[b]Lost Haven, Maine - Little Sicily [/b]

Chike Baatul stood in the middle of the street, his arms crossed and his eyes narrow. Frost covered the rooftops, the streets and the sidewalks, but Chike was undeterred by the cold. The Fire of Hephaestus was his warmth. Chike glanced to his right and left, examining the block. All along the sidewalks were barrels filled with fire at random intervals. Gathered around these barrels were the followers of Ares, bundled in their heaviest coats and trying to keep warm. From what little Chike had learned of his companions, he knew that the majority of them were homeless, runaways, or ex-gangsters. There were only around twenty three of the hundred or so that had steady jobs, and only five or six had families. Until the Automatons finished the temple, the people couldn't focus on repairing the apartment buildings and other abandoned structures, so they were stuck out in the cold while they were on their lunch break. 
	
While Chike was skeptical of moving all of Ares' followers, present and future, to this block, Ares was of a different opinion. The God of War seemed to think that Hephaestus' money and proximity to Ares' shrine would be enough to persuade the lot of them to move in there and establish a small, niche community in the heart of Lost Haven's Olympia.  Of course, there was the issue of the scum that already inhabited the block’s many abandoned storefronts and apartment buildings.  They were gangsters, junkies and thieves. A few of them were honest folk without a place to go, but not many. But Chike knew the value of those kinds of people: they were looking for a means to an end. They need money, so they take it. They want to escape reality, so that live their lives on a constant acid trip. 

Chike and Ares were in agreement: they would make perfect recruits.

Just then, Varnia came flying down and landed on Chike’s shoulder.

[b]"Hey, Chike.[/b]

[color=aba000]"Hey. Did you find anything?"[/color]

[b]"Yep. One of our boys ran into about twelve of 'em over on 18th. They were camped out inside a rundown Deli."[/b]

[color=aba000]"Were they armed?"[/color]

[b]"One of them tried to bludgeon Billy with a pipe. Says it had all the smells of a junkie hang out."[/b]

[color=aba000]"Right, guess we can deal with this on our own, then."[/color]

[b] 18th Street. [/b]

Chike stepped towards the Deli, looking it over. The building was in as severe a state of disrepair on any building one would find on that same block. The sign stuck into the ground by the entrance to the small parking lot read "Mac's Deli" in green and red letters. Under it, however, were the words "Stay out" in black. The last message was obviously applied using spray paint. Chike stepped onto the dead grass and then onto the broken asphalt of the parking lot. The sad excuse for an eatery had a torn umbrella-like covering over the entrance. The glass doors that led inside were both shattered, with the glass left cluttered around the front of the store. Most of the windows had holes in them, implying there had been some sort of violence since this sector of the city was abandoned. Chike also noted that the building appeared to have been burnt at one point.

Chike kept one hand on his sword's hilt as he proceeded past the parking lot and into the deli's entrance. He had opted to leave his sword and shield at home, so that he wouldn't have to deal with the extra burden that would affect his agility. The African warrior looked about at the wrecked furnishings and flipped over tables. The glass under the counter where food had been displayed was scattered across the floor, alongside the glass from the doors. The cash register was smashed open, and all the contents were missing. The wooden counter fared no better. Chike began to wonder if the residents had bugged out after Billy had found their hiding spot. In one swift movement, Polemos hopped over the counter and began to look around the kitchen.

In truth, Chike wasn't surprised to find some kind of makeshift lab inside the kitchen. He suspected they were making their own products, and perhaps had been selling said product as well. He walked over to the stove and looked upon the boiling pot that sat there with confusion. Someone had left the stove on, with some strange yellow liquid boiling inside. How were they even getting electricity out here? This place had been taken off the grid years ago.

There was a crash from behind Chike, who promptly whipped around and balled his fists, startled by the sound.

Standing there was a man who looked like he'd just crawled from the pits of Tartarus. His skin was deathly pale, his brown hair was unnaturally thin, and his eyes were bloodshot. He was so skinny, the term 'skin and bones' could be taken literally. The man growled, showing his teeth.

[color=aba000]"Are you...Alright?"[/color] Chike asked wearily. He had to be on something, right? Chike wasn't too familiar with the affects of modern drugs, but the way the man held himself suggested something closer to insanity than ecstasy. While Chike was distracted by his thoughts, the man pulled a syringe from his coat pocket, his hands shaking profusely.[b]"This is MY home! You won't take it from me!"[/b] The man screamed, driving the needling into his neck and interesting the yellow liquid. Chike stood still, unsure of what to do besides wait.

That was when the man began to change.

First, the skin on his left arm started to ripple. It was quite disgusting, watching it stretch and move as it did, causing the limbs to grow in length. Next, bulges began to rise and sink rapidly, all over the arm. It stabilized after a moment, thankfully, leaving behind an arm that could rival Polemos' in size. The same was repeated with the other arm. Then the man's legs began to change in a similar manner, only this time he started to grow taller. The junkie's chest followed, growing large enough to break rip his coat up quite substantially, leaving behind nothing but rags and ribbons. The man's feet grew to a size where they caused the shoes' material to stretch around them and break open at the toe. The man's head and neck were last; his face stretched and his head grew and his neck grew as well to compensate. The nightmarish growth took around thirty seconds, and left a 5'8 and approximately 160 pound man as a 6'5 242 pound giant. 

[b]"This our home! You leave or you die!"[/b] the monstrous man gurgled, stomping towards Chike.

At this point, the warrior was at an impasse. He knew the man needed to be neutralized, that much was for sure. But he didn't want to hurt the man: Chike had so many questions for him. [color=aba000]"I do not wish to hurt you! We can talk this through-"[/color] Chike began, raising his hands to keep himself from looking like a threat. His exposed position didn't seem to garner any sympathy from his attacker, hower.[b]"RAAAAWWWW!"[/b] He screamed, before bringing his arm back and nailing Chike in the nose. The Greek Avatar when flying backwards through the concrete wall of the building, and slammed into the wall of the adjacent building, cracking the bricks behind him with the force of his landing.[i][color=aba000]Alright, so he's a meta..Or is that just from the syringe he took?[/color][/i] The man came charging through the hole in the wall, arm held forward stiffly as if he were some sort of running-back. He was fast. Much faster than any bruiser meta Chike had ever fought.

With a kick off the ground and another to the wall behind him, Chike expertly leaped over his attack, flipped, and landed in a standing position where he'd been a moment before. Chike's opponent slammed into the brick wall, smashing through it easily and skidding to a halt in the lobby of the apartment building. Chike dashed inside, pursuing him in the hopes of apprehending and questioning the meta. The meta turned, held both hands above his head, and then struck the ground. The resulting shockwave threw the charging Chike down onto the ground, right on his back. The meta immediately followed up by leaping into the air, and trying to smash Polemos' face in with an overhead smash using both of his fists.

[color=aba000]"You try my patience."[/color] Chike brought his forearms up to protect his head, locking them in an 'X' pattern. When the meta's fists collide with Chike's forearms, an audible crack can be heard. The meta begins to roar out in pain, stumbling away from Chike. Polemos stood to his feet, keeping his eyes trained on the meta.[color=aba000]"I'm surprised your hands lasted as long as they did, honestly."[/color]Chike said sympathetically.[color=aba000]"If you come with me, I know some people who cou-"[/color] Chike went silent as the meta started to flex his fingers, a string of cracking noises alongside the motion.[b]"My bones not stay broke."[/b]The meta explained in broken English.

[color=aba000]"Interesting."[/color]Chike muttered, cracking his neck. Maybe he'd get an actual fight for once.

The Greek warrior sprange forward, unleashing a mighty battle cry as he flew towards his formidable enemy. He brought his fist back, before striking the meta in the face with a powerful haymaker. The meta was sent flying through the lobby, and then through the opposite wall. Chike watched as the meta was flung through three buildings before finally stopping at a dumpster, which he dented horribly, bending the metal in the most awkward way possible. Polemos ran after the meta, catching up to his broken body quickly. Chike listened as the meta's bones began to repair themselves, and his swollen face began to heal. Chike immediately regretted hitting the meta as hard as he did. Those kinds of punching were for men like Icon, not some city level punk with a healing factor and some big muscles. [color=aba000][i]Ares.[/i][/color] Polemos thought, contacting his master. [color=aba000][i]I need you to knock this guy unconscious. Blunt force trauma isn't cutting it.[/i][/color]

[i][b]Hmmm...[/b][/i] Came the immediate reply. [i][b]Wait until he returns to his human form. The levels at which he's burning off that serum repairing himself means that he should be a pathetic excuse for a human being in a minute or two.[/b][/i]

Just as Ares predicted, the man began to return to normal as soon as his body had healed.[color=aba000]"Alright bud, you're coming with me."[/color] Chike flicked the man in the forehead, knocking him out. He then slung the man over his shoulder and began to walk away. [color=aba000][i]Tell your thugs to avoid 18th street until I can find the other nineteen guys. They might have some of that serum on them too.[/i][/color]