[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/m5kgE9m.png[/img][/center] An intense, humid heat clung close to the city. It had rolled in that morning, making an awful, miserable commute for everyone on their bikes. Sweat poured off people as they made their way around the city on errands, or to dinner that night. Normally, San Maria was hailed as one of the most climatically comfortable cities in the country, but this heat was different. It was the topic of conversation of everyone that day. It was as if the air itself was trying to pound people into the pavement. In other parts of the state, the forests were burning thanks to the extreme heat, and even in San Maria the air smelled faintly of smoke. It was as if the city was on the edge of becoming hell on Earth. Little did the people idly chatting about the heat know, that’s exactly what it was about to become. The factions that were about to turn a cold war into a bloody one were on the board. The Church of the All-Seeing and and the Integrated Dimensional Research Group knew each other well, though the Frogs had no idea why the two were at odds. The Bayside Bandits waited in the wings, with the Eye believing the gang was solidly under their control. Instead, El Bandito and his men were ready to break free from the cult’s iron fists, violently if need be. Then there were the Frogs, blind to their own purpose, caught in the maelstrom of their new world. They were the few that would stand for justice in a melee of those clawing for their own power and destiny. The question would be if their conviction would be enough. [center]**********[/center] [b]IDRG Pyramid San Maria, California Now[/b] Director Dyer paced about his office. Below, in the bowels of the building’s garage, the truck carrying some of the most important specimens he had ever created was getting ready to hit the road to a secure location outside the city. He hated doing this, but it was necessary. The Eye was here. Not only were they in San Maria, their leaders were here. It meant they had found the location on this world. It meant that before long, they would attempt to summon their gods to consume the beings of this universe. He was not going to let that happen. Not after all this time searching. The contents of that truck were the only thing that would stand against the ones that dwell between universes, should the need arise. At least, the contents were what they still had under their control. The Frogs were out there as well. Dyer had ramped down the attempts to capture them, at this point. The Frogs were fighting the Eye. That’s all that mattered. Maybe having them outside the IDRG’s control would come in handy down the line. They were a convenient distraction to draw the Church’s gaze from the scientists. “Director,” the voice of the caravan leader came through his intercom, “we’re ready to move out.” “Proceed,” he responded while he peered out of the bay cities. He and his people had worked and searched so long for a home. When they came here they had nothing but their scientific knowledge, and they used that to build their empire here, in this bastion of scientific research. Silicon Valley was seemingly made for people like them. Dyer had hoped they would have finished their work before the Eye showed up. That way they would have been prepared to repulse them. Now he was reduced to desperate actions to ensure their plan wasn’t completely destroyed. Once the trucks were on their way, he sat down at his desk and allowed himself to relax. They were still manufacturing the serum in the lab, so there would be more tests even after this. But the last living success story was on that truck. It was going to be the first in an army, once they could locate the gene that made the mutations stable. After that, he would save this planet. Dyer drifted off into his own thoughts, but was roused after nearly half an hour as alarms began to blare through the pyramid. He fumbled to the intercom, “What the hell is going on!?” “Sir!” his chief of security responded. “The caravan was attacked moments ago, and we have reports of Eye agents inside the building. I’m sending a team to you.” “Understood,” Dyer composed himself and walked over to his desk. He punched a code into the safe below his desk, which swung open to reveal a gleaming, silver gun. It was unlike anything on Earth, and when he powered it up it hummed and began to glow with a red energy. He had killed the agents of the devourers before. He was prepared to do it again. [center]**********[/center] [b]Moments Ago[/b] El Bandito popped the magazine out of his AK-47 and checked the ammo inside for the third time. It was a nervous tick he had developed years ago when his first boss on the streets had handed him his first piece. He had never felt so powerful, yet so nervous. Now he had to do it at least three times. He wasn’t nervous anymore. Now it was just a habit. Maybe he considered it a good luck charm. He wasn’t sure. Still, he felt something in the back of his mind this night. Maybe he was nervous on a job for the first time in a long time. The leader of the Bayside Bandits had good reason to be. Tonight he’d be declaring war on a insane, black magic cult. He had gone up against a lot of different rivals before, but the Eye were unlike anything he’d seen before. Still, they were a threat. A real threat. Maybe it was a dormant form of patriotism or love for his cities, but he didn’t want this monsters to destroy the place he built his empire. He might lose this fight, but he was gonna fight nonetheless. “Boss,” Burn’s voice came over the walky talky, “the trucks are almost here.” “Okay, is everyone in position?” the boss responded. “Yea, jeffe,” Crash gave him the affirmative. “We’re ready to move on Burn’s mark.” “Oh, you’ll see my mark,” the pyromaniac chuckled. El Bandito nodded to the two men that were in the car with him. They were loyal soldiers, and he gave them the thrill of their lifetime by bringing with him as his personal guns tonight. Crash was leading the main strike team, and Burn was in charge of demolitions, as he always was. Suddenly, the road exploded in front of a convoy of four trucks as they traveled down a sparsely used road on the outskirts of San Maria. Asphalt flew through the air, peppering El Bandito’s car with pebbles. A light pole slammed down onto the lead truck, crunching the cab like a beer can. “That boy is not subtle,” the boss muttered before yelling to his men, “Move in!” That’s when the firefight started. [center]**********[/center] [b]Now[/b] Mozart moved silently through the alleys of downtown San Maria, not exactly sure what he was looking for. He and his siblings had just felt something off in the air, so they went out on patrol. Angela had an exam for one of her summer classes tomorrow, so they were on their own without a pair of eyes to guide them to trouble. Behind him, he could feel Clara’s apprehension. “What’s wrong, sis?” he asked while he continued to slink forward. “You mean other than everything?” she asked sarcastically, causing him to chuckle. “Just everything, Art. We all felt something tonight. Something that made us come out on patrol. That doesn’t strike you as odd? What if it was some weird magic from the Eye? Or something embedded in us by IDRG?” “The thought’s crossed my mind,” he admitted. “We don’t know where we came from. We don’t know why we’re here. Maybe it’s time to start trying to find that out.” Clara’s obsession with where they came from had been palpable for months. Maybe it was her scientifically-inclined mind, but according to her it was impossible for us to exist. She wanted to know how we were created, as well as why. Art let her ponder it, but he hadn’t cared all that much up until recently. They existed. They knew they had to protect this city. That was enough for him. At least it had been. The more Clara prodded, the more he came to her line of thinking. They probably needed to find out why they really were here if they were going to finish this fight. It was time to start pulling on that string. Before he could get deeper into the conversation with her, an explosion rang out. The two looked at one another with surprise in their eyes. Art eventually said, “I think that came from the IDRG Pyramid.” “We need to check it out,” she said. “Go without us,” Ludwig said from another part of the city. “We just registered shots fired near the industrial district. Lots of shots fired.” “It sounds like a warzone over here!” Bach interjected. “Okay, you two be careful, we’ll take care of IDRG.”