[i]PREVIOUSLY...[/i] Polo's right thumb was twitching. While he knew that this wasn't usually too big of a deal, today it was something to be concerned about. He flexed the appendage, the smooth pulls of his artificial muscles pulling the artificial plating, and moving his fingers. [i]Thirty-five muscles in the human hand[/i], he mused. [i]Seventeen in the palm, eighteen in the forearm. Not a single muscle in any of the fingers.[/i] He rotated his thumb around, and used his left hand to flex it a little, working the movement to try and find the hitch. [i]My hand, though, may have a few extra.[/i] He clenched the fist suddenly, and it gripped like a vice. Then he released the tension and worked the fingers again. Still - The twitch in his thumb was there. [i]This is going to prove annoying.[/i] Polo stood from the couch, and began pacing back and forth. He picked up the hand grip from the coffee table and began squeezing it with his left hand, ignoring the minor twitch in his right. The muscles bulged a little in his forearm with each squeeze, and for a moment, he wondered if perhaps the twitch was just a nerve pulse issue that he'd have to look into. The problem was, there was a glitch in the system somewhere - And right now, he didn't have the time to go and fix it. He dropped the grip back onto the table, and raked his fingers through his dark brown hair. [i]He should have contacted me by now.[/i] Any other time, Polo would have just gone then and there back into his workroom and run a diagnostic. He would identify the issue, and fix it. The entire process would probably take about an hour. But this, unfortunately, wasn't any other time. In all reality, he probably shouldn't be pacing about the room, either. But this whole thing had him understandably on-edge. He was awaiting a contact. And this one was important. Suddenly, there was a flickering of blue on the couch. Polo glanced at the clock on his wall. [i]Well, only twenty-eight minutes late. Seems like my buddy's been busy.[/i] The flickering continued as Polo finally sat down. He ignored his thumb and focused instead on the rapidly materializing hologram in front of him - The black-clad, trench coat-wearing, eye-patched form of Cyrus Locke. "You'll have to forgive me for being fashionably late," said Locke. "The game's started, just as I was afraid of." "It's nice to see you, too, Locke," smirked Polo. Locke didn't seem all that amused at the lame attempt at humor. His remaining eye seemed coldly serious. Polo chuckled slightly before simply waving. "Go ahead." "I'm sure you've heard the news by now. The target plans to bring as many Operatives as he can under his control, and if he succeeds we're going to have our work cut out for us." Several profiles appeared beside Locke's hologram, with faces rotating beside code names - [i]Citrine, Ghost, Hannibal.[/i] [i]A madman with his own super team of killers[/i], thought Polo. [i]Sure, what could possibly go wrong?[/i] "The Operatives are powerful," continued Locke. "He could consider a coup d'état easily with his new team to do the dirty work." Polo scanned over the operatives - This situation could get out of hand quickly, especially in a city the size of New York. Plenty of civilian risk, close-quarters engagements with these kind of operatives could end up with a significant body count - Not something that Polo was looking forward to. "What does the guy want?" "I don't know his goals," replied Locke. "This target is unpredictable. But action must be taken, and this is where I need you, Alter." Polo had never been particularly fond of his code name. It hadn't been his choice, but the name had stuck as soon as his team had heard it. The number of times he'd been called "Alter Boy," too, were not his favorite memories. He'd tried to distance himself from it, but Locke was insistent - The name was a good fit. "Tell me what you need," said Polo, quickly. Avoiding the name issue. Suddenly there was a knock on Polo's door, which he glanced towards. "Answer it," said Locke. "It's the delivery man." Polo stood and walked to the door, where he found a small parcel sitting on his porch, about the size of his fist. His thumb was still twitching slightly as he picked up the box and shut the door. Inside was a small device, circular with a small antenna. Polo turned it over and recognized it immediately as based on his own design. "A hacking beacon. You could have just let me put one together real quick, Locke. Would have saved you the postage." Locke ignored that. "With that device, I'll be able to lock on your location and hack information from all databases in your vicinity. Your task is simple. Head to Magnet Theater, west New York. The facility is underneath. When you get there, activate the beacon." "Don't you have your own agents for this kind of thing?" Polo spun the beacon in his palm. "He's looking for former Obsidian Operatives. My agents would be found out far too easily. I need someone he won't get a bad vibe from." "If you say so," replied Polo. "But I don't think getting all of us old guard into the same room is such a great idea." Locke tilted his head to the side, frowning. "I will convince the Operatives as best I can, but our target has a silver tongue when it suits his whims. Regardless, I'll see you at the facility, Alter. We'll stop this bastard, one way or another." "Wait a second," said Polo. "Who is this guy that we're going after?" "He calls himself Laraxis," said Locke. The hologram faded out, and the apartment fell silent once more. Polo was stunned for a second, but upon hearing that name, his eyes became laser-focused. That was a name that he was all too familiar with. It was now obvious why Locke had asked for his help specifically. If they were going to be taking on this threat, Polo was uniquely qualified for the job. [i]Laraxis...[/i] He picked up his jacket from his chair, and made his way to the door. The memory of a fateful handshake just a single year ago flashed through his mind. It seemed that he'd be returned back to the viper's lair to settle a score. The good thing was, Laraxis didn't even know that they were playing a game yet. [i]Time to change that.[/i] As he turned the handle, and walked outside, he made a mental note that he wouldn't remember for another hour. It seemed that his thumb had finally stopped twitching. ----- [i]NOW...[/i] The first operative to arrive at Laraxis' little soirée wa not exactly who Polo would have suspected. A tap on his arm brought up the facial identification on his glasses, with a readout as the woman walked forward. [b][i]Katherina Ady aka "Citrine" - 22, Female - Hyper-precognitive abilities and emotive sensing. Possible translation into hyper-responsive reflexes and intuition.[/i][/b] The profile was a reminder that none of these operatives were to be underestimated, and engagement with each had to be handled with the utmost care. Laraxis had seemed pleased to see him again, but there was no need for a dramatic introduction for these two. Instead, Polo, calling himself only "Alter," Watched this new meeting. He snickered briefly before just shaking his head. [i]This is going to get messy.[/i] Polo watched from the side as the blonde approached Laraxis, not drawing too much attention from the others. "I see you got my gift," said Laraxis as smooth as ice. Citrine smirked right back. "I was so intrigued, Mr. Laraxis. 'Twas very generous of you, to be sure. Nothing's free these days, however, and I know there's a catch." He waved her off, shaking his head. "No catch, no catch. Please, do you think of me so negatively? I have only an innocent proposal, one which I'll give once more of your brethren arrive." He gestured to a tea tray beside him. "Do you take sugar?" "Hah, I don't know if we were that close." Citrine scoffed. "No, straight with a shot of peach Schnapps please." The meaty sound of bodies dropping near the lift caught Polo's attention, but aside from the three unconscious guards in a pile, there was nothing there. [i]Ghost...?[/i] Polo quickly tapped into infrared, but couldn't see anything at first. It wasn't until he caught a shimmering eight-foot tall outline near Citrine that he realized what had occurred. The profile was just a split-second behind his thoughts. [i]Hannibal.[/i] [i][b]Henry Olin aka "Hannibal" - 26, Male - Lizard/amphibious based abilities with near meta-human strength, speed, senses and agility. Possible durability through ichthyosis. Capable of water-breathing, wall-crawling, and light-reflection camouflage.[/i][/b] "Citrine," said the creature, shimmering into visibility. "I'm hurt." Hannibal looked from Citrine, to Laraxis, and then back to Citrine again, before noticing the tea. If Polo had to guess, he was playing at a mix of intimidation and evaluation. He couldn't recall if the goliath was particularly fond of herbs and hot water. "Remarkable boy," said Hannibal with a playful seriousness. "I do admire your courage in calling us here. I think I'll eat your heart." Polo rolled his eyes. This kind of humor was exactly Hannibal - It seemed the years hadn't changed much about Obsidian's resident lizard man. Hannibal seemed to reconsider his feigned taunt and stepped back slightly. "Then again," he said. "All good things to those who wait." "Oh Hannibal, you and your eating people's hearts." Polo noticed their third guest. [i][b]Celeste Adaran aka "Cheshire" - 24, Female - Electrical abilities. Electrical absorption, detection, and emission.[/i][/b] This was an operative that Polo hadn't worked with. But apparently, she was plenty familiar with Hannibal. [i]Then again, who isn't?[/i] "I do have to say," she continued with serious intent. "Cooked cow heart is pretty darn good. I don't think I could bring myself to cannibalism though. Long time no see to all y'all." Polo couldn't read the expressions on the others. "Hey Laxaris," continued Cheshire. "Are you the one that did that television stunt? Pretty crazy IMO. Is that Kill Switch thingy really back in action?" A little perturbed that Laraxis hadn't taken the time to introduce him, Polo finally realized he needed to make himself known. "It's most certainly in action," said Polo calmly, stepping toward the tea. "Live and operational, the KSP is fully functional with a global range." He grinned slightly towards Cheshire. "So I wouldn't bother making a run for it anytime soon."