[h1][color=lightgray]Carl Semken[/color] and [color=dimgray]Sam Clarke[/color][/h1] 
[sub](Collab between Maxx and SepticGentleman)[/sub]
 
[@Mr Allen J][@He Who Walks Behind]
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[color=lightgray]"Shock Top summer."[/color] Carl issued as his drink, [color=lightgray]"Oh and uh... kids are coming home from soccer practice tonight. Yeah."[/color] The bartender nodded with a bit of a smirk, and he continued down the line.

[color=dimgray]"That sounded suspiciously like a secret code,"[/color] Sam said as the bartender placed the beer in front of him.

[color=lightgray]"Heh."[/color] Carl responded, nodding a bit. [color=lightgray]"Long-running thing, uh..."[/color] He took a glance in the other direction, then turned back and whispered to Sam, [sub][color=lightgray]"You play poker?"[/color][/sub]

[color=dimgray]"Every once in a while,"[/color] Sam replied. [color=dimgray]"Why?"[/color] He took a drink of his beer and looked up at the TV. CNN was on, and it was showing Rafael's interview. Sam wasn't a fan of the pompous asshole, but he sure was good at his job.

[sub][color=lightgray]"Well some of the "parents" like to "buy dinner" for the "kids" when they "come home". Sometimes it's cheap shit, other times... you get the picture."[/color][/sub] Sam picked up on the code and smirked.

[color=dimgray]"I see."[/color]

[color=lightgray]"Heh, yeah."[/color] Carl's drink arrived, and he took a sip through his lips. Wherever they were, behind the static. [color=lightgray]"Bring your kids. It'll be fun."[/color] He took a look up at the interview going on and shook his head a bit. [color=lightgray]"Fuckin' Fiends. This is one big joke."[/color]

[color=dimgray]"Joke's got one hell of a punchline if you ask me,"[/color] Sam said, looking up at a scene from the attack. [color=dimgray]"I'll tell you, man, I've fought a lot of pretty powerful metas back in Mendel, but they're nothing like these guys. We need to stomp them out ASAP before more people get hurt."[/color]

[color=lightgray]"I know. Biggest thing for me besides this was a technopath up in Seattle. Dealing with that chickenshit was the worst fucking thing because the NEST branch there is so... [i]thin[/i]. At least, the amount of metas available to go on ops."[/color] He took another sip and watched the television some more. [color=lightgray]"At least here there's a suitable force. What is it, one percent meta? Nine-thousand-something? That's fuckin' high."[/color]

[color=dimgray]"Yeah, this city's crawling with them,"[/color] Sam said. [color=dimgray]"Thousands. More than Mendel or Black Fall."[/color] At that moment, the front door opened and CONDOR walked in from a phone call. He put the phone away in a pocket in his jacket and looked up at Sam.

"Just got off of the phone with EAGLE," CONDOR said. "KINGFISHER is sending reinforcements to help us take down the Fiends."

[color=dimgray]"Awesome!"[/color] Sam replied. [color=dimgray]"Who are they sending?"[/color]

"RAVEN and SUNBIRD," CONDOR replied. "They were going to send more, but there's been a flareup in Vanguard activity." CONDOR sat down to the right of Carl.

[color=dimgray]"We should be fine. Five KINGFISHER agents is plenty."[/color] He looked back up at the TV. More coverage of Verthaven. Sam groaned. [color=dimgray]"Hey, bartender,"[/color] he said [color=dimgray]"can you put the Rangers game on."[/color] The bartender nodded and changed the channel on the remote. The Texas Rangers were playing the Baltimore Orioles. It was the start of the second inning, and the Rangers were up by one.

[color=lightgray]"Fuckin' KINGFISHER."[/color] Carl piped up, [color=lightgray]"Little I heard, sounds like the best branch in NEST."[/color]

"Well we have a lot more liberty than most government agencies do," CONDOR said. "We also have the highest rate of death on the job, though. We get sent into all of the nasty places. Mendel, Stadium City, now Verthaven." The bartender walked over to CONDOR. He ordered the special.

[color=lightgray]"Still, wouldn't mind a shot myself one day. So far it's been too spare around the west coast, but this Fiend thing just came rushin' in."[/color] Another sip. [color=lightgray]"What, uh, would be the status on name availability? Just birds, right?"[/color]

[color=dimgray]"The bird thing was an idea that the boss came up with,"[/color] Sam said. [color=dimgray]"Prevents our enemies from finding out our identities if they find any important papers or something. But yeah, it's birds. I'm FALCON, he's CONDOR, the boss is EAGLE, she's NIGHTINGALE," he gestured to Anastasia. "The comm guy is ALBATROSS."[/color]

[color=lightgray]"Ah."[/color] Carl replied, [color=lightgray]"So, uh... if I joined, whaddya think I'd be?"[/color] Sam and Condor exchanged glances. Both smirked.

[color=dimgray]"Definitely KINGFISHER BOOBY."[/color] Sam said, trying hard not to laugh.

[color=lightgray]"Ha-ha, yeah, fuck you too."[/color]

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[h1][color=crimson]Veronica Marlowe (Red)[/color][/h1]
[@Maxx]
[hr]
The cistern wasn't the largest under the city, but that was for the best. Smaller meant it was easier to patrol and defend. The stagnant little pool in the center wasn't too deep, but it was enough for Red to hold someone down and drown them. The cistern was constructed in a cross formation, with two lower tunnels, one upper tunnel, and the little enclave on the fourth end that housed Veronica. It was never pleasant, and most likely never would be. But the surface, to her, wasn't the better option. She couldn't face [i]people[/i] anymore. Too much time spent traveling. Too many close encounters. Too many-

A thud. Came from one of the lower tunnels.

Veronica perked up, looking at Red. The hulking brute turned and headed for the tunnel, not passing the corner. He peeked his head a little out of the way to see that someone had dropped down from one of the above manholes. A sickly man, with a mask. Almost immediately, another man jumped down and joined him. Then four more figures, and two... [i]glassy[/i] things.

A sense of fear arose in Veronica, but it was quickly replaced by an intense rage within Red. The brute turned the corner, looking down and over at the group of trespassers, opened its mouth, and [i]roared[/i].