https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ9rUzIMcZQ

 Hushed music could be heard under the hood of the glasses as he sets them down.

 Meta blinked absently for a moment, then he ran a practiced hand through his dishevelled hair. "Well, he's a brilliant tactician, noble to a fault, he's got power but knows how to restrain it. Frank knows what it means to be a symbol, but doesn't seek out status. On the other hand he's got a certain amount of toxic masculinity that will seek to deprive him of certain emotional needs, needs that everyone need fulfilled supposedly," Brian said with a quizzical expression that said he had wondered about this a few times, "He's got the dual sides of super-toughness and emotional vulnerability. He's a soldier and a patriot, which both present strong features and certain weaknesses."

 Brian took a sip from his Jolt cola and rubbed his eyes and then took a deeper look at Vandal, searching her expressions.

 "What I admire about him is that he manages to balance it all with grace and humility, amazing, very much like you do. An amazing balancing act that I believe may be what bring you both together," Brian stated without any sign of contempt or hostility, simply as fact in his own mind and an admission of honest appraisal. "You alright?"

Instead of answering directly, Vandal walked to the wall of windows in her boss' office and cast her gaze out them. She was silent for almost a full minute, but just as the silence might have been growing awkward she resumed talking.

"You're smart and I'm fast, but you can't outwit Death no more than I can outrun the Grim Reaper. In a thousand years maybe this city will be nothing but dust, but if so it'll blow up against his boots. He can't be killed or age, so it's possible he might outlast the very sun itself."

Vandal then turned from her viewpoint, to look her employer in the eye.

"He's immortal and often times invincible, like some Ancient God; but instead of distancing himself from the rest of us, he treats us like equals and friends.
why do you think he does that, when our lifespans must seem painfully short to him?"

 Brian nodded, "he's a man of the moment. He's whatever he needs to be I think," Brian says joining her by the window to look out, "but I think you are correct. He does treat us like equals and friends. I don't know for sure, why, he does it. Though I think it has something to do with the fact that he doesn't feel like he's above us. Powers are one thing, being more than a human is another. It's easy to think that power could give you everything you need, but take it from someone whose only Gift is deep analysis, it can't. Otherwise we wouldn't be so helpless to find Faye, to stop Namidians on any more than a superficial scale. Therein lies your answer, we need each other."

 Brian leaves the view, walking back to his desk and takes another sip of his drink. Brian smiles faintly, his thoughts were as much an acceptance of their defeat as it was that he needed all of them as well. "So are you gonna tell me what's up or do I have to get Gwen in here to help me read your mind?"

This message was deleted by the player at 21:03, Mon 05 Dec 2016.

For as brilliant as Brian was, what he witnessed next was something even his towering intelligence could not have figured possible let alone probable; Vandal Grew tongue-tied as a flush a red invaded her cheeks.

"It's just that... I mean with all of what's... I mean..."

The young woman finally stopped floundering, drew in a deep breath, and tried again.

"My mother was a lawyer thanks to night school, and managed to land herself a less than glamorous job as a Assist District Attorney drone prosecuting random criminals as their files crossed her desk. Nothing high profile of course, those cases are fewer than TV would have us believe and are always reserved for the senior ADA, the District Attorney themselves, or some fresh faced kid out of someplace like Harvard who's parents have the clout to arrange him getting it. Not constantly, but more than once I'd hear about someone or another who got released on a technicality, slipped through some crack, got overlooked somehow, or got granted bail for no sound reason and then ran.

"I had heard about Frank Jackson since before I had my Gift, the media making him out to be a hero one minute and a rogue Agent the next working without authority. When I joined the ITSDA I heard a ton of stories about him, and finally got curious enough to look at his file myself. Did you know he's been married, and had kids? They were killed by some punk Frank arrested but walked on a technicality, who had come looking for him. I think I started to understand then, why he tried his hardest to get the guilty regardless of what some rule scribbled down by someone who didn't know what it was like out in the world. While I was active with the organization, I began to see that there were times you couldn't wait for ink to dry and someone to return a phone call, or else more innocence than could otherwise be helped would suffer and you'd have to live with that face for the rest of your life. For Frank, that's pretty much literally forever.

"He gave us a choice, said we could stay behind and not join him on his unsanctioned mission to the restaurant. Then even after we had all willingly made our choice, he stood up before a war crimes court and took all the blame to shield us. He was a POW for two years, a cop for decades, and yet knowing the kind of evil humans are capable of without the need of Gifts he still believes in and defenses us. The world at large called him a villain back when our kind first became known to the public, but in the face of hateful words and protests he still placed himself between Mankind and danger. I fully believe if there was no ITSDA, GTF, or anything of the like, he would continue fighting on even if all he had was his two bare fists. He's got plenty of muscles, but I think the biggest one is his heart.

"You're right in what you first said, he's him from the surface all the way to his core. The real thing, and not some pretty boy pretender."

The hero could feel her face grow hotter, and wondered if it was possible to spontaneously combust which she then considered might be preferable to this conversation. She tried again, hoping to do better while at the same time thinking she couldn't do worse. She wouldn't have minded a member of the Wave attacking the building right about then, since when fighting she had confidence.

"What I'm trying to say is Frank lost people he loved, he's my friend and I don't want to lose that, and I'll die of old age while he's still riding the highways and byways. So my head says leave things as they are between us, but at times when I'm around or even thinking of him it's not my brain talking to me. We haven't been friends for too long and you're my boss, but you're also the smartest guy I know and if anyone can help me figure out what to do I hoped it be you."

 "I'm honored that you'd place such worth in my ideas and thoughts. I can't tell you what to do," he said and gave a low huff, "but I can tell you that were I in your shoes, I'd be asking myself if that's worth it or not. If it is, then I'd consider the matter done with. You can't beat yourself up about it, because the fact of the matter is that we are each dealt the hand we're given. If you regret anything, it's already too late to do anything about it. So you'll have to weigh it, either decide that you'll stay with him 100% until you die or make the decision to let go. The limbo you've found yourself in has got to be killing you."

 "Excuse me Brian and Sarah," Lucy said into the intercom, "but I believe we have a priority communication from the ITSDA..."

 Brian whirled around and looked to the overhead speaker, "Patch it through Lucy! Thanks!"

The wall screen blipped from its monitoring services and enlarged a file to full screen. Val's voice could be heard on other end of the line, a low hush of chatter in the ITSDA communications room as the video clip played...



Meta looked at Sarah with a blip of surprise on his face. "They don't know that Faye's MIA. We'll have to get Gwen in on this one...let's get suited up."


At the same second it was said, Lucy appeared outside Gwen's apartment, and when she knocked the sound emitted into the room from the door intercom. "Sorry to disturb you, but something's happened. Brian will need to you and the others quite soon. We've just received word from The Commander requiring Faye's presence."

The door remained closed for a few moments, although the soft sound of motion could be heard coming from inside. When the portal did finally swish open, a red-eyed and forlorn young girl came walking out... the confident Nobel Laureate noticeably absent in her demeanor. For the first time since Faye went missing Gwen had finally had a moment, safe and elevated in a hub of humanity here at GTF, to truly plumb the world in an effort to find her partner. If there was a question at this point as to the scientist's whereabouts, the answer could clearly be read on her partner's face and in her posture. For Gwen, there seemed little doubt as to the fate of the one she held most dear; indeed, there were still tears brimming along the lower lid of her eyes, their freshness brought on no doubt by the AI simply saying Faye's name.

"Ok Lucy," she replied, pausing to close her eyes and take a deep breath in an effort to still the tremor in her voice. A second breath was needed to truly accomplish this goal, but when she opened her eyes again they were no longer watery. Beneath the surface of those twin blue orbs, a cold and dark anger was stirring. "Ok. I'm ready. Let's see what the bastard wants."

The Commander. She had 'heard' his moniker a handful of times when she had searched the possible places Faye might have gone. The lab had been the first, still near enough for her to stretch out and scan the minds of the people of the city. It hadn't taken her long to suss out a portion of what had happened there, enough to ascertain that Faye hadn't targeted the lab as her wormhole exit. She knew the man had been one of the parties seeking to take or sabotage the Ring, and that he had instead taken hostages. As Lucy quietly led her to Brian's office, Gwen had to reminded herself with every footstep that what she thought she knew was only a narrative... a repeated reminder that did nothing to dull the pain or quell the rage she felt. Even knowing that The Commander was merely an easy scapegoat for her emotions at the moment did little to curb the bitterness and malice that she could feel growing inside her.

Still, despite the storm churning within her when they finally arrived at Brian's office, the moment the doors opened and she saw him... all she could see was all the times the three of them had worked together. Memories as vivid as the moment they were lived flooded her mind along with the memory of the bond and the link they had all shared; a memory that now scraped against the gaping hole in her psyche that was once occupied by another mind, one she knew as intimately as hers was known. The storm was immediately blown away, the rain cascading instead from her eyes despite what others might be in attendance. With a sob, she put her hands over her face and sagged heavily against the door frame, all fight suddenly gone from her form.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:21, Mon 12 Dec 2016.

Sarah disappeared in a blur upon hearing Brian tell her to get ready, returning in seconds now donned in her GTF field gear. There was an eruption of black smoke, and from it emerged Black Magic with his hand on Frank's shoulder. The older man had been in the process of lighting a cigarette, and finished the action before speaking out of the side of his mouth.

"Vandal said you needed us, Boss. What's up?"

About then Gwen made it as far as the doorway, and dissolved into tears. Once more Peter vanished, only to reappear in front of the distraught woman holding out a handkerchief.

 As Gwen joined them, Lucy appeared near the red haired woman, who was still bruised but seemed to be on the mend. Brian nodded to the team as they began to join him and made note to get their gear if they needed any. "Great, let's get onboard the GTF1, Johnny, we'll need an inflight sitrep. We've got a hair thin schedule if we want to get Gwen and Faye's people out alive."

 As the lights came down to a minimum and the modified songbird began peeling away from the launchpad a few minutes later, a scrolling of pictures and maps appeared on the wall screen in the team cabin. Johnny's rich voice penetrated the shade. "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Commander has Gwen and Faye's team of researchers from UC Berkley Particle Physics Department. He says he wants a meeting with Faye and Brian in the old stadium in Boura, that's where we're headed. He signalled that he wanted to meet with only Brian and Faye or their proxies and any bodyguards. That leaves up to four of us on the scene."

 Brian watched under his own datalink sunglasses as messages and emergencies seemed to begin to boil to the surface. "We also have other problems that need attention. Namely the Atlantis Installation, multiple safeguards are going off there. However there's also been multiple seismic activity detected in Toronto, though we don't have Gift sensors in Canada yet, there may be a link to increased gift activity detected there...So we'll have to split up after landing. I'll put Johnny on Toronto, see what he can uncover about the situation there. We need someone to liaison with the ITSDA to make sure the big guns come out for this," Brian took a breath and instinctively ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. He realized he hadn't shaved in a week either. "so I need a volunteer for that, but I'd rather just have Frank take care of that, my analysis indicates that you've got a grudge with Commander, not to say I trust the guy, but we may not want to antagonize him either."

 Lucy appeared on another window, "Lockdown procedures are in place for the top ten stories of the Ranier building Brian."

 Brian nodded to the transmission and turned to look at Gwen questioningly, "Is there any way you can help shield us from the Commander's hypnotic control, if you're up to it?"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:35, Mon 12 Dec 2016.

For an instant a wave of animosity towards Brian rose up within Gwen, igniting a short internal struggle against herself. His apparent lack of empathy in this situation was a gross slight; yet it was that knowledge that it was a simple slight that led her to release her frustration. After all, these were some of the qualities Brian possessed that Faye had respected above all others. The man was focused, driven, and didn't let personal issues stop him from continuing to take the weight of the world upon himself. Faye had shared those same qualities, and it was for that reason that the two had become such good friends. In his face it could clearly be seen that the responsibility he had chosen was heavier than this building he had created, and whatever feelings he was suffering were only floors inside it. Just like Faye, he would keep his pain to himself in order to keep it from hurting others and keep it from being used to cut him deeper.

Taking a page from his book, she calmed herself, gratefully accepting the handkerchief from Peter. "Thanks," she said quietly after cleaning off her face and lightly blowing her nose. As they collectively made their way to the waiting aircraft, Gwen divided her attention and delved within herself. Using her Gift, she began to shut off the areas of her brain that were responsible for certain emotional reactions, along with a handful of memory links. She didn't need to be an emotional girl right now, she needed to be a powerful young woman, and she couldn't do that if even the sound of Brian and Johnny's voices threatened to send her to tears. Satisfied that she wouldn't be overcome once again, she paused to listen to the AI and Brian's briefing.

"I don't know, but if his ability is related in any way to the psychic spectrum I can counter it," she replied to his question, standing tall and feeling strong once again. "If it's not psychic based, it will depend on what he says to begin with. Depending on his orders, I might be able to shut off the parts of everyone's brains that respond to his Gift."

As she spoke, she made her way toward Brian until she was beside him. Indicating she wished to speak to him privately, she placed a hand on his arm and opened a low-level mental link. He would be able to hear thoughts she projected to him as if they were audible, and she'd hear the same from him. He probably already knew what she was about to tell him, or at least rated the probability as 'most likely', but he needed to know for sure; and there was something she needed to know as well.

"Brian, you need to know Faye's not alive anymore," she said calmly. A small part of her was satisfied that her earlier brain-jacking was doing its job, blocking her ability to feel the jagged rawness of those words tearing through her soul. "She's not likely in the ocean either. If she were somewhere on Earth, dead or alive, I'd have been able to find her by now. Either she's somewhere near the planet's core, or she's not on the planet anymore at all."

She paused for a moment to let her words sink in, and let him apply the new information to his plans; but before he could reply she put a finger up. "Brian, I need you to tell me who is directly responsible for this. I need to know whose decision it was to kill my love. I know you don't need my Gift to know why I need this information, just like you know I don't need to ask. Who dropped the bomb?" Her blue eyes turned to ice as she said the words, the anger and shock Faye felt as she tried to evade the attack making it past Gwen's guard and cutting dangerously from behind her gaze; a latent curse from beyond the grave seeking its worthy target.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:40, Mon 12 Dec 2016.

 Brian's first thought was disbelief as Gwen laid it on him, "Are you sure? No, you're right. I've not been able to detect her anywhere on Earth..."

 He fumbled for words after that, but couldn't find the right ones. He reached back into his own mind and laid a calming hand on it, stilled it for a second and took a deep breath. This week he'd had almost nothing else on his mind. It couldn't be helped, he'd cared deeply for Faye, her mind, vision and strength of will, respect for her power. A plutonic love might've been a better word for what they'd shared, what they could've accomplished together. He grieved in his own way, and his almost autistic way of compartmentalizing his feelings made him bite his lip now as they rushed to the surface with Gwen's words.

 He nodded spastically and recalled his analytical research on the incident after it went down, "It was the Schwartze Augen, these are the people who did this. I suspect one of Dieter Sievold's doubles gave the order, he's the leader of the terrorist organization. Though he was working with the Commander and his men, and that's why they've got your Berkley team. There was an SA jet that was cloaked from radar, but not visual satellite imagery. They had a very good hacker and engineer design that bomb. Someone I've not yet personally been able to find, though they left clues."

 He took a gulp of air before continuing, "there's something else. We've got an ace, a Namidian called Mr.Green, until this week he's been in contact with his boss. I've put him into a coma so that we could download his memories, but there's some problems. Even in his current state he's resisting, probably because of SA conditioning."

Seeing the impact her statement made on Brian, Gwen was quick to wrap him in a hug. Shutting off those parts of her own brain hadn't removed her ability to empathize, even if she wasn't currently able to feel the pain herself. Instead, it was like watching someone else have the emotions you knew you were supposed to have. It was disjointing, but better this than turning into a sobbing wreck again. No doubt it was worse for Brian... in order for him to use his Gift, Gwen couldn't temporarily rewire him to keep him from the feeling.

"I'm sorry it had to be now, like this, but you needed to know," she apologized, kicking herself slightly for her crappy timing. She had wanted to tell him in his office, in private, but the world waited for no-one it seemed. "Thank you for telling me who was responsible. When we return from this mission, would you let me help in prying the information you seek from this Green's mind? I doubt he will prove capable of resisting my Gift, especially in the midst of a coma."

Frank took a drag on his cancer stick, then held up a hand.

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on here a minute, Boss; The Commander and I are both military trained, but I've got loads of experience over him. He plots and plans, I hit the ground running and improvise. He can't repict me, or what I'll do. As for having a grudge against him, I don't anymore than other so called freedom fighters who like to play soldier. If things go bad, I'm the best counter you have to him. Cutting me out of the action seems like a bad call, just saying."

 Brian nodded in response to Gwen's last question, saltwater pooling in his eyes. He blinked it away but it fell across his face in straight lines.

 Brian diverted his attention back to the rest of the crew and wiped at his face, "Okay, I'm willing to take that, the question in my mind currently is what we can do if the Commander orders you to take us down. We don't know for sure that Gwen's powers will be able to protect us and if that's so, we'll be taking a hell of a risk since there's no easy way to take you out of the equation, nor anyone to lead the GTF if something happens to us. Though perhaps Black Magic will be a up to the task of meeting up with ITSDA concerning this emergency at the RIF. Any comments on that plan, Magic?"

 Brian was used to taking everything into account, including his own possible demise. The fact that he'd let slip that he wanted one of them to lead the GTF if anything happened to him was no small thing, but the matter-of-factly way he said it aloud spoke of his trust in his team.

(Edit: Sorry, wanted to finish a response for Gwen too.)
This message was last edited by the player at 08:05, Wed 14 Dec 2016.

Black Magic gave one of his customary bows to Brian.

"While I do take much pride in your confidence that I could run matters in your stead, and I know he would prefer to be out in the front lines with you, I would be remiss if I did not say that I too agree Mister Jackson should be the one to hold the keys to your kingdom should the unfortunate happen. To me he proved this during the battle four of us here shall always remember, when he let us into both combat and to victory. I do not have any such experience, nor do I have the wisdom of his years. As for The Commander's power, though I have not had mush call to use it I possess something the same. It is possible such will prevent me from falling to his influence, or perhaps not yet I find myself willing to take that risk."

Frank opened a corner of his mouth to say something, but it seemed he could find no rebuttal since he stepped back from the group. He looked at the faces before him, and let out a nicotine tainted sigh.

"Much as I hate to miss out on a good fight, you're right Magic Man and Egg Head; what the GTF stands for can only be truly understood by those who were there that night, we original four. For it to stay the course and become what we want, one of us needs to be in charge of it. I'm not much one for a desk job, and the ITSDA thought I couldn't lead a horse to water, but if this meeting goes south there's got to be someone to face The Commanders of tomorrow.

"OK Bri, log me into your fancy computer, and I'll try not to burn the place down until you get back...""\

The old man stopped speaking for a moment, and looked each person present directly in the eye.

<royalred>"...and you ARE coming back."<royalred>

 Brian sniffed putting his feelings away again as he tapped in access for Frank, "ok, we can stop with the pep talks now, we're almost there. JOHNNY, what's the situation from the air look like?"

 Johnny-5's voice came up again, slightly buffered sounding, a likely effect of spreading himself thinly, "there's a few vehicles outside the stadium, but that doesn't mean they're working. There's a dozen people in the center of the ruined structure, many of which are likely the hostages. Picking up a few hundred joules of Gift energy being used down there, whoever it is, is quite powerful."

 "Ok, Frank you're good to go on any frequency you choose, Johnny is able to connect you to whoever is necessary," Brian looked to the others and paused on Gwen, "how do you want to play this in Faye's absence? I don't think they know that she's gone, since they requested her by name."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:53, Mon 19 Dec 2016.

"I'd like to be honest," Gwen replied, eyes hardening. "Faye would have wanted honesty, to keep her staff safe and to set the story to right. Yet I'm not sure if it would be smart..." she hesitated. Thinking about the consequences of another party locating both Faye and her creation and using both of them for nefarious reasons set her teeth on edge. "I think I'll follow your lead." *Just remember, I have all the most important memories for the Ring locked in my head, just like you. It was the failsafe we insisted on. If lies are needed, we can make them convincing*"

The last was a final mental message to Brian, the connection fuzzing out as she stepped away from him and leaned against the bulkhead. It was the crumbtrail that Brian would be able to follow for access to all the impossible-to-comprehend quantum data that their past Combine had encoded into their memories. It would take him a while to work through it, but eventually he'd be able to understand the Ring and operate it. Included were Faye's memories and plans for her grav-lifters and -shifters, how she intended to industrialize and commercialize her power, and the math which worked behind Faye's power. That final gift would allow Brian to continue Faye's work in developing gravity and anti-gravity engines, as well as any other device he could think of that could make use of gravity manipulation.

This was Faye's legacy, her Will for the world: That every person could have the means to take to the sky and the universe beyond it, and find their own paradise. It was this perfect goal for humanity, this selfless giving of her Gifts and her time, that had been taken from the world. Gwen would make sure those people responsible would feel the void left behind by the assassination of such a person capable of investment of will and intent.

 As Gwen moved away from him, he gave her a shocked look, "...but."

 He pursed his lips, and nodded with a dawning smile. "Okay, main objective will be to get our people to safety, we only owe them that. Otherwise if this becomes about what the Commander wants us to do, up to and including his Gift, we can take this to the next level, all bets are off. We won't let him strong arm us into being his trained monkeys. Remember you have to hear the Commander's words in order for them to work...but he's probably not alone down there from Johnny's readings. So stay frosty."

 The plane came in fast and found an open area where the stadium parking used to be, aside from some rubble and old burned out cars, it was still useable. Using the craft's VTOL capabilities it set down without a runway. Brian picked up his climbing harness and his chameleon gloves for his only gear. "See ya later Frank, we'll give you a signal, not a radio band to hear us if we need anything and are ready for pickup, gotta separate these things when we're dealing with hypnotic voices."

Brian stepped out of the back of the beast and slapped the bulkhead twice for good measure before turning towards the stadium.

To Boura - Metropolitan Husk (Location 1)-------->

The sound of the helicopter blades chopping through the night air brought Cimmeria to calculative consciousness. She had been lost in thought, analyzing the strategy she had set up before they even boarded. Old Man Jenkins, Satsuki, and herself would jump from the ‘chopper and land upon Meta’s technological fortress. Though some intel had been gathered through Namidian Wave resources, Cimmeria was essentially entering blind. Under normal circumstances, she would hang back and gather more information, disguise herself and go into deep cover for a month. Her partners made her confident though. Their powers were built for offense, whereas Cimmeria had to be clever with her own in a fight.

Jenkins still wore the threadbare pink cardigan and khaki pants, he sat a crossed from Cim, his doll-like eyes staring through her. Satsuki piloted the helicopter, her katana propped up in the co-pilot seat.

“Arrival in two minutes ma’am.” Satsuki’s voice cut through the whirr of the blades.

Unsnapping her security harness, Cimmeria replied: “Follow the protocol we set up beforehand. You both know the plan. If you grow out of control Old Man, we will leave you. Understood?” Jenkin’s nodded with an odd rhythm, never taking his eyes off the teleporter. Cim got to her feet, grabbed a parachute off the wall, strapped it to her back and jumped out the open side of the ‘chopper. Jenkins followed her, not grabbing a pack. Alone in the cockpit, Satsuki angled the helicopter downwards, pointing it straight at Meta’s tower. In a blur she exited as well.

The trio fell from the sky like tiny meteorites. Below the helicopter crashed into the side of the tower with a small explosion. A fire started to spread, activating multiple alarms. Cimmeria meant for this to act as a distraction as they made their entrance through the roof. They landed on the roof, Cim’s parachute falling behind her like the train of wedding dress. Old Man Jenkin’s landed next to her with a sickening crunch, though he looked fine. Satsuki appeared beside out as if she just manifested from thin air.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:16, Wed 05 July 2017.

 As the trio landed on the rooftop, they felt the slight sway of the earthquake proof building support, the result of the explosive landing of the chopper. Ahead at the bay airlock low klaxons began to sound, the building began to awaken.

 Lucy came to full awareness while her rest cycle was still aborting it's defragmenting processes. She figuratively shook off the sleep and reached out to her sensors, polling each one for data...

~Incendiary explosion at levels 11, 12 and 14. Integrity holding at 93%~
 ~Fire suppression systems engaged.~
 ~Counting casualties...1~
 ~Kimberly Lance, Security contractor. Last reported on quarter-hourly rounds.
 ~New casualty detected(2): Jim Lee, Artist.~

 Elsewhere she responded to the few people still inside the building. "There has been a security breach on our building walls. Please make your way to the emergency lifts in the central axis of the building and report to the bunker sub-level. Security lockdown is engaging."

 Lights on the floors began to guide them towards emergency elevators that would take them to safety. It was mostly a few wayward youth and other workers still inside the building.

 Lucy winced, she had just said 'good night' to Kimberly. She dispatched drones the three levels, 11-14, to search the wreckage for bodies she may have missed on those floors and mind the VW bug sized hole in the wall. Examining debris under the fire suppression system, it appeared to be the husk of a helicopter strewn about, but mostly wrapped around the hole in the plasti-steel reinforcement, and still melting because of the heat of that burning fuel. The nearest drone began to overheat even though the fire was mostly out yet still had to take a back seat to the search as another cycled a safer distance away.

 Seconds later Lucy continued her vigilant sweeps...and was rewarded.
 ~Ping!~ Security protocol sensors have identified three powered signatures on the rooftop. Getting camera images...
  Gift analysis underway...Moving countermeasures to intercept.

Tom had retired last month. His firm had been hired to install some of the physical infrastructure of that new monstrosity erected lately and the cash had been more than enough to retire. Not just retire, but buy that boat he had always wanted and spend most days out on Puget Sound fishing his golden years away. So waht if he had retired around age 45 due to the windfall? Some people just got lucky.

He was jut swigging another pleasant mouthful of his favorite IPA when his line started to play our rapidly. Whatever was on the other side was huge and moving fast! He grabbed the rod and pulled hard to set the hook then mentally prepared for the game to commence. He loved this part of his hobby. The tension and patience it took to reel in the big fish was exciting, exhilirating.

Except, the line went slack. Whatever it was had moved toward the boat. He reeled in the line rapidly but the slack persisted. He was not reeling fast enough to keep up with it? Suddenly, his boat rocked as something hit it then his heart leaped into his mouth as a hand grasped the rail of his boat. It was followed quickly by a mop of dark hair, a lean tanned form, and a wolfish grin. The boy was wearing some kind of weird wetsuit filled with holes: some intentional and a few tears.

"Yo, pops, is this Seatt..."

The kids cocky mouth trailed off as he looked over Tom's shoulder. Tom followed the gaze to the massive tower he had helpoed construct.

"Wow! That thing's fucking massive. I guess this is the place. So, could you pull the hook outta my head, man? It's kinda harshin my buzz."

The youth indicated where Tom's hook had been set into his scalp. A trickle of blood mixed with the sea water trailing down the side of his face and Tom felt a bit faint. Still, he grabbed the needle-nose pliers out of his toolbox and set to work. A second later he dropped the hook to dangle from his pole and eed the wound. "YOu'll live, kid."

"Thanks, pops. A few years ago, I might have robbed you. Buuuut, don't want to mess up my agreement with ITSDA, do I?"

Thus said, the youth set a foot on the boat's rail, grinned again, and dove into the ocean. Tom peered for several long minutes but saw nothing. He scratched his head, shrugged, baited his hook again, and cast the reel one more time. "This time, let's just catch a salmon or some sea bass, fer chrissakes?"

The Seattle branch of the Red Scarves was doing well. Their assimilation of locals was swift and orderly, without so much as a shred of evidence left behind. They were actually ahead of schedule, the first branch to have a full roster of twenty-five. This was much to their liking, or so they dimly registered, deep within the shattered remains of their psyches. Now that they had this much, five of them were preparing to move to a new location and set up. However, the Seattle branch also needed a leader. A proper leader: A Red Scarf. The soldier-like Drones could only do so much: They needed someone with higher brain functions still intact. Only their leader could create one, and only if they were already Gifted.

So when their stolen, re-purposed Power Suppressor from the Prison detected a new Gifted in Seattle, specifically in the water, they had a moment of... well, the Drones were no longer people. They were hardly alive, by any standards. If their hearts could still beat, their pulse would have quickened. If their lungs still swelled with air, breathing might have become heavier. If they still felt emotion on the scale that any other human did, their mouths might have spread into excited grins... But they didn't. They simply knew that the hunt had begun.

And their prey would not escape them.

Myrtle Edwards Park was quaint enough. That was Jet's first thought as he waded out of the murky waters of Puget Sound into the vibrant area. It was certainly green in that way that only Seattle managed to maintain. Green despite the gray of the day. Jet grinned at a woman jogging by; at another time, Jet might have made a pass. Today, however, instead of locking on her very lovely curves, he stared hard at the hulking form of the Rainier Building.

Was that smoke coming out of the top?

He started to move south along a walking path toward the building even as he fended off more than a few suspicious looks. He was walking through a family park in a pretty beaten up wet suit. And said wet suit left little to imaginations. It wasn't indecent but perhaps he should consider buying something a bit more presentable before presenting himself?

Chuckling, Jet shook his head as it occurred to him that whatever cash he had had on hand was now at the bottom of the Atlantic and he hadn't bothered to stop and acquire any more. He had an actual bank account with more than a little funds now, but he had no idea how to access it. He was reluctant to resort to his old 'endless summer' ways at the moment though.

Sighing, he stopped someone and asked them where the nearest Good Will or equivalent was. A snotty answer later and he was strolling toward downtown Seattle whistling as he went.

Before the trio was the door that would grant them access to the stairwell. Technologies far superior to a simple lock sealed it shut. Cimmeria was an expert lockpick, but even her skills were no match for Meta's intellect. This would be an easy hurdle to cross none the less.

Satsuki drew her blade and seemingly vanished, her form reappearing before the now blown in door. It all happened so fast that the sound of metal crunching was secondary.

 Lucy considered her options as she heard herself play out over the intercomm system at higher than normal decibel level, basically blaring.

"ATTENTION ALL PERSONNEL! We are experiencing a security breach. You have four minutes to reach minimum safe distance."

 First things first, lets deactivate their Gifts.

 "Engaging nullifier fields at entrance level."
 "Monitoring the invaders progress with aerial drones"

 A low humming sounded in the hall where the trio found themselves following their brute force break in. However strangely they began to feel a tingle wash across their bodies as they passed into the building. The Nullifier fields had been activated, and now they would no longer be able to use their powers while the fields were active...except the physical manifestations, they took longer to deactivate.

"Bringing up Notepad.exe"

 Lucy began to take notes, it was the first combat test of the power defenses effectiveness.

 First Lucy decided to send in the riot gears. Two metal behemoths designed to take a beating, from a well armed norm and a Gifted one. They really looked like bulldozer chassis' with robotic parts on top. Their main purpose was to block any attempt to proceed into the building. They did this with large riot shields were set in front of the main body of the droids. Two of these bots were set side by side to block a hallway from advancement. Their plastisteel bodies made them tough hombres. Finally, they carried non-lethal rounds, designed to pummel and knock out, barrels of which were the only thing that penetrated their shields.

 Four of these soon appeared in the elevators and took their places ahead of the invader's advancement. Upon seeing the trio, they open fire...

 Behind them, a few minutes away was the Constructicons, a sarcastic nickname at the time of their creation, but also inspiration for their security functions, especially when designed to link together against particularly nasty Gifted.