[i] "The Awakening has revolutionized warfare, that is a fact. Savant-type superhumans with technical prowess routinely churn out advances in drones, exoskeletons, weapons, vehicles and more that were decades away before the Awakening. Sorcerers and Psychics allow us to command troops, oversee operations, and scout out the field of battle in a more efficient and reliable manner than ever before. Flyers of all kinds give us aerial recon and support capabilities on an unprecedented scale. Ghosts, Shadows, and Chameleons, have provided actionable intelligence to an astonishing degree. Gate and Flash Teleporters can transport men, munitions, and supplies faster than we ever could before. Astrokenetics can change the weather to favor us while Chlorokinetics raise food supplies. Technopaths have made Military communications and data safe from enemy interference. Elementals and Blasters provide firepower to match armored divisions while Zenith-types are basically one man armies. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. The Awakening changed the way the Military has done things in supply, transport, communications, intelligence, strategy and much much more. It has opened countless new options to conduct war on land, on the sea, in the air, in cyberspace, and even in magic and the very minds of men. Simply put brave, experienced, skilled, and loyal supersoldiers have assured the place of the United States of America as the world's most dominant military power. Our friends abroad, both legitimate governments and insurgents, have also made use of Superhuman firepower, but the SOC stands ready to defend our nation." [/i] - [b] Colonel George B. Lincoln, codename "Centurion", commandant of the Superhuman Operations Corps. [/b] 

[b] Rainmaker's Team [/b] 

Rainmaker looked at Gabriel, "We're not leaving all up to the CPD but it would be best to have their assistance in this investigations. Besides, Olympia's suspects were teleported out and left no physical trace, the only leads we have right now are these boys here. And their connection with the Outfit." With that Rainmaker turned and headed back to the VTOL her team in tow. 

[b] Pariah's victims [/b] 

Chrome screamed in sudden pain as Furious's grip tightened on his metal ankle, the youth's enhanced strength managing to indent even his steel hide. Chrome wrenched his ankle from Furious's hand, cracking the bones even further. He delivered a kick with his damaged limb that would hopefully knock the weakened Furious out of the fight. Then he picked the teenager up by mainstrength and flung him away down the street. Chrome winced and shifted his weight to favor his uninjured side. The ankle was still mostly intact but he did not want to risk further damage. He readied himself for another attack as best as he could. 

Changeling's direct assault on not one but two experienced and deadly superheroes with no backup went about as well as could be expected. In a word, horribly. Changeling had loosed his arrows with strength beyond a normal human. Strength to tear clean through flesh and shatter bone. But Bulwark was no normal human. Bulwark saw the arrow and let it strike him in the knee, the arrow broke against his durable skin, skin tough enough to laugh off assault weapon fire and withstand even grenade and rocket explosions. Ember hadn't tried to dodge either. She flung an intense beam of fire that burn the arrow apart before it ever hit her. 

The two looked at each other and Bulwark flung his mighty hammer from one side while Ember sent a fireball from the other side. Faerie that he was he may have not been as effected by fire as a human but his skin burned all the same. Bulwark's hammer, with it's speed, flung by superstrong force, and so heavy no normal man could lift it, would almost certainly take Changeling out of the fight should it strike him. Either way being hit by one of both attacks would be a very bad thing. If he survived a tactical withdrawal might have been the best course of action. Especially since attacking the pair of them put him near the rest of their team and who, if they had been real terrorists, would rip Changeling apart with their combined power. Nonetheless, if he managed to raise their attention his chances of finishing without serious injury would plumment. 

Strix's arrival turned the tide. Bastion had seen the bomb coming and assumed the worse turning her shield opaque and sealed against sight and sound, her shield holding steady against the explosion. Her teammates did not fare as well. His cryo bombs managed to freeze Extrusion up again and Apogee broke free. She crushed the now mostly immobile elastic man into a ball and kicked him all the way back down the street where he bowled over a squad of henchmen as well as conveniently smothering a portion of the flame that entrapped Morph.

 He instantly turned back into his blob form and started wreaking havoc on the enemy along with other heroes who had gotten back on their feet, such as Oni, Warp, Eclipse, Belladonna, and the giant Nuetro. Shocker, Frost, Adamant and Aquamarine were forced to combat them and for the moment the two forces were on equal standing though it could not last as the trainer's henchmen were still there in force. Without support the heroes would probably last several minutes before being defeated again, their chances would be even lower if Bulwark and Ember rejoined them especially since the latter could free Extrusion from his icy bondage. 

Strix's assault on Colossus was similarly effective. Colossus had managed to see it coming but was much to large to dodge. He did what any man would do and hunched over with his hands over his groin, protecting that most tender and vital part of the male anatomy. But that only presented an easier target as the electric attacks shocked him and he screamed in pain. His scream was enough to rattle eardrums and break the windows of every nearby car. It was silenced by Bullseyes concussive arrow that knocked him onto his gigantic back. Bullseye fired gas and web arrows to make sure the giant stayed down. Now free the team all turned their attention to Bastion and focused their attacks. 

The barrier shook and shuddered but Bastion never saw the punch that would send Bastion's sphere flying through a nearby building and into the wall of the training room. Bastion had been flung around like inside her durable sphere and when her barrier hit the wall, it flickered out of existence as she blacked out and hit the floor. The barrier around the bus flickered out of existence as well. Gunmen had rifles trained on the heroes from inside the bus and a man stood in the doorway, holding a detonator up along with a raised pistol, his thumb hovered over the button, "Stay back or I blow this bus with everyone on it! Anyone make any move and these people are all dead! I guarantee you that I can push this button faster than anything you can do." Apogee and her team froze in place. Up until now momentum and speed had been the team's greatest advantage and that momentum had been robbed. 

In the field of battle seconds can mean an eternity and any pause could spell death. As it was having a heated argument in the middle of a pitched battle was not the best of ideas. In fact it was only marginally less of a horrible idea than facing the enemy with eyes closed and hands behind the back while hopping on one foot. While the trio of heroes argued inanely they managed to attract the attention of Adamant and Sentinel. Sentinel started flying at them. The telekinetic was more formidable than any one of them singularly and probably all of them combined and lingering was an even more horrible idea than arguing mid-battle.