discussion. He does his best to watch for faces, details and items. Always looking for something small or easily missed. Those details were what led to bigger things. Pull the string and unravel the data. The joys of intelligence gathering. It was no wonder he did this work. He enjoyed the thrill of it even though it lead to moments like potentially getting shot.

Finally Rake finished his work and nodded. He hits a command and collapses his camera and surveillance gear easily into a pouch he stuffs into his jacket before spreading his hand casually. He was armed but had no intent to pull a weapon save in self defense. His reputation hinged upon being sneaky and good at his work so he wasn't about to get one for shooting people without a good reason. Showing interest in an offer was something he never passed up.

"Now we're talking! I'm good to go, the rest of this bullshit is just mayhem for the media junkies eager to watch the latest death toll," Rake said dismissively and with a bit of a sneer to show his opinion of the general public on such matter. "I could do with a drink after all this going on. Please, let's skulk away. I think you might be right about the interest of certain people I do work for."

Rake just gives a knowing smile as he starts to move off towards the Czarna Dama. He didn't often visit it but he had a profile. One was also being fed to him as Alex read up on it to refresh their collective memory. The better to know what one could be walking into.

"Name's Rake, by the way. If you need a better form of address."

With that said he pokes his head into the bar, wary of getting shot after being pretty sure some folks had run this way.

"Hello? This place open?"

---

Mentions: Loxely SnowStorm42 (Figure I'd just mention the owner since he's asking that)

 

[Nellancholy]

Ugh. Molly didn't much like hanging out in places like this. Always either noisy, cramped, or both. Well, it's not like anyone was keeping her here. Ayako wisely made her exit, or at least tried to, all but dragging Kenzo out of the backdoor of the bar.

Still, it wouldn't hurt much to stick around for a bit and gather some info.

Molly took a seat in a booth, sweeping her gaze around the clientele.

Yes, she could make out a fair amount of detail. Several bore identifying markings of this or that family, and a few bore visible holsters. Were weapons checked at the door? She wasn't too sure, considering her uncommon circumstances of entry.

She stopped on the blonde woman at the bar who was talking to Rachel. Hm. She seemed familiar. And not just maybe because she had been seen on news reports and magazine articles. A certain...impression came the more Molly looked at her, an emptiness in her own head.

Damn it, interfacing with that drone really messed her up.

Well, Molly was never much of a conversationalist, and she decided to wait a moment before confirming her suspicions. No reason to interrupt their conversation.

(mentions: Sepokku SnowStorm42 )