[hr][i][h1][color=dodgerblue]Lihua[/color], [color=red]Meifeng[/color], [color=lawngreen]Sonya[/color], [color=plum]Trevor[/color], [color=springgreen]Cindy[/color], [color=gray]Quentin[/color], [color=darkslateblue]Cass, Reed[/color], [color=cornflowerblue]Shizuka[/color], [color=salmon]Haruka[/color], [color=aqua]Jennifer[/color], & Task Force RAVEN.[/h1][/i][hr] "PR-1's down!" Quentin was among the first to notice, judging by his barking over the comms, gunfire erupting over his voice. The shells on his pouch were well-spent by now and with few shells left, he'd resorted to grabbing an AR from an incapacitated agent's body and opening fire in short bursts. "Well there goes our even playing field!" Sonya said in comms, looking down the scopes of her high powered rifle, a monster was quickly running up on Quentin, and with a little bit of focus and concentration, she managed to take it out. "Got your back Mr. Taylor!" Sonya loudly shouted into the comms. Which got the attention of several beasts as they were climbing their way onto the roof. "Oh, gotta jet." Sonya said to herself as she put her rifle behind her on a strap, then hopped high up into the air onto the next building, leaving behind a grenade for the nasties behind her. There was an explosion and some of the slime got in her hair! Now she knows how those pornstars feel. Lihua was quickly approaching the RAVEN stand. Beasts were clawing up towards her, but she managed to avoid them. "Agent Concrete Dragon approaching fast," She was quick to announce her arrival. She raised her hands up into the air and yanked concrete spikes out of the ground. She made them float in front of her until she formed a "drill." In which she willed to spin as she lowered. She literally drilled herself a path through the endless onslaught of beasts. Echo shot out two quick shots to a beast's chest, finishing it off with a kick to the head that knocked it off. When Lihua approached, he turned his head towards her, and raised an eyebrow at the apparent lack of hostages. "Agent Vuhong, where are the hostages?" "Yooooooo," Meifeng was quick to say. "Where's Jen?" She said, completely uncaring about Shizuka or his twin. "It's unfortunate, but the Changelings have set Ms. Caspin up with a BCB." Lihua bluntly stated. "I can't afford to have that risk anywhere near us. The twins left with her - and I wasn't in the mood to argue with them." "So you just left them?!" Meifeng said, utterly in disbelief because of her mother's callousness. "I had no choice." Lihua hissed back at her. "Bringing her anywhere near us would have put [i]more[/i] people at risk." "Sorry, daling," Sonya chimed in on the comms. "But I gotta agree with the older lass here - hate the see the whole lot of ya' blown to itty bitty bits and pieces." Meifeng couldn't believe what she was hearing. They were so willing to forsake her best friends. "They're dead weight at this point anyway - we need to focus on what's important." Lihua flagged it off, turning her head to face Maximilian. "The hostages are "clear" as they're going to get - there's nothing in the way of setting the bombs off now." Lihua stood, proud and ready. Maximilian sighed. Looks like things were more out of their hands than he thought. Which is why he's going to do all in his power to bring the Changelings down once and for all after this. He reached into his utility belt. "Agent Vuhong, Ms. Keagan, Ms. Vuho... [i]younger[/i] Vuhong, and Agent Savannah - create some shields. Everyone else, brace for an explosion." He said. Quickly, the four went into action. Lihua slammed her foot onto the ground - raising her hands up into the air at the same time - flipping the ground upwards to act as a shield. Cindy had already produced some glass shields - it was just a matter of laying them down to cover the openings in Lihua's stone. Meifeng and Savannah teamed up to create a giant ice dome above them by having Meifeng gather the water around her into a shape - then Savannah freezing it. Others soon pulled back to a safe distance to find suitable cover; Quentin, Cass and Reed chiefly among them. "We're ready." Lihua said. Taking in a deep sigh, Maximilian pondered the weight of his actions. This could be the very end of this disaster. He stared at the red detonator for a few moments, warned them, "Alright, grab onto something, because it's going off in three, two, one..." Before he pressed the button. A second barely passed before every bomb that they had planted exploded. Sending an absolutely colossal shock through the area that went to the furthest parts of Verthaven. RAVEN and the Changeling Unit got the worst of it - which was why Maximilian had them erect shields in the first place, and told them to brace themselves. All that happened to them was that they stumbled a little bit. "Wooo!" Cindy said as she nearly fell over, she quickly caught her balance. Lihua was floating on a rock, so it didn't matter - she was safe from most of the blast. Sonya was in mid-air - and thankfully dodged the blast. She threw a thumbs up to Maximilian as she hit the ground. Meifeng tripped - but was fortunately caught by Trevor and Scarlet. "Gotcha darlin'," Trevor coolly said. "Too old for this..." Cass rasped below bated breath, having almost lost his footing. Reed had offered the old man a hand to steady him, whilst Quentin had no trouble staying on his two feet. As everyone was regaining their balance, Sonya was the first to investigate! She stared down the sights of this glorious rifle of hers! Throughout the battle, the slimies were starting to vibrate erratically, they all started to stumble over and do weird stuff! Best of all, the storm began to thin a little. Sonya continued scanning towards where they set the bombs [i]over[/i] the Devil... "[i]Huh?[/i]" Sonya said to herself. There was no bloody hole in the ground! Not even a small one! It was like they didn't even place a bomb in the first place! "[i]Maxi![/i] We gotta problem!" "Oh for crying out loud..." Maximilian groaned. "What is it [i]now?[/i]" "Not all the bombs went off! The ones over the Devil are gone!" Sonya said. "...[i]Which means she's still alive![/i]" "What the hell!?" Maximilian clenched his fist so tight it felt like it was going to explode. "...In case you are wondering!" Luis loudly said through his megaphone. "During the whole "hostage situation" - which was really just me stalling you poor, poor, fools for long as possible - my Changelings were disabling the bombs!" Luis started loudly laughing into the megaphone. "...Mayfield, shut him up." Maximilian said, annoyed as all hell. Sonya tingled with delight at the prospect of shutting Luis and his ugly mug up. Since there was even [i]less[/i] wind resistance right now, it'd be easier to land a shot in on the bastard. She started aiming the rifle, until the scope was centered dead on his chest. Sonya looked around to see where the wind was blowing - to the left - and adjusted her rifle's aim over to the right. Holding her breath, she steadied her aim, before pulling the trigger. A several inch long 50. cal round made a giant hole in Luis' chest, sending him stumbling backwards as blood sprayed everywhere. He survived, and promptly began to regenerate. "I'd ask you to shoot his megaphone," Lihua said, rolling her eyes. "But we have bigger problems..." Lihua trailed off. "They couldn't have disabled [i]all[/i] the bombs, or else there wouldn't have been an explosion." "And it looks like the few bombs that did go off did [i]somethin'[/i] to the Devil," Sonya chimed in. "Just take a looksie at her monstas! Maybe the sheer impact wounded 'er - or maybe she got hit with a rock." "We'll need another plan..." Maximilian said. [hr] Shizuka had pinned the other two to the alley wall when the explosion went off. They continued to stay there even after hearing Luis' amplified laughter. "Jesus, this is crazier than any Hollywood bull," Shizuka said as he finally peered around the corner. He raised his eyebrows at the elemental-fusion shield the RAVENs had erected around themselves. Now felt like the right time to do what they - or rather, he - had planned to do. He pressed the comm in his ear, crudely imitating the Changeling leader's speech style. "Yo RAVENs...surprise, surprise. Well, good news actually! We're still alive - [i]and we're coming back to you.[/i]" Earning a facepalm from the older twin. Hand in hand, the white-haired teen pulled Haruka and Jennifer out into the open and headed straight for the shield. [i]They survived?[/i] Lihua thought to herself - honestly expecting the three to have been brutally massacred by the monsters. But that wasn't the problem... They were essentially delivering a bomb to RAVEN. Right when they didn't have enough problems. "Boy, do [i]not[/i] come anywhere near here with Jennifer," Lihua hissed into the comms. Honestly, she was going to start shooting. "Wait, wait, wait, wait," Maximilian started off. "What is the status on Jennifer? Did you disable the BCB?" Shizuka laughed; he was enjoying Lihua's panic over the comm. He glanced upwards - to where the Changelings were - before he replied, "...You'll see." "No," Lihua sternly said. "Answer his question, or we're going to have a problem." "Shizuka, do not bring Jennifer over here until you answer my question." Maximilian said, backing Lihua up. "Guys," Meifeng chimed into the comms. She wanted to see Jennifer in one piece above all else. She didn't want to leave Jennifer behind so easily. Not when they had so many memories together. "We can't leave Jen out there like..." Before she realized that it's just Shizuka being Shizuka (an ass). "...While I think Shizuka is a jackass, do you [i]honestly[/i] think he's dumb enough to bring Jen with the bomb still on?" "Yes," Lihua quickly answered. "I do." Shizuka had heard all of that, which made him roll his eyes. He knew they were being cautious, but that Vuhong woman's vanity was truly on a whole new level. "I'm so sorry, Jen," said to Jennifer. "Your [i]friends[/i] - especially those agents - all think you're a problem and they want me to ditch you. So what should we do?" "I..." Jennifer wrapped her arms around her chest - after releasing Shizuka. This didn't seem right. Her friends would never be so callous as to leave her to the dogs... It sounded like he was being an ass above all else. "I...don't know... Just go on without me." "Shi-zu-[i]ka[/i]." Haruka raised a fist, ready to punch his stupid twin, but dropped it when he saw the look on his brother's face. "[i]...Seriously?[/i]" He could never keep up with Shizuka's unpredictability. Without wasting another moment, Shizuka pulled the two teens closer to him and squeezed their arms. "Here's the cue - [i]now![/i]" And he began to sprint towards the shield, with Haruka and Jennifer in tow. Haruka held his breath - and he could feel Shizuka's power coursing through him, the wind and rain rushing through his body. He felt himself going lighter and they were picking up speed, before they finally went straight through the shield. Stopping short in front of the RAVENs, breathless and aching. "Of course the bomb's been disabled the moment we fell through your stone saucer, [i]woman[/i]," Shizuka spat at Lihua once he caught his breath. "Even more so after passing through this fucking multi-layered shield. As long as I'm around the bomb is practically an useless lump of junk. You people sure talk big back at the meetings, but you're damn quick to save your own asses and leave her to her sorry fate when the real shit hits your faces. [i]Then having the two of us die along with her just because we're never part of your little clique and so we're conveniently expendable sacrifices.[/i]" "Child," Lihua said, having it to here with this boy. "You [i]say[/i] so much, but understand so little." Lihua was the first to say this, getting closer to Shizuka. "I am sorry about what I did - but [i]our hands were tied, we're surrounded by our worst enemies.[/i] You [i]honestly[/i] think it would have been smart to try and drag her along when we have so little options to deal with it?" Lihua was about to lay it into him - but Maximilian stopped her when he put his hand out. Maximilian sighed. "This [i]is[/i] an apology to Jennifer, Haruka, and Shizuka, on behalf of all of RAVEN." He said to the boy. "The situation should have been handled better - I know you went out of your way to help her, and we [i]all[/i] appreciate it." Shizuka was well aware that the RAVENs didn't think highly about his ability since he didn't have any flashy moves like the most of them, but they had totally underestimated him - they knew nothing about what he's truly capable of. [i]Arrogant morons.[/i] He was right not to have too much faith in them, especially that Vuhong woman. While they were arguing, Meifeng ignored all that stupid bullshit and ran past them towards Jen. She gave her friend a tight hug. "Thank God you're okay," Meifeng said. "I thought I lost you..." Jennifer was still feeling guilty that she caused all of this. Even these arguments were starting to wear thin on her. "Stop... stop..." She weakly said, but no one heard her. The sudden hug by Meifeng caught her off guard, but really helped to reassure her. Haruka had forced the head of his furious twin down into a half-bow before the situation got out of hand (he was quite surprised that his normally selfish brother spoke out for Jennifer, though). The last thing they needed was a fight to break out internally, which would give the Changelings the opportunity to take them all down and everything would be over. "Knock it off - it is also your own fault for not trying to be nice to them in the first place. But yeah, thank you for risking your life to save us, [i]idiot brother[/i]." He sighed. "The most important thing now is...that at least everyone here is still all right." "Not really," Shizuka spoke to the ground. "The bomb might've been disabled and the Changelings can no longer set it off with their remote, but better get it out of her and dispose it quick." He glanced at Jennifer from the corner of his eye, and pointed to her stomach. Haruka then released his grip on him once he was sure his twin had cooled his head off. Shizuka, for once, had a point. Even if the bomb's disabled, it's still a liability - and Lihua doesn't like liabilities. She lost the will to argue with this stupid boy - long as he stays out of her way, then everything's going to be dandy - replacing her irritation towards him with the cold cunning, experienced, woman that got the job done. "Only problem is that Headquarters is halfway across town - so we have to cross [i]that[/i] off as an option..." Lihua briefly mused. "Right...so she's gonna be under my care until we can get back to the HQ." Shizuka had enough. He already did [i]more than enough[/i] for someone completely unrelated to him, and he never expected anyone here to be grateful for all the crap he had gone through. He was even stuck in the bad guy role to Lihua's savior when it should be the [i]other[/i] way round. "So what the hell do you suggest we do?" Meifeng asked. "...We're going to have to do this the [i]hard[/i] way." Lihua was quick to answer her daughter. Jennifer was silent. "Jennifer's regenerative factor renders it difficult for injuries to do anything but slow her down..." Lihua put her hand on her chin as she thought about it. "...Which means we can [i]possibly[/i] safely remove the explosive if we're quick." "With what?" Meifeng had to ask again. Lihua reached into her armor, and pulled out a combat knife - serrated where it counts. "We have a moment's rest, it's best we take it now before our enemies move again." Lihua turned towards Jennifer. "Ms. Caspin, lift up your shirt and lie down." "[i]Giggity.[/i]" Trevor added. "Okay..." Jennifer said with wide doe eyes, she knelt down, sat on her behind, and laid down, she flopped her shirt up, leaving the bottom half of her bra partly exposed. Haruka couldn't help reddening at the sight, while his twin didn't make any reaction other than watching them with a bored look. Lihua knelt down at the side of Jennifer, staring at where the bomb had been implanted (totally ignoring how suggestive this was). "I suggest that everyone..." She said, before Haruka said something that immediately caught her attention. "There's also one other thing," Haruka said. "The Changeling Leader wanted the Devil... In order to perform some sort of experiment or ritual, and obtain a power that is 'above all Metahumans'. To create a 'perfect world'." "[i]Experiment?[/i]" Quentin's teeth clenched hard at that. He knew fully well just what kind of 'experiments' the likes of Luis and his people would involve themselves in. He'd been a part of it, albeit unwillingly, but it still made his blood boil at the notion of them continuing where the others had left off. "Fuck that. I know what these assholes are capable of." "What?" Lihua said, raising an eyebrow as she stared the boy down. "What did he tell you?" There was something about Luis that made Lihua think he was after [i]something[/i] greater than kidnapping children. How else would he have recruited such a powerful cult of Metahumans, and have such unreal levels of cohesion? "Well..." Haruka took steps back at Lihua's fierce look (and Shizuka put a protective arm before him, eying the knife in her hand). "He said something about waiting for two centuries, for someone like the Devil to show up." He frowned, trying to pull out more of the Leader's speech from his mind. "And...whatever he secret knows about Metahumans would greatly increase global suicide rate. I don't quite understand." "...Yeah, that's right." Jennifer confirmed. Lihua rubbed her chin. "...[i]Two centuries?[/i]" She parroted. There's a [i]lot[/i] more to this man than they thought. "We have to stop him from getting to the Devil." "I don't know what he's after, or what he knows," Maximilian said as he walked up, "but, whatever it is, it can't be good for everyone else." "You want him put down, sure - but we've already seen what happens when someone tries to put a bullet in this asshole." Quentin recognised, at least, that Luis was a whole other challenge to tackle. "Everyone has a weakness...." Lihua said. "We'll just have to think outside the box to eliminate him." "One thing at a time," Meifeng said. "We have to get that thing outta Jen before something happens." "She's not wrong." Cass said in agreement with her. "Oh, yeah," Lihua looked back down at the plighted teenage girl. "Right." Lihua took in a deep breath, she's going have to be [i]very[/i] careful here. "Meifeng, Mr. Obott, Ms. Keagan, Haruka, Shizuka, Mr. Taylo...Cass, hold her down." Each of them got into position. Trevor holding down one arm, Cindy holding down the other - and Meifeng taking position on the girl's head whilst Cass and the twins planted their weight against her legs to stop her from kicking whatsoever. "...Just another thing before you play amateur surgeon," Sonya chimed in through the comms. "Luis and his band of weirdos are on the move - a few of 'em are still out there, waitin' - Heartbreaker's somewhere, too." Sonya informed them as she looked through the scopes of her rifle. She remembered that Luis, Mannequin, Contessa, and the Berserker went into a portal - everyone else was outside. "If I were ta' take a guess, they want to tip ya'll off." "Thanks, Mayfield." Maximilian said. That means the Changeling Unit is one step ahead of them - especially with a teleporter on their side. "Eliminate any Changelings in the area." "Heh, on it." Sonya said in her usual tone - but her actions and facial expression would betray it. If what she was hearing was correct, that bastard Luis was up to something [i]big[/i] and she couldn't let whatever insane goal that madman was after reach fruition. She was going against orders here, but she'll let Max chew her out later... ...Or on the other side. Sonya turned invisible and crawled onto the side of the building she was once on. She pressed her earpiece, and switched to a private comms line than the other RAVENs. One specifically for Dana, "Dana, I need you do me a favor, and keep quiet about it, okay?" "Merryday, what are you doing?" Dana was quick to ask, confused. "You need to take out the Changelings." "By the time they're done fooling around with that bomb, the Changelings would have added a world endin' power to their ranks...." Sonya trailed off. "I can't have that... so I'm going have to ask you to guide me to the main chamber so I can end this - once and for all." "Mayfield..." Dana trailed off. She sighed. "I'll help you... this is dangerous." "I know, I know..." Sonya said. "But I'd honestly rather die killing the Devil, than live to see the Changelings win." "Alright..." Dana understood. "There's a manhole directly below you." Sonya hopped down to the ground floor - there were a few monsters, but they didn't pay her any mind. She pulled out a crowbar and flipped over the manhole over, then crawled inside. [hr] With that interruption out of the way, Lihua had to focus. She took in a deep inhale through her nose, before she exhaled. "I suggest anyone with a weak stomach looks away," Lihua calmly stated. Before she raised her knife into the air, giving Jennifer some time to wince, then jammed it deep into Jennifer's torso - the blade only stopping once it hit the explosive (which made Lihua pee herself a little in fear). Jennifer loudly gasped, and she felt the pain and cold of the blade - a tad amount of the blood sprayed. Everyone else winced, too. "Jesus-" Reed almost stepped forward on pure instinct, before he felt Quentin' firm hand grasp him by the shoulder and stop him in his tracks. Both curled their mouths in disgust, Reed moreso than Quentin. The girl's agonized sounds had managed to invoke his equally horrific memories of what the Hands of Science once did, but he knew it was for her own good. Cass, on the other hand, just clenched his teeth and reluctantly fought against Jen's writhing. Lihua took in a moment to sigh, she could see Jennifer's body regenerating around the blade. Which means she'll have to be quick. With the blade inside, Lihua sliced the flesh with the blade by quickly bringing the blade in and out until she had created a flap of flesh. Jennifer was squirming a bit, left and right. Which made the process harder. "Hold her down, the slightest misstep would make this much harder." Meifeng nodded, and held Jen's head down. "It's okay, Jen...." Meifeng tried to reassure her. But Jennifer was gritting her teeth due to the pain. This was so painful. Lihua continued as she lifted up the flap of flesh. If she was correct, it has been implanted deep within her. Through all these organs. Which means that she'll have to try a little harder. Her gaze moved upwards towards the pained Caspin. She'll have to deal with this pain. The alternative is worse. Lihua was in full view of the Caspin child's intestines. Lihua reached in without fear or disgust, pushing the organs aside. Going off where the blade went, it would have to be somewhere in here. Right now, Jennifer was thrashing around harder than before. Trevor had put all of his weight on Jennifer's arm to hold her down. "Hey, hey, hey, it's okay." This most likely wouldn't work, but he reached over to Jennifer's face, and secreted his drug into her eyes. Even with Jen's regenerative factor, there's no way in hell that she'd be able to resist that powerful of a drug, that close to her brain. That did wonders for calming Jen down.... but also increased her regeneration. "Obott..." Lihua moaned. "What? I'm trying to make it easier on 'er." Trevor said. "You just made it [i]harder.[/i]" Lihua hissed. "Do something like that again, and I'll knock you outside the head." Lihua hissed, which was enough to keep Trevor quiet, and focused on holding Jen down. "[i]She's right.[/i]" Cass reluctantly affirmed her. Cindy found it hard to protest because this was easily the nastiest thing she has ever seen in her entire life. She cupped her mouth - finding it hard to avoid gagging. Haruka felt the same way - even when he wasn't hemophobic. While Lihua was digging into Jennifer, she finally hit the bomb. She felt it's cold metal wrapped up in plastic. She dug her hands around a little bit more as she reached around the girl's flesh, trying to grab onto the bomb. She couldn't quite get a grip on it. Lihua sighed. This means Jennifer will have to suffer a little bit more. Lihua reached for the knife that was laying besides Jennifer - wiping it off on Jen's shirt - before she started cutting through intestines and organs. Jennifer tried to let out a cry of pain - but the sedation drug was making that hard. In fact, she was seeing colors. It reduced the pain enough so it wasn't as agonizing. She was cutting up until Lihua had loosened up the explosive. She put the knife back down besides Jennifer, and reached in again. God... this was not something she'd brag about when she gets out of here. It's a great thing that this [i]pales[/i] in comparison to some of the shit she's seen. It's for the good of Caspin, after all. Lihua grabbed onto the bomb, and started pulling, feeling a lot more leeway now. She kept pulling as she felt the bonds of her flesh tear... Oh, that must be [i]agonizing[/i] for the girl. By this point, the drug had been cycled through her system and she could [i]feel[/i] every bit of the bomb being ripped out of her body. She started loudly screaming at the top of her lungs. Everyone put more weight down on her body to hold her down, but there was only so much they could do. She was thrashing harder than ever before. "Keep her steady!" Cass told them, aware that if this went south they'd all go up with the bomb. Unable to hold back his feeling of horror at what Jennifer was going through, Haruka finally turned to his twin - but before he could open his mouth, Shizuka simply shook his head. At this point, Lihua managed to pull enough of the bomb out that it could be seen, barely out of her body. Lihua ignored her screams as she continued to pull. She felt that it was still attached to some flesh. Again, Lihua reached for her knife and wiped it off before she jammed it into the flesh that bonded it to Caspin's body. She began cutting it until there was little holding the bomb in place. Letting out one last sigh, Lihua put the knife down and reached in. Making one final pull to remove the bomb. That was when Jennifer was thrashing around hard as she could. It was involuntary, but this was the worst thing to ever happen to her. She accidentally bit her tongue off, her mouth was being filled with her blood - but that [i]barely[/i] distracted her from the hell she was going through. Then it was pulled out of her body. A black cube that was covered in Jen's blood and body mass. Lihua was holding it with both hands, and finally let out a sigh as it was all over. She calmly held the bomb out for Maximilian to grab. "... [i]Get this thing the hell away from us![/i]" Lihua shouted, her calm efficiency was replaced with panic. Maximilian nodded his head. Echo quickly flew over and grabbed the bomb - flying outside after punching a hole through the various NEST barriers, and throwing the bomb into the horizon. Never to be heard from again. After that's been settled, Lihua flipped the flap of flesh back, and looked at Caspin. "It's done." She sternly said. Jennifer was glad that it was all over. The wounds that Lihua inflicted on her were quickly regenerating. The damage was extensive - not as bad as some of the stuff she's endured in the past. It'd be a little bit before Jennifer is back on her feet. "Thank God..." Meifeng sighed in relief. Her best friend was going to be okay. She was looking Jennifer in the eye. She gave her friend a playful peck on the forehead. "... I said I'd do anything for you." Jennifer could barely say anything right now. She was too exhausted and pained from everything that happened. She was only panting heavily, her head was spinning, and she had no idea what was going on. Lihua wiped her knife off on Jennifer's shirt again, sliding it back into her holster. "Now that that's been with..." Lihua calmly said, completely unfazed by what happened. "... We have to handle Luis and his Changelings." Maximilian took Lihua's side. "With the Devil's army stunned, we can possibly slip a few people out of here, and back to Headquarters..." He looked back at Jen. "... You all know who should leave - Maria!" "Yes, sir!" Maria saluted. "Escort Jennifer and the others back to Headquarters," Maximilian said. Maria nodded her head. She quickly knelt down and grabbed Jennifer, holding her up under her elbow. Meifeng took the other end. "Come on kids, you're with me." She said as she walked the group over to an APC. Though, the only person who was hesitant about leaving was Cindy. She was easily one of the most useful members of the group (and honestly the strongest out of her peers), she could really be of use here. Especially since everything is going horribly wrong. She was the least "heroic" out of her friends, but she knew what needed to be done. "...I'm staying." Cindy said. "I'm going to help bring an end to this." "Okay, Ms. Keagan. Looks like you're going to see this one through to the end," Lihua said, giving Cindy a pleased look. Maria helped Jennifer up into the back of an APC - where she was lying down so her regeneration could do it's work - before everyone else got in behind her. The door closed and the APC sped off past the horde of weakening monsters (many were straight up plowed through). Maximilian crossed his arms. "Time to finish this, once and for all," Maximilian said. "Today is the day RAVEN brings an end to this - the Changelings, the Devil, all of it." [hr][i][h1]The Changeling Unit.[/h1][/i][hr] "Well, that was easy." Luis said as he watched Jennifer get thrown into the shield. This was going to be great. Luis can't wait to kill all those idiots in one sitting! He waited a moment or two, before he pulled the trigger and waited for that [i]glorious[/i] explosion. But nothing happened! Luis pulled the trigger again, and when that didn't work, he pulled it again, and again, and again... Before he crushed the trigger in rage. Those NEST bastards probably figured out there was a bomb! Luis stared at their defensive position, and there's no way he's going to see what they were up to. Possibly removing the bomb. [i]Ugh![/i] Luis thought to himself. He'll have to handle Jennifer later. For now, he was done wasting time standing on top of this building. "Flashang! Portal! Sewers! [i]Now![/i]" Luis said as he turned backwards towards his blue skinned portal creator. She created a portal straight into the sewers as Luis walked back to get his meat cleaver and slung it over his shoulder. He'll need a very special team for this. "Contessa, Berserker, Flashbang, Mannequin, with me." Luis said as he walked up to the portal. "Everyone else, just stall them - I'll be right back." Luis hopped into the portal followed by the four Changelings he chose to bring along - before the portal closed behind him. Heartbreaker reached behind her and grabbed her sniper rifle, aiming for their defensive line. Without the Berserker, going near that would be an idiotic risk. Especially since they're stronger than they look. "Alright, boys, get into position!" Heartbreaker loudly said. "We're going to wait for [i]them[/i] to make the first move." [hr][hider=Massive Attack - Angel][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiK2JlBpzvI[/youtube][/hider][hr] Luis and his Changelings appeared in the dark of the sewers. They were greeted with the angry and confused growls and grunts of the beasts. The Berserker could see perfectly in the sewers, she merely let out of a massive roar as she plowed through the beasts (Putting her hands out to bitch slap the ones that she missed). While Luis ran up behind her, and slashed anything that got in his way with his meat cleaver. Whatever hit the Berserker did nothing to her except damage itself. Which carved a clear path through the singular undestroyed tunnel... though, there was immense damage done to the stability of the tunnels. Perhaps this wasn't as clever as Luis thought. The maniac was going to make the most of it, as they made it to the light at the end of the tunnel. Literally speaking. The Berserker came to a skidding stop as she took in deep whiffs of air... it was hard to smell with all these beasts and sewage. However, she stood tall as Luis stepped around her, and threw his meat cleaver over his shoulder. He observed the nest of evil before him. Pools of grey sludge, constructs made out of the same material, and a large dome made out of the same material in the center of the room... that was damaged by the explosions. So was the rest of this place. There were broken pieces of stone all over the place. Which implies the Devil was injured. The first thing the Contessa did was disable the Devil's world ending power. A devilish grin etched it's way across Luis lips. "Come out, Devil, we have [i]lots[/i] to discuss." He stared at the dome, but nothing happened. "Well... my friend here the Berserker can pull you out of that there shield like it's nothing - so you might as well step out and make it easy." Luis snapped his fingers, just in case. "... You've come down here to talk?" A hoarse voice erupted from the dome as it unfurled, and a woman... horribly mutated with her entire body seemingly made of the same things as her army of monsters - save for the right half of her face, and the head of dirty brown hair. Coming out of her back were several tentacles, and her right hand was a claw. She was the Devil of Verthaven - a monster meant to haunt this city. She stumbled, it being apparent that several of her rips were broken, and so was her leg. As she faced Luis, her lips curved upwards into a smile. "I expected everyone to make a [i]game[/i] out of killing me by now...." "Oh, no!" Luis flagged it off. "I see potential! In you being alive that is!" The Devil growled. "Well, to hell with you... you people are nothing but sadistic monsters that oppress people who are weaker than you [i]just because[/i]. You're apart of the problem here." Luis threw his head back laughing uncontrollably. He threw his thumb over his shoulder, pointing back towards the exit. "... What the hell are you on about?" He asked, in between giggles. "You're calling [i]us[/i] monsters when you massacred a few thousand people in the span of an hour? That tops even [i]my[/i] record!" Luis pointed his meat cleaver at her. "I've seen some nasty pieces of work, and it takes someone truly devoid of a compass to massacre women and children indiscriminately." "To hell with you." The Devil spat out the words. "This world took something from me... something I'll never get back! And it's all the Hands fault for making me like this in the first place!" The Devil thrashed around, clenching her hands very tightly. A rage flowed through her like no other. "Aaaaah... let me guess; your family died, and that's your reason for causing this crisis?" Luis asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or..." "Jason..." The Devil whispered underneath her breath. "Jason... I lost the person that I loved with all my heart... to some freakish [i]bitch[/i] that tried to pull one over on us and killed him." The Devil let out a screech of anger Luis tilted his head, looking down on her. The Devil here fits all the criteria for a good Changeling. A hatred and lust for revenge... however, he just needs to give her that nudge. "How about you talk about it... start from the top." Luis said, in the most sympathetic tone he could feign... which was all but perfect. "It all started when I was a kid... everyone expected me to be the brightest star. Their "prodigy." And whenever I didn't live to those expectations... I was punished. It all came to a head when I was sent to some "prestigious" college here in Verthaven..." The Devil took in several deep breaths, before she continued. "I was threatened by my parents to succeed - where I honestly couldn't - or they'd throw me on the streets. The stress... the stress made me go to bad places, bad people. That's where I met Jason." Luis listened intently. Long as the Changelings were holding off RAVEN - which they should be - then they have [i]all[/i] the time in the world. "Continue, who was Jason?" Luis asked. All he had to be was the listening ear, and then she'd fall right into his hands. "He was just some shithead that slung weed..." The Devil said, not in a tone of irritation, but sounding like she thought [i]very[/i] fondly of him. "...But we both were shitheads. We both fell in love, and he showed me [i]happiness[/i] I never felt in years... which is why I abandoned that stupid ass college, told my parents to fuck off, then joined the Fiends with Jason." "We were just low level druggies under Big Dong... the man was a maniac, but the sex was so great, and so was the drugs. The two of us were hooked, and it sounded like it'd never end..." The Devil trailed off. "...But the two of us always wanted to do something a lil' more, y'know? We wanted to get out of the Fiend business before we got busted or killed by another gang..." "...That's when I managed to steal one of those power givin' serums from Big Dong while he was... doing his thing. We didn't know what the hell we were even going to do with it - the two of us were too scared to even take it, nor were we stupid enough to try an' fence it with Big Dong and the other Fiends cornering the market on "superpowers for sale"...." "So we kept it." The Devil said, taking in a sigh. "That's when Khan and her stupid ass Fiends decided to listen to those Hands of fucks and attack the Fair... even when we were strung out on meth, we knew that was a recipe for disaster... but everyone else wanted to get a superpower..." She groaned. "...Then that's when everything fell apart, and the Fiends were torn apart by NEST and the VPD..." "I have a feeling where this is going, yes?" Luis said, raising a finger up into the air. "Since there wasn't anyone to hunt you down like a dog, you decided to sell the serum, correct?" "Yes..." The Devil said. "But the deal went wrong... the broad we thought was going to buy decided to steal it - and killed Jason... when I came back and saw him dead, I lost it. I took the serum and became this... butchered that bitch in the process, and decided that it was time to ruin this world, just as it ruined my life.... starting with Verthaven." Luis listened to the very end... he didn't particularly feel any sympathy for the woman - to him, she was nothing but a crybaby that couldn't get over the death of her boyfriend. She was still in the perfect position to become a Changeling, and help him craft the world he was [i]destined[/i] to see. Luis raised his meat cleaver in the air, and slammed it into the ground, embedding it into the concrete. He took several steps towards the Devil. "I can understand your pain, your sadness, your [i]rage[/i]," Luis said as he approached the Devil. "I can say that I, too, felt a need to burn all to ash." The Devil looked up at him. "But, I learned of a greater goal, yes," Luis started off, hands behind his back as he paced towards her. "Why burn all to ash when you can just [i]fix[/i] it?" "Hmph... how can you fix something so [i]broken?[/i] All the corruption... greed... and the inability to give a damn about everything else..." The Devil trailed off. "What if I told you that there was a level above even Metahumans?" Luis asked. The Devil was silent. "And what if you asked "what is this power"? And I'd tell you that it's [i]Godhood,[/i] plain and simple, and Metahumans are merely the first step to ascending to that throne." Luis continued. "A [i]power[/i] that makes you unequaled - as you have the power to bend this world to your will, do whatever you [i]please[/i]. You will be a God, after all." Luis winked at the Devil. "And if you're wondering [i]how,[/i] it's simple, the [i]Keys to Godhood[/i] and the [i]Forbidden Knowledge[/i]." Luis said. "The Keys to Godhood are simple; it's a specific set of instructions - a ritual, as you'd say - that allows you to reach this power. The Forbidden Knowledge on the other hand is merely the knowledge of [i]what[/i] happened that caused Metahumans to come to be... and some events that happened during the time in which Metahumans were but a secret." The Devil grinned. "...And how the hell do you know all this?" "Hahahaha... simple." Luis said, putting his hand on his chest. "I'm [i]centuries[/i] old. One of the first Metahumans to come to be when they first arose..." Luis trailed off. "...And how do I know all of this? Well, let me share a bit of the [i]forbidden[/i] knowledge with you - and by that extent, my fellow Changelings!" Luis started crackling like a fool. "...Because someone ascended into Godhood before using the Keys to Godhood, in fact." This earned him looks from everyone present. "Even more shocking," Luis started laughing, "[i]I helped kill him![/i] The bastard was stupid enough to find his one weakness, and exploit it - even after becoming a [i]God[/i] the bastard still held emotional ties to his wife and children... removing that, and he let himself get killed." Luis shrugged. "The only true way for an immortal to die is by [i]choice[/i]." Luis said. Luis started loudly laughing. "That's when I realized that someone else could reach that level of power if they follow the same steps he took... but that's for another time." "...And what the hell does any of this have to do with me?" The Devil asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you telling me this?" "Isn't it [i]obvious?[/i]" Luis said. "One of the Keys to Godhood is simply a Metahuman who can end the world - which you clearly possess, yes? I know the world has been hard on you, and the Hands of Science are responsible for your.... condition - but join the Changeling Unit, and I promise you that you'll have a spot in the perfect world I'll create!" Luis raised his hands up into the air, and started laughing madly. "Everything you lost will be returned to you - and [i]more![/i]" "...So you basically just want to use me so you'd get power?" The Devil grimaced. "I should have expected as much from a bastard like you, you don't care - you just want to exploit me to make yourself stronger... so take your [i]Forbidden Knowledge[/i] and drag it to hell with you and your monsters..." She hissed at Luis, taking steps away from him. But Luis quickly closed the distance with lightning speeds, and grabbed the Devil by the neck, raising her up into the air. Staring her right into the eye. "Oh? You haven't realized it yet, haven't you?" Luis asked as he tightened his grip. "You're a [i]one-of-a-kind[/i] type of person who will most likely never appear for millennium! You think I kidnapped babies and sold them to the highest bidders for [i]fun?[/i] Shits n' giggles? No. I was searching for the [i]one[/i] that'd help me reach that level I crave. Selling the rest to those worthless pieces of trash when I had no use for them." Luis took a few steps forward. "You don't have a choice in the matter now. Only difference [i]now[/i] is that I kill you after I'm done." "... [i]Boss![/i]" The Contessa warned them of the intruder far too late - they were quickly met with bullets, and a grenade rolled up on them. Luis threw the Devil with all his strength - but she could barely get that far before the grenade went off and propelled them away from each other. [hr] Following Dana's instructors, Sonya managed to dodge the monsters and arrive in the main chamber. Just like she thought, the Changelings had beat RAVEN here. Fortunately, so did [i]Sonya[/i]. The frog woman crawled along the ceiling, and once she made it into the room, she crawled along the walls until she was a suitable distance away from them. She was in the perfect position to snipe the Devil... but it's going to be a pain in the ass to snipe the Devil from the wall - if not impossible. So, she quickly checked her equipment - a few clips for her glock, a couple high explosive grenades, a knife, and some Meta-suppressant gas. Which was enough to kill even [i]Luis[/i] if she manages to catch the bugger off guard - but she had to come at this the right way. The creed of the sniper is: [i]always[/i] pick your moment. Rushing a shot would only get her exposed and killed. There were only a handful of Changelings - and according to intel, they brought the big, meaty, invulnerable one. Who [i]would[/i] present one helluva challenge if Sonya fools around. Fortunately, the other ones would be easy to take out (Save for Luis) if she managed to get the drop on them - or if it came down to a direct fight. Waiting like a stone, Sonya had no choice but to assess the situation. Due to her superior senses, she was able to see this place clearly, and hear [i]everything[/i]. She heard the Devil's past... and felt a tad shitty because it's indirectly NEST's fault that the poor girl got into this in the first place. What? With NEST helping the Fiends and the Hands. However, dark suspicions were proven correct as Luis unveiled his grand plan for [i]Godhood[/i]. Which meant it was no good for NEST or anyone! He spoke of so much... apparently someone became a God before? Who knew (Well, other than Luis). Which means that it comes down to this moment. It's up to Sonya to stop Luis here and now, before his dark ambition ends everything.... [hider=One Piece ost - Can't Escape, Fight!][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGUoxXO5iQk[/youtube][/hider] Even if it means the end of her life. When the Devil refused, and Luis held her over his head, Sonya just knew they'd take her. Even if they know where their hideout is, Sonya's not taking any chances. She quickly pulled one of her frag grenades off her belt, pulled the pin, then tossed it hard as she could. It ended up between Luis and the Devil. Luis tried to get her out of the way - but the damn thing exploded and she was caught in the blast. The explosion rendered her hearing useless - all she could hear was ringing. But what Sonya's eyes told her was that the Changelings were onto her. The Berserker turned to her, and roared, and the others were drawing their weapons. Sonya quickly grabbed her pistol and detached herself from the wall, letting out a flurry of shots at the Changelings. ... Oddly enough, one of them pierced the Berserker right in the thigh. Bringing the brute down to her knees. Sonya was told that she was invincible! Maybe it's something she has to activate? When Sonya hit the ground, she could see the Mannequin leaping over her head with that nasty blade of his retracted. Sonya rolled out the way, and the weird doll thing had dug it's blade into the ground. She managed to get to her knee and let off a few shots at the Mannequin. The first shot pierced it's stomach area, and left a nasty hole in it. Though, it didn't even seem to phase the guy! What [i]is[/i] he? The Mannequin let out a wide slash that Sonya was able to dodge by falling on her back. The Mannequin was right above her - and she put both her feet to the freak's body and used those powerful legs of hers to kick him into the air. She would have shot him in the head - but she has more important matters to attend to! She flipped back over on all fours, then hopped away like a frog. Hopping again and again. She needed to finish the Devil off. Sonya pulled another grenade out of her belt, then threw it over to where the Devil was lying down - only for it to get deflected by a kick from the newly regenerated Luis. "Not so fast!" Luis said - before he realized that it didn't make it that far away before exploding again. The blast blew him away. Shit, she's out of grenades. God damn it! She'll have to do this the hard way. The Berserker, still injured, grabbed a giant chunk of stone that had fallen, grabbed it, then threw it across the room at Sonya. Fortunately, it wasn't subtle as she thought - Sonya caught notice of it, jumped in the air, landing on the stone, then hopped again. She scanned the area for the Devil... [i]...Oh no.[/i] [hr][hider=Metal Gear Solid V - A Burning Escape][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJg68bSdOc8[/youtube][/hider] The explosion had brought the Devil to the brink of death, she was propelled through the room, and landed on her back. An unimaginable amount of damage had been caused by the grenade, which left plenty of her organs exposed, and she was bleeding uncontrollably. "I-It..." The Devil tried to groan. "...It... it [i]can't[/i] end like this...." The Devil said. "N-Not by t-their ha... hands... not by the p-peo... t-things I tried so hard to [i]destroy[/i]..." She groaned. The Devil took in a deep breath of air... before letting out a scream so loud that it could be heard from above ground. That's when another unimaginable power had been unlocked simply by the Devil being close to dead. Her body started generating massive amounts of the sludge - which shaped itself into a giant tower. Beasts from all over the city started converging on this one point. Suddenly regaining their intelligence as their leader weep. They didn't do anything as they ran towards this new beast - they didn't react to the people they were trying so desperately to kill earlier. Once they arrived, they jumped into the larger mass and were absorbed into it. The ground started shaking due to this event. "Contessa!" Luis screamed at the top of his lungs. "Nullify her power-" Before he could finish, a tendril came out of the form and whipped through the air at high speeds. No one could react in time to stop it from impaling the Contessa through the skull. Raising her up into the air, before retracting back into the larger form. Luis grit his teeth. "Flashbang, we're pulling out!" Luis said as he twisted his body around, and walked into a portal that just opened up. The Berserker quickly limped into the portal along with Flashbang. "Sonya!" Dana loudly said into the comms. "[i]What[/i] did you do?!" Sonya was watching in awe, attached to the side of the chamber. "I killed 'er! That's what I did!" Sonya loudly answered. "I don't know what's going on, Mayfield," Maximilian said. "But get. Out. Of. There. [i]Now![/i]" "Don't have to tell me twice!" Sonya loudly said before she crawled back into the tunnels that she came out of. [hr] The stone above the new beast started breaking as there was no more room to accommodate for it's new form. The ground continued to shake as it was pushed to it's limits and broke. Revealing the [i]new[/i] form for the Devil of Verthaven. A gigantic, tower-like beast that had the appearance similar to someone wearing a cloak. A thin, fleshy, grey beast with no limbs or features... only a giant purple eye that stood at the very top. "... Ho-lee shit." Leon said as he looked at it. "Uh... is it too late to beg for mercy?" "Oh my God..." Cindy said as she cupped her mouth, taking steps back. Quentin had no words for what he saw. Just... awe, quickly replaced by a terrifying uncertainty. And Cass had never seen anything like it either. Nothing, in all his years. And now she, it, whatever - was even more powerful than whatever had existed before. Reed was frozen on the spot, unmoving save for the trembling of his hands. He felt a pain roaring up along where that thing had bit him and winced as if it was happening all over again. Sonya hopped over to the RAVENs, landing on her feet. "Oh bloody hell!" Sonya said. "How are we gonna beat [i]that!?[/i]" She asked. "Uh... sorry about going behind your back, Maxi..." The glorious leader of RAVEN just stood there like a statue. "[i]... Maxi?[/i]" Sonya asked... legitimately concerned for her friend. "I..." Lihua herself had no words. She just stood there as Maximilian did. [i]No matter what we do... it's always rendered moot... This woman is a demon meant to eternally haunt us.[/i] The Devil, in her new, far more powerful form, turned towards RAVEN - twisting its body. It's eye started glowing twice as brightly as the rain started getting even more intense. "... RAVEN!" Dana screamed into the comms. "[i]I don't know what that thing is, but you [b]have to get out of there![/b][/i]" Dana said. "There's a giant tidal wave heading towards you right now! It's destroying everything! You'll all [i]die![/i]" "... You heard her." Maximilian calmly said... which was surprising since everyone else was freaking out. "All Agents, retreat to the APCs." They didn't even waste a second in getting into the APCs, Retreating fast as they could. The Devil didn't even move...