[center][h2][b][color=#23F794]N[/color][color=#21F19D]a[/color][color=#1FEBA7]t[/color][color=#1DE5B1]u[/color][color=#1BDFBA]r[/color][color=#19D9C4]a[/color][color=#18D4CE]l[/color] [color=#14C8E1]S[/color][color=#12C2EB]e[/color][color=#10BCF5]l[/color][color=#0FB7FE]e[/color][color=#10BCF5]c[/color][color=#12C2EB]t[/color][color=#14C8E1]i[/color][color=#16CED8]o[/color][color=#18D4CE]n[/color] [color=#1BDFBA]A[/color][color=#1DE5B1]r[/color][color=#1FEBA7]c[/color] [/b][/h2][/center] [center][h3]The Search for Racheli[/h3][/center] [hr] Marie rose from her momentary sleep, gasping for air. Unfettering her soul from her body was quite the feat, one that she was familiar with, but had never performed under such circumstances. Joseph held her up in case exhaustion took hold. Aside from a few scrapes and bruises, they were both fine. "You alright?" Joseph's worry was apparent. "Yeah," Marie responded, a thin smile appearing on her face, flush with embarrassment and excitement. This had taken a lot out of her and she wasn't sure if she'd still be of use to her team in West Virginia. The witches turned to their timely companions, whose names they still did not know. "H-hey," Marie called out to them. Hydro felt terrible, he had been beaten in such an embarising fashion. To put it bluntly he had exploded by some masked man. The pain he had not felt in years had taken him by surprise. After he had reformed himself he felt groggy like he had the worst hangover ever. Rubbing his head his body rippled slightly as it regenrated using the moisture in the air. Concentrating he was returned to his original looks his body changing colour to look like his costume. Flexing his muscles he looked around at the battlefield. The enemy was gone and with them their hostage Racheli. He slammed his fist onto the ground causing a crack to appear as his enlarged fist broke the ground. [color=32cd32]"God DAMNIT!"[/color] His cry of anger was cut short by two people calling to him. Composing himself he turned to them. [color=32cd32]Yo. Couldn't of got here any sooner eh?Would have saved me a lot of time and pain if you'd been here while they were still here."[/color] Hydro was not angry these two had at least tried to help. [color=32cd32]"Names Hydro, superhero, vigilante or just regular joe. What's your names?"[/color] "Joseph Mathers," Joseph responded promptly, hoping to speed things along. "White Witch," Marie answered in quick succession, unused to giving out her alias. "Joseph and I can take you and your unconscious friend there somewhere safe. You three can regroup and look for whoever that just was." "Although chances are they aren't where we can search for them." Joseph chimed in. "You felt it, didn't you?" he posed the question to Marie, who nodded. "The pull of the Otherworld. They've entered the Faerie Realms, there's no way we can track them while they're moving among the Fae, but The Red Devil is your best bet. If nothing else, it's a place where everyone can recover . . . briefly." Joseph nodded. He turned his back to the group and made for a wall on the underpass. He quickly etched Puck's symbol, which flashed brilliantly and left a large, ornate red door in its wake. "Come with us," he called back to Hydro. "We'll help you look for the girl and her captors." Gabriel stared in shock at where Racheli had vanished from. He had been right there. Right fucking there, close enough to touch her if he'd just been able to. And he had been able to. Up until everything went to hell with his senses. It should have been impossible- it should have been a breeze to overcome any trouble with his... operating systems, so to speak. But all of a sudden, everything broke down on his sensors, on his interface. And in the interim, Racheli had been taken. He'd failed. He looked at the pair who had arrived too late. Too late to help, too late to do anything. Fire started kindling in his chest, rising in heat and intensity. [color=teal][i]Why? Why hadn't they done anything? Why hadn't they saved her?[/i][/color] He sighed. No, that was the wrong train of thought. He hadn't been able to see past the "static" on his interface. Maybe they had tried to help. Maybe they'd done all they could. It didn't make him feel any better, to be honest, but it would keep him from incinerating something out of anger. His shoulders slumped, all six of them, before four arms disappeared, the power radiating off of him diminishing greatly. He looked toward the portal that had been opened in the air and scoffed. [color=teal][i]More "magic" bullshit. I'll need to look into this kind of stuff for the future.[/i][/color] He followed them through the ornate door in the air, head still whirling, but now with ideas, rather than shock. He would get his answers. He'd find Racheli. And he'd make the bastards who tried to take her [i]pay.[/i] Hydro nodded and followed them through the door. The group passed through the door into another world, or so it seemed. The walls were dusty and antique, the decor ancient, mystical relics from a time long passed, and the denizens a strange mix of beings. Faeries of all shapes and sizes mingling with the few present mortals, filling the tavern with light, laughter, and ethereal splendor; the occassional demon or imp lounging in the dark corners, engaging in heavy drinking and barking obscenities at the dwarves who accompanied them; and a plethora of witches, all entirely unassuming, making their way around the floor, entering into magical contracts on Puck's behalf. The four of them closed in on the nearest table to the long, winding hallway that led from Puck's dimensional door. Joseph and Marie, being employees at The Red Devil, felt easily at home, though they suspected their mundane companions were less so. "So," Joseph began, "everything you thought you knew was a lie, the world is full of mystery, magic and the supernatural exist, your wildest dreams are reality, blah blah blah . . ." he trailed off. Marie slapped his shoulder. "Not the most elegant way of putting it," she interrupted, "but that's the short of it. This place is a haven for the strange and supernatural denizens who either live in Lost Haven, or who do business here. Joseph and I work here. Make yourselves at home, regain your strength, then you can go on about your business." She took Joseph aside, giving the others a chance to adjust. The slap on his shoulder rippeled through his body. He was a scientist and knew there was more to life then the world he lived in. [color=32cd32]"Nice place you got here. Sadly I can't drink or eat any of the things you serve here. Wish I could. It's been a long time since I've had a beer. I miss it."[/color] Hydro looked around at the bar, there were a lot of different creatures here that Hydro couldn't even begin to name. [color=32cd32]"So what's the plan then?"[/color] Marie sighed. "Well, first I need Joseph for somethine unrelated." She turned to him, hushing her voice. "I need your help with a binding spell." "You might be too late," a voiced called to them from across the tavern. It had come from Puck, who sauntered down the stairs onto the ground floor. He motioned to the crystal mirror at the far end of the tavern. Upon it, the image of Marie's team was displayed, several members missing and the rest unconscious. "Looks like that Silver Sorceress knocked out the lot of them." Marie sighed again, this time with greater weight. "Looks like Holt got there too late." "Speaking of," Joseph spoke up, "where is Holt?" "I'm here," came an eerie voice, sending a chill down the spines of all mortal denizens. From a collection of shadows, Holt's monstrous visage formed. To those unused to him, a sense of terror might fill their minds at the sight, but both Marie and Joseph where relieved to see that he was alright. "And it wasn't a complete loss. I stopped the spell from reaching the other team. The one's going after the doctor are still in pursuit." "Then I'll need to get going. I'll go upstairs and make a mystical aromatic to wake up the team." She turned to Joseph, her eyes heavy. "Please, be careful." "I will-" "No," she interrupted, "Listen to me. That chick got the best of you twice. You can't go charging in next time, you can't underestimate her. Don't try to be a hero, if it goes south, you get out. You're more good to me and everyone else alive." She spoke to him with great sincerity. Marie leaned forward, lifted her mask, and kissed Joseph. It was a quick but powerful gesture. Then, she disappeared upstairs. Puck nudged Joseph and Holt gave him what felt like a cheeky smile. "First romance in 300 years." He teased. Joseph wore a thin smile on his face as he turned back to Hydro. "So here's what I'm thinking. So long as the baddies are in the Faerie Realms, we can't track them. I'll have Holt monitor the city for strong magical convergences. Portals tend to cause a disturbance in this world. In the mean time, maybe you can catch me up on what's happening. I sort of stumbled into the kidnapping and I've no idea what's going on." [color=32cd32]"Well keep me up to date. I want to know the moment that they're back on earth realm. Or whatever you want to call it. I have some payback to dish out!"[/color] Hydro clenched his fists angrily, he would wipe the floor with that masked man he wouldn't be so reckless this time. [color=32cd32]"Ah that reminds me, Ga- I mean Icarus gave me the run down on this Racheli character. Basically a company called Gene Co found out that a virus they had discovered. An alien virus mind you and it escaped them. Jumping from host to host until it finally found Racheli. She's turning into a bio computer fairly slowly mind you but the rate of the virus's mutation will probably increase. Her senses, abilities and many more are enhancing at a rapid rate of progression, far more than she can understand or accept really. And that's the nitty gritty of it. [/color] [color=teal]"It's worse than that,"[/color] said Gabriel, voice dangerously quiet. He looked up at the assembled trio of metahumans, glaring behind his visor. He crossed his arms, conveying his anger. [color=teal]"I told you it was an alien virus because that was the quick explanation. The truth is that it's something much, much more dangerous. What Racheli is fused with is the same thing I'm fused with. I call them Phylacteries. They're a type of alien nanotechnology of unknown origin, but what I do know is that they are capable of defying the laws of physics as we know them. What's more, is that they get [i]even more powerful[/i] when they bond to a host that can direct their abilities."[/color] He began to pace, his tone growing progressively more heated. [color=teal]"The device bonded to Racheli, much like the one bonded to me, is progressively transforming her into something beyond human. Beyond human understanding, even. When the bonding process is complete, she'll be able to change shape, form, and even abilities as easily as you change clothes. She'll be nearly impregnable to any form of weaponry aside from another Phylactery, and she'll still be able to repair herself from any damage that does get inflicted. She'll have enough power at her fingertips to casually wipe Lost Haven off the map, and maybe make a week of it by incinerating the entire eastern seaboard. "And that is the power that the four of us let fall into the hands of GeneCo and their ilk."[/color] He glared at the other three, each in turn. [color=teal]"Care to guess what they might do with that power if they find a way to reverse-engineer it? This isn't just about your rivalry with whoever that... woman was that took Racheli, anymore. This is the possibility of the end of life as we know it. So I'd like some goddamn input on how to get my friend and responsibility back before I'm forced to put her down like a dog, since out of all of us, I'm the only one equipped to do so."[/color] He breathed deeply, clenching and unclenching his hands. [color=teal]"Excuse me a moment. I have to go make a call."[/color] And with that, he walked a fair distance away from the others, tilting his head. [color=teal][i]Daedalus. Call Justine. I need her caught up to speed. And Racheli will trust her more than she trusts me at the moment.[/i][/color] [b]acknowledged. do try and calm down, sir. you won't solve anything by getting upset.[/b] [color=teal][i]No promises,[/i][/color] he answered sullenly as his "phone" began to ring. Hopefully she would answer- he'd need all the help he could get for dealing with all of this "magic" tomfoolery. Joseph shuddered at the thought, but he wouldn't be yelled at by some metal stranger. "It's not like we just let her go," he replied to Gabriel's long speech, "and besides, it wasn't my mission to begin with, I just happened upon all of you, and lucky someone with magical knowledge stumbled across that little scene else you two would have no defense against it." He began to pace around the table. "What's on your mind, kiddo?" chimed Puck from behind the bar, mixing up some strange drinks with ancient spirits - the alcoholic kind - and listening in to Joseph and Hyrdro's conversation. Nothing got past Puck. "You're pacing again, it's making me nervous." Joseph sighed, "I don't know how to handle this." He spoke loud enough for both Puck and Hydro to hear. "Once we find Racheli, then what? That faery chick packs a punch and she got to me twice, and who knows what other friends they've got at their lair." He continued pacing, turning back to Hydro and Gabriel to strategize. "Got any ideas?" The figure dressed in the cloak found his attention being drawn to the fact that the individual identified as "Joseph" was pacing back and forth and when that happened, it was a surefire sign that something was weighing heavily on said individual's mind. He sat up a little straighter in his chair as he felt now was as good a time as any to speak up. He cleared his throat so as to get the other people's attention, "Um, excuse me? Hi there, name's Evergreen, I'm the new guy in town?" He pulled off his hood to reveal the green eye mask covering the better part of his face and the white hair looked more akin to rose petals as he scanned the faces around him, hoping his appearance didn't upset any of them too much. "My apologies for interrupting, but I felt I might also like to offer my assistance too? I...I don't want to boast but I feel my abilities might be of use to you all?" He held up his hand...only for it to suddenly be covered in green moss and bloom out into a large blue rose. "My power is basically Plant Manipulation. If it's connected to plants in some way, I can control i. If you want I could drop a load of watermelons the size of minivans on someone's head each with the density of a wrecking ball..." He looked around, "Anybody here play that game, Plants Vs Zombies? It's a bit like that..." Oh geez, he hated the idea of showing off and yet here he was doing it. "If you give me a bit of time I can get together a few of my tree friends and make us a small army of tree beasts and maybe one of my giant venus flytraps..or some clones...and then we could go to town. I could probably distract the forces from the front while one of you goes in the back and do what needs to be done." He scratched his head, "Though if you want a more subtle approach, I could probably use my plant sonar...just don't expect anything amazing in terms of intel and stuff...ok, I've said my piece..." He sat back, now looking a bit awkward at having spoken up, "Don't worry though, whatever you guys decide, I'm with you all the way." This part he actually managed to speak with some level of assurance. Oh geez, he hoped he hadn't screwed up his first impressions already. Joseph eyed the newcomer, as did a few of the patrons who happened to be near. Most of them were Otherworldly, uninterested in the affairs of mortals. Evergreen's pop-culture reference went unnoticed to all but the witches of the tavern, none of whom, save Joseph, were paying attention to the group. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into . . . Evergreen was it? You'd be dealing with a powerful Fae sorceress who could likely hijack your plant creations. Do you have any experience dealing with magic?" Evergreen took a moment to ruffle the white petals that made up his hair as he tried to ponder the appropriate answer, "A good point...but diverting one's attention between so many creations can be difficult, I speak from experience so there has to be a limit to what she can do. She'd have to both divert her attention AND contend with my own force of will. and if it helps, my...my body is not one would call normal. If I can get close enough to her, I could probably take her on in hand to hand combat, regardless of whether she can control my friends or not..." He put up a hand before anyone could say anything, "And I'll admit, I may not be as experienced as you all are...and to be honest, I understand your reservations. I've done my research, Fae are very dangerous and they see humans as little more than playthings. I'm sorry...but I can't just stand by and do nothing while one of them causes innocent people to suffer...and as for magic? Well...I guess what my...employer...did to give me my power technically counts as magic..." He shook his head, "I've got a way to protect myself from the magic of the Fae..." He then leaned in while bringing his voice down to a whisper so that any Fae nearby wouldn't hear, "My research showed that Fae hate iron with a passion. As long as you have a piece on you, their magic can't touch you. I don't know how effective it'll be against a high-tier Fae sorceress...but at the very least it'll give some protection." Joseph held up his right hand, displaying the iron ring he had enchanted earlier that day. "I came prepared as well, but that didn't stop her and her friends fro wreacking havoc on my mind. I won't turn down the help, just don't be surprised by anything she throws at you." He turned back to Hydro and Gabriel. "You down for some more help?" Hydro sighed sadly. [color=32cd32]"My greatest strength is my greatest weakness. I can't carry things on me really. I suppose if you injected me with iron fillings or dust that would work but I can't really haul around bits of iron, as the moment i change my body it'll slip through me. But more people would help greatly!"[/color] "Hey," an ethereal voice broke up their chatter. Shadows collected to form Holt's monstrous image. "I've scouted the city and there's a strong connection forming to the Otherworld not far from here." "I'll bet that's them," Joseph replied, "do you know where?" Holt shook his head, or he made a gesture that resembled shaking his head. "I can't be sure, it's collecting over a large area. I can get us close, but it won't be exact." "It'll have to do." Joseph replied resolutely. "Looks like we're in business," he turned his attention to his motley crew. They were an interesting collection of folks. A witch-boy, a tin man, a walking puddle, and a plant man. They all stood up and headed for the door that had brought them there. Holt took the lead. He whispered something incoherent to the door. Puck's sigil began to spin and shine, and the door swung open, revealing a dark alley of Lost Haven. Evergreen sighed as he looked outwards at their destination. He was nervous, even a little afraid...but if there was one thing he had learned from comics is that true courage came from acknowledging your fear but moving forward anyways. He looked to the sides of him, seeing he was amongst fellow heroes and that lifted his spirits. He would do all he could to ensure this whole ordeal had a happy ending. "Well then...what you say we go kick some Fae butt and get your friend back?" Just across the way lie the Cowl's Ironworks. Outside, there were numerous black cars and men in suits, likely heavily armed. The collection of armed men around the building suggested that they were suspecting a fight, either from external forces or Racheli herself. It would be difficult to enter with Cowl's forces blocking all possible entrances. For now, all they could do was wait and hope that the odds didn't shift even further out of their favor.