Estylwen

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

I've fleshed out the company Rhea works for. ^^

Civilian Intelligence and Delivery

| Civilian Intelligence and Delivery (CID) |

Being unaffiliated with any one government or organization, CID enjoys the freedom of working on contracts with whomever needs their services, both in the US and across the border. They specialize in secrets, blackmail, and decryption. Their most popular service is the transport of secrets, as the more illicit of things are moving off fiber optic cables. Although CID tries to focus their attention on helping regular people, most can’t afford the ludicrous prices. The company’s HQ is hidden in Rosemaple Lake, Roseview and has access to many safe houses around the city.

CID is by no means a big company with roughly 25 employees, all metahuman. Their task force is split into three divisions: the spies, security, and the couriers. The spies account for 20% of the taskforce, but bring in a large portion of the income. The small security division stays strictly at HQ, save for an occasional bodyguard job. Couriers and spies are pocketed throughout the US with only a handful actually in Baybridge. The couriers and spies are told not associate with one another, and to strictly use code names.

Notable Members

• Hallmark (Daxton Locke) — The professional, enigmatic CEO of the company. He’s always found dressed in a suit and tie, with his black hair styled back and the finest jewellery on his hands. He’s a strange CEO in the fact he’s also the company’s dispatcher, and coordinates with Miss Admin on agents and their jobs. He has a personal connection with all his agents and knows them quite well. Many suppose this is his way of sniffing out moles in the company. Although Hallmark treats his employees professionally, he does overstep his bounds when information is withheld or someone tries to lie to him. It should be noted that Hallmark is also the only baseline human in the entire company (besides the tech group).
  
• Miss Admin (Brogan Huntley) — the secretary and public face of CID, and right-hand of Hallmark. She’s a tall lady with maroon glasses framing her face and long auburn hair tied in a bun, a single bang curling to the side. Miss Admin has a strong ‘no-nonsense’ attitude and is incredibly organized. She works in the background of CID, keeping the machine running smoothly. Under her is a small team of baseline employees who run all the tech jobs that CID brings in. She doesn’t typically associate with agents unless they're in trouble with the boss. Her meta-ability is basic, but very useful in their work. She can tell, through emotion, whether someone is lying or not.

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

Aislin Rose

Basic Information

Name:

Aislin Rose

Nickname/Alias/Etc:

C.T. (Short for Curiosity)

Gender:

Female

Age:

27

Height:

5’4

Weight:

125 lbs.

Home District:

Lower South Royer Town, Prince Ed-Field

Appearance

Hair Color:

Light brown, pale green highlights

Eye Color:

Caribbean blue

Ethnicity:

Caucasian

Physical Appearance:

Aislin keeps her hair quite short for minimal upkeep. It’s parted to the far side, bangs gracing her forehead, and back layers tapering at her collar bone. It’s cut to follow the curve of her head, with layered strands gently sweeping along her jawline. Aislin’s face maintains a round, youthful-look, save for the crow’s feet at the edge of her eyes. Her high cheek bones bring some welcomed angles to her face. A small beauty mark sits at the side of her lips. Besides the taut appearance around her eyes and the freckles scattered across her skin, she is moderately blemish free. There is, however, a single blade scar arced near the bottom of her jaw, an inch or so from the chin. Having graduated to C’s, Aislin boasts a body that’s curvy yet athletic. Years of training has given her a small powerhouse, capable of running for miles.

Attire:

On most days, Aislin’s go-to outfit is a plain shirt under a leather jacket with wool sleeves, and square aviators. She wears dark, fitted slacks that have some stretch in the material. The outfit is ideal for most anything, like going to town, being inconspicuous while eavesdropping, or doing minor field work.

To get real casual, Aislin wears pink flannel pyjamas. Doesn’t matter where or with who. She usually has her stuffed penguin in tow.

Personality

Outward Personality:

Being very much a high-energy individual, Aislin tends to fill her conversations with enthusiasm. She is kind to her associates, listens well, and has near mastered the art of giving advice. Although she’s popular at the office and other social circles, Aislin maintains one best friend. She’s isolated herself over the years; she finds it hard to relate to most people, especially if they’re non-meta.

Aislin is a curious soul and tends to run her mouth by asking personal questions. What she lacks for tact she makes up in empathy and big smiles. She is completely turned off by those with aggressive personalities and tends to remove anything dark in her life. She’s very sensitive to other people's personalities, even more so since she sees auras. She also tends to be very private about her personal life.

Her mischevious side has married her curiosity ever since becoming a field agent. It’s something that she’s not always comfortable with as she occasionally has to fight people. But she’s never taken a life, and never will — she made that very clear to Hallmark, her employer. Her fighting style has adapted with her personality, specialising in quick, non-lethal takedowns (preferably at a distance).

Innate Personality:

Born with the heart of a child and a great love for life, Aislin is over-emotional. She has zest in her actions and words, although on the flip side, she is prone to hissy fits. Aislin is playful, not one to take life seriously. She doesn’t usually clue into the direness of her situation until it’s too late, which may also be due to a small form of arrogance. This is accentuated by her carefree nature.

After years of meditating and self-reflecting, she is patient and perceptive. Aislin has only become more of a dreamer over the years as she continues to see life through a different lens. There is magic in the world, this she knows. Her personal beliefs are not high on the popularity scale, but instead of conforming, Aislin rose above it. She is a free spirit, disliking any forms of authority or control. This does not mean she’s vindictive, though, as her nature is peace-loving. In a situation where she has no power, or she loses the position of power, Aislin is fearful.

Hobbies/Interests:

Her interests haven’t changed too much over the years. Aislin still loves a dank toke every now and again. Her fascination with Taoism has expanded to include Buddhism and Hinduism. Having said no to take-out a long time ago, Aislin knows how to make a tasty meal with her own hands. She loves music and nature and tends to enjoy both at the same time. Mainly, her days are consumed with pushing the limits of her power, and meditation.

Skills/Talents:

Aislin has taken up sculpturing, but not in a way most would think. She can take certain ‘loose’ material, like ice, and animate it into a shape. If done correctly, when she disconnects from the material, it will retain the new shape. She’s become quite good at it and has several swan sculptures chilling in her freezer.

Meditation has brought Aislin a refined level of focus. This is a necessary skill due to the nature of Animating. It has also helped Aislin better see subtle energy and auras (more info in the Power section).

Having spent roughly five years at Hallmark’s training facility, Aislin’s collected several courses under her belt. The big one, though, is Basic Combat Training, where they teach physical skills and mental discipline. Her aerobatics is on the lacking side, as she can’t do a backflip to save her life.

Goals/Motivation

If there was a way, she’d want every person to experience what it’s like to be a meta-human, so she’s curious about the science behind meta powers. Aislin also wants to have great stories to tell when she’s in her 50’s, so she’ll continue to put herself in unique situations.

History/Bio:

From a quiet orphanage, Aislin was adopted into a well-off household with preoccupied parents. They were a business couple that wanted a quiet, polite daughter without the hassle of raising a baby. Aislin was adored by her parents but was often left to her own devices for long periods of time. This created a form of isolation that Aislin eventually came to accept, and was catalysed by the birth of her powers. They developed at a young age, and to her, appeared to be magic. Rippling walls, walking cutlery, and other strange occurrences became commonplace. Her friends, however, quickly rejected her.

Aislin’s parents couldn’t have been prouder, and sent her to Academy 218 to harness her potential. The school had a peaceful appearance, but as the year unfolded, things became more and more chaotic. Aislin was nearly eaten by a monster meta named Jaska who triggered his Beast Mode by a near fatal wound. Hilariously enough, it was Aislin’s fault he was injured. Without planning or preparation, they ventured into the dark caves outside the school grounds. Before Jaska transformed, Aislin caught a glimpse of a blue-skinned woman.

After the incident, Aislin boldy (or naively) entered the caves again to find the blue meta, only to come across a terrifying man named Luis. After a life-threatening chase, Luis was shot by a masked individual. Aislin escaped the caves and confided in her friends, wondering if anyone knew what was going on. Eventually, the unwelcome guests on the island became known school-wide as the ‘Changeling Unit’, and strategies were formed to remove them. Every staff member that could fight, and many bold students partook in an intense battle. It eventually led to the Unit being forced to flee the island, and nothing more was heard.

Aislin completed the rest of her years in the Academy in moderate and very welcomed peace. This was roughly when Rhea and Aislin bumped into each other and began a glorious friendship. Nearing her graduation, Aislin was approached by a certain company that said they paid well for meta spies, and would continue her training in Canada. Aislin thought she’d give it a try, and quickly found she loved the work.

While collecting incriminating data in Italy, Aislin hit a rough patch with a mafia member who specialised in metal manipulation, specifically blades. This was where she received her scar, but she came out on top and extracted a briefcase that contained 1.2 million dollars worth of intel for Italy’s government. Shortly after, she heard about the tragedy that befell Verthaven, and the Devil. She noticed people looked at her and her animations differently. Again, the isolation gap widened.

After the Overload Crisis in Baybridge, Aislin was relocated to an apartment in Lower South Royer Town for ‘some needed R&R’, according to Hallmark. With time to sit and think, Aislin tried contacting Rhea for the hundredth time. After they both graduated, Rhea just… disappeared.

Currently, Aislin does small contract work for Hallmark, mainly involving politicians.

Relationships

Family:

Mira Rose - Adopted mother
David Rose - Adopted father
Biological parents unknown.

Dynamics:

| Rhea Harlow |

| Bad | Ex-Best Friend | ”She just up and left. Was it something I said? |

Having close ties since their time in the academy, Aislin was sure the two of them were inseparable. But Rhea hasn’t bothered contacting her for the past two and a half years.

Abilities

Power Class:

Other

Power:

Animation

"The power to give crude life to inanimate objects. Not to be confused with Creation as the lives of animations are tied to the user and not their own."

SuperpowerWiki

Essentially, Aislin works on something like Wifi. The objects in her vicinity, and what she can see, are candidates for her puppet strings. It all works through a mental connection. After 5-7 seconds of creating a link with an object, Aislin programs it with a command. The object wakes up and completes the command it’s been given all on its own, giving the illusion of self-thought. If an animation does not have an order, it will do nothing if Aislin is keeping her attention on it, else it’ll die. Over the years, Aislin has refined her connection to be stronger, quicker, and more precise. This has come at a cost, as the connection is so tight it must be gently released.

Creating a link and waking up an object is the only step in which eye contact is required. Animations can be out of her sight and still work fine. Not that Aislin would intentionally send them far away, but animations can only go so far before the Wifi connection is lost, and they die. Aislin’s range, roughly, is about 50 feet.

To change the shape of the material once Aislin purposefully disconnects with it, she has learned to slowly extract herself. This pulls the atoms together at a slower rate, and they’re more likely to find permanent spaces in this new shape. That is how Aislin turns an ice cube into a butterfly.

Animation Logic

Animation works because it mimics the flexibility of life, of carbon-based bodies. Atoms stiffly packed together, like a wood chair, would normally never be able to kick up on its back legs and pretend it's a stallion. But if the animator gives the material energy through attention, these atoms pull away from each other minutely. The atoms have space to move and bend, and this gives the animation the flexibility it needs.

Aura-reading

Having grown up with a very bendable, pliable reality, AIslin has opened herself to the possibility of something existing beyond what one normally sees. This thought eventually developed into perceiving static energy in the air, and the electrical discharge on people. Aura-seeing is as follows. If Aislin cares to look, and you’re within 5 feet, she can tell if you have a good or bad intention. A haze appears an inch off the skin. Colours change depending on the intent someone presents, and Aislin has seen her fair share of beautiful and ugly auras.

Limits:

Animations demand a varying level of attention on them at all times. They do not require eye contact, just thought. This limits Aislin to 1-2 animations at a time, depending on how intricate the commands are that she gives. As long as Aislin focuses her awareness, the animations can live near-indefinitely. In a moment of say, sleep, pain, or distraction, the animations die.

Swarm animations work as one, are treated as a single animation and have predictable flight paths.

The heavier and denser the object, the harder it is to animate. Anything that exceeds the weight of a microwave is considered to be too heavy. Anything with a density higher than silver is too compact to animate. This includes alloyed metals like steel, or pure metals like platinum. The durability of animations is in direct correlation to what material they're made of. Silver is the strongest, whereas paper, ink drawings, or cotton material are weak.

Weaknesses/Drawbacks:

Organic material, living or dead, cannot be animated. This includes people, animals, and plants. Since animations are so tightly intertwined with her mind, a sudden disconnection can hurt. Only by gently releasing their link can Aislin avoid any backlash, and this takes anywhere from 5-7 seconds.

Backlash has several levels of intensity. On the low end, her lack of attention would kill an animation and she would feel a mild shock. If someone were to absolutely destroy the material making up the animation, leaving a pile of ash, the backlash would be equivalent to a mental spike shoved in her brain. Repeated offenses lowers Aislin’s tolerance, giving the backlash the illusion it’s getting worse.

Other:

• Aislin still holds onto her stuffed penguin, Tao.

• Hallmark made Aislin a custom gadget for field work. It’s a cotton-filled black cat covered in synthetic hair, made to look realistic. There’s a voice box in its throat, audio recorder in its ears, and a camera in its eyes.

Theme:

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

I've brought a character back from the past, aka, Academy 218. :)

Aislin Rose

Basic Information

Name:

Aislin Rose

Nickname/Alias/Etc:

C.T. (Short for Curiosity)

Gender:

Female

Age:

27

Height:

5’4

Weight:

125 lbs.

Home District:

Lower South Royer Town, Prince Ed-Field

Appearance

Hair Color:

Light brown, pale green highlights

Eye Color:

Caribbean blue

Ethnicity:

Caucasian

Physical Appearance:

Aislin keeps her hair quite short for minimal upkeep. It’s parted to the far side, bangs gracing her forehead, and back layers tapering at her collar bone. It’s cut to follow the curve of her head, with layered strands gently sweeping along her jawline. Aislin’s face maintains a round, youthful-look, save for the crow’s feet at the edge of her eyes. Her high cheek bones bring some welcomed angles to her face. A small beauty mark sits at the side of her lips. Besides the taut appearance around her eyes and the freckles scattered across her skin, she is moderately blemish free. There is, however, a single blade scar arced near the bottom of her jaw, an inch or so from the chin. Having graduated to C’s, Aislin boasts a body that’s curvy yet athletic. Years of training has given her a small powerhouse, capable of running for miles.

Attire:

On most days, Aislin’s go-to outfit is a plain shirt under a leather jacket with wool sleeves, and square aviators. She wears dark, fitted slacks that have some stretch in the material. The outfit is ideal for most anything, like going to town, being inconspicuous while eavesdropping, or doing minor field work.

To get real casual, Aislin wears pink flannel pyjamas. Doesn’t matter where or with who. She usually has her stuffed penguin in tow.

Personality

Outward Personality:

Being very much a high-energy individual, Aislin tends to fill her conversations with enthusiasm. She is kind to her associates, listens well, and has near mastered the art of giving advice. Although she’s popular at the office and other social circles, Aislin maintains one best friend. She’s isolated herself over the years; she finds it hard to relate to most people, especially if they’re non-meta.

Aislin is a curious soul and tends to run her mouth by asking personal questions. What she lacks for tact she makes up in empathy and big smiles. She is completely turned off by those with aggressive personalities and tends to remove anything dark in her life. She’s very sensitive to other people's personalities, even more so since she sees auras. She also tends to be very private about her personal life.

Her mischevious side has married her curiosity ever since becoming a field agent. It’s something that she’s not always comfortable with as she occasionally has to fight people. But she’s never taken a life, and never will — she made that very clear to Hallmark, her employer. Her fighting style has adapted with her personality, specialising in quick, non-lethal takedowns (preferably at a distance).

Innate Personality:

Born with the heart of a child and a great love for life, Aislin is over-emotional. She has zest in her actions and words, although on the flip side, she is prone to hissy fits. Aislin is playful, not one to take life seriously. She doesn’t usually clue into the direness of her situation until it’s too late, which may also be due to a small form of arrogance. This is accentuated by her carefree nature.

After years of meditating and self-reflecting, she is patient and perceptive. Aislin has only become more of a dreamer over the years as she continues to see life through a different lens. There is magic in the world, this she knows. Her personal beliefs are not high on the popularity scale, but instead of conforming, Aislin rose above it. She is a free spirit, disliking any forms of authority or control. This does not mean she’s vindictive, though, as her nature is peace-loving. In a situation where she has no power, or she loses the position of power, Aislin is fearful.

Hobbies/Interests:

Her interests haven’t changed too much over the years. Aislin still loves a dank toke every now and again. Her fascination with Taoism has expanded to include Buddhism and Hinduism. Having said no to take-out a long time ago, Aislin knows how to make a tasty meal with her own hands. She loves music and nature and tends to enjoy both at the same time. Mainly, her days are consumed with pushing the limits of her power, and meditation.

Skills/Talents:

Aislin has taken up sculpturing, but not in a way most would think. She can take certain ‘loose’ material, like ice, and animate it into a shape. If done correctly, when she disconnects from the material, it will retain the new shape. She’s become quite good at it and has several swan sculptures chilling in her freezer.

Meditation has brought Aislin a refined level of focus. This is a necessary skill due to the nature of Animating. It has also helped Aislin better see subtle energy and auras (more info in the Power section).

Having spent roughly five years at Hallmark’s training facility, Aislin’s collected several courses under her belt. The big one, though, is Basic Combat Training, where they teach physical skills and mental discipline. Her aerobatics is on the lacking side, as she can’t do a backflip to save her life.

Goals/Motivation

If there was a way, she’d want every person to experience what it’s like to be a meta-human, so she’s curious about the science behind meta powers. Aislin also wants to have great stories to tell when she’s in her 50’s, so she’ll continue to put herself in unique situations.

History/Bio:

From a quiet orphanage, Aislin was adopted into a well-off household with preoccupied parents. They were a business couple that wanted a quiet, polite daughter without the hassle of raising a baby. Aislin was adored by her parents but was often left to her own devices for long periods of time. This created a form of isolation that Aislin eventually came to accept, and was catalysed by the birth of her powers. They developed at a young age, and to her, appeared to be magic. Rippling walls, walking cutlery, and other strange occurrences became commonplace. Her friends, however, quickly rejected her.

Aislin’s parents couldn’t have been prouder, and sent her to Academy 218 to harness her potential. The school had a peaceful appearance, but as the year unfolded, things became more and more chaotic. Aislin was nearly eaten by a monster meta named Jaska who triggered his Beast Mode by a near fatal wound. Hilariously enough, it was Aislin’s fault he was injured. Without planning or preparation, they ventured into the dark caves outside the school grounds. Before Jaska transformed, Aislin caught a glimpse of a blue-skinned woman.

After the incident, Aislin boldy (or naively) entered the caves again to find the blue meta, only to come across a terrifying man named Luis. After a life-threatening chase, Luis was shot by a masked individual. Aislin escaped the caves and confided in her friends, wondering if anyone knew what was going on. Eventually, the unwelcome guests on the island became known school-wide as the ‘Changeling Unit’, and strategies were formed to remove them. Every staff member that could fight, and many bold students partook in an intense battle. It eventually led to the Unit being forced to flee the island, and nothing more was heard.

Aislin completed the rest of her years in the Academy in moderate and very welcomed peace. This was roughly when Rhea and Aislin bumped into each other and began a glorious friendship. Nearing her graduation, Aislin was approached by a certain company that said they paid well for meta spies, and would continue her training in Canada. Aislin thought she’d give it a try, and quickly found she loved the work.

While collecting incriminating data in Italy, Aislin hit a rough patch with a mafia member who specialised in metal manipulation, specifically blades. This was where she received her scar, but she came out on top and extracted a briefcase that contained 1.2 million dollars worth of intel for Italy’s government. Shortly after, she heard about the tragedy that befell Verthaven, and the Devil. She noticed people looked at her and her animations differently. Again, the isolation gap widened.

After the Overload Crisis in Baybridge, Aislin was relocated to an apartment in Lower South Royer Town for ‘some needed R&R’, according to Hallmark. With time to sit and think, Aislin tried contacting Rhea for the hundredth time. After they both graduated, Rhea just… disappeared.

Currently, Aislin does small contract work for Hallmark, mainly involving politicians.

Relationships

Family:

Mira Rose - Adopted mother
David Rose - Adopted father
Biological parents unknown.

Dynamics:

| Rhea Harlow |

| Bad | Ex-Best Friend | ”She just up and left. Was it something I said? |

Having close ties since their time in the academy, Aislin was sure the two of them were inseparable. But Rhea hasn’t bothered contacting her for the past two and a half years.

Abilities

Power Class:

Other

Power:

Animation

"The power to give crude life to inanimate objects. Not to be confused with Creation as the lives of animations are tied to the user and not their own."

SuperpowerWiki

Essentially, Aislin works on something like Wifi. The objects in her vicinity, and what she can see, are candidates for her puppet strings. It all works through a mental connection. After 5-7 seconds of creating a link with an object, Aislin programs it with a command. The object wakes up and completes the command it’s been given all on its own, giving the illusion of self-thought. If an animation does not have an order, it will do nothing if Aislin is keeping her attention on it, else it’ll die. Over the years, Aislin has refined her connection to be stronger, quicker, and more precise. This has come at a cost, as the connection is so tight it must be gently released.

Creating a link and waking up an object is the only step in which eye contact is required. Animations can be out of her sight and still work fine. Not that Aislin would intentionally send them far away, but animations can only go so far before the Wifi connection is lost, and they die. Aislin’s range, roughly, is about 50 feet.

To change the shape of the material once Aislin purposefully disconnects with it, she has learned to slowly extract herself. This pulls the atoms together at a slower rate, and they’re more likely to find permanent spaces in this new shape. That is how Aislin turns an ice cube into a butterfly.

Animation Logic

Animation works because it mimics the flexibility of life, of carbon-based bodies. Atoms stiffly packed together, like a wood chair, would normally never be able to kick up on its back legs and pretend it's a stallion. But if the animator gives the material energy through attention, these atoms pull away from each other minutely. The atoms have space to move and bend, and this gives the animation the flexibility it needs.

Aura-reading

Having grown up with a very bendable, pliable reality, AIslin has opened herself to the possibility of something existing beyond what one normally sees. This thought eventually developed into perceiving static energy in the air, and the electrical discharge on people. Aura-seeing is as follows. If Aislin cares to look, and you’re within 5 feet, she can tell if you have a good or bad intention. A haze appears an inch off the skin. Colours change depending on the intent someone presents, and Aislin has seen her fair share of beautiful and ugly auras.

Limits:

Animations demand a varying level of attention on them at all times. They do not require eye contact, just thought. This limits Aislin to 1-2 animations at a time, depending on how intricate the commands are that she gives. As long as Aislin focuses her awareness, the animations can live near-indefinitely. In a moment of say, sleep, pain, or distraction, the animations die.

Swarm animations work as one, are treated as a single animation and have predictable flight paths.

The heavier and denser the object, the harder it is to animate. Anything that exceeds the weight of a microwave is considered to be too heavy. Anything with a density higher than silver is too compact to animate. This includes alloyed metals like steel, or pure metals like platinum. The durability of animations is in direct correlation to what material they're made of. Silver is the strongest, whereas paper, ink drawings, or cotton material are weak.

Weaknesses/Drawbacks:

Organic material, living or dead, cannot be animated. This includes people, animals, and plants. Since animations are so tightly intertwined with her mind, a sudden disconnection can hurt. Only by gently releasing their link can Aislin avoid any backlash, and this takes anywhere from 5-7 seconds.

Backlash has several levels of intensity. On the low end, her lack of attention would kill an animation and she would feel a mild shock. If someone were to absolutely destroy the material making up the animation, leaving a pile of ash, the backlash would be equivalent to a mental spike shoved in her brain. Repeated offenses lowers Aislin’s tolerance, giving the backlash the illusion it’s getting worse.

Other:

• Aislin still holds onto her stuffed penguin, Tao.

• Hallmark made Aislin a custom gadget for field work. It’s a cotton-filled black cat covered in synthetic hair, made to look realistic. There’s a voice box in its throat, audio recorder in its ears, and a camera in its eyes.

Theme:

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

---

Malik Jakane & Rhea Harlow.

_{Written in collaboration with @Mr Allen J}

---

New Raygate, Prince Edfield.

Soaring countless feet above the air and barreling through the city, Rhea could have shown more concern. At the moment, it was a struggle to keep her eyes open. Since Malik did the daring deed of rescuing her, she found it unlikely he’d drop her from this height.

Cat’s outta the bag… He’s a meta, like me. she thought, a half-delirious grin on her face.

After their daring escape, Malik managed to get far enough away that he felt comfortable landing on a rooftop, and thank God because he was getting tired. Especially with this knife in his chest. Well, compared to forty bullets, that's nothing! Malik felt glad to be alive. Though, the man was hopping up and down.

"That was exciting, yeah." He said, high off the adrenaline. "But, think we lost them?"

“With the stunt you pulled?” Rhea looked back in the direction they fled. “I think we’re okay.”

Rhea appraised Malik, grimacing at the knife embedded in him. “If I wasn’t on the verge of passing out I’d heal you. Are you going to be okay?”

"Yeah... it's..." Malik looked at the knife protruding out of his body. "... Just one knife."

He tried to brush it off... before a wave of realization hit Malik when he put two and two together.

"Wait, did you...?" Malik asked, "I told you to stay out of it, now look at what happened!"

A pained expression crossed her face. “You’re right. And I’m sorry. Whatever reason you had for being at, presumably, the Founding Family’s base, it would have gone smoother if I wasn’t there."

“You saved me. We’re both wounded, but…” she gritted her teeth. “I did what I felt was right. No one should go through what’s happened to your friend.”

While Malik was still pretty angry that she had got involved... he couldn't stay angry when he realized that the two of them are in this together now. While it might have been easier to just leave Rhea, take the phone, and stay off their radar, he couldn't just stand by and let Rhea get killed - and from a pragmatic standpoint, he would have been exposed anyway (D'oh!).

"Me and my big mouth," Malik said underneath his breath. "I understand ya' fully, while I'm still a little annoyed ya' went behind my back - what we need to do is look forward and realize that the two of us are in this together."

Malik pulled out the cellphone that belonged to Marcelle and showed it to Rhea.

"I grabbed this phone out of their base... it's my friend's Marcelle's phone," Malik started off. "This is the clue that'll help me find her... but, the only problem is that I have no idea what her unlock code is!" Malik awkwardly laughed as he scratched the back of his head.

Her name is Marcelle… Rhea tilted her head, staring at the bright purple device. It’s not ideal, but Hallmark’s techies have programs for cracking phones.

“That could be a problem.” Rhea nodded. “You’ve checked that it’s code-locked? I have a possible solution for you. It’s expensive, but I can get that phone cracked for you in 12 to 24 hours.”

"Money isn't a problem, but I'm not entirely sure, I'll have to charge it...." Malik answered before he put the phone back into his pocket. "But, I have another issue..."

He said as he crossed his arms.

"... What exactly happened? Why did they kidnap you or something?"

Her eyes drifted to the knife still hanging off Malik. “If I tell you, will you let me fix this blade chillin’ in your ribs?”

Malik looked down.

"... Sure."

“Apparently, the Founding Family has ways of negating Tor, which is what I use for anonymous browsing. I ran a search, found an encrypted site with their name, and before I knew it, two masked ladies blasted in my door.” Rhea said, shaking her head. “You saw all the good parts. They cornered me and I eventually found myself in that garage.”

Her face brightened. "I discovered something, though. The Black Hound is working with the Founding Family."

"Well," Malik said scratching the back of his neck. "I feel a little responsible for this, so, I'm gonna lend ya' a hand."

He dramatically posed.

"I'm staying with a friend that's really nice... Come with me so we can lay low at her apartment. No one should know that we are even there."

Rhea folded her arms, mulling over the opportunity. She was tired, sore, and sliced up good. Her safe-house, if Hallmark hadn’t sent someone to destroy it already, was no longer safe. Malik wanted her help, and she did owe him a great deal.

After a moment, Rhea gave him a serious look. “This Family group is scary, and we’ve kicked the hornet’s nest. I think it’s fair to say whoever we associate with is being put at risk. Having said that, I’ll tag along. I’ll be able to treat us both, and get some rest…”

"Of course," Malik said, putting his arms behind his head. "It'll be just like the movies!"

Rhea laughed. "If so, we're not getting paid enough."

"Now, let's go!" Malik looked around, spotted the fire escape, and motioned for Rhea to follow. The duo made a slow descend down the building and walked through the yellow-lit streets.

Brand new friends.

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

... I'm really liking where these IC posts are going. Great writing, guys.

Alright, here's the new organisation I made specifically for an event I plan on doing later.
Feel free to voice your comments.

@Mr Allen J

We need more organisations like this, although I feel they may not have enough political power simply because they're fully supporting (icky) metas. The MIP probably have a huge target on their back, and I definitely see a conflict happening between pro-meta and anti-meta rights groups (on top of fighting terrorists?).

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

---

Malik Jakane.

_{(@Mr Allen J)}

---

New Raygate, Prince Edfield.

Heh, this was just like being in a spy movie.

Jakane. Malik Jakane.

Kind of had that ring to it.

Still, he had to be careful. If Malik gets seen, then it's going to be game-over for his mission to find Marcelle. And right when he finally gets a lead. Malik was told to go on straight ahead... and hopefully not into a trap. Still, he was confident in his source because he was being directed. Malik stopped at a hallway and heard some people walking away. Talking. Time to show off.

Malik did a barrel roll from one hallway to the other before they even noticed. He kept moving forward, keeping low, as he made his way through the evil lair. Not that well guarded, is it? Or does the Black Hound's mooks account for a great deal of the security team? Doesn't matter. Long as the good fortune keeps coming!

It wasn't long before Malik reached the end of the hallway that had the title of "SERVER ROOM." What was he going to do here? Start hacking? Heh. The full extent of Malik's computing abilities involved taking pictures, then uploading them to social media. He's going to need the help of his eye in the sky for this one. Though, the door was metal and looked pretty hard to break down. It even had a panel on the side-

His cell phone buzzed, and look, it was his eye in the sky!

12127.

Okay. Malik shrugged as he put in the number combination, aaaaand....

The light went green, and the doors opened. Malik carefully stepped in, as he heard some more people walking by. The doors closed right behind Malik.

Right when he stepped in, he was creeped out. The server room was dark other than the odd blue lights presented by the server machines - which were tall, bulky-looking machines that were probably jam-packed with information. Malik was no computer expert, so he had no idea what they did either way. He took a few steps into the dark, tiled room. Looking around.

Your lead is just right ahead, just look for the server that says 12.

Malik nodded his head and skimmed the servers as he searched for this magic number... Ah! He didn't know what made this server special from the other ones. There were a few missing, yeah, but there were a lot of them missing!

Look down at the last one, and stick your hand in the empty space.

Malik sighed... hoping that this just wasn't some trap (or really elaborate prank) and stuck his hand in. He reached around in the opening, then his eyes opened wide. "Ah-hah!" Malik said as he pulled out the object his contact was referring to.

A bright purple cell-phone.

It belongs to Marcelle.

He pressed one of the buttons, but the phone was dead. He would have to get it home.

Good. You have your lead. Now, it's time for you to escape.

Malik raised his eyebrow.

hey? what about the prisoners you talked about?

There was a solid minute before there was a response, which made Malik think it was bullshit.

The Black Hound will be back soon, and it's best that you leave before he does.

There was something else at play here, but Malik wasn't in the position to question it. Because now he's made his breakthrough. He was going to solve the mystery of what happened to Marcelle one way or another...

... But first, he had to charge this phone!

He put the phone in his pocket before he turned around and started walking out the room. He punched in the code again, and the door opened right up again! Malik started slowly walking out, before he retraced his steps. Dodging cards like the master spy he is.

Malik made it right back to the entrance. Now, he was going have to decide if he was going to open the garage door again, or come up with something else. Malik was fast as hell as a living storm and-

A portal opened up in the garage, and Malik was quick to dip behind a crate.

"... Better get chatty real fast," A woman said as she walked behind someone he knew was being held hostage. "Because if you don't... you're going to wish that we killed you."

Malik peaked a little bit more...

... It was Rhea.

He darted back behind some crates. What did that crazy girl get herself into?! He told her not to get involved, and now look what happened!

---

Veronica Emily Davis, Rhea Harlow, Malik Jakane, & Makoto Koda.

_{Written in collaboration with @Mr Allen J}

---

Dishonored - Aristocracy Suspense

---

New Raygate, Prince Ed-Field

The portal closed as the two Undertakers held Rhea at gunpoint.

Makoto was the only one holding the gun, but was taking it very lightly. Given that she was cracking jokes. "... Mi casa su casa... Pancake." Makoto continued to taunt her as she poked Rhea in the back with her gun, prompting her to move forward.

Upon exiting the portal, Rhea anxiously patted herself down. Her stomach held a sense of vertigo as, for a brief moment, the portal lacked any gravity. It felt like water if energy could behave as such. Thick, dry, and disorienting.

The smell of gasoline and tires caused Rhea’s eyes to glance about. There were vehicles lined up at the wall and a large metal door to the side. Eerie white lights in the ceiling barely cut into the shadows, casting a sinister glow. Rhea swallowed the lump in her throat.

Amidst the previous threats, she managed to heal the knife wounds in her legs. Her situation, though, remained dire. Makoto was quick to remind her who was in charge, prodding her with the gun.

Veronica just rolled her eyes as she gave Rhea her last warning. "... Better get chatty real fast," She twirling the knife around between her fingers. "Because if you don't... you're going to wish that we killed you."

To The Terror, Rhea gave a fervent nod. “I have full intention of cooperating, and I’ll tell you everything I know. But I, uh”—she grimaced—“need the restroom.”

"Well, we can't have you pissing yourself for when you meet the Black Hound in person," Veronica said, smiling as she waited for that "Oh crap" expression when she realises they're working with one of the most world renown terrorists on the planet. "So, we'll just haul your ass into a cell where you'll have everything you need until the Hound is ready for you."

Rhea's eyes widened. So it's true, then. The Founding Family, The Black Hound and that behemoth are connected. Despite the reassuring dream she had, her stomach twisted at the thought of seeing the masked terrorist face-to-face.

These girls were with the Black Hound? Malik thought to himself. They looked like soldiers, and they were women? The Black Hound must have some deep pockets, or something else must be going on. Either way, Malik has one chance, and one chance alone. It was his fault she got into this, and it's going to be him who gets her out of this. Either he saves Rhea, or die trying.

He quickly converted into his storm-form which was followed by raging winds and the sharp sound of a lightning strike.

"Huh?" Makoto said as she turned her head.

Malik flipped backwards from out of cover, creating raging winds so strong that it would knock anyone unprepared out of cover.

"Who the hell-" Veronica said as she covered her face. The winds were so loud that she couldn't hear herself think. "Sound the alarm!" Veronica said.

Makoto immediately aimed her weapon at Malik and cut loose with her MP5... but, the winds were so strong that the barrage of bullets was thrown off and hit the walls around Malik. "Shit!" Makoto said as she reached around her belt for another clip.

Malik would have pissed himself if he didn't do so before coming here. Because that barrage of bullets made him shriek in fear. He was safe, but he was going to make sure Rhea was out of here safe and sound. He stopped the storm and electricity sounded his hands as he fired two bolts of lightning from his hands that caused a flash of light before the deadly thunder-crash.

The one bolt of lightning hit one of the suspect delivery trucks, and the other slammed against the wall leaving a rather large scorch mark in the wall.

"Rhea, run!" Malik shouted.

Rhea shielded her eyes from the lightning flashes, seeing the shape of a figure down the hall. My God, why’s Malik here? She thought, horrified. These were the… the fiends who took his friend. And as The Terror confirmed, this was the home of The Black Hound.

At Malik’s command, Rhea moved to action. As Makoto was preoccupied filling Malik’s location with bullets, it was simple enough to gently remove her baton from the bag Makoto carried. She beelined to the garage door, slamming an industrial button. As the door slowly rolled open, she looked back. Malik was pinned behind his cover as Makoto and Veronica laid a ferocious assault. We're out of time. Reinforcements must be on their way. She flicked the baton to its full length, tensing as large bolts of light arced menacingly across her body. An intimidation tactic.

Rhea was largely ignored due to the exchange between Malik, Veronica, and Makoto. Veronica pulled a volley of throwing knives out of the concealed holster in her shirt, and pulled them out with telekinesis. She held them in between her fingers, while Malik was shooting lightning, Veronica threw the knives at Malik and propelled them with telekinesis. Malik surrounded himself in a bubble of spinning wind that launched most of them away....

... Except for the one that nailed Malik right in the side. He let out a loud groan and fell downwards onto the ground, as Veronica telekinetically willed her knives to float up into the air prepared to finish Malik off.

While Makoto was hauling ass to the alarm. She slammed the alarm button with an open palm and all the noise was drowned out by the sharp blaring of the alarm throughout the entire base.

There was almost enough space to crawl under the garage door. “Malik, come with me!” Rhea yelled.

Malik turned his head and saw that Rhea was opening the door. "Good girl!" Malik said. He hopped up to his feet and shot a raging wind in the direction of the knives which was enough to throw them away.

Veronica hissed through her teeth as she shouted, "Makoto!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Makoto said as she considered using her metal manipulating, but that would be Bond-villain levels of stupidity. She held the gun with both hands (she was out of ammo anyway), and was surrounded by a black smoke as she appeared in front of Rhea.

She tried to slam the butt of the gun right into her face to knock this bitch out before she even had a chance to use her power.

The moment Makoto disappeared, Rhea dove to the side and rolled to her feet. The gun missed her by inches. Rhea squinted her eyes at the masked lady as her palms slammed together, static spilling from the contact. A bright light, something with the intention of blinding, grew from her hands and shot off as a white bolt. In that moment, Rhea jumped at Makoto, baton swinging for the side of her head.

Makoto let out a groan of pain at not just the blinding light, but getting hit in the head after being stunned was no laughing matter. She fell to her hands, but was quick to teleport out of the way.

"Damn it, Makoto," Veronica hissed in the most bitter tone as she took her eyes off Malik, and raised her hands in the air, and sent the barrage of knives right for Rhea.

All while Malik was hauling ass across the room. He could hear the army running up!

Rhea saw the knives as they barreled toward her, spinning high in the air to attempt dodging them. Two knives were knocked away with her baton, and many others missed entirely. A few, however, changed their course slightly and found their target. Rhea collapsed, knives embedded in her legs and abdomen.

Thunderous footsteps could be heard down the hall. Backup's here... With a pained gasp, Rhea tore out the blades and crawled under the garage door. The wounds had a collection of white static sealing the surface areas, but the pain was almost unbearable.

Veronica was gathering all the knives that she could as she prepared for her retaliation.

But, with Rhea crawling away, it was time for Malik to make an exit. With a swipe of his leg, he shot a blast of wind that knocked back both Veronica and Makoto. And he wasn't done there. He pointed both hands at the controls, before he fired electricity at it which fried it.

Which should make their exit a lot easier.

Rolling underneath the garage door was easy for the parkour master, even without being assisted by wind! He turned his roll into an all out sprint until he caught up with Rhea.

"Hey!" Malik said as he ran alongside her. "You can thank me later... no really, I think they want to kill us!"

He looked behind him, and all he could see was flashlights that had to be attached to guns.

"Alright," Malik said. "Can you do that flashy light thing again? But bigger?" He asked.

“Malik,” Rhea said, stopping to view the reinforcements hot on their tracks. “I already owe you a million coffees. But yes, let’s make some fireworks.”

She winced, moving the hands that cradled her gut wound. Static pooled in her palms as she raised them toward the enemy. “Close your eyes,” she said as the light grew to a blinding amount, illuminating the structures around them as if it were day. With a crack, the bolt was loosed as the light drilled the reinforcement’s eyes.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Malik said as he slammed his eyes shut.

Immediately, Rhea’s head pounded with the beginnings of a migraine. Stars crossed her vision. She shook her head, hurt and disoriented.

It was up to Malik from here, he grabbed Rhea, and took to the skies as he used his wind powers to propel him far up into the sky as possible. He went fast enough to disappear into the buildings. He held onto Rhea tight.

"Hey..." Malik said. "... We're gonna make it."

Through the pain, Rhea managed a smile.

"...Thank you."

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

@tsukune
Poor Naoki. I really wanna punch that grannie in the face.

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

So... something like this?

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

---

Veronica Emily Davis, Rhea Harlow, & Makoto Koda.

_{Written in collaboration with @Mr Allen J}

---

Old Raygate, Prince Ed-Field

The dead haunted Rhea's dreams again. Glassy eyes, half-submerged corpses, pools of crimson. This time, the horror did not take her. Walking through red water, she placed a white rose on each of the dead. A brilliant light escaped their bodies as the souls broke free, and the scene evaporated.

A blue sky with clouds materialised above her, and beneath her feet lay flat sand. A light breeze caressed her skin. The Black Hound stood 15 feet from her, hands clasped at its back. Its suit was in perfect order, a rifle strapped in between the shoulders. They eyed each other, unmoving.

"I'm not afraid," Rhea said. The Black Hound gazed at her silently, unflinching. The sand shifted, dissolving as the dream faded.

~*~

Sitting with a protein shake and a banana, Rhea stared blankly at her laptop as the search reached 98%. She was dressed in her gray track gear, hat and all. Sure, she didn't actually courier for a couple more days, but spy work put her on edge. It was best to dress appropriately, she figured.

In a proper state of mind, Rhea shook her head at her actions earlier. When do I ever sit at a cafe? She normally considered it boring, but after her traumatic experience and a lack of sleep, she must have felt out of character. Enough so that she'd sit and idly chat.

Well no, it wasn't entirely small talk with Malik.

The screen flashed as it completed its search. Results from the surface web came up with nothing more than Did you mean Founding Fathers? With the dark web results, however, Rhea found a lead. The page was plastered with ‘Founding Family’ and filled with cryptic messages. Rhea snapped a screenshot and printed it, mulling over the paper with a pencil.

She sighed. No, it doesn’t make any sense. There must be some kind of code…

Rhea stuck the page to her whiteboard, scribbling notes beside it with a felt marker. Having also caught up with the news, images of the Black Hound and the masked, grotesque behemoth were also tacked to the board. From the stories, both had used some kind of teleportation. Both mainly targeted Metahumans. As Malik told her, the DGMHS girl who disappeared was likely also a meta. If she pretended they were all connected, she assumed the ‘Founding Family’ had some deadly fascination with Metas. Or it was just an ‘instill fear in the masses’ tactic.

Rhea made an annoyed face. For now, we treat them as separate entities. There’s not enough evidence to say otherwise. She leaned back and stared up at the whiteboard, idly sipping her drink.

---

The two assassins made it to the general area of their mark. They got out of a simple sedan that was supplied to them by the Black Hound. It had no tags, nor anything to track it to anyone.

"Old Raygate..." Makoto said as she stepped out and put a mask on to complete her outfit. "Ain't this place full of nothing but druggies and hookers?"

"That's what concerns me," Veronica said as she got out of the vehicle herself, her sharp green eyes went left to right as she searched for any possible threats. There was a homeless man that looked a little eager until Veronica shot him a gaze so sharp that he was forced to retreat. "What sort of gutter-trash knows about our boss?" She said as she slid on her own mask.

"Ooooh, gutter-trash," Makoto playfully teased. "You sound like a British woman!"

Veronica rolled her eyes.

"Just shut up and grab the bag," Veronica said, and Makoto reached into the backseat and pulled out a black gym bag that wouldn't be suspicious if it wasn't being carted around in the dead of night.

"Sure that we even need this?" Makoto asked. "With my chains, and your knives... Anyone would have trouble fighting us."

"I don't like to take risks... especially when the other side may be packing a handgun at least," Veronica said.

Shrugging, Makoto just grabbed the gym bag and slung it over her shoulder.

"Let's get a move on."

The two were brought to the middle of a field... and that's when Veronica started to get a little concerned. She approached the fence, and quickly glanced at her phone, and was tracking whoever was tracking them here... Okay. This place looked like a hold-out by some gang or something. Which lead Veronica to assume they're packing heat.

"Makoto," Veronica said, gesturing for the bag. "I think we're going to need our little help."

"Oh yes," Makoto smiled as she knelt down and put the bag there, too. She unzipped it, and pulled out a metal case - taking that case out, she opened it to reveal their "help." A fully loaded MP5SD3. With an attachable stock, and silencer. Both of which Makoto were quick to attach. Makoto held the submachine gun in both hands.

Veronica was wrapped in a green aura as she pulled throwing knives out of her secret compartment hidden in her sleeves. "Let's hope we don't have to use this...." Veronica said.

Makoto waved her hand and tore the fence open with her metal manipulation. Nodding their heads, they approached the train car with their heads down. Proceeding towards it quickly as they could, but crouched down. When they were within a few meters of it, Veronica gestured towards Makoto and said....

"We don't know how many people we're up against," Veronica said. "Or who... I personally want to scout around a little bit, but I don't think we can have a peak in there without attracting some attention."

"How about we roll a flashbang in there?" Makoto suggested. "Run in, tell them to put their hands up, then get some information."

"That could work... I honestly don't see more than five people being in there," Veronica said as she reached into her pants and pulled out a flashbang... she keeps one on her at all times just in case she needs a quick getaway. She'll just have to rely on her smarts from here on in.

She made the flashbang float in her hand.

"You open the door, I throw it in, then you hold it shut," Veronica ordered.

"Aye, aye, sweetheart," Makoto cheerfully said as she got in position.

Veronica groaned as the flashbang fell right into her hand, and she started walking over towards the door, ready to toss it in with telekinesis.

Makoto extended her will to the door, subtly pulling the door open with her metal manipulation.

"On three," Veronica said. "One... two..."

Makoto nodded her head when Veronica looked at her.

"...Three!"

Makoto pried the door open swiftly, and Veronica tossed the flashbang in at blinding speeds with her telekinesis. Right when the grenade went in, Makoto slammed the door shut and sealed it tightly so their target can't escape.

The grenade exploded loudly and brightly inside the train car. It would be sensory hell on everyone in such a close area.

A cocky grin formed on Veronica's face as she pulled the knives out of her sleeves again.

"Let's go," Veronica said as she quickly moved in before the effects would wear off.

Low voices interrupted Rhea’s thoughts. Normally she didn’t pay much attention to what happened outside the paper-thin walls of her safe house, so she wrote it off as some kids finding a place to get high. Moments passed, then she heard two sets of footsteps crunch on the dry dirt outside and pause. Murmurings.

What the hell? Rhea crept to the wall, pressing her ear to the metal.

"On three," She heard a voice say. A countdown. Nothing good ever happens with a countdown.

"One... two…”

“Shit!” Rhea ran from the wall, scooping up her bug-out bag in the corner as she crawled up a ladder to the emergency hatch.

An alarm went off as the sliding door was ripped open. She heard an object clatter against metal as her hand punched the ceiling hatch. Rhea scrambled out with her body half on the roof as the flashbang exploded. She laid there a moment on the hot metal, absolutely deaf. Slowly, wincing in pain, she got to her feet and evacuated the train container. Tapping into the batteries within her backpack, Rhea empowered her run, aiming to hide in the warehouses. There was just an empty field to cross first...

"Hmph," Veronica said as their target made a break for it. Turns out there's only one person. That makes this much easier... but, she apparently has bloody superhearing or something, because how else did she notice them in that metal box of death? Doesn't matter how, but they had to stop her. She brought these throwing knives out for a reason. They glowed with a green aura, as she cocked them back to throw. Veronica made sure to use her deadeye to line this up perfectly.

With one toss, she threw five knives at Rhea's legs... fully intending to injure her legs enough to catch up with her bony ass. Or leave a trail of blood.

"... You know I can just, you know..." Makoto got really close to Veronica and whispered. "... Teleport over to her... you just gotta give me a second."

"Oh..."

Rhea was roughly 20 feet from the warehouses when a searing pain ripped through the back of her legs. She collapsed, looking down to find small knives embedded in the muscle. The two footsteps she heard earlier were standing outside the container, staring at her. Two women, armed and dangerous. With gritted teeth, she tore the knives out and stumbled into the nearest warehouse.

Who the hell are they? She wondered, limping up a ramp to the highest level in the building. Her healing abilities had scabbed over the wounds, but the muscles within were still quite torn. She wouldn’t be running for a while. Her options were limited to hiding or an ambush. Maybe both.

Finding a dark spot within the warehouse that had a full view of the door, Rhea pulled out a pistol from her backpack. She aimed it at the ground floor, then at the broken windows, and stayed very quiet.

Tracking the blood trail was easy, Veronica and Makoto merely followed it as they chased her into the building.

"Perhaps it's time for me to flaunt my teleportation?" Makoto said. "Just to see what she's packing."

"Very well, then," Veronica said as she leaned up against the wall. "I have an idea before you go charging in."

Veronica focused on a random rock, and lifted it up into the air... she focused on one of the windows off to the side of the building that wasn't quite broken.

"On my signal, you go in through the other side," Veronica said.

Makoto nodded her head as she focused on the past, and the memories that came with it. Until she was able to channel a power using past memories. She was surrounded with a black smoke, and she focused on the building.

"Ready."

Veronica tossed the rock through the window, causing a violent cacophony as it shattered what was left of the window. It would be enough to give the already jittery Rhea a spook, but that was to cover Makoto's entrance.

She disappeared into a slight "pop" of black smoke, and appeared inside the warehouse. She leaned up against a warehouse crate and peaked around cover. She had no idea of where Rhea is....

Rhea's pistol snapped to the sound of shattered glass. A stone skittered across the floor, rolling to a stop. She breathed, loosening her grip. It wasn't a person. A distraction, perhaps. Rhea slowly shifted her weight, creeping across the metal ledge. Her eyes squinted in an effort to penetrate the darkness. A distraction for what?

Her foot snagged a rusted piece of metal and it snapped, tumbling down to the ground. The sound held a faint echo. Rhea sweated, frozen in place. Shit. Grimacing, she continued to move stealthily, tempted to just run.

That was enough for Makoto to pin her location. She looked right at the girl - her gun reflected a light that Makoto was able to track. She grinned... tempted to just start shooting, but she needed this mark alive long enough to question her. She was engulfed in the black smoke yet again, before appearing again behind her.

"Hello there..." Makoto said, trying to startle her even more.

A single gunshot split the air as Rhea spun around, firing at the shadowed figure. She didn't take the time to line up her shot, so she had no idea where exactly she was aiming. And if she didn't reveal her location before, she definitely had now.

Makoto had quickly teleported in front of her when Rhea spun. Knowing exactly what she was going to do next. "Don't telegraph yourself so much, sweetie," She said as she shoved the MP5 in Rhea's face, pressing it against her skull. "Now honey... you're going want to drop that little peashooter there."

The cold metal against her forehead sent chills up Rhea's spine. Even in the darkness, she knew how much lethal force was pointed at her. God dammit... they got me. Growling through clenched teeth, Rhea tossed her pistol to the side. It made a satisfying clatter as it fell to the ground floor.

"Thank you," Makoto said in a cutesy, mocking, tone. "You can come in now, Ver- Terror!" Makoto shouted as a signal for Veronica to come in.

"... Amazing," Veronica sarcastically said as she strut her way in, twirling her knife around her fingers. "You apprehended her without even needing my help... I guess there's a reason I keep you around."

"Other than my pretty face, of course. Haha!" Makoto laughed.

Veronica rolled her eyes as she walked up. She pressed the flat of the blade against Rhea's throat in a threatening display. Just to keep her compliant.

"Makoto, search her for anything else," Veronica said as she kept Rhea's head firm with one hand, and the knife against her throat with the other. "Stand up." She said as she pulled Rhea to her feet.

Makoto slung the machinegun over her shoulder as she cracked her knuckles. She patted Rhea down starting with her pants, then moved upwards before her hands hovering over her chest.

"... What a pancake." Makoto mocked before she continued to pat Rhea down. Before she reached around and pulled that backpack off. She quickly searched it and found all sorts of things. Such as a baton, batteries, a phone, and some food. If Makoto were to take a guess, this broad was a hacker or some kind of street rat hired to get some information.

And ooooh boy she kicked the hornet's nest with this one.

"She's clean," Makoto said, prompting Veronica to begin.

"We're with... ah..." Veronica trailed off for a moment. "Ah, doesn't matter does it?"

Veronica grinned.

"What we're interested in is your suspect search history..." Veronica trailed off again, narrowing her eyes. "Mostly, this nonsense about a Founding Family? Funny, ain't it. Ah, what do you know?"

The sugar-coated mockery was somewhat disarming. It relaxed Rhea's nerves enough that she began to breathe normally, despite having a knife to her throat. Rhea remained compliant as she was searched, silently studying the two women. The 'Makoto' dressed in an oriental mask and cloak, while the 'Terror' boasted a long coat and metal mask. Both appeared athletic, and both seemed at ease with their... job? If kicking her ass was a job, who ordered it? Who's toes did she step on?

I've run packages for White Spider, a couple low-key gangs, and DOVE, but Hallmark is on good terms with all of them... Unless... Unless this isn't about work. She briefly saw Malik's frantic face in her mind, how he demanded she not get involved. These women... they're connected to the Founding Family, I'll bet.

The Terror spoke in her ear, confirming Rhea's suspicions. "...Mostly, this nonsense about a Founding Family?..."

Rhea supposed these 'investigators' weren't complete assholes, although she was royally pissed about being at their mercy. Her options were severely limited, and if Malik told her anything useful, it was that the Founding Family made people disappear. The less she said, the better.

“I don't know anything,” She spoke her words carefully. “I was just tipped off.”

"Tipped off?" Veronica said, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, right, like we are going to believe that." She started laughing. "You better start talking, because if not, I'll just slash your throat and move on - for wasting my time." She pressed the blade against her throat a little harder.

Rhea trembled, attempting to shrink away from the razor. There was no wiggle room, just the muscled arm of Veronica keeping her pinned.

“Terror, if I may,” She used the name Makoto called Veronica, “No one knows about the Founding Family. I only heard about it earlier today, and it’s my job to know shit.”

My job? Well great, let’s just tell her all about that, mm? Rhea gritted her teeth. Her fear was making her mouth run. Evidently, the last thing she wanted was to waste The Terror's time.

"It's my job to kill people who "know shit," sweetheart." Veronica said with a cocky smile from underneath her mask. "From whom did you hear about the Founding Family?" She hissed. "Don't make me ask again."

Within her power, Rhea refused to sell out Malik. If she could spin a story in a way they would believe it, she’d be able to keep him anonymous. He’d be free to find that girl, which was the least she could do. Rhea had to pull herself together, just this once.

“I swear I never got his name, we were just two strangers having coffee. He told me his friend went missing and he dropped the ‘Founding Family’. I was curious.”

"Well, you better start telling me when, where, and what-"

Veronica was interrupted by the sounds of sirens approaching... She turned her head and saw police lights approaching the field. It was that damn flashbang. Probably sounded like an explosion.

"Oh," Makoto said. "What are the odds of them stumbling up here, Terror?"

"Enough for us to move, damn it," Veronica hissed, she pressed her earpiece with her other hand. "Foundation Woman, we're bringing that target of yours back to base for further interrogation," Veronica started off. "Have Zenith extract us."

"Oooooh," Makoto excitedly said. "We get to have more fun with her - and she's actually kind of cute."

A blue swirling portal opened up behind them, and Veronica took a step back, putting her knife away. However, Makoto pulled that MP5 out, and aimed it at Rhea.

"... It's in your best interests to step inside, girl." Veronica said.

Rhea’s mouth hung agape at the swirling blue energy. This is the portal. The one the Black Hound uses. But that means… She eyed the gun pointed at her. I’m really not gonna like where we’re going.

“Not every day I walk through freaky energy...” Rhea said, putting her hands in a gesture of surrender. She held her breath and entered the portal.

"That's a good doggie..." Veronica mockingly said as she followed in after Rhea, then Makoto stepped in.

After they were gone, the portal closed, and other than the discarded gun, there were little signs they were even here.

Baybridge™: Era of the Old/New Gods™ [COMPLETED]

---

Rhea Harlow

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Old Raygate, Prince Ed-Field

I'm a damn liar. Rhea scuffed the dirt with her shoe, wandering into the abandoned parts of Old Raygate. She was evasive with Malik, only because he became frantic at her insisting to help. Her mind was set the moment he said 'Founding Family', partly for curiosity's sake. Not that she knew what close bonds were like, but if Malik was crossing the world in search of his friend, he was serious. How could she be idle?

Hallmark, her boss, had access to all kinds of gadgets exactly for data-mining. About 15% of the jobs in the workplace were from their own spies, and that stuff sold for millions. If anyone knew where to start, he would. Rhea pulled out her phone and manually dialed the company headquarters. 

As she put the phone to her ear, Rhea's heart froze. What am i thinking? Immediately, she quit the call. If this was as dangerous as Malik alluded, she couldn't risk Hallmark knowing. If she was discovered, she needed an unassociated third-party to help cover her ass.

Stopping by the train container, Rhea tapped in the code from a hidden flap and snuck through the sliding door. She fetched her watering can, filling it at the sink, and headed back out. Her path went by several abandoned warehouses and through a large field of dead grass. At the end, a small patch of dirt bloomed with plant life. Her little garden.

"Hey fella's." She cooed, pouring water over them. 

As she inspected each of the beans, tomatoes and flowers, she found the strawberry plant. The one she thought died a week or so ago had, incredulously, grown a baby shoot from the dirt. It hung on to dear life, withering in the sun.  

Rhea gave it a confused look, then started to laugh. "Well! A chance to redeem myself."

She tore out the old plant, plucked the fresh shoot, and pressed the stem an inch into the dirt. Squatting in front of it, she held her hands as if in prayer. Charlie, you're right. It's not good of me to stand idly by. 

As she slowly pulled her hands apart, transparent, glimmering energy appeared suspended in the space. She offered this to the shoot, and it immediately began to wriggle. The leaves grew in size, hissing as water collected like dew at the tips. From new shoots, buds turned into small flowers.

Rhea stood, figuring the plant would be twice it's size by tomorrow. For smaller bodies to utilize all the energy she could augment, it took time. She turned and walked the length of the field back, entering her safe house once more. Leaving the watering can and her bag near the door, she collapsed into a metal chair by the table.

"...I'm exhausted." She mumbled, leaning her head back.

There was one thing she wanted to start before going to bed. Her laptop worked exclusively with *Tor, meaning all her signals tunneled through other computers before being completed. Perfect for anonymous work. She flipped the lid, pressed the power button, and the moment it was connected, she brought up a search program and typed in the following keywords:

Founding Family_

Rhea set it to crawl through the surface and dark web, which would take a few hours. She sighed, pushing up from the table. She rinsed her face with a damp cloth and laid down on the bed, not bothering to undress. With a clap of her hands, the ceiling lights went out.

*What is Tor?