"Are you absolutely positive it was him?"

Brand nodded yet again trying to reaffirm their suspicions. "It's the same guy. The mans face has been burned into our minds since that day twelve years ago. There is no way we'd forget." He paused looking at each of them. Skylar had her doubts, not wanting to risk anymore lives for such a large task. She knew the history of their group even when she hadn't been around long enough to let it affect her. Back when their numbers were staggering, they traveled in not one but two groups that worked together seamlessly. In this way, their moving around helped to cover more ground and in case something happened to one group, it didn't happen to the other. The Doc was indifferent about it but understood the rules Cypher had laid down. He wasn't going to stop his brand of justice from being served and the thought of getting his hands on someone who could emit radiation enticed him. Cypher himself had seen what this "glowing man" was capable of and had been wanting to find the man since that day as well. "He wiped out everyone in our camp... everyone." Brand continued. "If that bitch is still alive, he deserves to die."

[b]"And I agree. Cliff is still out there?"[/b] Brand nodded.

"He last reported his intentions to follow the man back. Says he too saw the city where the entire group was headed, retreating from the dead it seems. They suffered some injuries and had to return to shelter."

Cypher stared down at the round table they were seated at. In between them all was a rather large map of what was once Louisiana. It's surface was marked in different colored inks telling of where they'd lost a man, what they discovered and where, the possible locations of the city. Only today, all the other markings didn't matter. He picked up the red ink pen laying next to the map and drew a large circle over what was once New Orleans.

[b]"According to Cliff's reports and those of the woman you three captured earlier today, this is the final location of the City."[/b] It felt odd letting the words slip from his mouth. He'd been searching for Paradise for years, watching his family die, his friends captured, enslaved or murdered just to find a place that was supposed to be safe. Now that he'd finally found it, he didn't feel joy like he thought he would. Instead, in place of the happiness that once resided within him, there was this spark, this small flame building up within. Hatred perhaps? No... it wasn't hatred. When he really thought about it, the idea of the city finally being within his grasp made him a bit melancholy oddly enough. There was so much hate, all this sadness and remorse surrounding his people about the city, like this bag of luggage they were all dragging behind them. It only made sense that freeing themselves of the city would lift them of their burden. Return the favor that years of searching for a fabled land did to them.

[b]"It will be heavily guarded I'm sure and most of the inhabitants are metahumans much like our old friend. We won't know for sure what we're up against until Cliff returns. Until then we can expect to be up against [i]heavy[/i] resistance. Winged warriors, sentient beasts hundreds of people ready to defend what they believe is their rightful home. We can't fight them with just ourselves without risking everyone's lives in the process. Luckily for us there is an alternative."[/b]

"The devices..." Doc chimed in with pride. He was immediately shot down.

[b]"No. We're not using those."[/b] 

"What then?" Skylar began. "We don't have the man power we used to and besides those things you two are so secretive about, there is nothing we can do against a walled city housing hundreds of people who are willing to fight. Most of ours can't take up arms on their own."

Cypher nodded toward her, acknowledging her concerns and knowing full well that they were hardly the fighting machine they once were. [b]"The woman informed me of another group somewhere in the waste. I'm not entirely sure where yet. It seems they had plans for the city too. It's a possibility, a slim one, but if we link up with this other group, depending on their numbers, we may have enough to overtake Paradise. That is assuming whoever heads them is willing to a temporary partnership. We won't know who these people are and what they're about until we find them."[/b]

"That slut sleep around with the right men to get that kind of information?" Shea let the poison of her tongue drip freely when it came to their former captive making sure that everyone knew her resentment of the woman. She'd never forget what she'd done to Crystal and she was glad Cypher took her out of the picture.

[b]"Seems she came across a few people from this group, moving away from the city. They'd done some trading before they parted ways."[/b]

"Shit... well if we knew where they'd met, we could track them... but she's dead now unfortunately." Shea shrugged. "Oh well."