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[sub]Hawthorn Residential Center
Elmore Island
Kingsdale (Off-Shore), Castleburg[/sub]

Blake drifted in between consciousness and sleep as he sat, hunched over, on the mattress, his eyes staring plainly at a particularly large hole on its side. He snapped out of it, however, as he heard the door open. Blake wasn't the type to be easily scared (alright, he could get a [i]little[/i] scared sometimes, but not my opening doors, usually), and under normal circumstances Blake would be unphased, but he nearly jumped through the ceiling as he heard the door open, his head whipping around in a split second as he looked over to see who had walked in, hoping like all hell that whoever it was didn't have on any sort of cloak and hood. He quickly settled down as he saw Tom- oh, he had never been happier to see his face!- walk in, before the realization hit him. If Tom was here, they had surely gotten him too, right? That couldn't be good. Still, Blake was, in a selfish way, glad that Tom was there. At least they were stuck together.

[color=SteelBlue]"Hi Blake..."[/color] Tom said awkwardly, seemingly at a loss of words for a moment, before continuing. [color=SteelBlue]"I'm sorry... This is probably, like, really shocking for you, but I'm here now. I'm here with Seraph. He was right, so... I've joined EAGLES. But they're gonna let you go, okay? Don't do anything stupid, just stop doing hero stuff..."[/color]

The words hit Blake like a punch to the gut. Never in a million years had he ever thought that Tom would take Seraph's side, the side of his [i]captors.[/i] Tom had ripped up plenty of Wings of Law invitations in the past, hadn't he? Why would he now decide to switch sides? It didn't make any sense in Blake's mind, not a bit, as he leafed through years worth of friendship. Lost in thought, he distractedly listened to Tom continue. [color=SteelBlue]"It'll all be alright, Blake. Remember the [i]mafia mission[/i], it's just like that. EAGLES has the right idea about stuff, dude. It's a good thing they replaced HERO. I'll see you later."[/color] 

Blake wasn't sure if it was the way that he had worded the sentence, or just his own faith pulling through, but he understood. Tom wasn't joining the Wings because of them, he was joining because of [i]him![/i] Seraph must've cut him a deal or something, and Tom figured that he could help Blake out by going along with it. The moment of joy at Blake's understanding was cut short, however, by a sudden realization. [i]He[/i] had fucked up again. Blake's own stupidity, his own failure, his own [i]worthlessness[/i] had screwed up not only himself, but his friend as well. Blake put his head in his hands, groaning, as Tom left. The headache had been gone for a hot second, but it was back now at full force, tearing into his brain like a sharp dagger. [color=CC5500]"FUCK!"[/color] he declared loudly as Tom had gotten to the door, tugging at his scarlet hair as the migraine only continued to press into his head.

As Tom exited, Seraph walked down the hallway, looking as smug as ever. He adjusted his tie as he looked at Tom. [color=#FFFF66]"Talk as we walk?”[/color] he proposed, striding down the corridor, wings folded neatly behind him. [color=#FFFF66]"He's not exactly in good shape, is he? Didn't seem to handle everything very well...don't worry, you have my word that he will be safe if you comply. He'll be back to normal so long as you don't try anything,”[/color] Seraph said as they entered the elevator, riding it down into the facility. It dinged a few floors later, and Seraph walked out into the elaborate room. The room was almost like a medieval version of the HERO Common Room, with gray stone walls, golden chandeliers, velvety coaches, and oak tables. A fireplace crackled in the corner, and a large TV screen was mounted on the wall, a bunch of green dots with the gang's names- Joseph, Grace, Patricia, Eliza, Jamie, Rumi, and Tom himself. [color=#FFFF66]"This tracks cell phones. We're using it to hunt down these degenerates,"[/color] Seraph explained, gesturing to the screen. [color=#FFFF66]"It seems that Static is in Utica, attending some sort of electrician's convention. We don't have the time or resources yet to deal with her; we'll just take her down once she gets back to the city. That leaves 5 remaining. Sea Serpent, status?”[/color]

Sea Serpent floated over on a platform of water, sitting lazily on top. [color=0047AB]”The two new agents are en route to apprehend Quake. Odds are, they're going to get demolished, but hopefully we can wear her down enough to the point where we can swoop in and take her out without much difficulty.”[/color] Her finger moved from Jamie's dot lazily over to Rumi. [color=0047AB]”Across the city and IQ scale, Snake Pit is currently in conflict with Sir E. Brum. I'll check in on him in a second. I don't anticipate any problems from the nerd, but best to keep an eye on him. Phil is heading after the drunk one, should be an easy wrap there. Why did we include him on the list again?”[/color]

Seraph clenched his teeth. [color=#FFFF66]"Personal reasons. What about the last three?”[/color]

[color=0047AB]”Right, the Three Musketeers of 'bleargh.' Squinty seemed to have the brains to dump her phone, which Blister learned the hard way after digging through pounds of frozen fish. He's heading up to Kingsdale to her apartment now, thought I doubt the ugly beaver is heading there. She's probably out of town by now, but can't hurt to check.”[/color] 

Seraph smiled at this. [color=#FFFF66]"Our new ally may be able to help hunt her down. But she isn't top-priority at the moment. The other two?”[/color]

[color=0047AB]”Wimpy and Grouchy are actually both at Grouchy's apartment. Billy is heading there now, along with two other new EAGLES recruits.”[/color] 

Seraph nodded. [color=#FFFF66]"Excellent. I have big plans for the girl...anyway, Tom, as you can see, our plans are all coming together nicely. You picked the right side, that much I'll tell you.”[/color] Seraph put an arm around Tom's shoulders, like he was suddenly Tom's long-lost father and not nemesis up until this point. Seraph smiled at this. [color=#FFFF66]"Now, if you don't mind, I have a quick job for you to do. This Starbright fellow, he's been a real pain in our ass, recently. Not like you and your crew have been, mind, but he's been peddling conspiracy theories about the mysterious retirement of Hugo Powers...he's a nuisance, and I want him taken care of. Take him out. Lethally, non-lethally, doesn't matter. It would go a long way to helping your friend get a better home, if you catch my drift.”[/color] He paused. [color=#FFFF66]"Take Cynthia with you. Cosmetica, get over here!"[/color]

A young woman that looked roughly Tom's age sauntered over. Her face was covered with comical amounts of makeup, that made her look almost like a clown, and she had long, extremely shiny blonde hair that was tied up in a titanic up ponytail. She was wearing a jean jacket and jeans, a pink t-shirt with a rainbow peace sign underneath, and she had on extremely tall heels. That being said, she had a good build and, if she hadn't chosen to dress like a buffoon, could've been quite good-looking. Cynthia grabbed Tom's hand and shook it enthusiastically. "Nice to meetcha, nice to meetcha."

[color=#FFFF66]"The two of you, head to Starbright's penthouse and take him off the map,"[/color] Seraph commanded. [color=#FFFF66]"I have a nice helicopter on top; you can use that to reach him. Good luck,"[/color] Seraph said, before walking off to talk to the other heroes, leaving Tom and Cynthia alone. Cynthia shrugged and walked down to the elevator, beckoning Tom to come along. She texted all the way on her glittery pink phone as the elevator chugged up to the helipad at a stupidly slow rate, dinging as it reached the top floor. Cynthia stepped out towards the white-and-gold luxury helicopter parked on the pad. "I call flying this bad boy!" Cynthia said eagerly, running around to the other side and hopping into the pilot's seat. "Get in!"

Once Tom was in and strapped up, the helicopter took off, fluttering off of Elmore Island slowly. The helicopter was extremely luxurious, with comfortable leather chairs and seat warmers, gorgeous interior design and a magnificent loading bay, and a television mounted above the passenger seat, right where Tom was sitting. The TV was currently featured Jack Roberts on CCN Headline, and several pictures of Tom on the rooftop earlier, including one with Priestess' lips planted on Tom's cheek, was currently on-screen. Though there was no sound at the moment, the headline read [color=ed1c24]"SPACEWALKER X PRIESTESS- GRAVITY HERO NEWEST ANNOUNCED MEMBER OF FRESHLY-FORMED EAGLES SQUAD."[/color]

Cosmetica, one hand on the steering yoke and the other hand pulling at her blonde hair, shook her head. "Poor Grace. She's going to be crushed," she mused as she pulled the messy wig of blonde hair right off, revealing a head of shorter, hibiscus-red hair. She grabbed a wipe from her pocket, patting at the makeup on her face, before tossing it aside, looking over at Tom with a wide smile. [color=salmon]"So, how did you end up in this mess?"[/color] Christina Lavender asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement and daring as she grinned at Tom. 

[@KaijuBaragon][@Jumbus]
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[sub]Polamor Inc. Headquarters
Castleburg[/sub]

Meanwhile, Snake Pit was on the ground, looking rather sorry for himself as Rumi planted his knee into his chest. He struggled to wiggle himself free, but found himself totally pinned to the ground. This Rumi fellow looked like a simple breeze would send him to the ground, but his wiry frame actually packed quite a punch. Furthermore, the bastard had used some sort of mini-EMP stick or something to turn off all his armor [i]and[/i] his acid gun. This was turning out to be much more of a pain in the ass than Sea Serpent had told him it would be. Still, Snake Pit was not a villain just because of fancy gadgets. He had his own powers too, and this Sir E. Brum loser was about to get a taste of that. 

"EAGLES? Up to?" Snake Pit said innocently, before activating his powers. A plume of green gas rose from Snake Pit's body and, as if acting on its own, flew towards Rumi's face like a moth moving after a light. The green gas, toxic if inhaled, continued to attack Rumi, though the hero would find that the gas was light enough to simply be blown away by a simple exhalation. However, Snake Pit was using this opportunity to jump to his feet and find a weapon. His power armor had been disabled, as had his acid blaster and acid pistol, but he had still had one more trick up his sleeve. Literally, up his sleeve.

Snake Pit removed a stiletto knife from a hidden cache in his sleeve, twirling it in his fingers, before yelling a war cry and charging at Rumi, knife in stabbing position, as he tried to lethally take out Rumi. Of course, this was a horrible idea, but Snake Pit wasn't paid to make good ideas, he was paid to kill people, and right now, so long as Rumi stood still and didn't attempt to dodge or fight back, Snake Pit would be collecting his check. Of course, it never worked like that in real life, but it couldn't hurt to give it a try, right? Right?

[@Scarifar]
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[sub]Target™
Castleburg[/sub]

Meanwhile, Target was having a regular business day when a [i]thing[/i] burst through the wall. [i]"Thing"[/i] was the only word to describe the...[i]thing[/i] that had blasted through the wall of the Target so suddenly. He (or perhaps more accurately, it) was tall, very tall, at a similar size to a bull ogre, and had dark, forest green skin. He (or it) had dreadlocks of knotty black hair falling in front of his brown, bloodshot eyes, and he was wearing a tank-top for giants and tattered pants. He looked like if Bob Marley had said goodbye to THC and hello to "troll," which was what it (or he) looked like- an actual troll.

Dungeon Troll, a former villain and newly-hired EAGLE, pushed past some screaming women and stalking towards the checkout aisles. As cashiers fled, passed out, or both in his wake, Dungeon Troll stalked his way over towards Jamie, staring at her and raising his massive muscular arms above his dreadlocked head. He then released a guttural roar, so loud and obnoxious that it echoed throughout the entire department store, before slamming the ground, sending a shockwave towards Jamie that was more than enough to knock her off her feet, if she hadn't gotten out of the way already.

Meanwhile, from the other side of the department store, a man in Roman garb walked over. Nero strutted over with confidence clear in his steps, holding a large frying pan in his hand. With a snap of his fingers, the pan part began to morph and distort itself, stretching into a long metal club, which Nero spun in his hand. [color=YellowGreen]"It's time for a clobbering, wouldn't you say?"[/color] he jested, raising his makeshift club over his head. [color=YellowGreen]"For the glory of Rome!"[/color]

[@canaryrose]
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[sub]The Streets of Castleburg[/sub]

Joseph, not too long after sending his call, found his phone practically erupting with static, so much so that anything Brie could possibly say was overrun by crackling. One moment later, a wiry figure jumped out from an alleyway directly in front of Joseph's scooter. "Wiry" was a word that is much more literal in this instance than in normal use. The figure was not thin and lithe, he was actually composed of wires. His body was made of knotted-together black wires, running up and down like skin and roping into hands and feet, copper tips forming a sort of fingernail. His head was also just a knot of wires as well, albeit a knot that was shaped eerily similarly to a human head. What appeared to be two pieces of reddish glass made up his eyes, and some slack around the mandible area gave him a mouth. This was Wire-Man, one of the Wings of Laws' most loyal enforcers. 

Wire-Man, standing a few feet fearlessly in front of Joseph's scooter, raised his arm, and his arm began to lengthen like a yo-yo, unraveling and shooting towards Joseph's scooter. His coppery fingers wrapped around the handlebars, and then Joseph's scooter, right there in the middle of the road, died. Sparks flew from the tips of Wire-Man's copper fingers as he drained the scooter dry of every spark of electricity it had. Wire-Man stared at Joseph, dead in the eyes, quiet as ever.

He then lifted his wiry arms and began to slap Joseph, over and over. The slaps weren't devastating, sure, but considering this was a man made out of actual wires, it definitely hurt more than it should. There, in the middle of the road, Wire-Man attempted to [i]slap[/i] Joseph to death. Fun. It was a slow and ineffective way to kill somebody, but Wire-Man didn't seem to care. Perhaps he thought that Joseph was a pushover, one that he could toy with a little on this assignment. After all, that was what his file said. 

[@Rabidporcupine]
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[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/200427/12e716eb3fcde6923781cf99dc1a0a73.png[/img]

Grace felt like a knife had been twisted through her heart as Patti walked over to her with an irritated scowl on her face, covered in whipped cream and flour, trying to shush her to prevent her from waking up Eliza, who was asleep on the couch. Grace had a pained expression on her face as she shook her head. [color=DarkOrchid]"This isn't a mission, Patricia, [i]agi,[/i]"[/color] Grace said softly, trying to deliver the news in a way that would traumatize the girl the least. Considering the gravity of the situation, Grace decided that trying to sugarcoat it was a plan that was doomed to fail, so she took a deep breath and delivered the news. [color=DarkOrchid]"The Wings of Law staged a coup. They did something to Powers- killed him, maybe, the thought is so [i]awful...[/i]- and they've made a new hero company to replace HERO called EAGLES, a bunch of handpicked goons and other traitors. And they've framed you for murdering a bunch of people and they've plastered your face- and all of ours- everywhere on the city. Mr. Impressive and his gang of cronies are going to be here in any second, and if we don't hurry, the rest of your cake date is going to be in a Coldwater cell, so you'd better hurry."[/color] Grace said, before she paused and quickly added, [color=DarkOrchid]"I didn't mean that last part! You're going to be fine, I'm going to get you out of here, OK? Go pack a bag, get some stuff that you need if you're going to stay away for a while, and we'll go and we'll fix this whole mess. Now [i]seoduleuda.[/i] Go. I'm going to set something up for those [i]jabjong[/i] shits..."[/color] she said ominously, giving Patricia a quick hug before walking out of the kitchen. As she moved briskly through the apartment, she grabbed the TV remote, flicking it onto the news channel, causing Patricia's face (an unflattering picture for sure) to suddenly blink onto the TV screen, as a newscaster's voice projected through the apartment, "-if anybody has seen this elusive murderer, please inform EAGLES at the number 212..." As the newslady continued on, Grace walked to the apartment's doorway. She had work to do.

Grace flipped over the area rug by the doorway and, after a moment of concentration, opened a large rectangular portal underneath the carpet, just smaller than the carpet itself in area, before laying it back down. She moved out into the hallway, doing the same for every place that had an available carpet. She then carefully retreated into the apartment, admiring her handiwork. With luck, her traps would be able to slow Mr. Impressive down a good bit, help buy the girls some time to plan a course of action. Nodding, she carefully crept over to the living room, opening an ovular portal in the middle of the room. [color=DarkOrchid]"Patti, let's go, wake up Eliza if she's not already-"[/color] Grace began, before she saw a disturbing image on the screen. Tom's picture was square in the middle of the screen, and Jack Roberts was speaking words that Grace did not want to hear. [color=ed1c24]"Spacewalker, a well-known and popular hero in his own right, is going to be joining Castleburg's newest hero company, EAGLES. Seen here, it seems as though the hero is picking up with old flame Emily Morgan, better known as Priestess..."[/color] Jack Roberts continued to talk about EAGLES, but Grace didn't register it at all, her eyes instead staring blankly at the picture on the screen, Tom at the edge of the rooftop, Priestess leaning in, her ruby-red lips planted squarely in the middle of Tom's cheek...Grace's hand gravitated up to her chest, her fingers clutching at the flesh right above her heart, as she just stared, feeling some water come to her eyes. 

[color=DarkOrchid]"No,"[/color] she muttered, shaking her head fervently, as if denying the photo's existence would somehow cause it to magically vanish. [color=DarkOrchid]"No, no, it can't be..."[/color] she said, her voice whispery and alarmed, her heart still trying to convince her brain an obvious lie. Unfortunately, her heart didn't stand a chance, and Grace's voice quickly rose, louder than she had ever known it to go as she yelled, [color=DarkOrchid]"[i]Baesinja![/i] Traitor!"[/color] Her stare hardening into a glare, she clenched her fists tightly. [color=DarkOrchid]"He...they...I...[i]no[/i]...I am going to KILL them BOTH,"[/color] she finally managed to 
splutter out, her violet eyes flushed with anger and hurt. If Patricia's appearance, naive and carefree, had put the knife in, this scene on the news had sent it all the way through. 

Grace was not one to dwell in the past, though, and she quickly returned to business as soon as her brain said she could. She turned to Patricia and Eliza, who certainly could not have slept through her outburst unless she was [i]really[/i] tired. [color=DarkOrchid]"Let's go. We're going to head to the new hero, Pandora's, place. A flower shop. She's new, so they won't list her as a potential conspirator, they won't be checking...hopefully she'll be willing to help us. I'll go through first, make sure the portal is safe, considering I only know the address and haven't been to the store yet. Once I'm through, follow me quickly. Make sure you leave your phones here. HERO could track them, so I can only assume EAGLES have inherited that capability. We'll...we'll figure this out together. OK?"[/color] With that (attempted) motivational speech, one that was probably not very strong considering it was coming from a crying girl, Grace carefully stepped through the portal. 

The Korean girl materialized inside of Pandora's Potts, almost knocking down a nearby pot of plants in the process. After landing safely on the ground, Grace reached a hand through the portal, waved for the two to come through, before turning to look at Pandora. Grace, despite being an awarded hero, felt a strange sense of inferiority before this woman, who hardly looked much older than herself. Grace took a deep breath. [color=DarkOrchid]"Ms...Pandora?"[/color] Grace said, not remembering whether or not she had a last name. She should've had one, but Grace seemed to be drawing a blank, unusual for someone of her caliber memory. [color=DarkOrchid]"I'm sorry for the intrusion, I hope I'm not bothering you...I'm Grace Mok, or Bypass...Patti and Eliza, I mean, Murmur and Aria, are coming through in a moment. I'm not sure if you've seen the news, but we're in some trouble and if we could just hold out here for a bit, it would be greatly appreciated."[/color] Grace spoke with as much politeness as she could muster. To be frank, she didn't know where else to turn at this point, so this flower shop may be their best bet at escaping the Wings of Law. [color=DarkOrchid]"Again, sorry for barging in, but teleporting onto the street would've been suspicious, and the Wings might've picked it up,"[/color] she explained, looking at Pandora meekly. The fact that her eyes were teary probably weren't helping her case. 

[@Duoya] [@Zoey Boey] [@canaryrose] [@Amethyst]
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