An annoyed look crossed the Margrave's face.  By what right did some lowly soldier criticize him?  No matter how quirky the main characters, they took precedence over the fodder; the grunts were only here to provide a sense of normalcy to contrast the heroes' and perhaps die to establish the threat posed by the villains.  Sensing that remarking this aloud would more than likely lead to negative consequences, however, Margrave obeyed the peon and kept his silence.  In fact, he obeyed it so closely that he failed to utter so much as a peep in response to Alessa's concerned request as he sidled up to the warehouse near her.  It was no wonder that her reckless abandon would lead her to arrive at the destination first, while his utmost focus on stealth obliged him to take longer.  [i]If you're so worried about getaway vehicles, why don't you go yourself?  The soldiers are there to keep an eye while we do our job: taking down the callous fiends holed up in this place.[/i]  He spotted Epsilon and her escort making their way over, headed for one of the entrances used by the Community's lackeys.  [i]I shall have to steer clear of her at all costs.  If I become ensnared in her nullification field, every toy I've ferreted away on my person will return to full size instantly, giving away my position and disarming me if not crushing me first.  How unfortunate for those who desire to foster our teamwork that our abilities are antithetical.[/i]

The Margrave's inner monologue faded as he rerouted his attention to moving forward.  'Tiger Lily' and Epsilon appeared to have already advanced, so he needed to make haste.  That said, he hadn't received any orders from the Wards' so-called leader, and even if the others didn't resent him utterly should he act on his own, there could be dire consequences for rash action for one even as talented and enigmatic as he.  As such, he inched closer to the goal whilst awaiting a game plan.  He did not expect Overlook to jump into action without delay, announcing his presence and demanding that...the thugs voice their questions?  [i]Wouldn't it be more appropriate for a peacekeeping force to demand 'drop any weapons and put your hands over your heads.  You are under arrest for trespassing!'?  What he said wasn't intimidating at all.[/i]  Though their chaperon had blown his own cover, that didn't mean that the Wards' own positions were compromised—unless, of course, one of the parahumans within the warehouse harbored some tracking ability.

Despite his best efforts at maintaining composure, the Margrave jumped when an unfamiliar voice from inside the warehouse started shouting.  [color=8F9779]”He doesn't seem bothered giving away his position.  How bizarre, to throw away a potential advantage...”[/color]  Several ideas floated around his head as to why, the first and foremost being that those inside had some sort of backup on the outside, to whom the presence of the Wards had just been broadcasted.  [i]So many unknowns when dealing with powers...unless these are gormless curmudgeons, we'll need every advantage we can get.[/i]  He edged closer to a window, craning his hearing on the voice inside.  A moment later, the sound of gunshots reached his ears, bringing a grimace to his features.  [i]Great.  We've got the lethality factor right off the bat.[/i]  At the moment, he did not assign much probability to those gunshots being at an ally, since as far as he knew nobody was confronting the enemy directly.  If Overlook's drone was the target, he'd be paying the price for sticking his neck out with the destruction of his hardware.  [i]Still, the battle has begun.[/i]  His face remained cold as the unknown voice from earlier identified his group as heroes.  In this case, being technically right did not matter; the fact that this villain figured it out indicated either remarkable intuition or some sort of information-gathering ability.  As the Margrave's bemusing adversary spoke, his tone full of confidence, things seemed more and more dour.  [i]What kind of power do they have that he's acting so full of himself, when there are potentially grade-A Capes out here?  He can't be some overblown idiot...we've gotta be out of our league here.[/i]  All his life, the boy known as Elliot had known disparagement, and at every turn he'd made the same resolution: to never let it get him down.  But this was different.  Maybe because he was thrust into a dangerous real-life situation, the accusation of not being good enough cut more deeply?  He glanced at Messiah, his eyes questioning.  When things looked bad, as they now did, it was her job to whip up a solution.  He could have put more effort into thinking of something himself, but his anger against her smoldered.  This burden was on her.  [color=8F9779]”Now's your chance to prove yourself, o gracious leader.  They...”[/color]  As another voice spoke up from inside, one tinted by a British accent, he trailed off.  This man didn't seem nearly as convinced of his group's superiority as the first, and he advocated retreat.  There was a loud clatter of splintering wood against some surface, which might have been another attack against the drone.

Moving automatically, the Margrave pulled out his toy gun and released his power over it, returning it to its proper form as a MAC-10.  While he possessed only rubber bullets, the Community parahumans didn't know that, so the weapon offered some solace.  Still, the vociferous one's words weighed heavy on his mind, making him think that the doubt of the second speaker might have been an attempt at a trap.  [i]I can't make the first move.[/i]  From the voice coming to him over the Wards' comms, a similar paralysis seized Lily.  What were they going to do?