Forum Thread

"Trix? That's a nice name," Derek commented. The name didn't ring a bell in his memory at all, but he noted that it was a rather cute name. It suited the girl rather well.

"What flavor did you get? I have cherry," said Trix.

"Huh? Oh, I got chocolate myself. Can't go wrong with good, old-fashioned chocolate," Derek replied with a smile.

"You know, I have the strangest feeling right now, as if I've seen you somewhere before. Somehow I doubt it, however. How could I miss seeing someone as hot as you?" Derek looked up from his frozen yogurt at Trix, who had quickly put her hands over her mouth and was looking as red as her sweet dessert. He grinned before breaking into laughter.

"Sorry if I hurt your feelings by laughing at you," Derek gave her a friendly smile, "it's just, you're just so cute, y'know that?"

(Sorry it's so short, I couldn't think of much else for now, and I have to go study. >_>)

---

Trix let out a small laugh, her face slightly less flushed. "So," She said, leaning forwards a bit, "I'm really bad at flirting, so I'm just going to list off a bunch of things about myself." She took another bite of her froyo before beginning. "My full name is Bellatrix Carmen Cadaver, my favorite color is green, I have a Masters degree in Zoology and I'm working on my Bachelor's in Fine Art. I'm a leo, I'm 28 years old, and I'm deathly allergic to bees. Your turn." She said, making a little gesture towards Derek with her spoon.

---

Jaden waved his gun quickly toward the building then back at the three, "Go on. But do Not try anything you all will regret. After the kid's patched up, we'll all have a nice little chat."

---

Ray gave the man with a gun a look that said 'Seriously?'. Like Ricky and the others he had been in enough danger that guns didn't faze him. He also noted Ricky's ques to not do anything reckless, not that he had planned on it. He nodded to Ricky and followed her out to help with Johnny-boy. He gave Johny-boy a concerned glance, Ray cared about his team mates, even if he didn't always express it.

---

The Black Assassin

More targets had gathered out in the open. There was now 7 people, including the dying kid, standing around, just waiting for him to put bullets in their brains one by one. He had waited long enough, he most likely wouldn't be getting a better opportunity anytime soon.

Swiftly and silently, the assassin climbed up into a rather large tree that provided him the perfect cover. There was no way any of those so called "heroes" could see him through the leaves across that distance. The bus parked on the road provided the team with a cover once he opened fire but he had some tricks up his sleeve. The vehicle was merely a minor issue.

Loading up his sniper rifle equipped with a silencer, the man dressed in black assumed a steady position on the tree branch and peered at the unsuspecting heroes through the scope. According to his intel, the blond woman carrying the injured kid was the one in charge. It was only logical to take her out first, losing a leader always created chaos. He just hoped the team hadn't gotten used to that already.

With a small smirk on his lips, the assassin took aim, right in the middle of the woman's back, with his finger twitching on the trigger, ready to squeeze. Then he took the shot.

---

Jonathan "Johnny-boy" Lee | Leech

The absolute nothingness was actually rather comforting. He didn't need to worry about the current situation, his friends or himself in the least. There was just nothing.

Of course, that didn't last for long. It was getting cold, he was freezing and some unknown pain started making itself more and more known. What was happening? Why did it hurt? Make it stop! Jonathan tried to get away from the pain but something was holding him still, making him unable to escape. Of course he couldn't just run away from pain but that didn't register to him in his delusional sleep like state. All he knew was that he wanted to put some distance between himself and the pain but he couldn't.

Just as he thought the pain would never stop, it did. Poof! Gone, just like that. Only a dull ache and cold air that seemed to freeze his very bones remained. It was good enough for Johnny as he slipped into oblivion once again.

---

Rhiannon "Ricky" Anderson | Aviator

Ricky didn't pay much attention to Tara or Chelsea's arrival but Allan got his attention. The boy's power could be confusing at times and in her state of mind, Ricky didn't really bother trying to even fully listen to what her teammate was telling her. All she needed to understand from Allan's litany of words was that he could help, and that was more than enough knowledge for Ricky.The woman watched as the younger boy pulled up Jonathan's pantleg to examine the wound and Ricky simply nodded as she tightened her grip on her injured friend, "I'll buy you a damn steak dinner after this, just fix him."

And fix him he did. The fact that the "treatment" seemed to cause Johnny a deal of pain wasn't exactly something Ricky would have wanted to witness from up close. However, she'd rather clutch onto a pained Johnny rather than have him bleed to death in her arms.

Ricky was brought out of his thoughts when the boy in her arms went limp again and she lifted her head to see Allan take a step back. The woman let out a relieved breath but she only managed to open her mouth, intending to thank her teammate, when the boy simply fell forward, onto the ground, unconscious. With already one kid in her arms, Ricky could do little to soften the fall nor did she really have time to react properly either way.

However, when she could make perfect sense of what just happened, Ricky crouched down quickly to make sure Allan was only taking a nap after using too much of his powers. In doing so, she jarred the other unconscious lad in her arms in the progress but she doubted Johnny minded much in his unresponsive state.

At that moment, she got something entirely different to worry about than the two limp kids. When she sunk down to her knees, something whizzed right past her and lodged itself on the ground, barely missing Allan. A bullet. The tiny piece of metal had grazed Ricky's collarbone, missing its original mark due to the target's sudden movement, but she didn't even notice it. She was too occupied progressing the fact that there was a sniper aiming at their heads somewhere, "Sniper! Take cover!"

Ricky completely forgot the presence of the unknown man as she quickly backed away over to the bus, taking cover behind the large vehicle, while still cradling Jonathan in her lap in one arm and more or less dragging Allan with her with her other hand. The two boys were unable to protect themselves and thus ensuring their safety was her first priority. She could trust her team to handle this. She believed they could pull this through regardless what they all had been forced to endure recently.

The shot had come from the other side of the road. After a small field, a forest lied there which was where the shooter or shooters must be hiding. Luckily, they had an expert on that field. Ricky searched her younger teammate out with her gaze, "Tara!" Once she got her attention, Ricky pointed towards the greenery. Well, she was really pointing at the side of the bus but Tara would probably get the meaning. "The shooter must be hiding among the trees! Can you locate them!?"


Hidden by the leaves, a lone man cursed under his breath as he tried to get a good aim at any of the team.

---

Chelsea Kairen AKA Nighthawk

Chelsea instinctively ducked when she heard the warning. Her arms raised to protect herself. It seemed as though she and the rest of the team were not as safe as she had originally believed, or rather as she had hoped. She looked for Ricky and spotted her dragging two of the others behind the bus for safety, she figured that their leader could handle the protection of herself and the other two she was with. Turning back to look at the trees she flicked her hands and black shadows flickered and curled up her wrists, her eyes flickering red for a moment before returning to normal. If they were under attack then she was certainly ready for a fight, she had been itching for one for days and as bad as it sounds, she was glad that one had come.

---

Having not seen the muzzle flash, Jaden ducked behind the nearest cover: a knee-high wall which lined the outer portion of the school's yard. He searched in his pocket for a small surveillance camera and attached a specialized device to the end of his weapon, replace the magazine and the bullet currently in the chamber with a specialized ammunition. Firing the weapon with the device intact at the school's wall, he planted the surveillance device. "The worst of this is keeping the others alive in case they know," Jaden thought to himself, gritting his teeth, "but where there's a sniping contract, there's a reason."

Jaden, snug against his safe-haven, kept hidden his receiving surveillance device within his coat. "Just one more shot and I have you." Jaden stowed away his current weapon for the two revolvers holstered at his sides. "Just one more shot..."

---

Morrigan sat at her computer in her dark apartment. Everything was silent as she flicked through the news, pausing on one article. She raised her eyebrow. She hadn't expected that of him, even though she had been away from so long. A plan sparked in her mind as she gave a small grin. They no longer trusted him, and now would be the time to strike. If she actually took him down, she might even be praised as a hero, if she were lucky. Snatching up a suitcase, she hurriedly began packing. Morrigan smiled. She was finally going to get her revenge.

(Figured I would finally post with Morrigan while I'm waiting for D to post 030)

---

Tara was almost at the school when she heard Ricky’s shout of warning. She instantly dropped flat to the ground, her head up slightly to see over the grass. Her eyes darted from left to right, trying to figure out where the enemy was. Hearing Ricky call her name, she looked back towards the bus where she was taking cover with Jonathan and Allen. She was pointing at the bus… No, beyond the bus, into the trees on the far side of the field. She grinned slightly, in spite of the situation. Yeah sure, find a guy with a gun in the middle of a forest, how hard could it be? With a deep breath she closed her eyes, pressed her palms to the dirt and let her mind go down into the grass roots.

The entangled roots provided a pathway, and the forests energy provided the beacon, that led Tara straight to the trees. The closer she got, however, the harder it was to move. It was like trying to run through sticky mud. Tara growled at herself. Her team-mates needed her, this was no time to be weak. Ignoring the force trying to hold her back, she pushed on and finally reached the tree line.

“Come on Tara, think! You’ve got to find this guy!” she muttered to herself, “Ricky and Allen need you, and the Leech too I guess… Of course!” Jonathan’s path of destruction gave Tara an idea. This guy might not drain the life out of plants, but he would have stepped on a few to get to the tree. Scanning the area, she found a trail of bruised grass leading to one of the trees. Her mind stretched out to the base of the tree, and slowly, painfully, she began to climb up through the roots and into the branches. One limb seemed to be experiencing some sort of pressure, like there was a weight of some kind on it.

“Gotcha.”

Tara suddenly became aware of a dull ache behind her eyes. She didn’t have too much longer out here, but she had something she needed to do before she left. With another deep breath she poured as much energy as she dared into the leaves, twigs and small branches of the tree. They began to rustle, as if being blown by a gentle breeze. “It’s not enough…” Tara whispered. The memory of a warning the monk had once given her suddenly came to mind, “Any branch, if bent far enough, will eventually break.” Tara shook her head, not today. She fed more energy into the tree, causing the leaves and twigs to twirl and sway from an imaginary strong wind.

Finally Tara could resist the pull no longer, and she let go. Her mind snapped back suddenly like a rubber band, with enough force to throw her backwards. Grunting and rubbing her head, she looked up, hoping her team-mates had seen the message. Her eyes were slightly blurred though and she couldn’t quite make out what they were doing. Sighing, she rolled over so her face was towards the sun.

“C’mon sun, hurry it up. This fight isn’t even close to over yet. They need me.”

The Black Assassin

The lone man was about to fire another shot when the leaves of the tree he was occupying started swaying slightly, interfering with his line of sight. He brushed it off as mere wind at first but the leaves started rustling like a strong wind had blown over and as soon as it came, it was gone. It was too sudden to brush off as nothing but nature. One could never be too cautious when you were up against freaks with inhumane powers and anything unusual was usually a bad sign. It was time to take his next move before it was too late.

The assassin slung his rifle on his back with a swift movement before taking out two cylinders that were together approximately the size of his hand from his belt. He pulled the safety pin out of the other one and threw it on the field between him and his prey. Thick smoke started rapidly pouring out of the cylinder as the assassin jumped down from the tree. Within the few seconds it took the man to get down from the tree and and run into the open field, the smoke had already covered almost half the field and the man could keep on running, concealed by the smoke.

As he was running, the man counted his steps since he couldn't count on his sight to know when he would run out of cover. Just as he was about to run out of the cloud of smoke, the assassin pulled the safety pin out of the other cylinder still in his hand. His sprint came to a sudden halt as he took a second to throw the next cylinder in front of him and soon, the rest of the field was covered in smoke as well.

While resuming his sprint over to his targets, the man dressed in black reached for his belt again and grabbed three hand grenades this time. He could start making out the yellow hue of the old school bus through the thick smoke as he got closer to it. With a victorious smirk on his face, the man pulled the safety pins off of two of the grenades and threw them over the bus. The explosives landed on the other side of the bus with only mere seconds before they'd go off.

---

Hearing a clank against the ground, Jaden leaped low against the other side of the wall, pulling his cloak tightly against his body in an attempt to protect himself.

---

Matilda jerked back in horror once she realized what she was doing. Her attacker dropped and crawled backwards, eyes wide open and their filthy hand clutching at their singed shirt. "W-what...?" She stumbled back then froze when their eyes locked.

The guy was terrified. She'd nearly burned him. Burned him.

Just like what happened to her parents.

Mattie's scream was lost in her throat, coming out as a mere rasp. The other part scrambled back, crawling away hastily and deeper into the alley. She didn't follow, instead heading in the opposite direction as if in a dream-like trance. Upon exiting the shadowy corner, Mattie was immediately jostled and pushed as people rushed down the sidewalk like crazy. She didn't feel it. She couldn't. At least, not right now.

Images, vague, flickering in her mind's eye. Half written. Screams. Noises she'd never heard before. Papers burning, burning, burning. An underwater dome, cracking and filling with water. The smell of alcohol. Shattering glass. Bright lights, dancing across the night as if they had sentience. A figure, moving so fast it hardly seemed believable. Black smoke, curling across a field, swallowing up the scene. Bullets fired from a gun, echoing.

Each fragment, each scene. Every time she tried to focus, they sifted through and disappeared, like water trickling through hands.

Mattie collided with something hard and was pitched backwards, her head thunking loudly against what sounded like glass. She blinked, coming out of her daze, her eyes refocusing to see a worried-looking man peering at her. "Hey, kid, you okay?"

It took her a few seconds to register what he had said. "I...think so. Where am I?" She croaked out.

The man shrugged. "Same place you were when you crashed into me and nearly knocked yourself unconscious. That's going to leave a bruise."

Mattie nodded slowly, clambering to her feet awkwardly. The man stepped away a bit, nodding to himself. "Right. You okay now? Need to call your parents, or something?"

"I'm fine...I was just-" Her stormy orbs scanned her surroundings, landing on something familiar. "Looking for Yogurtland."

The man looked extremely relieved, nodding. What was with all his nodding? It was making Mattie nervous. "Okay then. Take care, kid."

Much to her relief, the man turned away and disappeared in the stream of people flowing on the sidewalks. With nowhere else to go, she sighed, dusted herself off and entered the place. She felt around in her pocket for some money, and fortunately there was some spare cash in it.

Yogurt, she had always believed, was the perfect wake-up breakfast. After taking a bite out of her swiftly served frozen yoghurt (mango flavor, all the way), she began to suspect it was a nice energizer as well. Left rather exhausted with her encounter with the teenage thug person, the cold treat seemed to sharpen her senses. Adjusting her headband by second instinct, Mattie sat back and relaxed a bit, pondering where Trix could possibly be. Unaware that the latter was nearby, she took another bite of her yoghurt, observing the other customers.

One person caught her eye, and Mattie frowned as an image tried to click itself in place in her head. It shattered before it could however, but not without leaving a feeling of foreboding. She tried to shake it off, turning her attention back to the yoghurt. Images continued to flicker in her mind's eye and she pushed them away just as fast. Likely it was just some type of trauma.

---

Tara, still lying on her back in the grass with her face to the sky, frowned slightly as a haze started wafting into her view. Propping herself up on her elbows, she let out a gasp at the scene before her. The entire field was being engulfed in thick black smoke! She sniffed the air, thinking it was a fire, but instead of the rich, earthy smell of burning trees and grass, it was acrid and chemical, like that from a smoke bomb.

Within moments the smoke had surrounded Tara, and she gritted her teeth as she realized it was blocking out the suns rays. One hand clutched at the necklace beneath her shirt as she closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths.

"Right, Tara, you are not going to lose it." she murmured to herself, "You are not going to let your team down because of a stupid fear, now move!"

She opened her eyes and got to her feet. "Well, this isn't so bad." Tara thought to herself, "It's not really that dark. Now I just need to find the others. I was already going towards them before, so if I keep going straight I should get there... I think..."

Slowly, cautiously, she took a step, and then another. Ignoring her weak, protesting body and the deep, nagging fear of the dark, she made her way towards the school.

Trix let out a small laugh, her face slightly less flushed. "So," She said, leaning forwards a bit, "I'm really bad at flirting, so I'm just going to list off a bunch of things about myself." She took another bite of her froyo before beginning. "My full name is Bellatrix Carmen Cadaver, my favorite color is green, I have a Masters degree in Zoology and I'm working on my Bachelor's in Fine Art. I'm a leo, I'm 28 years old, and I'm deathly allergic to bees. Your turn." She said, making a little gesture towards Derek with her spoon.'

"Me?" Said Derek, who noticed it was his turn to tell about himself. "Let's see...full name's Derek Wayne Ferris." Thinking it best to leave out his true last name for safety reasons, Derek used his go-to fake surname instead of using "Fausto". His brother had made it quite the name, and it could only be used casually around people they could trust.

"Hm, what else...31 years old, I've got a Masters in Computer Sciences, and I was pretty much the head IT guy while I was in college. You could probably call me some sort of computer genius, I've just got the magic touch or something when it comes to computers and such." He leaned back in his chair slightly with a small smile.

"My favorite color's blue, although I do like red a lot too."

---

Trix smiled, absorbing the information that Derek gave as she savored the sweet taste of her froyo. She glanced at the watch that she'd forgotten was on her wrist, remembering that she should probably explain what had happen with her finding a kid yesterday. With a sigh, she grabbed a napkin, digging around her pocket and pulling out a pen, one of the random things she stashed in her pockets. She scribbled her phone number on the napkin and stood up from her chair with a sigh. "Listen, I gotta check in with my boss, I kinda ditched yesterday without an explanation. Family biz, y'know." She walked over to his side, pressing the napkin gently into his hand. "Here's my phone number. Call me!" She said cheerfully as she gave him a peck on the cheek, prancing happily out of Yogurtland. Her long hair trailed behind her as she trotted off in the direction of the Squad One hideout, oblivious to the danger awaiting her return.

---

Theia had gone for an evening stroll and as usual, lost track of the time. As she walked down the quite street she felt the warmth of the sun grace her cheek. Is it already morning? I need to get some sort of a watch... But why would I do that? She pauses on the sidewalk to let a car pass before she crosses the street. I have no place I need to be at a specific time... I don't need a watch. Besides, what would a blind person really need a watch for anyways...

After walking for a while she started hearing people speaking in tones that could only be described as stressed. She could also feel vibrations from said people's movements, which were also "stressed" as though they were under some sort of pressure. Perhaps they were playing an early morning game of football? No. These people were fighting. She picked up her pace and as she approached she got a taste of something not quite right in the air. She had smelled many different fumes while in the city, this didn't match any she knew of. It wasn't car exhaust, nor was it some backed up sewer. She shoved that thought away as she felt the deep impact of a metal projectile enter the ground at high speeds. A bullet. That's not good... She ran to the end of what felt like a school bus and found two people laying on the ground and several others scattered around.

She felt two metal objects hit the ground nearby her. She identified them as grenades as soon as she recognized the shape. She reached out with a hand, and in a moment they had been picked up and she had thrown them around to the end of the bus before they both exploded. She tried to keep all of the fragments contained, but as there were two grenades and more explosive power than she had anticipated, she missed a few pieces and they went shooting out, most of which entered the ground below, or went into the road next to her. But one of the pieces entered her right shoulder, and another one entered her left thigh.

Though she stopped most of the metal, the explosion was something she couldn't stop. The force of both grenades going off a few yards away from her, sent her flying back into a brick wall. Her normally black vision went white for a moment upon impacting her head against the bricks, and her ears rang with shell shock. All her senses went haywire for a brief few seconds, but long enough for her to feel completely alone in her own little black world. She sat, back against the wall, her hands on the ground feeling for anything. Why were there grenades and bullets flying here? Some way to play football...

(Sorry for the long post... I get into a mood where I like to write and this is what happens...)

Trix jumped in surprise as the grenades she wasn't aware of went off. "Shoot, what was that?" She mumbled to herself, agitated that she had left her costume at home. However, that would have to wait. There really was no time for worrying about costumes and secret identities when bombs were going off. She quickly shifted her facial structure and hair color into a more European appearance with spunky black hair as she dashed around the corner to the school. The whole area was filled with a thick black smoke, making it very difficult to see. She looked down at her clothing, for sure that it would be shredded if she shifted as was, which was an issue. Without a uniform, it'd be wholly embarrassing to shift with a risk of accidentally strangling herself, or worse. With an annoyed grumble, she decided to go with making a new temporary uniform instead. It was pretty easy, and took merely seconds. Within the span of several seconds, she created a smooth leathery layer over the surface of her skin from the neck down, not counting her hands, and separating it to form a smooth black suit under her clothing. She slipped off her normal clothing and dumped them in a pile next to a nearby tree as she entered the thick smoke.

Bellatrix boosted her senses, becoming aware of her teammates residing a bit far off from where she was, along with the scents of three strangers. Two of them were distinctly male, both seeming to be the aggressors, while the third -a young female- was leaning against a nearby wall. Sniffing the metallic scent of blood, she ran to the injured female's side, relying on her other senses besides her sight. She crouched at the girl's side, sweeping her eyes over her, determining the female, about her age, had shrapnel wounds in her right shoulder and left thigh, based on the blood soaking through her clothes. She was also likely blind, based on the bandanna over her eyes. "Hey, are you conscious?" She asked her, snapping her fingers in front of her face. "C'mon, we needa get you out of here." She said, slipping the stranger onto her back. "Now, don't freak out, but hold on tight." She said, shifting into the form of a black tiger with the female on her back. She promptly ran off through the smoke towards her comrades, slowing down as she neared them so as not to startle them. "Hey, what's going on here? Is this like an attack or something, cuz it really looks like it." She asked as she shifted back into her temporary European-looking form and sliding the girl to the ground by her side, supporting er by letting her lean into her side.

---

Theia's black world was a messed up black mist swirling with clouds of white. She could feel the sharp presence of something in her shoulder and thigh. She felt someone in front of her, this person didn't seem like they were going to hurt her. "Hey, are you conscious?" She heard the person speak, the person was either a female or a boy with a high voice. "Hold on tight." She felt her body move and she obeyed the voice's command to hold on, but to what? She gripped the smooth fur in her fists and held on as she felt the wind push past her and through her hair.

She felt the grass below her as the wind slowed down. Now she was near the other beings in the field. She couldn't "see" them clearly as her senses had been shocked by the explosion, but she knew that two of them, like her, had been injured. She groaned as she put a hand to her thigh, feeling the metal shrapnel cutting her muscle and flesh. She gritted her teeth as she took control of the object and pulled it out with a small movement of her fingers. She let out her breath she had been holding with a slight whimper as the metal fell to the grass next to her. She started to do the same to the object in her shoulder, but it seemed to have gotten stuck. She nearly puked from the sharp pain it caused when she tried to move it. Her hand fell limply to her side as her leg got increasingly wet from her blood. Her mind, still hazy but functional, heard the female that had moved her speaking and asking the people nearby questions. She couldn't piece the words together but she knew they were speaking. Who are you... Where did you just move me too? She wanted to speak but the mental connection wasn't there. A throbbing pain from the back of her head told her to just be still and not try to speak.

Trix turned her attention to the blind girl as she groaned, somehow removing the shrapnel from her arm and leg, her blood pushing out of the open wound. With a look of worry, she carefully removed the girl's sweater, tearing away the fabric around her wounds, getting a better look at them. "Ouch. Yeah, we've gotta do something about that. I promise I'll get you some new clothes after this." She said, taking some of the fabric and rubbing away some of the blood. She took another scrap of fabric and pushed it into the girl's hand. "Spit on this. It's pretty gross, but spit actually helps with sterilization and healing an stuff." She said as she tore away long strips of the sweater and pressing the fabric into the wounds. "Hand me that rag after you're done, we gotta clean these wounds a bit." She said to the injured stranger.

---

Rhiannon "Ricky" Anderson | Aviator

Ricky felt herself freeze in crippling panic as the sight of the grenades registered to her. If she was alone, she could easily get rid of them or escape, but she wasn't. She had two unconscious defenseless lads on her and there was no way she could get them to safety in time. The only way was to get rid of the grenades. The woman extended her right hand in a hurry, attempting to conjure a sudden wind to get the grenades further away. However, panic was clouding her mind badly and she couldn't get the wind to obey her will.

Though almost immediately after her attempt to fling the grenades away, they were picked up by something else and flown away just before they went off. However, the weapons had been close enough for the blast wave knock her away from her two priced unconscious possessions. After the dust settled, Ricky shook her head in an attempt to get rid of the ringing in her ears while she pushed herself off the ground. Since the smoke still lingered in the area, it wasn't exactly easy to see what was happening around her. However, as it slowly kept dissipating, Ricky became aware of her various comrades around her, each one of them a 'different kind of okay'.

What she did not expect to see was Trix carrying a completely strange wounded woman over to them and starting to treat her. Not that Ricky had anything against taking care of wounded strangers, she was merely surprised to see such a thing in their current situation. They had just merely survived two grenades after all. Though perhaps this stranger had something to do with that and it was the reason for her injury.

Wait, where's-

Worry took over Ricky as she realized she was missing the two unconscious lads that were previously in her care. She hastily tried scanning the are for them but couldn't see the two anywhere. The woman was about to go look for them but she didn't get anywhere before a single gunshot rang out. Startled, Ricky whipped her head towards the general area the sound had come from and froze. Not from panic this time though, now the reason was pure rage.

Just barely in seeing distance, a man dressed in black combat gear stood over two figures that lay deathly silent on the ground. The man lowered the handgun that he had been previously pointing straight up towards the sky and spoke with infuriating calmness: "I'd stay very still if I was any of you. No freaky tricks or these two kids here get a nice little bullet to the brain." The man brought his other hand up to reveal yet another grenade before continuing his little speech: "I'd really like it if we could all just remain calm."

"What do you want?" Ricky asked before the man could continue. Her voice was even but her eyes shone with anger.

"I don't want anything." Was the assassin's matter-of-factly answer. "However, the Red Puppeteer does. This is your warning. He's right, you're wrong. Stop whatever you're up to."

---

Daniel Fausto | Red Puppeteer

Daniel walked back into the yogurt shop after his little chat with his employee and found his brother sitting in one of the tables. The man gracefully slid into the seat across from his brother and was delighted to found his peach froyo on the table. Digging into the frozen treat, Daniel attempted small talk with his younger sibling: "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"


((Derp. Dunno what to do with Daniel. :,P))

---