Avatar of Old Amsterdam
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    1. Old Amsterdam 7 yrs ago

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6 yrs ago
I hope you like Symbiotes....
6 yrs ago
Shameless plug for a friend's RP I've applied for: A No More Heroes RP by BC over in Advanced. roleplayerguild.com/topics/…
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6 yrs ago
Another shameless Status plug for my Tokyo Ghoul interest check in Casual. No knowledge of Tokyo Ghoul required to join and enjoy!
6 yrs ago
Just a friendly reminder that I've got a Tokyo Ghoul check up in Casual. No prior knowledge of Ghoul required if you're interested. ^^
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6 yrs ago
Tokyo Ghoul Interest Check is up in Casual! Give it a look if you're interested. ^^
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Bio

So... Not big on Bios... Prefer people just talk to me if they'd like to know shit.

Most Recent Posts




Torrent shook her head slightly as she watched the slime dissolve before turning around to walk slowly back towards the others in time for Ash to scold her. She huffed, preparing to deny the accusations, before she stopped.

"You know what, you're right. But it's kinda all I know how to do, even from before all this," she said softly. "I don't even know how old I am."

She moved closer to the loot pile, thinking, while Oberon asked if everyone was okay. She shrugged as best she could before Digbie asked his question.

"Found a plant made of meat. Tried to burn it cause it was alive. Got into a fight, tried outsmarting it. Kept burning it. Ended up caught and then I....exploded. And it died. I have some parts from it we can eat and Ash can use. Can't carry much else, though."

September 12th, 2015



Final Guard and Junior Guard

The small moment of comfort Presido offered meant a lot to 4Sight, and he smiled in appreciation. They boarded the helicopter as a group, and transit began. The sensation was always alien, acceleration seeming to come from nowhere lifting them into the sky. Slingshot had a white knuckle grip on his straps to match his paling face. Not used to flying then. 4Sight kicked his foot lightly, offering a sympathetic tight-lipped expression. The boy nodded, seeming equal parts comforted by the expression and uncomfortable with the environment. Presido spoke, asking about the squads powers. 4Sight took the initiative in answering the actual question for the currently muted Slingshot. "Slingshot can throw himself forward in a manner similar to Dart, but it's by changing his gravity. He can also do it to others if they're in range." He said, before glancing over to his right at Dart. The pilots announced to everyone that they'd be landing soon, and 4Sight took that in stride. SWAT asked about getting Presido's assistance in the upcoming fight, and 4Sight noted that mentally. Some sharp maneuvers brought Slingshot further to losing his sparse breakfast, the turbulence picking up as they started to lower into the actual city amongst the skyscrapers. 4Sight assumed it was coming from the wind the helicopter was pushing down reflecting off of the buildings, but he didn't know for sure.

They quickly landed, and the pilot announced over the comms that they were half a block away from Spindle, before giving them the go ahead to unstrap and evacuate the vehicle. 4Sight let Slingshot go ahead of him, following close behind him. The area they landed was an intersection, yellow tape surrounding it, with the 'normal' police redirecting traffic nearby. As they climbed out, an officer jogged over. He didn't try speaking over the helicopter, which was already beginning to take off again. Instead he just pointed down the street. The sight was a strange one, dark shadows interlacing around a small helicopter. 4Sight couldn't make out a person, or even the thicker wire intel had suggested she was sitting on. That couldn't last. 4Sight yelled over the helicopter blades. "I'll direct you guys as best I can, Slingshot will help me move towards the battlefield while I do recon." His voice was gritty, and straining at the volume.

4Sight had a strange relationship with his power. Most people had their powers for a year or two before they passed, the lucky ones gettings a decade. 4Sight had gotten two decades of normal time, but his power didn't actually get explained by that amount of usage. 4Sight closed his eyes, focusing on a point right above the helicopter. Slowly his eyes opened, taking in the scene, metal wire surrounding him. His physical body hadn't moved, and it took great effort to move said body while using his power. It became harder when he used the tertiary part of his power. 4Sight could see the woman now, walking a tightrope of wire. Her dress was being whipped by the wind, eyes squinted almost closed. She was crossing the wire to see better who had arrived via the helicopter. The wind slowed to a zephyr, and her eyes opened fully. Legitimate joy colored her expression, a grin with eyes wide. She seemed to be searching those present, watching the arrivals as if she were looking for someone in particular. After a bit of watching, she seemed not to have found who she was looking for. Seeming disappointed but not surprised, she made a hand motion and some wire fell to the street below her.

Seconds started to drag longer as 4Sight focused, drag and drag until every second for him became two. The wire was tumbling in mid air, and uncontrolled descent that was slowing for 4Sight alone. Then every second for him was four. It kept going until it took minutes for a second to pass, the wire almost frozen in mid air. Then 5 minutes, the wire now shifting almost imperceptibly. It took thirty seconds for 4Sight's power to slow his perception down to 1/100th the speed. That was more than slow enough, time to consider the situation. The battlefield was open, but that wasn't actually a good thing in all reality. The more Spindle could see, the more control she could exert over the battlefield. The street was around fifty feet wide, a commercial area like this demanding accomodations for the heavy traffic.

4Sight glanced down at the helicopter pilot, about ten feet from where 4Sight had placed his third eye. They were wrapped in wire, face warped in fear. They weren't talking, metal wire cutting into their mouth prevented them from doing that much. Spindle had dangled the man over the city street, the only thing preventing the fall being her good grace. That was why First Guard hadn't made more solid moves, they were too scared after their first assault's utter failure. 4Sight glanced over at that failure, the soldiers being wrapped in wire methodically, with one starting to be dragged up.

Spindle wasn't looking at the people she was wrapping up, which was a bit strange. Could she queue commands for her wire to that extent? A formidable enemy, even in the face of eight parahumans ready to fight her head on. Was it possible that they would lose this fight? How long would 4Sight have to drag this battle on before he could give them a perfect plan? Thinking back, 4Sight remembered the first time he had used his power, despite his attempts to stop it. They had been fighting a dug in insurgence for hours in an urban area. Unexpectedly, their enemies had begun firing mortars. 4Sight had made that last shell take three weeks to fall, spiraling towards the ground at a glacial. He and his AAR, Joel, had barely survived. Battered, bloody and shell shocked. 4Sight teleported them to a sort of safety. It had ruined the bond the two of them had been forming. Every time he looked at that man, he saw the faces’ of his squad slowly being torn apart by the shockwave, the heat burning their arms.

4Sight stumbled forward, almost falling to the ground in front of Slingshot. Thrown out of his power by losing concentration. He was so tired of war, tired of endless fighting. People like Spindle were the reason he couldn't sleep at night, the reason he had almost a century of power usage under his belt. He spoke into his comm now, voice sounding shaky. "Spindle seems to be able to control wire she isn't even looking at. Be very careful within these buildings, and out in the open. Do not make acts of aggression immediately, she has at least two hostages attached to a deadman's. Be careful. We've really gotta win this fight without any casualties, that is an order."

Dart meanwhile stepped forward eagerly as she looked up at the woman high above them. A hint of a smile crossed her face before she turned to the Junior Guard members.

”You heard 4Sight, no casualties and no acting suddenly. Take it slow. We want to keep this from becoming a fight.”

The Shaker


A wire shifted inside the lining of Spindle's clothes. A moment passed, and a second wire shifted. Two people on buildings nearby then, capes if she were to guess. In the distance Spindle could hear another helicopter, quickly arriving. It was pretty far from her, in the opposite direction of the helicopter she trapped. After a moment it began to retreat, and a small smile crossed her lips. Were they going to bring him right to her? It had been years since they'd seen each other. After a moment she traversed her wire and looked down at the procession of capes. The wind forced her eyes shut, but it faded rather quickly to a gentle breeze. No civilians were with the Final Guard, so he wasn't present. The grin that formed on her face faded a bit, but she couldn't suppress that small smile.

Idly she tugged at the necklace of wire hidden by her dress, running her fingers underneath where it was scratching her skin. Sighing, she glanced down at the squadron being tied up. Spindle thought about it, then began actively participating in tying two of them up who weren't getting as much attention. A negatory movement came from her power, a wire shifting underneath her collar. Giggling audibly, she raised her hands in surrender, before looking around. Almost immediately she spotted a neon figure climbing a nearby building. Spindle let her eyes stay for only long enough to confirm, before letting them drift over the rest of her surroundings. Wire was slowly scaling the crevices of another building, detectable by her power but not her sight. That was where the other one was hiding, apparently more of a threat.

It had been so lonely. Being in a crowd, being the center of attention was a huge change of pace. The last couple of people she'd seen before this event were paid to see her. All but her other half. Spindle glanced down at the ground below, wondering where she was hiding herself. The warm night of holding each other was the last physical contact Spindle could remember, before that was at least a year long gap. Had she gone crazy? Had her other half? It was so so hard to tell, she didn't feel crazy. In fact she felt in control. Of everything, in fact: her faculties, her future, her surroundings.

Without waiting for the signal, she swept her arms out. Wires lifted off the ground, below her by the hundreds, large thick pieces and thin razor sharp pieces. In two motions, they swept across the recently evacuated street. The wire swept out towards a central point before slamming into the buildings on both sides. Glass shattered, metal even tore against metal as a piece of wire cut a third of the way through a car. The approaching heroes wouldn’t be close enough, and those who covered unexpected distance would find the wire avoiding them. Spindle let the wind calm before raising the megaphone and turning it on.

"Let's talk." Spindle demanded, before letting the megaphone fall to the ground around 150 feet below her.
The Fallen

The Hunt

As Edith follow the woman, who kindly led her to a small food stand ran by a rather harried looking gentleman who was gazing in the direction of the crash as more noises erupted, too far to make out distinctly.

“Look ladies, I was gonna pack up with those noises, but I’ll make you my last customers.”

“Two please, and thank you,” the woman replied with a smile.

As the man handed over two burgers, the woman digging through her pockets for money, Edith would have to take the food. Once the food was in her hands, the woman found her change and paid quickly, thanking the man again while he packed up and shut the stand. Moments later the back door opened and closed and the man hurried off.

“You know, it must be hard not being at home,” the woman said softly as she took one of the burgers from Edith. Casually she opened the wrapper, steam rising from within, as she looked on down the street with a wistful expression on her face. “Family means everything. I’m sure your family would be willing to help you with whatever is going on, dear.”

She looked on sideways at Edith as a small smile lifted her lips.

“Would you like to talk about it? What you’re running from?”


Red Eye

The Bank


The creature grabbed a door, pulling it off of its hinges. It turned towards her and started a bull rush. Vanish took another step back, but she couldn't move fast enough. The door zipped over her head, small pieces of glass falling off of it. Before she could react, she found herself on her ass, the tail whipping over her head. Under her heels was a metal box, it had tripped her before she'd seen the secondary attack, apparently thrown by Percy. "Get safe" Percy called, reminding Vanish to turn around and start fleeing. "Give me a gun." Percy added, and Vanish complied. A gun appeared in her grip, and she threw it underhand to him. The angle was too high, but Percy gracefully stepped onto the counter to grab it out of the air with his left hand. Without moving his eyes from the crocodile man, he fired a shot at the teller behind the counter. The sound was deafening in the enclosed space, and the young woman screamed in response. Before Vanish's ears recovered, Percy fired again, the shot ripping apart the incapacitated guard's shoulder. Blood sprayed onto the floor, and a guttural cry of pain filled the air. He flourished, tossing the gun over his head to his right hand without looking. He pointed it at the teller again.

"How many people do you want to die because you're fucking dense?" Percy asked, that tone of dealing with an incompetent back in full force.

Vanish for her part tried to hide the fact that she was shaking, both unsteady hands raised at the crocodile man.


Exiled

Not with a bang...


As Mastar shot off to the side the second tank almost immediately diverted from the path, crashing through the brush towards her as it’s canon turned to head her off. A moment later there was the sound of the tank firing as it shot a few dozen feet ahead of where Mastar was heading. She had a split second to react before the explosion would go off way too close for comfort. Back at the truck however, a deep blue glow was beginning to grow from Manifold’s arm-cannon.

Arson’s shot rang out for several moments after the bullet left the barrel before there was a mighty clang as the bullet connected with the front armor of the tank. Sparks flew but the tank continued onward. Seconds later it became apparent that the bullet had been unable to penetrate the armor, in fact it seemed the the armor was merely scratched.

A second later the tank fired again, Manifold herself firing off a volley of several shots herself. The truck rocked harder than when Ana shot this time, nearly tipping over before it all but slammed back down onto four wheels. This time when the shots collided this time there was no implosion or black hole, but a canister sized crackle of blue energy landed on the ground, burning a ring in the dirt of the road. Right in front of Mastar another one landed before igniting the grass around it.

Manifold reached down with her non-cannon arm and slapped the hood of the truck next to Ana’s head before gesturing at the tanks.. Her meaning would be clear to her sister. ‘You’re not going to win a shot fight and I can’t outlast them on ammo. Go.’ The gap between the trio and the two tanks was closing.



Torrent was mildly dazed by the repeated hits, mildly annoyed that this thing was still alive, and tremendously pissed when it decided to roll on top of her and then try to cart her away.

No! Fuck you! You don't get to just do that, you filthy piece of shit!

The anger - no the rage - bubbled up within her as she struggled to catch her bearings while she watched trees, ground, the others, trees, ground....

She was mildly dizzy at this point, and her temper had had enough.

She had had enough.

She concentrated as best as she could with the constant rolling, focusing on that fiery emotion within her, and bringing it to the surface. As she began to feel hot she hissed. She couldn't hit the thing directly, not with this rolling and being unable to turn her head properly, but she didn't need to.

"FUCK YOU! Fucking burn you piece of shit!" she screamed, commanded really, as she let her rage explode with fire magic. Like with the plant she pushed out from within her very core outward with the flames and power, shoving as much mana into it as she could muster before it broke free.

September 12th, 2015

The Great Heist

A City Awakens

As Ragtag escaped, the Guard stared at the graffiti on the building with an almost sad look upon his face.

“Kids these days…”

Several blocks away, Ragtag was still dashing through alleys and shortcuts towards the portal hub...


Final Guard and Junior Guard

The Shaker


Wire shifted and churned, dragging the pilot out of the helicopter and dangling him over the city. A deadman's switch, to ensure her livelihood. It was a stopgap, crude and barbaric. Slowly, and carefully she weaved wires under the man's clothes into a harness. The command issued, she turned her attention to the crowd below. Cars had started to clear out from the street beneath, more parking or leaving than transiting. People stared up in awe and confusion, some even videotaping her. That actually made her smile, the plan coming together in this stage at least. The smile faded when she felt some of her wire move without her consent. Quickly she turned around on the tightrope, walking to one side to lean over. Some First Guard soldiers were being dragged out of the entrance of a nearby building, with wire pinning their arms to their body. Coiled around their guns was more wire, in opportune spots to disable the ability to fire if wielded. Rats rooted out of their nest, tsk tsk tsk. Again she raised the megaphone, speaking with a newfound enthusiasm.

"I have five hostages now. If you try to sneak up on me again, I'll start taking people hostage from the nearby office buildings."

Sighing, she moved back to the center of her tightrope. More work began as Spindle focused on the jungle of wire suspending the helicopter. There was a lot of wire that wasn't helping to keep the helicopter airborne, and she slowly unwrapped that wire. It took all of her focus to tie it to the wire she was balancing on, eyes glazing over slightly with the effort of controlling a hundred wires at once.




Out of the corner of his eye, 4Sight could see Presidio preparing forcefields and a twinge of jealousy emerged. He didn't know how good she was at using her power yet, but if 4Sight had it, he could do wonderful things. She asked about briefing, and 4Sight decided to answer the newbie. "I'll brief you enroute and now." SWAT had hurried off to grab equipment, obviously not being fully prepared for the mission at a moment's notice. Slingshot was finally waking up, dragged into the waking world by an emergency that demanded his full attention. Dart was separating herself from the groups to listen in on her comm.

Matthew was separating himself too, but it wasn't physical. He was taking everything in, and while 4Sight could understand space and distance in moments, Matthew could read people. Genuinely, he would understand someone's wants within a few words. Reading their goals, reading their hopes. He had done it in promising the Junior Guard. Matthew had promised them a career as a cape, a dream for their generation. The next generation's dream would be decided by what they did today, and in the coming weeks. It was easy to imagine, gaining powers being a blackmark, a plague. The baby tossed over the spartan cliffs, but for being too strong this time. That was how Matthew had convinced 4Sight to join, he who was tired of war, tired of fighting, and tired of death. Matthew had promised that they could prevent that future from coming to pass.

4Sight switched on his communicator, and placed it into his ear. A small confirmation noise sounded, signalling the connection to their network. "Alpha four leader, 4Sight. Your second in command for this mission is SWAT. At zero-six-three hundred hours a report was given by an agent working under the First Guard. A Little Bird was dispatched, with Delta squad onboard to respond to the possible threat. At zero-six-five-eight hours the pilot turned onto west fifth street after dropping off his soldiers. The helicopter was stopped in mid air by a high threat shaker, calling herself Spindle. The First Guard soldiers that were already in the area shifted over to take down the Shaker, and they are now hostages as well. Spindle's range is at least three hundred yards, though she has a limited amount of wire." Nodding along, 4Sight looked over his team as he listened. Their communicators wouldn't be playing this, instead they would get radio silence until he briefed them.

Reaching up, he pressed the button on the flat of the communicator to switch to speaking mode, hoping SWAT would have his earpiece in. "A shaker calling herself Spindle captured a First Guard Little Bird, and is suspending it with metal wire. She has a limited amount of wire, but her range is at least three hundred yards. Spindle has multiple hostages, so we've got to hurry to make sure there's no casualties. Everybody put a hand on me, we've got to leave ASAP. I can move us there if you do." 4Sight would finish speaking around the time SWAT arrived again. Slingshot approached first, placing a hand on 4Sight's shoulder. 4Sight wasn't actually watching his team, having closed his eyes, his body becoming slightly translucent.

He could see the helicopter pad, could even hear Dart opening the door. She was rushing to get into the Black Bird, her squad close in tow. There was never a visible indicator that he was watching. After all his squad member placed hands on him, he would open his eyes and they would all appear on the helipad. It seemed to knock the wind out of 4Sight momentarily, as he leaned over and tried to catch his breath. When he had recovered, he would yell over the helicopter blades. "Get in, I'll show you how to strap yourself in. Put on the hearing protection on your seat, and we can leave."


The Fallen

The Hunt

As Edith darted away from the twisting, breaking wreckage of the helicopter, five trucks roared into the streets of Serstol proper. The few civilians around looked up in confusion before they took cover. Multiple vehicles full of people, most of them with guns and several wearing what was clearly cape outfits?

Right after that noise across town?

Even a fool knew trouble when they saw it.

"There's some kinda thing going on downtown, Guard mobilizing for that. Jackie says she saw someone matching the description of our missing person running away from it, so we're gonna come in from multiple angles. Comms on, I'm going to go scout," Transcendent called over from the center of the group as they slowed to a crawl.

As the rest of the Fallen nodded and were otherwise in quiet agreement, the five vehicles split up slowly, taking side roads and alleys as they slowly diverged. Before they all separated, however, they could see Transcendent stand up, jump into the air, and shift into their breaker state. An alien form that seemed to have tongues trailing after it covered in mouths, they landed on the pavement behind the first vehicle and leapt forward, far higher than they had any right to be able to reach, before they started bouncing off of buildings as if they were made of air. Within moments they were out of sight, heading straight towards the last known location of their target.

Across town, a young woman approached Edith slowly.

“Miss? Are you okay? Is someone after you?” she asked slowly, concern coloring her voice.


Red Eye

The Bank


"The. Bag." Percy enunciated carefully, the anger of dealing with an incompetent filling his voice. With hand still raised, Vanish approached the guard who had fired, and put her foot on his pistol. He wasn't reaching for it, too preoccupied by the glass embedded in his stomach. Crouching down, she wrapped her hand around the grip, the sensation surprising her in its implications. More than anything, it made Vanish uncomfortable. A flex of her power, and she raised herself off the ground with empty hands. Percy was watching the teller carefully, not concerned with the dwindling crowd or the other guard who was similarly incapacitated. That guard didn't have a gun, though he did have plenty to say about his injured leg. Mostly expletives.

"Heads up." Percy called out right before the door began opening again. He was looking at it now, frowning deeply. Something to do with his power? Vanish turned, finding a colossal crocodile man to meet her gaze. He spoke, voice sounding slightly inhuman to her ears. Cliche? She thought, biting her tongue.

Vanish wanted to respond, but she knew if she did, she'd talk over Percy. To his credit, Percy said something a bit more clever than she would have. "You're one to talk, Creature from the Black Lagoon." He said, eyes back on the teller who was filling a plastic bag. Vanish spoke next, giving it a moment.

"We have at least two hostages. If you move closer, we'll have one hostage." She said, keeping her eyes on the 'man' with hand raised towards the guard bleeding from his stomach. After a thought, she raised her hand and fired a brick at an empty part of the room, letting it shatter against a wall. Vanish renewed the threat with one hand pointed toward the guard.


Exiled

Not with a Bang...


Right on time the slow rumble that the trio could hear became louder and louder until two tanks rounded the corner. They appeared nearly identical to old models, if one was familiar with them, but given the Tinker who built them...It would be unwise to assume they were anything close to ordinary.

Manifold smirked at the sight, he arm beginning to glow slightly before both tanks fired. Immediately her arm discharged twice, and two explosions erupted between the two sides. Seconds later the explosions seemed to go in reverse by something ...dark, tinted with an orange color. Barely a second later and the phenomenon was gone, and the tanks slowly advanced ever onward towards the trio.

In the distance, they could hear a louder rumbling coming closer, the sound so deep it was making the windows of the truck rattle even from this distance.
Junior Guard

A Call to Action


Calvin Ball took being told to follow in stride (ha) quickly falling in step behind the Director’s secretary as she made her way across the hall to pick up another one of the outlying capes. She was curiously examining the older cape with the tilt of her head as they spoke, this “Coil” woman had a great plant witch theme going on and mentally the young heroine was taking notes on how to improve her own costume. The interesting appearance was only second to the fact that she had apparently been invited by the director for a one on one talk, she wanted to ask what it took to get that sort of meeting but judging by that response Coil might not have known.

Not being directly addressed CB’s eyes began to wander around the room, just catching onto the sudden shift in tone from a morning press conference to a sudden flurry of action from the news crew and the sudden straight backs of those who had been slumped in early morning fatigue. “What is..” Calvin Ball went to ask, only to be cut off by Samantha saying that there was a situation that had come up! Holy crap, was something interesting about to happen!? Without a moment of hesitation, the young cape began adjusting her gear, tightening her Junior Guard vest and positioning her shoulder pads so that they were both in the proper action ready position. Rocking on her heels she waited until Samatha had found her next target, an easily startled seeming man wearing a harness with his costume. A few words were shared and the group was on the move again.

As they gathered around the Director CB felt herself fall into attention, chin up, chest out, shoulders back, and stomach in. Though with her height she barely came up to most of the adult’s shoulders. Her gaze shifted quickly between Matthew and Dart so fast that even standing still she was making herself dizzy. A chance to prove themselves. Actual cape careers! This is it, I help with this and people are going to know I’m useful. We can’t screw this up. Already it was “we” in her head, easily slotting herself in as one of this new squad like she had done so many times before.

Coil nervously eyed her fellow capes. Most of them were rather small, with Calvin Ball being almost tiny. Their size and collective choices in uniform had suggested that this group was a bit young and green behind the ears.

“So. Briefings?” Coil was starting to get cranky. She didn’t like not knowing things, and the various guards had been ridiculously disappointing when it came to informing her of anything. By now she was left to hope that Dart knew more than her.

In contrast, Werelight couldn’t help but feel a thrill of anticipation. This might be it. Up to this point, Samekh and the Junior Guard had consistently failed to live up to his hopes, failed to give him the opportunity to be everything a hero was supposed to be. He’d struggled to help people in the months between his trigger event and his arrival on this Earth, as the challenges he’d faced as an independent cape far outstripped his own ability to handle them, but even with a team at his back now, Werelight had accomplished more good than in the Junior Guard. It was, to say the least, frustrating.

But now? Now, things were looking up. As Sandra had said, this was his chance to not only do something useful, but also to prove himself to his teammates and superiors. His power moved beneath his skin in response, millimeters from emerging yet fully under control, as it usually was when Werelight was anticipating a fight.

But he’d have to be careful. Messing up now might prove disastrous, both to his future career and to anyone endangered by the present threat. He’d have to watch his power extremely carefully, making sure it didn’t take any liberties with the instructions he gave it as it was so often prone to doing. Of course, there was always the possibility that Dart would turn out to be like the rest of the Guard—unwilling to give him a chance. If that did prove to be the case, though...maybe he’d be able to find a way to make a difference anyway.

While the Junior guard was moved over, Dart separated herself from the group somewhat. She put in her earpiece, and clicked the button on top with her nail. A small sound was made, and immediately someone began talking to her. "Dart, you're going to be in charge of the squad Bravo Four. All orders will be given under that callsign. You're going to have to choose a second in command for this mission, as long as you decide before arrival it doesn't matter when or how you decide." As that command finished, Coil asked her a question. She was still slightly annoyed from earlier, so she raised her pointer finger in the universal sign of "give me a second."

"The situation is as follows: At zero-six-three hundred hours a report was given by an agent working under the First Guard. A helicopter was dispatched, with Delta squad onboard to respond to the possible threat. At zero-six-fifty-eight hundred hours the pilot turned onto west fifth street and was stopped by a Shaker using metal wire. The First Guard soldiers that were already in the area shifted over to take down the Shaker, though communication has stopped when they were about fifty yards from her." The situation was spelled out with perfect enunciation by the voice in Dart's earpiece. It was almost calming. Almost.

"Alright squad listen up." Dart said, her voice pitched lower than normal to grab their attention. "We've got a Shaker who is manipulating what seems to be metal wire. The Shaker took a helicopter out of the air, so they’re a serious threat. Come with me,” her tone made it very much an order and not a suggestion, ”We're gonna try to get to the roof to be transported by helicopter. I should get more information on the way." As she finished, she took note of her own expression. Dart was almost scowling, but that didn't quite match her mood. She was feeling frustrated at the Director for his shitty patrol routes, and wanted to talk to him. This distraction was all too sudden, it hadn’t quite changed her mood.

Calvin Ball took a moment to flick on her own earbud when she saw Dart do it, listening intently to what she was saying while also doing her best to seem as professional as possible. Helicopter down, pilot hostage, public sight also seemed to be very on the situation. Nodding along she silently began to bargain with her power, body automatically falling in step behind Dart barely a foot behind her elbow as she did. “Alright, today is the day, we need good powers that are not going to get anyone blown up, killed, or cause massive destruction to everyone around us. Got it?” she mentally begged her power. Of course there was no response from the passenger, she had never heard of anyone getting a response if she were being honest with herself, but it was something to do as the sound of heavy boots made their way upward to the waiting helicopter. Then two things crossed her mind and she piped up.

“Do we know the range of the shaker? If we arrive in another helicopter they might just grab us out of the air like they nabbed the last one.”

She also wanted to ask what everyone did so that maybe they could form a sort of gameplan. Or at the very least they wouldn’t be stepping on one another’s toes. But she had already spoken out of turn, maybe it would be better to just ride out the reaction to that without sticking her hand further into possible danger. She hoped that there wasn’t going to be a very long silent treatment because as they approached the roof there was the thunderous sound of the helicopter rotors even from inside. There wasn’t going to be much talking once they were inside.

Dart took the steps two at a time, and listened to further intel. Again she was interrupted, this time by Calvin, but it was near the end of her briefing. ”Effective range is at least three hundred yards, or nine hundred feet. They used a lot of resources in getting the first helicopter out of the air, and we’re taking a black hawk. They won’t be able to take us out of the air.” Dart responded as they took the steps to the top floor. That range was honestly terrifying, but there had to be a catch right? What did that much range cost Spindle? Dart tried to turn it over in her head, that question. The other thing that was bothering her was how nonsensical the demand was. The First Guard wouldn’t just turn over its belly to be killed.

Dart’s description of the Shaker’s capabilities replaced a fair portion of Werelight’s enthusiasm with apprehension. A cape powerful enough to stop a helicopter in its tracks, with a range of over a quarter mile? Werelight had only encountered a handful of exceptionally strong capes before, and unless there was some aspect to her power that he was missing, this Shaker would easily count as one of them.

“What do you mean by resources?” Werelight asked Dart. “Does she have a limited amount of material to draw from?
“And by the way, are you familiar with how my powers work? I know I’ve met you before, briefly, but I don’t think we’ve worked together at all.”

"She’s controlling metal wires, but she hasn't generated any more yet. The villain has a lot of wires, but they are rather close to her, relatively speaking. I've seen your power, a month ago I think. All of you can give me a rundown on the helicopter. Also, everyone, put your communicator in and activate it ASAP." As Dart finished speaking they crested the top floor. Dart knew the Final Guard squad would be arriving soon, owing to 4Sight. She quickly pushed open the door, causing wind to rush in and spiral down the stairway. The Black Hawk had the illusion of barely touching the helipad, dust sweeping out and off the helipad and blanketing the air around them. It was a steely gray, with the insignia of the First Guard on the back half of the vehicle, currently covered by the door-which was already slid ajar.

There were seven seats visible from this side, small plastic things that seemed supremely uncomfortable. Two were facing them directly, with three facing towards the pilot's cabin at a 90 degree angle from the first two. Two more were flush against the wall of the pilot's cabin on either side of an entrance to the actual cabin, and an assumed two on the other side of the helicopter to remain symmetrical. There were two Leather straps laying near flush against their sides, with half circular metal buckles centered along the strap. Dart jogged quickly to the vehicle, taking the seat closest to the door against the pilot's cabin. As her squad members climbed into the helicopter she would hand out aviation headsets and instruct them on buckling themselves in. Once they were all in, the pilot immediately lifted off and Dart had one final instruction.

”Don’t fuck this up. We’re a team, and you follow my orders. I’d rather none of you die today.”
<Snipped quote by Old Amsterdam>

Legit when I said that, I really ment it. I couldn't tell if the plan was just flat out crazy... or flat out brilliant.

As for right now, my thoughts are:

"If at first you don't succeed, then I guess you're stubborn for trying again. That said, are you sure this is really a good idea? After all, that slime is sure to have more stomach acid in there."


Hahaha, that's brilliant. XD

I actually tried like three other actions in my update, but I legit just couldn't do it. Nothing else felt true to the character, and here we are.
"I can't tell if Torrent is just suicidal or a battle genius at this point."


With this latest development, I'm really curious what you're thinking now. XD



Torrent burst into the slime, tearing at everything she could as she prepared to explode within the monster, before she was forcibly ejected from the poisoning she'd given the creature.

Because of course it wouldn't be that easy.

The pain came, but it wasn't as bad as when she'd been burned alive. She could push through this!

And then she felt the effects of a shield, the lessening pain, and then the healing of the Sacred Ground spell. She could do this.

"Die to my flames!" she growled as she fired off her combined breath attacks straight up into the incoming appendages of the slime before darting forward to repeat her performance from before she got evicted from within.
"I can't tell if Torrent is just suicidal or a battle genius at this point."


Oh my god, I'm dying.

September 12th, 2015

The Great Heist

A City Awakens

Ragtag was busy flitting through papers in the Governor's desk when she heard the most god-awful screeching noise quickly followed by even worse sounds. She paused momentarily before grabbing half a dozen papers and two manilla folders before she dashed out of the office, zipped through doors on her way out. As she neared the bottom floor a security guard turned the corner, freezing for a moment at the young teen barreling towards him before her appearance clicked with his training.

“FREEZE!” he yelled, drawing a baton. She, of course, didn’t freeze. Instead she laughed, like she was sharing a joke with the man, before she bolted around him faster than he could blink. As he turned towards her, his mouth opening in confusion, she raised one hand to flip him the bird, her other hand drifting towards her side.

In seconds she was out on the street, holding two cans of spray paint. Utilizing her power she quickly tagged the entire front entrance to the Governor’s office with a graffiti message before she bolted again, just in time for the guard to stumble through the entrance. He turned to stare at the graffiti, shaking his head as he pulled out his walkie talkie.

DOWN WITH THE TYRANT!

Many blocks away, however….


Final Guard and Junior Guard

The First Test


Goosebumps were forming on Spindle's calf, her skin burning where the wire pressed her dress into her butt. The wire was thick, braided out of a bunch of smaller wires, which were formed by smaller wire, seemingly endlessly. She could FEEL them intertwine, could even unravel it within seconds from the inside out if she so chose. Instead she made small movements, keeping it between her and the ground as it swayed. She was left momentarily deafened by a strong breeze, forcing her to move the wire to keep her from plummeting. One of her hands held binocular, raised but not in front of her eyes, while the other was resting on the megaphone in her lap. Spindle was wearing a light blue dress, with shorts on underneath. No mask adorned her young face, framed by short white hair. As the wind slowed, the beat of helicopter blades reached Spindle's ears, tingling and almost numb though they might've been. It grew louder, approaching her position. More wires were spread in front of her, a veritable jungle of tiny strands. The smaller more central wires had been painstakingly greased to keep them from catching the light, caring less about the thicker wires hanging flush against the buildings on either side of her. Some of those thicker wires were acting as supports for the smaller ones, some of them were bound and restricted by her power currently, waiting to fall and trap the fly in her web.

The helicopter got much louder as it rounded the nearest street corner. It was dark blue, with the First Guard logo emblazoned on the side of the Little Bird's frame. The nose of the helicopter dipped down as it quickly approached the ground before twisting and dragged the right side of the craft upward, fighting against its own momentum to end in a hover. Spindle raised the binoculars as it slowed to a crawl. The soldiers were quickly unstrapped themselves from the strut. They picked up their weapons and let themselves fall to the ground.. The person Spindle assumed to be the squad leader took the longest, grabbing his backpack off the floor of the helicopter as he slid off the seat and over to the strut before falling to the ground. He landed hard, one of his men already holding out his gun. He stood from the crouch he had fallen into and they started advancing into a nearby alleyway. The helicopter turned and spun up its rotors in the same motion, gaining height and heading directly towards her. Idly she tugged a white kneesock higher, her head slightly tilted and lips pursed as the thing approached her. She dropped the binoculars, and left the megaphone in her lap as she raised her hands. The pilot noticed her when he was around 300 yards away; he hadn't been expecting someone in his airspace, despite the city's cape population. He tipped the nose up, trying to bleed forward momentum into vertical, and the rotors touched the first of her strands.

Spindle's hands moved in unison with the string, crossing in front of her. Psychic grasp released, the small leads fell as large wire suddenly swung outward, faster than gravity would allow them. Brute force meant no precision, but she didn't need precision. The helicopter's blades met one of the thickest pieces of wire, and warped suddenly, cutting through the wire while slowing significantly. The entire vehicle was already turning sharpy, twisting over itself when it hit the second wire. Too many things happened at once. Without Spindle even asking, more wires moved, pressing underneath the helicopter to catch it while the ones above quickly halted the rotors. It was loud, wrenching metal and the crack of her spindles snapping. A majority of the speed had been sapped, though the helicopter was still toppling. Spindle felt the wire move in her grasp, not entirely in her control as it rushed to compensate.

Finally the great beast stopped, hundreds of wires and wires within wires cradling it. A mere fifty feet from her, its rotors chipped in too many places to count, and the ends bent. It had broken a majority of the wires that touched it, but had lost the fight to quantity. Spindle raised a couple dozen of the recently wires into the air, guiding them to the cockpit to wrap and worm themselves around the pilot. Slowly she raised the megaphone with her hands, rising to her feet, ready to begin the show. Careless step after another she didn't fall, as she paced along her tight rope, holding the crowd so far beneath her absolutely transfixed. "Hello, my name's Spindle. I've got a hostage, and one term.

“Disband the First Guard."





Through his peripherals he watched the other members of the FInal Guard, as he accepted SWAT’s handshake with a firm grasp. A slight shift in the group meant Matthew could see one more member, Presidio. She had slipped his mind. That was a bad sign, that a cape under his employ was completely forgotten. He would have to take their files home tonight and memorize them. He could do a bit of flashcard work, read their histories a couple more times, and make himself that much more presentable to them. Speaking of acting more presentable to them, Fling was glaring daggers at him. He had heard a note that she’d been less amenable as of late, but this was a bit more than that.

Already in one of his team member’s crosshairs. Sometimes it couldn’t be helped, he would have to talk to her privately asap. 4sight looked dead to the world now that Matthew was closer. His costume concealed a lot of his features, but Matthew had met the man when he had a full tank. Running on empty changed one’s posture, where they put their hands, all the little things added up. That observation was doubly true for Slingshot; even without seeing the boy when he had a full night's rest, Matthew could sense the lack of it. SWAT was raring, and Matthew assumed, reading. Emotion manipulator and sensor, a terrifying person to be around. The other powers present were fancy and flashy, causing direct damage often enough. SWAT however, he could be subtle. Matthew had specifically told his various staff to not mention on their own a rule against using his power on the director. If asked, they were to respond that SWAT didn’t have “write permission,” in different words.

Presidio was last but not least. It was almost the feeling that she was a kindred spirit, a younger version of himself. An actor. It was good acting, honestly, only her own self doubts about her performance giving it away. He smiled at all of them, the act wrinkling the edges of his eyes. He spent the slightest second more smiling at Presidio before speaking. "Nice to meet most of you for the first time. Faces in a file-" masks, not even faces "-are so much different from meeting you all in person." Matthew said as he released SWAT's hand. Matthew opened his mouth to say something else, but Sandra interrupted him.

"Sir, the three Junior Guard members you invited are also here. Make sure to set aside some time for them." Matthew had completely forgotten. The invitation had been written a month in advance, one of the first plays he had made. It was sent a week ago, and had since slipped his mind.

"Of course. Thank you Sandra. Can you find them in the crowd and tell them I'll be with them in a moment?" He said, his tone polite. Sandra didn't answer verbally, just giving a nod before moving to follow the instructions. She had short black hair, and looked stereotypically secretary to the point of cliche. Matthew had asked about it once, and Sandra had seemed confused about the inquiry. Turning back to the gathered heroes, Matthew reached up to scratch the back of his head, giving the impression of being slightly embarrassed. Surface level. "I'm not at all used to being called sir. Some of the staff even started out trying to call me Mr. Fielding." Lowering his hand, he stood straight again, as if to reassert control. All of this was the game. All of it was politics, all of it was public relations, all of it was talking with people and shaping their view. Of you, of the company of the agency, it didn't matter. The expectation changed, the standards flexing with time, and boundaries redrawn.

John was walking towards them now, having just gotten off the phone. "I didn't actually want to set a time limit, I wanted instead-" He interrupted himself, looking over at John who had set a hand on his shoulder. As he did, he noticed how the room had shifted, light hearted before turning to quick conversations on cell phones. The news crew Matthew had been ignoring in the back of the room was packing their stuff up as fast as they could.

"We've got a situation. One of our helicopters was incapacitated by a shaker, and the pilot is a hostage. We're going to need your team's help, we can't lose that man. It would destroy team morale to have another death this month, and–God–he has a wife. It's only one cape, but we can't close the distance or take a pot shot without risking. . ." John trailed off, his voice tinged with barely supressed rage. Even though the man was a complete hardass, but it was clear that the soldiers under him did mean a lot. Fixing this without a causulty would mean John would owe Matthew.

It wasn't guaranteed though. Looking back at the heroes, his eyes instantly rested on 4sight. "Can your team mobilize?" Matthew asked. 4sight didn't immediately respond, but something about him convinced Matthew that he would say no. John spoke before either 4sight or Matthew could.

"I have the authority to pull some strings and allow some of the Junior Guard members at this event to join you. You can form two teams, with Dart commanding the second. I know you don't like having squads of five, 4 Sight." It was diplomatic, but also rushed. That would reduce the size of the favor.

Matthew was already nodding, keeping his eyes on the squad leader. 4Sight nodded tentatively, then nodded again more firmly. "It'll work. We can learn about the threat on the way. You don't mind commanding the Junior Guard Dart?" He asked, turning towards his compatriot. She looked surprised and a little uncomfortable about the prospect at first.

"Not about stealing glory, but I think it's better for our teams to have a consistent leader, and it’ll give you more field experience. You’ll be given the information from on high and will give them a briefing." 4Sight noted, trying to quell Dart’s worries. She reacted well to that, seeming to steel herself to the prospect. For SWAT’s benefit, 4Sight added ”I know you expected to lead a team sooner rather than later, but I want Dart to get some experience now that you've already gotten.”

It would be done then, two teams versus a single shaker. It was all too convenient though, wasn't it? On the day of his announcement, the First Guard runs into trouble they can't handle. Who was pulling this string?




The first Junior Guard that Sandra found was the very inconspicuous Calvin Ball. Without hesitation she put her hand on his shoulder, leaning down to say ”The director will see you after he has finished with the Final Guard. Come with me for now, I want to gather the rest of your Final Guard compatriots together.” Her voice was that of an older woman who didn’t like dealing with children. Calvin acted like a puppy who had just reached the end of his leash. Guilty, but still wanting to act. Sandra brushed it off quickly and searched for her objective.

Next was Coil, who was a bit less conspicuous. She was also in full costume though, so still very conspicuous. This one was wearing a–a witch costume? With Calvin close behind, Sandra approached her and spoke without trying to grab her attention beforehand. ”Coil. The Director is going to see you soon, with the opportunity to schedule a 1 on 1 interview in the future.”

"And he'll tell me why I'm here, right?" Coil said, sounding suddenly uncomfortable.

The communicator in Sandra’s ear buzzed briefly before beginning a message. ”A shaker has been spotted a couple blocks away, seemingly by herself, and she took down a First Guard helicopter. The Junior Guard are going to be gathered, and mobilized in a temporary squadron. John already approved these orders.” Sandra straightened as she listened, before speaking again.

”Change of plans. Come with me.” Sandra said, already turning.

A simple ”Oh, okay." was Coil’s response, barely heard as Sandra searched the crowd. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Calvin basically hopping up and down, very excited. She suddenly moved, approaching Werelight from behind and put a hand on his back while she leaned forward.

”There’s an emergency, your temporary team leader will brief you. Come with me, now.” She said firmly.

Werelight flinched, but after composed himself soon after. “Understood,” he said, rising from his seat. He began another sentence but Sandra was already moving, approaching the group formed near Matthew. His expression was thoughtful, and slightly grim as he looked over the Junior Guard members.

Sandra watched him, it felt like he was sorting through tones he could use for this particular conversation. ”Dart over there is going to be your temporary team leader. We’re going to brief her, and then she’ll brief you on the way to the helicopter. If you don’t want to participate in the mission, now is your time to back out. Otherwise, follow her commands, and it’ll mean great things, maybe even a full career as a cape in the future.” The tone he had chosen was guarded, seeming distinctly concerned about sending them into combat. Still he seemed confident they could handle it.


The Fallen

The Search

The wind was whipping through the open sides of the jeeps as they roared across the country side, dips and bumps in the dirt road jostling the passengers as the Fallen search party shot across the flatlands between the forest and the city. Several hours had passed since the meeting and their eventual leaving.

Rend was driving, Transcendent hanging half out a window of another, while Ripper was plopped in the passenger seat of a third vehicle. There were almost two dozen Fallen alongside them, and another two vehicles in total, while they talked through walkies on a special frequency.

“.....happen to know where she is?”

“Sanders saw her around the edge of town a few days ago. Couldn’t approach by himself.”

“Xaya noticed someone matching her appearance when she was out shopping yesterday around the food market.”

“So she’s moving inward. Towards the Guard?”

“Sounds like it. Maybe she’s hoping to use their base as cover and a defense to keep us away?”

“Maybe. She’s gonna be alone regardless though. Guard won’t help someone like her.”

“I don’t know. You hear about Final Guard? Bunch of capes being recruited as a fucking task force.”

“Eh, they won’t take her. She won’t go to them directly anyways. And, besides, we’ll get her before she even gets the chance. Bring her home just like Whisper ordered. She can’t get away from me,” Transcendant said confidently. “Think she’s probably gonna hunker down somewhere nearby. We’ll check hiding spots first, then go into the more likely places. We’ll divide in half, and I’ll take the newbie.”

The chatter died down as they approached the city limits, everyone carefully adjusting their face protection as they passed the first farm.


Red Eye

The Bank


"Was it strange to be there again?"

"No, why would it be strange?"

"Weren't you rejected the first time?"

"It's not polite to bring up a lady's failures."

At that Percy faked a guffaw. Vanish rolled her eyes, smiling slightly. They were in costume, Vanish looking particularly punk, dark leather, chains, and Percy. . . Well Percy didn't actually wear costumes. He had a hoodie on, the hood flipped over his head and sunglasses. Percy had never cared that much about the whole secret identity thing, always saying "I'm here for a good time, not a long time." It always sounded hollow though, he had been going to college when they met which cost money. Investing in one's future was not what the people who didn't mind dying did. Unless they were shorting it.

'Shorting' was about where Vanish's investing knowledge ended, and so did the metaphor. There was a reason she had failed out of college. It made her uncomfortable to actually think through those reasons, preferring the apathy of partying, drinking, drugs, and this. Percy opened the door for her, a sarcastic smile on his face. Vanish scoffed with equal sarcasm, but went through the door. The bank would've been beautiful, but the rejection of her internship made it ugly at the same time. It seemed to Vanish that the place was rotten underneath. The horse with a limp had to be put down. It would break the bone over and over, not knowing that it's continued action would destroy it.

Percy was gliding across the floor his torso barely bouncing as he approached a teller. One of the guards was already moving to intercept him, the smallest detail having given Percy's hostility away. Smiling at the mistake she could chide him about later, she raised her hand. The projectile was silent, despite being almost supersonic; the brick shattered as the guard's leg shattered. That was less silent, a violent cracking redoubled by the bricks crumbling

A few seconds passed before chaos erupted around them. Percy had jumped the counter, knocking a teller out with a swift kick in the same motion. He moved to intercept another one as Vanish looked for more security. "Put the fucking money in the bag." Percy yelled as Vanish's rested her eyes on the next guard. He flinched, undoing the clasp over his pistol. Steeling his nerves, he leveled it on Vanish and shot. There was no wound in her chest when she raised her hand again.


Exiled

Not with a Bang...


Manifold stretched, not that she really needed to. It was an old motion that made her feel good, though, while she observed the pieces of her midsection in the mirror, looking for anything that stood out as abnormal.

She’d been up for the last 8 hours while everyone else slept tinkering away at herself. Adding, improving, making better. She’d even figured out a way to better improve her production systems in the process!

Upstairs she could hear movement as the other two got ready. She was about to join them when her phone lit up with a text message.

From TL:
Panzerstahl moving. ETA 15 min, 5 mile south. Maybe more or less depend on movement. Going towards the city. Big tank, heavy, two more of the old model too.


To TL:
Roger, thanks. We’ll take care of it. Thanks TL. <3


She stood up proper, shutting herself back up as she walked towards the stairs that led out of the guarded bunker. Pushing open the secret door in the floor she stepped into the lounge and pressing her fingers together for a sharp snap.

<<We’ve moving. Nazis in tanks, 15 minutes, a few minutes away.>>
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