Fall of the Titans
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Extreme =&gt; Extreme Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: GloomCookie on 13-09-2010, 00:28:43</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>GloomCookie</strong> on <strong>13-09-2010, 00:28:43</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 50pt;" class="bbc_size"><em><strong>FALL OF THE TITANS</strong></em></span><br><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">America had changed.&nbsp; Gone were the days when everyone preached about freedom and respect for their fellow man.&nbsp; Instead most people lived in fear, afraid of those who didn't conform, didn't fit in, didn't belong.&nbsp; Terrorism, both domestic and foreign, made people paranoid, and gave men like Henry DuPont the base they needed to obtain power.&nbsp; Henry DuPont was in a minor law firm when he'd picked up the newspaper one day to read about an accident where a superhero had caused property damage in the hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to stop a criminal.&nbsp; The paper wrote the angry comments some of the families had said to the hero, and this gave DuPont the idea to go into politics, preaching to put an end to the needless destruction caused by superheroes.<br><br>This was back in the days when superheroes were still respected, trying to help control the crime rate that was spiraling out of control.&nbsp; Entire districts in Washington D.C., New York, LA and elsewhere were inaccessible to police due to violence.&nbsp; Only the supers would go there, fighting crime and making it safer for the residents.&nbsp; Henry DuPont ran for junior representative of Washington State on the platform that these areas should be brought to heel not by rogue vigilantes, but by the guardians of law and order that were already sworn to do so.&nbsp; From his podium he attacked supers, saying they were a threat to people everywhere and that all it took was one with extraordinary powers to cause devastation on a massive scale.&nbsp; His message was small at first, but quickly grew.<br><br>The public began to see supers as a threat, with Henry DuPont holding up newspaper headlines telling of supers who used their powers for evil, or were irresponsible and caused more harm than they solved.&nbsp; He enlisted the aid of police, who were angry that they sometimes did all the investigations only to have the hero swoop in and steal the glory.&nbsp; They wanted supers to stop, or at least work with the police to better use their talents.&nbsp; Preachers claimed that supers got their powers from the devil, and that supers were doomed to Hell for their blasphemies against God.&nbsp; Eventually even other politicians jumped on the anti-super bandwagon, hoping to gain as much support as possible for their own elections.&nbsp; As DuPont's power grew, so did the public's intolerance of supers.<br><br>By 2023 many states were passing anti-super legislation, demanding that supers stop using their powers.&nbsp; In the presidential election of 2024, DuPont won with 69% of the electoral vote, and immediately pushed through a law to shut the supers down.&nbsp; All supers were forbidden from using their powers, and using them was punishable by prison time.&nbsp; DuPont had turned what some considered to be the cornerstones of justice into criminals themselves.&nbsp; But with the loss of supers came the loss of what kept many of the worse districts from expanding outward.&nbsp; Police forces around the country soon found themselves overwhelmed and unable to respond.&nbsp; Henry DuPont was swift to declare martial law, shutting down the government and taking all control for himself.<br><br>With DuPont in power, he ordered the military to begin clearing out all the districts of criminals.&nbsp; Lethal force was not only authorized, but encouraged, as gangs were hunted down with the precision of the United States Military.&nbsp; Soon most of the situation was back under control, but DuPont refused to allow the government to return.&nbsp; A large protest formed outside the White House, directly in front of the military perimeter.&nbsp; DuPont tolerated the protest for three days, before giving the order on March 2, 2026 to open fire on the protesters.&nbsp; Hundreds were killed as the military opened fire directly into the wall of protesters.&nbsp; DuPont then made the declaration that until he was satisfied the nation was no longer under siege from itself, he would remain in power.<br><br>Estimates put the death toll of the first five years of DuPont's reign at approximately one million, with twice that sent to internment camps.&nbsp; Cities were rebuilt, in some cases completely from the ground up, to clean out undesirables.&nbsp; Almost every major city underwent a transformation, reborn into the image DuPont had for America.&nbsp; People became afraid to speak out as the cameras overhead watched them as silent sentinels.&nbsp; People disappeared and were never heard from again.&nbsp; People felt safer, but at the cost of what had made them Americans.&nbsp; What protests there were soon found the police to be less than forgiving of anyone that broke the law.&nbsp; It seemed that after chasing the supers away, the one thing everyone wanted back the most was the flamboyant suits they wore, protecting them from evil men like DuPont.</span><br><br><hr><br><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Seattle, Washington<br>July 20, 2079</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Sergeant First Class Normand Rockwell stood with his foot on the neck of a super, the girl looking to be no more than about 20.&nbsp; She was naked, having been surprised in the shower by SPECTRE breaking in the door and through the windows of her apartment.&nbsp; They'd gotten the drop on her, and now she lay on the floor, trying in vain to get up, but to no avail.&nbsp; <strong>"How many more supers are here with you, scum?"</strong> Normand asked, while his men spread out and scoped the rooms.&nbsp; They wore heavy combat tactical gear, and each of them had pulse rifles in hand.&nbsp; They exited through the door and began going door to door, overriding locks and barging in on people to check for super activity.<br><br>Normand reached down and grabbed the girl by her neck, lifting her up and holding her at arms length.&nbsp; He watched from behind his dark HUD as her breasts bounced from trying to fight back, and the smooth curves of her thighs.&nbsp; Oh yes, he enjoyed catching them like this.&nbsp; While they were still fiesty.&nbsp; He drug her across the apartment and pinned her against the table, putting the pulse rifle to the back of her head, <strong>"Tell me where the other supers are.&nbsp; Now!"</strong>&nbsp; She tried to get away, but it did no good.&nbsp; She was pinned under him, and she refused to cooperate.&nbsp; <em>Oh well, she'll talk soon enough.</em><br><br>Reaching down, he undid the fly of his pants, pulling his erect cock out and kicking the girl's legs apart, <strong>"They'll get the information from you at Area 12, but first I'm gonna enjoy using you, you super cunt."</strong>&nbsp; He forced himself inside her, the water from her shower providing plenty of lubrication.&nbsp; She cried out in both shock and pain, trying to kick him but no use.&nbsp; Another soldier watched, smirking as she began to cry.&nbsp; Normand enjoyed the tight feeling of her tender young pussy, and it wasn't long before jets of hot, sticky cum began to spurt inside her.&nbsp; He took a moment to catch his breath, before standing up straight and forcing the girl's hands behind her back.&nbsp; She wanted to resist, but couldn't muster it anymore.&nbsp; He soon had cuffs on her hands, and he left her lying on the table.<br><br>He'd just zipped up his fly when another soldier came in, <strong>"Looks like the others got away.&nbsp; We're going to try and run IDs off the security cameras and follow them."</strong>&nbsp; Normand nodded, <strong>"Good.&nbsp; Get this one bagged and tagged, then we'll return to base."</strong>&nbsp; The girl, Ronda Dillinger, didn't even resist as she was pulled up and marched downstairs.&nbsp; Normand watched her go, remembering her tight little body, before hefting his pulse rifle and heading for the roof.&nbsp; He'd grab the helicopter up and they'd try and track the escaped supers from the air.&nbsp; If they got away, they had one for home base to toy around with before they got around to disposing of her.&nbsp; Just another day in SPECTRE.</span>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>writersmelody</strong> on <strong>13-09-2010, 04:34:04</strong>
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				The petite figure perusing the store's wares suddenly paused, one hand stretched out towards a slinky red dress that she wouldn't be able to wear for a while, the other hanging at her side. The purse slipped down her shoulder. One of the members of her security team moved forward to pick it up. <br><br>Silently he stood by her side, holding the purse. The others had moved in quickly. None of them knew why she suffered the strange fits, some neurological disorder or something, but they did know that when she had them she was vulnerable. That was why she never went anywhere by herself.<br><br>With a shudder, she came out of it. Her fair skin was even more pale than usual and the hand that reached for her purse trembled. Bile burned in the back of her throat. That poor girl... Why could she never See anything pleasant?<br><br><em>There's not much pleasant to see,</em> she sighed. All her efforts to help, the money she gave to various charities, the foundations she'd set up, the scholarships and internships her company offered... Was it doing any good? Or was she just trying to drain the ocean with an eyedropper?<br><br>Cassandra shook her head to clear it. There was more she could be doing, she knew that. But she didn't want the government looking into her too closely, especially with her condition. They might figure out the truth about her "illness" and what they would do with her children wasn't something she wanted to think about.<br><br>The Oracle tried but she could only be in one place at a time. Suddenly the dress didn't look so appealing. Besides, it'd be months before she could fit into it. Her gaze shifted towards the maternity department. Did she dare...? It was going to come out sooner or later.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>abandoneddolly</strong> on <strong>13-09-2010, 16:38:51</strong>
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				Tiffany walked through the jewelry store. Pausing to eye a few pieces. It had been a long time since she had treated herself to something sparkly, to long. She stopped over by a large diamond necklace and pushed down her sun glasses to get a better look. She always wore her sun glasses during the day, and as much as she hated to be around at this time. Sometimes it was necessary as most of this type of stores where not open during her usual hours.&nbsp; For now she was just browsing later she would come over to 'buy' the items.&nbsp; <br>" you'll do nicely baby" She said quietly to the necklace and caught some glances from the prim and proper people who worked there. She slid her glasses back on and continued to browse.<br><br>When things had changed, she hadn't necessarily stopped her thieving. It had just slowed down, a lot. Most of it had been just been her picking pockets&nbsp; from random places. It wasn't as if she needed anything from the people she hit, Stealing had just became an addiction she couldn't stop. She had been moving around a lot to. This was her first night in Seattle and she planned on rewarding herself. She hadn't pulled off a jewelry heist in what seemed like years. <br><br>Sighing she turned and left the store she had checked out all the merchandise. She would head back to her quite dark apartment. Tonight that pretty sparkly would be hers. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jarod1</strong> on <strong>15-09-2010, 03:12:13</strong>
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				James walked a short distance away from his boss, and girl friend Cassandra D'Arque as she looked over a few dresses.&nbsp; He had a small cell phone in his hand looking at the days news stories.&nbsp; More of the same propoganda, sugar coating what the government was really doing.&nbsp; It was sickening and it was worse that the news oganizations we're going along with it.&nbsp; The best source of information these days was from those who had gone underground and we're reporting under the radar.&nbsp; 'President' Dupont was getting worse, and worse every single day, crazy with power.&nbsp; People we're scared though anyone who resisted disappeared.<br><br>He closed his phone and slide it inside the pocket of his black leather coat disgusted.&nbsp; What the hell happened to this country?&nbsp; It use to stand for freedom and justice, now freedom didn't exist and justice was only hanging on by a loose thread.&nbsp; It was depressing to think about, and what was worst he didn't know what to do about it.&nbsp; It seemed like an insurmountable challange, Dupont's government was too powerful even though the people who elected him many of them no longer stood behind him.<br><br>Looking over at Cassandra he saw that she was deep in thought about something.&nbsp; Probably deciding if she wanted the red dress or the blue dress.&nbsp; A slight smile twitched at his lips at the thought.&nbsp; Abandoning his position he crossed through the sea of clothing racks to where she stood with the other members of her security team.<br><br>"Finding anything good?" he asked as he came up alongside her not paying much attention to where she was looking.&nbsp; "Or would you like me to take you to another store?"<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>writersmelody</strong> on <strong>15-09-2010, 22:01:01</strong>
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				Cassandra turned to look at James though it was hard to tell if she was actually looking at him behind the dark sunglasses. Her security detail had no problem letting him through to stand next to her. In fact, they even surreptitiously moved a little farther away from the pair to give them a modicum of privacy. Ever vigilant, their eyes never ceased to observe the comings and goings of everyone in the store. You never could be too careful...<br><br>She smiled at James and shook her head. "Not really," she said. "I don't <em>need</em> new clothes, really, but since we were in the area..." <em>I am going to start needing them very soon,</em> she thought. Most of her things were getting uncomfortably tight. The smile faltered just a little but she turned away to look at the dresses again so James wouldn't notice. Or so she hoped. One bad thing about getting close to people- they started to get to know you.<br><br>"Let's go check out the bookstore," she said. Her eyes gleamed beneath the glasses. If allowed, she'd happily spend hours there. "Then we should get something to eat and start getting ready for tonight's benefit." Nodding at one of the employees who had been watching her curiously, she walked towards the exit and into the rest of the mall.<br><br>She saw a lot more than people guessed through those glasses. Everywhere she went lately there was a palpable... not depression, not tension, but something in the air. People scurried from Point A and Point B, afraid to say too much to each other. Afraid to take any action to make things right. Afraid that it was too late.<br><br>It wasn't. She knew that for a fact but the time for action was passing. The quirk of her mouth suggested that she was deep in thought about something as she briskly moved towards the bookstore. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Meade was right. But how to find those thoughtful citizens and get them to commit? With children on the way, changing the world was more important to her than ever.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>GloomCookie</strong> on <strong>15-09-2010, 22:57:16</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>SPECTRE Command<br>Location Classified</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Ever since President DuPont seized power, the tangles of red tape had slowly been cut away.&nbsp; Taxes were still collected, and that was about all Congress did anymore.&nbsp; They were just the purse strings, the ones who made the people think they had a say in how their government was run.&nbsp; Most knew it was just a farce, but that was one area that not even DuPont had been able to seize ultimate power.&nbsp; But while Congress had been culled into being little more than a collection agency for the government, the judicial branch had been all but removed.<br><br>Supreme Court Justice Alexander Flemings sat in the interrogation room, stoically silent.&nbsp; He'd been arrested almost four months ago, and had been held here without trial ever since.&nbsp; Technically it was the FBI that wanted Flemings, but SPECTRE had been in position.&nbsp; Flemings' daughter had been a super, and Flemings was using his position to keep it a secret.&nbsp; As a result, they now had him here, and she was being 'detained' elsewhere.&nbsp; That thought gave SPECTRE Colonel Taylor Drake a reason to smirk.&nbsp; He'd seen what they did in those camps, and he knew she wouldn't be having any fun at all.<br><br>He turned from behind the two-way glass and headed towards his office on the other side of the building.&nbsp; Along the way, he passed the Situation Room, a large open area with several computers setup to monitor and display events.&nbsp; This was just one of twelve SPECTRE commands, each one taking a piece of the country.&nbsp; A large map of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana was displayed, with small red dots to indicate areas of activity.&nbsp; Soldiers in SPECTRE grey sat at their posts, talking into headsets and relaying information from field agents into the collective database.<br><br>In his office, Drake sat down and began going through the paperwork waiting for him.&nbsp; He wanted to make sure everything was set for tonight, and that meant no loose ends.&nbsp; He didn't want to be distracted with bureaucratic paperwork when he was busy.&nbsp; He checked the time... he had a few hours before he needed to be there.&nbsp; He signed off on some equipment requests, made sure that a training exercise was scheduled properly, and finished off with a letter to Brigadier General Joseph Lake.&nbsp; He and the General had been in the Army together, and still corresponded from time to time.<br><br>Standing up, he stepped out of the office and turned off the light, shutting the door and locking it.&nbsp; Even with professionals in the building, one could never be too careful.&nbsp; He headed downstairs and found his car waiting for him, along with his usual escort.&nbsp; He got in the car and relaxed while the driver asked, "Where to, sir?"<br><br>"Home," Drake responded, taking a moment for himself, "I need to change, and then there's a benefit tonight I promised to attend for Stacy."<br><br>"Sir.&nbsp; Yes, sir," the driver responded, and began driving.<br></span>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>16-09-2010, 01:32:25</strong>
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				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: verdana;" class="bbc_font">----Elsworth Bateman: Glutton----</span></div><br><div class="floatright">(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/rcburner/Characters/Stolid3-1.jpg)</div><br>Over the fleeting years of his newfound existence, Bateman had come to appreciate the little things in life.&nbsp; All the seemingly insignificant distractions, the minute details, the discarded fragments of daily living that went unnoticed or unheeded by everybody but him.&nbsp; The distinct crackle of tires sluggishly crawling on pavement, the distant tremor of the subway far beneath his tattered shoes, the amateurish melody of a violin drifting from nearby apartment complexes, the ugly smells that wafted up from the gutters and clawed at the nose, and the noxious beauty of crude oil as it send swirls of metallic colour over the sidewalk.&nbsp; Little things, many of them annoying or grotesque, that momentarily served to set his mind at ease.&nbsp; Once the constant disturbances began to disappear, that roiling beast in his gullet would begin to groan and tear desperately at his innards, the Hunger that drove him to greater and greater depths of depravity in order to be satiated.<br><br>But no matter how hard he tried to suppress it, that unbearable look of starvation infected his every pore.&nbsp; Bateman was not an unnattractive person, having preserved his boyish features late into his twenties and cultivated a head of luxurious blonde hair that gave him the appearance of a tortured artist or fashion designer.&nbsp; Handsome though he was, the face was marred by the deep shadows that clung beneath his graying eyes, the severity of his cheekbones, the sunken flesh along his jaw.&nbsp; Life had not been kind to this man, and he doubted that that would ever change.&nbsp; On some level, he didn't want it to.&nbsp; Not until he had properly atoned for the horror he had unleashed that fateful, awful day.<br><br>He was chewing on a stick of beef jerky as he passed by the boutique from which one <strong>Cassandra D'Arque</strong> and <strong>James Black</strong>, along with several other intimidating men doing their very best to look inconspicuous.&nbsp; The meat melted in his mouth almost immediately, tasteless and unsatisfying.&nbsp; He stared past the small group at the store, only then realizing where he was--a mall, and a rather lovely one at that.&nbsp; His mind buzzing with fatigue, he had scarcely noticed the transition from street to building, let alone what state the building was in.&nbsp; It was like walking through a dream, arriving at strange and foreign destinations without any idea as to how one had gotten there in the first place.<br><br>Despite the warning signals his common sense was blaring at him, Bateman hurried his pace to keep up with <strong>James</strong>, forcing a haggard and apologetic smile.&nbsp; "<span style="font-family: verdana;" class="bbc_font">Terribly sorry to bother you with such an unusual question, sir, but if you could be so kind--what city is this, exactly?</span>"<br><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dark Deception</strong> on <strong>16-09-2010, 08:39:20</strong>
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				<strong>Subway: Joe and his partner</strong><br><br><br>The Subway wasn’t too packed this time of day, in fact, it was perfect. There weren’t any lines and the Italian herb and cheese bread was still in stock. Joe rustled through the Subway wrapper like a boy did a Christmas gift. After a long day of patrol, he was starving. His partner, Brian Jensen, had been baffled by Joseph’s frequent appetite. It wasn’t too unusual, but it amazed him how much he ate when on break. For breakfast, he watched the man consume five breakfast biscuits, while driving, and gulp down three bottles of water. You wouldn’t ever see the man consuming caffeine. No coffee; only caffeine-free tea for he said too much sugar and caffeine made him too...and then he would flap his hands before him in some ecstatic gesture—whatever that meant.<br><br>Brian watched his partner pick up the foot-long meatball sub and take a hearty bite out of it. The way he made love to that sandwich made him stare down reluctantly at the veggie sub, lying on its mat and staring back at him dully. The hefty cop frowned dejectedly and peered up at Joe. Silently, he just observed, observed the ingestion of the sub sandwich before he’d move onto his second one. He only ate two foot-longs but most could only eat one. “You know…I feel like we switched places,” Brian spoke.<br><br>Joe’s brown eyes darted to his partner, while his lips were occupied with the rim of his water. Brian continued, “You eat like a fat ass whenever we’re on break, and yet I’m the fat ass and you ain’t.”<br><br>Well that was simple to explain. Of course, if Joe didn’t plan to harvest any secrets, he would have gave the man a biology lesson on the human metabolism and what happens when a human’s metabolism is a bit above the norm. It required him to consume a higher amount of calories, but nothing overboard. “My metabolism is better than yours,” the cop stated plainly. To Brian, it almost sounded like a boast, but it had to be true. He couldn’t think of any other reason except for the fact that he was older. <br><br>“Just wait until you’re in your thirties, reality is going to hit you so hard, you’ll shit your pants.”<br><br>Picking up his next sandwich, Joe arched a brown brow as he questioned, “Did you shit your pants?” His tone was completely calm and hardly tinged with sarcasm, but when Brian’s face scrunched up with disapproval; Joe couldn’t help but bow his head as the corners of his mouth curled into an amused smile. Moments after, he crammed the sub sandwich into his mouth to stifle his laughter.<br><br>“I hope you choke,” was all Brian said before he finally started on his veggie sub.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jarod1</strong> on <strong>16-09-2010, 09:52:42</strong>
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				James walked at Cassandra's side through the nearly deserted corridors of the mall.&nbsp; Most people didn't linger anymore.&nbsp; They went whereever they we're going or they stayed in their homes as if that would keep them safe.&nbsp; He sighed whatever made people happy in these dark time.&nbsp; He listened as Cassandra quoted Margaret Meade and knew that she was right, the hard part was finding people brave enough to make a stand.&nbsp; It wasn't exactly easy when you didn't know who trust.&nbsp; That was true for him, as it was for most.&nbsp; Nobody, but his parents that he was aware of had any idea that he was anything but your average guy.&nbsp; Not even Cassandra, whom he was closer to than anyone else, knew that he could survive things that would kill anybody else or that if he wanted to her could pick up a VW bug an throw it 5 to 10 feet.&nbsp; "Better not say that too loud love," James said in a low cautionary voice.&nbsp; &nbsp;"People might start to think your trying to insight a revolution."&nbsp; He frowned slightly and then continued.&nbsp; "Not that we couldn't use one<br><br>It was as they we're approaching the large two story Boarders book store that&nbsp; <strong>Elsworth Bateman </strong> approached them.&nbsp; From the way it looked he was disoriented and dazed.&nbsp; He asked what city he was in and James wondered privately if the man had been trying to drown his sorrows, and had to much to drink.&nbsp; After a moment though he didn't think that was the case.&nbsp; Mainly because his nose didn't detect alcohol or any other substance for that matter coming from the <strong>Bateman.</strong>&nbsp; Keeping his expression neutral as though the question of what city am I in was a common one Jame smiled back.&nbsp; "No trouble at all," James replied friendly enough, though he was covertly scanning the crowd for danger or a trap.&nbsp; "You are in the emerald city of Seattle Washington."<br><br>Warily he continued to unobtrusively scan the surrounding with his sense.&nbsp; He didn't feel, smell, hear, or see a trap coming but it was second nature, and not unsurpising in the current climate.&nbsp; Everyone was like that these days guilty or not.&nbsp; It was inevitible in the climate of fear that had been created.&nbsp; As last when he was relatively sure that tht this was onl the level he allow himself to relax.<br><br>They continued to move toward the bookstore and he glanced over at the man.&nbsp; He looked very haggard, like he had not had a good night sleep in along time.&nbsp; "Are you alright sir, you seem a bit disoriented," James said genuinely concerned for the mans well being despite the fact that he was a total stranger.&nbsp; James had always been like that though, he had always cared about his fellow man and helped when he could.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>16-09-2010, 21:35:57</strong>
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				Sami sat at a table in the food court, trying to focus on something besides the food that was currently not in front of her. She groaned and let her head hit the table with a dull thunk. She hadn't been to this mall before, and had been hoping that the place would be bustling with activity, and the food court would be crowded with people in a hurry, forgetting to clean up their leftovers. She sighed and lifted her head up, looking around again. Unfortunately, it looked like everyone had decided that it was better to stay at home today. Her stomach rumbled and she let out a frustrated grumble, leaning back in her chair. She hadn't eaten anything since morning the day before, and the hunger was really starting to get to her. She had come close to stealing food several times recently, but each time had avoided it, opting to pick at scraps instead. She just couldn't bring herself to steal, especially when she had once called herself a hero.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>She'd been running for almost a year now, though at times she wasn't even sure what she was running from. She hadn't encountered anyone from SPECTRE since her first encounter with them, but she was certainly not in any hurry to see them again. Originally she had attempted to run whenever she felt another super near, but once she had made it to Seattle it had become nearly impossible. It seemed there were more of them around than she had thought, and turning tail and running every time one of them got in range would only make her look suspicious. She could feel a few of them in the mall, but judging from the way they were moving they were probably just shopping. <br><br>'At least I hope so.' She thought, looking around again. As she did, she noticed a man getting up and leaving half a sandwich on his table. She caught up and pulled her hood down over her eyes and walked towards the table casually. It wasn't a big deal, taking someone's left over food, but she had gotten in trouble for it before. She looked around quickly before sitting down and began attacking the sandwich.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>GloomCookie</strong> on <strong>16-09-2010, 22:13:19</strong>
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				<span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Fairview Shopping Center<br>14:37 July 20, 2079</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Officer Norman Reilly was on patrol in the Fairview shopping center as part of the Seattle Police Department.&nbsp; The department kept a uniformed presence in the shopping malls, as they were the most likely places to find crime and illegal activities.&nbsp; So far his day had been quiet, and he'd been ready to hand his shift off to the next person when he happened to spot a hooded young girl.&nbsp; She looked out of place, wandering around aimlessly as if searching.&nbsp; He at first thought it might be she was looking for a ring or something else she'd lost, when she approached a table where someone had left a sandwich.&nbsp; She'd looked around before sitting down and beginning to devour it.<br><br>Moving through the crowd, casually to avoid tipping the girl off that she was seen, he got on the radio, "214 to dispatch, possible 110 in the food court, over."&nbsp; The dispatcher was quick to come back, "<em>Copy that 214.</em>"&nbsp; A few cameras turned to watch the event, to make sure they got a good ID on the person they were about to apprehend.&nbsp; He was almost there when he heard, "<em>Negative on that, 214.</em>".&nbsp; That was his clue to back off and leave the girl alone.&nbsp; The cameras kept an eye on her, while a call was being made.&nbsp; The facial recognition software had gotten a hit on the databases, and it had flagged SPECTRE's local office that they had a super on their hands.</span><br><br><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>SPECTRE Command<br>Location Unknown<br>14:38 July 20, 2079</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Captain Rodger Goldfield was seated at the duty watch station overlooking the other terminals.&nbsp; The screen, easily twice the size of a normal screen at the cinema, was displaying information on reconnaissance information from agents in the field, most of it boring and trivial at best.&nbsp; Suddenly an alarm went off and the picture of one Sami Laine was displayed, as well as an indicator of her exact location.&nbsp; They had a confirmed super, and the most troubling bit was that she was located in the middle of a highly public place.&nbsp; But still, they needed to move.&nbsp; "Get the assault teams in the air, NOW.&nbsp; Call Colonel Drake, let him know the situation."</span><br><br><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Colonel Drake's Residence<br>14:39 July 20, 2079</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Colonel Drake sat in his study at the top of his second story home about a mile away from SPECTRE Command.&nbsp; He was looking through a catalog, attempting to find a model he wanted to construct to add to his collection, when the phone rang.&nbsp; The caller ID came up <em>Unknown Caller</em>, which made Drake reach for the phone, "Drake."&nbsp; He listened to the person on the other end, "I see.&nbsp; Yes, good work, I'll be there as soon as I can."&nbsp; He hung up and stood, grabbing his uniform jacket as he went.&nbsp; He was downstairs before he had it buttoned, and told his driver, "Back to base, we've got a situation."</span><br><br><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>SPECTRE Helicopter Alfa Tango Four<br>Above Seattle Heading for Fairview Shopping Center<br>14:41 July 20, 2079</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Sergeant Alan Redwood sat on the edge of the helicopter's open cargo bay, a bar keeping him and his squad mates from falling out.&nbsp; They were all armed with their standard issue pulse rifles, heavy tactical armor, and kevlar helmets with HUD eyepieces.&nbsp; Currently, information being streamed to him was a layout of the mall they were heading to and an ETA.&nbsp; A few blinks and the computer pulled up a display of their target, Sami Laine.&nbsp; She was cute, but that didn't mean she couldn't be dangerous.&nbsp; They were taking no chances, and so they had four teams of six in the air.&nbsp; Alfa Tango Four would drop squad one directly into the food court, while the others dropped on the edges to help contain the situation.<br><br>Each of them was on edge, and he was tempted to check his rifle one more time, but experience told him if it wasn't ready now, it wouldn't be when it came time for him to make the drop.&nbsp; He would just have to trust he did it right the first time.&nbsp; They were nearing the objective, and soon the people in the mall would be able to hear the whoomp whoomp whoomp of the helicopter's blades slicing through the air.&nbsp; When they were in position, each would repel down and land, attempting to secure the objective.&nbsp; They had to get this right, or the super might well turn them all inside out and hang them up to dry.</span>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>16-09-2010, 22:49:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sami finished what was left of the sandwich and sat back, a contented smile on her face. She always felt so much better after she had eaten. She got up and started walking out of the food court, not really in any hurry. She figured that if she hadn't been spotted by now she was&nbsp; probably safe in the mall. She began to hum a tune, letting her hood fall off her head.<br><br>'Okay!' She thought. 'Time to get out of here and see if I can find somewhere that will hire a runaway.' She didn't notice the cameras that remained trained on her. <br><br>She was still in the food court when she froze. In an instant she could feel the presence of over two dozen new people within her zone, moving quickly. She spun around, trying to see if anyone was coming through the entrances. It took her a moment to realize where they were coming from. She looked up and noticed the giant skylights over the food court.<br><br>"Shit!" She hissed, taking off running. 'I need to find a place to hide.' She thought sprinting down the hall.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>writersmelody</strong> on <strong>16-09-2010, 23:02:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Cassandra blinked behind the glasses, looking genuinely confused for a moment. Had she spoken out loud? Yes, she had. Her cheeks flushed and she looked down. "I didn't realize I was thinking out loud again," she said. Next time it could be worse. About to say something else, she placed a hand on his arm and her lips were parted when something made her close it again.<br><br>The familiar prickle on the back of her neck. James stopped. A surreptitious gesture had her security team moving a little closer. She was going to have a talk with them about letting strangers close. You never could be too careful. Her grip on James's arm tightened a little and the set of that luscious mouth was rather grim.<br><br>She was about to say something when something made her spine stiffen. "James, we need to go. <em>Now</em>," she said. Something was coming. By the way her heart was racing and her blood had turned to ice in her veins, it wasn't a good something at all. Her head ached with the effort it was taking to hold herself together.<br><br>Cassandra looked at Bateman, expression turning calculating and thoughtful for a moment. "You might want to get out of here too," she said. Her tone brooked no disobedience. Seeing her agitation, the members of her security detail had moved forward. "Have the car brought to the nearest entrance. We're cutting this shopping trip short." There was nothing she needed that couldn't wait. After all, time was on her side.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dark Deception</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 00:42:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Joe and his partner: Mall shopping center parking lot.</strong><br><br><br>The officers walked out of Subway, and Joe was resting a hand on the side of his belt. The man was full, and as they walked over to the service vehicle, he was sure to inform Brian, “You’re driving this time.” It made the life of a lazy man easier as it spared him from rounding the front of the car to the driver’s side. Arriving before the passenger door, Joe opened it and plopped down into the comfy seat with a defeated moan.<br><br>Brian smirked as he rounded the vehicle and entered into the driver’s side. “I hope you aren’t too full to run,” he said.<br><br>Reaching between his legs, down beneath his seat, Joe slid it back and then lowered the backrest so that he could relax a bit. “Never. Just don’t find anyone to chase in the next ten minutes,” Joe muttered. His stomach felt tight and the food made him sleepy. He closed his eyes as the smooth vehicle rumbled to life and pulled away from the sidewalk. It was like sleeping on a cloud until Brian’s meaty fist struck his left pectoral. Joe’s eyes fluttered open.<br><br>“Check it out, it’s SPECTRE,” Brian informed. The police vehicle was at a stop light just before the shopping center. As Joe sat up in his seat, he gazed at the helicopter and vehicles surrounding the mall. Heavily armored men swarmed the place in a fashion that reminded him of SWAT. “They must have found another Super.”<br><br>“You should pull in there,” Joe encouraged.<br><br>Brian gave his partner an accusing look. “Are you crazy? The police aren’t to get involved with SPECTRE’s affairs.”<br><br>“Who says we’re getting involved? We’re just looking. Just park off to the side. They can’t say anything to us if we’re not interfering in their business.”<br><br>Brian ran a hand back through his brown hair. “I don’t know man. SPECTRE always just gave me the creeps. They’re not like the FBI. I don’t know…something just doesn’t feel right when they’re around.”<br><br>“Exactly. Let’s go look.”<br><br>Brian breathed a nervous sigh as he turned the wheel, bringing the police car into the right turning lane. They turned into the shopping center and parked several parking spots away from the Food Court and away from the rows of vehicles closest to the building. Anxiety had him park two spots from an SUV that obscured the police car, but also obscured their view of the situation.<br><br>“Brilliant spot,” Joe irritably complimented.<br><br>“I didn’t want us to be seen or for them to get any weird ideas of what we’re up to.”<br><br>Popping open the passenger door, Joe shot back, “We’re not up to anything.” He closed the door and walked along the side of the truck until he could peer over the hood at what was going on. He had heard of SPECTRE. The department made sure every officer knew who they were, but he had never seen them in person. It was his first time gazing upon the shady organization, an organization that caught Supers, and he hadn’t quite heard any good rumors about them. Some officers back at headquarters praised them or made them seem like a powerful agency. But Joe knew that no agency could ever be too powerful in the United States. The law made sure of that with certain checks and balances. However, nothing was ever perfect.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 01:00:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: verdana;" class="bbc_font">----Elsworth Bateman: Glutton----</span></div><br>Seattle, Washington.&nbsp; The Emerald City.&nbsp; Elsworth had smiled shakily back at <strong>James</strong> and then at the wary face of <strong>Cassandra</strong>, a half-hearted attempt to quell their suspicion and show his thanks.&nbsp; It felt as though a dream-like torpor had settled into his limbs, weighing both body and mind with heavy stones.&nbsp; But this was no dream, no Oz.&nbsp; It was a harsh reality, and becoming more real, more <em>dangerous</em> with every passing moment.&nbsp; He could not sense such things as certain other curious individuals might, but one glance at Lady D'Arque made that much certain.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"James, we need to go. Now," she said. <br><br>Cassandra looked at Bateman, expression turning calculating and thoughtful for a moment. "You might want to get out of here too."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br><span style="font-family: verdana;" class="bbc_font">"Yes, I do believe that I might,"</span> he said, glancing nervously backwards before resuming his brisk pace.&nbsp; <span style="font-family: verdana;" class="bbc_font">"Do you hear that thrumming overhead?&nbsp; A helicopter, perhaps?"</span><br><br>The man kept a respectable distance away from Cassandra and her men, allowing them to provide her with a protective shield of meat and kevlar while refusing to stray too far.&nbsp; He couldn't be certain as to what was happening, but he could hazard a guess.&nbsp; It certainly wasn't the first time he'd been spotted and recognized, but he was generally observant enough to avoid such confrontations.&nbsp; The Hunger was playing tricks with his mind, weakening his senses.&nbsp; Regular food just didn't cut it anymore.&nbsp; His palette required something more substantial.&nbsp; More <em>iron</em>, and maybe a little <em>steel</em> for good measure.&nbsp; <br><br><span style="font-family: verdana;" class="bbc_font">"I hate to impose, but I think we'll be continuing in parallel for a time,"</span> he offered somewhat apologetically.&nbsp; Bateman hardly expected the woman to give him a ride, but at the very least she seemed to know where the nearest exit was.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 01:22:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Phantom stood at a nearby ATM, he had used one of his mods to emulate a card strip, and the work was easy from there. He moved through the system, getting a quick scan of someone with a high balance, someone who wouldn't miss a hundred bucks or so missing. Phantom wasn't hurting for money, but he was tracking, which meant, he wasn't close to his most recent storage spot. He needed some quick cash.<br><br>He heard it then, SpECTRe had sent out a signal. He was glad he had kept the basic radio equipment from his time with them, he had taped it to his arm and attached one of his mods to it so that he could catch any signals nearby.<br><br>The mall had been so deserted today, one reason Phantom wasn't afraid to make a 'withdrawal'. He had worked with ATMs before, and as long as he kept his amounts small, he could get in and out and edit the camera footage in minutes, before anyone else walked up. He quickly fixed the camera footage and disconnected, before SpECTRe agents saw him.<br><br>He was a wearing civilian clothing, a simple shirt, a jacket (always loose to make sure no one would see the lump of a radio taped to his upper arm), and jeans. He gave a quick look around, and changed his hair and eye color. His hair was just long enough to style many different ways, and now, it was brown, with simple brown eyes. Simple, so as not to call attention to it.<br><br>He set the footage to loop for a minute more, so he could walk away and look as if he were never there, and then he moved inside the mall. He needed to cut SpECTRe off, he was far too close to Sami to let them get her now.<br><br>He turned on a slight infrared layer, and noticed the small heat signal running down the hallway. The heat signal was slightly elevated, and it was moving pretty fast, probably panic, probably the super. He knew he had to make sure no one would notice him. SpECTRe had already been alerted, so laying low was pointless. He reached into his jacket and wrapped his hand around his pistol. He didn't pull it out, just slipped it down so he wouldn't shoot himself or his clothing, and pulled the trigger, firing a bullet into the ground.<br><br>The sound carried through the mostly empty mall, and most people had the instant reaction to drop to the ground or scatter. This gave Eric a chance to run straight to the heat signal. He was glad the mall didn't have any thick walls, and he quickly ran through, phasing through the walls when he was sure no one would see him until he was ahead of the girl. <br><br>He quickly rushed out in front of Sami, <em>"you've been spotted."</em> He was hushed, curt, but something in his voice was comforting, even if he looked a little less than friendly.<br><br><em>"Which direction has the least resistance?"</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 02:24:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sami jumped and nearly lost her balance at the sound of the gun shot. She almost turned around to see where it had come from, but she thought that she might be the one being shot at so she put her head down and tried to run even faster. The shrieks of the shoppers drowned out the slap of her shoes on the tiled floor, and she tried to make her way into one of the groups that were making their way towards the exits. <br><br>She had just managed to get into a group when a man ran out of the crowd and spoke to her.<br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=82164.msg3642645#msg3642645">Quote from: Ryuka Tana on 17-09-2010, 01:22:02</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"you've been spotted." He was hushed, curt, but something in his voice was comforting, even if he looked a little less than friendly.<br><br>"Which direction has the least resistance?"<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Sami let out a small shriek and tripped trying to stop herself. She tumbled to the ground before scrambling back up, wincing and nursing her bruised elbow. She looked at the man in front of her. He looked plain, as though he were intentionally trying to blend in. It took her a moment to realize that he too was a super. 'Idiot!' She yelled at herself. 'How could you be so distracted as to not notice a super sneaking up on you?' <br><br>She looked at the man with some hesitation. judging by what he had said he might know what her ability was, or at least a part of it. But the only people who were likely to know that would be SPECTRE.<br><br>&nbsp;"Sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about. I have to get going now!" She said as she turned and started running in a different direction, hoping to get far enough away that she could trap all the SPECTRE operatives.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 02:57:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He sighed, and moved swiftly to her. His enhancements and training made him notably quicker, even if he didn't run completely. He needed to avoid hurting her, so he quickly removed his jacket and flung it around her waist, and in a swift motion pulled her to him and swept her up into his arms.<br><br><em>"I am not with SpECTRe, and you've been careless. I don't know what you did, but they know your face, and that means that you can't draw attention from security, police, or cameras. If you have any credit cards that you didn't steal from someone in the past hour, ditch them when you get a chance. Also, when SpECTRe agents show up, don't run down a mall corridor."</em><br><br>He looked down at her and sighed a bit, <em>"also, you need to have some way to protect yourself. You won't get lucky enough to dodge them every time. Now, if I put you down, will you stay with me, or are you going to run and waste more time so that SpECTRe catches us both?"</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 03:33:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sami squirmed in the man's grip, trying to get down. "Let me go you son of a bitch! I don't care who you're with, you don't just run around grabbing people!" She brought her elbow up trying to catch him in the head. She didn't know who he was but anyone that would attempt to kidnap her was probably not anyone she wanted to spend any length of time with. <br><br>She held a faint hope of escape but knew that it was probably hopeless. First of all the man was a super, and probably had more offensive capability than she did. Second, once she was caught physically there wasn't much she could do to get away. 'I should really get a gun or something,' she thought, as she continued to squirm in the man's grip. <br><br>'Damn he's strong, does he have super strength?'<br><br>She briefly considered screaming but she doubted it would do much good. She didn't want to attract any more attention, especially since the SPECTRE agents were beginning to move in. Besides that, she had once been a hero, and though she had fallen on some hard times she wasn't going to degrade herself by screaming for the help of a random stranger.<br><br>She sighed. "Fine, just put me down and I'll come with you, but stop touching me." She said, calming down. 'I'm already caught if he's with SPECTRE and if he's not I can get away later.'<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 03:51:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He put her down gently and bowed his head, <em>"I apologize, but unfortunately, manners just don't factor in when SpECTRe is hunting you. I promise you, if it had been one of their men that had grabbed you, you might wish the only thing they did was pick you up."</em> He was deadly serious, and it clearly bothered him to have to speak like that with her, but he felt she needed to know.<br><br><em>"You can call me Phantom, at least while no one's around. If you must address me by name in front of others, call me James. I will explain things later, but for now, I need you to tell me where the nearest agents are, and keep them off our backs,"</em> he held out a hand for hers.<br><br><em>"Take my hand and point me to the safest and nearest fire exit."</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jarod1</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 04:11:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				James was only a second or two behind her when he heard the sound of propellers getting closer and touching down.&nbsp; Something big as going down, and Cassandra obviously new it.&nbsp; The shopping trip could definately wait till a later date.&nbsp; He cast a sidelong glance at Cassandra wondering what she knew.&nbsp; She didn't seemed panicked, just urgent to get away.&nbsp; He moved along at her side the security detail forming a perimeter around them, more for Cassandra's protection than his own.&nbsp; She was the boss after all and a target of the tabloids.&nbsp; This didn't feel like simply trying to evade the tabloid this was something else especially when she told <strong>Bateman</strong> that he should probably get out of here to.&nbsp; <br><br>The small group moved casually through the mall as though they we're simply done with the shopping and heading home for the day having seen everything they wanted to see.&nbsp; As they moved <strong>Bateman</strong> followed on a similar course to theirs.&nbsp; James was still a bit weary of the man, but his sense we're searching for danger.&nbsp; He didn't see any reason why SPECTRE would come after him.&nbsp; He was very discreet with his abilities, and yet parinoia was the way of life now<br><br>Despite the facade he could hear Cassandra heart racing and he new that she was scared.&nbsp; "They have no reason to be after you," he whispered in her ear.&nbsp; You haven't done or said anything that breaks any of the new laws.&nbsp; He had no idea that she had another reason to fear.&nbsp; He did not know that she had a gift, as he did and he didn't think she was worried about him.&nbsp; She didn't know about him either as far as he was aware.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>writersmelody</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 04:25:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Cassandra nodded as she started walking in the direction of the nearest entrance. It was just up ahead and to the right if she remembered correctly. Of course she did. Her memory rarely failed her in anything. "I most certainly do and I don't think it's the paparazzi," she said wryly. They were annoying but hardly dangerous. For the most part...<br><br>If only James knew. Her gifts weren't flashy but they could make her a powerful asset for whichever side had the balls to try and bend her to their will. That is, if they even could. She had a tendency to See things coming. She smiled up at him, glad that he would be safe with her. Sometimes she got the feeling that she wasn't the only one in the relationship keeping secrets.<br><br>When Bateman started to follow along with them, she frowned again and looked at him through the glasses. Her expression was unreadable even without the advantage of being able to see her eyes. "Just as long as you can keep up," she said. Something was screaming at her that this was a bad idea while another part of her felt that this was quite right.<br><br>The long black car was waiting for them just outside. One of her men opened the door. She looked over her shoulder at Bateman, tilting her head. "You're welcome to come with me. We will drop you off anywhere you choose," she said. Her head was pounding. She had to get away. "But do make your mind up quickly. Tempus fugit..."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 05:08:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: verdana;" class="bbc_font">----Elsworth Bateman: Glutton----</span></div><br>Another beleaguered smile.&nbsp; <span style="font-family: verdana;" class="bbc_font">"You'll find I'm not the sort to hesitate when an opportunity presents itself, Miss."</span>&nbsp; Certainly not in times of desperation, and <em>definitely</em> not with the threat of helicopters and the possibly dangers occupants at his back.&nbsp; Elsworth allowed Cassandra and her men to pile in first, paying due attention to the protocol of those who prized self-preservation and had the money and manpower to back it up, then fit his slight frame into the remaining space.<br><br>Next to the other bodyguards he seemed positively skeletal, suit hanging from barren limbs and knobby knees poking plainly beneath the fabric of his trousers.&nbsp; He had half a mind to try nibbling on the car door, but decided against it.&nbsp; Firstly, it would have gotten him jettisoned from the vehicle and back into harms way.&nbsp; Secondly, it didn't seem very polite.<br><br><span style="font-family: verdana;" class="bbc_font">"You may call me Henry, by the way,"</span> Elsworth said, lying easily.&nbsp; Introducing oneself with an infamous name was hardly an intelligent thing to do, especially amongst strangers.&nbsp; <span style="font-family: verdana;" class="bbc_font">"Though I'm sure I won't be taking advantage of your generosity for very long.&nbsp; If we happen to pass by a train station or some form of underground transit a fair distance from the mall, I would be much obliged if you let me off there."</span>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 05:26:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				'This situation is getting out of hand.' Sami thought as she listened to the man who called himself "Phantom" explain himself. He was clearly dangerous, but then again she wasn't in a situation to refuse him, especially with SPECTRE breathing down her neck. She shivered at the thought of the pseudo-military organization. She was very familiar with what they were capable of and was in no hurry to experience it again.<br><br>"Fine, but keep your distance, got it?" She said as she started running down another hallway. "The nearest emergency exit is down this hall and then left, there are two SPECTRE agents guarding it. If we continue down this hallway, take a right, cross through the atrium and take the first left we'll come to another emergency exit. They don't have anyone guarding that exit. There are eight of them at each of the three main entrances and another dozen that are about to come in through the windows above the food court. They're spreading out to cover all exits so we'll have to move quickly." <br><br>She led him down the hall and through the route she had described, passing a few very confused looking shoppers as she attempted to keep an eye out for cameras. This was going to be hard enough without them knowing which exit she was going for. "And before you say anything, I only run when I know they're coming, I'm not stupid." She said, throwing Phantom a dirty look.<br><br>They made it to the exit without encountering any SPECTRE agents, but she could feel a detachment coming. "They're coming, we have to be quick!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 06:03:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He smirked, <em>"I'm sure you're not stupid. You've evaded SpECTRe for a while now, and on your own. That isn't easy, even with your ability. However, running where other civilians can see you, makes you noticeable."</em><br><br>He followed her closely, so his words did not carry, but he kept a slight space between them.<br><br><em>"I apologize for patronizing you, Sami. You're a 17 year old girl, it's easy to see you as a bit incapable,"</em> he wanted to make sure she knew that he was aware of her identity. As they rounded the hallway to the fire exit, Phantom made sure there was no one around.<br><br><em>"Hit the wall. Don't let any cameras see you..."</em> He hissed before slipping under one of the cameras. He focused, switching his eyes to X-Ray vision, and used his phasing ability to grip at anything inside the walls so he could climb up to the camera. He slipped his hand up to the camera and connected himself to the feed. He quickly tapped into every connected feed and shut them all off, and scrambling the code to ensure it would not be easy to get them back online.<br><br>He dropped down to his feet nimbly, and moved to the fire exit, phasing through and disconnecting anything that would trigger the fire alarm on both sides. He quickly opened the door and waved Sami over.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 06:32:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sami frowned as she and Phantom summoned her towards the exit. 'Something about him is creepy. How does he know so much about me?' All the ways that she could think of that he could have learned about her gave her the shivers. He was clearly trying to butter her up, but she couldn't figure out what he could want from her. She didn't think he really had her best interest at heart, but she couldn't think of anything that she would be useful for, even with her power. 'Unless he's a criminal and he wants to use my power to help him steal,' She thought. The thought left her feeling bitter towards the man, but she supposed that any questions she had, and any ill feelings, could wait until they'd evaded SPECTRE.<br><br>The way he worked with the cameras led her to believe that his ability was technologically based, either in its origin or its function. 'Well that's interesting at least. He's certainly not without his own tricks.' The door opened without a sound, but the moment it did she could feel SPECTRE agents converging on their location. <br><br>'What the hell?!' She thought looking around. 'The alarm was deactivated and there shouldn't be anyone around that could alerted the others so what's going on?' <br><br>After a moment she looked up, and was able to see a helicopter hovering high above their heads. <br><br>'Those sons of bitches! They're flying outside my range!' She thought, as panic began to set in.<br><br>"We're about to have company."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>GloomCookie</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 07:11:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Fairview Shopping Center<br>14:52 July 20, 2079</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Sergent Redwood gripped the zipline tightly as he was essentially shoved out of the helicopter and down.&nbsp; He didn't have time to think, letting his training take over as his heavy boots shattered the glass of the food court.&nbsp; Thousands of small pieces of glass fell, raining down on the people below as they decended and hit the ground.&nbsp; He unhooked his line and jumped out of the way, quickly scanning the area with his rifle at the ready.&nbsp; Any supers that sought a fight would be attacking them first.&nbsp; He swept the court and saw people fleeing, and they would be rounded up by the ground teams.&nbsp; Their job would be to identify the target and take her down.<br><br>They immediately spread out, searching the last known location and then moving towards the most logical escape route.&nbsp; They were fast, they were efficient, and they weren't afraid to use lethal force.&nbsp; Alan moved to a door and slapped a charge on the door, stepping back and letting it blow the lock.&nbsp; Before the door was even entirely open, another member of his squad was through the door, moving fast.&nbsp; They were not taking chances, and he heard a team member call out, "<em>Level One, Clear.</em>"&nbsp; They were heading through the maintenance tunnels towards the fire exits, and Alan noticed a bit of light that was cut off.&nbsp; He moved to the door and kicked it open in time to spot Sami and James dart around a corner.<br><br>"Contact, contact.&nbsp; Possible tangos in the maintenance areas."&nbsp; He began chasing, slowed down a bit by his tactical gear.<br><br>Meanwhile, other SPECTRE agents were converging on the doors, locking them down and forcing people to exit one at a time.&nbsp; The panic had many clawing and tearing at each other to try and get free, but the agents took their time and only scanned one person at a time, checking their face for any known SPECTRE targets.&nbsp; When one person broke through and tried to run away, an agent coldly shot him in the back, sending him sprawling to collapse on the ground.&nbsp; The screaming began anew, but the agents didn't care.&nbsp; They were here for Supers, and weren't about to let anyone get away.</span>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 07:24:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He sighed, <em>"I don't have the tools to fight my way out. Even with my abilities, I don't know what to expect. SpECTRe agents are very unique, given that they are often temporary supers or supers temporarily working for the agency, their abilities are constantly rotating. It'll still take them some time to get to us..."</em><br><br>He wished he had something more powerful than a handgun on him, and his inability to phase her with him meant he couldn't get her out as easily as he wished. He then considered the number of tools he had nearby, they were in a mall. He suddenly looked to her and sighed, he needed her to be an ally, at the very least, until they got out.<br><br><em>"I'm a former member of Special Enforcement, Control, Tracking, and Recon. Now, I am trying to fight back against them. Your power could prove invaluable. However, if you have no desire to help me, I will still help you hide from them, even arm you, train you if you want. You would be dangerous in their hands, if you refuse to believe I care what happens to you, at least believe that,"</em> he spoke quickly.<br><br>His features softened a moment, <em>"I hope you understand... I do want to help you."</em><br><br><em>"Where is the nearest agent?"</em> He became serious again in an instant.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 07:44:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sami growled in frustration. There was no way they were going to get out of this situation that didn't involve SPECTRE capturing both of them. Hearing that her momentary comrade was a former member did nothing to calm her, regardless of what he said his intentions were now. However, as much as she disliked the idea of trusting him, she liked the idea of being caught even less. She knew what was likely to happen to her if she was caught, and the idea was far from appealing. Aside from the obvious physical abuses that SPECTRE was now infamous for, the likelihood of them forcing her to cooperate with them was highly likely. The thought of being forced to betray many of the people she had always wanted to protect made her physically ill.<br><br>She took a closer look at the situation and let out another frustrated shout. "They're coming from behind us, we can't turn around now. They have two groups circling around the sides of the building and more are coming from behind us, they'll be here in about 30 seconds."<br><br>She looked back at Phantom and sighed in resignation. 'I suppose I don't have any choice but to trust him for now. I hope I don't regret this.'<br><br>"Ah..." She started, then coughed and looked away, embarrassed. "Carry me."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 07:59:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He adjusted his eyes for a few different views and caught the lone agent, Alan.<br><br><em>"Hold that thought for just a second..."</em> He quickly phased through a wall and unholstered his gun. He did not hesistate, and as Alan moved past a certain wall, he stepped out and fired three bullets into the agent in rapid succession, each aiming at a different spot. If he did not manage to kill the agent with a bullet to the back of the head, another was aimed at his spine, and a third would cripple his right leg.<br><br>He then quickly ducked back to the girl and swept her into his arms, <em>"they got close, so whatever your plans are, be quick."</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 08:17:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Thank you I know where they are and I'm sure you know that I know, as you been so eager to tell me. Now shut up and pick me up. Then run North, into the rest of the city. I'll get them good and mixed up in there don't worry. just keep moving and follow my directions without question, or you'll run into a wall." Sami said, sitting down and closing her eyes. This kind of work took focus, and it was very hard to use if she was being actively pursued. In this case however she thought she could get away with it, since she had back-up, so to speak.<br><br>'I really don't like having to rely on him like this, but we need to get out of here, now.' <br><br>She focused on the map of the mall and the nearby area that she had drawn in her head. She could see the panicked shoppers attempting to flee the building. She could see the SPECTRE agents corralling them. She noticed a small group of supers on the other side of the mall, but quickly set her focus back on the SPECTRE agents. She would have to get each and every one of them snared or this wouldn't work. Phantom would have to be affected as well, as she would have to be within the boundaries and he would be carrying her. Once she had everyone tagged she began t weave the walls of the maze. It wasn't like drawing a maze on a piece of paper, the whole thing just sort of came to her, and she rarely had to think too hard on it.<br><br>'There.' She thought, opening her eyes. 'Now we can get moving, the boundaries will move as I do so I'll have to keep rewriting it.'<br><br>"Let's go! I've done what I can, but you'll have to lose that chopper if it stays at that altitude." She said, closing her eyes and concentrating on maintaining the barriers.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 08:43:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>"Just get us out of any place with cameras, once we're in the parking lot, I'll be at a bit more of an advantage."</em> He followed her directions exactly, wondering what was keeping the agents out of their way. He was well aware of her detection capabilities, but he did not know she had a supplemental power.<br><br>He moved quickly, and kept ready to sling her over his shoulder and put a few bullets in anyone in the way. He had already fired four bullets, and he hadn't changed the clip yet, so he had to be careful.<br><br>He held her close to his body, and moved swiftly. His heart beat strangely, which she might notice, as she was pressed close to his body. She might even notice he was holding her in such a way that he would be shot or harmed should they be attacked, or he tripped (which was unlikely, but he took the precaution anyway). He was definitely not weak, which was strange, given he was not built muscularly.<br><br>Of course, she didn't know that his implants were regulating fatigue and adrenaline and supplementing his muscular power. If he so desired, he could even force it to release adrenaline or steroids into his system, and it would maintain the levels. However, it would still have a negative effect on him after the effects wore on, and he would have to find a hospital to replace the various chemicals in the system.<br><br>He wished he could still hear the chatter on the radio, but that would allow them to track his position. The modified radio was unable to pick up locations, only signals and a few other minor things, allowing him to react, but not detect or be detected. The signals and code his cybernetics used were prototypes, for which the plans were destroyed when 'ProtoTypE' was shut down, so it was extremely difficult to trace those either. His superiors (minus one that he killed) did work for SpECTRe though, which gave the agents some small advantage, but if he could track down his remaining former SOs, he could make that threat inert as well.<br><br>He quickly returned to his thoughts as they neared the exits of the mall, and looked down at the young girl, not speaking, though, so as to preserve her focus.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jarod1</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 09:13:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Things got we're getting tense they had barely reached the car and climbed in when the entrances to the mall was cordoned off.&nbsp; Cassandra offered the strange man a ride someplace.&nbsp; James felt uneasy about having this stranger with them.&nbsp; There was something off about him but it wasn't something he could put his finger tangibly on.&nbsp; Just a feel, something his instincts we're telling him, not that, that meant anything.&nbsp; His instincts had been wrong before, but something in the way his pulse quickened just for an instant told him that the man was hiding something, though he didn't know what.&nbsp; The sad thing about that particular talent was that almost everyone lied or hid things.&nbsp; Mostly they we're just unimportant things.&nbsp; <br><br>Once the man called Henry climbed in and the door closed the driver pulled away from the curb.&nbsp; James looked up and saw the chopper hovering above the building.&nbsp; They had found someone there, a super more than likely, but he didn't think they we're after him or Cassandra or any of their party, not even Henry, who seemed as grateful to be away from the situation as he.&nbsp; James frowned at the thought of someone like him being taken.&nbsp; "Nice to meet you Henry," James replied casually still looking out at the scene as they slowly rolled away.&nbsp; "You can call me James." He didn't introduce Cassandra, if she wanted the man to know who she was she would tell him, not that it would be hard.&nbsp; Cassandra was a very recognizable person thanks to the tabloids.&nbsp; "Theres a train station on Michigan street of that's where you want to go, or a bus station on pike.&nbsp; A train would be faster than grey hound though, other than price he couldn't fathom why anyone would choose to travel by bus.&nbsp; <br><br>James turned to look at Cassandra.&nbsp; "The SPECTRES are getting more bold," he said conversationally.&nbsp; They didn't often raid shopping malls, most of the time they preferred to be more discrete than that.&nbsp; Another sign that that things we're getting worse.&nbsp; Public opinion no longer seemed to matter.&nbsp; Though they we're charged with rounding up quote un-quote supers public opinion was very divided.&nbsp; "I wonder who they we're looking for."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dark Deception</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 10:19:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Joe’s eyes widened at the sound of gunfire. He watched several civilians as they poured through the mall doors as though there had been nothing but terrorists inside. It put the officer on the edge as he whirled around and returned to the vehicle. He opened the passenger door and hopped back into his seat. “There is something going wrong in there. I heard a gunshot and civilians aren’t being evacuated properly,” Joe informed.<br><br>Brian brushed his thick fingers over his face in thought before he answered, “Supers aren’t human beings. Some may take a few shots before they're brought down.”<br><br>“But there are people in there getting caught in the middle!”<br><br>“We can’t interfere, Joe.”<br><br>“I’m calling it in.”<br><br>Joe snatched up the radio and held down the speaker as he reported, “This is Officer Miller to dispatch.” Brian brought his hand to his face as he glared at his partner. Young people just never listened to the wisdom of their elders now days. Once he received a response, Joe continued, “I’m in the parking lot of Fairview Shopping Center with Officer Jensen. There was a gunshot and there are civilians fleeing the mall in terror.” He purposefully neglected to mention SPECTRE’s presence. “Request permission to engage the situation.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>writersmelody</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 17:28:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				They were all settled in. Her security team didn't seem at all alarmed. They were rather used to orders changing or being given abruptly. The car pulled away from the mall as "Henry" introduced himself. Cassandra took off the sunglasses. Naturally her eyes were an unusual hazel color that tended to shift depending on the lighting, her mood, or what she was wearing. At the moment they looked to be a dark amber color.<br><br>She folded the glasses and pulled the case out of her purse, tucking them away before she looked back up at Bateman. "Nice to meet you... Henry," she said. There was nothing in her tone or expression to suggest that she didn't believe him but there was a knowing gleam in her eyes. He was lying. That was not his name but she wasn't going to call him out on it, that would mean revealing her own secret. Her instincts were never wrong.<br><br>"My name is Cassandra," she said. Cassandra leaned forward and was about to offer him a gloved hand to shake when her eyes went unseeing. The limo went over a speed bump, jostling the passengers. Her prone form fell forward, hastily righted by one of the members of her security team. Again, it didn't come as a shock to them.<br><br>"She's got some sort of neurological disorder," one of the more youthful guards, in appearance and attitude, explained. His hardened superior gave him a withering glance. "What? I'm not telling him anything he couldn't have read in the papers! Her illness isn't exactly-"<br><br>"- a secret?" Cassandra finished the statement for him. She reached into her purse and pulled out the sunglasses again. The woman looked even more pale than she had before, if that was possible. Wrapping her arms around herself, she shivered and looked out the window. A a grim smile crossed her lips as she hummed "Time Is On My Side" by Rolling Stones. Not even the flash of the man being shot could overwhelm her relief that they had escaped.<br><br>She always had had a knack for timing. A little bit longer and none of them would have been able to leave. "May I ask where you're trying to get to?" she said, eying Henry intently. The gaze that rested on him was all too aware and yet there was something off about it too.<br><br>Note- Knowing when someone is lying IS part of her gifts, you are welcome to refer to her sheet if you wish. Just didn't want anyone to think I was metagaming or anything. :)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>GloomCookie</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 17:46:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Fairview Shopping Center</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">The SPECTRE agent that James shot through the wall went down, dead before he hit the ground.&nbsp; Another agent spotted James just before he disappeared back into the wall, and got on the radio, "<em>CONTACT!&nbsp; Another super in the building!&nbsp; Repeat, Two Sierras in the building!&nbsp; We've got a man down!</em>"<br><br>A new voice came over the radio, "<em>Agents, this is Colonel Drake.&nbsp; We've got reports of lethal action inside the building.&nbsp; You are not, repeat, NOT to use lethal fire.&nbsp; Non-lethal rounds only.</em>"<br><br>Sergeant Redwood swore, thankful it didn't pick up, and he said, "Confirmed, Sir.&nbsp; Pursuing tangos!"&nbsp; They had to move, and fast.&nbsp; As they began to run, the walls began to get confusing, making it difficult to pursue.&nbsp; What should point clearly to the exit became a maze, and he was soon lost somewhere in the employee only areas.&nbsp; "Shit!&nbsp; Command, they're warping the building around us.&nbsp; Looks like they're heading for the exits."<br><br>"<em>Confirmed.&nbsp; Head for the north exit and get a ride in one of our birds.&nbsp; We'll try to keep an eye on them from the air.</em>"</span><br><br><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Seattle Metro PD Dispatch Office</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Sergeant Patrick Mills was trying to sort through the myriad of calls coming in from 911.&nbsp; They had reports of terrorism in the Fairview Shopping Center, and at the same time SPECTRE had placed a call telling them to hold off while they did a hunt for a super.&nbsp; The fact that rumors were coming in telling of agents shooting civilians only made things worse, and finally the chief himself came down, "Get everything we have to the Fairview Shopping Center.&nbsp; SWAT, Homicide, everything you can get your hands on."<br><br>Mills didn't wait to acknowledge the order.&nbsp; He heard Officer Miller make the call, and he got back on the radio, "Miller, sit tight and monitor, backup is on its way."&nbsp; Then he switch to broadcast to all units, "All units, report immediately to Fairview Shopping Center, possible terrorist disturbance.&nbsp; All units, report immediately to Fairview Shopping Center."</span><br><br><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>SPECTRE Command</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Colonel Drake slammed his hand on the console as one of his men reported on the police dispatch.&nbsp; Things were getting worse and worse, and he knew he'd have to personally intervene to keep them from going completely ape-shit.&nbsp; The fact of the matter was, he didn't have a complete picture here, and he didn't know where the hell his commander in the field was.&nbsp; It was a dicy situation that needed to be resolved, and fast.<br><br>He turned and began walking out, barking orders, "Ready the command vehicle and get me an escort, I'm going down there.&nbsp; I don't give a shit how far it is or how dangerous, grab me a vest and round up some men.&nbsp; MOVE!"<br><br>He pulled his cell-phone and dialed a number, "This is Colonel Drake, SPECTRE Command Northwest.&nbsp; Get ahold of General Lake for me."</span>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dark Deception</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 18:46:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Joe returned the radio to its base after receiving his and Brian’s next order. Brian lowered his hand as he sat back in his chair and sighed. “I guess I was wrong this time. I wonder what made them change their mind?” he pondered aloud.<br><br>“SPECTRE is what made them change their mind,” Joe answered. His orders made him impatient. He didn’t want to “sit tight.” He wanted to burst down those mall doors and see what was actually going on, but there was a quarter of fear within him that had rather he avoid getting anywhere near SPECTRE. Even if he kept his powers on the down-low, he was still a Super. How they managed to track Supers disturbed him unless there were others being completely obvious with their prowess.<br><br>Joe opened the car door once more and Brian glanced to him in startle, thinking he was about to march into the mall alone. “Where are you going?”<br><br>“I’m not going anywhere,” Joe replied as he closed the car door and stepped over to the hood of the vehicle where he chose to sit for awhile. He wanted to continue to listen for further gunfire as he stared at the mall from just over the hood of the SUV. He was curious how SPECTRE would react to the SWAT, and more than likely, the Feds would be showing up as well. <em>Your operation is about to be shut down</em> Joe mused.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jarod1</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 19:46:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(OOC:&nbsp; James has not fired off any shot, he and the party he is travelling with have left the mall at least the inside of it.)<br><br>James allowed himself to relax a little when the car was safely on the next block, away from the mall.&nbsp; Even with the helicopter still circling overhead.&nbsp; Not even the sound of shots being fired could dim his relief.&nbsp; Not that they we're really any safer now.&nbsp; SPECTRE could decide to follow them at a later time if they choose, but it did help to calm him that they didn't seem to be after him at least.&nbsp; He frowned slightly, that just meant that SPECTRE was after somebody else.&nbsp; Part of him felt like a coward for running away, for not staying and trying to help whoever it was escape.&nbsp; It was an irrational idea he knew, since he didn't even know who they we're looking for and staying would only get him in a heap of trouble.&nbsp; Besides he had to think about Cassandra, he didn't want to hurt her by doing something stupid and getting himself into trouble.<br><br>He looked out the tinted window of the limo listening absentmindedly to the conversation after they had gone over the speed bump.&nbsp; Even though he was use to it now it still concerned him when she would blank out the way she sometimes did.&nbsp; He gritted his teeth and shot an irritated look at one of the younger members of the detail.&nbsp; Though everything he had said about Cassandra's neurological condition being in the paper didn't mean that he had to give out that kind of information.&nbsp; "Just keep it to yourself in the future," James said as looked over to Cassandra.&nbsp; She had her arms wrapped around herself, and shivered slightly as though she was cold humming a tune that sounded a little like Time is on my Side though he couldn't be sure.&nbsp; He wanted to reach out an comfort her, but her restrained the impulse as she asked the man named Henry where he was headed.<br><br>Taking her gloved hand in his he squeezed it gently.&nbsp; He didn't pay much attention to Henry, and was surprised that she had decided to let him ride along with them.&nbsp; It wasn't his place to ask questions though.&nbsp; She was his girlfriend, but also his boss and this was her vehicle, she could take anyone she wanted to anywhere.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 20:12:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div align="center"><span style="font-family: verdana;" class="bbc_font">----Elsworth Bateman: Glutton----</span></div><br>Elsworth listened as intently as he could manage, struggling to connect all the scattered threads of thought and banish the encroaching fog.&nbsp; A metallic whining pinged incessantly in his skull, the prelude to what felt like a thundering roar echoing in his empty stomach.&nbsp; He had run out of jerky, but unless he'd had a few dozen pounds of it it wouldn't have done much to stave off the hunger pangs anyway.&nbsp; With time the cravings became increasingly demanding, always wanting <em>more</em>.&nbsp; Insatiable, unrelenting.&nbsp; But not yet outside of his control.<br><br>"Michigan street, yes," he muttered, putting a hand to his forehead to keep himself from shaking, "The train seems a logical choice."&nbsp; To the others--most of them, anyway--it would simply seem like a case of frazzled nerves.&nbsp; Bateman was a fragile fellow, so it was hardly surprising that he would be so nervous after having just managed to escape a firefight.&nbsp; <br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"May I ask where you're trying to get to?" she said, eying Henry intently. The gaze that rested on him was all too aware and yet there was something off about it too.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Bateman had barely noticed Cassandra's little episode, but the undercurrent to her words dredged his attention back up from whatever depths it seemed to intent to flounder in.&nbsp; He stared back at her between splayed fingers, pupils dilated.&nbsp; One didn't survive as long as he had without a healthy dose of paranoia, after all.&nbsp; Perhaps paranoia wasn't quite the right word.&nbsp; He could <em>taste</em> it, a peculiar sort of difference in the quality of air, like little spidery bolts of energy coursing through the atmosphere.&nbsp; Just for an instant, the moment she fell prone.&nbsp; But it was not within him to figure out exactly what that meant.<br><br>"Anywhere.&nbsp; Anywhere but here," he said finally, lowering his hand back to his lap and forcing a grin.&nbsp; "Cassandra <em>D'Arque</em>, of course!&nbsp; It's a pleasure to meet such a famous person.&nbsp; I'm not normally one to remember names, but yours was far too lovely not to commit to memory.&nbsp; It certainly does explain the burliness of your acquaintances."<br><br>His hand went to his breast pocket, tugging at the end of a handkerchief and wiping it across his clammy brow.&nbsp; "I myself am something of a nobody by comparison.&nbsp; Nothing tying me down and no destination in mind.&nbsp; I'm grateful that you got me out of that dreadful situation.&nbsp; Your <em>foresight</em> is truly remarkable."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 21:04:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He sighed with relief as they got outside. Helicopter or no, they weren't trapped anymore, in fact. Now, Eric had an advantage, because he was about to become much harder to catch.<br><br>He kept to the edge of the building as he moved around until he caught sight of exactly what he wanted. He placed the girl on the seat of a motorcycle, he was glad there were a few people who had yet to get out, or at least, yet to get to their vehicles. He took off his jacket, and quickly attached one of his mods into the ignition wires. The motorcycle revved and he grinned.<br><br>He then took his gun and carefully shot out the lock for the helmet, placing it on the girl's head.<br><br><em>"You keep doing what you're doing and point us Northwest. I'll get us out of here quickly,"</em> he tore his jacket to make it a bit longer and wrapped it around both their waists and tied it tightly. He sat behind her, as he wasn't sure if she was going to be able to maintain her ability and keep hold of him, so he knew he would have to keep her safe and on.<br><br>A quick brush of his hand through his hair changed its color to blonde, never hurt to have a new hair color. The quickly kicked off the stand, and took off, <em>"we've drawn a lot of attention, so watch for police cars, armored vehicles, and try to check buildings for shooters if you can."</em><br><br>His eyes continued to shift and assess the conditions, when he felt safe enough, he would take the hand not operating the throttle and try to keep the girl in a safe position.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 21:32:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Being out side always made Sami nervous, and the current situation did nothing to calm her. The problem with being outdoors was that people could see her without her being able to see them. She was used to always knowing what was going on around her, and when she was indoors she was able to keep much better tabs on things. However, once she was put in a position where people outside of her range could see her she became very uncomfortable. She supposed part of that was due to paranoia, something she had developed an unhealthy amount of in the last year.<br><br>'Not now, concentrate.' She thought to herself, trying to prevent herself from losing focus. She found herself wishing the weather was worse, or that it was night. Those conditions would put those tracking her at a disadvantage, but of course it was a beautiful sunny day.<br><br>She could see the SPECTRE agents running around inside the mall. They had realized by now what was going on and were trying to work their way towards the exits. Creating mazes without the aide of walls that were already in place was much harder, and she wasn't sure she would be able to focus while being carried.<br><br>She opened her eyes when she felt herself being set down and saw Phantom sit down and start the motorcycle. Driving would make it harder on her, but given the number of agents that were after them, speed was probably the better option right now anyway.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=82164.msg3646050#msg3646050">Quote from: Ryuka Tana on 17-09-2010, 21:04:10</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote"><em>"You keep doing what you're doing and point us Northwest. I'll get us out of here quickly, we've drawn a lot of attention, so watch for police cars, armored vehicles, and try to check buildings for shooters if you can."<br></em></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>"Once we get moving I won't be able to keep them trapped in there for long. I'll be able to see who's coming but the faster you go the less warning you're going to have."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>writersmelody</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 21:58:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"How nice," she said wistfully. What would it be like to have that kind of freedom? To be able to do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted without anyone watching her or caring? She could only imagine. It probably wasn't as good as it seemed. The grass was always greener on the other side though. Her money and influence enabled her to try and change things while providing her with some small measure of protection.<br><br>That was one reason she cultivated public favor so religiously. When he mentioned her foresight, Cassandra just smiled at him. "It's my hearing, really. I just heard them before everyone else did. Unexpected arrivals by helicopter have never boded well in the past. I don't see why that should change today," she said, leaning back in her seat.<br><br>She squeezed James's hand back to reassure him. It hurt to keep the truth from him but it was for his own good, really. If she wasn't completely untouchable, neither was he. There were many reasons for people to talk. If promises wouldn't do it, pain usually would. As for the other thing she had yet to tell him...<br><br>Part of it was that she wasn't entirely sure they were his. Cassandra hadn't cheated on him but they hadn't been exclusive at that point either. <em>Soon,</em> she promised herself. The car turned a corner. "You're welcome. Nothing worse than being in the wrong place at the wrong time," she said.<br><br>Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a business card and offered it to him. "If you are having trouble getting settled in or finding work, I can point you in the right direction.&nbsp; Don't hesitate to call if you need something," she said. "And no thanks is necessary. Just, how do they say, pay it forward." She didn't see him as the white knight type at all. <br><br>But you never knew. The car continued to drive and Cassandra fell silent. The guards were pretty quiet too. For such a comfortable vehicle, there was a lot of tension in the air. Her security team was on edge because of their narrow escape as well as the presence of an unknown, James was unsettled by Henry's presence as well as what had just happened, and Cassandra... Cassandra could feel all of that.<br><br>They arrived at the train station. One of the members of her security team stepped out to give Henry space to exit as well as open the door for him. His other hand hovered near his holster, just in case. "Take care of yourself, Henry," she said, wondering if they'd run into each other again. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 22:02:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>"Alright, Sami, grab the handlebars and hold tight. When I say so, let go and I would suggest closing your eyes,"</em> he decided to change the odds. He went to work, carefully, almost subtly, sabotaging the vehicle as he sped towards where he was sure he would find police vehicles.<br><br>He grinned when he saw them and jammed the throttle to full speed. He quickly put an arm around Sami's waist and pulled back on the handles. He quickly kicked the gas tank and used the force to push himself from the bike, which he sent skidding towards the police cars. Before he hit the ground he placed one shot at the back of the motorcycle and the vehicle exploded and created a large flame.<br><br>He spun in the air and landed on his back hard. The pain was intense, but he quickly unleashed a burst of adrenaline into his system. He quickly took the jacket binding them together and tossed aside and ran down a back alley with Sami in his arms.<br><br><em>"Fuck... That hurt..."</em> He growled to himself as ducked behind a building. He knew he had caused a scene, but he had also put a notable deterrent between himself and the closest law enforcement to their position. Now, all he needed was to deal with any helicopters.<br><br>He smiled and phased partially through a nearby wall and grabbed a suitcase and dragged it out. He wasn't a fool, he had stashed his equipment near a major road, somewhere inside the walls of a building where no one would possibly notice it.<br><br>He quickly took the pieces of his 'Dragon' out and put it together. The helicopters armor would be nearly impossible to pierce, but he could take out any agents that tried to descend from it within seconds. He also took his shirt off and replaced it with another.<br><br>He looked to Sami, and sighed, <em>"sorry, if I scared you. I'm just not used to having to get someone else out of those kinds of situations with me. Normally I wouldn't be so reckless, but I can only phase myself."</em><br><br>He held out his pistol to her, with a clip, now that he had his sniper rifle, he felt fine giving her his sidearm.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dark Deception</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 22:56:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Out of the corner of his eyes, Joe turned his head as soon as he noticed two figures fleeing into the parking lot. They had used a different exit than the one fleeing victims were using in the Food Court. The only suspicious thing that made Joe raise an inquisitive brow was that a man was carrying some girl who looked old enough to be in high school. Awkward. As they clearly stole a motorcycle, which made his assumptions factual that they might have been the suspects SPECTRE was looking for, Joe rose off the hood of the car and quickly stepped to the passenger door. He opened it and jumped into his seat and vigorously pointed in the direction of the two figures mounting a motorcycle. “Quick! Follow them now. It’s them!” he demanded.<br><br>Brian was startled by Joe’s sudden return and without questioning him, he started up the police vehicle and pulled out to trail behind the two runners. “Don’t get too close, we don’t want them to know we’re following,” Joe instructed.<br><br>Brian nodded as he felt his heart race. He didn’t think he’d ever find himself dealing with Supers. They weren’t like normal criminals. No, they could tear the arms from his sockets, fry his mind, whatever surreal thing that pretty much came to thought. “Are we going to contact SPECTRE once we confirmed their location?” Brian asked.<br><br>“No, we’re going to contact dispatch and have the Seattle Police Department apprehend them,” Joe stated. As they followed along, the two officers were surprised to see the flashing lights of their supposed back up.<br><br>Joe smirked. “There’s nowhere to run now.” So he thought. He watched the stunt that was performed by the older of the two thieves. The explosion that followed had both of the officers’ mouths coming undone as police cars smashed into other vehicles and swerved out of control. Brian quickly braked so that their vehicle wouldn’t join the pile up, and Joe thrust his hand upon the dashboard to halt the inertia that wanted to send his head through the window shield.<br><br>“Where’s your fuckin’ seat belt?” Brian exclaimed. “What are you a cop or a delinquent?” It had scared him. He thought for sure Joe would have smashed into the glass.<br><br>Instead, Joe’s eyes were on the two now running on foot. “Never mind,” he replied quickly before popping the passenger door open and darting out onto the sidewalk.<br><br>“Joe!” Brian called in concern. “Shit!” He was always running all over the place. Did he think he could take on two Supers alone? Immediately, Brian got on the rover to report his and the thieves’ locations.<br><br>The cop sprinted around the corner into the alley and when he saw the two thieves, he unclipped his pistol and brought it into his hands. Abruptly, he stopped with the weapon directed at the older of the two with the rifle in his hands. He cautiously kept his eyes on the younger girl as well, but he didn’t think that she was as much of a threat. “Drop the weapon!” he screamed. “Put it on the ground now!”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 23:18:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>"Dammit... hold that thought... Again..."</em> He turned his sniper rifle on the cop, his eyes quickly adjusting to the conditions and the rather close range.<br><br><em>"A cop...?"</em> He shook his head. He could put the bullet anywhere and probably kill the man, he had no armor, maybe a bullet proof vest under his uniform, at best. A bullet from his customized rifle would tear through that straight away. The cop had to have come from the other direction, meaning he had followed them.<br><br><em>"You know what I am... Which means you have no idea what I am capable of..."</em> He wasn't sure if he wanted Sami to see him kill someone yet. A SpECTRe agent outside her view was one thing, but a police officer in an alley with no backup. What was the man thinking? He was either stupid... Or...<br><br><em>"Girl."</em> He directed it at Sami, he didn't want to call her by name with someone looking at them, <em>"can you tell if he's... not quite human?</em><br><br>His vision adjusted to detect heart rate and watch the man's trigger. If the man even twitched, he would put a bullet through his skull and then make sure that if the cop had a partner, the partner could not call for backup.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jarod1</strong> on <strong>17-09-2010, 23:44:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				There was something very odd about Henry, it was as though he we're not totally aware of his surroundings.&nbsp; Even in&nbsp; these closed surroundings however he didn't smell an alcohol on him, or any other hallucinogenic substance coming from him.&nbsp; He did seem to have a strange smell about him, but it wasn't anything that he could identify or make sense of.&nbsp; The man was a puzzle and James wasn't fond of puzzles.&nbsp; Something he said about her having remarkable foresight, and her response of having good hearing.&nbsp; If that was true it would mean that her ears we're even sharper than his own.&nbsp; Possible but it was a a first for him to have his senses trumped.&nbsp; He had heard the sound of the helicopter only a couple of seconds after she had spoken.&nbsp; He chewed that over in his mind as the Limo moved farther and farther away from the the scene at the mall.<br><br>Before now he'd had reason to think that Cassandra was keeping things to herself, hidden from everyone even the people she was closest to.&nbsp; James had never pressed her about it, or even mentioned it because he knew the reason for secrets, and it would hardly be fair for him to expect total honesty when he couldn't return it himself.&nbsp; He sighed at the need to keep who he was a secret from her, but was afraid that if she knew what he could do that she would be afraid of him, and even if she wasn't afraid of him the more people who knew of his secret the more exposed he became.&nbsp; He had evaded detention by SPECTRE, because he wasn't foolish enough to be public about what he could do.&nbsp; His record was clean, as far as he knew.<br><br>When Cassandra offered to give the man named Henry whatever help she could offer, practically offering him a job it surprised James even more than when she had offered him a ride.&nbsp; She was well known for being generous but James didn't get the impression that she liked him much more than he or the rest of the guard did.&nbsp; It wasn't his business he had to remind himself.&nbsp; Even though he loved her and she loved him when it came to running her company it was none of his business with the exception of securing the computers system.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>He slid his phone out of his coat pocket and connected to a news sight reading the headline.&nbsp; 'Terrorists attack Fairview Shopping Center'.&nbsp; James scowled, at the headline.&nbsp; That was an absolute load of crap especially when he knew without reading the rest of the article that they didn't consider the SPECTRE unit the terrorists.&nbsp; He only skimmed the rest of the story, their weren't any facts in the story.&nbsp; It was a work of pure fiction.&nbsp; "The crap that passes for news these day," he grumbled.&nbsp; "If a word of this story is true I'll jump off the nearest bridge."&nbsp; The events at the mall weren't even 10 minutes old.&nbsp; They must have just copied and pasted the story.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>18-09-2010, 00:57:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=82164.msg3646259#msg3646259">Quote from: writersmelody on 17-09-2010, 21:58:52</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a business card and offered it to him. "If you are having trouble getting settled in or finding work, I can point you in the right direction.&nbsp; Don't hesitate to call if you need something," she said. "And no thanks is necessary. Just, how do they say, pay it forward." <br><br>They arrived at the train station. One of the members of her security team stepped out to give Henry space to exit as well as open the door for him. His other hand hovered near his holster, just in case. "Take care of yourself, Henry," she said.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Elsworth took the card hesitantly, his fingers hovering just over the embossed surface for a few tense seconds before gently plucking it from her grasp.&nbsp; "Truly we are all fortunate for your impeccable senses, Miss D'Arque," he said, giving the card the once over before slipping it into his coat.&nbsp; "I may not have any destination in mind, but I dislike being held up by the authorities as much as the next bystander."<br><br>He seemed pensive for the remainder of the trip, but there was a new glimmer of focus in his eyes, a candle flaring in the murky darkness.&nbsp; His slender hands kept touching at the pocket in which he had placed the card, an unconscious and contemplative gesture.&nbsp; This was another small distraction from the pain in his gut, but it was also something far more important, more practical.&nbsp; D'Arque was an influential individual, and though he did not often foster relationships with others during his travels, she was a powerful acquaintance to make.&nbsp; It deserved some thought, when he was of a mind to give the matter proper attention.<br><br>As he slid from his seat he paused, no doubt causing the guard at his side to become immensely agitated in the process.&nbsp; "I will certainly have to get back to you, Miss D'Arque," Elsworth said slowly, smiling that mysterious and tired smile of his.&nbsp; "I cannot offer much, but should you ever have a mess that needs <em>cleaning up</em>, do not hesitate to put the word out.&nbsp; I'm sure our paths will cross again, perhaps even under better circumstances than these.&nbsp; Good day."<br><br>Bateman bowed his head, slipping off onto the sidewalk and quickly disappearing into the busy mid-day crowd.&nbsp; All around him were whispers of the attack on the Fairview Shopping Center, but he paid little mind to it.&nbsp; It did however confirm that he had <em>not</em> been SPECTRE's target, and that it was still safe for him to remain in Seattle, at least for the time being.&nbsp; <br><br>He would take the train and further distance himself from the scene of the raid, then begin his search for an inconspicuous dining venue.&nbsp; An abandoned apartment building, or perhaps some sort of construction site.&nbsp; The marvelous thing about cities was that buildings were always going up and old ones were always crumbling down, and there were plenty of blind spots in which a person of his unusual tastes could satisfy himself largely undisturbed.&nbsp; But only at night:&nbsp; for now he would have to content himself with a bag of chips and a can of cola from one of the vending machines by the ticket dispensers.&nbsp; <br><br>Edging his way into the blindspot of the cameras, Elsworth stuffed the entire bag of crisps into his mouth without bothering to open them, swallowing the mixture of melted plastic and salty snacks with relish.&nbsp; The can he made sure to drink completely first, then bit into as easily as one would a loaf of bread.&nbsp; He'd developed a particular fondness for metals, though tin would not have been his first choice.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>abandoneddolly</strong> on <strong>18-09-2010, 01:29:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				" terrorist at the mall...shots fired.." the radio called out in Tiffani's apartment. That didn't sound right, but from what she was hearing from every radio station.. Something bad went down there. She was glad that she had went home as soon as she had looked over the jewelry store instead of stopping at the Gothic shop like she had been tempted to do. She was&nbsp; glad that she had managed to miss all the excitement, but the excitement meant that she might have to postpone her little shopping trip. If it was a terrorist then security would be beefed up, and if it was something else. Then it would defiantly bring her unwanted attention. <br><br>" Dam It.I wanted my sparkly." she growled as she played with the radio.<br><br>Her apartment was a couple of miles away from the mall. A small one bed one thing with thick heavy curtains drawn over the windows to keep out the light. All she had in the room was a bed, a small fridge, and the radio that stood on top of it. It was sparse because she had not been her long, and any thing that she might acquire usually went to her sister anyway. Whenever she could send something her way without drawing to much attention. <br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>GloomCookie</strong> on <strong>18-09-2010, 07:31:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>SPECTRE Command Vehicle</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">By the time Colonel Drake's vehicle arrived on the scene, most of the mall was secure.&nbsp; However, having the Seattle Metro Police in such a situation, as well as the sheer public cluster fuck it had all evolved into, he knew he would be hauling someone's ass before a courts marshal for a host of crimes.&nbsp; And judging from the white sheets on the ground, homicide would be one of those many, many charges.&nbsp; He descended on the scene like a storm, barking orders as only a senior officer could do.&nbsp; He walked up to the bodies on the ground and reviewed them, before barking, "I want to know who shot these civilians."<br><br>A soldier came forward, "Sir, I did, sir.&nbsp; They were attempting to flee the scene."<br><br>Drake narrowed his eyes and said, "Consider yourself under arrest pending the arrival of the MPs.&nbsp; You will stand trial for the murder of civilians.&nbsp; You were NOT to use lethal ammunition."&nbsp; He had standing orders to take supers alive, if possible.&nbsp; Someone had switched to using lethal ammunition, and that idiot Goldfield would get it for launching a full assault in broad fucking daylight on a shopping center!&nbsp; Drake was too senior to let himself be seen seething, but he wanted nothing more than to pull his service pistol and put a bullet in everyone who fucked up today.<br><br>He ran a hand through his greying short hair and said, "Get some IDs on these people.&nbsp; Then I want non-essential personnel back to base, ASAP."&nbsp; Seattle Metro PD would be pissed at having to clean up their mess, but it couldn't be helped.&nbsp; The sight of armored soldiers in a shopping center would hit the airwaves soon, and no amount of pressure would keep it from breaking across the country.&nbsp; This was just too juicy to let the watchdogs tear it to shreds.</span>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>18-09-2010, 22:49:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The explosion caught Sami off guard, and the impact with the ground shook her out of her concentration. Most of the impact was absorbed by James, but her bruised elbow still stung as it came into contact with him. She opened her mouth to ask him if he was okay, but closed it. 'This was his genius plan, I'm sure he's just fine. Besides, he seems to be in a hurry to prove how chivalrous he is.' She thought bitterly. She didn't like relying on people she didn't know, and the fact that he had decided it would be a good idea to jump off a moving motorcycle and blow it up while she was focusing on trapping their pursuers pissed her off. Everyone she had been detaining in the mall would be free now, and they could come after them at any moment. She was about to yell at James when she felt herself being scooped up, and him taking off.<br><br>"Hey! Put me down! I can move just fine on my own thanks. YOu broke my concentration by throwing me off a motorcycle, so they'll probably be coming after us now. They'll probably know where we are, they can just follow the billowing clouds of smoke. And why would you blow up our ride, just to take out theirs? Now we're all on foot!'<br><br>He appeared to be ignoring her, until he stopped and set her down, picking up his rifle. Sami noticed that one of the supers she had detected earlier was moving towards them. 'Uh oh,' She thought. 'Is he one of SPECTRE's pets?' <br><br>He appeared to be a cop, but she couldn't tell if that was a disguise or if he was the real thing.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Girl." He directed it at Sami, he didn't want to call her by name with someone looking at them, "can you tell if he's... not quite human?<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>She bristled at being referred to as "girl" but answered anyway.<br><br>"He's perfectly human. He's just like us."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dark Deception</strong> on <strong>18-09-2010, 23:16:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As soon as the older man defensively turned, Joe anticipated his intentions with the rifle. It was always like this. When an officer asked a criminal to put down the gun, one always wished to point it at the cop instead. Aiming a deadly weapon at an officer was a clear threat, and so Joe had every right to fire in self-defense. However, firing his weapon wasn't his first intention.<br><br>Joe's focus had been on that rifle when he decided to attack it with ME. He hadn't moved the entire time as he focused his powers onto it. The energy that was directed into the weapon would make it searing hot either to melt it or cause the rounds within it to explode from the heat. It wasn't that heat was actually being directed onto the weapon, but the rapid vibrations of the molecules that comprised the weapon were building the friction that could bring it to melt down. Thus, Microwave energy or ME.<br><br>It had been a clever decision seeing as they were in an alley, which lacked light and there wasn't enough sources for him to conduct electricity. He had only the natural energy that bombarded the earth from space to consider. <em>You don't know what I am capable of either</em>, Joe thought as he squeezed the trigger of his pistol and fired off two shots that were aimed at the Super's chest area.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>19-09-2010, 00:39:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>'Just like us...'</em> He didn't linger on the words, but she was wrong there. 'Us' would imply that Phantom was like them, and ProtoTypE had made damn sure that he wasn't like anyone.<br><br>His eyes told him the gun was heating up before he felt it, and he sensed more than just an increased heartbeat in the man across from him. There was definitely super activity going on in that man. He quickly phased into the building next to them once the man had decided to fire. He couldn't have the man damaging his weapon, so he left it inside.<br><br>He quickly switched his vision again to get a view of the man through the wall and read his movements in a place where the cop couldn't react. He dove from the wall and phased through the cop. He couldn't take the pistol out of the man's hand, since he couldn't phase other living creatures, it was also nearly impossible to phase things they were holding. This did not hold for objects worn on a belt, however, and his quick reflexes allowed him to snatch the cop's baton and quickly cracked it against his wrist once he was fully phased through.<br><br><em>"You've got three options. You let us go, and you make up whatever story you want; or you try again, and force me to give SpECTRe a super to take home and show off to daddy,"</em> he growled, pulling up his sleeve to show a SpECTRe radio taped to his arm. The cop had no reason to know that the radio wasn't fully functional, and with a tweak, Phantom could turn it into a beacon. Something he had no desire to do, as they probably had the technology to trace it to his old information and confirm him at the scene, not to mention force him to leave it at the scene, and lose one of his few methods of knowing whether or not SpECTRe had sent out an alert.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dark Deception</strong> on <strong>19-09-2010, 01:18:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Joe's brows furrowed further when he saw the man dodge his bullets to pass into the wall. He held his ground, unsure of where he'd gone, but with the girl still sitting there, he knew not too far. When the Super emerged from the wall to pass through him, the fact that he had phased through him shocked him, but only for a moment. He used the barrel of the gun to block the swing of the baton, having it collide, as he then pushed the barrel off it to bring the gun around to point the nozzle in the man's face. <br><br>The Super was wrong to think that he was actually afraid of SPECTRE. He was cautious of them, but his unit always worked around them. If they had had anything on him, they would have taken him in a long time ago. "How about you turn yourself in, and I'll consider going easy on you?" Joe returned. He had been stalling on purpose. As several footsteps flooded up to the mouth of the alley, the cavalry that the thief had so conveniently/unintentionally gave reason to stop, came kneeling, standing, however, they wished to aim their weapons into the alley. It only meant one thing. Game Over. The Seattle Police Department had arrived.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>19-09-2010, 05:08:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He laughed, <em>"you brought backup, super?"</em> Just saying the word 'super' would probably put a few of the cop's friends on edge with him. They'd hold their ground now, but back at the precinct, there would be questions.<br><br><em>"If you had brought SpECTRe, I'd be concerned... Instead, you just brought a bunch of witnesses,"</em> he chuckled. He knew the rules, and the police would shoot him, but they weren't going to shoot Sami. He ducked into the building on the other side of him, rather irritated at the fact that he couldn't grab his sniper. The man's abilities weren't overt enough for him to expect the cop not to try to melt his gun again.<br><br>That wasn't a major issue though, he still had the baton.<br><br>He quickly phased back to where Sami was and grabbed her by the throat with the baton.<br><br><em>"They don't know who you are... Just play the hostage, Sami. I know you resent my help, but when this is over, we'll have a nice talk and you can make all the calls then,"</em> he was pleading, not demanding. Considering the odds were clearly against him here, trying to take her with him, whatever was going on, Sami was clearly important to Phantom. Of course, she had no way of knowing why, but he definitely did not have the tone of someone who wanted to hurt her or use her.<br><br><em>"Put the guns down now! If not, who knows what I can do to this girl, and all of you. Maybe I'll phase this baton into her throat, and stop your hearts just by putting my hand in your chest. Maybe I've got superstrength and I'll just pop her head off like a bottle cap. Either way, you've all got a second or two to put your guns down before you find out,"</em> he was easily capable of killing her with just enhanced strength. The baton would cave her throat in if he jerked on it with all his might. Not that he wanted to do so, and if they didn't listen, he might have to put on a show.<br><br><em>"If they don't put their guns down, the only time I can buy you is to phase my hand into you and make it look like I killed you. So, I hope you play dead convincingly,"</em> he whispered to her again.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>GloomCookie</strong> on <strong>19-09-2010, 06:40:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>SPECTRE Command</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Technical Specialist Robert Waters was monitoring one of the many data feeds being funneled into SPECTRE Command, and he was on the search for information that wasn't supposed to be there.&nbsp; With so much information flowing in, most of it was sifted by AIs searching for anything that didn't belong, flagging it for human operators to check.&nbsp; One of the AIs flagged an unauthorized data feed pinging information off the SPECTRE servers, and he immediately began tracking it.&nbsp; It was a mobile source, and appeared to be coming from somewhere in Seattle.&nbsp; He picked up his phone, "Get me Colonel Drake ASAP."</span><br><br><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Fairview Shopping Center</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Colonel Drake was trying to coordinate the search for more supers when he got the call.&nbsp; He listened, then nodded his head, "Enable Beta Protocol and track the source."&nbsp; Beta Protocol was a brute force virus attack, designed to overwhelm and slam into any firewalls and attack any open ports.&nbsp; AIs controlled the bombardment, working together to overwhelm the firewall and squeeze inside, uploading a virus that would essentially lock the computer and make it impossible to reboot without the proper password, which was randomly generated and over 40,000 bytes of data long.<br><br>Unbeknownst to Colonel Drake, the source of the illegal data transfer was the prototype attacking the police officer and carrying the girl around.&nbsp; It would take all of his efforts to keep from being overwhelmed by the viruses and rendered unable to move.</span><br><br><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Cassandra's Mind</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Cassandra was suddenly overtaken by a vision, one of the future.&nbsp; She could tell by the date on the large screen that appeared.&nbsp; The time appeared to be 15:42 on 25 JULY 2079.&nbsp; As her vision unfolded, a man in a dark uniform ran a hand through his greying hair, listening to something on the phone.&nbsp; Suddenly, his chest exploded, blood spraying outward and onto the console infront of him.&nbsp; All around him, SPECTRE soldiers were rushing in, shooting everyone in the way.&nbsp; Soon the entire room was either dead or dressed in dark tactical armor.&nbsp; Another man entered, this one wearing not only a SPECTRE patch, but a patch with the logo of the President of the United States.<br><br>The new man approached the man Cassandra had seen earlier, and she could just make out the name sewn into his uniform.&nbsp; DRAKE.&nbsp; The silver eagle on his lapel marked him as a colonel.&nbsp; The man had an evil smirk on his face as he hoisted Drake up and looked him in the face.&nbsp; The words were lost in the vision, but the man then drove Drake's head into the console.&nbsp; From the way he slumped, Drake was obviously dead.</span>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>19-09-2010, 07:30:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Phantom shuddered a moment, only noticeable to Sami, who was choked a little for a second.<br><br><em>"Dammit... Sami, we've got trouble on the SpECTRe end as well. Nothing I can't handle, but between them and this, it could get troublesome,"</em> he growled. A remote virus attack, not particularly potent, or clever, considering that if they had been dealing with a skilled technopath, they may have only armed a super with a potent weapon.<br><br>In this case, they had become more of an inconvenience. If Phantom had still been locked in to the system, they would have shut down his cybernetic parts, in fact, if it got that bad, he'd have to shut them off anyway. However, since the attack was remote, and using a tentative connection, and the virus was attacking a system that was completely one-of-a-kind, he just had to maintain a bit of focus to stop the virus from reaching him in the first place. He quickly locked down any signals he might have been unintentionally broadcasting into the camera system, which would mean that the virus would only have to contend with the basic code he left behind to make it slightly more difficult to restart the system.<br><br>He could process this information in the back of his mind, but it meant his cybernetics would be working slowly, and the steroids and adrenaline in his system would not be regulated properly. He needed to end this quickly or get ready to do something that would pump actual adrenaline into his system before he became quite fatigued. After that, his cybernetics could kick back in and fix the problem.<br><br><em>"I have a very small window in which to escape here. If the cops catch you, SpECTRe <strong>will</strong> find you,"</em> he whispered before preparing to react to the cop's response.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jarod1</strong> on <strong>19-09-2010, 17:00:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When Henry had gotten out of the car and went his own way James had to admit that he felt much more relaxed.&nbsp; He wasn’t sure what it had been about the man, but he gave James the creeps.&nbsp; It wasn’t just him who felt that way.&nbsp; It was easy for his enhanced senses to pick up the tension fade some just by the absence of Henry.&nbsp; Of course with what had happened at the mall&nbsp; it was impossible that the atmosphere would be totally calm. <br><br>James scanned through the other stories just out of habit.&nbsp; He didn’t expect to see anything of interest it was mostly just habit that he looked, that and it was important to know what the enemy was thinking “Are you ready to go home Cassandra?” James asked turning to look at her.&nbsp; She didn’t respond to his word and noticed that she had blanked out as she some times did.&nbsp; He was use to that kind of thing by now.&nbsp; It was part of the neurological disorder that she had.&nbsp; It still worried him a little whenever she had one of her episodes.&nbsp; <br><br>Taking he hand in his again he gently squeezed her hand.&nbsp; When she snapped out of it he wanted her to know that he was there with her.&nbsp; Like him the security detail just watched on.&nbsp; Like him they were used to her blacking out.&nbsp; Their was nothing they could really do for her.&nbsp; She would come out of it on her own as she always did.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>GloomCookie</strong> on <strong>20-09-2010, 03:27:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>SPECTRE Command<br>Electronic Warfare Division</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">The remote signal trying to connect with the SPECTRE servers was proving difficult to crack, and the AIs chattered amongst themselves.&nbsp; With a breech in security this wide, there was only one course of action to prevent damage to the entire SPECTRE network: shut it down.&nbsp; All of it.&nbsp; The AIs immediately began closing down the connections, one by one, making sure all systems were locked down before sending the order for the lines to physically be disconnected.&nbsp; The order had only been used once before, and the thought that it was happening was enough to put not only SPECTRE on full alert, but send the entire country into DEFCON 3.<br><br>As the AIs shut down the systems and ran the back-ups to ensure there were no breaches in security, immediately there was a phone call to Colonel Drake.&nbsp; He listened, and everyone on the scene watched him put the phone away and head for his vehicle.&nbsp; The entire situation just got complicated.&nbsp; When an angry police chief came up to him and tried to beret him, he whispered quietly to the man, only to have him blanch and nod.&nbsp; Instantly, a call went out on the radio, "All units, report to your nearest precinct and await further orders."</span><br><br><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>The Pentagon</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">Lewis Fairleigh was the eldest son of four, and currently the elderly black man was sitting at his desk at the pentagon.&nbsp; He wore the black uniform of a Navy Admiral with four stars in a perfect cluster, and he held the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.&nbsp; His power was second only to the President, and he had the authority to use the military in whatever means necessary to ensure the security of the United States.&nbsp; He was reviewing a routine report from the Naval Department when his phone rang.&nbsp; He was still reading when he picked up his phone, "Farleigh.&nbsp; Repeat that?&nbsp; I see.&nbsp; What units do we have in the area?&nbsp; Alright, mobilize them and get them in there ASAP.&nbsp; Then call the Joint Chiefs and the President, I need a meeting with all of them in the War Room."<br><br>The situation was bad, very bad.&nbsp; He stood up and walked over to the cabinet of liquor he maintained, despite having stopped drinking almost ten years ago.&nbsp; He poured himself a glass of scotch, two fingers, and drank it.&nbsp; The liquid burned down his throat, and that was all he would allow himself.&nbsp; He needed to remain clear-headed for what was about to come next.&nbsp; He stepped out of his office and began issuing orders, and soon a parade of military vehicles was heading for the White House.&nbsp; Traffic was diverted and the Press soon had a damned good reason to be interested in the going ons at the White House.<br><br>Soon, across the entire country, news stories of the military going on active duty and an emergency meeting at the White House was on the news, and soon the pieces began to fall into place as the news agencies figured out it must somehow be related to the going-ons in Seattle.&nbsp; Phantom would be cut off from his information feed with SPECTRE, and now he had put the entire US military on full alert.</span>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>writersmelody</strong> on <strong>20-09-2010, 06:17:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				There was something weary and sad about Cassandra's smile, even without being able to see the look in her eyes. "I only wish that they could have helped more," she said. His comment about the authorities wasn't particularly noteworthy. Cassandra's business dealings were all perfectly legitimate and she never cut corners. That didn't mean she liked applying for all the licenses and submitting to inspections...<br><br>Before he stepped out of the car, he paused. Her eyes widened behind the darkened glasses. "Thank you," she said. "I will keep that in mind." Perhaps he could be of assistance to the Oracle. The engine revved and the driver prepared to pull away. "Wait," she said, watching Bateman disappear into the crowd. Once he was out of her line of sight, she motioned for the driver to proceed.<br><br>The guards relaxed without the wild card in their presence. So did James. Turning towards him to answer his question, she was trapped within her own mind before she could answer. She didn't feel his hand squeezed hers. A couple of the guards shifted. Her neurological disorder didn't pose a threat to them but it made them nervous when she went from being as in the moment as she ever was to somewhere else entirely.<br><br>Cassandra was even more pale than she had been back at the mall. "Yes," she whispered, reaching for her water bottle. Six days. Six days to decide whether she was going to try and prevent what she had Seen or let it happen. "Are you looking forward to the benefit?" she asked, trying to sound as natural as possible.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>20-09-2010, 06:20:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sami gagged as James' grip on the baton tightened and her eyes watered. She had watched the scuffle between James and the cop with apprehension, as she really wasn't sure who she wanted to come out ahead. If James had lost she would likely have been picked up by the police, which would eventually lead her into SPECTRE's hands. On the other hand she might be able to get away, and if James won she really had no idea what he wanted with her. 'This is ridiculous.' She thought, trying to get the baton off her throat. The pressure eased up and she coughed, taking a deep breath.<br><br>'None of this would have happened if he had just left me alone in the first place and now he wants to use me as a hostage!'<br><br>She didn't fancy being the fodder for his escape but she didn't really any way out if it wasn't with him, especially now that there were more officers in the area. 'Of course, that's only if they think I'm with him,' She thought. If they thought she was just a hostage they might just ask her a few questions and let her go. Either way, there was probably no chance she was going to get away. She supposed she looked wretched enough, given that she had been in an explosion. She focused her attention on the cop that had been fighting James before the others came.<br><br>"Help! Please he's going to kill me!" She yelled, trying to put on a show of fighting.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jarod1</strong> on <strong>20-09-2010, 07:28:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When Cassandra came out her black out James could see that she was even more pale than usual.&nbsp; She was almost ghostly white.&nbsp; It was a little disturbing to see even though he was no stranger to her symptoms.&nbsp; He pusrsed his lips and one of the guards passed along the instructions to the driver to take them home.&nbsp; James took her hand in his and looked into her glasses which hid her eyes behind them.&nbsp; "Yes, the benefit should be alot of fun," he replied absently.&nbsp; Cassandra really did do good work in the community to help people and she seemed to be able to bring out the best in her fellow businessmen and women and get them to donate generously.&nbsp; <br><br>James looked away but rested his other hand on her knee, as the driver navigated the streets that would take them back to her place here in the city.&nbsp; "Are you okay, love?' he asked biting the inside of his cheek.&nbsp; He knew she was sensitive to her condition and didn't like to talk about it, the ghost white complextion he had seen scared him.&nbsp; "If you're not feeling up to it we could make your appearance at the benefit a short one."&nbsp; Before the words we're out of his mouth however he was sure he knew what her answer would be.&nbsp; "Never mind forget I said anything."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dark Deception</strong> on <strong>20-09-2010, 09:37:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Joe didn't even flinch when the thief called him a Super. When the man vanished into a building, a few cops rushed up to kneel at Joe's side. One of them was Brian who had his brow arched at Joe. "Did he just call you a Super?" he questioned.<br><br>Joe calmly replied, "I suppose someone would have to be to outwit this idiot."<br><br>Brian rolled his eyes knowing full well how intelligent Joe was. His brain had to be the only thing that saved him, but so far, the criminal was only armed with Joe's baton. All the officers frowned when the thief had taken the girl as a hostage. Her frightened cries made Joe wish he could just fry the villain, but he wasn't about to do anything to expose himself. He had been very careful with his powers for several years, and it was his <em>human</em> reputation with the police that had kept any suspicion off his back. Joe had made sure to design himself to be an average cop. He didn't always catch every criminal he had to chase. Although it bothered him to let any violator of the law escape, he knew it was necessary for his own survival. Felons he made sure to always catch, but any violations below that depending on how cruel the crime, he had let the criminal slip.<br><br><br>A call suddenly crackled in on his radio and the officers’ surrounding him: <strong>All units, report to your nearest precinct and await further orders.</strong> Several cops were stunned at the order, hesitating to follow through with it immediately while amidst a hostage situation. <br><br>"Jesus, are they nuts? Do they even know what's goin' on here?" Brian asked.<br><br>"We can't leave. That girl is still in danger," Joe replied.<br><br>Even as he said it, the lieutenant got on the mega phone and exclaimed, "Pull back. You heard the command. We're heading home."<br><br>Joe's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched as officers began to reluctantly withdraw. "What are you doing?" he asked one of the officers. He only received a clueless shrug. He was but a drone trained to follow nothing but orders and not common sense.<br><br>"There's a god damn hostage right before us and you're running away?" Joe hollered angrily.<br><br>Brian stared at Joe sympathetically. He hadn't budged only because the men were his partner, and he, too, wished to protect that girl from the criminal. But deep down, he wanted to follow orders just like the other officers.<br><br>"That's an order, Miller!" the lieutenant roared.<br><br>The gun trembled angrily in his grip as his face flushed with his rage. Lowering his gun, Joe clinched his fists and cursed, "Fuck!" He then turned and headed back with the others, heading back down that sidewalk as the lieutenant glowered at his back. He didn't once look back at the girl or the lieutenant. He didn't think he would be able to after what just happened. The situation made him question the police force. He was sure to visit the chief and demand what the hell was going on. The call had been completely insane.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>GloomCookie</strong> on <strong>20-09-2010, 16:23:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">As Joe turned around and walked off, his phone began to ring.&nbsp; It was the lieutenant who gave the order.&nbsp; When Joe answered, the Lieutenant said, "Joe, don't talk, just listen.&nbsp; Shit just hit the fan big time, and we're looking at a situation far bigger than a hostage.&nbsp; Word is they've got everyone on standby, police, military, everyone.&nbsp; I know you want to save that girl, but with shit this deep, we need everyone and then some."</span><br><br><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>White House War Room<br>15:50 20 July 2079</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">To call the situation tense would be an understatement.&nbsp; The most powerful men in the Western Hemisphere were sitting together in one room, discussing the breech of security of one branch of the armed forces that might lead the US to war.&nbsp; Chairman Fairleigh looked at the group and said, "Gentlemen, we have a situation.&nbsp; At 15:04 today, SPECTRE Command Division 12 in Seattle detected an unauthorized network tapped into their secure hub.&nbsp; Their AI defenses set to work, but were unable to breech the intruder's security.&nbsp; As a precaution, they severed all links with the hub and locked it down physically."<br><br>Everyone in the room tensed.&nbsp; SPECTRE was using technology identical to their own, with secure networks that linked their military bases around the globe.&nbsp; Information going through those networks contained everything from troop movements to personnel histories to classified documents known only to a select few.&nbsp; Many considered it impossible to breech from the outside, and the supercomputers and AI routines keeping a constant watchdog on the networks kept everyone out.&nbsp; Except now they had a breech, and only a handful of computer systems in the world might come close to that.<br><br>All four hostile nations appeared on the screen behind Admiral Fairleigh.&nbsp; China, which had developed into a superpower that was the direct contender for US power, the European Union which remained neutral towards the United States, Brazil, which was also neutral towards the US but did a fair amount of trade, and India, which was slightly in favor of the US.&nbsp; All four were possible candidates, and it was easy to understand why.&nbsp; While China had lost its title as manufacturer for the world, they had made great strides in catching up to the US, and were only two generations behind in technology.<br><br>The European Union was the only superpower that was a threat to the US in terms of technology.&nbsp; They spent billions in research and development to create weapons, but their manufacturing was nowhere near what the US could produce.&nbsp; Brazil was primarily focused on keeping the peace down in South America, so many were ready to dismiss the threat from them outright.&nbsp; India was a threat in that their technology was just shy of the US, and they had the manpower.&nbsp; But their long history with the US had been one of general peace, and it was doubtful they'd push the envelope.&nbsp; Their war with Pakistan a decade ago had been hard, and Pakistan was now an Indian 'protectorate'.<br><br>Four superpowers, that was what they were looking at.&nbsp; "What's the situation with them?&nbsp; Any signs of gearing up?"<br><br>A representative from the CIA stepped forward, "Currently China is on full alert, and so is India.&nbsp; China went on full alert roughly thirty minutes after we did, and India was immediate to respond once China began to wake up.&nbsp; So far the EU is keeping quiet, and Brazil is only on alert after several skirmishes with Ecuador.&nbsp; So far no one seems to be responsible for the attack on SPECTRE."<br><br>That was bad news.&nbsp; Admiral Fairleigh knew that if the threat wasn't foreign, it had to be domestic.&nbsp; If it was domestic, then they had security breeches that needed plugging, and fast.</span>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 00:10:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He loosened the baton, <em>"sorry... Involuntary, my systems seized up."</em> Systems... A strange word to use, but for a super, strange was common.<br><br>Once the cops were mostly out of sight, his systems came online, as the connection was shut down completely. He started to understand the situation, and he pulled away from Sami and began to laugh into his hands. The laugh was disturbing, almost maniacal, and after abut 20 seconds of laughing, he looked back to the girl with tears. It was hard to tell if he was crying because of the laughter or not.<br><br><em>"I just accidentally tapped into the SpECTRe's supercomputers... The mall security system feeds back to them, and when I attempted to shut it down, I breeched it partially..."</em> He laughed uncomfortably again, <em>"SpECTRe probably doesn't know it was me, or my radio would be freaking out, but I have probably put them all on edge... Which is why the cops were pulled away... Which might be the only reason SpECTRe won't catch me today..."</em><br><br>The laughter was very clearly a mixture of fear, relief, and humor, and the tears were probably not all from laughter. He wiped his eyes and slumped against the building, <em>"we need to get to a motel and lay low. You can probably find one easy. From there, I'll explain everything, and if you want, I'll give you plenty of supplies to help you get by and we can part ways. Or, you can help me out. Either way, just please listen, I didn't mean for our first meeting to be so tense."</em><br><br><strong>(Mhina, if Sami agrees to go with him, you can just assume he goes to the motel, pays with cash (probably a fake ID if they ask for one) and go from there.)</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>writersmelody</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 00:46:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I am so pleased it all came together so well!" she said. There was going to be a dinner, with a VIP section set up. Seating in the section could be purchased for a minimum $2500 a head. All 50 seats had been sold. A silent auction had been set up. The items ranged from all-expense paid vacations and cars to antiques and collectibles. She'd managed to get some well-known bands and popular comedians to agree to perform.<br><br>Certain parts of the event were only going to be open to the VIPs- she had to lure them in SOMEHOW- but tickets had been available to the public as well. There were going to be opportunities for them to donate what they could as well. It was intended to be a formal affair and all the security she could muster had been gathered to make sure that things went smoothly and there were no party-crashers.<br><br>About to blather on about how she envisioned things going, she heard the distance in his tone and frowned. James was used to her waxing enthusiastic about her philanthropic efforts and she was used to people sort of tuning out when she started to ramble but he didn't do it often- or so obviously. His hand rested, warm and solid on her knee.[/i]<br><br>When he asked if she was okay and suggested that they make a brief appearance at <em>her</em> event, she sighed heavily before lowering her glasses and peering over them. From such a petite, fragile looking thing the look was surprisingly intimidating. "I don't forget," she said. Truth be told, she <em>wasn't</em> all right. Her back ached and she was tired. It was exhausting trying to hide her pregnancy and the truth about her.<br><br>"You have to trust me to let you know if my condition gets really troublesome," she said. "I know my limits." Did she ever... Moving a little away from him, she stared out the window as the drive continued, pulling the glasses up over her eyes again.It was going to be a very long day.<br><br>(To Cassandra's Manor (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=82998.new#new))<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 01:40:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sami stopped fighting as soon as the last cop had rounded the corner. She frowned. Everyone was leaving. The police, SPECTRE, even the civilians. 'What could cause all of them to just pick up and leave? I know SPECTRE was looking for me, and the police had us cornered, so why give up?' She thought. She was distracted by James' laughter. She watched him and frowned again, chewing on her thumb. Despite what he had said, Sami doubted that he could really have gotten out of that situation easily, especially if SPECTRE really was trying to track him. It was a little disturbing, if the reason he said for his freezing up was the truth. It meant that he wasn't reliable, if his ability allowed him to be hacked in return. Regardless of his skill she was sure that the resources at SPECTRE's disposal would be enough to lock him up. On the plus side, she had learned a little more about his ability.<br><br>Sami didn't really want to go with him. It seemed like a risky proposition, and she still wasn't fully convinced that he wasn't actually using her as a hostage, regardless of what he had said. On the other hand, she really couldn't afford to stick around. She had no idea when SPECTRE might turn up again, and now that they knew she was here the odds were good they would take another shot at her. She sighed. 'I wish I wasn't so helpless!' She thought angrily. When she had been a legitimate hero, it had been okay because she had a partner, but now, she was going to be forced to rely on someone she couldn't trust.<br><br>"Fine. I'll come with you and listen to what you have to say, but no guarantees! And you better not try anything! Just because you tried to help me out, very poorly I might add, doesn't mean I want to be alone in a motel room with you." She said with a huff. She started walking out of the alley, the opposite direction from which the cops had left.<br><br>"Oh, and one more thing," she said, turning. "You better buy me something to eat."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 02:47:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He smiled a little, and took two of the 20s he had gotten from the ATM and put them in her hand, "when we get to the hotel. Order chinese, takeout, a pizza, whatever you want. Get something for me, or don't. I don't care..."<br><br>He reached through the wall to grab his briefcase and gun and dissembled it and put it all away. He unlocked a small hidden compartment where he kept some 'spending money'. Living the life he did, he didn't spend a lot, so the money he had leftover from 'ProtoTypE' and what he stole or sold from SpECTRe was enough to live on well enough. He took bits of cash from ATMs, even picked up a few shady deals to make sure he could stay well equipped.<br><br>Occasionally, he was forced to break into hospitals to restore his supply of adrenaline and steroids. He was always careful, and he never took more than would be a small inconvenience. While he was there, he didn't mind taking some drugs and selling them off. He had no desire to protect people from their own foolish vices. If they wanted to kill themselves with drugs, fine, there were people out there really suffering under the oppression of the government. He was helping those people, at the very least.<br><br>He walked with the girl to the motel and slid two hundred dollar bills on the counter, <em>"just take it, give us a room with two beds, let me know how long we've got and keep the change."</em> The man happily pocketed some 'change' and gave them a half decent room for two nights.<br><br>He walked in, set his briefcase on the table and put his pistol on the counter. He put two clips next to it, and looked at Sami, "the gun is yours, if you want it. Learn to conceal it, and I'll teach you to shoot if you stick around. You'll never get as good as me, but my advantage is unfair."<br><br>He pulled a device from his briefcase and hooked it up to his mods. She could clearly tell he had some cybernetic pieces in his body. He swept the room for a few minutes and nodded to the phone, <em>"go ahead, order whatever you want. I'm just checking to see if the room has any cameras or radio signals."</em><br><br>The process took a while, and was rather obvious, so he clearly couldn't do this anywhere, but it kept him safe when he stayed in hotels and motels.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 03:57:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sami accepted the money and stuffed it into her coat pocket with a mumbled "Thanks." She followed James to a motel and watched him pay for the room. She didn't particularly like the way the desk worker looked at them and smiled. 'I think that bastard just got the wrong impression.' She thought, grimacing. It wasn't like she wanted to be there in the first place, she just didn't really know where else she could go. SPECTRE clearly knew her face, and what was more they must have been actively pursuing her if they had been able to identify her so quickly. Unless of course they had been tracking her for awhile, but she didn't think that was the case, as she probably wouldn't have been able to get away had they been more organized.<br><br>'I'm out of options for now. I just have to bear with it for awhile until things die down and I can try and get out of the city, or at least somewhere a little calmer than this part of town.' She thought, flopping down on the bed as James hooked himself up to his computer.<br><br>She took the gun he offered gingerly. She knew how to shoot, her father had been a gun enthusiast, but it had been years since she had even held a gun. The weight surprised her, and it reminded her of the first time she had held a weapon. The power she had felt at that time had only been matched when she had realized her powers. She watched as he went back to work, focusing on his computer.<br><br>'I wonder he's always been like that or if someone made him?' She thought idly, rolling onto her stomach and swinging her legs back and forth, grabbing the phone book to look for food. <br><br>"Hmm...pizza...Chinese...or...?" She mumbled, trying to decide on what she wanted to eat. "Well I am pretty hungry..." She picked up the phone and started dialing. Moments later she hung up the phone, smiling. In half an hour she should have a sandwich, three tacos, a large sausage pizza, and the special lo mein. <br><br>'I guess he's useful for something after all.'
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dark Deception</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 04:26:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>At the precinct.</strong><br><br>There was quite the glower on Joe’s face. As he sat at his desk before Brian who had stole a glance at him from behind his computer monitor, the man looked absolutely angry; and at the same time, he seemed to be musing very deeply. “You…all right there, Joe?” Brian asked hesitantly as though expecting the man to snap.<br><br>“I’m just watching the clock and waiting for when the chief decides to hurry up and brief us in on what the hell is going on,” Joe growled. “I could have had that guy. We could have…” He was reminded of the Super’s ability. Evidently, he could pass through objects and even living things. The jail didn’t have cells for Supers. It only had cells for human beings.<br><br>“We could have what?” Brian inquired curiously.<br><br>“Nothing.”<br><br>Brian smirked. It sounded as though his partner had finally calmed down. “This is why SPECTRE handles the Supers, and we handle the humans.”<br><br>For a long moment, Joe had forgotten who he was, and at random moments that called for him to use his powers had he been reminded of what that was. His conscience was divided between a human and a Super, and so far, he had been more human than he thought. There was no way that he could apprehend a super villain without using his powers or requiring that SPECTRE get involved. The thought of how useless the Police Department was in this day and age made him actually feel the difficulty it was to be human. How hard it was to be normal when there were people running around with powers that could kill someone in numerous and bizarre ways. He was sure that it was terrifying for there was no super law to manage the powers of these people. There was no longer a super police force to make sure that the peace was kept and that the humans could go about living peacefully. Joe sympathized with humans that felt threatened—threatened so much that they felt SPECTRE needed to be created to give them assurance. Unknowingly, they had only created a monster.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 04:32:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>"Do you have an iron stomach power I don't know about?"</em> He was joking, sort of, and really hoping she didn't say 'yes'. He had heard of Elsworth Bateman, and he knew what powers like that could do to a person.<br><br><em>"Speaking of powers... You don't just make maps in your head, do you? You were able to hinder them... How?"</em> He looked to her inquisitively, detaching the device from his arm and placing it back in the case. He took the tape off the radio, it was probably strange for her to see him with wires and such protruding from his arm. Yet, it didn't destroy the skin or even make his arm look fake. Parts of his arm would simply open or peel away, and while not inconspicuous up close, it was hard to tell when he wasn't using it.<br><br>He tossed his shirt aside, having been mangled in the explosion. He had been careful not to move to where people could see his back. He didn't want to get questions about what had happened.<br><br>With his shirt off, Sami could see his back was torn up from the fall. He looked pretty good all things considered, most would probably have broken some bones. He slumped onto the bed, finally able to rest and it seemed like for all his strength, he was done for a while. He shook his head and his hair became black and when his eyes opened they were golden. The eyes were not inconspicuous, but they were alone, was that for Sami's benefit (it did make him look very dashing), or did he just do it for his own strange reasons.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jarod1</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 05:10:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				James could tell that despite how she might be feeling right now she was looking forward to the event.&nbsp; She had been planning it for 6 month now.&nbsp; Gathering support from the community, who had stepped up to support her cause.&nbsp; Their we’re some very nice items up for bid.&nbsp; All expense trips all over the world, cars,&nbsp; antiques, and collectibles.&nbsp; No she would not want to miss this event for anything, and as he watched her, he noticed that her color looked better. <br><br>She had gotten him a tuxedo for the occasion completely white from head to foot.&nbsp; It had not been cheap and she had insisted on paying for it for him though he could have afforded it himself, it would have set him back quite a bit.&nbsp; He smiled at the thought, she really did spoil him.&nbsp; Though it made him uncomfortable at times he didn’t complain about it.&nbsp; In fact he was flattered that she cared.<br><br>When she told him that he had to trust her to let him know if her condition gets troublesome he frowned slightly but nodded.&nbsp; “Of course love I do trust you, you just had me a little worried there is all,” he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.&nbsp; “You can’t blame me for that now can you?”<br><br>Soon they we’re out of the man part of the city and pulling up the long drive to Cassandra’s Manor.&nbsp; It had always been the best for her, and she didn’t skimp on security.&nbsp; It was probably one of the safest privately owned buildings in the world.&nbsp; Of course if an agency like SPECTRE came to call it would probably only slow them down and give the people inside a slight head start.&nbsp; Still it was nice to think that you we’re safe somewhere.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>At last the limo came to a stop at the front door and the security team climbed out first as always.&nbsp; Last inside the first ones out even here at the manor where the danger was at the absolute minimum.&nbsp; James followed them out and then turned to Cassandra to give her his hand to help her out.&nbsp; He’d always had a a very old fashioned sense of manners and thought that ladies should be treated as such. “Welcome home love.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 05:37:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sami rolled her eyes. "The only power my stomach has is the ability to always be empty." She said, as her belly gave a well timed rumble. "I don't steal so I don't get to eat all that often."<br><br>She gave him a cheeky grin when he asked her about her powers. He didn't know her as well as he thought he did. "That's a secret." She said, making a face. It was a childish gesture but she didn't really care. She wasn't that concerned with what he thought of her anyway. Her expression turned serious.<br><br>&nbsp;"If you don't know already why should I tell you? You apparently spent a lot of time stalking me, which I don't really appreciate by the way. I'm grateful that you saw fit to rescue me, even if it did involve almost blowing me up. And I do appreciate the food. But you haven't really convinced me that any of this was necessary." She said lying back down. She was exhausted, both from a combination of running away and using her maze trick. That always took a lot out of her if she was moving when she did it. Having to constantly rework the the maze was hard.<br><br>She watched as he stripped his shirt off and changed his hair and eyes. 'How peculiar.' She thought. 'I wonder if he was even born or if he made?' She looked away and began looking through the drawers for something to read. She gave up after a minute and flopped down on her bed, letting out an aggravated sigh. Suddenly she let out a small choking sound and sat up, a heavy blush appearing on her face. 'I guess it's that kind of motel...' She thought, trying to ignore the activity in the next room.<br><br>She tried to ignore it but it was a little...distracting. She felt sort of dirty for being able to tell what was happening, but after a minute she perked up.<br><br>"Ah! Food's here!" She said, running towards the door, grateful for the distraction.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 05:53:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He watched her and as she moved he turned to look towards the 'activities' of their neighbors. His eyes changed a few times, he never felt comfortable trusting his ears. He was satisfied to find the sounds were exactly what they sounded like and he looked back to her once she was done paying for food.<br><br><em>"Stalking... Trust me, what I've looked into isn't half of what SpECTRe has at least tried to get at. I don't mind if you want to have secrets, but I don't plan on keeping any. At least not about things that will effect you... So, to get rid of that look on your face that has you wondering what sort of Rubik's Cube I am..."</em> He sighed; he didn't like talking about what he was, it reminded him that he wasn't human.<br><br><em>"My name is Eric LeReaux, but don't call me that in public. When I was about 12, a secret program called 'ProtoTypE' killed my parents and adopted me. I was an exceptional student, so they figured my brains, on top of their technology, would make me a perfect super soldier, someone that could work against super and human alike..."</em><br><br><em>"They altered me with cybernetics and gave me a prototype 'drug' that was to give me the power to walk through walls. It worked, mostly, there are some issues. Either way, everything they did was prototypical, and the government pretty quickly had all sorts of people breathing down their neck with all the anti-super crap. So the program was shut down, the records destroyed, it's why SpECTRe can't track me. They don't know what my programming is like."</em><br><br><em>"They hired me, I found out about the killing my parents thing and that some of the people on top were former 'ProtoTypE' members, not to mention, learning all sorts of stuff about what they do to supers.... I decided to help out. They gave me a mission, I made the target disappear, and then I disappeared myself. I screwed with my records, and I was built for infiltration, which makes me very hard to track. I can see in many spectrums, as well as being able to zoom in, and I can hook up to just about anything with wires. I am also quick, strong, and an amazing marksman, in no small part, because of my eyes and reflexes. Then there's the wall thing..."</em><br><br><em>"So, the point here, I was looking into some records and heard about you. I gleaned your powers and found your actual human records with some hacking. I realized that your abilities are perfect for finding and escaping from SpECTRe, if you happen to have someone like me around. I figured, best case scenario, you help me fight back against them. Worst case, you refuse, and I make sure you disappear so you can't help them,"</em> he took a deep breath. His cybernetics monitored his heart rate and other things, and he always felt it unnerving at moments like this to know how fast his heart was beating.<br><br>He really wanted to help this girl, and make up for earlier, and more than that, he wanted to stop looking over his shoulder quite as much. With her help, he could stay off their radar almost permanently.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 06:34:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She listened to his explanation patiently, partially distracted by the food. She was already stuffing her face full of whatever happened to be closest. 'So good! I forgot what it was like to eat as much as I wanted!' The food was greatly improving her mood, so she was willing to hear him out. 'Eric huh, I liked James better.' She thought, frowning. His story was sad, but she couldn't figure out why he was telling her. Did he just want to use pity to get her to help him? She couldn't really argue with the fact that her abilities for more useful in a support role, and that if she were teamed up with someone both of them would likely be a lot safer. She still wasn't convinced though, and she couldn't really see the good in getting into a war with SPECTRE.<br><br>"I guess I understand your situation, and I can't deny that if SPECTRE starts really hunting me I'm probably screwed, but I don't think actively provoking them is going to get me anywhere good." She said, picking at the food on her plate. This whole situation was uncomfortable, and she wasn't really sure how to handle it.<br><br>She sighed, leaning back in her chair and staring at the ceiling. "I don't know what I should do, I can't fight on my own, but I don't want to be fighting them at all. When I fought before I always could see the good I was doing, but now I'm the bad guy and I don't even know if fighting back is the right thing to do."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>GloomCookie</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 06:50:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>Seattle Metro Police Precinct 5<br>17:34 20 July 2079</strong></span><br><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class="bbc_size">The Chief finally stepped out of his office, having been on the phone and talking with his chief officers.&nbsp; They all looked a bit unhappy, as the chief addressed everyone, "Alright people, listen up.&nbsp; We got called back to prepare for a possible invasion scenario.&nbsp; The Department of Defense gave us a call right in the middle of that situation in the mall, and told us that we might be looking at an invasion.&nbsp; So far, they've told us to get ready, just in case."<br><br>Someone piped up, "An invasion?&nbsp; Like, for real invasion?"<br><br>"That's right.&nbsp; DoD thought it might be China, but so far everything's still quiet.&nbsp; What we do know is that whatever it was that tripped the alarm, did it big time.&nbsp; Every military base in the country is on full alert, and so are we.&nbsp; We have orders to get ready to provide assistance should the military deem it necessary to national defense.&nbsp; Everyone will need to be on 24 hour alert from here on, and you are not to discuss any of this to anyone outside your homes.&nbsp; We'll be rotating you all out so that you have time to go home and explain to your families, so please keep the phones clear.&nbsp; You're all on overtime until we get new orders."</span>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 07:00:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<em>"If you don't want to do it because of what SpECTRe is doing to supers, I get it. However, the girls who got raped... That was about powers, they didn't do anything. Just being what they were, made them less human to SpECTRe. I may not be human now, but the little boy, Eric, he was..."</em> He sighed and looked away a moment.<br><br><em>"None of that is your problem. That's why I told you that I'd make you disappear if that's all you want, Sami. I want to help you, and them... I'm a lost cause, and I understand that... You can disappear, use your power only to stop them from finding you. I just don't want them to find you. For your sake, and for the sake of all the supers they'll make you find,"</em> the sadness that might have been in his voice before was slowly turning into anger. It wasn't at her, but it was definitely there, and it would probably be hard not to feel like the target.<br><br><em>"If they find you, just hope it's one of the ones who would shoot you and make it quick. They've tortured, raped, twisted, and humiliated plenty of their targets, and if you refuse to help... I just hope they choose to kill you, if that ever happens..."</em> He looked into her eyes, the first time he had done that so far. His golden eyes were very intriguing, and no matter what color or what was in them, there was human in there. He cared, and he was afraid, and not just for himself.<br><br><em>"I won't lie, this isn't fun, and it's underhanded. I have to steal and kill, and sometimes I blur the lines... If I had thought you were in danger, I'd have shot that cop back there... Remember, Sami, I can walk through walls... I wasn't in any danger except for helping you. Maybe that doesn't tell you that you can trust me, but it certainly narrows things down. I clearly don't work for SpECTRe, why would I play you if I did?"</em><br><br><em>"I'm not forcing you."</em> He walked to his briefcase and popped the little compartment and placed a large sum and a card on the table, <em>"take the money if you want to go. Don't make large transactions, and don't use any credit cards, bank accounts, or IDs. Hide the money and the gun, and try to have someplace you can always go back to, safely. I already changed your records, and that's a fake ID. Watch for cameras, they know your face, and they can use programs to track you. More than that, you have to find a way to use your powers to get what you need."</em><br><br>He looked at her, <em>"you don't even have to leave. You can stay with me for an hour, two, the whole night, to make your decision. You can even ask me to leave. If you stay, I'll wait until you're ready, but I need to hit a hospital and stock up on some adrenaline for my system and get bandaged up a bit. Then, I need to see an old friend."</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 07:20:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sami growled in frustration. The whole situation was messed up, and she felt like things were progressing without her having any control of any of it. Things had been so much simpler a few years ago. Why did things always have to go so utterly pear-shaped? Her jaw tightened at the mention of what SPECTRE had done. She knew. She had seen it. She had seen it happen and she had run away then. Could she really justify running away now? 'I've been afraid of them for so long.' She thought, suppressing a shiver. 'I always thought that if I kept my head down they wouldn't find me.' What could she do though? <br><br>"Aaaaah! This is so fucking stupid!" She shouted kicking the table over and throwing herself on the bed. "All I want is to be left alone! I don't want to run away and I don't want to fight! Why can't they just leave us alone?" She said, her voice choked by sobs. <br><br>"I just want to be able to be able to go home. I haven't seen anyone I know in over a year. I haven't had a good meal in almost as long. I can't even take a shower! All because some asshole thinks I'm dangerous." She was crying now, more out of frustration than sadness. "I want things to go back to normal but all I can do is run away! Even if I did help you all that would happen is we'd be better at running. I don't care what connections you have or what you can do, you can't stop all of them. They even beat my mentor, and she was the strongest super I've ever met."<br><br>She tried to get herself under control. 'This is shameful Sami, truly shameful. You're every bit as pathetic as you were when you ran away from SPECTRE a year ago. All that running hasn't gotten you anywhere.' <br><br>She sat up and dried her eyes. "I don't know what to do. I can help you, but where will that get us?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 07:40:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He moved to the bed and sat down tentatively. He didn't want to seem too forward, but the fact that he didn't see himself as human, really made him all that much more empathetic.<br><br><em>"I know it's bad, but people can only be pushed around for so long. Tyranny always cycles to an end, even if it's only the dawn of a new form of tyranny. All we can do is try to stop this round... You're not the only one, and with your skills, my mind, and some way to build a resistance... We can make a difference. I am trained to get past defenses to take out powerful people, if nothing else, we can take out the worst of them. If all we do is make sure they are replaced by people only half the monsters they are, aren't we stronger for it?"</em> He put a hand out, not touching her, just for comfort, should she wish to take it.<br><br><em>"Revolution is not what happens when you shout your frustrations. Blood must be spilled, sacrifices made, and if they already want to kill us... Why not show them we won't be shot down passively,"</em> he was suddenly painfully aware that this was a sweet and innocent young girl. The hand he hadn't offered gripped the bedsheets as he felt his heart rate change again. Just like with Cassandra, he felt vulnerable with this girl. Usually, he made supers disappear or he just stayed out of the lives of others, in this case, he realized he wanted not to be alone. He knew the girl's frustrations too well.<br><br><em>"If nothing else, Sami... We won't be alone..."</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 08:01:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sami dried her eyes and took several deep breathes, trying to calm herself. She was ashamed of the was she had behaved, and her face burned with it. She didn't want any of this. She had been normal once, and she had been happy. Then she found out that she was special and that she could help people, and she was even happier. When she first met her mentor and teamed up with her she was so happy she thought she could float away. But now everything was different. People were dying, being tortured and raped. 'Was the world always like this? Was I just too much of a child to see it?' The thought made her feel as if she had jumped into a pool of ice water. If everything she had done had just been so much child's play, what right did she have to keep going?<br><br>"I don't want anybody to die." She said softly, looking at the floor. "I want the people who hurt others to be stopped, and I want the good guys to win. I want a happy ending for everybody, but everything is so fucked up! If I do nothing SPECTRE will keep hurting people, innocent people, but if I help you people will die, and some of them will be good people."<br><br>She stood up and started pacing biting her thumb until it bled and she pulled away, wincing. "I'll help you, at least for a little while, but I get to walk away whenever I want okay? And I won't kill anyone, not for me, and certainly not for you. I may be young but I am not a child. I know what's going on and i want as peaceful a resolution as possible. I still don't trust you. Regardless of your reasons or whether or not you care what happens to me you still found me and helped me because you want to use me." She said, staring directly at James. The hostility and frustration was evident in her eyes. <br><br>"I feel gross. I need to take a shower, and then you're going to tell me where we're going," She said, stepping into the bathroom and closing the door. She reached for the lock and then stopped, sighing. 'Not much good.' She thought, stripping. Her skirt was torn, and she noticed that even when worn normally her panties were visible, causing a faint blush to creep into her cheeks. 'I'll sew it up later.' She set her jacket aside and peeled her shirt off, standing in her underwear before the mirror. She winced, noticing that she already had a few pronounced bruises. <br><br>She turned the water on and took of her bra and panties, which clung to her still sweaty body. 'New underwear is definitely a priority she thought, stepping into the water and letting a moan escape her lips. The water felt good. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Dark Deception</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 08:16:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Joe was standing around the chief with all the other officers. His arms were crossed over his chest, and as soon as the chief mentioned a state of emergency because of a potential <em>invasion</em>, Joe's teeth clinched together behind straight lips. He refrained from rolling his eyes or even tossing two cents right at the chief's forehead. There hadn't been anything in the world news that foreshadowed America having a state of emergency. As soon as they were dismissed, he strode back to his desk with Brian following, knowing full well that Joe had something negative to say.<br><br>"So, what do you take on this?" Brian asked with an amused smirk.<br><br>"No comment," Joe grumbled. He was certain Brian knew what he was going to say for he had been saying it since SPECTRE was established. America had always been in a state of emergency. If another country decided to invade, then what? Foreign Supers? As far as he knew, America had been the only nation to exact laws against Supers and so there may have been an actual state of emergency. If every other nation was allowed to have free Supers, then America <em>would</em> be in danger. "This whole situation stinks."<br><br>"Well, I have to go visit Charlotte and the kids, and let them know of the change of plans."<br><br>"I'm going to need a pick-me-up to get through this night. I'll be at Dennys."<br><br>"I'll meet you there later if you think you can wait to eat."<br><br>Grabbing his coat, Joe muttered as he headed for the door, "No promises."<br><br>Brian raised his brows and his eyes became half-lidded as he watched Joe head out. Joe added over his shoulder, "I'll wait." His response made Brian smirk and shake his head. He couldn't believe that he was actually pleased to know that Joe wouldn't dig in without him. Picking up his coat next, he headed on out.<br><br><br><strong>Dennys</strong><br><br><br>Joe was hanging his head over a steaming cup of coffee. His eyes were closed and the song, <em>"Rock the Boat," by the Hues Corporation</em> was playing overhead. That song was going to be in his head <em>aaaa~llll</em> night.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 08:33:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He sighed, "well, that went well..."<br><br>He decided to let her do what she needed and cool off. He switched to his X-Ray vision, and once she was behind the shower curtain, he grabbed a long shirt and phased it through the door onto the bathroom counter.<br><br>He slid the money back into it's place and slipped about two hundred in his pocket. He quickly slipped off his pants and changed into a new outfit and slipped on a wig. He stepped out and made his way to the nearest department store.<br><br>He grabbed a sandwich and a soda, and quickly walked through to grab as many different outfits as he could manage to carry back. Whatever he could get his hands on that looked comfortable and about her size. He'd ask Cassandra to help out a little when he saw her. The girl would need some 'disguises' if they were to get away with this, and he couldn't afford that right now. Of course, he could try to steal it, but his power wasn't quite suited to stealing so much bulk.<br><br>Once he had paid for everything, he phased the clothes someplace safe and slipped away. He was always careful of placement, and he had made sure to keep his rifle near a hospital. He quickly slipped in, phasing through the wall where he knew the stairs were and walking up to where he had already mapped out the drugs to be.<br><br>He had plotted this out already. Infrared sweep to make sure no doctors were roaming the halls, slip out, hit the first camera and loop the feed. This time, only looping the camera feed on a single camera. No more tapping into a system until he was sure the heat was off. It was all timed out, like a dance. He slipped in, grabbed some gauze and some bandages for his back. He took the adrenaline needle and opened up and fed it into his system. The same with the steroids, and then lined his pockets with some drugs.<br><br>He slipped back out, infrared, switch the camera back, into the stairwell and back through the wall.<br><br>He would be out of the motel for about an hour.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 09:06:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sami stared up at the shower head, trying to process the days events. She had almost been captured, and had somehow made her way around to joining up with a revolutionary, one that she still barely trusted. She let out a long sigh, trying to let the hot water work its magic and soothe her concerns away. After a moment she began to wash herself, slowly running her hands up and down her body. She looked down at her own naked body and grimaced. Not only was she sporting several rather unattractive bruises, but several months of malnutrition had not been kind to her either. She was starting feel gaunt, though in reality she simply looked like a thin teenage girl. It wasn't just the appearance though. She could feel it. She sometimes felt like her skin was stretching itself over her frame, as though she were drying out. <br><br>She lathered her hair hair and let the conditioner set in. She let out a soft moan. It had been so long since she had done more than just rinse herself off, the soap and water felt so good. 'I can't believe how good it feels to simply take a shower.' She thought, running the soap over her body slowly, taking care to clean every corner of herself. She had heard the door lock, and knew that James had left, most likely to the hospital as he had mentioned earlier.<br><br>She kept running her hands over herself long after she was clean. The smooth feeling of the soap on her skin was causing her to tingle. The feeling was startlingly intense, and she was having a hard time controlling herself. 'It's just been so long.' She thought slowly bring her hands up to cup her breasts. Slowly, she began to knead them between her hands, letting soft moans escape her lips as she gently pinched her nipples. She knew she should stop, that this was hardly the appropriate time or place for something like this, but she had been so frustrated and angry and frightened, all she wanted was some kind of release.<br><br>She used one hand to continue working her breasts while the other slowly traced its way down, before beginning to work between her legs. She gasped as she touched herself. It had been a long time since she had had any kind of stimulation and the feeling was intense. Slowly, she slid down the wall and into a sitting position. She worked her hand quickly, alternating between rubbing and gently inserting two of her fingers into herself. She wasn't even trying to suppress her cries now, moaning in pleasure. She worked faster and faster, stroking herself quickly but gently, using her fingers to spread herself just enough to cause her to cry out. The building pressure eventually became too much and she let out a long cry of ecstasy, her whole body twitching as the hot water continued to shower down on her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 09:16:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He opened the door to the motel and heard the girl in the shower.<br><br><em>"Wow... She kept herself busy for an hour..."</em> He was sure she hadn't realized he was gone, yet she wasn't quite bothering to keep her voice down. He wondered if he should be concerned or just keep to himself. No harm could be had in making sure... That wasn't even convincing to him, but all things considered, with supers, one could never be too sure.<br><br>He phased in, <em>"Sami, I stepped out to get you something to wear."</em> He realized he was still carrying everything, he quickly placed them on the counter.<br><br><em>"You... are alright in here aren't you? It's just... with supers, you never really know what an attack might be like..."</em> Never one to trust his ears, it kept him safe, but sometimes it was just awkward.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Mhina</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 09:34:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				One of the problems Sami had always had with...certain activities, was that when she was in a situation where her mind went 'blank' so to speak, she was often unable to use her abilities at all. After all, even the passive aspects required a small amount of concentration, and when she was fully occupied she could be startled. That was the primary reason she hadn't done it in so long. She was worried that the second she did someone would catch her, and she couldn't really think of a worse way to be captured. 'Just add a healthy dose of shame and humiliation on you hopeless despair cake.' Was what she had always thought bitterly. Not that she hadn't come close a couple of times, but fear had always won out over her need for release.<br><br>Sami really hated having her fears confirmed. When Eric spoke, her eyes snapped open and she let out a shriek, not hearing the rest of what he was saying. She hastily tried to cover herself up, forgetting that she was at least partially obscured by the shower curtain. 'Stupid!' She thought, mad at both herself and him. 'I've been in here for over an hour, of course he's going to think something's wrong! But what kind of a guy just barges in without saying anything!?' <br><br>In her haste to stand back up and cover herself, Sami got tangled in the shower curtain and lost her balance. with a muffled shriek she fell out of the shower, taking the curtain with her and landing directly upon Eric.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fall of the Titans</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>ManyMindsManyVoices</strong> on <strong>21-09-2010, 09:44:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Eric, ever the knight in shining armor, realized his faux pas immediately. His improved reaction time got the towel off the rack, but did not save him from the fall. He hit the floor and the dull pain from the gravel and bruises on his back shot back and brought a cry of pain. Once he was able to think, he quickly changed the shade of his eyes to look like cataracts and switched his vision to infrared long enough to move the curtain away and put the towel over her.<br><br><em>"Sorry, I went out, that was stupid. I should have said something. I just, thought you needed to have some time for yourself, and I wanted to get you something to wear. I've never traveled with someone else before and I just... I was worried about you,"</em> he was stuttering. A lot of girls would probably find it cute, at least, if they hadn't been in this situation.<br><br>He helped her get her balance with his eyes closed and then doubled over onto the toilet. He switched the shower off, no need to get water everywhere and have them slip around again. His brain never shut off...<br><br><em>"I... ow... very much ow..."</em> She could probably tell he was about to ramble another apology if the pain hadn't gotten to him.
			</dd>
		</dl>
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