The Uprising

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Safe House, Brooklyn

Julius smiled thinly as Faust spoke of the confrontation and nodded; listening to the man. He was no stranger to the underworld himself but he was not stupid; anyone could offer vital advice he could use in the future.

"I think even Diego knows that if he started a fight with me it would not end well, for either of us. By the time we were no longer strong enough to fight the government would show up and that would be the end for both of us. I prefer to keep my enemies alive but strip them of all power as a symbol and a warning; alone they can do nothing and if they get in my way again then their life is forfeit but alive and broken they will deter others from getting in the way. As you say, someone who rules and fights through fear and hate will only inspire cooperation and resistance in equal measure and I fear Diego will do that for our enemies. The best thing we can do is just hang back and see what opportunities drop by the wayside." He rubbed his temples again, thinking of Diego's next move. It was clear the young man would not return and would most likely be fed off his rage to get in Julius' way without forcing a direct confrontation; which meant he'd try and gather his own renegade group and putting others in danger for his own mad bloodthirst.

He stood up, determining the best course of action would be to head out and see if there were any Empowered he could guide the safe house. There were more patrols out now which meant anyone hiding would be flushed into the open soon enough. He turned to Faust, shutting the laptop down and closing the lid down carefully; no one except himself or someone with equal aptitude for sheer logic equations and problem solving would be able to get past the firewalls he had put in place on the machine no matter their hacking skill so he had no fear of leaving it virtually unattended.

"I can kill when I need to, I just prefer not to. Also Allister is probably one of the safest on the planet right now. Alexis Chandle is with her and my brother. I'm sure someone in your line of work will have heard of her, even if she doesn't grab headline attention in the same way Diego, Mari and I did recently." Alexis was almost certainly the most powerful Empowered there was, her power so versatile that she had virtually no weaknesses and had come closer to mastering it than anyone else had to their own abilities. The power over electricity in almost any form was not uncommon but Alexis had mastered it to the extent she could carry her body across electrical or conducting lines or just simply disassemble and reassemble her or someone else's body in another location by manipulating the small nuclear forces in an atom; virtually teleporting herself or another. Her radar was even more developed than Julius' own; in short she could detect any threat and either move herself and others away from it without a trace or simply neutralise it before they even knew she had arrived.

A knock on the door announced the arrival of another and Faust began speaking to the young woman outside, giving Julius a moment to collect his thoughts and then slip out the door.

"I'll leave you to get settled. Faust, if you could hold the fort; it's the only safe place I'll have to return to so you'll still be carrying out your duties." With that he launched himself down the stairs, catching himself with a small bubble of air pressure at the bottom and half-limping his way outside.

Extending his 'radar' he decided to head in the direction the most people were in and headed that way even though there were also a lot of patrols in that area. There was no one around in the immediate vicinity and for a while he walked, along with his thoughts. As had recently been the case a young blond girl walked beside him, chattering in what might seem a non-sensical manner but Julius had come to realise she was the visual embodiment of his stray thoughts which he purged from his mind; the past two months had given him time to come to terms with his illness and recognise some of the signs that he was having an 'episode' although he still had to be careful about meeting new people and seeing or hearing things that might reflect subdued parts of his mind before acting. He didn't mind the blond girl so much, she provided what could almost be called company even if she was just an illusion created by his schizophrenia; Allister had made him watch A Beautiful Mind as a guide to aid him in dealing with his illness.

Suddenly his 'radar' became very active towards a body of water. Several patrols had congregated there and were aiding in the recovery of a pilot and two soldiers. Most of the group split off and headed towards a wooded area, in the direction of safe house. Julius gauged the distance and headed on an intercept where two people were. It was only as he got closer to them that he recognised one's unconscious breathing as Mari's. Rather than risking his leg he wrapped himself in wind and carried his body towards the wood, quietly landing near the two girls in the cover of a bush.

"Don't worry, I know her. There's a safe place to go about half a mile from here, east east south." Julius pointed in the direction as well. "There's also a fair few patrol squads headed this way, I'll take care of them so could you take my friend there for me?"
 
Brooklyn, Downtown​

Before the three empowered had gotten more than a dozen steps, their world exploded in light as the chopper flew in low over their heads with its huge spotlight glaring down. They didn't stop moving because they all knew within moments the bullets would start raining upon them, heading straight for another alleyway across the street. However, just as quickly as the light appeared it was gone, the helicopter veering back as if something was wrong. Atticus chanced a glance back but could see little against the night sky except for the dark blur suddenly changing course and heading towards the waterfront. Strange luck? He doubted, pushing the thoughts away for a later time when their lives weren't at risk. Sirens seemingly blared all around them but for the moment not a single squad had managed to catch up to them.

The three empowered moved from alley to alley in a flash, only stopping for an instant to glance around the corner or to let a patrol car pass, and before long they'd made their way east into Bedford Stuyvesant: much less a neighborhood than a decaying ruin of apartments and projects. It hadn't been much before the war but now all the streets were lined with burned out buildings, if buildings still stood, and long forgotten storefronts with broken windows and empty shelves. A depressing place, to be sure, but almost everyone knew that the appearance was somewhat deceptive for the neighborhood was far from abandoned. The gangs ruled this place, as well as most of east Brooklyn, and their skirmishes and territory scuffles often left deeper scars in the terrain than the Civil War. Sirens fading slightly, for even the special night police thought twice before pressing into gangland, the three slowed their pace until Diego motioned towards a small squat brick building on the corner that looked slightly less decrepit than everything else. The first floor had been a storefront once, now the windows were covered in boards and graffiti, above which were half-a-dozen apartments. Swinging around the back, into a shadowed alley, they stopped just to be sure that no one was on their tail.

"Close..." Atticus muttered to no one in particular. "Fucking Retrievers... We're lucky they didn't have the 'dogs' out tonight." He was, of course, referring to night police's empowered units; unnaturals whose powers specialized in chasing down, stunning, or killing their kind; rather than actual canines. Glancing about for a back entrance into the building he saw that the only door was long sealed and so turned his eyes upward. Reaching a hand up, three tendrils of blood shot up into the darkness and, with a groan of rusted metal, returned pulling down the building's fire escape. Readjusting the small duffelbag hanging on his shoulder, Atticus shrugged and motioned for Diego to lead the way.​
 
The Safehouse, Brooklyn

"Well now, I didn't know this place had call service. I think my dreams have just been met."

Akiko looked behind her to see a man addressing her from the opposite apartment. Seems like she had received some misleading information. Your first mistake, Syndicate. For now, she'll have to let it slide since she has nowhere else to go at the moment. Plus she still needed something to eat. The man snapped his fingers, and suddenly his voiced echoed throughout the hall.

"I showed you mine, now lets see yours."

"I could be here—" she reappeared right in front of the man, about a good five inches from his body "—or I could be all the way there." Her voiced carried out to him as she spoke from the far side of the hallway. She materialized again in her first spot, her back turned to the closed door. "I heard this place would be a good place to stay in times of trouble. And right now, it seems my current residence is in trouble."

Another man emerged from inside the apartment. "I'll leave you to get settled. Faust, if you could hold the fort; it's the only safe place I'll have to return to so you'll still be carrying out your duties," the man said before jumping down the stairs. Akiko expected his feet to slam against the floor below with a loud thump, instead she saw him gently float to the ground, as if he were a feather. So this really is a safe place for Unnaturals for so many to be in one place at the same time. Though she wondered why the he left, especially with curfew on.

"So, what do you say?" she asked the guy who now seemed to be in charge. "Can I just stay for a few days? Until whatever is going on at my place is over?"
 
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Sean nodded and laughed at Yolanda's reply "Well, you're juat gonna have to find out what you're capable of, that's some pretty funny ahit though." He said as he looked around, he hoped the patrols wouldn't bother coming through this place, but Brooklyn wasn't the safest place to begin with and if anyone saw them come in here then they could very well be screwed. He rolled the cigarette in between his fingers seemingly unsure if he even wanted to smoke it anymore. "So how'd you end up all the way over here? I mean shit I had to walk across like five... Maybe six states just to get here, but South Africa seems a bit farther than that." Sean said finally putting the cigarette in his mouth.

He then realized he still didn't have a lighter "Uh... Sorry could I borrow that lighter again?" Sean said looking somewhat guilty towards Yolanda. He normally didn't smoke this frequently but Sean was feeling particularly nervous about being in the station, it seemed like a good idea at the time but if anyone were to see them that could be all it would take to get bagged by the government.
 
Maribeth - The woods

Maribeth could hear a muffled voice near by, and followed by it, some movement. It was unclear what was going on and her mind raced to try and acknowledge that she had passed out, but it didn't seem to want to cooperate. Everything around her was black but it would turn into a darker color. It didn't make sense, nothing did. She tried to find her arms, her legs, her fingers, but she couldn't feel any part of her own body.

"Take......her......there....." The sound of a man's voice caught Mari's attention as she began to regain consciousness. She blinked her eyes furiously as she finally found them but saw nothing but white. Her eyes darted from one side to the other but it was to no avail. White. Pure white. "No." Mari gasped as her mind jumped years back to the horrible house they were imprisoned in where the experiments were conducted on them. Suddenly, there where two back figures near her, disrupting her pure white vision. Her mind was quick to put faces and clothe them. They wore white masks and white lab coats and she immediately recognized the man she had once killed in the lab when she had been drugged. "No! I killed you!" Her voice was shrill as she tried to crawl away from the two in front of her. It was a female and the male for sure. Her heart rate spiked up as she tried to get away but her body didn't comply, moving sluggishly from her waking up.

"Don't come closer!" Mari nearly growled as she glared at the two, the white slowly beginning to fade away, trees and darkness forming around the two scientist. As a reflex, she shot out a blast of telekinesis strong enough to send the two flying backwards into the trees. Everything around her shook as the blast pushed anything away from her. "Diego!? Julius?!" By now, she had found her feet and began to stand up, her arms in front of her as a warning for the two to stay back. After calling for her friends repeatedly, the so called scientists in front of her changed. The white coats changed into whatever clothes they had been wearing and the masks were gone. "Julius?" Maribeth's voice was a quiet whisper, unsure if she was hallucinating or had actually attacked her own friend. She turned to the stranger that had been closer to her and frowned, not knowing what to do. "I'm.... I'm sorry." She made no signs of movement, staying frozen in her spot. Even though the sound of patrol cars neared, she still stayed standing, her eyes on the two Empowered in front of her but her stare obviously distant.
 
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Julius - The Woods

As Mari awoke both Julius and the other young woman turned to pay attention to the murmurings. When her murmurings turned into terrified screams and with glazed eyes she began to struggle against unseen captors, Julius knew something was up but could not risk revealing their position. He tried to calm Mari down and wake her from her nightmare but to no avail. Suddenly a pulse of her power threw Julius several metres and into a tree, the air from his lungs rushing out in one surprised breath.

Coughing and spluttering as he tried to get air back into his body, his damaged leg foiling his attempts to get up gracefully, Julius held a hand up to Mari as she came to her senses.

"No, don't worry. It's fine." He managed to say between deep, wheezing breaths as normal function returned to his lungs.

"How ironic that you can't get the object of your own power into your body right now." The blonde girl was there again, squatting by his side with her head tilted in a slightly mocking gesture as she giggled at his struggles.

Oh, shut up. You're not even real.

He ignored the vision projected by his mind and struggled to his feet, coughing once or twice as the deeper pockets of his lungs resisted being filled with new, fresh air.

"Are you okay to run, Mari? We need to go before they get here." He spoke in hushed tones but he could clearly see that the patrol team had heard Mari's frantic cries and were closing in on the area; they would have to remove them from the area before returning to the safe house or it wouldn't be quite so safe anymore.

Julius crouched as they entered within the outer reaches of his power and began to gather currents of air above the treetops, undetectable until he released it in a rush. Gale force winds suddenly struck the nearest platoon and threw them several hundred metres across the open ground, some of the hapless men hitting objects in the way and falling unconscious while the luckier ones were simply dropped a distance away with enough force to badly wind them for a few minutes.

Other squads, a little further away, had already noticed the event and were forming up to investigate but at least it would slow them for a little while.

"Alright, let's go. Are you coming as well, miss?"
 
Katya - The woods

Katya had been unsuccessful at waking up the woman though judging by the amount of noise she was hearing in the distance she would probably have to move soon. Her thoughts were broken when she suddenly heard a male voice from behind her. She turned around quickly and almost launched the paper on the ground next to her at him, but then she registered that he said he knew her and directed her to a safehouse. Could the place he was talking about be the rumored one? He was even willing to distract the soldiers in the distance so they could make it. She decided to take this chance and take the woman with her. Just as she was to agree she heard the woman stir.

When she and the man looked back at her the woman suddenly started to scream. She saw the man trying to comfort her, but she didn't know what happened next. One moment she was sitting on the ground next to the woman and the next moment she was laying against a tree in pain. She didn't even have any time to bring out any paper to soften the blow. Her vision was swimming and she had some trouble breathing for few moments. She also heard the man say something, but couldn't make it out at the moment. After some waiting her head returned to normal, though the pain throughout her body remained still. She then heard the guy say: "Alright, let's go. Are you coming as well, miss?"

Looking around she saw the woman standing a bit away from them and that coincidentally her coat that had been keeping the woman warm had landed next to Katya herself. Picking up her coat with 1 hand and using the tree next to her as support she stood up and put her coat back on. "You can call me Katya and I guess I'll come with you guys." She then noticed quite some papers had fallen out of her blocks and made them float back into them. At that moment the pain in her body from hitting a tree quite hard made the next sentence have a tone of annoyance. "Although if this happens often I think I won't stay that long."
 
Yolanda fished the lighter from her pocket and handed it to Sean, looking a little distant. His question had made her feel a pang of homesickness; to be back in South Africa, in her real home and real neighborhood, that would be a dream.

"My father, he got a offered a job over here. He's a businessman - I never bothered to find out what that actually entailed," Yolanda smiled ruefully. "But obviously, he thought it was good enough to pack us up and move us overseas."

She cast a glance at the entrance of the train station, the rain still falling. It seemed quiet enough out there but she didn't trust it. Silence could bring danger just as much as a cacophony could.
 
Dirk - Into the Woods

Dirk had no idea what he was doing.

Well, no, he knew that he was doing something incredibly dangerous. He also knew had to be out of his mind. It was crazy, stalking through dangerous alleys with literally no idea as to how he would live to see the morning. As he stumbled over a discarded trash can, he realized he was probably just an idiot.

It almost didn't seem real, when he thought about it. Months spent debating whether or not he should find more people like himself, when he could have spent that time actually trying to improve his life in some manner. His life desperately needed improving. He was some fat idiot with a dead father and an emotionally exhausted mother. Some stupid kid who couldn't even get himself out of bed long enough to get himself a job. Hell, his parents had wanted him to make something of himself, but the idea of going off to school seemed like such a crazy fucking concept at this point. Somehow crazier than realising he had powers.

He knew that if his dad was alive, his parents wouldn't be happy with him. They'd be telling him-- No, forcing him-- to at least get out of his room. Perhaps that was why he'd gone looking for others, to get some sense he was doing something with his life. He probably should have been working on being able to look his mother in the face instead.

The Girl With Dreads (Dirk still hadn't gotten her name) sneered at him as he recovered from his close encounter with the trash can. She stepped away from the corner of the alley and harshly put a finger to her lips. A whiny voice inside of him urged him to ask how they'd be heard over the sirens nearby, but he managed to squash that and simply nod at the girl. She turned back toward the street and looked upward, her eyes flashing purple for a second.

"What's your power?" he'd asked back moments before the curfew came into effect. The girl had looked at him like he'd said something really dumb. "Is... Is that rude?" he'd stammered. "Like, asking about someone's power?"

Her answer: "Christ." Dirk had momentarily thought she was saying she had some heavenly power, or something, but it turned out she had been just growing annoyed with him. "We have to move!" she'd said, sharply pushing Dirk into an alley. He began following her then, choosing not to utter a word again until she said he could.

The girl had been the only one who'd bothered to humour Dirk, back when he'd run into her group before curfew. He'd somehow managed to track the group down following gossip about Unnaturals. He'd been at it for weeks, trying to talk people into talking about them. Dirk found it hard enough talking to strangers, but when most of them responded to him like he was an Unnatural himself (Which, he supposed, was fair logic), he'd almost gave up on finding others in this manner for fear of being caught. The little information he did manage to receive usually ended up leading him nowhere, so he had been completely unprepared to run straight into a group in a back alley this afternoon.

They'd looked to be fighting, or at least arguing. One of the boys' fists had been covered in ice, but upon seeing Dirk, the ice had been dissipated. The others around him reacted harshly to Dirk's sudden intrusion, some of them threatening him. They presumed him to not have powers, but he had tried to tell them otherwise. He had done everything he could to seem confident around them. He'd stood tall-- Or, at least as tall as he could-- and smirked at the group as he tried to explain himself. Needless to say, they had seen right through him.

Thankfully, The Girl With Dreads had stood up for him, probably because she had just finished fighting with them herself. She'd told them to shove off (In terms far more harsh than that) and yelled at them to leave her alone. When one member of the group mentioned that curfew was coming up, the group finally did decide to leave. Strangely, Dirk had felt even more awkward when it was just him and the girl.

"You got a place to go?" she'd asked. "A safe house or something?"

Dirk had no idea what she was talking about. "I have... a home."

The girl had made a frustrated noise and told him she wasn't welcome at her place any longer. Dirk offered to take her back to where he lived, but she hadn't sounded happy to hear his nonpowered mother also lived there. "I think I know a place," she'd said. "In Brooklyn." Dirk, obviously, had never heard of any safe house, but the girl asked him if he wanted to go with her. He'd managed to stammer out a yes before she practically started dragging him around the city. Curfew then fell before they managed to reach their destination and the pair had been forced to sneak around on foot since then.

Now, with sirens blaring in the distance, Dirk figured he was going to die tonight.

Since the trash can incident, the girl had brought Dirk into a wooded area. After a few minutes that felt like much longer, she stopped under a tree and made a vexed noise. "Damn, it's dark," she muttered. She then circled around the tree, her eyes flashing purple every few seconds. From the look on her face, Dirk didn't think she was finding anything. She turned to him, biting at her lip. "I need you to stay here for a moment, all right?"

"... Huh?" No. No way. He needed her. "What?"

"I'll be right back. I just need a better look around." She began to walk backwards slowly and held out her hands. "Just wait. I promise I'll be back. I promise." To her credit, she sounded sincere.

As she left to be swallowed by the black of night, Dirk rested his back up against a tree. He hadn't done so much moving around in ages, and it felt like his heart was dying to burst from his chest. He managed to jump at every sound he heard, whether it sounded natural or otherwise. He could have sworn he heard the sound of shouting, or the faint wailing of the siren. He thought he heard the girl coming back as well, but it turned out to be nothing at all. In fact, as time stretched on, it seemed unlikely that she'd return. If she'd abandoned him, Dirk wouldn't have blamed her; He was the slow idiot who didn't even know how his powers worked. Besides, that conclusion was also a lot more comforting than the alternative.

Further noises sent Dirk into hyperventilation and he couldn't bring himself sit in place any longer. His feet practically moved on their own, pushing him further into the woods. His heart was still beating a mile a minute and a shortness of breath was overtaking him. Sweat poured down his face despite the cool air and his clothing felt way too itchy. He stumbled around slightly as he moved, desperately trying to catch his bearings. He fell against a tree and rested his arm against it, realising he was probably having some kind of panic attack. His veins pulsed loudly in his ears, making him writhe in irritation. He finally slid down and fell on to his butt. At the very least, he managed to resist laying down and simply rested his head against the rough bark.
 
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Brooklyn - Downtown
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Haylee ran as if her life depended on it, which was, actually, quite true. She mentally thanked whichever entity existed (or didn't exist) when the helicopter suddenly changed its route, apparently forgetting about them. However, the patrol cars were still right behind them, sticking to them just like annoyings mosquitoes did - it doesn't matter how much you hit them, they never give up until they have your blood, or until they die.

"Fucking stubborn bastards..." Haylee hissed darkly as she turned her head to look at the flashlights of the cars, the sirens loud as ever. Since she was new to Brooklyn, this being her first time here, she stuck herself with Atticus and Diego, even if it hurt her pride. No one liked to get lost in a city when more than a half of the population hates you and wants you dead.

Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, the sirens finally grew quiet. Haylee deduced she knew why just by looking at the zone they entered. Ruins. Destroyed buildings. Everything was grey, except for the ugly sprayed walls. Gangs' territory then. Huh. She stopped just as Atticus did, turning to look at him as she heard him mutter.

"Yeah, I know right. Though everything would be simpler if they were just dogs." She huffed a laugh, dispersing the thought of mind-controlled Unnaturals as she watched the other use his powers to bring the fire-escape down. Without waiting for the two men, Haylee got on the fire-escape, kneeling on one leg as she addressed the cats that had sticked to her the whole time.

"I need a favor. Would you watch this alley for me? Not just the alley, but the street as well." The cats seemed reluctants as they rolled their head to the side innocently. The redhead sighed in exasperation, mentally cursing her power for being limited to visual range. "I will give you a can of tuna." They seemed doubtful. "I promise." Finally, they nodded and sprinted off, one remaining in the alleyway and the other on the sidewalk, apparently doing what cats normally did. She turned to the once flying raven on top of the building, motioning for it to come closer.

"And you," She started once it landed on her shoulder. "I need you to watch the sky. Would you do that?" The raven cried something that made the woman frown. "Well, I'm sorry. I was quite desperate and you were there just waiting to be used." It cried again. "Just- please, would you watch the sky for me?" The raven just stared at her for a while, before taking off. Relief washed over Haylee.

"The cats will patrol on ground level, the raven will watch the sky. If anything suspicious happen, they will come to us." The woman said addressing both Atticus and Diego. "Now, let's go find a beautiful apartment, shall we? I heard this particular building is highly disputed among the rich, with its luxury and all. You have a fine taste, honey." She said sarcastically, a grin forming on her lips.​
 
Maribeth - Woods/Safe House

It had taken a moment for Maribeth to finally snap back into reality. While Julius worked with his abilities to fend off the troops, Maribeth stood there frozen, staring into space. She blinked a couple of times before turning every which way and remembering where she was. "Julius... Let's go!" The acknowledgement in her voice was unmistakable as she called her friend's name out. She ran over and grabbed his arm. Her energy level was low but she had to get them out of there quickly without making too much noise drawing too much attention to them. "Your air currents will probably expose us. I'll get us to the back of the house."

Maribeth didn't wait for an answer, giving Julius a look that clearly meant no arguments would be tolerated. She grabbed the young man's hand and lifted them both off the ground with ease. Hopefully she'd be fast enough to get them out of there before passing out again. She turned and flew over to the young girl who's name she had said was Katya. "Trust me." Her voice was a quiet, hushed whisper as she grabbed Katya's forearm and lifted her as well. Mari let out a labored breath now as she held all three of them in the air before turning in the direction of the house. She wasted no time and shot out into the trees, barely missing a few branches here and there but never going above the cover of their canopy.

As they flew, she caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a person. Going off route would mean she'd waste more energy and the situation they were in didn't really allow it. Instead, Mari stuck to her route and flew past the dark figure, only slowing down a bit to make out that it was a young man. He seemed lost but she didn't stop or slow down any further to ask questions, she sped up instead and blew past more trees until they reached the end of the tree line.

"Hold on." Making sure to look every way possible, Mari slowly assured the two were alone and not being watched. The way she had flown, she was sure nobody could have possibly followed them. It was too fast for anyone. She gestured to the back door of the safe house and as if on cue, the door opened by itself. "I'm not going to be awake much longer." Her tone was joking but her face was serious as she pulled the two with her across the yard and into the house. Once inside, she sighed of relief and let one of the others close the door behind them. Maribeth let herself plop on to the bottom step and lean on the railing, faintly smiling up at Julius. "I think I did pretty damn good for someone who hasn't ate and took down a helicopter today." She grinned and looked Katya, not feeling like conducting a full out interview before letting her in. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Maribeth." Her eyes began to droop as the adrenaline rush started to die down. She wouldn't be able to make it up the stairs, but at the moment she didn't care. The stairs were starting to feel quite comfortable.
 
Vera - Woods
Okay, so she wasn't quite sure what she was doing. She had found a safe house and been accepted into it about a day ago, and after resting from her whole super power escapade, she decided she needed to help out. But they were all gone when she woke up, and it was night time anyways, so... she should go and try to find others, right? Help those who needed help and all of that... She could feel her gut shift. Or rather, whatever was acting as her gut... Guh.​
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So she had wandered out of the house and into the woods. There was no way she was going to risk her own well-being to go find and drag unnaturals from the city back, but she could at least... guide those in the woods? Right? ... She felt disappointment with herself. This was all she could do. Vera didn't even believe that she'd end up helping anyone. Or even meet anyone.​
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But that was when the shambling of a desperate wounded... wildthing made its way crazily through the wounds. Branches snapped, leaves cracked, and a ragged breath resounded. ... Uh. Maybe she should run? She self-consciously hid behind a tree as someone ran past her and ended up resting against a tree... then sitting against one.​
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... Observing him through the blindfold and darkness was something difficult, but Vera managed. ... Yeah, no way was this guy dangerous. He was clearly running from something. Vera stalked out from the tree towards the man, waving. "...Hello. You certainly ran hard." Okay, maybe Vera could have made a little less creepy approach. But her conversational skills were limited to pillow-talk, and she couldn't do anything about the fact that she was covered nearly from head to toe in black, long hair and blindfold included. "I'm... not suspicious. Okay? ... Uh, I can take off some of my clothes if you think I'm not human or something." ... Yeah she had no idea how to deal with this. Thankfully the guy didn't look like he could run anymore. He also didn't look like the type that would take advantage of that horribly worded proposition she just let slip out of her mouth.​
 
Rockway Avenue Station - Finch

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Finch was jostled around slightly as the Metro Train Car flew down the tracks. Finch glanced up at the figure sitting across from him. The young man looked to be twenty something with brilliant purple hair and a tattoo in the side of his face. Finch looked back down at his paper.

Whole Family Murdered by Bloody Thirsty unnaturals!

The headline screamed out at him.
It had been the same propaganda crap for the last year and half.
Possibly no one but Finch and other high ranking government officials actually knew the danger unnaturals represented.

The trained bumped around another curve in the track and screeched to a halt. The familiar inhuman voice of the train whispered

"Welcome to Rockway Avenue Station please exist the train at this time."

The young man stood and departed the train without a word.

Finch glanced up again as the train departing bell chimed. The purple haired boy stood about one hundred feet from the train grinning ear to ear.

Confused Finch reaches into his pocket.
"Where's my wallet?!?!?"
Finch thought allowed.

That's when the realization dawned. A look of horror spread across Finches face as he looked into the eyes of the unnatural who had stolen from him. Finch burst from the train car just as the doors closed and set off as fast as his injured leg could carry him.

It was pointless.

The young man was gone before Finch cleared the ticket booth. Now on top of his missing wallet Finch now lacked a ride home.

oddly the Train station was rather empty... This wasn't the best part of town.

Finch collapsed onto a bench and fished into his pocket for his phone.

"Damn it all to hell!"

Finch shouted as he realized his phone was gone. The noise reverberated off the walls of the deserted station.

Suddenly Finch felt very uncomfortable here. The hairs on his neck stood on end and the sensation of being watched closely enveloped Finch.

He glanced around unsure if he was actually alone.

Although no one could know who he really was unnaturals weren't known for their kindness towards normal humans.

Finch decided no one was there and his mind was playing tricks on him he would play it safe and wait for the next train to come and board it.

and so he waited patently as the rain pattered on the pavement outside.

 
Dirk - Woods - Vera

He decided he'd wait until he felt more in control of his breathing. Thankfully, the cool air did wonders for his temperature now that he was starting to relax. He briefly wondered if that was how having a heart attack felt like, but that thought just made him feel sick to his stomach. He wasn't obese or anything, so a heart attack at his age would have been extremely odd. Well, actually, it could have been normal for him, for all he knew. Maybe his power involved self-induced heart attacks.

His mind had wandered far enough that he almost missed three people fly right by him. Yes, three people had flown past his vision and beyond into the darkness of the forest. Lucky them for not having to slog through the bushes. He slowly got to his feet and made a mental note of the direction they had gone, figuring that's where the safe house had to be.

A noise from behind him made him practically jump out of his skin, jump-starting his heart all over again. He cried out wordlessly at the intruder, backing up rapidly so that his head banged against the tree behind him. He felt his head sting and he uttered out a swear. "I'm... not suspicious. Okay?" he heard the intruder say in a feminine voice. He let out a pained sigh and looked the girl over, at first thinking she was just trying to keep warm with all that clothing. Of course, her blindfold made no sense regardless, and indicated that her outfit may have been intended for something else entirely.

"... Uh, I can take off some of my clothes if you think I'm not human or something."

Dirk felt his stomach tie into a knot at that. He held up a hand and shook his head, "No! It's... I don't know. I guess you have a power, or something, right?" That made sense, considering her odd appearance. He wanted to seem cool and collected in front of this apparently suited up Empowered individual, but the sharp pain at the back of his head was making him feel on edge. Instead of saying something cool, he stammered, "Do... Do you... Is there a reason why you're here?" Really the question on his mind was, why him?
 
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Katya - Woods/Safehouse

Katya saw the woman snap back to reality and she even braced a tiny bit in case another shockwave was coming. There wasn't one and she found out the guy was called Julius and that he possibly controlled some aspect of air. What she saw then proved to her that it was this woman that took down the chopper since she and Julius were now hovering above the ground. She guessed that the woman had some sort of telekinesis ability, because just being able to fly doesn't make shockwaves that fling you into trees. When she flew over to Katya herself she took a step back, but the woman asked to trust her. She could hear from her voice that she really meant it and she gingerly extended her arm, before the woman grabbed it.

The next moment Katya was hovering in the air and she had to admit it excited her a bit. The flying part was less exciting and on some sort of reflex she had closed her eyes. When she finally felt solid ground beneath her again she had to keep herself from kissing it. Her breathing was quite labored as well and she was trying to get her heartbeat under control. She then heard the woman say that she took down that helicopter and flew them here on an empty stomach. She vowed then and there to not make an enemy of this woman, an image of trees flying into her came to mind and she shuddered a tiny bit.

She heard the woman introduce herself as Maribeth and when she looked at her she saw that she was very tired. Probably too tired to even walk up the stairs. "It's good to meet you too. Though next time please warn me before you start flying so fast." She then went over to Maribeth and helped her up, she also put Maribeth's arm over her shoulder. "Here let me help you get up these stairs to your room." She wondered who else would be staying at this safehouse. She then remembered she didn't know which room to go to. She then sheepishly asked: "Uhm also where is your room?"
 
Sean took the lighter and thanked Yolanda, He lit up cigarette and handed the lighter back to her. "That's sucks, sorry to bum you out like that." Sean said while making a half frown, he was about to say something else but jumped ever so slightly out the sound of someone yelling. He hadn't even noticed that the train had come and gone, he had been to engrossed in the conbersation at hand. Sean looked up slightly and looked around only to see an older man looking flustered, he could've been homeless but his clothes were too nice maybe he was just crazy.

"Some crazy normie just got off the train, we should probably be ready to bolt if he thinks anything is up." Sean said, pulling the cigarette from his mouth and speaking in a hushed voice to Yolanda. He knew things couldn't stay quiet forever, not in this town.
Sean subconsciously checked for the gun tucked in his waist band, he knew it would still be there he just wanted to be ready. He sunk down a little, hoping the old man wouldn't notice them or if he did he wouldn't bug them.
 
Julius - Safe House

They were back, in dubious safety, but Maribeth was exhausted and Julius could hardly support his own weight on one leg yet alone have another's pressed upon it. Thankfully, their new companion offered to help her. It surprised Julius that he had not yet introduced himself to the girl but then, their meeting had been somewhat chaotic and there had been more pressing matters at hand. He limped down the steps to the lead the way and gestured for Katya to follow him.

"I'll show you where to go. Oh, my name is Julius. Good to meet you, Katya." He smiled and then turned, trotting carefully down the stairs. His limp made sure his pace was easily matchable by Katya although it was only three flights of stairs before they arrived on the correct floor. Julius wondered up to the corridor, glancing at doors before he found the right one and held the door open for the two women to move in safely.

"Here we go, let's find you a room and some bed linen, Katya. Mari, I'll be back in a mo with some food and maybe some aspirin, that might help your head." He said knowingly, referring to her trait of suffering a headache after using her power as well as it being draining. The Conference Room was only a few doors down in a sort of central room with other apartment rooms opening off a corridor on the opposite side. The large windows which made up one wall were still intact but were so dirty it was nearly impossible to seat outside, let alone in. Still, no lights were on in that room just in case someone took notice and decided to investigate, specifically government officials.

Julius moved over to the cupboards and slid one open, still unlocked from earlier, before passing Katya a bed sheet and a sleeping bag as well as some reasonable quality pillows.

"Choose whichever room you'd like; they're all in reasonable condition but we'll need to do some work before this place becomes hospitable again." He said with a rueful grin before closing and locking the cupboard, the next one had the aspirin he was looking for as well as some tinned and dried food.

He rummaged for something he thought might sate Mari's hunger before deciding on a packet of brioche, god only knows why Alexis stocked it but it would be useful now, and a glass of long-life orange juice. It was cool enough in the building for it to be vaguely chilled without being properly refrigerated but it was still a bonus. With these items in hand, Julius limped back to Mari's room and looked around for a suitable surface. A desk in one corner looked like it would do the job so he buoyed it up with an air current and drifted it slowly so that it was within arm's reach of the bed before laying out the supplies he had found on the desk.

"Here, these should do the trick. I found some aspirin, paracetamol and ibuprofen so whatever takes your fancy." He pulled the chair that accompanied the desk over to him with his power and sat down on the other side of the desk with a sigh. He found it hard to broach serious topics without it being a jarring segue so he decided to let Mari recover a little before he forced her to engage in important matters at hand. A glance out of the corner of his eye told him that the blonde girl who kept appearing to torment his waking life was once again there but this time she appeared to be waiting it out, avoiding entering the potentially intimate moment of friendship.

So what part of me does she represent, I wonder?

"Mari... I think we need to talk. About a lot of things." He swallowed, loathe to have to put any burden on her shoulders. "Also... I need to ask a favour of you, a big one. I'm really sorry for having to do it but I'm just not... well enough to be me." He smiled weakly, considering how true that was. Who was he? Was he the part of him that saw parts of his psyche or were they also part of him? If they had always been part of him but only now were materialising did that mean he was losing parts of himself or had they been lost until now? Such personal turmoil troubled Julius as he could not enforce a pattern of logic and strategy onto it, so unpredictable was his own nature and state that the only person he had always relied upon was no longer useful in his schemes: himself. Which meant that now he had to turn to his friends, one of whom he blamed for driving away. So now he looked to Mari with a mournful look in his eyes.

"Have you thought about... the House, at all?"
 
Yolanda opened her mouth to reply but instantly reconsidered at Sean's words. She tensed and moved closer to him, mirroring his actions in an attempt to look as inconspicuous as possible.

She had never been captured by the government as she knew so many had been - had even seen it occur once or twice as she watched uselessly from the shadows - and as such had little knowledge as to what happened after their capture. She wasn't stupid; she knew it was nothing good.

Yolanda cast a glance at the man, only fleeting to make it seem like a passing interest. He was well dressed, especially for this day and age. Most wandered around in shabby clothing, only those who had some kind of prior support having access to decent clothing.

She returned her gaze to Sean, her face creased with worry. If things turned ugly, she doubted that he would stick around to help her. Even though she knew the location of the Safe House, that didn't make her invaluable; she wasn't the only one with that knowledge.
 
Vera: Dirk [Woods]

"...Yeah, a power." Well, at least he could think things through. That's what Vera thought, at least until he opened his mouth again to ask why she was there. ... "... Well... you have a power too, right? Which is why you're running in the woods at night. ... I think. ... You aren't being bullied, are you?" Well, that was the other obvious possibility. That or he was actually an undercover agent designed to draw out the empowered but... with a sidelong glance she really didn't think that was the case.​
​
"I'm here to lead you to..." Well, Vera proved the blindfold wasn't there to hide her vision. She looked around the forest, acting maybe just a little bit concerned. "I was going to lead you to a safe-house, but I forgot which direction I came from. ... That just means it's extra safe! So... we just gotta find it is all. ... Sorry." Yeah, she was disappointed and looked as much. Vera gave herself a simple job of bringing back anyone wandering around, and she wasn't even able to do that. At least this new guy wouldn't have any illusions with just how worthless she was.​
 
Dirk - Woods/Safe House - Vera

"... Bullied?" Did he look bullied? Dirk supposed he did, somewhat, look like the type to be bullied. Thankfully, he'd managed to avoid the ire of other people during his days in school, but that had come at the cost of also having a very lonely time at school. "No, no... I mean, yes, I have a power, but I wasn't running from bullies. I was looking for a safe house." When she told him she'd lead him to the safe house, he was overjoyed. Finally, something was working out in his favour. It almost made him forget the pain at the back of his head.

Then, unfortunately, she said she'd forgotten the way. Dirk groaned at this, being harshly reminded that, yes, the world was out to pick him up and smash him in the face right afterwards. He stepped away from the tree and looked in the general direction the three flying people went, though he wasn't quite sure amidst the darkness. "Well, that's okay... I guess. I think I know the way, though." He didn't ask if she even wanted to let him lead, mainly fearing that she'd say no. Instead, Dirk just took off in the direction he thought was the right way, his right hand nursing the back of his head. There was no cut, at least. "I'm... Dirk, by the way."

It felt like a long time had passed before they reached anything of note (Though it probably only had been a few minutes). The yelling he'd heard before had faded now, leaving only a tense silence in its absence. Eventually, Dirk wasn't quite sure what he was seeing at first, but as they got closer, it quickly came apparent that he was looking at a building far past its prime. He wasn't sure what he expected a safe house out here in the woods to look like, but he certainly hadn't been expecting a freaking haunted house. Maybe they were decorating for Halloween, Dirk thought, and almost smiled at his own joke.

Turning to the girl, he tried not to sound freaked out about the building and the possible serial killer lurking inside. "So, uh... I guess this is it. You probably should... lead the way from here..."
 
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