[center][color=SkyBlue][h3]Shift[/h3][/color][/center]
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Soft, upbeat music of ‘40’s jazz drifted its fast paced notes through one of the various rooms of The Tower, the volume low but obvious. Even so, the even quieter humming that accompanied it was nearly drowned out – not that the hummer seemed to mind. After all, Valora didn’t exactly have an audience. No, instead the young woman was sitting by herself on one of the maroon couches facing the wall of her living area, legs crossed and holding a book in one hand. Her other hand held a fork, hovering halfway between the salad resting on her lap and her mouth as a particular passage caught her eye.

All in all, it was a nearly picturesque morning. The sun was drifting lazily into her apartment, no one had disturbed her the entire time she’s been awake, and the new book she had picked up was quite good! Really, all Valora could’ve asked for was perhaps a glass of her family’s wine.

Well, that and not being [i]anywhere[/i] near here in the first place, or the sprinkling of feathers she could feel on the back of her neck. No, actually, she was pointedly ignoring both of those things. She was [i]not[/i] going to lament how things could have been, and she was most certainly not going to quiver in fear knowing that the Tower’s avian presence was particularly active today! Her furniture was positioned in such a way as to create a barrier from anyone entering her apartment, she was hundreds of feet in the air, there was nothing to be afraid of-

Then came the [i]caw[/i]. Instantly Valora stilled, tensed with anxiety flooding her every pore. A moment of hesitation passed before her one-eyed gaze slid over to the floor-to-ceiling windows adorning one wall, seeing the little bird that struggled to balance on the very edge. However on seeing the grey eye of Valora locked onto him the crow let out another caw, flapping his wings eagerly.

A heartbeat past.

Then slowly, ever so slowly, Valora rose. Her fork dropped onto her plate before she reached out to grasp onto the cord hanging from the window. With a slow and cautious pull the maroon fabric of the drapes closed shut. Immediately a breath of relief escaped the woman’s lips and she sat back with a slump to her shoulders. After a few moments of calming breaths the woman raised her arms to run her fingers through her hair, only to pause seeing the tips of her fingers. Her hands settled in her lap as she couldn’t help but stare mutely at the absolutely wicked length and curve that had overtaken her fingernails, even before her eye they continued to thicken and become more talon-like. All from the presence of one little bird. It was horrifying.

The silent reflection was cut short by the sudden beeping flooding the room. A surprised gasp slipped from Valora’s lips, and as her heart started to race knowing what the sound meant a small twinge, no more than a pinch, was felt in her bicep. Her gaze quickly slid from the watch on her pale wrist, nestled above the dark onyx bracers that kept her powers in check, to the small device adhered to her arm. As with every mission as soon as the alert went out the Injector did its job, and within seconds the potent mix of chemicals began to calm the blonde. Her heart was still beating abnormally fast, but the rise of a panic attack, knowing that soon she’d be turning into the monsters that haunted her dreams, settled.

The moments Valora took to fully calm herself probably took longer than putting her food away and changing into costume. As such Shift was one of the last to slip into the briefing room from her elevator trip, the patch of downy feathers having grown more prominently around her neck and starting down her arms by the time she did. All the shapeshifter could do was offer a weak smile to the suited man that was quite obviously impatiently waiting for them all.

Almost immediately Shift’s stomach dropped as the briefing went underway, paling as the live feed being broadcast to them showed the jaws of a giant, mechanical lion [i]crushing[/i] a car in its jaws like butter.

[i]A flash of teeth, a maw latching around her face-[/i]

Another pinch in her arm caused Shift to have a full body shudder, the small pain combined with another injection steadying the hero. As was expected the briefing, was brief. In her ear the communication device – Valora hated calling it the ‘HIVEMIND’ - sparked to life with the words of Omnicron’s leader, Victory. The experienced hero was already issuing orders to the others, but Shift had one pit stop to make first.

After all, can’t have the shapeshifter going out unable to shapeshift. With the Injector working its chemical magic, it was time to have the dampening bracers removed to unleash the beast.

Valora just wanted to be back in the safety of her room.