Vigilance: Blood and Justice [IC]

[Magical Caffeine]

Leaping from wall to wall wasn't as easy as Jace felt it to be. At times, it needed a portion of his vision which proved to be lackluster judging from its natural state. However, as the street lights died away into darkness, things turned into a complete mess with the rain and Jace's consistent negligence adding up. He reached for a building's ledge, trying to navigate cautiously as he pulled himself up and crawled on the narrow surface that the ledge provided. Leaning himself beside the wall, he relied on his senses to track any scent that'd draw him away from the current height he was in. Sadly, that didn't help as there wasn't any object nearby that seemed to be of any use. Jace felt like he was trapped and if he would try to descend towards the ground, it would be more of a suicidal move regardless of having no troubles to move on walls. He remained there for a while, squatting on the ledge as he waited for a miracle to pass by. On that moment, it was impossible for him to move. If he would try and leap, there wouldn't be an assurance that he'd land on a wall with the darkness and his acute vision hindering him. Then he heard a heavy thud of a car's engine, probably busting outside of the alleyway and abruptly stopped as to what he conceived. Jace used the sound as his source, trailing it to where it sounded louder. As he coordinated his ears and gathered focus, he brought himself to a careful stand, trying not to falter from the narrow surface. He warily slid both of his feet, with one foot moving to his right then followed by the other. Jace continued to do so until the sound shifted to a louder tone. He knew that he was close and by that, hoped that it would help him navigate through the darkness.

A bright yellow light flashed from below. The color was easily identified as Jace pulled himself to it. Then after a tilt of his head, he caught another flick of light that whirled continuously, namely having red as its color. He was uncertain of its approximate distance, Jace was careful not to make assumptions as he might risk himself on falling down. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to give his vision a bit of clarity. It did illuminate a fraction of the alleyway but it didn't give any progress. He still relied on his sense of smell but just as before, there wasn't any scent that could draw him out of his position. Until he finally caught something. A festering tinge of sourness flowing into the air. Jace assumed that it was some kind of fluid; quite familiar from the incident he had experienced several years ago.

It was blood and once it carried itself into the air, Jace tried to grasp for wherever it was coming from. Sniffing its metallic scent continuously, he had been thinking if it could help him lead to a path that was clouded by darkness. It was vague and surely wasn't safe to assume that it could lead him accurately. But regardless, Jace wanted to move quickly and being unsure about everything wouldn't help at all.

Sticking to the scent, Jace slid himself against the wall then went back to a squat. He extended his right arm below the ledge, reaching for something that he could move towards. Then as he felt a flat surface, he crawled himself out of the ledge. He skulked on the wall with utmost caution as he didn't want to stumble into any sharp or pointed objects that were laying by. Going at a normal speed would also be perilous but trying to move slowly would risk himself of losing the scent. Nevertheless, he remained on the slow approach and continued until he heard mumbling sounds from below. Jace quickened himself a bit, bringing his crawl to a leap. Luckily, he landed on another flat surface; he exhaled shortly after that risky move. Then the sounds became definite. There were people conversing, one of the voices he clearly heard came from a male. Jace stopped for a while and lent his ears to where it was coming from.

"With the riot going on, they're sending ambulances down here either way. One of them is going to come and help."

Help! Jace exclaimed within his thoughts. Those people might possess a handful of supplies that could aid him out of the dark alleyway. Stealing was his only option though immoral in some sense. But with the current situation hindering him, it was inevitable. With that, he tried to move from the last bricks of the wall. He could sense that the ground was nearby even when he couldn't see it clearly. Jace used the blood's scent to position himself for an abrupt drop. Before he did it, he estimated where the people were standing. It was difficult to muster a move and give calculations on his landing. Jace assumed that the scent would approximately be in front of him and he would appear from behind once he'd land but it wasn't certain that it was bound to happen.

Leaving those things aside, Jace arranged himself. Turning to an opposite position, he swung his feet right in front in order for it to land first. After that, he released his grip on the wall, dropping at a sudden swiftness. His boots clapped the ground as it landed, followed by his body which forced him to falter slightly to his knees. A quick gasp for breath was puffed before hoisting himself up.

"I need a flashlight." Jace's voice rasped from the small haze that blurred his gas mask. "Hand me one and nobody gets hurt." To be honest, he had no intentions on bringing harm to anyone. He just said that in desperation since he wanted his vision cleared. At that point, it was uncertain whether or not he was facing the people he tracked. The darkness was truly a great hindrance.

 

[PlayingMonster]

Abby was a few hundred metres away from the People's Brigade when the spaceship appeared overhead. Other people cheered, meaning that she wasn't hallucinating and that it was apparently real. She watched as it dumped what looked like an entire shipful of water over the flames. For a moment, they died down, before blazing back to life with more energy than ever. Flames shot towards her, and instinctively, she absorbed it, feeling heat momentarily flush her body. It was like she'd just had a shot of espresso, and she grinned, taking a few steps back from the flames. It was clearly a chemical fire, because water had just made it worse. Everyone was pulling back from the flames, but she stayed where she was, thinking. Water wasn't going to work. It was much too large to try and smother. She could feel the energy of the flames, and they felt too energetic to try and extinguish. Containment was what mattered now.

She strode up to the People's Brigade, pulling her scarf even higher over her mouth and nose so it sat just below her eyes. There was a chance that they could see her using her hype powers, so she wanted to keep her identity secret. Hypes didn't exactly have the best reputation these days, and knowing her luck, she'd make it away this evening, but would end up being attacked the next morning. So no, her identity was staying hidden.

"Listen to me! You're not going to be able to put out this fire! We need to try and contain it! Get anything flammable out of the area, we need to try and stop this from spreading!" She yelled, waving to try and get their attention.

 

[cider]

The Swan, The Tower District, New Lilith.

Thomas Bishop exhaled and put down his cigar on the tray in front of him. Two hours had passed since he left the HQ. Plans had been set in motion. As the last of the smoke left his lungs and mouth, he raised his whiskey glass and nodded to his brother seated across the table, whom were doing the same, before taking a swig. After having put down the glass again, Thomas let his gaze sweep around the establishment, looking for nothing in particular. The Swan was one of the most upscale places in town, located on the 41:st floor of the Lorrenhall building. It was a gentleman's club, and a common getaway for Thomas and other rich and/or influential people when they needed to relax. Typically, business and pleasure were combined at the many networking gatherings held here, but this night The Swan was unusually quiet. The few people currently located in the salon where Thomas and Josh were drinking were all gathered around a large screen TV reporting about the riots at the City Hall, not too far from where they were now.

Thomas heard a humming, noting Josh's phone vibrating on the table. As Josh picked it up and answered, Thomas looked over at the people watching the news. He recognized them, but didn't know them. He noted that it was Channel 7 they were watching. "Weren't those rats supposed to cover the fire?" he asked Josh, who were just hanging up.
"Speaking of the fire, it seems to be spreading throughout Kilbridge."
"Ellen?" Thomas asked, thinking about his wife, who were supposed to be home in North City right now.
"She's being driven to New Lilith as we speak, since the beach house in Paradise is flooded."
Thomas nodded, satisfied with the answer. No worries, then. Josh looked uneasy, however.
"No problem, then?" Thomas asked, to make sure.
"Tom, the fire seems to be heading straight towards the nuclear plant."
Sighing, Thomas rubbed his forehead. Needless to say, this wasn't good. "What the hell can we do about it?" he answered irritatedly, shrugging. Josh wrinkled his face. Thomas leaned forward and picked up his cigar.
"I guess I could get Howard Travis on the line. Let him know if he doesn't already. Unlike us, he can actually do something about it." offered Josh. Thomas nodded. Josh grabbed his phone and dialed a number before walking off towards a window. Howard Travis was head of security at the power plant in question. He was also a friend of Josh's, Thomas now remembered.

As Josh trailed off, Thomas' own phone began humming. He reached inside his jacket and grabbed the phone, not recognizing the number. He answered.
"It's done, Simmons is safe." The voice was unnaturally dark, clearly masked, but Thomas identified it as that of a De Vitis member.
"And the other two?"
"Breathing as well, I'm afraid."
"That is unfortunate. Do try and fix that error, please. And send Simmons my regards." Thomas hung up. He put the cigar in his mouth. It was supposed to be the first good news all night, but they hadn't quite delivered. Nontheless, Thomas chose to view the glass as half full. He had contacted the syndicate roughly an hour earlier, outlining the plan. They hadn't been to keen on it at first, despite having the mayor in their pocket, but Thomas had made them a good offer. As soon as City Hall security tried to evacuate the VIP:s, the De Vitis' goons where to burst in in the middle of the chaos and grab the mayor, making sure de la Cruz and Blake were hit by the "rioters" in the process. For whatever reason, that second part hadn't worked out. This meant Thomas was facing a problem, that could - no, would - escalate into a much bigger one if not dealt with. If the candidates survived the night, their account regarding civilian clothed, armed men rescuing the mayor and the mayor alone would be very fucking bad indeed, as the pair had no doubt pieced together the puzzle already. After all, it was no secret among the top tier of Crescent City that Simmons was corrupt.
On the flipside, and this was the beauty of Thomas' plan, if de la Cruz and Blake died, the mayoral election would have to be rescheduled, with Simmons staying in power at least until the riotings, floodings and all oher current shit hitting the fan had been resolved. By then, Thomas and his allies would have made sure Simmons seemed on top of the situation - leading the city out of the chaos, into peace once more. In other words, an easy win in the election.

As such, Armand de la Cruz and Emilie Blake had to die tonight, and they still had to do it by the hands of rioters. Thomas inhaled, filling his lungs with smoke, and stood up. The night seemed endless.

 

[Danny]

"I need a flashlight." The newly added, raspy voice brought Layne's attention way from the safety of the woman holding him and towards a new sight which induced a form intimidating to the eye. Was that a gasmask? After the ordeal that had taken place, the man's threat wasn't appreciated. "Hand me one and no one gets hurt." It was just a flash light and one of the passer bys happened to carry one in her bag.

"Take it, just…don't cause more trouble!" Her voice was shaking, the darkness and chaos having taken a toll on her. She produced the flashlight and rolled it over to the man before she took a few steps back, trying to keep her distance.

Layne's attention shifted a second time as his phone started to ring and with a tired hand he reached into his pocket. "Hello…" His voice was struggling to leave his lips, eventually managing to reach into the phone.

"Layne!? Are you okay!?" The voice of his father was soothing to hear but his worry cracked through and brought Layne's heart into a pit. This was supposed to be a simple day and now he was laying on the wet concrete, held by a stranger, waiting for an ambulance and had a deep cut in his arm.

"I'm okay…dad." The boy managed, trying to struggle back to his feet but the attempt was futile. Too tired to speak, Layne simply handed the phone to the woman holding him and fell back into her embrace, allowing her to do the talking. She was a caring individual and she seemed to know how to talk to people. She could tell Khalil what had happened and then, when Layne regained his strength, he could fill in the blanks.

 

[Shroud]

By the time Jackson had arrived at the fire, soaring high overhead, the city had already darkened having partially lost electricity in some areas from the blaze tearing through the power district. The toxic fumes wafting into the sky from the burning chemicals stung his eyes. He quickly formed an air bubble around his head so he could breathe clearly. Surveying the scene, Jackson noticed a group of people forming far below him, bringing in truckloads of water and beginning to pump the liquid over the flames.

Jackson's eyes widened, his mouth opened to shout warning to those below, but any sound escaping his mouth was drowned out by the whining of an engine beneath him. Some sort of airborne vehicle he couldn't identify passed quickly beneath him, too quickly for it to have been safe at the low altitudes it was flying, tugging a large boat, filled with water, beneath it. Despite the absurdness of what he was seeing, any questions regarding what was happening eluded him as he cursed the pilot of the craft for what Jackson was sure was about to be done. The craft maneuvered itself to dump the makeshift water container over the flames, and Jackson shouted out in despair.

The fire originated in the power district, a section of the city full of factories, plants, and warehouses. Those buildings themselves were full of various, powerful chemicals, so it stood to reason that the fire was fueled by these chemicals, and, unfortunately, a chemical-based fire could only be fought with other, suppressive chemicals, or a lack of oxygen. Also unfortunately, H2​O, unlike with a conventional fire, could not put out a chemical fire, and, in fact, only made them burn stronger.

The boat tipped, and the water flooded out, cascading over the edge and washing out across the flames. For a moment the fire appeared to have died down, and the strange ship disengaged the boat, setting it down, then disappearing as suddenly as it had arrived. Jackson again cursed at the moron in the aerial vehicle as the fire quickly regathered it's strength, growing higher and spreading further out, closer to the nuclear power plant. He saw some of the workers below become caught in the new sea of flames.

Realizing he could wait no longer, the young hyperhuman began hurriedly gathering a powerful wind swirling around him. First, he sent a gale towards the dangerous, toxic smog that had gathered above the fire, pushing it up and away, dissipating it. He then concentrated on the the air he was manipulating, increasing the density, shaping it into a dome, and expanding it wider and wider until it was roughly the same size as the fire. He spent another minute increasing the density as much as he possibly could, but he was still unable to completely solidify it into an actual, fully formed construct due to the pressure he was under, and the limited time he had to begin with, so there were some sections of the large, invisible dome that were still less-than-hardened. Regardless it would have to do as he could see the fire creeping much too close to the plant for Jackson to risk wasting any more time.

Exhaling slowly, he lowered his creation over the blaze, simultaneously trapping any new toxins released and containing the spread of the flames. Even with the immediate danger of the fire reaching the nuclear plant prevented, it was taking all of Jackson's focus to maintain his barrier over such a wide field due to the inferno raging inside, fighting against its captor. He began to compress the air, gradually shrinking the dome. This provided more oxygen for the fire to grow, but Jackson was forcing it into a smaller, and smaller area to make it more manageable for him. Once he had done so, he released the dome, slowly, and then began removing the oxygen around the fire, cutting off its fuel supply.

This took time, and, as he manipulated the surrounding air that had been feeding the flames, he could feel himself tiring. It had been over five minutes since he had begun, and the strain of using his abilities nonstop in such a manner, added to by the unrelenting, torrential downpour slamming into him, was beginning to take its toll. The fire was dwindling, though, diminishing from the chaotic, devouring inferno that it had been, and soon was nothing more than a scattering of small flames no more than a few inches high. It was now nothing that the gathering of people on the ground couldn't handle with some basic foam-spraying fire extinguishers.

Jackson felt himself drop, slightly, from his hovering position a couple hundred feet up, his exhaustion affecting his ability to levitate. Now too tired to do much more without at least an hour of rest, he took his leave of the power district, flying somewhat unevenly as he made his way towards New Lilith. The sooner he could get back on solid ground, out of the wet and cold, and into a warm bed, the better.

 

[Goldmarble]

"Vinnie, the fuck is that guy wearin'?" Monty looked dubiously at the figure ahead of them, slowly striding through the waist high waters, while dragging Packo with him. "Who the fuck wears white?"

A mild swat of irritation was mostly avoided as Vinnie replied, "The fuck am I supposed to know? Fucker is fat as fuck too!"

The pair returned their attention to the blockish figure that stood out in the darkness, like a shadow in the bright of day. The figure wasn't exactly tall, but the thickness sheen of hard material were hard not to notice. Wiping dripping rain from his brow and pushing wet strands of hair back behind his right ear, Vinnie looked down to the semi-automatic he was carrying in his right hand, he quickly tilted it slightly, and partially racked the slide to make sure the round was chambered. Beside him, Monty tool his cue and followed suit, but with his first attempt, his fingers slipped off the slide. Hissing out a cuss, Monty looked up as Vinnie moved forward to the next parked car, his figure disappearing into the gloom of the rain until he caught up to Vincent.

Vinnie suddenly rose, supporting his right hand with his left as he brought the three dimly glowing dots of the handgun's sights onto the form of the man, and squeezed the trigger, the pistol barked, snapping back into the web of his hand, the flash of the burning powder from the barrel catching in his eyes. His hands returned to somewhat level, even as he heard and felt the second gun of Monty firing, he squeezed the trigger again, half-blinded by the flash, the second shot's flash left a deep purple after image hovering in his eyes, as he stood, waiting, and watching the figure, waiting for it to drop as the fourth shot cracked out from his partner's pistol. The sound of the pistols echoed through the streets, a dull roar bouncing and reverberating before the rain washed it away.


The flashes, the pain, and the hard thunderous crackle of gunfire all melded together in a distressingly familiar way. The hot searing pain as two projectiles punched through his armour, digging a couple inches into his flesh. The sharp crack of supersonic pebbles of metal flying past him within close proximity. It evoked a visceral reaction of spinning to the direction of where the pain came from, and using anything at hand to shield himself from further harm, which happened to be, in this case, the corpse of Mr. Del Cruz. His right side to the direction of the shooters, he crouched slightly beneath the impromptu corpse, as he quickly analyzed the pain he was feeling; the first shot just beneath his left shoulder blade, dug into the muscle, the bullet had stalled before perforating his lung. Hollow Points, effective against most people, were much less effective against his body from the sheer density of his muscle over expanding the bullets and making them shed their energy too quickly. The second had lodged itself in his lower back, on the right side. He wasn't sure how deep it had penetrated, but neither did he care. It still hurt like hell, but he had experienced enough pain in his past that it was, manageable. "Well, you're smarter than the last sack of shit I took down. I give you that." He called out, his deep, rumbling voice rolling through the downpour. "Sure hope that shit wasn't a revolver, cause you are going to need a hell of a lot more bullets to stop me!"

 

[Roman]

The path down the mountain wasn't much of a path. Taro knew there was one, a trail used by the humans, two-legged bearers of unfiltered psychic babble, but even in this unnatural, dangerous weather the risk of a meeting was too great. Taro's appearance was threatening, sleek and supple and clearly a powerful predator - and the humans seemed not to react favorably toward threat. Instead, Taro stumbled and skid down mud and rock, picking the rougher, stonier patches as best he could in order to avoid the larger areas of mud that would surely send him slipping and tumbling down the mountainside, allowing him to reach the bottom where the mountain began to plateau in short order but perhaps not alive.
The psychic babble grew louder, more intense for every step forward he took. It was a chance to focus on the waves, explore how they acted, reacted, see what worked and what didn't. If Taro didn't get used to the broadcast, to the nuances of the human mind, it would overrun him. The background noise had begun to irritate him, and that had been halfway up a mountain, wet and cold and subjected to the worst the foreign climate had to offer. He could waste away in his cave, or he could push down and perhaps find a warmer shelter.

Taro began to sort through the broadcasts as he approached the city. Put simply, there was a lot happening down there, and each mind had so much to say, so much to think - these were vast psyches, infinite branches of psychic possibilities. Small candles flickered through, broadcasts that were...different, more curious, clearly apart from the majority, but Taro washed over them, barely noticing their peculiarities in his efforts to not be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of signals. Most focused on individual perils, and there were many that flashed feelings of fear alongside memories of heat and visions of raging fire, fire as big as the Burn on Taro's homeworld...and then it was there, a pervading worry among all others, a subtext to all the anxieties otherwise held. The Rain.

Already it was confirmed that such rainfall was unnatural, but Taro had been told that by the animals on the mountain. But now - these humans suspected, theorized, gave hypotheses that Taro could investigate. Many pointed toward the dark clouds that ringed Old Stone Mountain's peak, the great rock spire towering far above Taro's head - but some others thought of a strange stone arrangement partway up the mountain, a ring known to many of the humans as a prime place for...Taro stopped there, moving his attention away from that particular train of thought. He cared little for the functionality of human mating procedures. But now, he had an avenue to explore. He turned, and headed back up the mountain.

He circled around a small way until he found the flat path that the humans traveled to find this stone ring, and then followed it upwards, keeping it on his right while remaining among the trees that sparsely dotted the roadside. The tarmac turned to well-worn dirt, and then to stony mud and gravel, and Taro rounded the corner to see the ring itself, an peculiar arrangement of massive stones - abandoned, no one wanting to engage in their usual activities up here with such inclement weather. Taro slowed, padding slowly around the edge of the stones. Something felt off, a strange electricity in the air. Taro growled low, sensing danger, bringing his tail up and ready and baring his fangs - and then lunged forwards into the ring.

He immediately reeled, his mind exploding with a shrill, shrieking scream of unimaginable volume that pierced his psyche and overwhelmed him. Frozen, unable to think of anything other than this scream - Taro endured it for what seemed like eons before his paws began to tread backwards, the sheer force of will necessary to think of moving above the noise in his head exhausting him. He padded backwards, slowly, slowly, and finally stepped outside of the ring, the shrieking stopping as he did so. Taro collapsed, unimaginable pain coursing through him as his head throbbed with his heart. Whatever was causing those clouds was not letting anything near them. Slowly, carefully, Taro picked himself up and slunk back toward the treeline, careful not to tread further up the mountain as he did so lest he hit that terrible barrier again; he was sure that the scream would kill him should it pierce his mind once again.

Retreating deep into the trees of the mountainside, Taro weighed his options. His 'home' was still at risk from the rain, but investigating its cause in an effort to stop it was not something he was able to do as long as that barrier, whatever it was, remained. With the mountainside too dangerous, and any further exploration for safer territory hampered by now having to be fearful of the barrier, Taro's only way was down, toward to city, the white noise ever preferable to the shriek that had nearly sent him comatose. Perhaps just as dangerous, but the people there were in as much danger as he was. Perhaps there was a pack down there, somewhere, a ragged group that needed an Alpha, or one that would accept him into its ranks.

A Pack was all Taro knew about how to survive. Martraxi were not solitary animals - and the humans had proven themselves to be community beasts as much as Taro's own species. It was his only choice if he was to survive. He had to go among the white noise.

 

[Danny]

The clinical smell of a hospital brought Layne back from fatigue induced sleep. Opening his eyes, he'd notice white walls surrounding him and a set of voices speaking to one another. His dad was among them, incredibly worried in his tune. Once the boy was coming to grounds with his surroundings, he felt a stinging pain in his arm, wrapped in pressure. Turning to look, he noticed how his arm had been bandaged, probably stitched as well. The scrapes on his hands and knees had been cleaned and disinfected but there was nothing to cover up. Layne breathed out as he tried to sit, his movements rather slow in an attempt to not get dizzy. "Dad…?" The boy spoke, his voice raspy and quiet. Khalil immediately spun around to meet his son and hugged him tightly in relief.

"How are you feeling, habibi?" The man spoke, now back to his calm and collected self. Seeing his son out of harm's way and in one piece was enough to remove the worry and replace it with long awaited harmony.

"I'm okay." Layne replied, tracing his bandages with his fingertips.

"The cut was rather deep. Luckily nothing was damaged beyond repair." The doctor added with a smile and approached the boy. "You are free to leave the hospital when you're able. We'll contact you again in a few weeks to check up on you." He finished and left the two alone in the little room. Layne's mind couldn't quite move on just yet, however. He had been attacked, almost killed and mugged. One does not simply walk away from that. Since the culprit had already been knocked out and captured, there was no need for Layne to meet up with an officer and deal with a bunch of questions. People saw who did it and all the evidence pointed one way.

"Come on, let's go home." Khalil snapped the boy back from his thoughts. Home, yes that sounded like a good idea. Layne slipped into a new set of clothes his father and brought, and a new jacket. Wearing the soaked, and now damaged, clothes from before wasn't going to be very beneficial.

They stepped out of the hospital, albeit slowly as the young, wounded boy walked with care. Each step sent a pain through his knees but it wasn't unbearable and they were by the car soon enough. This city had descended into chaos and Layne was lucky to get out of that dilemma with his life, something that would not have been the case if he wasn't rescued by those two people he never got a chance to thank.

The scene repeated itself over and over again in his mind during the drive, even though loud music was turned on in an attempt to shut out the thoughts. Being a second away from the death, less than an inch away from the edge of a knife, it put things in perspective, mainly his mortality. People were dying left and right in New Lilith but it felt so distant and unreal until it eventually happens to you. Layne took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to shut his mind off with little success. The thoughts wouldn't keep quiet and he was ready to accept the fact that it would take some time before the trauma passed. One thing was certain, he was never going to tempt fate again. He was usually such a careful person but the one time he decided to be brave he was punished. Maybe it was the universe's way of telling him that it's better to stay in for now. It wasn't going to be permanent of course, but with the riots and disasters sweeping across New Lilith, there was little else to do unless he wanted a rerun of what had just happened.

Layne reached over and turned the music off, flipping the channel to a news station which was talking about recent updates in the riot. Things were still going to hell, but at the very least, he'd be home. A few minutes later Layne and Khalil stepped out of the car and walked towards their apartment building before stepping into the elevator. At least they were home.

 

[Magical Caffeine]

"Take it, just…don't cause more trouble!"

Jace smirked in contentment, though he had a sliver of guilt that held him back. Nevertheless, he grabbed the flash light, clicking its button to cast a flicker of light. To say the least, it didn't improve Jace's vision through the darkness in a significant amount but it was enough for him to freely move around since his keen senses would be there to aid him along the way. He could only hope that the batteries wouldn't die too soon. "Thank you and keep yourselves out of danger\." Jace said as he faced the people he encountered, taking quick glances at each and every individual present. Most of them were barely noticeable, though except for the boy who appeared to be in a poor condition as what Jace had observed. "We're not exactly sure if the chaos will extend its reach. I'd suggest you all go home, especially with this weather pestering around." Jace's voice was still raspy from the vapor that clouded his mask. The warning was quite uncertain, however. All of the chaos weren't just covered from city hall riots whereas, the explosion earlier was something to be mostly aware of. It was all happening at once that it left Jace curious to see what happened and how it unfolded.

As Jace tilted the light, he sprinted away from the group of people. The walls were visible enough for him but tracking for obstructions were in need of his senses. Once after he started crawling on a wall, he kicked his legs from it and leaped to a low-leveled ledge, grabbing on its surface once he reached it. He pulled himself over and walked slowly while leaning against the wall. Jace steered the flashlight at some dim corners of the alley then spotted the car that he saw earlier. It still remained on the same position as Jace left his sights from it. Headlights were still on, light bars continued to whirl their red and blue glow and as much to what Jace had sensed, there was an unusual scent that lingered inside the vehicle. A strong, sweaty stench to be precise, one of which could come from a person who might be intoxicated by liquor. He pulled himself near the building's water pipes, gripping tightly as he concentrated the flash light over the car. No other person seemed to appear out from the vehicle and with that, it gave Jace the idea on how he'd sneak up to the riots safely.

Police officer Jerry Hayne took a heavy gulp of whiskey, guzzling up the entire glass until he laid his head on the steering wheel, buried with intoxication. Eyes drowned in sleepiness as he took a look at the side mirrors. He grabbed the glass again, trying for another attempt but his weary condition forced him to stop. The only thing he was aware of was the bottle of Jack Daniels and how it was half empty; the rest appeared to be waving in a blur. He felt like passing out but was soon brought to half of his senses once his radio pouch started kicking in some broadcast. "New...Lilith...." The sound of static interjected. It left a few intervals of interrupted messages, mainly most of them were concerned about New Lilith and the riots. "SWAT....the other candidates were left out within the riots, we request immediate back-up from any police patrols out there--" The radio died but Jerry Hayne turned it off instead of being interrupted by static. "Fuck off." He muttered, then taking a light sip of the whiskey.

To say the least, Jerry wasn't having the fondest of times towards his duties but then again, he wasn't fond by any means with his job. What made him drown into intoxication was his failure to be promoted a week ago. He wanted the extra income, all for the reason of his daughter going to an expensive university of her choice. Sadly, he haven't kept that promise up which unfortunately left his daughter in disappointment. Luckily for him, his daughter opened her arms for acceptance and forgiveness but Jerry remained frustrated, mostly to himself as father with big promises.

Before taking another sip of the whiskey, a cryptic figure slowly came into sight as he took his bloodshot eyes to it. For the most obvious of reasons, he knew it was the alcohol and how it was fooling his mind. He rubbed them and blinked several times. He took another peak past the windshield and the figure was gone. For a second, Jerry thought that he was being monitored by some kind of murderer but once his worries were out of his reach, he leaned back to his seat and took another gulp of the whiskey. He twitched his neck for a bit, then turned his head to his left at the car's window. That was when the figure reappeared, a gas mask sticking in front of the car's left window side covered by a cloak that almost blended perfectly with the darkness.

"What the devil?!" Jerry exclaimed as he crawled back in terror. What made it more terrifying was that the figure remained still, standing in front of the car's door and awaiting the victim to exit the vehicle. That changed as the figure knocked the glass window gently. "Get the fuck off!" Jerry's voice squeaked as he remained shivering in fear. He struggled to reach out his pistol, fumbling over a handful of equipment that were held by his kit belt. Once he got the gun on his hands, he pointed it immediately at the dark figure, his hands shaking from the fear that refused to leave his senses. The figure knocked a second time but raised his hands afterwards. Jerry tried to approach it as it didn't seem to be approaching in a hostile way. He rolled the glass window, opening only a quarter of it. "What do you want? and why the fuck are you dressed like that? Are you one of those pesky protesters? Because if you are, you'd be dumb enough to think that I'm one of those fucking candidates."

Jace examined the man. The way he looked and dressed seemed clear enough that he was a police, except for the fact that he was drowning himself in a bottle of whiskey instead fulfilling his duties.
"Drive me to the city hall."Jace spoke as the police pulled a quarter of the glass window open.
Despite of not showing an aggressive approach, Jerry held his gun pointed towards Jace, still frightened by the sudden presence.
"And why should I do that?" He responded, raising a brow in suspicion.
"Trust me, I can bring the riots to an end."
Jerry laughed hysterically then was interrupted as he coughed at the near end of it,
"Excuse me? I thought I'm the only one who is drunk here."
"You have to trust me. And since you have nothing else to do other than drinking, why not help someone who can contribute for the city's well being?"
That being said, it wasn't a reason for Jerry to trust him but it was too risky to leave his duties. He perused Jace in contempt. The way he dressed seemed odd enough to observe but with the current weather and the on-going protest, it seemed that anything strange could be possible.
"Fine." Jerry sighed at the end. Besides, all police patrols were needed at the city hall anyway. "I'll drive you there but I must place you in handcuffs just to make sure you won't do anything stupid."
With that, Jerry unlocked the car's front door. He stepped outside, bringing his handcuffs along. As he stood, something strange had struck his sights. He couldn't describe its suddenness but it faded abruptly. It must have been the alcohol which was starting to take its grip over him. However, Jace wasn't in-favor of being restrained. As soon as Jerry approached him, Jace grabbed the collar of the police's uniform, dragging Jerry towards him.
"W-W-What are you doing?" Jerry asked in a mix of confusion and fear.
Jace didn't bother answering as he clenched his fist then aimed it right to his gut, delivering a swift punch. Jerry was immediately knocked off, slowly losing his grasp of his consciousness as his eyes faded momentarily and then closed once Jace released him from his clutches. Jerry fell to his feet, then laid sideways as he completely lost consciousness.
"You're too drunk to do me a favor. So, why not lie down until all of that alcohol exits your body." Jace outfaced the police then led himself inside the car. Once he took the driver's seat, static began kicking in at the car's VHF radio. It was immediately brought into a distorted broadcast but was clear enough for Jace to hear and understand.
"Bravo five, are you there? This is Charlie six. We need your units here at the city center immediately. Over."
Units? For a moment, Jace thought there were people who were supposed to be around. But regardless, he took his gas mask off and pressed an answer button to register his response.
"This is Bravo five, we will get there as soon as possible."
After that, he kicked the car's engine as it coughed to life. Whatever his next move would be, he'd be certain that he'll be facing a bigger threat.

 

[Blandman]

Daniel Grey watched in silent horror as the security guard was engulfed by the inferno which had sprouted back to life with a vengeance. He found himself rooted to the spot, eyes blurred from the smoke and throat soar from the fumes. His simple MDF mask was of little help here. That man would never have been there had Danny not instructed him to help. He might have gotten away. Might have been at home. Oh God...I killed him...I didn't even know his name. Even though the events transpiring around him ranged from the extraterrestrial in the form of a spaceship dumping a massive ship onto the fire to the sight of a woman literally absorbing the flames, Daniel was unmoving. All the emotions he had been fighting for the past year after causing that crash started to resurface again. His hands began to shake as he helplessly held onto the hose, spreading useless water over the flames. He had zoned out from the world.

"Listen to me!" a female voice snapped him back to reality "You're not going to be able to put out this fire! We need to try and contain it! Get anything flammable out of the area, we need to try and stop this from spreading!"

Daniel looked at her wide-eyed and his shaken hands finally let the hose go. Contain? With what? He looked about at his scattered volunteer group who were either still hopelessly trying to fight the fire, hiding from the flames or dragging away injured people as best they could. Each of the trucks would have a small dry chemical fire extinguisher, but it'd be like poking a blue whale with a pin. Still, they had to do something. Daniel ran to Big Mac's truck and quickly grabbed the extinguisher, instructing some volunteers to do the same with the other trucks.

"Everyone back up!" he shouted "Move the trucks to the next set of warehouses. We need a new plan!"

But even as the people started moving as instructed, a strange wind picked up and the blaze began to move in an unnatural way. Daniel noticed the air becoming much cleaner as the toxic fumes were somehow lifted out of harms way by the wind. Others began to notice and stopped what they were doing, witnessing the phenomenon in a similar dumbfounded manner. Dan cast his eyes skyward, but his sight was instantly assailed by the downpour. Still, through fuzzy eyes he could have sworn that he saw a person in the air as the fire began to become contained. In the blink of an eye the figure had disappeared, and Daniel severely doubted his senses. He knew Hypes existed, heck one was standing pretty damn close to him, but someone able to contain a fire that big? Was it possible? Still, he let out a little sigh of relief as the scene before them changed. It was no longer a scene from Hell, but instead a smoking wasteland, with flames still scattered about. An eerie silence set over the place as the people stood in awe for a moment. Then a cheer went up as the volunteers realised the inferno had finally been stopped, clapping and whopping with joy, some even hugging each other.

"Alright, alright! Anyone with an extinguisher, lets get in there and clear this place!" Daniel shouted out, before turning to who he mentally dubbed the Flame Hype "Hey lady, I don't know who you are or what you can do, but any help in taking care of the rest of these flames would sure help these folk."

He did his best to sound polite, but the stress of the situation didn't really call for formalities. Without waiting, Daniel set off to help with his own extinguisher. He cast an uncomfortable glance at the spot where the security guard had been struck down. And he knew that another life was going to haunt him now.

 

[PlayingMonster]

Abby watched as people started trying to do what they could to try and contain it. Before they could do much, however, a strong wind came out of nowhere. On an instinct, she glanced skywards. She grinned as she saw a figure against the sky. A Hype. The wind contained the flames, and then she watched as they started to shrink. Presumably being smothered. Pure genius. She watched as they flew away, before turning her attention back to the flames. They were much smaller, much morcontrollable.

She turned around as someone spoke to her. The guy looked slightly bewildered, but she honestly couldn't blame him. Judging by the look on his face and what he was saying, he'd seen her absorbing the energy. She nodded. The scarf over her mouth gave her the comfort of anonymity, but she still knew to be careful. She knew that she had to be careful- there was already a lot of energy fizzling throigh her veins, and if she overdid it, she'd lose control, which wasn't particularly desirable.

She moved away from the crowd slightly, before stretching out her hands. She could feel the energy of the flames, much weaker than they had been. She absorbed as much as she could, but eventually, she could feel her veins burning with the fire that rushed through them. She'd absorbed a lot of the flames, but now she felt like she'd drank too much coffee and that she'd put too much sugar in all of that coffee. She was pretty sure that her power would stay under control, at least, but she wasn't sure if she'd sleep for the next day or two. She walked over to the guy who'd spoken to her before. "I've done all I can do. Is everyone okay?" She asked.

 

[Danny]

The rain wouldn't let up, but with his head resting against a pillow and his eyes set on the wall besides him, it was rather soothing. Funny how a chaotic disaster could add such harmony to an otherwise distressed soul. Breathing out, Layne turned to his back and focused his thoughts on happier, more joyful moments but it would only help for a short while. Had he waited a moment longer, that bandit would have slit his throat and that would be the end of it. Layne's power had saved him in a way it had never done before, and Layne couldn't recall ever using his ability in such a way. He still remembered it clearly, shoving a knife into another's man's body. He felt the reluctance of skin, muscle and bone pressing against the sharp blade in an attempt to stop the impaling motion but yielded beneath such hard and sharp steel.

The blood gushing from the wound had leaked onto his hand and he could feel a twisted warmth across his fingers through the cold storm of water and wind. The mere thought accelerated the boy's heartbeat and his hand reached over to touch the bandages covering his arm, acting as testimony of the event. Was what he had done wrong? He could have died but he almost killed a man, himself. He still didn't know if the robber was alive or not, and the wound Layne had caused was hilt deep in desperation.

The boy sat up in his bed and leaned against the wall, pulling his naked feet closer to his body and hugged himself. His wallet and airsoft pistol had been returned but he didn't want to look at either, rather getting a new wallet all together. That airsoft gun could as well be thrown out for all he cared. Anything that reminded him of the incident could gladly leave his life. Layne's eyes turned to the window besides his bed and the water droplets viscously splashing against the window almost looked like they were trying to get into his home. No, he was safe and nothing could come and grab him there. It was warm and safe, nothing would come and ruin that.

A knock on the door brought Layne's attention to his father who gently opened it and peeked in with a smile. "Would you like some hot chocolate?"

"Yeah." The boy nodded, returning a small, melancholy smile. He lowered his feet to the floor and ascended from the bed, moving towards the kitchen where he was given a porcelain cup of hot chocolate. On the laptop he could see how there was a huge fire taking place and at this point, it was just a part of the pile. Something that stuck out however was how many people were trying to take care of the issue. With the rainy storm, one would think the fire gone but there was no such luck. Wasn't there a hype out there that could take care of the fire with a mere thought? They were never close when they were sorely needed, were they?

"Let's watch something else." Khalil added, reaching for the keyboard.

"Wait." Layne protested, listening to the news cast. "That's why the lights went out…" That fire had saved his life. How ironic, due to the fire cutting off the electricity to half the city, Layne was able to catch his attacker off guard and act on desperation. He had a deadly fire, which had most likely killed a bunch of people, to thank for that? "When did this happen?"

"Hm, it says here." Khalil scrolled down, past the video and to the text below which stated more information of the event that was currently occurring.

"I see…" Layne responded and dropped down to a chair. Things just didn't end. There was one disaster after another. No matter where he looked, he'd see reasons not to leave his home. If he'd ever forget, he needed only turn and look at his arm. "Maybe it's better to carry a real gun out there…" The boy added in a low, whispering tune.

"No! I don't want you touching anything like that!" Khalil was highly against the usage of weaponry and having Layne use one was out of the question. It wasn't like his son wanted to, he knew that, but after today's event it was understandable that he would consider it. Either way, it was both illegal for a boy his age to own one and it would surely cause more issues than it would solve.

"I can't stay in here forever…" No matter how much he wanted to, Layne would eventually need to leave their apartment. He would rather be safe than sorry, no matter Khalil's ideals. He could have died today, and that surpassed every ideal he had.

 

[Hillan]

Thomas Campbell

East City – Celestial Motors.

8 P.M

Thomas was under the hood of a 67 Chevy Impala, fixing the engine as it had broken for a client previously during the day. Driver was careless. Thomas scoffed and dumbfounded the driver in his solitude, what abuse of a beautiful car like this. Idiots shouldn't be allowed to drive nice cars was what Thomas mumbled for himself as he took the wrench out of the engine, and walked over to the driver door, and leaned into the car, turning the engine on, and it came to life, the soft yet powerful humming of the engine made Thomas chuckle.

He dried off some grease and oil from his hands on the towel he had hung on the side of the car, he then proceeded to pull the hood down. As he did, he turned his attention to the TV in the upper corner of the shop, the news being on, it was showcasing the riots at City Hall, the cops and civilians firing automatic weapons at each other, the cops being pushed away from City Hall and forced to retreat. And the civilians assaulting City Hall and the mayoral candidates. Thomas grunted.

"At least I fixed the car in the nick of time.." He said under his breath, getting the remote and turning the TV off. He was quite far away from City Hall, but he was almost equally far away from his apartment. He didn't have the luxury of time, time to go and put his wings on.

Thomas dashed into his office in the Garage, in it there was a safe, he put in the code and got out a dufflebag where his old gear laid, the gear he had used during his high-school years in Longhorn. He stripped out of his T-shirt and working pants, and instead put on the reinforced black leather pants, the white linen short sleeved shirt, the kevlar vest and his combat boots, lacing them tightly. He put on the military issued gloves and dug into the bag to get out the two straps that had a piece of metal attached to it. Thomas laced the two straps to his back, clicking them together as the circular metal disk covered his chest, over his heart.

He unfolded the dark beige leather jacket and put it on, and he then got out the balaclava, he shook his head. "Can't wear this if I'm going to be saving people.." judging his younger self's choice of costume. He put the Balaclava on his head, folded like a beanie to cover his hair, he got out the red Domino mask that he had tucked away one of the drawers. It was left there since the Halloween party when someone had dressed as a superhero.

Thomas stretched for a couple of seconds, putting the bag into the safe and locking it up. He rushed out of the garage, locking it up and walking onto the street. As he did so, he looked down on the metal plate, and pressed a button on the side. Golden LED lights flared up making a "A" for 'angel' on his chest. A nice little touch he had made in his senior year of High School during one of their metal shop classes.


Thomas would fully utilize his speed and free running abilities to get to City Hall much quicker than a human could, while it was still eons slower than flying. He made sure to avoid getting seen, and avoid as many traffic cameras, and other recording devices as he ran at a speed that would match a Automobile going the speed limit, climbing buildings easily and jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

 

[Magical Caffeine]

The VHF radio kept on kicking some broadcast which proved to be a slight annoyance to Jace as he drove slowly towards the town hall's center. Its channeling signal wasn't quite stable which still left several distorted frequencies along the way. He did register a few police units over the radio, commanding him to quicken his pace. All of which might have been the storm's doing. It could be the ravaging winds that were intercepting radio signals which then interrupted the broadcasts. However, Jace wasn't knowledgeable enough about radios to give assumptions on what was happening. He continued to drive through the rain until he was blocked by a group of people who were ready to run over the car and do whatever violent actions they intend. They knew it was a police unit just by taking a glance at the car's design. Within seconds, Jace was surrounded. Hooded individuals - seemingly men - positioned themselves as they've grouped up, not intending to give the vehicle a way to pass by any means.

"Ah fuck." Jace muttered as he sighed, placing a hand on his hair as he brushed it in exasperation. He studied anything past the windshield that'd aid him to his escape. After a careful gaze, there was a path that he took sight on that followed directly to the city hall. Its road was separated from the site where the rioters commenced their protests. With that, Jace now knew where he'd go but only if he could pass through the group of men who were blocking his way. Jace opened the car's window, deciding to take in some of his negotiations with the men. It wasn't his brightest idea but something must be done for the sake of his passage.

"You don't look like a police." One of the men spoke as he bent his head over and glanced at Jace through the car's window.
"Yeah and he's wearing sunglasses at night. Is he dumb or somethin'?" another one added as he went over to join the conversation. Jace couldn't distinguish the men's features, mainly because of their clothing and how it concealed their faces. They had their mouths covered in some sort of bandana while hoods masked the rest of their appearance. Jace glanced at them, estimating their numbers. He believed there were 6-7 men surrounding him but there could be more if there were others hiding through the alleys.
"Look, I'm a recruit and I don't want to wear my uniform while this storm is thrashing the city." Jace paused, catching his breath for a moment. "But let's go directly to the point shall we? No violent actions will ever take place here if you all let me pass."
The men broke into a series of unrestrained laughter, clearly not one of them were to agree with his terms.
"Are you posing a threat? or are you just stupid? You see, we are not afraid of violence because we're the group that promotes it." said the man who was the first one to speak to Jace.
"H-He's just too stupid for a police. I don't know why he was even recruited. I mean, look at him. Wearing shades at night..." Another voice, not similar to the one earlier, added. He cackled in-between lines which drove Jace into an option that he never wanted to go through. Clearly, the men won't ever agree with his terms and adding another form of non-violent cooperation wouldn't be of any use.
"Suit yourselves then." As Jace was about to open the front seat's door, a riotous uproar erupted from a distance, seemingly it was at the city hall where the riots were taking place.
"Shit! they're here." one of the men said. "We have to go and consider yourself a lucky son of a bitch." He glanced at Jace before all of them started to sprint all the way to the city hall.
With all the commotion, Jace was hearing heavy thuds of gunfire. It appeared to be shifting in a drastic situation where the rioters exhibited desperate moves. But Jace assumed that the ones who had started the gunfire weren't ordinary rioters, rather, a group of syndicates who had plans on causing vital damages to the mayoral elections.

Radio static kicked in again but it transitioned immediately into a broadcast after a distressed message repeated itself out from distortion.
"Bravo five! Bravo five! this Charlie six. Where the hell are you?" Jace pressed the answer button to register his response.
"Charlie six, this is Bravo five. I'm outside the city hall. I'll drive my way to the center immediately." After that Jace turned off the radio. He didn't want to listen to another wave of commands and since he was almost at the gathering point, it didn't seem quite necessary that the radio would be of any further use.

_________________________________________

Jace stopped and parked the police car as he stumbled into a mob of police patrols guarding a barricaded door of the city hall. The rioters were just before them, hauling up their signs in the midst of rainfall while heavily chanting their anti-corruption demands. One of the police, who seemed to belong to the unit who gave calls to Jace's radio, approached him as he stepped out of the car. The man examined him with heavy suspicion which throbbed Jace in nervousness for a moment.
"Who are you? and why aren't you in your uniform?" The man asked, studying Jace from top to bottom. "And what's with the shades?"
Jace knew this was bound to happen but unfortunately he haven't prepared for any fake names to come up with. He scratched his head in confusion as he tried to deliver a quick distraction while he thinks of a name.
"I am, uh, my name is Ja-James Prayler. I'm one of the new recruits." Jace stuttered in between lines but nevertheless, he felt relieved that he came up with a name even when it sounded ridiculously awkward.
"Well? Where's your uniform? and where's the rest of your unit?"
Jace took a deep breath to absorb every question asked.
"They were helping a woman who lost her child to a group of men and sent me ahead. They'll join us as soon as possible. And as for my uniform, well, I don't want it to get wet."
The man paused awkwardly, rolling his eyes while trying to consider Jace's reasons as patiently as he could. There wasn't a spare amount of time to be dangled in suspicion. The policeman knew well enough that it'd be the least of his worries other than the rampaging crowds of rioters.
"Fair enough. However, we're short on people and we need every single police out there to hold this line of defense. Some group of people took Mayor Simmons but one of our units are already on their way to track them down, hopefully. Now, we just need to protect the other two candidates who are inside of the building and wait until reinforcements arrive."
Jace took note the man's words but didn't consider on applying it on his actions that'd follow by. All of the information provided were enough. Jace just needed to sneak inside of the building and trace the other two candidates. Perhaps by capturing them might gain his chances of stopping the riots, or so as to what he believed.
"Understood." Jace gave his nod of agreement as he closed the police car's door.
"Now, get into position. The full extent of this chaos is yet to come." The man said as he left Jace and went to his fellow policemen.

 

[Lord Wraith]

T

he sound of gunfire alerted the other Harbor King's that something was going down. Poking their heads out of other houses nearby, the gang members saw the strange man as the two clowns; Vinnie and Monty, were trying to take the thing down. The pair had no doubt wasted most of their bullets shooting champagne flutes and other items in the homes of those far wealthier than themselves. Apparently whatever they had opened fire on now was much more durable than anticipated as it shrugged off the hits and remained standing before them.

Scowling as he came out of the villa to investigate the commotion, The King of the Kings, Anthony 'The Behemoth' Cleaver clenched his massive muscles as he began to wade through the water flanked by a couple of his lieutenants armed with assault rifles. A hype himself, the Behemoth was a towering man standing at eight feet tall and possessing immense strength. Despite appearing to be a stereotypical Atlas-type in many ways, he wasn't to be underestimated. Anthony, or as he preferred, Tony didn't take over the King's by brute force but by careful planning and forceful leverage. Nonetheless his strength and ability to shrug off bullets certainly helped though.

"Hold your fire you useless fuckers." Tony yelled as he stormed forward, lifting both Vinnie and Monty up by the back of their shirts. Putting them behind him, Tony reared himself up to his full size, his muscles flexed as numerous veins pulsed along his neck and arms. Towering over the much shorter Hype, Tony looked down at him snarling.

"I don't know who you think you are, but playing hero around here is going to get you killed." He cracked his neck back and forth before clenching a fist and pounding it into the other hand. "Unless of course you're here to get rough, in which case we'll gladly oblige." The sound of cocking guns echoed through the empty street, amplified by the layer of water soaking the ground. "You may be bullet proof, but I bet you need to breathe just like everyone else." Tony added with a wicked smile crossing his face.

---

Those who instigated the riot began to converge towards the door of the city hall. Sliding his cellphone back into his pocket the De Vitis mole among the Anarchists began to direct his 'colleagues' as he executed his most recent orders. Raul had passed along a message to ensure that both the two remaining Mayoral candidates died tonight. It was his job to ensure the Anarchists made that happen. If the De Vitis were connected with the murders the police would know where to come knocking but the Anarchists, they were a wild card. Their identities were secret from even each other in some cases. Distinguishable in the crowd only by the red scarves on their outfits whether wrapped around their wrists, neck or hanging from their belt, several of the group began to lay down fire while the others focussed on taking down the door.
The thud of the door opening alerted Blake that the rioters had entered the building. Darren Bronsky of Channel 11 news had taken shelter along with the two remaining mayoral candidates along with his crew. The room was crowded with other press members and numerous civilians who had originally gathered to watch the debate. Gunfire rained over the room as the Anarchists burst through the door, Blake moving to raising her weapon before realizing it would only do more harm than good.

"Kill them." The mole muttered as the Anarchists began to open fire on the crowd.

 

[Magical Caffeine]

"What do you mean they've barged their way through? the door was barricaded!" A nearby policeman exclaimed in panic, forcing Jace to lend his ears to it.
"Alpha four? I repeat, Alpha four! What's the situation there?" A short pause interjected between the line of communication, seemingly the policeman was taking note of what was being transmitted. "Holy shit." After the pause, he immediately placed the radio back to his kit belt and whirled his head to spot his fellow policemen.
"What's happening?" Jace asked. It was essential for him to do so since he needed to calculate his entrance inside the building.
"Apparently, the rioters have found a way inside the building and most of them are carrying weapons." The policeman answered, then after that, he sprinted towards his fellow policemen, about to initiate a tactic that'd repel the rioters away from the candidates.
Jace needed to capture the candidates, not for the sake of protecting them but to convince an enactment of a strategic method to stop the riots. If it was to ensnare the attention of an entire crowd, it should be coming from the words of the candidates or the current mayor himself, only if he wasn't captured. However, Jace's plan wasn't pulled deliberately to a point where it'd be executed accordingly. He was unsure for the most part. There were risks that could follow along the way and might cause him to lose his chances. Most of those risks were the safety of the candidates, whether or not they'd be executed upon sight or contained by the rioters. There could be a situation worse than that and it'd likely be upon his arrival to the scene, where the damage had already been dealt and the candidates are killed. Nevertheless, Jace trusted himself and the plan he would be carrying out. There might not be an escape plan once his operation is accomplished but his slippery movements would be enough aid him out of from the fray.

As most policemen were gathered at a certain joint, Jace was left alone, still away from the position that he was commanded to go into. He went back to the police car he had stolen and grabbed his gas mask in a rush. Once he wore them, he glanced at the town hall's building, trying to spot a narrow entrance - perhaps a vent hole, an open window or etc. - that would allow him to initiate his entrance. Unfortunately, his poor eyesight wasn't cooperating well as he tried to find any path of entrance but obviously, that was quite natural for him to observe. He tried not to spare time though and as soon as the battalion of police kept themselves busy, Jace left in a whiz, hurrying towards the building at a considerable pace.

It could be an optional decision to take the shorter route and gain entrance from the barricaded door that was now busted open. However, as simple as it sounded, it would be a rather stupid move if Jace was to prioritize an unforeseeable capture. He circled the building from corner to corner, trying the best that he could with his limited vision to find an open window he could jump into. Seconds after, he finally spotted one then leaped immediately on a ledge that laid beside it. Jace could have tried on breaking the glass but that might cause him his devious approach. Once he entered through the open window, he hurdled over the ceiling, landing his arms and feet smoothly. There was no security that toured the area he entered and it was a lucky turn for him. Jace lowered his body as he moved upside down from above. He then sniffed the air for any scent that might have been lingering from below. While he constantly crawled slowly, there was a scent that traveled to his nostrils. It was odd, the smell felt hazy, like a burning fume of powder. It was then identified as bullets after Jace sensed the metal smell that was blended to its scent. That could only mean gunfire and it was possible that the candidates might be nearby.

Moving slowly wouldn't provide any progress now that guns were being fired inside the building. Jace moved with haste, pouncing away from the ceiling and to a wall. He leaped between a few intervals of running then repeated until he caught a stronger scent of the smell earlier but this time, there were new additions. Halting, he flocked his tongue out in the air, acquiring the scent molecules that were traveling freely. There were a variety of them, all having different odors as to what Jace had sensed. They could be nearby but the lack of heavy gunfire sounds proved that he has yet to navigate through a handful of obstacles. Jace reached the flashlight from his pocket, clicking its power button before a ray of light illuminated a dim area he pointed at. He continued to track the scent and while he did, he remembered a pistol he stole earlier from a woman. He glanced at it shortly after picking it out from his cloak's pocket. It certainly wouldn't stop a group of rioters from foiling his plans but it could make diversions.

 

[Mook-LandStrider]

Two Months Prior.

Morgan looked at her father as he slowly drove their car up to the Philadelphia International Airport. She took a deep breath "On the move again... Well, I look forward to seeing what all crescent city has to offer us... I mean.. We are both different." She said slowly knowing full well she would be back home soon. She got out of the car and helped her father move their bags. Her father carried most of the things while she pulled a wheeled suit case behind her. They reached the check in and immediately were greeted with looks. Her father was known to be a prominent man within the area and was recently involved in an issue regarding Hyper-Humans. She looked around and felt slightly claustrophobic but did not loose any of her happy and kind heart attitude.

Her father got their tickets before they moved into the luggage examination area. She got threw easily but her father was held up as they drug out examination on purpose. It was obvious they viewed him with suspicion but eventually let him through. They pressed through the crowed just in time to board their plane to crescent city. She and her father sat up front in the first class area and she quickly fell asleep. It would be several hours until they arrived at the airport.

Several hours past and she was quietly woken by her father that sat next to her. She opened her eyes and stretched for nearly three minutes before turning her head to look at her dad. She giggled "Thanks... I would have slept until they took off again..." She said before gathering enough strength to stand up and begin taking her things out of the overhead storage. Her father got out next and they left the plane. The airport seemed busy enough but the air carried a sort of tension that Morgan could feel. She wasn't sure what it was but it wasn't something she was worried about.

The next four weeks passed without any interruption other than spikes in violence in many of the cities areas. She didn't think much of it as they were in a great part of the city and very much safe. It only when they tried to leave that they ran into an issue. Over the last few weeks storms formed over the city making it impossible for them to leave on a plane. That being said it forced them to stay even longer than they expected. It was then things began to take a more nasty turn.

Present time:

During the last few hours the events in the city began to take a very nasty turn. She knew she was safe in the suite she and he father had shared for the last two months. It wasnt somthing she loved but it was nice being catered to all the time. The news station suddenly broke into the show she was watching making her groan. That sign of annoyance quickly faded as events covering the protests came onto the screen.

She watched as if sucked into the events unfolding but pushed it out of her mind. The people were just protesting and there was nothing wrong with that. She believed everyone had their own opinion even if they wanted to brutally hurt people like herself. She turned the TV off just as a red bloom caught her attention outside of her window. She stood up and went over to it. It wasn't to far off from where her hotel was. She quickly ran over to her coat rack and took a zip up Under armor wind breaker. She then grabbed her tablet and set of keys before running out of the suite.

Within several minutes she reached the elevator and was out in the street. She looked up at the hotel to get her barrings. She quickly focused in on where she was standing and began to head towards the location of the fire a good distanced away. It wasn't until things seemed to be under control that she got there to see a girl absorbing the flames. She watched in awesome then heard her call out asking if everyone was alright. She couldn't keep her eyes off her and soon found her curiosity over powering the instinctual thought to get out of there.

She approached the girl and just looked at her "Well, That was awesome.. Well... I just caught the end of it... I don't know what cool about fire and stuff but still." She said trying to at least make herself speak normally through her excitement. "I didn't know humans could do that!" She said to the girl.

 

[Olissa]

Of all the stupid things that she could have done and reasoned to pretend it was smart, this topped it all. Why in the world had she convinced herself that walking outside, in the pouring rain, on her own, would ever be a good idea? Especially since a car had been provided by the organization and she had gotten her driver's license as part of the mission.
'D'r is niks minder opvallend dan een voetganger buiten in een verdomde storm. Heel slim van je.' (Translation: 'There's nothing is less suspicious than a pedestrian outside in the middle of a flipping storm. Nice going brain.') Emma thought to herself a she pulled her coat tighter to herself.

She had reasoned that there likely wouldn't be a lot of parking spots available near the City Hall, and not to mention the fact that the riots could possibly wreck the car. That reasoning would have made perfect sense, had it not been for that tiiiiny detail. Namely the downpour and immense distance from her apartment to where the riots were taking place.
Sighing she continued on her way. It was her mission to remain inconspicuous, unnoticed, undercover. This was far from being inconspicuous. Luckily, no one else was stupid enough to be out and about in this ungodly storm.

By now Emma had just about reached Nevermind a club, cafe, or was it called bar? Didn't matter, a minor linguistic detail she'd worry about another time. It had been reformed to a temporary relief center in Los Paraíso. She had no intention of dropping by, so Emma walked right on, focussing on her objective, and what the shortest route would be.
She still wasn't quite used to the immense distances, which had been part of her mistake. Back home going to the middle of a city took time too, but it didn't feel like a 3 hour drive just to cross from east to west. In the Netherlands it took roughly 3 hours to drive from one end of the country to the other.

By the time she had passed three or four more buildings a bright flash of light followed less than a second later by a massive clap of thunder had rudely awoken Emma from her thoughts.
Right, she might be stupid enough to go and walk through the rain, but she wasn't stupid enough to stay outside with lightning so close by.
She turned half around and looked behind her for a good shelter. Home would be better, but that was a little farther out of her way than she wanted to walk right now.
Her eye fell on the sign of Nevermind. That would do perfectly. Without wasting another moment Emma made a beeline for the entrance, making a bit more of a dramatic entrance than she had intended.

Once the door was closed behind her the blonde stood in the entrance way looking like a drowned cat. Or was it rat? Almost the same. Either way what she wished for now was a pair of of dry clothes, but she couldn't exactly just magically poof a pair of clean dry pants on her without being really suspicious. If she had been smart she would have brought a bag to pretend that held her change of clothing, and while she was tempted to summon her backpack, having a dry backpack would be suspicious too. If only she had brought one or... Wait, that was it. Last year on one of the outings it had rained and her backpack had gotten wet.
Keeping one hand behind her Emma glanced around the place. One of the guys seemed to be making a fuss and his eyes looked like they were glowing? Maybe was just the lighting reflecting in an odd way in his eyes. But a maybe was all she needed to report tonight. Maybes could mean Hypes after all. And none of her file matched this disgruntled guy's description.

Everything had calmed down by the time that Emma made her way over to the bar with her newly summoned wet backpack. A guy with a kid were heading out back, so chances were she wouldn't be able to catch him, but there were a few others near by that she could ask. "Hi, excuse me. Could anyone tell me where I might be able to find the toilets? I'd like to change into something a little more dry." She held the backpack up that she had used during the camping trip. Thank goodness she had removed the tin pot before she had summoned the bag or she'd be rattling all over the place.

 

[PlayingMonster]

In the chaos of everything that was happening, nobody appeared to have heard Abby. She was considering asking again, when she heard a Scottish accent from behind her. "Well, That was awesome.. Well... I just caught the end of it... I don't know what cool about fire and stuff but still. I didn't know humans could do that!" As she turned around, she pulled her scarf up yet again, making sure that it covered the majority of her face once again.

"Thank you, but-" She got a better look at the girl and was taken aback. She appeared to be a few years younger than Abby. "I'm not.. uh, strictly human. And anyway, you shouldn't be out tonight." Was it her imagination, or was her own accent strengthening? She shook it off. It had to be her imagination. Either that or the excess energy flowing through her body was messing with her voice. Either could be true.

She sighed. "C'mon, I can bring you home. We can't have you accidentally wandering into a riot or anything." She was about to ask if the girl had anything against motorbikes, before remembering that her spare helmet was somewhere in her apartment. She sighed once again. "I don't have a spare helmet, so we're walking. C'mon."

 

[Mook-LandStrider]

Morgan MacConnel, SkyBlue

Morgan

Morgan tilted her head to the side as the older girl spoke to her. She giggled "Oh, I saw on the news.. I am fully aware of what is going on. Oh, I also see you are different.. That's alright on my end at least. All of us are a little crazy." She said with a large smile. Her cheerful attitude making itself apparent. She then looked up at the words 'Strictly' and 'Human'. She couldn't help but giggle again "Oh, its easy to tell. Like I said we are all alittle different.. But, if you insist on taking me home then I cant turn that down." She said before turning around.

"Uhm... Is there any kind of advanced helmet.. like.. do you know of a helmet that has like... a microchip in it.. or anything like that..?" She said before turning around again in the middle of a step. "I can help if you can describe it or atleast tell me that it is a- Know what.. to hell with it." She said before shaking her head and just pushing her thoughts out of her mind. "It wont work that way anyway. I dont think so atleast." She said before realizing she was rambling on.

"Riots? Do you mean the protest...? I don't know of any riots. The only thing close to a riot I saw earlier was the protest at city hall. It may have escalated but I think it is all still around." She continued on. She didn't care if it was even slightly annoying. She was a talker down to the core and her Scottish accent was prevalent the entire time she spoke. It was only then that she picked on what the girl said before and the accent that it carried. She narrowed her eyes "Well, Its nice to meet another Lass of Scotland..." She said finally letting her Accent run freely.

She put her hands on her hips and smiled "Its nice to meet you.. I am Morgan MacConnel." She said before extending her hand. She tilted her head to the side as she began to think on something. "You are one of those Hyper Humans aren't you... That's neat.. I thought there weren't many others.." She said without directly referencing herself but leaving the bait there.