[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/uvX201s.png[/img] [img]https://vgy.me/weS5zP.png[/img] [img]https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/290977655627448341/468538457770295308/coollogo_com-138851225.png[/img] & [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/212820584294383617/481938491148861441/15349734812526167172506609776093.jpg[/img] [/center] Location: At the HoH base Time: Attacking the second Base. [hr] Fletch and Racheli scaled, with a bit of trouble, down the building that they managed to escape to earlier. Bodies of the unconscious and defeated Hounds of Humanity littered the streets where the heroes had left them. The place looked like a battlefield after the winning side had departed. Rach’s eyes noticed several heroes’ absences while the pair slowly navigated the now quiet scene. Police would be arriving shortly to clean up the mess causing the two to quickly locate what they were looking for: Fletch’s motorcycle. It appeared the vehicle had sustained some heavy damage during the clash. Fletch leaned over and examined it while Rach located another possible transport. They finally settled on a small, white van that was only slightly dented by a random fist. After hot wiring it, the girls made their way toward where Iron Knight had indicated the HoH base was. Just outside they encountered Roadblock who looked like he was on lookout for any Hound that managed to escape. It appeared that the others had entered the building and were seeking to sabotage it, leaving those who fell behind to pick up the rear. A grumbling Rach reached for the door when it abruptly opened, revealing Hound Dog’s confused expression. She frowned, then turned to the other two, he thumb jerked in his direction[color=indianred] “This guy with one of you two?”[/color] There was a moment when the confused and clearly distracted Hound Dog stood speechless in the doorway. [color=fff200]”This is a bad time to get lost in thought, they make this place like a maze youse know all churning round ‘n round. Shocked how anybody is supposed to find their way.”[/color] Popping his collar he slipped into his suave bit giving a dashing smile and a slight pose to introduce himself. [color=fff200]”Name’s Hound Dog youse cool cats, met Fletch over there a while ago. And honestly, we need a map.”[/color] Up until that point, Fletch had been in a bad mood. It had been pretty much that way since she learnt that her bike had been damaged during the fight against the Hounds. The various explosions had sent rubble careening against the paintwork she had spent ages and money to get perfect from Taylor’s Garage. And to top it all off, a stray bullet managed to rip through the electronics in the bike itself. No matter how much she would have tried, the bike wouldn’t start up without her thumb print recognition and that wouldn’t happen the way the bike was. While the descent from the rooftop with Nemesis in tow was just a funny inconvenience, looking back at it, it was nowhere near enough to get her out of the bad funk. The hot wiring of the van didn’t help her mood either, sparks firing into the car as she shouted expletives. After asking Roadblock to tag along with the group and get inside the base, that bad funk she was feeling was apparent in her eyes. [i]Now I’ve got to spend more fucking hours trying to fix the mess these asshats made,[/i] she thought, seething with the image of her toiling for hours to get her bike fixed. [i]All because of these stupid ‘Hounds of Humanity’. Protecting our interests my a…[/i] However, the archer’s thoughts got pushed to one side as Nemesis opened a door and revealed a person behind it. Before she even contemplated on getting her bow armed and ready to shoot the new person, she took the time to look at the person. Instantly recognizing as the lightning meta she came across when she met Voyager. Seeing that he was still alright, despite the shoulder injury he sustained during the brief time together, turned Kayla’s bad mood around. Now that they knew his name, Hound Dog, Fletch quickly confirmed what he said. With eyes looking relieved, she turns to Nemesis, [color=e38c2d]”It’s ok, Nemesis. He is one of the good guys, along with his partner Voyager.”[/color] She then turns back to Hound Dog. [color=e38c2d]”To be honest, I’m glad you’re ok after the Hounds attack. Did the medkit help with your shoulder?”[/color] [color=fff200]”I don't feel anything anymore, turned off the nerves in my body so they don't transmit pain. Everything still attached to my chassis so I assume I'm well enough.”[/color] [color=e38c2d]”Oh… I guess that’s… good? Just be careful as to not cause further damage to it.”[/color] She then thinks about the map comment. Raising her right hand to her chin, she ponders for a moment. [color=e38c2d]”Well… considering that the Hounds did take their advanced gear from S.T.R.I.K.E, I would assume that they’d have a database. If we find a terminal nearby, I’m sure we could get the blueprints of the base. Sound like a plan?”[/color] [color=fff200]”There's a lot of clustering wires down these halls. But yeah if we can find where they all connect we might be able to find a map and more. So smooth thinking.”[/color] Having little idea what was being planned, Racheli’s eyes turned to Roadblock, and Hound Dog. She studied them for a moment before finally speaking what was on her mind,[color=indianred] “I suppose you two came late to the attack? Before we walk into what could be death trap, what’s the highlight of your abilities? Fletch isn’t the strongest or most durable, but I do know her shot is dead on. I have no idea about you two…”[/color] Taking a moment Hound Dog watched as lighting still crackled in the sky.[color=fff200]”Easy. I'm a force of nature. I bring lighting and absolute control over it. Well until I finally find my limits. I can do magnetism as well.”[/color] None of the other heroes could see it but Richard’s brows furrowed from the other meta’s comment. [i]Huh, that’s weird, I thought I came with everyone else….guess Blacklight really wasn’t that fast.[/i] [color=0072bc]”Settle down, kid, don’t blow off all your energy showing off. As for me, I’m not so bad a shot myself, but I imagine with this suit I’m a little better armed and armored than the rest of you. I can tell a few of you are packing your share of scrapes and bruises, you let me take point and I’ll keep you all alive.”[/color] Richard gestured to the large riot shield on his back as he talked. Overall, his share of fighting was on the lighter side, so it was only polite that he offer to take point. Smirking Hound Dog stated. [color=fff200]”If I was showing off youse would know it. But everything sounds like a plan.”[/color] Fletch smiled underneath the cowl of hers. While the compliment Nemesis gave her was a rather unusual one, but it was a complement nevertheless. [color=e38c2d]”Thanks, Nemesis,”[/color] she responded to the comment. [color=e38c2d]”Must not forget that you can heal yourself from a lot of injuries. That’s more than my archery and my enhanced agility, courtesy of Evergreen again.”[/color] Racheli rolled her eyes at the pair, a soft groan escaped her lips. Her head nodded at Fletch’s acknowledgement at her compliment and her arms crossed over her chest, letting the group continue. While Fletch knew about what Hound Dog could do, the archer listened to what Roadblock had to say. From the exosuit he was wearing and the sound coming from it, she gathered she is a part of LHPD and that was something that made her hesitate slightly. After all, she did break into the HQ and ‘roughed up’ a suspect to get the information on the Penose. She even got around to naming herself Fletch after leaving a note behind to a Det. Hembolt. It would be risky if they’re still needing to take her in after all of that. But for now, she’s working with them to a common goal of the Hounds. [color=e38c2d]”But before we start a pissing contest,”[/color] she spoke up, rallying the group to focus on the task at hand. [color=e38c2d]“We definitely should get inside and get to a terminal. If no one objects to it, Roadblock will take point. We’ll need to make sure we’re watching our backs as to not get surprised from behind. Anyone want to cover the back?”[/color] Racheli shrugged, unbothered by the decision,[color=indianred] “As long as he wants to take the risk, it’s his choice. I’ll cover the back unless someone thinks they are better suited for it. Through if they aren’t good at covering our asses, I’ll rip them a new one.”[/color] [color=0072bc]”Unless one of you forgot to mention you were bulletproof, it’s not much of a choice.”[/color] Shrugging Hound Dog replied [color=fff200]”I'm bullet resistant as long as there's military rounds. They tend to use ferromagnetic metals. Otherwise no.”[/color] [color=indianred] “If I knew how to fully use my abilities, I could do something similar. Right now, the only reliable one is the fact I can lose limbs and take several bullets without dying,”[/color] Rach tossed in to the list. [color=e38c2d]”Alright, I think I got the hint that I’m the squishy one,”[/color] Fletch moaned, her eyes not hiding the roll in them at the trio’s notes on their bullet resistance. She limps over to the doorway where Hound Dog was found, the bullet wound still itching her mind with its pain. [color=e38c2d]”Anyway, shall we make our way to that terminal?”[/color] [color=indianred] “It can’t be helped,”[/color] Rach pointed, slightly amused at Fletch’s resentment at being the least physically capable individual here. [center]***[/center] As they edged deeper into the faculty, each one fell quietly into position. Their footsteps echoed in the identical halls while the group sought out a terminal. The walls were blended together by their white and pristine condition, giving a false sense of progression. Strangely there was no signs of life aside from the discarded gear or weapons scattered on the floor. Occasionally the white paint was broken by bloody smears across the surface. Richard moved off slightly from the main group to inspect the blood, he moved in close to a nearby splotch to let his forensic sensors get a look at it, they were more limited and less detailed than a full laboratory but that was to be expected from a mobile peacekeeping unit, and at the very least it would help keep the data around until they could do a full investigation. [color=6ecff6]”It’s human blood, recent.”[/color] Artemis said privately to Richard through his helmet speakers. [color=0072bc]”I would have thought that Pantheon meta would be the only violent one, but there isn’t a body, I don’t think it was him. One of the Hounds’ dirty work, or one of the other metas has a real mean streak”[/color] Richard said out loud, his voice took a sudden stern edge to it, and he found himself focused. [color=0072bc]”Hhmm, blood splatter suggests victims were slashed. Did you see if anybody had a sword or knife?[/color] [color=e38c2d]”I haven’t seen anything of the sorts,”[/color] Fletch responded. The sight of blood was nothing new to the archer, seeing some of that through the combination of her ‘interrogations’, the gang war in Chinatown and when fighting the Hounds. Nevertheless, it still felt nauseous to her. While she had seen a few dramas where bloodstain pattern analysis was used, she didn’t have an idea on where to begin with looking at this. Not that it would help as forensics was out of her depth. [color=e38c2d]”I say keep an eye out though, just in case.”[/color] Racheli’s neck hairs stood on end. Some primal, predatory instincts were screaming inside her head.[i] Get out… Get Out… GET OUT![/i] The urge kept getting louder the farther they went. The tingling sensation of being watched passed over Racheli’s back causing her to abruptly pause mid-step, her eyes pulled back over her shoulder. She spotted brief movement into an open vent. She frowned then cautiously edged into that direction followed by Hound. Meanwhile at the other end of the long hallway appeared to be a control room. The setup was exactly what Fletch needed in order to map out the whole base. As Roadblock and the archer approached, they would spot a human figure of a Hound of Humanity slouched over in his chair. The first sign that the base wasn’t completely deserted yet. [i]Slouched over, what the hell is going on?[/i] Richard wondered as they got closer, it was weird as most of the Hounds seemed like they were trying to leave, they seemed to prefer death over capture, but if there was a chance he could take this one in alive he had to take it. But, why is his body the only one they’ve found so far. Richard silently gestured for Fletch to wait behind and moved towards the Hound, he positioned one arm to grab the chair, and held his rifle in the other in case he needed it. > Hound Dog wondered why the air felt stale, as if this section were cut off from the rest of the underground facility while a heavy scent of iron waifed through the air. Continuing to ponder if what he and the other heroes were doing was justice, he had killed a few Hounds at the least and walking through this serile hall towards a control room of sorts that almost felt too clean almost like a lab save the smears of blood and the room ahead devoid of bodies. But as he continued to think to stop this concerto of crime started by the Hounds of Humanity heroes would need to rise and just like those before him he’d have his own challenges, even if they weren’t on a battlefield fought on a world’s stage. As the other two entered the room Hound Dog paused as the hero, or perhaps she was more villain than hero, Nemesis had begun to inspect a ventilation shaft. [color=fff200]”Hey hey. What we have here, these guys don’t strike me as the type to perform maintenance before fleeing a base, not when the city is about to be rubble. Think someone hid something there?”[/color] Racheli paused long enough to touch the metal on her neck. It melted into liquid then thinned out across her skin, giving her appearance a metallic color now. It wasn’t the best protection, but it was better than just flesh and bone. Carefully she crouched down on one knee near the vent. Slowly her upper body edged to look inside. A red trail coated the vent’s floor as it slid around the corner then disappeared farther down. Claw marks tore along the tunnel where the thing had obviously haul itself forward in the cramp space. [color=indianred] “Maybe. Whatever was here, it’s using the vents to travel and been collecting the bodies I think. It’s gone now…”[/color] She lifted upright, frowning then added toward Hound. [color=indianred] “Unless you can fit into small spaces and want to follow it? I say fuck that though…I don’t think this was done by the group that came before us. It’s too predatory.”[/color] > As Roadblock closed in on the slouched Hound, Fletch stood her ground. While she had appeared to be on top of everything as they walked through the building, her body language suggested she was being far more cautious than before. Even her movements to have an arrow nocked on her bow betrayed such caution. [i]I don’t like this,[/i] she thought, eyeing up the control room. Much like the hallway before it, blood was smeared from around the room and streaked into the two vents. As the blood was still fresh, it had set the archer on edge. Slowly, caution in her mind turned to dread. As soon as Roadblock turned the chair, the Hound began to slide out of it. It hit the floor with an audible thud. The archer recoiled at the sight, raising her right hand to where her mouth was to stop the sudden nausea overwhelming her into puking. The man’s face had been ripped to shreds, the helmet doing naught to prevent what attacked him from getting to it. Several claw marks streaked over the surface, gouging through everything that he was wearing. It was clear to whoever was in the control room that the man was dead. But what worried Fletch the most was the blood, still oozing out from the wounds. [color=e38c2d]”Stay sharp!”[/color] she suddenly barked, her right hand snapping onto the string of her bow. [color=e38c2d]”Whatever caused all this is sti…”[/color] It was then that Kayla saw it. While she couldn’t figure out what it was, she saw movement coming from the lone vent in the control room from the corner of her left eye. Her body turned to face the vent, catching her sudden movement out of the corner of his eye, Roadblock and turned to face her and the vent. Her heart raced higher and her breath got more ragged as fear was slowly starting to set in. She focused on the vent, trying to figure out what was in there. After a few intense moments, nothing. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? Was there really nothing in the vent? At first, she began to ease off. [i]Snap out of it, Kayla,[/i] she thought, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. [i]It was just a figment of your imagin…[/i] Audible in the room, a gutteral snarl crept into the control room, audible enough to be heard from the hallway. The archer’s eyes betrayed the sheer panic as glowing red eyes appeared in the vent. Vicious teeth were visible from the same glow that came from whatever source the creature had inside of it. It was at that moment, everything went to hell. [color=e38c2d]”WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING?!”[/color] [color=0072bc]”Get back!”[/color] Richard had shouted, but his warning wouldn’t have been fast enough. Without second thought, not even a moment to think on instinct, Fletch snapped the bow taught and loosed an arrow into the vent. Panic had set in when a howl suddenly erupted from the vent as the arrow hit its mark. Not deterred by what had hit it, the creature surged from the vent, gunning straight for the archer. Without any moment to think about it, she rolled out the way as the beast dodged her and slammed into the opposite wall. As soon as the beast regained its composure, the [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gs1JU9A8AY&t=37s]sirens in the immediate area of the control room blared out[/url] in time with the flashing red lights. [color=red]”UNKNOWN BIOLOGICAL SUBJECT IN THE CONTROL ROOM. LOCKDOWN IN EFFECT.”[/color] A few clicks of the gears in all the doors around the control room and the hallway simultaneously went off. A moment later, thick, titanium doors dropped from the archways in the vents and the control room doorway. Slamming shut with a loud crash, another titanium door slammed shut, appearing out from the recess in the middle of the hallway. As the sirens blared out, whatever was in the area was trapped. And they were not alone.