Vates stopped for a moment to catch his breath as he snuck along the rooftops. In truth he could have kept going with little trouble but he did not see the point in fatiguing himself. He had been good at running and climbing since long before the event, although he had trained himself to sacrifice speed and power for stealth and fluidity; rarely you would see him bounding from rooftop to rooftop as he would more likely snake between the rooms below or jump from window to window in a quick blink. Vates had his lifestyle and career to thank for that, or moreover his insistence of gathering intel himself.

[b][i]“To our right Edward”[/b][/i] whispered Janus causing Vates to turn and look upon an old hotel named ‘The Buckle’. As his gaze met the sign his eyes turned to white beneath his glasses and he was met with a vision…

[i]Smoke and embers twirled furiously around the hotel as a raging fire engulfed it from within. It’s crackle and roar did little to drown out the screams and cries from within. It was not clear what caused the fire, although three vehicles had appeared to have crashed into the buildings face. Outside limped a single officer carrying a flintlock and he fell to his knees as he gasped desperately at the outside air, his eyes closing in relief as he realised how narrowly he had avoided death. Oblivious to the officer below a man jumped from one of the upper floors with a scream, desperate to escape the inferno, but no further than a metre away from the window had he fell when a smoky form flew out after him, forming into a more human shape as it grabbed the man and yanked him back in.[/i]

Vates shook his head dizzily as he returned to the present, or at least his present. Looking back up at the hotel it appeared to have been untouched by fire and seemed strangely void of life. [i]“You know Janus, if you feel one of these ‘spots’ you can just tell me rather than tricking me.”[/i] said Vates inwardly. Indeed, these ‘spots’ seemed to provide (or rather trigger) easier and more detailed visions than the ‘normal ones’.

[b][i]“I am sorry Edward, but I cannot help but feel like they may have some significance. I still do not understand my powers fully either, and I do not want to risk you ignoring such chances.”[/b][/i] replied Janus with frustration; it appeared to be rare for a Kage to not understand their powers and it strengthened Janus’ previous feelings of weakness and inadequacy. He had always been considered a weak Kage, and it was only due to his age, wisdom and friendship with other Kages that his name was ever recognised.
[i]“I understand, but you’ve got to have more faith in me. I think it’s only fair considering I put faith and trust in you… a spirit from the other side bearing visions and the like who possessed me out of the blue!”[/i]

[b][i]“Maybe I will when you stop jumping to certain death.”[/b][/i]

“You’re not gonna let that go are you?” sighed Vates, continuing to fox along the rooftops towards where he last saw one of the other thug teams. 

---

A mysterious figure stood watching the commotion from atop one of the many mountains of rubble, the natural lay of the land providing her with a height advantage where she could see more clearly. Her sleek black armour was well maintained and was clearly high grade military spec. She also wore a rifle on her back and a [url=http://colmseeley.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/tali-raw.jpg]strange jet black helmet[/url] upon her head. From where she stood in the shade, surrounded by various pieces of rubble on most sides, she was very hard to spot. She watched as the M.A.T sent shockwaves through the area and wondered what the unit was up to. There were civilians running around frantically and she didn’t blame then at all. From the corner of her eye she spotted another two running across the rooftops. “Interesting… but not what I’m looking for” she sighed.