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Inside, there was quiet for the space of a moment before the back wall of the warehouse exploded inward. The men inside, consummate professionals, quickly and precisely filled the now-open hole in the wall with a rain of bullets. Sadly, it didn’t help them very much. Small, coffin-shaped flying drones rocketed into the interior of the warehouse, tagging mercenaries and jolting them with electricity, dropping them to the floor. Within seconds, the sounds of shooting stopped as everyone within the warehouse was knocked unconscious. A moment later, Gabriel walked through the hole he’d blown in the wall, flanked by six of his LEGIONnaires.

[color=teal][i]Alright, Daedalus, full scan. What are we dealing with here?[/i][/color]

[b]difficult to say, sir. the heat and whatever devices or arcane interference may have been planted within makes it difficult to get an accurate read. i can say that I am detecting signs of life, armed, by my estimation. there is something of a blind spot in my readings that i can likely attribute to arcane interference- a hole in my awareness. i will take some time later to study items of this nature more extensively. for now, exercise caution, sir- we cannot know for sure what awaits us inside.[/b]

[color=teal][i]Understood.[/i][/color] Gabriel used his other selves to clear the floor away of unconscious mercenaries, crossing over to the middle of the floor. He could feel them in here, feel the heat on his sensors. And he knew Racheli would be within, as well. He took aim with his Hex-Feathers, configuring them for ARTILLERY configuration.

[color=teal][i]Hold on, Rach. I’m coming for you. And I’ll make all of them pay for what you’ve been through.[/i][/color] His Hex-Feathers focused on the space before him, charging with blazing green light before firing, blowing a massive hole in a nearby wall. He walked forward, then over to the side. There was a brief pause before the Feathers began charging again and firing, blowing a hole through another wall, choosing to avoid the passageways and head straight for the target.

[color=teal][i]Just hold on a little longer…[/i][/color] The Ironworks shook with the force of each blast from Gabriel’s weaponry.

Rach’s head jerked up. Her eyes were blurry and watery, through much of the tears had evaporated away after the noise had died down. After hearing the boom rattling through her cage walls, she crawled to her hands and knees with a wobbly movement. Heat wafted through the walls of her prison causing her to become drenched in her own sweat, losing what little fluid remained in her body as she moved across the smooth floor. It seemed to shift in an unstable way underneath her creating issues crawling across its surface, her stomach feeling queasy with each movement. Her healing factor seemed to have become exhausted when the heat become overwhelming and tried to suffocate her. 

When she reached the wall, her hand fisted then slammed against it. Bam. Bam. BAM! With each hit, she put more strength into the effort and made the next hit louder than the first as it echoed back in her small prison. She screamed, her throat already raw, in a harsh whisper. [color=indianred] “Justine! Gabe! SOMEONE! I’m in here!”[/color] 

The Cowl, meanwhile, waiting in his nest he built for himself, the barrel of his rifle barely peeking through the glass.  He could see the crackling and sparking of a wall on the ground floor on their way into the manufacturing room.  Someone was trying to get in, probably the metallic man from the videotape he had seen earlier.  He could start firing now, but that would only give away his position and he wouldn’t necessarily hit Icarus through the wall.  The rifle had the power, but with the lack of visual confirmation he knew he’d have to wait.

That being said, there were still many other concerns rushing his mind.  He was not a fool, he knew this sniper rifle would unlikely actually kill the target, even with its impressive stopping power.  Already he was developing counter-strategies in his mind.  What if his opponent saw him immediately?  What if it cut off his exits?  What if it went straight for him instead of going after Racheli like he predicted it would?  He had put her in plain sight, hopefully distracting any opponent from himself, but he could not guarantee that.  Everything relied on chance and probability, and the Cowl could wind up a dead man if too many plans fell through.    

However, even with the concern rushing through his mind, the man himself was as calm as ever.  There was no shaking breaths leaving his lungs, no cold sweat down his face.  His eyes locked on the soon to be opened wall with absolute determination.  His finger resting on the trigger with no hint of prematurely spasming into a false fire, the rifle never leaving its lock.  Only when he knew it would hit would he release a round, hopefully to the surprise of his unwitting foe.

Gabriel sent his Hex-Feathers ahead again, tagging another group of mercenaries, sending them bonelessly to the ground, unconscious. His LEGION kept scouting further ahead, subduing non-lethally when they could, or waiting for Gabriel and his Feathers to catch up. Gabriel himself stomped inexorably forward, locked on to the blind spot on his sensors that he assumed Rach was located within. He finally reached the section of wall directly across from said blind spot, and faced it, Hex-Feathers spinning into ARTILLERY formation again. With a loud roar, they fired, blowing a hole clean through the wall. He took a step forward…

...And proceeded to take a Raufoss Mk. 211 multipurpose round to the chest, exploding out of his back in a shower of green-and-black gore, blowing him back through the hole and against the wall. He choked, trying to gasp, grateful for the fact that he didn’t actually need the lung he’d just lost. Through his pain, he directed his six LEGIONnaires to advance through the entryway he’d made as his metallic flesh knit itself back together, as he took in the room within. He glared even more fiercely as he saw Racheli’s… accommodations. He growled, the sound coming out raspy due to his mangled chest. 

[color=teal][i]Those MORONS. Don’t they know she’s vulnerable to heat? Are they really this stupid, to dangle their prize over MOLTEN IRON just to try and prevent us from getting to her? Daedalus, I’m going to run interference, try and confuse the shooter. In the meantime, if he fires again, track the bullet’s trajectory- try and find the source.[/i][/color]

[b]acknowledged. do try and be careful, sir- though it won’t kill you, the damage caused by those rounds will be unpleasant for the both of us.[/b]

[color=teal][i]Yeah, that’s the understatement of the year,[/i][/color] he thought as the hole in his chest closed completely. He took a deep breath, then charged into the room, flanked by his drones, making a beeline for the dangling container where, presumably, Rach was being held. He reached it, directing his Hex-Feathers to enter SNIPER configuration, as he leaned close to the strange coffin and tried to make himself heard.

[color=teal]”Rach! Rach, can you hear me? It’s me, Icarus! I’m here to save you, just hold on!”[/color]

Rach raised her hurting arm then wiped against her forehead. She expected there to be sweat, but it was already evaporated when she tried to clear her eyes and worry penetrated her deep down. Her head snapped up when she heard the gunfire. The power behind it was loud enough it seemed to vibrate her very cell causing panic to seep through her. Immediately Racheli’s pounding increased and without thinking about Cowl’s monologue, she pressed her hand against the surface. Nothing happened. 

She cursed at her luck when she realized she was too overheated to do anything, her weakened frame leaned against the burning wall. Rach didn’t care if she hurt herself in the process of thinking, the pain that she deserved made her feel gradually better, until she heard Gabriel’s voice on the other side. Perking up, she shouted back. 

[color=indianred] “Yes! Ga-Icarus, I can’t get out. Every time… shit, I’m not doing so good fly boy.”[/color] She promptly stopped when her stomach clenched causing her to curl into a ball, crumbling from the wall. She then added in a whisper. [color=indianred] “Please… help me.”[/color] 

The Cowl had hit his target, he knew he made a solid hit against his opponent.  Yet the man still stood, something that ordinarily would be impossible considering the round he put out.  Of course, the Cowl already expected that his shot would not put the metal man down, but he was surprised to see that the bullet did not ricochet or deflect, but actually did go straight through his target.  From what the Cowl could gather, he had actually taken damage from the shot, and under normal circumstances the man would be dead with a solid hole through his chest, but the metallic figure pressed on as if it was merely injured.   To make matters worse, the man was already repairing himself from the shot, his flesh mending itself as he made his way to Racheli, now covered by robotic drones filling into the room.  Self-repair was a worrying trait to have in an enemy, it made for exceptionally long and risky fights.

Of course, that did not stop the Cowl, who was already planning ahead. By now he was aware that if he took a second shot he would be obliterated by the drones, who were most likely looking for him. 

Which is why he was not the man who was going to pull the trigger on the second shot.  After he took the shot, the clever crime lord left his perch, taking his fire extinguisher and darting back out of the control room to the nearby hallway.  As luck would have it, he walked out right as one of the few mercenaries left was darting by him.

“You there,”  The Cowl barked, grasping the man by the shoulder as he passed by, causing quite a start in the goon. “I have a job for you.”

“Y-yes sir?”  The Merc asked, his eyes wide in the throes of panic, the cold sweat running down his face reflecting the situation.

“There is a anti-material rifle in the control room, pointing at an intruder looking to take what we worked so hard to acquire.”  The crime lord ordered. “I want you to take the rifle and provide cover fire while I go down there and try to deal with him.”

“W-what?”  The thug said, confused. “B-b-but that man...he’s torn through us like tin foil!  He’ll kill you!  What makes yo--”

“Are you questioning me?”  The Cowl said, the tone in his voice flattening out as his eyes pierced into the man with a cold glare.

“No sir!”  The goon whimpered, his attention now fully focused on the crime lord before him. “I’ll go take the shots sir!”

“Excellent, now be quick about it.”  The Cowl said, pushing the man back towards the control room while he began to head back downstairs, already calculating a new strategy.

[color=teal]”Don’t worry, Rach. That’s exactly what I’m here for,”[/color] said Gabriel, four of his Hex-Feathers floating strategically to each corner of the box that his friend was sealed in, aimed at the nearly-imperceptible seam of the prison’s seal. He steeled himself for any traps or inconveniences that his next actions would take.

[color=teal]”Rach, brace yourself- I don’t know what countermeasures are built into this box. I can get you out very soon, but it’s gong to be uncomfortable until then. Just sit tight, we’re getting you out of here, now.”

[i]Daedalus, low-power laser fire from the Hex-Feathers, minimum penetration depth so I can tear this lid off its hinges when we’re done. I stress minimum penetration- I don’t want to risk putting a hole or a gouge in Rach’s limbs or worse because we overshoot.[/i][/color]

[b]it will be difficult to accomplish, sir- what i am assuming are arcane readings are interfering with my sensors. i can compensate, but it will take more time.[/b]

Gabriel opened his mouth to respond, then cried out as another explosive bullet blew into his shoulder, nearly blowing his whole arm off. Grimacing, he whirled around, picking a likely location for whoever had shot him to be hiding. His Hex-Feathers configured into ARTILLERY mode, charged briefly, and fired, blowing one of the offices along the upper area of this room to smithereens. 

He didn’t take time to figure out if he’d succeeded or not- he directed his Feathers back to the specifications he’d laid out before flying away from Rach’s box, trying to keep the shooter’s attention on him, or anyone else who was down here. His Feathers went to work, laser-cutting the lid off of Rach’s prison, slowly.

He directed two of his LEGIONnaires under the crate, to hold it up above the molten crucible below, in case the chains failed, or some other tragedy. He scanned the area as his shoulder knitted back together.

[color=teal][i]All right, you stupid fuckers. You want me? Come get me.[/i][/color]

Poor fool.  The goon who took the shot was probably incinerated instantly from the laser blasts that took the control room.  The Cowl had overseen the scene from behind a nearby doorway, armed with a Desert Eagle magnum he had picked up from a cabinet within one of the hallways on his way back to the first floor.  It did not have the same stopping power as the rifle he had been previously using, but at this point he was no longer willing to take any chances.

However, he was far from willing to directly engage this foe head on, as he was already outnumbered by the drones, as well as the man being physically evidenced to be his superior.  He had to think outside the box, calculating the advantages he had now that he was down at the man’s level.

To his fortune, he could see that the man was underneath one of the large crucibles hanging on the suspended cables.  Though not the one he currently suspended Racheli over, it still contained a vat of molten iron to be processed, which only provided opportunity for the Cowl.  If he could switch the emergency hatch, the iron would come spilling out of the bottom, hopefully onto his intended target.

The only issue was the control room was currently in cinders, and the ground floor backup panel was on the other side of the room.  If he stepped out now, he would surely be incinerated by oncoming laser blasts.

However, that was what the fire extinguisher was for.  Waiting patiently until the drones were occupied, the Cowl burst the door he was hiding behind open enough to throw the fire extinguisher directly at Icarus, if the trigger-happy opponent did not take a shot at it, the small explosive he set to detonate on it’s hull went off.  Hopefully this would cause enough of a smokescreen, or at least startle the cybernetic man enough for him to make the break for the control panel.

Gabriel flinched as he saw something headed toward him, a projectile of some sort, and quickly fired on reflex from one of the two Hex-Feathers that still floated near him.. He flinched again when said item decompressed explosively, releasing a blinding cloud of mist all around him. He rolled his eyes, and switched to thermal vision, though the already scorching heat in here made things difficult to perceive. Still, he should still be able to see motion, at the bare minimum.

[color=teal]”Cute,”[/color] he announced to the room, contempt dripping from the single syllable. He directed a number of his drones to begin patrolling, also on thermal and motion tracking. [color=teal]”You think a smokescreen is going to distract me, human? I can still see- I can still find you. And if I do, it will be… unpleasant. But I can compromise- run now, leave me to my present business, and I never have to find out who you are and kill you. No one else has to die today- just let me take Rach, and we can… well, maybe not forget, but I’ll be less inclined to ram a monofilament blade down your throat.

“Well? What say you? Do we have an agreement?”[/color]

The man was goading him to speak back, to give away his positioning, thinking he was a fool who would respond to simple barks of machismo and threats that would be a blessing for a lesser man.  Though the kingpin was quick to make note that the drones were starting to hunt for him, covering for their master’s current state of temporary blindness.  Of course temporary encountered barely a few seconds before the man began to get his vision back.  The Cowl could only assume that the man possessed more than traditional vision, though that would not be a stretch for a robotic man with a hive mind of drones who were also disengaging from freeing Racheli to look for him.  Nevertheless, he had not been located yet, which meant his strategy was working.

A burst of movement during the initial rush had gotten him about halfway across the room, he was now hiding underneath a workbench, a few feet away from the control to release the molten iron, he would have to risk the second break while the automated foe was still searching for him.

Gabriel sighed after the lack of response, then perked up when he saw someone through one of his LEGIONnaires, and he raised the drone’s hand to fire.

[color=teal]”Last chance, human. Stand down, or I will fi--”[/color]

The rest of the sentence died on his lips as a signal flew through the air, directed at the crucible of iron suspended just above his head. He had just enough time to dismiss a couple of his drones- including, unfortunately, the one that had his enemy dead in his sights, by random chance- and direct his concentration upward before a torrent of molten iron descended upon his head.

A green haze stretched out between him and the molten metal, and the metal cascaded down and around it, showering around him and his improvised barrier. It was difficult going- liquid metal was SO much harder to manipulate via ferrokinesis than something more solid. A number of times a splash of burning liquid would drop past his defenses and scorch his armor, even his superhuman durability not affording him enough protection to emerge unscathed.

He shuddered to think of what might happen if he hadn’t gotten the ferrokinetic barrier up in time. Even he might not have survived in his current ARTEFACT Mode. 

Eventually, the torrent of boiling metal subsided, and Gabriel could finally let his concentration broaden again. He summoned back the drones he’d dismissed and set them to patrol again, but there was little point to it- the precious seconds he’d wasted trying to avoid his own demise was probably enough for whoever was at that control panel to escape. Especially considering the fact that he had to dismiss quite a few drones in order to bring more power to bear against the iron. As much as he wanted to rip out that man’s spine and beat them to death with it, he had other priorities at the moment.

Racheli was close to passing out. Her eyes closed and breath shallow, the stifling heat surrounded her within the cage was wearing away at her. The fighting outside was muffled and difficult to hear what was happening while she worried that Gabe was in trouble. Her body curled into a ball near the wall, the only thing she could do, and wait. Sizzling sounds happened as the Hex-Feathers started to basically blow torch the cage open, the edges of the entrance was being severed along the hinges causing it to weaken. 

The weaken woman started to crawl to the hole, despite the edges having yet to cool, and smacked the door. Her desperation driving her on though she was likely to pass out at any point. [i][color=Indianred]‘Hurry...Gabe, hurry the fuck up.’[/color][/i]   

A signal from his Hex-Feathers informed him that the structural integrity of the coffin’s lid was sufficiently compromised. He floated over, taking firm hold of the lid and ripping it fully from the container. And there she was- looking a lot more worse for wear, but that would change soon. Racheli would survive. He reached out slowly, carefully, almost tenderly, bringing Rach out of her prison.

This would be the perfect time to strike again, thought the Cowl, who had not in fact left the building, but was now hiding within a hidden passageway he had made inside of a supply closet, usually used to hide contraband during police raids.  He had repositioned himself to be closer to the pair, looking through a nearby grating at the two. He could toss the EMP device he was palming in his hand and drop the man helplessly into the large pot.  

But the act would come at too high of a cost, as he could not risk Racheli dropping with the unnamed intruder and lose his contract with GeneCo.  Not to mention as soon as he made himself known again the drones would act accordingly, as the Cowl could now gather the robots were linked to the leader’s consciousness.   They responded to his whims with no need for gestures or motions, acting upon his thoughts and alarming him when Racheli would be freed with no need for verbal confirmation. The Cowl was outmatched and outgunned, there would only be so many more tricks he could pull even in his own home before this man drove a laser through his skull.  It pained the Cowl to admit it, but he could not currently compete with a man who could survive and manipulate molten metal, as well as heal from anti-material rounds.  At this point, he could only watch as Racheli was freed from her prison.

All was not lost, however. At the very least he could glean the relationship between Racheli and this metallic man. Maybe something more valuable could be gained from patience and observation rather than direct action at this juncture. 

Rach hated the weakness in her body as she was pulled out. Her arms wrapped about his neck, or where it should be, and hung on to him for dear life. The metal suit was cooler than within her prison, her chest inhaling with a fresh breath making her cough. She couldn’t help the comment that followed with an irritated tone. [color=indianred]“Took you long enough… shit.”[/color] 

Gabriel nodded sadly. [color=teal]”Yeah. Took me way too long to get you out of here. But it’s okay now. I’m here. I got you out. You’re safe now,”[/color] he whispered. He handed her to one of his LEGIONnaires, with orders to bring Rach to the Forge, where she’d be safe.

Rach stiffened when he put her in the arms of one of his drones. [color=indianred]“Gabe, no I’m fine. I can walk and I don’t need fucking... “[/color] She started to move and pain flooded her senses, her teeth gritted to stop the scream rushing in her raw throat, her body immediately forced back down.  

So Gabe was his name?  The Cowl silently balked at the revelation.  Most of these cretins in capes go by heroic titles rather than names, how interesting that she referenced him by a personal name.  Perhaps these two had a deeper relationship than their flashy costumes?  The Cowl continued to listen from his hiding spot.

Gabriel flinched as Rach seized, trying to keep her stable in his arms. [color=teal]”Rach, you’re not fine. You’ve been in high temperatures for too long- you’re falling apart almost as badly as the night I met you. Please, just let me take you somewhere safe. And then, once you’re better… then we can take these bastards down. I’ll hold ‘em down, you take ‘em apart, but to do that you need to go. Now. You won’t survive otherwise.”[/color]

[color=indianred]“Fuck that. I’m not leaving you the hell here to fight my battle, they pissed me off when they kidnapped me. So I’ll be damned if I’m sitting on the sidelines during this. Not happening.”[/color] Rach protested. 

Gabriel was about to rebut her statement, when Daedalus alerted him to an anomaly behind him. A very vast, dangerous-feeling anomaly. He turned at the spike of inscrutable energy, like a burst of void on his sensors. He looked to see the source and--

[color=teal][i]...Well. Fuck.[/i][/color] The magician girl stood at the entrance, glaring at him like she was trying to glare a hole straight through him. Given what he knew about her abilities, she might be able to do just that. Fucking magic. 

So Odette remained, to the surprise of the Cowl.  Apparently she had more of a grudge against this group than he originally imagined.  She was not one to usually stay after a job was complete, the idea that she was still around was quite revealing, just how much had these fools ruffled her feathers?  The Cowl began to realise his answer was coming quite soon, so rather than make his escape, he made a point to stay as long as he could.  Perhaps he could get some insight into the weaknesses of this ‘Gabe’, something he could exploit at a later date when he had to re-acquire Racheli.

Every man has his Achilles’ Heel, after all, and The Cowl was a master of manipulating weakness into strength.  All he had to do was watch and wait, he’d escape when it became absolutely necessary.

[color=teal]”No time to argue, Rach. I’m sorry. Daedalus, get her out of here- NOW.”[/color] At that, the drone holding Rach took off like a shot, Rach herself screaming curses and obscenities at him as fiercely as she could as the drone flew off. Gabriel then turned toward the mage girl fully, and braced himself for a battle he was thoroughly not going to enjoy.

[color=teal][i]This is gonna suck.[/i][/color]