RPG The Genesis Corporation

[Blayze]

[center][IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/Blayze54/untitled-1.jpg[/IMG]

[B][U]The Genesis Corporation[/U][/B]

[SIZE=1][B]New York[/B][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]The rain plastered Adam's hair to his forehead, and he blinked a few drops out of his eyes, looking up to the sky. He sighed, and a vast, billowing cloud of vapour poured out of his mouth. He'd been doing this far too much recently.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]"Any news?"[/B] asked Gabriel, stepping up beside Adam, his dark hair smoothed back over his head by the rain.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]"They're thinking this one has heightened senses,"[/B] replied the senior Operative, [B]"You know, able to see for miles, sensitive smell, enhanced hearing, you know the drill. Adrian and Vincent have gone to Brooklyn to try and find someone who can manipulate gravity - seems like a more interesting operation to me."[/B][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]"Well, swings and roundabouts, you know,"[/B] said Gabriel with a smile, [B]"We going in?"[/B][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]"Sure,"[/B] said Adam, stepping forward to the heavy wooden door, [B]"What's the worst that could happen?"[/B] Gabriel pushed the door open, and the two men stepped into the apartment block. The lights in the hall were blown out, and nothing happened as Gabriel attempted to flick the lights on.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]"Hello?"[/B] shouted Adam, listening as his voice echoed around the huge empty building, [B]"Is anyone there?"[/B][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]"I'm guessing not,"[/B] said Gabriel with a smile as he hopped up the stairs. Adam rolled his eyes and followed, a smile creeping across his face. Gabriel, while quiet a lot of the time, never seemed to fail to make Adam smile. The two men ascended the stairs slowly and quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone else that might be in the building.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]"This place is way too creepy,"[/B] said Adam, [B]"I've got a really bad feeling about all this."[/B][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]"You think too much. It's a routine recruitment - nothing bad is going to happen..."[/B] Gabriel was cut short by an ear-piercing scream, and the two men ran up the stairs, Gabriel's trench coat flapping out behind him.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]As they got to the top of the stairs, the door facing them was shut and locked. Adam simply flicked his hand at the door and it shattered off it's hinges, blowing inwards as though it had been smashed down by a fire-axe. Gabriel was first inside, but he was knocked to the floor by something from the shadows.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]Adam rushed in behind his comrade, but the shadowy human figure who had tackled Gabriel was too quick, leaping out of the window into the night sky. Adam rushed to the window and looked down, but he saw no trace of the man on the sidewalk, and no evidence of how he had escaped.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]"Shit,"[/B] said Gabriel, getting to his feet, his voice a little muffled, [B]"That guy was strong. I think he broke my nose."[/B] Adam turned to see his friend, whose nose seemed to be crushed against his face. Gabriel closed his eyes, and the nose popped back into position with a series of sickening crunches.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]"You know, I've seen a lot of powers in my time, Gabriel, but yours is one of the most disgusting."[/B] Gabriel smiled and shrugged, before turning and seeing what the shadowy figure had left for the two men.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]"My God,"[/B] he whispered, and Adam turned to view the grisly scene.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]There was a young woman, couldn't have been more than 20, surrounded by biology books and pencils, paper, highlighter markers, the usual things you would expect to find around a student, but she was pinned to the wall, what looked like chair legs driven through her wrists into the hard concrete of the wall. Rivulets of dark blood ran from these wounds down the wall to the floor, pooling on the floorboards. Her hair lung limp over her face, and as Adam went over to lift her head up, he saw the most horrific thing of all.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]"Her eyes...he took her eyes..."[/B] gasped Gabriel, his face now pale, [B]"Why would anyone do that?"[/B][/SIZE]

[SIZE=1][B]"The eyes are the window to the soul..."[/B] murmured Adam...[/SIZE]


[SIZE=1]---

Grisly goings-on in New York City! Welcome to the Genesis Corporation - hopefully by the time you read this I will have sent your objectives and details of what you are doing to your personal message inboxes. If there are any questions don't hesitate to post them in the Underground, or if they are about your individual objectives, then PM me about them.
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[Frankie]

It was early, or maybe it was late, Shaylin never noticed anymore. She did not care much either. Her life revolved around her shop, no matter what she did outside of the shop it seemed unimportant. Her shop was her life. She rose out of bed with a yawn. As she awoke the small plant next to her bed moved and bloomed as if it woke from a sleep as well. It's petals were bright pink and orange. She smiled at it and glanced at her window.

"Love it... Rain." She muttered. She glanced at the plan by her bed and smiled, "I understand you need rain to live but to much rain is a bother. And this is getting rediculous."

She yanked herself out of bed as if it was the hardest task she had ever done. She had no energy for it today. When the sun was shining she felt much more alive. Rain only affected her if she was standing in it.

After getting dressed and eating some leftover chinese food from the fridge she wandered downstairs. The shop was dark and quiet. The only thing living in the shop were large and small plants of all colors and types. Each closed up and almost dormant. Once she flicked on her special lights and entered the room however, they grew bright, opened, and vibrant in color. She smiled and glanced at her favorite plant of them all. Upon looking at it she frowned.

She crossed the room quickly and got to its pot. The leaves were turning black and it was not as vibrant in red on the inside as it normaly ways.

"Crunch... You must be going into your dormant stage but is it that time of year yet? I havnt kept track. I look into it but for now..." She removed the black leaves carefully and pulled a cricket from her small old fishtank that was remodled to house crickets for Crunch and all the other Venus Flytraps in her shop. She only had a few left but they were all doing well... Except for crunch. This plant was never for sale. It was her favorite, a gift from her father long ago. It was display only and that would never change. She placed the cricket carefully in one of the traps and when it snapped shut she let go with the tweezers. Now she did not need to feed it for a long while.

She moved on and watered every plant that needed it, cleaning up fallen leaves or petals, and she had to stop once on a rose because it looked ill. She carefully placed her hand on the soil and concentrated. The rose soon grew green again. The flower opened and was bright yellow. She heard once that yellow roses stood for friendship. Her plants were her friends so she saw no specific color. She saw them all.

She turned on her radio. The static crackled and she sighed. Rain always killed the little radio's reception. She did hear some disturbance in some area in town but hey it was the way the city was. Someone was always getting shot, killed, mugged, or something like that so she turned it off and flipped her sign. Open for whatever hours she felt like. That was the thing about her shop, it was open any day she wanted it to be for whatever hours she wanted it to be. She made enough money to run it that way. If someone needed something at a specific time they could easily make an appointment with her. She was open for all that.

She smiled as almost instantly a regular customer came around the corner and entered soaking the welcome mat.

"Hey sue! What can I do for you?" Shaylin asked.

"Oh shay! How do you do it? I dont understand it. Your plants look so vibrant and alive. Remember that rose I got from you last week. That beautiful red and orange one?"

"Oh yes, something wrong?"

"Well It just isnt doing so well. What is your secret, it does so well here and the moment it gets to my house it starts to get a little dull. I must be cursed when it comes to plants."

Shaylin smiled, "What did you do when you got it outside?"

"Well I have been giving it this plant fertalizer for roses. I bought it downtown the day i got it from you. I see you never sell stuff like that so I figured I would still need it."

Shaylin nodded, "Quit using it. Believe it or not most of my plants need no fertalizer or compost of any kind. They do perfectly fine on pureified water, distilled water, rain water, and sunlight. Most of mine require indirect light but it depends. I would recommend you quit using what you got and make sure it gets some weekly care. Clip off old buds and dead leaves. Dont worry about it for now but if it starts going grey, brown, or black please give me a call. I will come out and look at it."

"Thank you so much. If any of that happens I will be sure to call you." With that the lady left the store.

Shaylin sighed, "I guess it doesnt help that it was partly my powers that made it so awesome in the first place. With the right care though anyone can make plants that look like mine. It takes work but its possible. Isnt that right Crunch?" She smiled and picked up the watering can. She was headed upstairs to water her personal house plants. All the while thought she had an odd feeling about the day.

---
My first post and its huge, sorry. I dont know what i was thinking

[Starwind]

Micheal sat at the foot of his beed as he could see the sun starting to inch it's way to the horizon. It was yet another sleepless night. It had happend again last night. And it would keep on happening. It had to happen. The change in his body was obvious, even in childhood. It was obvious to him that he was not normal. Maybe not even human. But that didn't matter really. All that mattered was the mission. The shallow cuts on his wrists had already stopped bleeding.

Micheal stood from the edge of his bed and walked for the dresser just a few feet in front of him. He pulled out another set of clothes and threw the ones he had on into the hamper just beside the dresser. Micheal pulled out a crimson red shirt and a faded pair of blue jeans. He loved the bright vibrant red of his shirt. Something about it always excited him.

Micheal walked for the door to his bedroom and grabbed the black leather jacket off the back of the door. He walked out into the living room/kitchen. He went straight to the pantry and grabbed two packages of pop-tarts and threw them in the microwave for 10 seconds. He opened the fridge and grabbed a "Monster" energy drink out and popped the top.

The microwave dinged and Micheal pulled the pop-tarts out and folded a napkin around them. He then walked out the front door, locked up and began his way on to work.

Truth be told, he didn't like computers. But he was good with them. Maybe it was because they were as cold and calculating as he was. It was even easier to just talk about them. Something as simple a few cicuits beat the hell out of the deep inner workings of the human mind. The electronics store nextdoor had the News on one of there display TVs. He could see the girl from last night on there. She was talking and crying, but Micheal couldn't hear what about.

Micheal enterd the building and gave the typical morning greetings. First was the front desk secretary, Hilary. She was a nice girl, but she seemed to always be a bit off around Micheal. Normal people were hard to understand [B]"Oh..." [/B]She said noticing Micheal come through the door [B]"Good morning, Mr. Houghton."[/B]

She seemed jumpy again this morning. Maybe she could sense what was wrong with Micheal, who simply smiled back [B]"Good morning Hilary. Take it easy, okay."[/B]

Micheal continued his way up to his office, being intercepted by at least 4 others who wanted to converse in some idle chit-chat. Micheal had no interest in talking too much. He didn't even have that much interest in working that much today. He had to get working on tonights "event". He already knew who would be next. Who belonged to him. All that was left to do was sit and wait. Soon the day would end and the night would begin.

[Orcus]

[SIZE="1"]Edel was the only student in class whose posture hadn't been worsened by the seemingly never-ending lecture. He did sit hunched- but only so he could lean closer to the professor as he gave his lecture on Norse mythology and how it affected the Norse culture and mindset. He loved the worlds of mythology from a young age. The surreal adventures, the heroes and their mystic heroism, the beasts and their powers and abnormalties were impossibly amazing- he would never see anything as paranormal in real life as was normal in mythological tales... At least he had believed that as a child. When he [I]changed[/I], mythology stayed close to his heart for another reason- it was now the world of familiars. Of people like him.

[I]RIIIIIIIIIIIIIING.[/I]

The professor looked up at the clock as if in awe that his period had passed so quickly, allowing the other students in the class a quick moment to stretch. The Professor shrugged and mumbled that he would resume his lecture next class period. Edel packed up his books sadly- he too felt that his periods were much shorter than desired. He had just swung his bag over his head when an arm grappled around his shoulder and pulled him in close. Edel sighed and fixed his hair.

[B]"You know, Damon, you're far to excited to see this class over. You celebrate every ending bell by straining my neck."[/B] Damon chuckled, his green eyes peering through his black and green hair.

[B]"Eh, Leon feels the same way. Don't you buddy?"[/B] Both Damon and Edel looked up to the third party member, a lanky, aviator wearing, messy brown-haired man. He shrugged and shoved his hands into his pocket.

[B]"I dunno why I'm in this class to be honest... Can't stay awake even when I think it's interesting."[/B] Damon and Edel laughed, and the three exited the hall, heading towards the campus library where they had parked. He walked up to his car and leaned against the door, jingling his keys with his hand. Damon layed on the hood and looked up at his friend.

[B]"Sooooo... What's on the agenda for tonight? Partying? Bowling, maybe go to one of our cribs and watch a movie?"[/B] Both Damon and Leon eyed Edel warily, hoping he would offer up his house. But before he had any chance to answer, a pair of hand covered Edel's eyes and spoke for him.

[B]"Nope, neither boys! He's coming to my place for dinner tonight. You boys have to try and get to him sooner."[/B] The owner of the voice spun Edel around and kissed him on the lips. Edel smiled at the woman before him, his ice blue eyes peering through his glasses, past hers, and then into her sea-green eyes. He ran his hand along her cheek, and then through her blonde hair and the crimson underside.

[B]"I won't be over until late though, August. I've got work tonight, and Laertes gets lonely when I leave him at home, by himself, all day."[/B] She smiled and walked to his side so that the two were holding hands, facing his friends.

[B]"I know, I know, I would never keep you away from your puppy... Although I do hope to meet him soon, to gain his approval and all."[/B] Once again, they eyed Edel, hoping for an offer. Edel smiled broadly and sincerely.

[B]"He loves the outdoors, I'll bring him out with me tomorrow on whatever plans we may have."[/B] The three smiled contently, it was better than nothing. Edel's smile, however, quickly transformed into grimacing pain as clutched his side. He stared quickly down at the ground as his eyes glowed and breathed out slowly, cold water vapor escaping from his mouth. August held him quicky and Damon and Leon quickly rushed to Edel's sides.

[B]"Hey, buddy, you alright?"[/B] Edel regained himself swiftly and shook his hair from in front of his eyes.

[B]"Yeah... I'm fine. It's just been a long day, and I'm starved. I need to get home and eat before my work shift starts."[/B] He hugged his friends, [B]"I'll call you guys to make plans for tomorrow,"[/B] then kissed August,[B]" And I'll call you when I'm on my way tonight."[/B] They all nodded and watched nervously as Edel got into his car and drove away.

Edel drove as fast as he could home and sped up to the third floor where his apart was. He fumbled furiously with his keys, barely able to hold them still as he opened the door and burst in. He quickly removed his shirt and roared in agony, as the bright glow returned to his eyes, and the temperature in the room steadily declined. Frost began to cover every inch of the room, until Edel collapsed, weak, to the floor. Laertes came bounding in from another oom to restore his master. Edel smiled at his pet.

[B]"Alaskan Huskies... Lord knows how many times I've told you this, but I'm so glad I picked you... If this power, if it killed..."[/B] Laertes licked Edel's face, stopping his sentence cold, ironically. Edel grinnd and pet his puppy meakly, and as he felt himself fading to sleep, he looked up to the picture mounted in his mirror. The four people in it smiled happily upon Edel, but he could only return a look of somber, bittersweet affection before his eyes fastened shut.[/SIZE]

[Cyriel]

[COLOR="SlateGray"][FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"]It was drizzling again as Dana came up the stairs. Above her head a sign with the name [i]?Mizu?[/i] flickered off, signaling the end of a busy night?s work. One of the girls hadn?t shown up to take the last shift, so Dana had had to stay the entire night and through the early hours of the morning. Exhaling, she watched as her breath bloomed into the cold air, and then stepped out onto the street as she pulled her hood over her already damp hair.

It had been a gray day like this the first time it had happened. Dana still remembered it perfectly, that day almost three years ago. She had been sitting at her draft table in the apartment sketching out another design, this time for a winter coat. She had been concentrating on putting the final touches to the trimmings when all of a sudden the air was filled with goose down, like an early snowfall. Dana had simply rationalized it, thinking that perhaps the down had been blown in through one of the air vents.

But then it had happened again with a pair of platform heels rising out of the paper. And in class one day she had been focusing on painting ripples on the surface of a fountain pool when suddenly at her workstation was soaking. The professor and other students thought she had spilled her water-cup, but Dana double-checked later and had found it to be full. It was then that she knew she couldn?t deny it any longer ? she had [i]seen[/i] the water trickle out from the canvas right before it all came flooding out and turned everything into a colorful mess. She had come a long way from then, learning slowly and patiently on her own about this interesting talent of hers.

Now as she stepped into her apartment, Dana didn?t even give a second glance around at the random practice items that filled the space. It was a large studio apartment, with a small bathroom in one corner and a kitchen area as well. A small white bed was against one wall; and drafting tables filled up the length of the other side of the room with extra lighting, jars of pencils and brushes, and other tools all neatly arranged. Other than that and a small dresser there was no other furniture, leaving the space open and extremely roomy.

Shedding her wet clothes, Dana was just about to step into the shower when she stopped. Something was?off. As an artist, as well as in practicing her powers, she had developed an extraordinary sense of memory, past the point that it could be considered eidetic. Now looking around her room again Dana felt that something had been changed. She knew she was neat ? everything had a place ? but now it was too perfect. It was like someone had come in and looked around, and then made sure that everything was just in the right place so as to not arouse suspicion. But had someone else really been here?

Pulling a long sweater over her head, she went to the windows that ran the length of the apartment walls, looking through the gauzy curtains down to the streets below. Nothing out of the ordinary?
[b]?You?re just freaking yourself out, Dana,?[/b] she sighed to herself, and then resigned herself to getting ready for class. It was not going to be a very enjoyable day.
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[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"]Gabriel blessed himself with his right hand while trying to suppress the nausea that was building in his stomach. While he had experienced some of the most painful ways to die first hand, he had never gotten used to seeing scenes like the one he was now faced with. His left hand instinctively gripped the hip-flask of whiskey in his trench-coat pocket , the cold of the metal against his skin helped dismiss some, but not all of his queasiness.

"[b]Fuck's sake.[/b]" Despite living in the United States since he had joined Genesis, in times of stress like this, his Irish tang came through clearly. It was a dead give-away he was uncomfortable, even to his telepathic colleague. The fact he was talking more was another indicator. "[b]We should take her down. It's wrong to leave the poor girl in a state like this.[/b]"

Adam shook his head slowly. "[b]We can't Gabriel... I know how you feel, but we need to preserve the scene for the forensics team.[/b]" Removing his hand from underneath the dead woman's chin, the dropped against her chest, shielding her freshly gouged eye sockets.

"[b]This isn't right Adam. It's too fucking ritualistic. Most of these hate crimes are quick things. A bullet, or a knife or something, but not this. We're dealing with some kind of fucking head case here.[/b]" Gabriel balled his fists, his knuckles whitening.

"[b]You're probably right. I'll call Adrian and Vincent and tell them to get straight back after they're finished in Brooklyn.[/b]" The field-ops leader pulled out his cell-phone and began to punch in a series of numbers.

"[b]Can you get anything from the room ? I know a scene like this leaves empathic traces...[/b]" [/SIZE]

[YawnBoy]

[FONT="Trebuchet MS"][SIZE="1"][COLOR="DarkSlateGray"][b]"Another red light..."[/b] Adrian heard his compatriot, Vincent, murmur angrily for the third time as they made their way through New York. Adrian had been leaned back in the passenger seat with his eyes closed in some attempt to rest after a sleepless weekend, but he now decided, listening to the symphony of car horns, rude shouting, and car alarms that was NYC, to learn what he could about their new assignment.

[b]"It's New York, get used to it."[/b] Adrian said as he sat up in his seat and looked over at Vincent, [b]"So, what've we got today?"[/b]

[b]"Just a recruitment mission, guy who controls gravity."[/b] Vincent said as he sped the car up to make a green light.

[b]"That's an interesting power..."

"It's boring work, Adrian."

"Oh, I don't know... I kind of like the idea of finding someone who could rip a hole in the universe."

"What are you talking about?"[/b] Vincent replied with a slight chuckle in his voice. He was used to things like that coming out of his partners mouth, but still got some small enjoyment from it.

[b]"Well, if he controls gravity shouldn't he able to just nix it? I mean it's what holds us together. Like, our atoms would come undone or something."

"That's just your comic book logic. Your going to be expecting this guy to turn everything into atom bombs and rip holes in the universe, and all he's going to be able to do is make us gain five pounds. Besides,"[/b] Vincent added with a laugh, [b]"You don't know jack about physics."[/b]

Adrian laughed along with him, even when he was being slightly insulting Vincent was likeable enough. In fact, Adrian had noticed he was a bit too likeable (since the first time they met when he mispronounced Adrian's surname as Gene-Lewis). He couldn't put his finger on exactly why his partner gave him this feeling of unease, but knew from their time of working together that he always got his job done. He liked his partner, but couldn't feel safe trusting him.

They pulled up next to the building Adrian assumed was their destination and began walking up the steps to the building. [b]"But at least agree that, conceivably, a guy who controls gravity could undo molecular bonds and make a huge ass explosion.[/b] Adrian continued as they enterred the building.

[b]'But you changed the subject, a minute ago you were talking about 'ripping a whole in the universe' and now your talking about nuclear ex-"

"What room?"[/b] Adrian suddenly cut off his partner as they turned a corner to a new hallway.

[b]"17b. Why..."[/b] Vincent started until he realized what it was- there was no door between 17a and 17c. Just a hole ripped into the wall that lead into a destroyed room and a trail of blood going from the room and up the hallway.



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[Frankie]

All the radio jabber about wierd goings on and distubances in other places fell upon deaf ears. Shylin was used to it. It was new york after all. She expected this stuff every day. A few years back an old friend of hers told her that it was stupid to be so hohum about that kind of stuff because one day she was going to find that it was her front door that got busted down and her ass shot and dead on the floor for a few dollars and a rose bush. She always ignored those comments though. Sure it could happen to her but why be all paranoid about it by listning to it on the radio. Plus her friend never knew she had her own way of protecting herself and in her shop no would be burgler had a chance. She had plants people couldnt imagine and that combined with her powers made a potent combination.

She chuckled as she remembered the movie Jumanji. Where the two different flowers caused those people so much trouble. That was kiddie stuff compared to what grew in her private home upstairs. Of course you wouldnt find any of those plants in any book or database anywhere. She made them herself and they werent just pretty, they were deadly.

She sighed thinking about it now. Her friends all move away. The violence of the city to much for them to handle. She had no family anymore either. That was blown to bits when she was still a young teenager so the only people in her life were her customers. A depressing idea but she dealt with it. Her plants and customers gave her enough company to make it through each day without wanting to curl up into a ball in the corner of her room and scream.

Another customer walked in but wasnt a regular. They glanced around and stared at the vibrant reds of the fly traps and many other plants that linned her greenhouse like shop. After five minutes they went with a dozen fresh cut roses. Mentioning an date or something before leaving the shop. Putting the money in her safe she wondered why she felt so strange lately. Nothing had changed. Yet.

"I wonder what is going to happen. I have a strange feeling about all this but I cant tell what it is."

She tied her long hair in a pony tail and flipped her closed sign. Closing the blinds to the shop she wandered upstairs. Sitting on her sofa she munched on a pizza slice from the fridge and flicked past the News station and went straight to some tv show about penguins. "Oh yeah thats really educational. Like knowing how a penguin lives is going to save my life."

She changed it and now it was about ants, "Well I guess thats good information to know an ant can carry ten times its own weight. I might need to move a potato chip across town and have no way to do it. Now i can just call my ant buddies."

She gave up and turned the tv off. She decided to get some rest.

[Blayze]

[SIZE=1]Adam could tell that Gabriel was getting nervous around this situation. He was talking a lot more than usual, he was spewing words out much quicker, and his Irish accent was beginning to show through. Adam found it somewhat comforting to have someone else from Europe on the team - for an Englishman, leading a team mostly comprised of Americans was difficult.

[/SIZE][SIZE=1] "[B]Can you get anything from the room ? I know a scene like this leaves empathic traces...[/B]" asked Gabriel.

[B]"I'm not sure. Whoever did this was good enough to shield his presence from me on our way in - I'm sure he's taken measures to protect his own psychic residue."

"But there must be something."

"I can try, but I don't know how well it'll work," [/B]said Adam, putting his phone back in his pocket. He would call Adrian later - right now his priority was to find the killer. He stood in the centre of the room, closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, his chest rising and falling as he did so. The slightest of winds began to pick up, a chilling breeze flowing through Adam's hair. He felt his own ability tap into the well of psychic energy that flowed through everything, and his eyes snapped open. He vaguely saw Gabriel take a step back - he didn't want to get in the way of anything here. Adam turned his vision across the room, and briefly caught sight of himself in the mirror - his eyes had clouded over, the irises and pupils turning the same white as the rest of his eyes.

He turned his gaze towards the body on the wall, and immediately reeled back from the shock, as though the sight had punched him in the gut. He would have toppled over if Gabriel hadn't caught him.

[B]"What is it? What have you seen?" [/B]he asked, holding onto Adam's arms and settling him to the floor.

[B]"It's...gone..." [/B]gasped Adam, [B]"Everything's gone. She's been hollowed out - there's no psychic energy left inside her. It's not just her body that's been killed - her life-force, everything, it's all been drained away."

"Slow down, Adam," [/B]Gabriel said softly, [B]"Explain to me what's happened."

[/B]Adam shook his head, his eyes closed, and they reverted to their normal blue.

[B]"Everybody, every human at least, has psychic energy stored in their body. It's what helps us breathe, think, helps our hearts to beat and our muscles to work. Even when we die, the energy inside us doesn't dissipate, not for a long time, anyway. It stays there, dormant, just waiting to be tapped into. Most people never tap into it - your average circus psychic can sometimes get a little, people like me can access the entire well of energy. But this girl, I don't know what's happened, but...she's got none left. The energy shouldn't have gone so quickly, so the only explanation is that whoever it was who killed her drained her psychic energy."

"And that's not good?"

"Definitely not. If someone has the power to drain every last drop of psychic energy out of someone, then they have most probably absorbed it into their own store. If they do this with a lot of people, they could have more psychic energy than anyone else on the planet. They'd be the most powerful person on Earth."

"And if they're murdering their way to power..."

"Then chances are they're not a good guy."

[/B]The silence filled the room for a few seconds, then was finally broken by both men, simultaneously, murmuring the word:

[B]"Shit."[/B]
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[Starwind]

The day was dragging on slowly. Only a few more hours left of work, but that was too long for Micheal. He needed to be preparing for tonight. This task required alot of preperation and between this and work it had been nearly three days since he had gotten a good nights sleep. It was starting to wear on his mind, but he couldn't become distracted. He had to remain clear headed, focused, and most of all determined.

Last night was sloppy, but tonight there would be no mistakes. He couldn't afford them. The hours were ticking by so slow and it was pure torture sitting in front of that damn computer, in his boringly quiet building, doing his boring job.

It was while he was sitting in his office that he over heard the radio. The city of New York was alive and well today. More murders and odd goings on were the norm for this overly populated little burg. But this didn't really bother Micheal much. In fact this is what kept it interesting to live here. He knew all he had to do was sit and wait. [I]'There are some real sickos out there'[/I] Micheal thought to himself as he sat behind his desk.

A smile creeped across his face, but he quickly subdued it again. A knock came at the door. Micheal quickly put his smile back on and looked up to see his assistant standing at the door [B]"Hey there Eric, what have you got for me?"[/B]

The man standing in the door was a taller man, around 6'5. He was almost sickeningly thin and had rather well kept brown hair. He wore a white button down shirt with a pair of tan pants and brown loafers. It was kind of a boring attire, since there wasn't really a dress code for the office or anything. He walked in and set a about a hand full worth of paper work and reports and set them on Micheals desk, who just looked up Eric [B]"Thanks for the update. I'll see you later."[/B]

Eric then nodded, and turned to leave. But just before he got through the door, Eric turned around [B]"Oh... and Mr. Houghton. There was someone looking for you earlier."[/B]

Micheal looked back up to Eric [B]"Did they say who they were?"[/B]

[B]"No. Just that he needed to see you about something and that he would come back later."[/B]

Micheal nodded [B]"Alright."[/B] And with that Eirc finally left and closed the door behind him again. This was turning into a long day that Micheal had hoped would be a short one. He hated this job, but it gave him lots of time, if nothing else, to plan from night to night.

[Andrew]

[size=1][B]“Well, ain’t this just fuckin’ peachy?”[/B] Vincent muttered rhetorically.

His eyes scanned along the floor, following the small droplets of blood, Adrian’s eyes doing the same. [I]So much for a routine recruitment mission[/I] Vincent thought energetically. Maybe now he’d see some action.

Vincent and Adrian had been reduced to routine, boring assignments for the last few weeks and it was starting to strain Vincent’s patience. Then again, even seeing some action wouldn’t make up for the lack of a good woman in his life right now.

[B]“All things considered Ad, I think I’d have rather gone after the overly sensitive chick…”[/B] Vincent chirped with a naughty glint in his eye with regards to their colleague’s assignment.

Adrian just stared at Vincent dumbly before shaking his head at the older man.

[B]“Maybe we could just focus on the fact we have blood, a non-existent door and the lack of our guy?”[/B] Adrian returned with a sarcastic smirk.

[B]“Iawn, dim problem.”[/B] Came Vincent’s reply as he slipped into using some Welsh words, knowing full well that it irritated his partner slightly.

The two slid down the walls of the corridor, slinking slowly, perhaps a little too slowly for Adrian’s tastes Vincent thought. Finally they got to the stairwell on the opposite end of the building, its door missing much like the apartments was.

[B]“Ya think you could zip up and take a quick look around?”[/B] Vincent whispered.

In less than a second, Adrian disappeared, barely leaving an after-image and returned to the exact same position. He looked a little puzzled.

[B]“The blood goes to the roof. It’s clear up there, no immediate danger. Whoever left the blood trail took it to the edge of the northern wall.”[/B]

The two quickly made it up the last three flights of stairs and browsed around the rooftop. Aside from the lone blood trail, there was little else of interest. Vincent continued to further examine the darker corners before joining Adrian at the last spot of blood on the edge. They both peered over in unison in something of a comical fashion before looking at each other confused.

It seemed to click with them at once about the guy they were looking for. Apparently, he controlled gravity. Adrian followed Vincent’s gaze over to the closest building the direction the blood suggested and then looked at Vincent. Vincent returned the look and moved his eyebrows excitedly with a smile.

[B]“You up for it?”[/B]

Adrian nodded and then took a few steps back before running full speed at the edge and leapt, his speed propelling him further than any other man. He landed on the other side and ran off around the larger roof looking for any signs of a struggle or perhaps, as Vincent probably suspected, a body. Taking a few steps back himself, Vincent contracted his powerful leg muscles before quickly extending them, effortlessly closing the large gap the street made between the two buildings.

When he stood again, he saw his partner staring cautiously at a face-down body left in the centre of the roof. It appeared that some of the metal fencing surrounding the roofs generator was torn up and jutting awkwardly from the discarded body. Vincent looked grimly at the large pool of blood surrounding the body.

He quickly composed himself, switched off any feeling he might have had for this man had he been a team-mate and stalked up. Pulling a rubber glove from his pocket, he covered his right hand before burying it in the hair of the man’s head. He pulled gently and stared into the dark holes where the eyes of this man should have been.

[B]“It’s our guy,”[/B] he said, not giving anything away, [B]“Better get Ad and Gabe on the blower, this don’t look good...”[/B][/size]

[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"]Sighing quietly Gabriel slumped into one of the free chairs in the apartment away from the grotesque scene that had greeted them. The magnitude of what Adam had told him about the crime scene was still a lot to process, and the idea that they had some kind of sociopath out draining people's psychic energy was genuinely worrying. It was basic training for most Genesis operatives to be able to resist low level telepathic powers, and from his own unique condition Gabriel was capable to resisting considerably more invasive forays, but if they were dealing with someone who could literally harvest that kind of ability, then it went completely beyond what they had prepared for.

The agent's train of thought was interrupted by the cheerful tone of his cell phone, it seemed quite the anti-thesis of his current mood and situation. Pulling the phone out of his pocket he glanced at the number on the display, it was Vincent. Another knot formed in Gabriel's stomach, the two teams weren't supposed to contact one another until their missions had been completed, and there was no way that Adrian and Vincent had managed to recruit their target that quickly.

"[b]Yeah.[/b]" His native accent had slipped back under the surface, replaced with the generic American tang he normally spoke in.

"[b]Gabe, I've got to talk to Adam, we've got a major fucking situation here.[/b]" The knot in his stomach contracted further, there was no way...

"[b]What's happened ?[/b]"

"[b]Our target has been murdered. His eyes have been cut out of his fucking head.[/b]"

Gabriel barely managed to avoid swearing out loud. Adam was listening intently, his brow creased in concern. Aside from the two two-man teams, only a handful of people should have known they'd be going after those two potential recruits on that particular evening. That meant they'd either been lucky to walk in on the act, or something was going on that none of them wanted to consider.

"[b]We've got the same here. Forensics is on the way. Put in a call for a team at your location.[/b]"

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs alerted the two men, Gabriel dropped his hand holding the phone to his side and pulled his sidearm from it's holster. The one benefit about his power meant that he could contently wait to see who was coming through the door with no risk of being killed for it, regardless of how heavily the enemy was armed. Within moments, four men clad in medical gear entered into the apartment, Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief and holstered his weapon. Adam strode forward as the forensic team's chief gave him a dutiful salute. Here the man was in his element, he knew how to organise people and get the most out of them.

"[b]I want this entire room examined from top to bottom, anything you find out of the ordinary no matter how unimportant it seems is to be reported and if possible removed from the scene. This is a priority assignment, request any necessary equipment or personnel for the job.[/b]"[/SIZE]

[P.J. McKrafty]

The bed creaked as Felix sat up. The clock still beeping flashed twelve o? one. He let out a sigh and shut off the clock rubbing his eyes. He had been up with a little girl who had a knack for conjuring explosions at will, he had been up until five in the morning to help he try to get a grip on controlling the size of them. He sat up walking over to the door and flipping on the light switch. The lights flickered on, his room was covered in cream colored foam that kept the room soundproof. He threw on a hoody some jeans and his boots and left to go to his class.

He walked down the hallway toward the kitchen area of the facility. His body still ached from the night before he entered the kitchen where two women in lab coats were conversing over a cup of coffee. He poured his coffee into one of the cheap little foam cups that the facility supplied. He had taken his first sip when one of the women turned around and noticed him.

[B]?Mr. Marsh, how are you doing??[/B] she asked trying to start conversation.

[B]?I?ve been better.?[/B] He replied setting his coffee down and rubbing his eyes.

[B]?The whole facility could hear the commotion that girl was making last night.?[/B] The other woman chirped in.

[B]?And know there is a new lot just came in today for training.?[/B] She said turning back to her coffee. Felix sighed picking up his coffee and leaving as the women went back to jabbering on. He walked a fair ways through the facility reaching a large double door. He opened one slipping into the room.

The room was rather large, it had three rows of chairs on one side of the room and the rest was empty. Each chair was filled by people ranging from teenage years to people in their middle ages. Some were talking some were just sitting waiting for it to begin. Felix entered and was met at the door by one of the workers at the facility who simply handed him a clip board that had all the people?s names, ages, powers, and their ability to control their powers in the form of a numbers one through ten. Felix skimmed over the profiles as he walked to the middle of the room and then turned to the people.

[B]?I am Felix Marsh, and I will be your instructor on how to control your-?[/B] Felix was interrupted by a woman who was probably in her late thirty?s standing up and calling him out.

[B]?You can?t be serious, I am supposed to learn how do control my powers from a kid who looks like he just finished puberty, I did not leave my life to-?[/B] She stopped talking but her mouth kept moving she stopped clasping her ears to make sure she could still hear. Felix was holding his hand up as if he was telling her to stop.

[B]?I do not like to be interrupted thank you, as I was saying, I am here to help you control your powers and without knowing which, you can be a danger to yourself and others. Welcome to basic training, lets begin.?[/B]

[OMNOMNOMALY]

[FONT="Georgia"]8:55 A.M. precisely, and the car pulled up. Acacia climbed into the dark automobile with the tinted windows, driven by her partner Jake Ender.

[B]“Good morning.” [/B]She said, as she shut the door and pulled her seatbelt on. Jake only grunted at her greeting.[B] “So what have we got on the agenda today?” [/B]she asked, as they began driving.

[B]“Guy with an eidetic memory. We’ve been watching him for weeks, and he’s got his routine planned out to a tee. So now we do too. We’re going to try and catch up to him on the subway.” [/B]Jake pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. It was the picture of their target. Acacia took it and studied it closely.

[B]“Any special instructions?”[/B]

[B]“Just the usual. Be careful, don’t draw any attention to yourself, and don’t involve any civilians.”[/B]

Acacia nodded, satisfied with his answer. She smoothed her skirt out, and picked the lint off of her black cardigan. She never knew what to say to her partner. He made her nervous. Jake wasn't the type to make small talk, nor was he someone you could easily ask about what he did over the weekend, or anything of the sort. It wasn’t that he was ever mean to her, or had ever led her to believe that he would be, he was just very intimidating. He stood tall at 6’3”, towering over her slight 5’6” frame which made her feel diminished. Not to mention that not only was he so much taller than her, he was covered in tattoos and had several piercings, while the only modification Acacia had ever had was a different hair colour. They were also opposite in the way they handled things; Acacia was professional and stuck to protocol, whereas Jake had made a name for himself as a less than ideal operative for the Corporation. She certainly didn’t dislike him; he just made her very uneasy.

[B] “Turn right up here-“[/B]Acacia began, before remembering how much Jake hated when she gave him directions. [B]“Sorry.”[/B] She finished. Jake smirked a little bit.

[B]“I do know where we’re going, just to clarify.”[/B]

[B]“I know . . . sorry. It’s a force of habit.” [/B]She craned her neck as she watched him drive right past the turn she had indicated.[B] “Are you sure . . .?” [/B]Jake laughed gruffly.

[B]“I just don’t like going that way. Is there a problem?”[/B]

[B]“Well . . . By going that route, we maximize our time and efficiency.”[/B] She replied.

[B]“We’ve got plenty of time before he’s due to take the subway. This route is far more scenic, anyway. It’s not always about efficiency.” [/B]Acacia tapped her manicured nails on her expensive black and white handbag.

[B]“I suppose.”[/B] She managed, meekly.

[B]“Ah, here’s our turn.” [/B]Jake swerved right quickly on to an old and far less busy street, narrowly dodging a couple of oncoming cars.

[B]“Christ.”[/B] Acacia breathed, wide eyed. She had put one hand on the door and one on the dashboard in order to brace herself as he turned. Jake laughed again as she ran her fingers through her hair to straighten it. She hated when Jake did that, and he knew it.

[B]“I can’t believe you’re still not used to my driving.” [/B]He chortled. Acacia shot him an indignant look.

[B]“There are some things that you never get used to.” [/B]She replied matter-of-factly, rolling her eyes. Jake simply laughed again.

[B]“Here we are.” [/B]He called out after a few minutes of silence, as he jammed on the breaks next to a parking spot. He parallel parked with great ease and disregard for the annoyance of his fellow drivers. The two got out, and Acacia popped a few coins into the parking meter.

[B]“Let’s go.” [/B]Said Jake, and the two took off down the stairs leading them to the main subway platform.[/FONT]

[Vicky]

[size=1]Jake dodged through a few people with Acacia closely behind him. Most people didn't come close enough to Jake to walk into him, either from first glance or the odd feeling they would get. It just made his job easier, anyway.

[B]"Any idea where he would be?"[/B] Acacia asked, coming slightly to Jake's side.

[B]"Umm... I'm not sure, though seeing his routine planned..."[/B] Jake suddenly diverted off to the side when they entered the subway, coming a board with time tables and locations on it. Acacia saw what he was doing and looked as well. [B]"Five minutes. If our guy plans his life every second of every day, then he's probably already here."[/B]

Acacia nodded and agreed. [B]"We should go to the platform and wait, then."[/B]

[B]"Yeah, platform number one. You can see practically half the station from there."[/B] Jake grinned slightly and the two moved off, walking through the slightly run-down station and weaving through the crowds of people and suitcases towards the platform, which was in no better condition than the rest of the place.

Jake checked the photo briefly for a moment and flashed it to Acacia, just so they remembered. He then slipped it back into the inside of his trench coat and glanced around so that no one saw him, thankful to see that not many people wanted to look up at him anyway. The two kept a good eye on the time, checking it almost every minute, but each minute past and their man never came.

[B]"Maybe he's going to be here right on time?"[/B] Acacia asked, looking at her watch.

[B]"Yeah, but people with better memories are smarter. And every smart person knows public transport doesn't tend to run on time."[/B]

[B]"Or he gets a different train?”[/B]

Jake bit his lip and hummed slightly while he thought about it. Of course she had a point, though really it was a busy hour – whether their man was coming or going, they should have been able to spot him. And as they watched him for the past week, he always got there an hour early.

[B]"He’s not here.”[/B] Jake finally said when the train came. [B]"He should be here. We’ve seen him here everyday…”[/B] he mumbled. Acacia sighed, shrugging slightly.

[B]"Any ideas?”[/B]

Jake paused for a moment. [B]"Well you know the number one cause of men missing the train, don’t you?”[/B] he asked.

[B]"I wasn’t aware there was one.”[/B] Acacia raised an eyebrow, interested to see where this was going.

[B]"There isn’t. But I also miss it when I’m in the bathroom. We should go and have a look, plus I need to go anyway…”[/B] he trailed off and turned around, looking for any indication of a bathroom or toilet and began walking, when Acacia grabbed his arm.

[B]"We [I]really[/i] need to look for this guy, Jake.”[/B] She said lowly so no one could hear.

[B]"And I really need the bathroom. This guy is here an hour before the train, give or take about a second. He should be here without fail. Is there anywhere else he could possibly go?”[/B]

Acacia looked around. She shook her head and sighed in frustration, only allowed Jake to grin slightly and follow the signs in the public toilets – which he kind of hated anyway.

They were silent all the way, though that being mostly Jake’s fault. He just never was really talkative with people. The only words uttered were harsh ones from Jake, telling people to ‘move’ or get out of his way. Truth be told he would have preferred to scare everyone off, but [i]no[/i], that would just ruin the whole mission. He rolled his eyes.

[B]"This looks weird…”[/B] Jake stopped when he came to the men’s toilets, grimacing at a hand print of blood.

[B]"Public toilets for you.”[/B] Acacia laughed. Jake didn’t.

[B]"This feels weird…”[/B] Jake knew that feelings weren’t exactly a primary part of his powers, though he also knew his sense of ‘weird’ directed him in the right places far too often. [B]"We should check this out…”[/B]

[B]"Do you read signs?”[/B] Acacia interjected before he walked in.

[B]"Yeah, but, so? I bet half a dozen people walk in here with women.”[/B] He went to walk in, but stopped when Acacia seemed intent on staying put. [B]"Look, we’ll just go and have a look and see what all this blood is about. Then I’ll go use to the toilet somewhere else. We can just pretend you’re my mother and I’m a fucking retard.”[/B]

Acacia narrowed her eyes at him – she wasn’t going to let that slip.

Jake was grinning at the point he had made, quite proud of himself actually. When Acacia followed him he quickly wiped the smirk off his face, a bid to seem as fearless as he normally did. The two stood beside the door, Acacia looking a lot more disgusted than Jake, and he could see way.

The bathroom was nothing short of a prison camp, he supposed, with dirt and even blood on the tiles. The mirrors were cracked – if they were there – the majority of the stalls were broken and it didn’t smell too good either. Jake looked down at Acacia, noticing her manicured nails and approach to her job as a professional; that didn’t work so well in these cases.

[B]"Jake!”[/B] she suddenly nudged him in the arm and directed his eyesight to one of the closed stalls where a line of blood was dripping out from, dry now. Jake adjusted his sunglasses and crept forward a bit.

[B]"I told you I had a funny feeling… and here I was thinking it was just that burger from before…”[/b] he mumbled. He moved closer and looked back at Acacia, who stayed slightly behind him and looking around to see.

[B]"Do we even want to look?”[/B] she asked.

[B]"We have to, we’re [i]professionals[/i].”[/B] He grinned broadly at his statement, with no intentions to be mean to Acacia, only to be an irritant.

Jake pushed open the stall, quite shocked to see it fall off his hinges at its touch, like it had been ripped off before. He looked at the door for a moment and shifted it side ways, lifting it over to the next stall with his incredible height. Both of them gasped and stepped back at the sight.

[B]"Motherfucker…”[/B] Jake whispered.

[B]"You’re right. I can’t believe it.”[/B]

[B]"I know, it’s horrible.”[/B]

Jake was only half referring to the sight. It was there man, alright; at least it looked like him from the back. His head was submerged in the water from the toilet, a pool of blood around on the tiled floor and dripping down from the toilet itself. The man was limp, with what seemed to be the crap beaten out him. On the wall was a large cracked tile, with blood in the middle, and when they looked closer the stall itself was covered in bloodied hand prints and cracks.

Jake moved forward, stepping on something, crunching it, but he ignored it and studied the back of the man’s head.

[B]"He got attacked straight away, seeing as his trousers are still up. Maybe he got dragged here. I just can’t see a guy with an eidetic memory willing using the pits of hell for his manly needs.”[/B] Jake was trying very much to hide his disgust, more over at the fact they were in such a disgusting stall than the dead body.

He looked over at Acacia, adjusting his sunglasses once more. She looked back.
[B]"We need to know if it’s definitely him.”[/B] She stated.

Jake nodded. [B]"I completely agree.”[/B]

But the two stayed silent and neither of them moved. Jake adjusted his sunglasses once more and Acacia looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

[B]"Well?”[/B]

[B]"Your call.”[/B]

Acacia sighed – they didn’t have time for this, but Jake seemed to think they had time to do anything they liked. She stepped forward carefully, Jake putting his back against the wall with slight disgust on his face, allowing Acacia to grab the man by the hair and pull his face out of the toilet water, clogged with blood.

When she pulled his head up she immediately dropped it, allowing the man to fall against the floor and lay there. Even Jake stepped back, almost squashing Acacia in the stall’s door since he was too big for the both of them to get out.

[B]"Fuck a duck…”[/B] Jake breathed. [B]"Acacia, how does he have an eidetic memory if he’s… err… got no eyes?”[/B] he [i]was[/i] trying to cover up his reaction to the sight now, though he was more lost than scared.

Their subject was laying on the floor with his face upwards, pale from the water though stained with blood and wounds on his face. His nose was bloodied and bleeding; with dry blood dripping from what would have been his eyes, leaving only his hollow eyes sockets. If he had eyes, Jake would have imagined he looked pretty damn terrified, a perfect expression to go with the wide-mouthed look. Jake grimaced even more when he noticed that a few teeth were missing looking ripped out, rather than knocked. His hands were mangled, fingers twisted backwards like they weren’t even joined to his palms anymore, as well as an arm that seemed clearly dislocated now that they had a better view.

Jake looked behind him slightly, lifting up his boot to see the remains of a crushed, bloodied tooth on his boot. He swore.

[B]"We need to check where he was going, figure something out…”[/b] he mumbled. [B]"Help me search his pockets… eurgh.”[/B]

The man sure was decent from behind, but Jake had to close his eyes while he pulled their mangles subjects trouser up further.[/SIZE]

[Orcus]

[SIZE="1"]Edel awoke to Laertes' warm tongue pressed against his temple. He clenched his eyes tightly and shook lightly, indicating to Laertes that he was mostly concious. He attempted to move, but his first attempt racked his body with pain. He grunted in agony and held his side. Laertes furiously licked Edel's side until his master pushed his away with slight amusement. Laertes barked playfully and ran around Edel, eventually tumbling to a stop in front of Edel's face. He chuckled weakly and scratched his dog's head.

[B]"You're ridiculous. But you're certainly adorable..."[/B] Edel faded out of the moment, and began talking aloud again, this time to no one.

[B]"So I suppose that supressing my ability is futile... It surfaces no matter what, an-"[/B] He stopped abruply when he became aware of the solid object pressing against his chest. He propped himself up on is elbows, then sat on the ground, his legs folded over one another and his back arched. He took the emblem on his necklace in both hands, and observed it. It was a beautiful, silver Crux Gemmata, with thirteen onyx gems embedded in it. It was all he had left of his mother and the time that he and his family lived in Spain, his birthplace.

[B]"I miss you, mum... And I know it does no justice to you to wear your necklace underneath my shirt, to hide it from sight when I wear father's ring in plain sight..." [/B]He looked up from the emblem to the smiling faces in the picture on his mirror.

[B]"It's so beautiful, and who wouldn't ask questions about it? And you know how rotten I am at lying... But I couldn't tell anyone! What soul could forgive what I've done? If they knew what a monster I was, what a monster still lives inside of me..."[/B] Cold tears slid down his face and solidified on their descent. They were frigid, his eyes still stung, and he looked down quickly, wiping the tears away with his arm. He flipped his hair out of the way and looked to the picture one last time. But now he wasn't staring into the eyes of the wise german gentleman, or the beautiful spanish woman, nor into his own, innocent eyes; he was looking into the eyes of the older, blonde and black haired boy. If not for the color difference in their hair, the boy could have been mistaken for Edel, glasses and all. Edel's voice cracked the most when he adressed him.

[B]"O...Or...Orion... L-look, huh? I've grown up... But I'm still crying like when we used to wrestle. Why can't you be here to call me a whimp? I need you, brother... Können Sie mir helfen?"[/B] Edel sobbed heavily when Laertes pounced on him quickly. Laertes licked his face vigorously again. Edel's sobs broke into uncontrollable laughter as he rolled around on the floor with his dog.

[B]"Not you! I wasn't asking for your help!"[/B] Laertes sprung off of him and began barking at the clock. Edel looked over at it and grimaced. 5:30. Time for him to get dressed for work- which essentially meant throwing on his normal clothes and fixing his hair. He did so quickly, then grabbed his keys and walked towards the door. He gripped the handle and tilted his head to talk over his right shoulder.

[B]"You be a good boy and watch the place. Keep intruders out, right boy?"[/B] Laertes sat pright and barked in response. Edel smiled and then looked over his left shoulder, staring at the picture. He said nothing for a long time, then looked back at the handle and opened the door. He stood in the threshold for a moment, then finally spoke.

[B]"I swear I'll make it up to you... Whatever it takes."[/B] He cloesd the door behind him, locked it, and hurried to the lobby. Just as he was exiting his building, the man behind the building owner hailed him down.

[B]"Ey Edel! Edel, wait up!"[/B] Edel spun around and smiled at the man.

[B]"Guten tag, Herr Smith."[/B] Mr. Smith smiled gently at the young man. He had a soft spot in his heart for the secretive youth, and him and his wife would often invite Edel over for snacks and idle chit-chat.

[B]"Some fellows came by earlier looking for you! It startled me a great deal, as I'm not used to you having visitors and all. When I told them that you were out, though, they politely made their departure. I asked for their names, but I'm not sure if thy heard or not. They just replied with 'Please tell him that we'd like to talk with him, and we'll be back soon.' Were you expecting someone? Edel?"[/B] Edel's face had fallen slightly and given way to his worry, but he quickly masked itto avoid troubling the older man.

[B]"I applied for a job a while back, and I suppose this company just prefers to keep their buisness very close to home, hmm?"[/B] Mr. Smith smiled and patted Edel on the shoulder, then turned him and around and began pushing him out of the door.

[B]"Now go, go! I don't want you to be late for work, y'know! Oh yes, and before I forget, Me and the Mrs. would love it if you came by tomorrow for breakfast."[/B] Edel opened his mouth to respond, Mr. Smith had already closed the door and was waving the young man off. Edel sighed and waved back, walking towards his car. But now he was perturbed. Who knew where he lived? He hopped into his car and revved the engine.

[B]"I'll know all in good time, correct?"[/B][/SIZE]

[Blayze]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]Adam felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and he knew that it was Jake and Acacia calling to tell them that the same thing had happened to their man, but he answered it anyway.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Adam," [/B]came Jake's voice, [B]"You're never gonna believe what's happened here, but..."[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"He's dead, and his eyes have been cut out," [/B]murmured Adam softly, closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose with his free hand.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Jesus, Adam, you're gonna have to tell me how you do that sometime," [/B]came Jake's a surprised voice a few seconds later.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"They're all gone. Me and Gabriel found our guy dead, eyes cut out. Vincent and Adrian's...same thing. Catherine and Jules...the same. Hiroshi and Brannigan...dead. And now you. They've been killed, systematically, and in the same, ritualistic way."[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"So...what are we gonna do?" [/B]asked Jake a little nervously. Adam thought hard for a few moments, breathing deeply in and out, and then the idea rushed to him.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"We get Felix back at HQ to forward us the details of all known super-humans in the city. We each need to go and find them and bring them in. It's going o be a big job so we're all going to have to split up and bring them in individually. Jake, can you pass this on to Vincent and Adrian? I'll get hold of everyone else."[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Sure thing, bossman," [/B]replied Jake, and he hung up with a click. Adam got to his feet and yelled to Gabriel what they were doing. Then he hooked a bluetooth headset into his ear and called Felix.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Come on, come on," [/B]he mumbled, pacing up and down as the phone rang. After a few rings, he heard a click, and Felix's voice.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"Hello?"[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"Felix! It's Adam. I need you to stop whatever it is you're doing, and get to a computer, right now."[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"But I'm in the middle of teaching."[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"I don't care. This is much more important. Get to a computer now!"[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"Alright, but you're explaining to these people what's going on when you get back here."[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"Are you at a computer?"[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"Yeah, but I don't see what..."[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"Felix! There's no time for this right now. I need to you to find the files of every super-human in New York right now. Then cross-reference the files with the locations of each of the team members, and give everyone the files of whoever they're nearest tonight. Then send the information to everyone's PDAs. Can you do that?"[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Almost done, boss!" [/B]Felix said chirpily, and as he finished the sentence, Adam heard his PDA ding, and Gabriel's across the room made the same noise.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Thank you Felix. Prepare the base for a large influx of people, right now," [/B]said Adam, hanging up before Felix had a chance to protest.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"You know what you've got to do?" [/B]Adam asked Gabriel, who was checking his PDA.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Absolutely," [/B]he replied, leaping down the stairs two at a time with Adam hot on his heels.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]---[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]Not long later, Adam turned up at a small florists, where the blinds were drawn, but a slight electric murmur was coming from upstairs. Adam knocked on the glass door of the shop, hoping he was loud enough to get the attention of the owner.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Miss Durant? I need to talk to you urgently!" [/B]he called, and a few minutes of banging later, the door was opened by a rather bleary-eyed looking woman, brushing the sleep out of her eyes and running a hand through her tousled hair.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Can...can I help you?" [/B]she asked, stifling a yawn.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"Miss Durant, this is going to sound crazy, but please hear me out. You're in a lot of danger - I work for a company which specialises in people...like you. Special people. We've been monitoring you for a long time now, and we think you might be in a lot of danger. May I come in?"[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[YawnBoy]

[FONT="Trebuchet MS"][SIZE="1"][COLOR="DarkSlateGray"]Adrian stood over the body and sighed deeply. [i]What a damn waste[/i], he thought to himself as he looked into his empty eye sockets. [b]"I'm going to look around his apartment, can you make the call to forensics?."[/b] He said to Vincent, not waiting for an answer before he took off to the apartment building (five blocks, in about five seconds since he had to slow himself to control his jumps as to not slide off the rooftops).

He followed the blood trail back to the apartment and stopped to take a look at the absent door. The hinges were completely removed from the wall, and he found the door down the hallway, split in half. As he stepped into the apartment he could see that it had been quite a fight. Nothing was in a place that it could rightfully be- the couch was split into three pieces, one of which was balancing precariously outside on the fire escape, the fridge was knocked over, food was spread around the kitchen floor, and all of the silverware was sticking out of the living room wall.

As Adrian stopped for a moment as he heard footsteps behind him, [b]"Can't you ever fuckin' wait?"[/b]

[b]"Seems like a waste of time."[/b] Adrian replied to Vincent with a small laugh, not bothering to look over his shoulder at him. [b]"This... Is some pretty fucked up shit."

"Oh, you think so, do you?"

"Look at this place, Wynn. I was right about our guy, his powers were definetly developed otherwise there wouldnt be much of a crime scene. But that also means whoever did this is some kind of badass,"[/b] Adrian said in his always perfectly neutral accent, only now with obvious interest, [b]"And if the same thing happened to Adam and Gabe's guy, then I wouldn't imagine it being a coincidence-"[/b] He stopped as he was interrupted by his cell phone ringtone ("Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones).

[b]"This is Adrian."

"Adrian, it's Jake. Are you with Vincent?"

"Of course. What's going on out there?"

"I've got orders from Adam, we're going to have to bring in everyone."

"[i]Everyone[/i]?"

"Every super-human in the city, for protective custody."

"How many people is that?"[/b] Adrian asked, not knowing if there were fewer than a dozen or over a hundred of their kind in the city.

"I don't know, but we need to do it fast."

"That won't be a problem."

"Felix should send you what you need to know."

"Alright then."[/b Adrian said as he hung up the phone. [i]It's times like these,[/i] he thought to himself, [i]That they should be really glad they've got me.[/i]

[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Frankie]

She was in the deepest of sleeps she ever thought possible. One of the best dreams in a long time had visited her that night. That is untill she heard loud banging on her shops glass doors. She threw herself out of bed and put on something decent. Fluffed her hair a little but gave up on it almost instantly. She slipped on her house slippers.

She entered her hall and went down the stairs. A man whom sheh ad never seen was pounding on her glass doors. She crossed the shop and opened the door.

[B][SIZE=1]"Miss Durant, this is going to sound crazy, but please hear me out. You're in a lot of danger - I work for a company which specialises in people...like you. Special people. We've been monitoring you for a long time now, and we think you might be in a lot of danger. May I come in?"[/SIZE][/B]
[B][/B]
[SIZE=1]"You may... If you were a customer I would have said come back tomorrow but since you seem to know so much here I dont have much of a choice." She stepped out of the way and let the man enter her shop.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]"So is this a good spot to talk or...?" He began.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]"Sitting room please," She lead the way up the stairs into the room, "From the sound of it you are in a big hurry so I wont keep you by questioning you to much. You have been monitering me for some time now you say?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]He nodded slightly, "Uhm, Yes we have."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]"Well so much for privacy eh crunch." She said to the flytrap next to the table. She had moved him there before she went to sleep.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]He gave her a questioning look but stayed on the task and asked no question. "You are in danger."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]"From what?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]He looked at her and she could see in his eyes that he had seen something quite terrible. She was beggining to think she didnt want to know what was going on. She knew however, that if she did not listen he was probably right and something bad was going to happen. Best for her to be quiet and listen.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=1]"Go ahead and explain it... It doesnt sound all that crazy to me so go ahead. You seem frazzled." She left it silent after that. It was his turn to explain what the wake up so late at night was all about.[/SIZE]

[P.J. McKrafty]

[SIZE="1"]Only two names showed up on Felix?s PDA, they were the closest to the facility and he also factored in that he had to prepare the whole facility for the influx of people. It was a twenty year old girl and her eleven year old brother. They lived in a cheap apartment not even two blocks from the facility. Felix left the computer and headed for one of the employees desks where he could access the intercom through the phone. The man was busy at work at his desk and didn?t even notice Felix until he had already seated himself on the desk and was typing in the numbers to the intercom system. The man shot Felix an awkward glance as he held the phone receiver to his mouth.

[B]"Attention staff, I have just caught wind of a situation that will have this facility experience of an influx of people, please start preparation for their arrival and possible lodging."[/B] Felix said in a profoundly monotone voice. He hung up the phone and nodded to the man at the desk before getting up and leaving the facility. He walked casually down the sidewalk looking at the map on his PDA for the location of the apartment. He turned down a small one way street.

The apartment seemed rundown by the appearance outside, Felix stood outside of it just staring at it for a moment before he regained his focus. He walked to the door and rang the bell of the landlord. A portly man waddledout with a dirty white shirt and a unpleasant look on his face.

[B]"What do you want?"[/B] He asked in a raspy voice.

[B]"I am looking for a, Emma Lorum."[/B] Felix answered reading the name off his PDA. The man gave him a questionable look and then nodded moving to the side.

[B]"She?s on the third story fifth room to the right, watch what you say to her she has been awfully moody lately."[/B] The man waddled back to a room with a ?Private? sign on it and slammed the door closed. Felix scanned the lobby of the building which was just as ratty as the outside. Felix then climbed the stairs to the third floor and found her room right where he said it was. Felix knocked on the door and he heard the cover of the peephole slide as someone looked through it.

[B]"My name is Felix Marsh, I am with a program for people like you and your brother."[/B] Felix stated holding up an ID badge from Genesis. There was some mumbling from the other side of the door and it opened with the chain lock still engaged.

[B]"Please go away,"[/B] Said a female voice from the other side of the door. She started to close the door but Felix wedged his boot into the opening. [B]?Please take your foot out of the way.?[/B]

[B]"Listen, it is imperative that you come with me."[/B] There was a pause and Felix took his foot out of the way. The door closed and he heard the chain disengage. Felix rubbed his eyes letting out a sigh when he looked up he was greeted by a fist. The next thing he knew he was lying dazed in front of the door and a young brunette girl was picking him up by the collar of his jacket.

[B]"I told you to go away."[/B] She yelled actually picking him up over her head and throwing him into a wall. Felix started to get up when he saw her start to come after him. She then stopped holding a hand to her head. Her ears were ringing, she started to wobble and then fell to the ground.

Felix got to his feet and checked himself over. His nose was bleeding and his left shoulder felt like it was sprained. He walked over to Emma who was lying unconscious. Felix looked her over and the only thing he could think was why the small ones are always the strong ones. Then her little brother ran out kneeling next to her and laying over top of her.

"Don't hurt her!" he screamed on the brink of tears. Felix sighed walking around kneeling next to the boy.

[B]"Don't worry, I am here to help, You two are in danger and I am going to take you to a safe place. Your sister is just unconscious,she isn't in any danger, and neither are you,"[/B] Felix said reassuring the boy. He sat up and looked up at Felix choking back tears. [B]"Come on, help me get your sister downstairs so we can get out of here."[/B] The little boy nodded helping Felix pick up Emma and carry her down to the lobby as Felix called them a ride back to the facility.[/SIZE]

[Blayze]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"I work for a company called the Genesis Corporation," [/B]Adam started, watching the young woman listening intently, [B]"We track and monitor people...like you. People with special abilities, and we either recruit them or place them into general protection. This might sound like an invasion of privacy, but believe me, you'd be a lot less happy without them. The Government knows about people with special abilities, and they've been doing their best to try and have them all tagged and placed into camps."[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Ok, I guess I can believe that. I mean, I couldn't be the only one, could I?" [/B]Shaylin said calmly, taking everything Adam was saying in, [B]"But what's so important that you couldn't wait until morning?"[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"We've been around recruiting people this evening," [/B]replied Adam, [B]"But we've failed on all counts. Everybody we've attempted to recruit has been dead, killed just before we got there, and...their eyes have been removed. We had to make an executive decision to get everybody on our database back to HQ. That's why it is imperative that you come with me. I'll be more than happy to answer your questions once we're back at base. So please, Miss Durant, will you come with me?"[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]Shaylin Durant hesitated for a few moments, then turned back to Adam and nodded.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"I'll come with you. Just give me a moment to get a few things," [/B]she said, getting to her feet and rushing around the small apartment gathering things, before running into the bedroom, presumably to get dressed.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Please hurry, Miss Durant," [/B]said Adam impatiently.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Hold on," [/B]called Shaylin, [B]"Wait a second, you never told me your name!"[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"I'm so sorry, Miss Durant..."[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"Please, call me Shaylin."[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"I'm sorry, Shaylin," [/B]Adam replied softly, with a smile, [B]"My name is Adam Jacobs."[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Is that a real name?" [/B]Shaylin asked, [B]"Or do you have code-names at this Corporation?"[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"No," [/B]Adam said with a chuckle, [B]"That is my real name. We don't really believe in code-names. We're not trying to be the X-Men."[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"That's fair, I suppose," [/B]said Shaylin, coming out of the bedroom, now fully dressed, with a bag on her back and a potted plant in her arms. Adam raised an eyebrow at her and she replied with:[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"This is Crunch - he needs a lot of looking after." [/B]Adam decided not to argue this point, and simply nodded.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Come on," [/B]he said, grabbing her by the hand and walking quickly over to the door, but stopping as he placed a hand on it, [B]"Wait," [/B]he whispered to her, stopping her in her tracks.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"What is it?" [/B]asked Shaylin, but Adam silenced her with a raised finger. She looked a little taken aback, but kept quiet anyway.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"This isn't going to work," [/B]whispered Adam, [B]"There's someone coming this way. We're going to have to go up to the roof."[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"The roof?!"[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"I'm sorry about all this, but it's necessary," [/B]said Adam, running over to the window and yanking it open. He helped Shaylin out onto the fire escape, and ushered her up the ladder to the roof. He was about to get out himself when he was hit by something hard, knocking him onto the hard metal and winding him. As he sat up, he saw a shadowy, hooded figure like the one he had seen earlier, racing up the ladder behind Shaylin. He jumped to his feet and grabbed the ankles of this man, yanking him off the ladder. The man swung his foot up into Adam's gut, slamming him against the bars of the fire escape.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Don't try it," [/B]growled the man, his voice deep and raspy, [B]"There's no use trying to stop this."[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"If I can't stop you, I can at least slow you down," [/B]said Adam, his eyes glowing with power, and he slammed his hand into the man's chest, a flash of blue lighting up the alley below, and the man slammed backwards through the window, shattering the glass and splintering the wood of the frame. He saw the man slam into the floor of Shaylin's apartment and lay still. In an ideal world, Adam would have liked to go and check the man's identity out, take off his hood and apprehend him, but Shaylin was in danger, and time was against them. So he raced up the ladder, and met Shaylin on the roof of the building.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]By now the rain was pouring down, and Adam's fringe was plastered over his forehead and into his eyes. He pushed his hair back with a stroke of his hand, and saw Shaylin standing on the roof, not really knowing what to do.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Come on," [/B]said Adam, [B]"He's not going to be down for long." [/B]He ran over to the edge of the roof, with Shaylin following close behind, and grabbed the young woman's hand.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"What are we doing?" [/B]she asked.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"This is going to feel a little weird. It usually is the first time, and I haven't quite got the hang of it yet."[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"What? What are you talking about?"[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Just grab my hand," [/B]said Adam, [B]"And don't let go." [/B]Shaylin grabbed his hand, and he turned and ran towards the edge of the building, and leapt off, plunging downwards towards the floor of the alley, taking a screaming Shaylin in tow. He closed his eyes and concentrated, and as he opened them, his feet touched gracefully down onto solid concrete. He looked around, and saw that it had worked.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"You can open your eyes, Shaylin," [/B]he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, [B]"We made it!" [/B]The young woman opened her eyes slowly, and was surprised by her surroundings. The pair of them were standing in a large, hangar-like construction, with high ceilings, but every surface was made of smooth grey metal.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"What is this place?" [/B]she asked, looking around, [B]"And how did we get here?"[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Well, you're not the only one here who has special abilities, Shaylin," [/B]said Adam with a smile, [B]"And as for where we are, this is the New York headquarters of the Genesis Corporation. Welcome."[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"This is incredible," [/B]she said, her eyes wide, [B]"But where am I going to stay?"[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"If you go through that door, someone will help you to your room. Most probably there will be a man named Felix somewhere - I've told him to help everyone out."[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"You're not coming with me?" [/B]asked Shaylin.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]"There's too many more people out there that need to be brought back here. I'll be back in a couple of hours, and then I'll explain everything to you, I promise."[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Alright," [/B]said Shaylin a little nervously, heading towards the door, [B]"Good luck, Adam."[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
[B][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/B]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][B]"Thanks," [/B]he replied with a wink, before blinking instantly out of existence.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[Cyriel]

[FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"][COLOR="SlateGray"]The rain had stopped a little by the time she got out of class. Hoisting her huge bag holding her canvases, Dana walked as quickly as she could towards the nearest subway station. Sidestepping puddles she finally made her way down the stairs, feeling the stale air rush up to greet her. Half an hour later she arrived at the gallery, a small out-of-the-way place called ?[i]Enchante[/i].? She quickly stepped inside with a sigh of relief, taking a bit of comfort in the familiar space. The gallery was beautifully lit and the lights looked like brilliant stars on the midnight-blue ceiling. The walls were brick, and windows with white sills were interspaced. Throughout the gallery there were various divans that looked like there were made out of thin curved branches, with plump red cushions set on top.

[b]?Dana? Is that you??[/b] a frazzled looking woman came running around, red hair escaping from a loose ponytail.

Dana smiled, setting down her bags, [b]?Hey Cameron. What?s going on??[/b]

The girl shook here head, [b]?Oh my gosh, you won?t even believe. The [i]Smoky[/i] show got moved up to today, and we have to be ready by 6:45! The work came in an hour ago, and I?ve unpacked most of the stuff, but I need to get to a doctor?s appointment! Can you handle the rest? I?m so sorry ? .?[/b]

[b]?Please Cameron, don?t worry about it. I?ve got it covered. Is the caterer okay though??[/b]

[b]?Yeah I got that covered, and they should be here at 4:00 to set up. Okay, I?ll see you later tonight then! Call me if something goes horribly wrong ? oh, and Nancy will be here at 7:00,?[/b] the girl swirled around to make sure that she had everything she needed, and then waved to Dana as she finally ran out the door.

Dana sat down on one of the stools for a second and took a deep breath. She took off her jacket, and then went to the storage rooms in the back of the gallery that was hidden by one of the brick walls. It was filled with thin wooden crates, some of them already open with parcels peeking through the packaging material. She got to work, prying open the rest of the crates as she thought in her head about the best possible arrangement to fit everything into the gallery. Later she turned on the radio to fill the silence; even though she didn?t necessarily make lasting bonds with anyone, Dana needed company like anyone else.

The news popped on, with the weather report saying that the rain would continue for a few more days in all likelihood. Then it changed, [b]??and this just in: police reported the discovery of an undisclosed number of bodies. It is unknown if the victims are connected in any way, and the identities are being kept anonymous until the families are notified. However, witnesses from the scenes have said that some of the bodies were badly mutilated, although details are unknown at this time. Currently there are no suspects, although if you should see any suspicious activity there is a police hotline??[/b]

Dana shook her head as she set up one of the smaller smoke machines. Although she loved living in this city, sometimes the psychos in it made her want to move somewhere quieter? Then again, she knew that she?d never be able to tear herself away from the beautiful lights and skyline. But just to be on the safe side, she pulled out a pencil and a pad of paper. Quickly she sketched a small stun gun and a can of mace. Looking around to make sure she was still completely alone, she gently touched her fingers to the image of the stun gun. She closed her eyes in concentration, willing herself to picture it perfectly in her mind, and then to believe that she felt the black plastic beneath her fingertips?and then it was there on top of the paper, solid and real. She turned it on and then pressed the button, and the quick snap from the electric-blue light of the stun gun was all she needed to know that she had done it perfectly. The can of mace followed quickly, and then Dana placed both of these in the desk by the gallery door.

It was getting dark now, and the lights of the city were already coming out. Turning back to her work, Dana started to set up clear glass columns for the smoke to funnel through. She checked the clock on the wall; the caterers would be arriving soon. But at that moment she got a strange feeling?as if she was being watched. Turning around she looked through the glass windows to the streets, but they were all empty at the moment. She sat for a moment, and then turned her brown eyes back to the columns.
[i]You?re just being paranoid, Dana,[/i] she thought to herself with a small smile, and then turned up the volume of the radio to drown out her thoughts. [/COLOR][/FONT]

[Gavin]

[size=1]Ack, I had this written Saturday and the bloody webpage had an error. Hope you don't mind me using your character Cyriel.

|||||

Dashing down the flight of stairs three steps at a time, Gabriel was barely aware of the lancing pains up his legs. It didn't matter, his limbs would heal in a few seconds, his target however had potentially only minutes to live. When he saw the fire-exit at the end of the hallway on the fourth floor, he didn't even think before ramming it open with his shoulder and swan-diving off the edge of the railing. Adam's voice was obscured by the wind whistling past him as his hurtled towards the ground.

Gabriel grunted in pain as he relocated both his shin bones back into position after impacting into the ground below. Of the three women who had been passing the sidewalk, two had fainted, and the third had paled to the point where she couldn't even speak, he had to admit, for most other people that dive would have ended a lot worse. Shakily he brushed off his clothing and checked his pockets to ensure nothing had fallen out during his descent, unlike himself, his equipment wasn't unbreakable, and having to replace the same three-hundred dollar phone twice in one month would be an irritation he could do without. Thankfully everything seemed to be there.

Fishing his keys out of his trench coat, Gabriel sped across the street to his car. Felix must have been redirecting traffic away from them, as it was noticeably lighter than it had been when they'd arrived. He prayed Genesis Corporation's top computer geek had already sent the location of Gabriel's target to the on-board navigator in the car, as he had precious little time to be calling Felix and asking for them. Sighing in relief, he saw the tell-tale red arrow indicating an apartment block only a mile or so away.

The engine of his Golf GT-TDI thrummed as he pushed his foot down hard on the accelerator, his tires squealed and burned rubber into the tarmac of the road surface. The target's data flashed on the screen, Dana Ritter, a nineteen year old college student with the ability to bring images into reality. Gabriel whistled, it was a fair rare power, in GenCorp's history he'd only ever read about one other person with the same ability.

After a few minutes his pulled up outside the apartment building, he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but his hand still drifted over his gun. Exiting the car, he found the main door unlocked, which meant these were either really friendly people, or he had been beaten to the chase. Pulling his weapon free of it's holster, Gabriel checked the clip and darted into the elevator, pressing the button for the third floor, he waited apprehensively.

When the doors opened, Gabriel didn't even have time to react as three bullets were pumped into his chest from a close range.

"[b]Shit ![/b]"

He slumped backwards into the lift, more so annoyed about the fact that his favourite shirt now had a pair of bullet-holes in it than actually being shot, yes it was odd, but given his condition, it was understandable. He closed his eyes and allowed his head to droop to give the illusion that they had actually killed him.

"[b]Check him.[/b]"

Judging from the breathing he could hear, there were two men, the one who had shot him, and an accomplice. When the second man reached forward for Gabriel's throat, the veteran agent struck forwards with his fist, striking him directly into the throat. He fell back gagging for a moment, before Gabriel put a single round into his forehead. He jumped to his feet and looked outside the elevator, but the first man had disappeared, cursing Gabriel went to pull his phone out of his pocket to call for back-up, only to find it in pieces from one of the three shots he'd taken. This was not his day.

Evidently the two men had already been in the apartment, Gabriel probably should have tried to find some form of I.D. on the second man's corpse but he'd already rounded the corner and entered Dana Ritter's home. The place was like a bomb-shell, but thankfully there was no sign of a grizzly ritual such as the one he and Adam had already encountered. On the ground by the fridge was a work schedule, the data on her file had said she worked at an art-gallery part-time, if she wasn't here, then she must have been there. Dashing back out of the apartment, he found the spot where the second man's body should have been empty, either it had been taken by the first man, or Gabriel wasn't the only one immune to bullets.

The art gallery was a brightly lit building against the growing dark of the autumn evenings. Hopefully he'd beaten Dana's pursuers this time. Walking slowly up the steps into the main entrance of the building, he found the woman at the front desk. He couldn't take any chances this time, he banged loudly on the plate glass, drawing a shocked reaction from Ritter, or perhaps it was the blood stains on his jacket that frightened her.

"[b]Ms. Ritter, I need you to open the door now ! You are in great danger ![/b]"

|||||

Cyriel, I'll let you decide how to pursue the next scene.[/size]

[Cyriel]

[FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"][COLOR="SlateGray"][b]?Ms. Ritter!?[/b]

The quick bang on the window caused Dana to jump. She didn?t even hear the man?s next words, her heart was drumming so loudly. Not only that, but was that?blood on his shirt? He banged again, gesturing towards the lock on the door, and the movement caused his trenchcoat to cover what had looked like a bloodstain.
Dana tried to keep calm, making an effort for a false smile ? who knew what kind of weirdo this guy was? Making as if she was searching for a key, she opened one of the drawers and quickly drew.

A small part of her childhood had been spent on a military base, and even though she didn?t remember much about her father, she could never forget the collection of firearms that he had kept locked away in a glass case. Home alone, and with nothing else to do, she had randomly practiced sketching each one until they were all committed to memory perfectly. Now she couldn?t help feeling grateful for all the practice, and drew the first one that came to mind, a compact sig sauer handgun. It was only a rough sketch, but it would be enough ? concentrating, she felt slightly better when she felt the weight of the weapon in her fingertips. However, she left it in the drawer, taking out the small stun gun instead. After all, it could be that she was just overreacting. Still, she wished that she had listened more carefully to the hotline number listed before.

Keeping the stun gun hidden in the folds of her skirt, she cracked the door open, [b]?I?m sorry, do I know you??[/b]

[b]?Ms. Ritter, you need to open the door. Please, I know it?s hard to believe, but your life is at risk,?[/b] the man said again. [b]?Please, you need to let me inside!?[/b]

Dana paused, feeling a strange tremor go through her, [b]?I?I?m sorry, but I think you should leave.?[/b]

[b]?Ms. Ritter, you need to understand the danger that you?re in!?[/b] his voice grew more urgent. But now that Dana was only a few steps away from him, she could clearly smell the faint but distinct scent of blood from him.

She started to close the door, [b]?I?m so sorry, but I?m going to have to call the police if you refuse to leave.?[/b] She tried to keep her voice calm, and matched his steady gaze with her own.
Something moved out of the corner of her eye, and then suddenly the man flung the door open, throwing Dana onto the floor. A little dazed, she found herself being pushed under the desk by the man, just as gunshots shattered the windows around them.

The man drew out his own weapon, firing off a few rounds, [b]?There?s a back way out, right??[/b]

Dana could only nod ? the words wouldn?t come out of her mouth, she was in such shock and disbelief. Another bullet shattered more glass, showering them in shards. She put up her hands to cover her head.
[i]Is this real?[/i] Then she watched as the young man grabbed the gun that she had made only minutes before, as if he had known it was there the entire time.

She stared at him, [b]?How did you know??[/b]

He fired off another couple shots before answering, [b]?You?re not alone. My name?s Gabriel, but now?s not exactly the time. We need to leave. [i]Now![/i]?[/b]

His words sprung Dana into action, and she started crawling quickly towards the back room until Gabriel pulled her up and started running. She felt broken glass bite into her palms as they ran; she was too afraid to look behind her. Rounding the side of the building Gabriel practically threw her into his car, and they roared away. Even though the initial danger had passed, Dana found herself extremely tense. She clenched her hands into fists to try and staunch the blood flowing from the cuts, while at the same time trying to study Gabriel without being to obvious.

Finally, she couldn?t stop herself, [b]?Who [i]are[/i] you people? And where are we going??[/b]

~Yeah, I don't really know where GenCorp is and all that... ^_^;; so I'll let you take it from here?[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Orcus]

[SIZE="1"]Edel sat meditatively in his car, the radio turned up loud. What he was hearing was upsetting, and it didn't sit well in his stomach.

[I]??and this just in: police reported the discovery of an undisclosed number of bodies. It is unknown if the victims are connected in any way, and the identities are being kept anonymous until the families are notified. However, witnesses from the scenes have said that some of the bodies were badly mutilated, although details are unknown at this time. Currently there are no suspects, although if you should see any suspicious activity there is a police hotline??[/I]

[i]Mutilated?[/i] It didn't seem like normal murders. Nor like a normal murderer. [i]Mutilated?[/i] This city had been always been relatively calm, and the worst it got around here was a theft, maybe... [i]But, mutilation?[/i] Edel slammed his fist against the dashboard, freezing where his fist struck. He sighed and looked outside. Though the rain had finished a while ago, directly after his shift ended, the ground was soaked. He had all the mind to step out of his car and unleash his powers on this very street, freezing every wet alleyway in hopes of catching the perpatrator.

But that would solve nothing. What if he trapped an innocent civillian... [I]Or worst?[/I] He sat in his car silently, his head hung, as the radio switched to a weather report. He sighed and started the car, slipping in his "Even If It Kills Me" CD. He went directly to track nine, and sang along.

[I][B]"Hello helicopter, are you here to stay?
Bodies, rest and motion fighting night and day
Well it's kill or be killed
And one day we'll get the best of them
Hello helicopter, will you be my friend?
Will you take me away?"[/B][/I]

Despite his discontent, he monitored his driving as safely as possible. He drove along peacefully to the music, until a sudden thought dawned on him. He slammed on his brakes-- thankful that no one was around- and grabbed his cellphone, dialing in August's number. He paused the music and waited for her to pick up.

[B]"Hello?"[/B] Silence for a moment. It wasn't ringing anymore, so she had to have picked up. He tried again, nervously.

[B]"Hello?"[/B] Her voice broke through the silence.

[B]"Edel! It's so good to hear from you! Why do you sound so panicked, though?"[/B] He let out a deep sigh of thankfulness.

[B]"I was worried. I wanted to make sure you were keeping safe, with news of the murder, and all."[/B] She chuckled into the phone.

[B]"You worry to much... And come now, if anything happens, you'll be here to take care of me, huh?"[/B] Edel opened his mouth, then stopped, recalling the words of Mr. Smith from earlier. Could this have anything to do with... He nodded and finished talking.

[B]"Not tonight, sweetheart. I have an... interview, with a couple of men who stopped by apartment earlier. They said they'd be back tonight, so I need to rush home to see them. Please forgive me."[/B] Her usually cheery demeanor wavered a little as she responded.

[B]"Oh... Well, make it up to me tomorrow, kay sweetheart?"[/B] Edel laughed and agreed. She blew him a kiss goodbye, and then hung-up. He started the radio again, and blasted onwards to his house, hoping that the men who would be coming for him would be able to explain what was going on...and wouldn't be the murderers.

He parked, ran up to his apartment, unlocked the door and plopped onto his couch. He stared at the door warily as Laertes jumped onto his lap.

[B]"And now... we wait."[/B][/SIZE]