[hr][hr][i][h1][color=dodgerblue]Lihua Zhao[/color].[/h1][/i][hr] [i][u]Greenflower Garden, Silver Hills.[/u][/i] "...So, you couldn't control your power?" Lijuan said. "Not at all..." Lihua said, as she stared into the water. "...But, all I merely had to do was stop fearing myself." "...Ah." Lijaun said in a high-pitched voice. Footsteps approaching from behind made Lihua whip her head around to see her niece, Mika, wearing the same white dress and wedge heels as before. She stopped before them, and bowed, saying, "Apologies for interrupting you, auntie." She spoke. "It is fine, Mika," Lihua said. "What can I help you with?" "There has been something on my mind lately... that I can only trust with you, Auntie." Mika nodded her head, and she gestured away from Lijuan, and Lihua quickly stepped over to Lijuan, and put the power suppressant collar back on. She took a few steps away from Lijuan where she was out of her eight year old daughter's hearing, but she wasn't out of Lijuan's eyesight. She put a hand on her hip, and looked at Mika. "Yes?" "Father has been particularly stressed lately... and I was worried for him," Mika said as she took a few steps to the side until she was facing away from Lihua. "I was trying to figure out what's wrong, but he's been deflecting me. Then when I tried to pierce his mind... he's found a way to make it harder for my telepathy to work on him..." Lihua patiently listened, and from the look on Mika's face, there was more to this than Jiao-Long being secretive... she'd have to hear the full story... "But, I heard mention of a Family of some sort... and I investigated the the basement on my own..." Mika looked off to the side nervously. "...And I think this is something I'd best show you." [hr] After putting Lijuan to bed, Lihua had followed behind Mika through the halls of the mansion. At this hour, most of the activity in the mansion - save for guards, maids, and butlers - had come to a slow crawl. Lihua was honestly curious as to what her niece had found that was so vital that she had to show her. She was concerned when she heard mention of the "Family"... She was praying to whoever would listen that it wasn't [i]them[/i]. Their trek eventually ended up in the basement. Unlike most definitions of a "basement," the place looked as great as the rest of the Liu Estate. Being a sort of entertainment area, as it had many TVs, bookshelves, and even a bar. Lihua herself didn't spend that much time down here, for obvious reasons. Stepping on the final step, Mika was quick to grab Lihua by the hand and guide her to the easternmost end of the basement. There was a metal door that looked [i]quite[/i] out of place with the rest of the basement. It was kept close due to a heavy pad-lock. After being lead to it, Mika nodded her head. "This is the part of the mansion where the water heaters, and the sort, are." Mika said, before she outstretched her hand towards it, and it was surrounded with a white aura. Focusing hard on it, the lock was violently shaking, before she managed to force it open with her telekinesis. It was broken off, and hit the ground with a thud. "...I can replace that." She opened the door, and held it open for Lihua. "Mika Liu," Lihua playfully said as she scrolled on through. "Master of infiltration." Ignoring the comment, Mika was quick to close the door behind her, reach into her purse, and pull out two flashlights - handing one to Lihua. "Watch your step, Auntie. I'd hate for you to get hurt..." This part of the basement was made out of rugged stone and metal. Every step that Lihua took made a metallic clang on the ground as she was curious as to where Mika was leading her. They were seemingly going nowhere- Mika raised her hand up in the air, and made Lihua halt. She took a step back - which also made Lihua need to move back - and focused on one of the metal plates they were walking on. With a simple exertion of her telekinesis, she lifted up the plate, and threw it aside. Revealing a large metal box. Mika had to try [i]extra[/i] hard to make the metal create levitate up into the air. She was straining herself, her whole body began to [i]tremble.[/i] "Mika, don-" Lihua tried to urge her before Mika had successfully pulled the crate out of the hidden crevice, and dropped to her knee. Panting heavily as she began to exert herself too much in this short amount of time. In between pants, she raised her head and said, "...Open it." Lihua would have protested... but, it became clear that the box was already unchained, and Mika had just hastily put it back to avoid suspicion. She has to give it to her niece, she was [i]quite[/i] ingenius when she needed to be. Now, to the subject of this large, and suspicious, metal crate; Lihua stood over it, and merely pulled the top off. ...And she was assaulted with a green light as she grabbed something within the crate. Her eyes went open as she was hit with a sudden realization. "Mika, how [i]did[/i] you find this...?" Lihua asked. The Liu grinned. "...I am very good at finding the truth." [hr] Ah, such a long and tiring day... the work of a genius is never done, and Jiao-Long knew that more than anyone. After coming back home from Hailey Boulevard, he merely retreated to his office inside the Liu Estate. A medium-sized room that just had the most [i]delicious[/i] view of his garden out there. With bookshelves, a fireplace, and a bitchin' lounging chair behind his desk. It was paradise for Jiao-Long to kick back after a long day of work. Sitting down, and pouring himself a glass of wine, he could finally relax. He closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair... "...[i]Jiao-Long,[/i]" Lihua said as she came from hiding from behind the bookshelf. Holding something in her hand. "Sister, what can I help y-" Jiao-Long tried to be his own friendly self, when Lihua slammed a helmet on his desk... and his eyes flew open, slack-jawed. A black helmet with a symbol of a snake on it - fitting for a supervillain - that Lihua undeniably knew as the helmet belonging to the Hands Executive Suan-Ni. "[i]You are Suan-Ni, the most mysterious of the Hands Executives.[/i]" Lihua sharply said. "[i]... Now, I see why.[/i]" "[i]Sister...[/i]" Jiao-Long trailed off. "[i]You were not supposed to see that... no one was.[/i]" "[i]I should have seen that from the start, God, what a fool I was...[/i]" Lihua crossed her arms as she stared at Jiao-Long. "[i]...The signs were[/i] always right [i]in front of me.[/i]" [hr] [quote][i][u]Seven Years ago. Verthaven, California...[/u][/i] "Brother..." [i]Lihua said in Chinese. Lihua was facing her much older brother, Jiao-Long. A man that was taller than she was, which was hard to tell since he was hunched over. He held his hands behind his back. He was wearing a suit, and his hair was starting to grey. Lihua and Jiao-long didn't look all that much alike - with Lihua's features being sharper - but there was at least a resemblance.[/i] "Hello, Qiao-" [i]Jiao-long said, before the man caught himself - earning himself a fierce look from Lihua that left the two girls befuddled.[/i] "Sister, sister, how have you been?" [i]Jiao long asked, opening his arms for a hug. It hurt Lihua's pride a bit, but she moved in to accept the hug. She was released from her brother's grip soon.[/i] "Father." [i]Mika said the word, like an insult. Which Lihua caught up on, but was unsure of just[/i] what [i]caused their fight. However, this was just about much of what Mika said. Her lips were sealed during the rest of the conversation.[/i] [i]There was something that Lihua noticed about Jiao-long that seemed a little off... her eyes drifted towards his hand, and she eyed that it was covered in bandages.[/i] Huh? [i]She pointed at her brother's hand.[/i] "Jiao-Long, what happened to your hand?" "Oh- this?" [i]Jiao-Long put his hand out as he quickly stammered for a response. There was a couple second pause.[/i] "There was a lab accident in one of the Savior buildings. I got burned. Everything should be fine..."[/quote] [hr] "[i]I should have been more suspicious of you... getting injured right after the big raid on a Hands? It just went over my head because you had the wool pulled over everyone's eyes...[/i]" Lihua questioned to herself, as she kept her eyes on Jiao-Long the whole time. "[i]How could I miss the[/i] biggest [i]clue...[/i]" [hr] [quote][i][u]Seven years ago. Verthaven, California. At the height of the Verthaven Disaster.[/u][/i] [i]Lihua let out a sigh. She stepped down the halls of the NEST Headquarters. Everything in this damn city was falling apart, and all she wanted was a long bath - but she knew that NEST Headquarters only had showers. Lihua narrowed her eyes.[/i] Close enough, [i]she thought to herself. This was going to be the longest week of her life, and it was obvious that not everyone was going to survive. So, she's going have to give it her all to make sure that they get out. Lihua had to sigh again. This...martyr attitude was going to kill her some day. For now, she was going to enjoy a shower, then she was going to head to bed... Well, her office. She was going to put up a cot there. It was going to be a pain in the ass not having access to all her outfits. Right when Lihua was about to approach the showers, her phone started ringing. She was wondering who the hell would be calling her [/i]now[i]. She quickly dove her hand into her pocket, and pulled out her phone, and immediately narrowed her eyes. [/i]Jiao-Long Liu.[i] She wondered what her damn brother wanted, she hit answer, then pressed the phone against her ear. "[/i]Hell---[i]" Lihua couldn't even finish the sentence before Jiao-Long bombarded her. "[/i]Lihua, sister, I am going to be brief. Me and the girls managed to get out of the city before the shield went up. I hope you are okay." "Jiao-" "I need you to keep Mika safe for me. Do anything to get her out of the city. Please. I wish I could have came to get her too, but there was no time." "Listen, wait, you bas-" "Goodbye, Qia- Sister," [i]Jiao-long said farewell before he hung up the phone. Lihua was left, understandably, very confused. Why did Jiao-Long sound like he was in such a rush? It didn't make any sense that he'd leave Mika behind without a word. She knew that he wasn't that kind of person who'd leave his daughter in here without so much of a message. There was something wrong here. Lihua stared at her phone for a moment, rubbing her chin. Was he telling her that he got out safely? ...[/i]Or was he telling her not to look for him?[i] Looked like Lihua was going to find out. She quickly turned around and broke off into a sprint, heading right towards her office. Without wasting a second, she used her newly restored privileges to track Jiao-Long's number...but the phone mysteriously vanished. Very suspicious...even if the phone was from the outside world, she'd be able to trace it. Lihua narrowed her eyebrows.[/i] "...Jiao-Long,"[i] She said to herself,[/i] "Just what are you doing?"[/quote] [hr] "...[i]You never left Verthaven, did you Jiao-Long?[/i]" Lihua said, looking at Jiao-Long with the most venomous eyes on the planet. "[i]So, tell me, was the "nice caring scientist" just a routine? You were just playing the family man to keep eyes off you...?[/i]" She asked, reaching into her purse, and grabbing her revolver. Before he could react, she aimed it at Jiao-Long and made the man jump back, with his arms in the air. "[i]No matter... because I want to know[/i] everything." Lihua commanded. "[i]Then I'll feed you to the dogs like you rightfully should be.[/i]" She didn't even speak to Jiao-Long like he was even her brother. Because he was an enemy. Jiao-Long sighed, as he leaned forward, and put his hands together in front of him. The jig was up, his deep dark secret, was revealed to the world. "[i]... I never wanted to become Suan-Ni...[/i]" Jiao-Long trailed off, shaking his head in shame. "[i]It all started when me and Biyu left for America all those years ago... The first people I met were apart of this group... the Founding Family.[/i]" [i]The Founding Family...[/i] Lihua trailed off to herself. She keeps hearing that name, but she never knew it'd be this close to home. "[i]They were like a cult - but, they knew science like no other,[/i]" Jiao-Long started off. "[i]They taught me everything... made me into the genius I am today.[/i]" He clenched his fist. "[i]They told me that they would give everything I wanted... and believe me Qiaolian, all I wanted was to help people, improve this broken world![/i]" Jiao-Long slammed his fists on the table. "[i]...Even if it was a little. But, what the Family wanted in return was for me to work for them... the first thing they asked of me was to infiltrate the Hands of Science.[/i]" He somberly looked down at the desk. "[i]I didn't want to, but they urged me with death threats... so, I had no choice in the matter really, really,[/i]" Jiao-Long said, looking up at Lihua, and barely having the strength to do that because he was shamed. "[i]I became Suan-Ni to meet that ends... only so I can separate my public image from that[/i] monster. "[i]...This comes as no surprise, but I became an executive.[/i]" Jiao-Long stared at his hands for a moment. "[i]It was awful...[/i] I [i]was awful.[/i]" "[i]I just wanted to end all the human experimentation... but, I couldn't, because they were all monsters,[/i]" Jiao-Long grabbed onto each sides of his head. "[i]I was[/i] hurting people. [i]Metahuman or not, they're[/i] people." "[i]But... I used my connections to help build my company, then I started a family with Chunhua...[/i]" Jiao-Long said. "[i]I thought I could use the resources of both the Hands, and the Family to help people. It's... the best I could do.[/i]" "[i]Yes... I was in Verthaven... and, yes, my entire family[/i] all knows." Jiao-Long said. "[i]The Liu family had no choice but to take refuge with the Hands, and I was forced to come clean. They were... disappointed, but they loved me no matter what.[/i]" "[i]...And I trusted you to keep Mika safe.[/i]" Lihua listened patiently... everything was starting to make sense now. How Jiao-Long went from a Chinese immigrant to one of the most important men on the planet. She grabbed a chair, and pulled it underneath herself, and sat down on it. Keeping the gun primed on Jiao-Long. "[i]That makes so much sense.[/i]" Lihua asked. "[i]...But, did you ever involve them in your work?[/i]" "[i]...I wish there was a way to keep them out of this, but... I had to do to... just to get the Hands to trust me enough...[/i]" Jiao-Long shamefully said. Lihua narrowed her eyes at Jiao-Long, as she hissed, "[i]What did you do...?[/i]" Lihua first asked, only to get no response from Jiao-Long. "[i]...What did you do?![/i]" Lihua exploded in anger as she pulled back the hammer, ready to shoot him. "[i]I didn't want to do it - I am just so sorry...[/i]" Jiao-Long said, "[i]...But, none of them are natural Metahumans.[/i]" "[i]What?[/i]" "[i]To prove my allegiance to the Hands... they wanted me to give my daughters the serum,[/i]" Jiao-Long said. "[i]The serum that gives them powers. It was a risk, but, their logic was that if they get horribly deformed, I could just use that as "motivation" to feed the world - to get their [/i]sympathy[i] - but, in actually, they didn't give a damn about my daughters...[/i]" Lihua grit her teeth, as she considered letting Jiao-Long eat a bullet. What a weak-willed man, getting bullied by the Family [i]and[/i] the Hands. She found it [i]disgusting[/i]. "[i]I had the cooks mix it in with their food... and soon enough, each of them developed superpowers, and I am happy that they got powers that didn't ruin their lives.[/i]" "[i]Disgusting.[/i]" Lihua hissed at Jiao-Long. "[i]You would risk your own daughters lives like that?[/i]" "[i]...You have to believe me, Qiaolian,[/i]" Jiao-Long said. "[i]It was either do it, or the Family kills them.[/i]" "[i]But...[/i]" Lihua said, letting out a sigh. "[i]What happened after the fall of the Hands?[/i]" "[i]The Family requested a sample of the Devil-[/i]" "[i]What for?[/i]" Lihua chimed in. "[i]I am not sure, but I heard it wasn't even delivered.[/i]" Jiao-Long said. "[i]With the Hands gone, I finally thought I was free to help people... Everything was looking up.[/i]" He looked up, with a dumb smile on his face. "[i]The Family didn't want anything from me, the Hands were finally destroyed, Biyu disappeared, and my shackles were officially gone, and I bore my first son with Chunhua in celebration...[/i]" Lihua waited for the "big twist" that would change this. "[i]...A few days ago, Biyu contacted me on behalf of the Family, and asked me that I help them with a[/i] "machine" [i]they are working on.[/i]" Jiao-Long said. "[i]I don't know what it does... but, I am putting my foot down here and now; I[/i] refuse [i]to help these monsters anymore.[/i]" Lihua knew that Jiao-Long regretted his actions - even if she called subjugating his daughters to the power serums, disgusting... she knew who the root of the problem was. "...[i]It's Biyu, isn't it?[/i]" Lihua asked, refusing to acknowledge that bitch as her mother. "She's [i]the problem.[/i]" "[i]Yes... I never asked for this, Qiao- Lihua. Lihua.[/i]" Jiao-Long said. Sighing, Lihua put her gun down on the desk, and pushed it in between herself, and Jiao-Long, and stared at him. While she always found Jiao-Long a self-righteous fool... she couldn't help but acknowledge that there were now similarities that she had never known before. If she shamed Jiao-Long here, she would be a hypocrite because she was forced to be a soldier and kill [i]hundreds[/i] of people. [i]Because she was just following orders.[/i] "[i]Look,[/i]" Lihua said as she stared at the gun. "[i]What happened to us? I came in here ready to shoot you dead if you so much as move the wrong way...[/i]" "[i]...It doesn't have to be like this, Lihua,[/i]" Jiao-Long said. "[i]We are better than this.[/i]" "[i]We are... it's time that we put aside our petty differences... and unite as one to solve this problem.[/i]" "[i]Please,[/i]" Jiao-Long said. "[i]Don't get the authorities, involved. It'll make things worse.[/i]" "[i]I won't - this will be strictly off the books, Meifeng will understand,[/i]" Lihua said, as she reached into her purse. "[i]I just need to know where Biyu is.[/i]" "[i]Oh...[/i]" Jiao-Long said, looking off towards the side. "[i]It hadn't crossed my crossed my mind at first because I was so ashamed of what I did...[/i]" Lihua raised an eyebrow. [i]Oh boy, here comes the next big twist...[/i] She thought to herself in irritation and then sighed. "[i]...Biyu is apart of the Polaris cult.[/i]" [hr][hr][i][h1]The Blessed Three.[/h1][/i][hr] [i][u]Somewhere in Prince-Edfield...[/u][/i] "...Lord Ezekiel, hold still." A blone-haired, blue-eyed, secretary said as she had Ezekiel sitting down on a stool, while she reapplied the bandages on his eye. That paper-manipulating [i]whore[/i] had stabbed him in the eye with a paper airplane. His eye wasn't completely destroyed, but the Family's medical prowess... was not something to be underestimated. However, he was more aggravated by the fact that his company was being pulled from right under him. He could only cross his arms and pout as his well-dressed secretary finished and smiled at him. "Alright," She trailed off. "All better." Ezekiel sighed. "...Dismissed." The Secretary stepped to the side, and then bowed. Ezekiel stood straight up, and walked through the incredibly well-furnished halls of this building. With a secretary at each side, he pushed open the regal and lavish double wooden doors. When he stepped inside, he walked with a stride that implied he owned the place. Which he did... he owned the entire world. All of the Blessed Three did. The first thing he gazed upon was the massive wooden, oval-shaped, table, with some of the most delicious and luxurious foods out there. Blake and Julia were already sitting down on each sides of it, with their secretaries tending to each and every one of their whims. They both gazed at Ezekiel as he sat down. Immediately, he got a cup of wine filled by his feminine secretaries. "What would you like, lord Ezekiel?" A pretty African-American secretary said, she put her hand out and presented all this food before Ezekiel, "We have prepared so much food for your feast." "...I'll take the pork." Ezekiel said, and a secretary cut a piece of pork for Ezekiel, put it on a plate, and put it right in front of him. He grabbed a fork and a knife and just dug in. "So, Ezekiel," Blake said, when he stopped eating his lobster. "How was your day?" "My company is being pulled from under me, I was humiliated by children, and the world thinks I'm just a [i]common criminal![/i]" Ezekiel growled at Blake in a low tone, and his anger caused electricity to arc off him. "...So, I'd say I'm doing [i]fiiiiine,[/i] Blake." "...Oh, that's good to hear." Blake said in a completely neutral tone. "Lord Ezekiel," The African-American secretary said. "You should not get so mad. It is bad for your health." "Hmph." "Do not get upset, Ezekiel," Blake said in a triumphant tone. "Once our plan has reached fruition, the world will celebrate us as heroes that changed the world for the better!" "...Yes, [i]our plan.[/i]" Ezekiel muttered under his breath as he tried to resist the urge to grin. [i]Do we really have to change the world?[/i] Julia thought to herself as she just finished eating some elegant chocolate cake, as she finished her main dish of a salad. [i]The Family has everything we need, and[/i] more [i]it is a truly self-sustaining beast.[/i] She just found it ridiculous. "And to reach that plan, we still need Dr. Cross and the Mannequin..." Ezekiel trailed off. "Not [i]quite[/i]," Blake said. "Truly, we only need the three of us to finish [i]the machine[/i]." Blake followed it with a bout of hearty laughter. "But, with our enemies closing in on us, we'll need all the help we can if we're to finish it before they close in." Blake shrugged as he took another bite of his lobster. "Speaking of our enemies..." Julia said. "How do you think our little plan during he MIP-Savior debate will go?" "It will go excellently!" Blake said. "I designed it myself! The Phantasm will recover the target... we don't even [i]need[/i] to kill the debaters, but that's just a bonus." Blake loudly said, laughing. Julia looked at the secretaries... she wondered how many were brainwashed by the Family. And, she came up with a plan that will turn the tide of this war in their favor. "You, come here." Julia said, pointing at the female black haired secretary with brown eyes. She grabbed the woman by the chin, and looked her in the eyes. In which she didn't even protest. She basically [i]belonged[/i] to the family. "Yes... if all goes well, everything will work out for us from here on in..." Julia said with a lustful smile as she looked in the eye of the secretary. "[i]...All it'll take is a little bit of Mechanized Memories.[/i]" [hr] In the middle of their chess match, the Foundation Woman's phone rang... and she was quick to give it a glance and grin. "Oh, Abel," The Foundation Woman said. "...Mind doing me a favor?" Abel raised his head, using this as an excuse to end this damn chess match. "Of course, anything for you, Foundation Woman." "It is your break," The Phantasm said. "Send me instead." "No, no..." The Foundation Woman insisted. "This is a job for the Hound... and him [i]alone[/i]..." [hr][hr][i][h1][color=red]Meifeng Zhao[/color], & [color=springgreen]Cindy Keagan[/color].[/h1][/i][hr] [b][u]Lower-South Royer Town, Prince Edfield.[/u][/b] After a long, and annoying, trip back home, Meifeng finally brought Cindy back their apartment in Lower-South-Royer-[i]Whatever.[/i] Unlocking the door, Meifeng carted Cindy in over her shoulder, and was just about tired of drunk Cindy. "...Okay, from here on in, Cindy," Meifeng muttered as she looked at her drunken friend. "I will stop you from drinking like two bottles of bourbon. Jesus Christ, I didn't know whether or not I should have been intrigued or horrified." She rolled her eyes up into her head. "You know, Meifeng," Cindy said, and Meifeng couldn't help but preemptively cringe. "Since I couldn't get a man tonight..." She immediately got from under Meifeng arms, and put her hands on Meifeng's chest. "...I think it's time for me to start lezzing it out," she seductively said. "And you're the perfect girl for me, I [i]know[/i] you been thinking about this all night long, Ms. Bisexual..." She drunkenly laughed Meifeng looked at her really uncomfortably, and quickly looked around, as if she was searching for an exit. Before the phone in her pocket buzzed, and Meifeng sighed in relief. She pushed Cindy away - turning her body sideways in the process - with one hand, and quickly dug her phone out of her pocket with her other. She saw a text from her mother, [quote][code]Meifeng, it's really important. I need you to head to the Liu Estate as fast as you can.[/code][/quote] Okay, this seemed important. Meifeng glanced at Cindy... who had completely passed out, and was asleep. She wondered where Jennifer was, but she hoped that she was fine. She could have some fun with Cindy, but family first. Meifeng stepped towards the door with her motorcycle keeps in her hand. Cindy will be safe here - she's going to be asleep for a [i]long[/i] time, and when she wakes up, she's going to have one [i]hell[/i] of a hangover. Meifeng will stick around for that one. But, again, family first. Quickly locking the door behind her, Meifeng ran down the stairs of the apartment complex, and hopped on her motorcycle, and sped off towards Greenflower Garden... [hr][hr][i][h1][color=cornflowerblue]Shizuka Takashiro[/color].[/h1][/i][hr][hider=The Garden of Sinners 5 OST - 10-M11][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqpzDJpXLnc[/youtube][/hider][hr] [b][code]Greencrest Heights, White Coast_[/code][/b] It was a long night tonight. While Cindy's drunken madness was annoying (and entertaining at the same time, but he would never want to admit this), the main spotlight was on Jennifer. Her story about her missing hand, and later her history as 'Missy Baroness'... He did feel a bit of sympathy for all the tragedies that had to befall on her, but he still think that she should learn from that despair and become a stronger person, not wailing about them like a spoiled brat and running away from everything around her, including herself. (Well, from what Lihua had told him about Jennifer's past before the girl got her superpower, it sounded like she was indeed a spoiled child.) The scream of her mother being killed by Luis was still fresh in his mind after all these years, even her last words to her daughter... [indent][color=silver][i]"Jenny..." Annabelle Caspin said as tears started running down her eyes. "I want you to know... I love you with all my heart...please sweetie, promise me something! One thing!" she screamed as she reached the utter zenith of her sorrow. "Promise me that you'll live on! Move on without us, I know you can do it!"[/i][/color][/indent] He shook his head and let out a sigh. He wondered what would her deceased mother feel if she saw the Jennifer now, who obviously didn't honor those words. Stagnant and stuck between the past and present, drowning herself deeper in the endless loop of hatred and self-loathing, repeating the same mistake as seven years ago... Seriously, why should he care when she didn't even want anyone to care about her? Even if she was slowly coming clean with them after Lihua's lecture, she wasn't going to completely change that bad habit of hers for the better overnight. While he knew that Lihua was also right about him, that he should be patient and give more consideration about other people's feelings, but [i]time would wait for no man[/i]. He didn't have the luxury to wait for her to sort out all her childish feelings when the world would soon be damned by the Founding Family and Polaris. He probably would have to let her hate him a little longer, he mused sarcastically. Or maybe... he was just secretly jealous of her, for having a mother she could love with all her heart, while he was deprived of that love ever since he was born. It was true that he still had problems socializing with people in general, but he could feel that he was beginning to change, bit by bit. The ice wall around his heart was slowly melting, to allow [i]friends[/i] into his life circle. (He would never want to admit that to any one of them openly, though - unless he felt stupid enough to get never-ending taunts from them.) Maybe he also had the same 'nonsensical pride' in him as much as Lihua. ...And it was so unlike him, the logical and practical Shizuka, to lament about feelings and relationships. Pushing all those emotional thoughts to the back of his mind, Shizuka chose to focus on the few clues they had gathered from Jennifer. They had zero leads about her hand, and apparently the attacker had made it even more difficult for them to get to the bottom of this weird mystery. He had used his ability to check Jennifer's brain (with her permission this time, of course) for any possible physical damage that might have been giving her the headache, but he couldn't find any. What had her assaulter done to her head? Every time they tried to get more out of her that was specific about the hand incident, she would get a migraine. ...Almost like someone had tampered with her memory, to cause her to blank out whenever she tried to recall about how she had lost her hand. His power was effective against cerebral abilities, but it seemed like it was too deep for him to reverse the effect on her without messing up her mind further (besides, he didn't even know what [i]exactly[/i] was done to her memory for him to try and, well, 'fix' the problem). There was nothing he could do to help her about it. Her attacker was really good, to make sure that angle was covered so that whoever he or she was could never be traced back. ...Or maybe not. For one, the assaulter was oddly careful - too careful, in fact. Shizuka had ruled out the possibility of a random mugger attack from the very beginning, but even so there were [i]numerous[/i] possibilities of the mastermind who had singled out Jennifer. Anyone who knew about her regeneration would love to get their hands on her power, to harness it and make the power their own. The power of near-immortality. Anyone who could hack into the DOVE's database - or even some mole remnants who leaked out the information from within - would know that she was still alive. She had become the living proof - a rare opportunity - to realize every man's dream to achieve immortality. [i]The Founding Family, the Saviors, the Allegiance... and who knows how many other evil organizations out there. God damn it.[/i] He pushed open the door of the shared apartment with Holly a little harder than he intended, then called out to his twin, whom he knew had chosen to stay at here for awhile instead of going back to their aunt's house in Little Seapond. "Haru?" No answer. Shizuka narrowed his eyes. [i]That dumbass.[/i] He surveyed the house and searched the rooms... even the fridge, where he found an unfinished can of beer. Before he could mull over where his stupid twin would probably have gone to when it was already so late, the mobile in his jeans pocket vibrated. He whipped out the phone and raised an eyebrow at the name of the sender. [i]Lihua.[/i] What did she want with him again? [quote][code]Mr. Takashiro... I need your help in a matter. Head to the Liu Estate in Greenflower Garden. I can't share the details over the phone, but it will interest you.[/code][/quote] For that woman to message him directly and request for his help, it must be something extremely important. He thought about the bar conversation with her and Meifeng when he told them about Polaris... Well, his brother would have to wait; besides, he was old enough for him to stop treating him like a baby. He left the apartment and headed out once more, in the direction for Silver Hills. ...It was certainly a [i]long[/i] night tonight. [hr][hr][i][h1][color=red]Meifeng Zhao[/color], [color=dodgerblue]Lihua Zhao[/color], [color=cornflowerblue]Shizuka Takashiro[/color], Jiao-Long & Mika Liu.[/h1][sub]Written in collaboration with [b][@tsukune][/b][/sub][/i][hr] [b][u]Greenflower Garden, Silver Hills.[/u][/b] Everyone was gathered inside the Liu Estate, the very office room in which Lihua had, figuratively, pulled the covers off Jiao-Long's long-kept secret. Everyone was informed of what Lihua had discovered. Meifeng, in particular, was the most infuriated by Jiao-Long's revelation. She was leaning up against the desk with her arms crossed, and a less-than-receptive look on her face. When it came to the Hands of fuckin' Science, there was no one more passionate about kicking their ass into the dust than Meifeng.... But, Jiao-Long? Her uncle that she had held in a high regard because of all the help he lent towards the Zhao family... not to mention all the good Jiao-Long did for the world by inventing a way to remove powers (the term "cure" implied Metahumans were a [i]disease[/i]). Now it turned out he's a Hand of Science? What were the God damn odds... But, despite all of her rage towards the Hands, she couldn't even [i]consider[/i] directing that anger towards Jiao-Long, her uncle. "So..." Meifeng said, huffing in anger. "In simple terms: uncle Jiao-Long was forced to join the Hands by the Family, who [i]now[/i] want him to build something... you know, I [i]hope[/i] it's not a doomsday device." "That is correct," Lihua said... taking a long sip of her glass of white wine which she gained while she raided the Liu wine cellar. Because she was going to need it if she was going to tackle this shitstorm head on. In fact, she felt like she should move up to hard drugs, because this situation kept getting more and [i]more[/i] ridiculous by the second. Shizuka watched the exchange between the Zhao women, and glanced at the Lius. Okay, so the benefactor of all Verthaven survivors turned out to be one of the Big Bads who had betrayed them after taking down the Devil, and that he also had ties with the Founding Fags. He even used his own children as lab rats for the Hands' serums, turning them into Metahumans (the god of luck probably pitied this man enough to prevent his daughters from becoming mutated freaks like the other people who tried to use those serums he saw during the last stand against the Devil). This just kept getting [i]better[/i]... "...But why am I called here too?" he asked the burning question in his mind out loud. He felt out of place here - he was an outsider with no blood relations with these people. Lihua turned towards Jiao-Long. "Tell him about Biyu," Lihua said. "...Biyu Liu... my mother... [i]our[/i] mother... is a long-time member of a cult named Beidou Qixing, or Polaris, in English," Jiao-Long shamefully said. "When I left for America forty years ago, it was on behalf of Polaris to build relations between the Western Founding Family, and the Eastern Polaris." He nodded his head. "For the last forty years, Biyu has been working for the Family, and allowing them to spread their influence to the east... and vice-versa," Jiao-Long started off. "She is insanely devoted to Polaris, and is willing to die for them." "Polaris..." Meifeng mused. "I keep hearing that bullshit-ass name... and I get the feeling that I'm going have to kick their asses, too." "Grandma Biyu..." Mika said, standing by the door, keeping guard with her telepathy. "I never expected her to do such a thing... she was such a nice lady." "That woman's a sociopath, Mika," Lihua hissed, narrowing her eyes. "She only thinks of herself, everyone else is just a [i]tool...[/i]" She then faced Shizuka, and spoke, "I [i]invited[/i] you here because I thought this information could be useful to you." Before taking another sip of wine. "...And, ah, you already know some of the most well-guarded Zhao secrets." Shizuka raised an eyebrow at Lihua. "I made a vow to you to keep my trap shut about your secrets from anyone [i]and[/i] everyone, and I'll continue to uphold that promise till the very end." He then sighed. "I appreciate the info, and I'll see what I can dig up and tell you everything I can find." It wasn't just his own family who got involved in this Polar[i]shit[/i] - even the Lius and Zhaos were in this big mess also. "And I thank you for that." Lihua said with a smile. Shizuka... for being a brat seven years ago, he had certainly matured fast. "But, that's not all," Jiao-Long said, standing up from behind the desk. Placing his hands on the table. "Biyu... she'll be at Honghui's birthday party tomorrow." Meifeng raised an eyebrow at the revelation. Shizuka ran a hand through his hair. He could see where this was going... and he [i]didn't like[/i] where it was going. "Hang on... do I have to show up at this party too?" The Lius were filthy rich with lots of associates who were at the top of the financial pyramid... and he hated to deal with those snobbish old geezers, and worse, their spoiled kids. [i]Especially the girls.[/i] He just couldn't understand what about him that made him seem so attractive to them. He had thought his 'weird-ass' white hair, as Cindy would usually call it, was more than enough to keep them all [i]far away[/i] from him... Meifeng shrugged. "From the looks of it, yeah," She knew that Shizuka didn't want to go there... and truthfully, Meifeng didn't want to arrest someone on her God damn day off - but, if this was what would grant Jiao-Long peace of mind, then so be it. "And I'm also going to take a shot in the dark and say that you... want us to capture her and interrogate her or something?" She flicked her wrist. "It may be the only way to get any useful information about Polaris," Jiao-Long said. "Like I said before, there is [i]no one[/i] more devoted to Polaris than Biyu... I'll set up a trap for her." Meifeng raised an eyebrow. "What [i]kind[/i] of trap?" "The celebration will take place in the Grand Ceremonial ballroom in White Coast," Jiao-Long said. "It's surrounded by a beautiful garden... and I will get Biyu there, where you two will catch her off guard and restrain her... but, there is something [i]important[/i] I have to tell you about her." Jiao-Long said, pressing his fingertip against the desk. [i]Ooooh boy.[/i] Meifeng thought to herself. "...Biyu is a Metahuman." Jiao-Long said. "No, biggy," Meifeng shrugged, playing it coolly. "I [i]fight[/i] Metahumans." "But, Biyu's ability is an elemental ability... that dips into the mimicry class," Jiao-Long started off. "She can control light... and turn into it briefly in order to teleport short distances." [i]Damn it.[/i] Meifeng thought to herself. "So, basically, you're telling us we have one shot at this." She rolled her eyes up into her head as she looked back at Jiao-Long. "Yes." Jiao-Long said. "She is very elderly, but, at the same time, very cunning... if she finds out that I've betrayed her..." He looked outside the window. "...It will not bode well for my family." A light manipulator who could use it to teleport away. Just great. "...We'll need a plan," Shizuka said, looking at Meifeng. "To allow one of us to get close enough to her to put the suppressant collar on her, which will prevent her from using her light power to escape." "Personally, I don't think my "be really stealthy and slap it on her while she isn't looking" plan will work," Meifeng shrugged. "So, possibly... I was thinking that I distract Biyu, [i]then[/i] you use your weird ghost powers to sneak up on her. Like, I act like I was worried about Jiao-Long, then - [b][i]BAM![/i][/b] You slap that bitch on her." Lihua took a sip of her wine. "...Personally, I would help," She started off. "But, I believe it's for the best that I stay far away from Biyu as I can..." Shizuka shook his head at Meifeng. "I can use my power to sneak up to her, but that's going to be hard without arousing too much suspicion - my ability doesn't make me [i]invisible[/i], and that will easily alert her." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Like, is there a way for me to get close to her without making too much fuss?" "The garden..." Jiao-Long said. "It contains a maze of shrubbery... like the ones you see in the movies. Perhaps you can make use of that?" Shizuka frowned. "That can work, but it's [i]too much work[/i] - it'll need perfect coordination from you all, and she'll definitely get suspicious if she notices you guys hanging out at the garden for too long." There had to be a better way, something that would allow him to be right under Biyu's nose without anyone asking questions... "Oh, Shizuka," Mika finally chimed in, stepping up to the young man. "I've been meaning to ask..." That haughty attitude was replaced with a more demure, and innocent, one. "...You have certainly impressed me with your dedication to my auntie... and you are quite the handsome young man... will you accompany me to the party?" "Oooooh, Mika!" Meifeng said, playfully. "That's if he's into chubby girls! Ha!" That earned a sharp glare from Mika. Shizuka considered Mika for a moment, his mind too focused on drafting out the plan to spare a thought about the flirty jokes the girls were making. "[i]...That's it.[/i] I can blend in with the crowd better by pretending to be your partner, and I can be near your grandmother without making her suspicious. Assuming that you're close with her, that is." "I- but..." Mika trailed off, before shaking her head. "Very well, I know Biyu very well... at least I thought I did." She mused to herself. "Either way, I can get you close... but, she may get suspicious due to my telepathy." "...Wow, Shizuka cockblocked [i]himself[/i]." Meifeng thought out loud. "Meifeng, take this seriously." Lihua snarled at her daughter. "I know Biyu very well... at least I thought I did." She mused to herself. "Either way, I can get you close... but, she may get suspicious due to my telepathy." "That won't be the only thing she'll get suspicious about..." Shizuka trailed off, the realization slowly dawned on the emotionally dense man. Then he was looking at everywhere but Mika. "...We'll also need to do something to make this, uh, fake partner act more... convincing." He managed to keep his voice even and maintained his usual professional demeanor, but he couldn't stop his ears from going red. "...Well, for starters," Meifeng chimed in, rolling her eyes up into her head. "...Maybe, [i]MAYBE[/i], you don't call it "fake" in front of the girl that just made an advance towards you." Sometimes Shizuka amazed her. Mika just stayed silent. "...Mika, he doesn't mean it like [i]that,[/i]" Lihua chimed in, trying to help salvage this. "...He's just... [i]bad[/i] at showing affection..." Shizuka stared at the Zhao women with an expression that alternated between irritation and embarrassment. Finally he held out a hand to Mika, the hard look on his face softened, and he tried to give her a small smile. "...I'll be in your care, then." He would have to swallow all his prideful logic and make this plan work for the sake of taking down Polaris and the Founding Family, whether this partnership would remain an act till the end... or if it ever became real. Maybe he should give Mika a chance - aside from her rather rounded appearance, she was pretty in her own way (he would just say the same thing to every woman in this world anyway, because he never cared much for outward looks). She couldn't be any worse than the General's bitchy niece, whom he always got put off by her heavy makeup on top of her pushy personality. Mika's attraction to Shizuka rekindled, as she took his hand. "Why thank you." From behind Mika, Meifeng gave Shizuka the thumbs up while Lihua facepalmed. "...But, there's one thing I'm curious about," Lihua suddenly said. "Just how many of the Family's cronies will be there...?" "I'm not sure," Jiao-Long said. "[i]Anyone[/i] in the science field could be working for them." He shrugged. "And the likelihood of the Family sending their bulldog?" Lihua had to ask again. "Actually, [i]I'll[/i] say it's unlikely," Meifeng said, shrugging. "While it sounds [i]preeetty[/i] fucked up, the Hound is probably going to be tearing up the MIP debate. Even Cindy who's drunk off her ass can see that." She started laughing... before it abruptly became awkward. Shizuka shrugged at Meifeng - which made him notice that he was still holding hands with Mika. "I dunno... I don't think the Hound is the only dog we'll have to worry about. The Family can easily get another one of their obedient puppies to do the job. Remember the last assassination in UK?" He narrowed his eyes. This other poodle of the Fags - the [i]Phantasm[/i] - had a very troublesome ability. One that even he could tell would be a real pain to deal with if he ever crossed paths with that beast. "Yes... The wannabe Hound." She could see Shizuka's point, they had other men. And honestly, she would rather deal with the creepy intangibility guy than the unstoppable Hound. Or that metal guy who tried to shove a chainsaw up her ass. But, there was something she had to confirm... She turned towards Jiao-Long. "Uncle, did you do anything to piss off the Family? Something that would make them send their dog soldiers after you?" "No... I came up with a lie to buy some time." Jiao-Long answered. "We should have enough time to capture and interrogate Biyu." "Is there anyone there they'd want to kill?" Meifeng asked that. "As I said before... Anyone could be with them... Anyone could be against them." "Well, what can they gain from shooting up a party?" Meifeng shrugged. "[i]Everything[/i]," Shizuka replied to Meifeng's question tonelessly. "...All of you will lose [i]everything[/i] you have here." And he let his words hung in the air. "Mr. Takashiro is correct," Lihua said, standing up, and facing him. "The Liu bloodline, [i]and[/i] their allies will be there... it will surely be the end of them." "No, no, no..." Meifeng said. "What [i]I'm[/i] saying is; what reason do they have to attack the party? Even if they have allies there, it's unlikely they'll have to cause a [i]bloodbath[/i] to intimidate everyone." "The Family works in strange ways, Meifeng. You need to be prepared for [i]anything[/i] from them." The Zhao Matriarch sternly said as she spoke to Meifeng. "Either way, I'll leave Lijuan in the Liu Estate.She'll be disappointed - but it's for the best..." Lihua said, crossing her arms. "So, I guess we're done here?" Meifeng asked. "Yes... what we discussed here..." Lihua looked between her new allies... and realized that she was getting pulled into a fight she [i]really[/i] wanted to avoid. Oh well. If it meant Jiao-Long and his nieces were safe, then she'd go to any length. A soldier would never be done with their fight until they're dead, after all. "...Never leaves this room."