Order And Chaos: A Superpower RP (Started, Closed)

[Baldrek]

Waldemar started absentmindedly whistling another familiar tune on his way towards the elevators, moving out of the way for a male employee carrying a tray that gave of the unmistakable smell of fresh toast. It seemed like there were always people going to and fro here on the residential floors, if it wasn't the supers themselves it was the personnel entrusted with taking care of them. At this particular time of day they seemed to have a single oft repeated duty, that of getting breakfast to the various meta humans living here. Sometimes he found himself wondering if he might do just as much good working for Seraphim in the usual sense rather than as a superhero, which he still found to be a ridiculous job title to be honest. Though he wouldn't be any good as standard staff, he didn't really have a very service minded attitude, or so he had been told. But working as a medical staffer would probably work out fine.

He stopped and contemplated this a little bit more, he didn't really want to stop helping Seraphim as a super, but he did have a lot of free time. He guessed that if he presented his credentials and received the proper training like the rest of the medical staff he could be of some use during his off hours as well. It could work, and it would help him keep his doctoring sharp as well. Though there might possibly be a bit more red tape to get through than just 'give papers and you're in'. He might for example need to get an American doctors license issued first, among other things.

Deciding to pay the Hospital section a visit later in the day, Waldemar stopped in front of the elevator and pressed the button, waiting just a couple of seconds for it to arrive. Entering it and pressing the button for the training floor he wondered if he had improved at all with his firearm, he would have to correlate his score today with the previous ones he had logged. He liked to write them down, it gave him something concrete to aim for, to improve on, and it also let him see his progress and ask for advice if something seemed off. And at least to start with things were frequently off, but one of the Seraphim staff up at the range had kindly pointed out his mistakes and helped him with that.

As the elevator stopped on the training floor, he exited and went straight for the range, showing his ID to the security guard before being let in. Once inside he looked around to see if Lynne was around, who was the aforementioned Seraphim employee who sometimes helped him while supervising the range. However, it didn't seem like she was here today, though that didn't surprise him, she seemed to generally work in the afternoons after all.

Picking out an empty range, of which there were many this early in the day, Waldemar opened the aluminum case he had brought along and retrieved a pistol and a notebook from it before setting it down out of the way. He then proceeded to press the intercom button and ask for a couple of cases of ammunition, putting on his ear protection and the safety glasses as he waited for them to arrive. Once they had he put on his leather gloves and got to work, scribbling his score into the notebook as he trained.

 

[socialtangent]

'Awesome!'

The new outfit Kurt had ordered from Seraphim R&D was perfect. Everything was brand new, save for his leather jacket. It took a while to remove the blood stains, but there was no way he was going to throw it out. He had a new shirt, this one a darker shade of grey than the last one, and made of a thicker, more sturdy fabric. Underneath the shirt, he had new protective padding. It wasn't precisely Kevlar and the exact name eluded him, but it protected him from his upper chest down to his waist and R&D reassured him it was rated highly against small-caliber firearms and knives. Perhaps the most incredible thing about it was that it was so light. Normally, ballistic protection of this quality would be thick and heavy, but this padding didn't impede Kurt's movement in the slightest.

In addition, he had a new mask. It was of the same design as his old one, but more sleek and streamlined. It made him look less like a paintball player and more of an actual, serious crimefighter. Kurt couldn't help but admire his new look in the mirror and feel a little invigorated. For the first time in his career as Spectre, he actually looked sort of badass. At least, he thought so. While he was riding on the sudden surge of confidence, he contemplated going back to the R&D desk to see if Natalie was still there. Maybe it was just him, but he felt like they were hitting it off pretty well. Sure, they only had brief conversations when Kurt came to check on his requests, but he was convinced there was something between them. The thought had been lingering in the back of his mind for a while. Since today was looking to be an uneventful one, now as good a time as any to give it a shot.

'Ask her out for some coffee. No harm in that, is there?'

Kurt changed out of his gear and threw on a black shirt and some jeans. He put his hand on the door knob and took a deep breath.

'Just two adults having a social gathering after work. Not a date. Don't call it a date.'

He exited the room, locking the door behind him. As he turned to head to the elevator, he noticed someone hefting a couple of boxes into a room. A newcomer, perhaps? Curious, Kurt approached the doorway. Inside was a man who looked approximately his age setting the boxes in the empty room. Kurt knocked on the wall.

"Hey there. Moving in?"

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

"Miss Dehannsen, please come in."

Arlana stepped through the door, currently in her true, Gargoyle form, her wings folded over her new armor. She had been very impressed with the technosorcery that they had come up with in the laboratories. She had requested a suit of armor that she could carry with her while in her Human form without it being obvious and without difficulty. What they had come up with was incredible. They had called it Living Metal. While it was quite heavy, in her Human form it was contained along the strongest muscles of her back, making it a negligible burden compared to the benefits. It was easily removed when she did not desire to bear it, as well.

When deployed, however, the metal would cover her body from throat to toe, forming into small, flexible silvery scales over her body. She didn't have a helmet as yet - apparently getting the metal to form holes for breathing and sight was problematic - but it was quite effective for both retaining her modesty and making her far more intimidating in battle. Plus the metal was more resilient than her flesh.

She wasn't happy about being dragged into this meeting, though. Just before this she had been informed that the Lance she had requested had finally been completed by the Armory and she was eager to see what they had come up with.

"Please sit down."

She started to sit.

"Um, could you transform back into your Human form?"

"Not right this second..."

"Then maybe you should stand."

She remained standing, staring down at the accountant.

"Miss Dehannsen, I'll be blunt." She had to give it to the little, weedy, balding man - he had stones. She knew and she suspected he knew that she could squash his head like a grape, and here he was dressing her down. The mind of a lawyer and the heart of a lion. Ah, Humans. "Your behavior as an agent of Seraphim has been...spotty. While your dedication and courage are not in question, your zealousness is a bit...much. If I may recite some files...April 3rd, you shattered a mugger's jaw and four ribs. April 9th, you threw a rock at a purse snatcher so hard it had to be surgically removed from his abdomen. April 15th, you...oh, God. Let's skip that one." He closed the file and flipped open another one.

"This one is probably the most...off. You jumped on a man, breaking his collarbone, two ribs, and his femur apprehending him for the crime of dine and dash."

"Ah, yes."

She remembered the scene well, flying over the city. The cries of "Stop, thief!" Below her, and a man stumbling out of the bathroom window of Matilda's Fine Dining, his pants around his ankles as he fled the scene of his crime, the bereaved businesswoman yelling and chasing after him, but unable to pursue and bring justice to the thieving vagabond with her fat, short legs. Arlana had descended from the sky like a hunting falcon, smashing him to the ground and giving the owner the thirteen dollars and nine cents she was rightly owed. It was only a small thing, but it was a little piece of justice restored.

"Righteous punishment."

"Does the phrase 'proportionate response' mean anything to you?"

"Proportionate response...no."

"No." The man sighed and took a drink from his coffee mug, rubbing his shiny, balding head. "Miss Dehannsen, I genuinely appreciate your enthusiasm for the pursuit of law and justice, but maybe you could let these trivial crimes go and just focus on things like bank robberies and supervillainy?"

"And just let muggers go?"

"Well, no, obviously, but you could just grab them and give them to the cops. They're no threat to you."

"They're a threat to everything. Law and Order must be maintained. Justice is blind, is it not? And the response to these crimes should likewise be blind."

"...Look, Miss Dehannsen, let's just give it a try. You'll get more rest and be more prepared to fight the true threats if you allow our police forces to do their jobs. They're quite competent, I assure you."

She paused for a moment, contemplating. "Very well, Sir Gibson. I will allow your men to do their work. But I will be watching them closely."

"...Excellent. Thank you, Miss Dehannsen." As Arlana left, Gibson facepalmed.

After leaving Gibson's office, she headed for the elevator, heading up towards the research and development division.

 

[CounterAttack]

Just as Mark set down one of the last suitcases to unpack, he heard a knock on the wall next to his door and a voice.

"Hey there. Moving in?"

He straightened up and turned to face the speaker, leaning up against the door's frame. It was a guy much like himself, though he wore his hair longer than Mark did and the traceur tended not to wear heavier clothes like jeans. They weighed you down when you wanted to move quickly, which was his MO.

"Yeah, my friend and I just finished up the application interview a short while back," he answered. "Name's Mark Robinson. I don't really have any powers to speak of, though. Just my parkour training. The real 'hero', I guess you could say, is this guy here." He held up his right hand, indicating Talsper's ring on his finger. "Talsper Rekuhai, a six-hundred-year-old mage from another plane of reality." He wasn't boasting or anything - Mark wasn't inclined to do so - just stating the facts.

 

[socialtangent]

"Talsper Rekuhai, a six-hundred-year-old mage from another plane of reality."

'A six hundred year old wha?'

Kurt's eyes drifted to the ring. It might as well had been glowing white hot, if his "ghost sense" had anything to say about it. Mark wasn't lying, there definitely was a spirit confined to the ring. And something about its presence was different. Kurt had encountered enough denizens of the spirit realm to tell that this 'Talsper' definitely wasn't from there.

"That's definitely...something," he thought aloud before catching himself. "Sorry. The name's Kurt. Even if you didn't tell me about that ring, I would've asked you about it anyway. To make it short, I'm in tune with the spirits. I can tell when one's around." Kurt pointed to the ring. "You can see where I'm going with this."

 

[CounterAttack]

"Hmm... spirits, eh? I wouldn't know about that..." Mark trailed off, unsure of how best to explain. [color=007FFF]Art thou stuck for words?[/color] Talsper inquired, having been listening in on the conversation.

"Not stuck, just... not really sure where to begin," Mark answered, speaking aloud for Kurt's benefit.

[color=007FFF]Then begin at the beginning, and we shalt see where the tale endeth.[/color]

"Alright..." Mark refocused his attention on Kurt. "Talsper isn't really a spirit, per se. His mind was trapped inside the ring by enchantments, as punishment for a crime he didn't commit. His home plane, Eniadan, is full of magical power, called the Aura, and people who can harness it," he added to explain the mention of enchantments. "The ring was thrown out of Eniadan by a... a gate, he calls it, and it landed here on Earth. I found the ring when I was out on a run. It was a while before I tried it on and understood its purpose... it all sounds a bit like the plot to one of those comic-book movies, only it's real." Mark couldn't remember the movie's name, but continued speaking anyway.

"Anyone wearing the ring can communicate with Talsper telepathically, and given a minute or so they can switch places with him to give him control over their body," he continued. "So if he were in control, I would be inside the ring. It's not entirely confining, though. It's like... looking over your own shoulder while someone else moves you around."

 

[Lambi]

Two weeks had passed now since he'd gone outside. He had found out just how long he could last without a charge in those two weeks when he thought to test it and went without a charge until he really needed it. He didn't want the same thing to happen to him, however he didn't have much in the lab for waterproofing himself. "

We thought there was something usable here, but apparently we thought wrong. These useless scientists didn't think of waterproofing their equipment? How idiotic of them. But we will prevail. Who says we have to go near water? We will just keep our distance.

" His monologue over with, he thought over everything he needed. He got everything except being waterproof, so it was time to head outside again.

Fresh air. Or it would be weren't it for what these humans had done to it. He'd complained about it before, but it bore repeating. This time, perhaps he would stay a bit lower than the first time he'd gone outside. Not that it would be easy for him, considering he looked nothing like a human. He didn't want to look different. He was superior in every way. He was his own race. The only terminology he could think of was cyborg, but it mattered not what race he called himself. All that mattered was showing these other people who was on top, who was the best, who was the ruler.

"

Oh, this will be fun.

" he said in his monotone voice without any facial expressions as he walked towards New York. People looked towards him and wondered just who that strange person was, why he was naked and whether this was some strange cosplay. A couple of idiots approached him and started to harass him. "What's up with your outfit, weirdo? You some kind of nudist or something?"

He just turned his head towards them and grabbed one of them by their throats. He wasn't strong enough to lift them, but he was strong enough to hold the person and not allow them to be released. "

We are beings far more advanced than you ever will be. Now suffer for your words, insolent maggot.

" He spread a disease through the person's skin, a disease which made his skin feel like it was burning all over, a pain that couldn't be taken away and wouldn't kill the person. This time, Virus didn't make the disease spread through air or touch when it would attract too much attention, but he let the person go as they screamed in pain, running off towards who knew where just to find a way to relieve the pain. "

A festering disease on the planet. That is what you are, and that is what you deserve to get in return.

" He wasn't walking anymore since everyone was running away from him.

He ran quickly towards another person, grabbing them and spreading another disease, this time it was one that liquefied their bones slowly so they would feel every ounce of pain and be unable to do anything about it. Another person was grabbed and given a disease that made them continuously vomit without a break, not stopping until there were no other fluids to vomit out. This is what happened to those who would dare leave a stain on the planet, those who were responsible for what happened to him, who made him what he now was. Or so he assumed, because he wouldn't have done this to himself.
[hr]
With the letter in hand, Christopher knew he had to assemble a team to go where the monster had been sighted. He took the CD and played it on his computer. It played out the broadcasts that had been mentioned in the letter, and sure enough, there were mentions of some large monster or a leviathan. What kind of team would be best to send to it, he wondered.

As he did, he got a call on his phone from one of his scanners. He picked it up and held it against his ear. "What have you seen?" he asked. "We've spotted some kind of thing in the south part of the city which is apparently causing everyone to receive some kind of pain. We believe he's doing something that involves coming in contact with others." Christopher thanked him for the report and hung up. Now he needed to make two teams. How in the world was he going to do that?

After a moment of thought, he picked up his phone and dialed three numbers, for Markus, Justin and Kurt. He gave them the following message. "Markus, Justin and Kurt. Or respectively, Faraday, Brainstorm and Spectre. I have a mission for you three to deal with. All of you, head towards the roof of Seraphim. You are to take a helicopter from there to the North Atlantic to take care of a leviathan that's causing trouble over there. The pilot in the helicopter will know where to go."

He hung up, then dialed the next three numbers for Arlana, Waldemar and Mark. "Arlana, Waldemar and Mark. I'm sending you three on a mission to the south of the city. Someone seems to be spreading something amongst the citizens that's causing them severe pain. I need you all to deal with the threat and take it out. Waldemar and Mark, a car and a driver will be provided for you to take towards the south of New York where Arlana should meet you." He hung up again and sat back in his chair, putting his phone away. Hopefully the two teams would be able to dispatch of the two threats.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

Arlana stepped into the laboratory. "I was called, I believe?"

One of the technicians straightened up from his work, removing a sparking implement from a massive rifle as tall as Arlana with a barrel large enough for her to stick her arm into. "Ah, Arlana. We had a little trouble with your request."

"Really? After the armor I would not have thought a simple spear would have been difficult for you."

"Difficult? No, the spear wasn't difficult. But ma'am, I like to think of myself as an artist, not just a forgemaster. We had to work out a way to give it a little more flair, a little more je ne sais quois."

"What is je ne sais quois?"

"I don't know what."

"You don't know what it is and you said it?"

"No, it's..." The technician paused, looked at the Gargoyle. "Nevermind." He picked up a case from one of the lockers and set it on a table, flipping it open. "What do you think?"

Arlana looked into the case, cocking an eyebrow at what was within. It was a sword - an extremely large greatsword in Human hands, although in her grasp it would be wieldable with either one or both hands with relative ease. While it wasn't overly decorated, the craftsmanship was undeniable, the blade a shining, brightly polished silver with edges that were visibly razor sharp. It looked to be entirely steel, or some kind of cousin metal to it. The grip was coated in some kind of hard black substance with a pebbled texture that fit comfortably in her hand and didn't slip.

"Mark."

"Nathan."

"Right, Nathan. I asked for a spear."

"Ah!" He held out his hand for it. "If I may?"

She gave him a quizzical look, but nodded, handing over the weapon. He took it with some difficulty, putting the point into the floor before twisting and pulling the hilt. Before her eyes the hilt lengthened. "It's a variable length hilt You can reduce it down so that it only fits one hand, or extend it up to ten feet, giving you a total of a little over fifteen feet of reach. Don't think you'll need that much often, but this was no trouble." He handed the weapon back to her, and she manipulated the length, sliding it back and forth. "Primary body is crafted out of a new steel alloy. The grip is telescopic, hollow rods, made of the same substance after being coated in a thin layer of Darwin Bark Spider silk. I won't tell you it's unbreakable - nothing is - but you don't have the strength to damage it, we tested it on quite a lot. Came out more or less without a scratch. Let us see it after some hard combat, though, we might have to reapply the Graphene layer. Twist the length to unlock it, pull to adjust length, twist again to lock it."

She quickly found herself becoming adept at rapidly changing the length. This was a marvelous weapon, she wished she could have had something like this before. Able to transition from fighting with a pike to a half-spear to a sword with just a movement of a hand. Give her a few hours to practice and she would be death on the wind.

"Forgive my doubt. You've outdone yourself once again. Thank you."

Nathan turned a little red and scratched his head. "It was nothing. Happy to help. Hey, um..."

Her earpiece buzzed. "Pardon me. Duty calls." She tapped her ear. "Arlana here."

"Arlana, Waldemar and Mark. I'm sending you three on a mission to the south of the city. Someone seems to be spreading something amongst the citizens that's causing them severe pain. I need you all to deal with the thread and take it out. Waldemar and Mark, a car and a driver will be provided for you to take towards the south of New York where Arlana should meet you."

"I'm on my way." She tapped her earpiece, then sprinted out of the lab, heading for roof access. She tapped her earpiece again. "Patch me through to Waldemar and Mark." Once the operator had complied and she was patched through, she spoke. "This is Arlana, I'm on my way to roof access."

 

[Arcanist]

Marcus awoke to the harsh sound of his phone ringing, his head still swimming and his limbs heavy as though somebody had replaced them with lead analogues. The last couple of weeks hadn't been pleasant - he'd spent many sleepless nights awake in Seraphim's tech labs working on his latest device or scouting out possible coaches for hand-to-hand combat training. The beating he received on his last mission was unacceptable - his incompetence had put his teammates in danger. If he couldn't protect them, at the very least, his reason for joining Seraphim was moot at best.

Turning to his nightstand, he sluggishly picked up his phone, only to snap to attention when he saw the name on the caller ID.

'Adelbert.'

Accepting the call and placing the phone to his ear, he listened to the message with rapt attention:

"Markus, Justin and Kurt. Or respectively, Faraday, Brainstorm and Spectre. I have a mission for you three to deal with. All of you, head towards the roof of Seraphim. You are to take a helicopter from there to the North Atlantic to take care of a leviathan that's causing trouble over there. The pilot in the helicopter will know where to go."

'The north Atlantic?' He couldn't help but groan. Why did fate insist on having him fight enemies near water? 'Good thing I prepped the Capacitor. I get the feeling we won't have many power sources out there...' Hauling himself out of bed, he snatched a doughnut from his fridge before slinging on his gear and dashing out the door. Stepping into the elevator, he pressed the button signifying roof access and leaned back, waiting for the elevator to do its magic. He took the break as an opportunity to calibrate his suite and reflect on his new teammate.

'I know Justin, but I've yet to meet this 'Spectre'. I certainly hope he can take a punch...'

 

[Pm0n3y]

As expected of Justin, his shower lasted a considerably lengthy amount of time. A wall of residue steam billowed out of the bathroom as he stepped out, coating the wall adjacent with precipitation. With one towel draped around his waist, another, smaller one, was used to tussle his hair dry. Only once he moved into the living room, did he notice the sound of a hand rapping against the entrance of his house. Justin could only assume it was his breakfast. Answering the door, sure enough, a man dressed in a staff uniform presented Justin his meal, a fairly large (yet classily embellished) metal tray balanced on a free hand. Reliving the staff member of his duties, Justin took hold of the tray himself with both hands, taking a few steps back before promptly kicking the door shut.

"Aww yehh. Breakfast time." He yipped to himself, migrating to the couch. With the tray set down on the table ahead of him, he began to dig in. As he ate, however, he caught glimpse of his company phone. A LED light blinked on its surface, indicating that he had a voice message. "Must've missed a call when I was in the shower." As the screen came to life, he grimaced as he realized who the call was coming from, the big guy himself. "Dammit Chris, today was gonna be my day off..." He reluctantly played the message, his own comments sprinkled throughout.

"Markus, Justin and Kurt. Or respectively, Faraday, Brainstorm and Spectre."

"Ugh. I was hoping he wouldn't actually use that name..."

"I have a mission for you three to deal with. All of you, head towards the roof of Seraphim."

"Well...okay...that's different..."

"You are to take a helicopter from there to the North Atlantic..."

"Wha...what?"

"...to take care of a leviathan that's causing trouble over there."

"WHAT?!"

"The pilot in the helicopter will know where to go."

"NONONONO, you just don't end it like that, Chris! WHAT?!?"

The message ended. Justin was in a stupor. Eyes bulged wide and mouth left agape as his mission briefing settled into his mind. It sounded like something big. Something he wasn't expecting. Something he was hilariously unprepared for. "W-well, as long as I get paid at the end of the day..." He tried to reassure himself. His heart bumped rapidly in his chest as he got dressed. He reached for his goggles and kerchief after putting on his jacket.

"Well, at least now i'll be able to see how the Awe works against giant sea monsters." He murmured as he put his bookbag on, the glove sliding on over his dominant hand. The company phone was the last thing he grabbed before departing from the loft. As he began towards the elevator, he flipped one of the switches that were present on the Awe's wrist-mounted console. As it quietly whirred to life, Justin could almost feel the electricity surging through his fingers.

"Kinda wish I had some more free time these past weeks, this thing doesn't look intimidating at all." He mumbled in a grump. As the elevator opened for him, he powered down the gauntlet before stepping in, not trying to cause any sort of accident. With that, the elevator rose to the roof level.

 

[socialtangent]

Usually, Kurt would have been skeptical about Mark's story. But after he, who could talk to ghosts and shoot ectoplasm, fought a man using high-tech holograms with the assistance of a supernaturally skilled marksman doctor and a Gargoyle, anything sounded plausible. An extra-planar mind bound to a ring worn by a free runner was sane by comparison.

"Well, that's definitely something." He paused. "Sorry, I've seen a lot of odd things and I've only been here for a few weeks. Where'd you get the ring anywa-"

Kurt's phone rang. With a mumbled apology, he pulled the device out of his pocket and answered it.

"...Faraday, Brainstorm and Spectre. I have a mission for you three to deal with. All of you, head towards the roof of Seraphim. You are to take a helicopter from there to the North Atlantic to take care of a leviathan that's causing trouble over there. The pilot in the helicopter will know where to go."

Kurt stared at his phone for a moment in disbelief. Did Christopher mean what he thought he meant? Because Kurt was pretty sure that 'leviathan' meant 'giant sea monster.' "This job just gets weirder every day," he mumbled. He looked back up at Mark. "Duty calls. Catch you around," he said quickly as he sprinted back to his room to gear up.

'Fight giant sea monster. Then ask Natalie out for coffee. Solid plan.'

In little time at all, he was in uniform and on the elevator heading for the roof. When he reached the roof level, Kurt spotted the helicopter waiting at one of the several helipads. At least, he thought it was a helicopter. The aircraft was something straight out of a science fiction film, resembling a cross between a helicopter and an airplane. It had no rotors, instead boasting thrusters on both wings. Kurt let out a low whistle as he approached the aircraft. Seraphim was not just ahead of the curve, they had a running start.

 

[CounterAttack]

Mark could hear Kurt's phone ringing when it started up. The other agent mumbled something before he answered it. It sounded like a one-sided conversation, since Kurt didn't say anything until he hung up. "Duty calls. Catch you around." He quickly dashed off somewhere, probably back to his own apartment.

Within seconds Mark heard a noise in his apartment. "What the -?" A cellphone's ringtone was playing. He hurried inside and found the source of the disturbance: a smartphone, presumably one left there for him to use. On the screen was displayed:

Incoming Call: C. Adelbert

.

A call from the boss, already? Seems Kurt's not the only one who's needed. Mark picked up the call, holding the device to his ear. "Arlana, Waldemar and Mark. I'm sending you three on a mission to the south of the city. Someone seems to be spreading something amongst the citizens that's causing them severe pain. I need you all to deal with the threat and take it out. Waldemar and Mark, a car and a driver will be provided for you to take towards the south of New York where Arlana should meet you."

The call abruptly clicked off on Christopher's end. Mark hung up as well and tucked the phone into his pocket. He didn't normally carry a phone, but it would have to do until he found an earpiece, or something else that allowed him to keep his hands free in case he was running during a call. "Looks like we've got some sort of mission to deal with..." Quickly he shoved the last couple of suitcases inside the door, shut it and briefly looked over his options to reach the ground floor. Not wanting to keep anyone waiting, he promptly threw open the door to a staircase and began to hurry downwards. Elevators were so slow and confining.

"So, it seems we are being thrown into the ferazhet already," Talsper commented.

"The what?"

"'Fire storm', I suppose thou couldst say. It is a test of strength, valour and courage in the face of the unknown."

"Perhaps. Whoever this... pain-causer is, we gotta be careful that we don't get caught in whatever he's doing to the public. No rushing headlong into a fight," Mark stated as he opened the door to the ground floor - it had taken just over a couple of minutes to reach the right door - and began making his way to the parking space outside. "Especially since we didn't get a chance to pick up that armour Christopher mentioned. That could be a problem."

"Indeed. And we know not how these people acteth in the field. We may be the weak rune on the gate."

 

[Baldrek]

Waldemar had just returned from the range to his apartment and was in the process of removing his jacket when his phone started ringing. Picking up the device and pressing the button to receive the call, he wasn't exactly surprised when he heard Christopher's voice on the other end.

"Arlana, Waldemar and Mark. I'm sending you three on a mission to the south of the city. Someone seems to be spreading something amongst the citizens that's causing them severe pain. I need you all to deal with the threat and take it out. Waldemar and Mark, a car and a driver will be provided for you to take towards the south of New York where Arlana should meet you."

Another job, this time against some unknown threat that seemed to be causing pain to civilians. Waldemar sighed, he wished he had more information to go on than that, but it seemed like jumping into the unknown was going to be a staple for this position at Seraphim. With any luck though as villains were encountered Seraphims knowledge of them would increase, which would be reflected in better preparation from the supers, but for now it was more of a 'take what you can get' sort of situation.

Deciding that he had to hurry at any rate, Waldemar got dressed in the fatigues that he had used for the last mission, donned the body armor that had yet to be sufficiently tested in the field, and put on the balaclava and safety glasses to protect his identity. To finish up his getup he unlocked the gun locker and retrieved his equipment harness and the second aluminum case from inside. The harness went on and the two firearms from the cases, pistol and rifle, were secured with the other gear as he took off, grabbing the backpack containing his medical supplies and shouldering it on his way out.

Ready for another mission, or at least as ready as he felt he was going to get, he hurried to the express elevator and soon found himself exiting the Seraphim lobby towards a waiting vehicle, a driver clad in a Seraphim uniform standing by to greet him and whoever this Mark fellow turned out to be. With any luck though he wouldn't be as green as Waldemar felt in this job, one prior mission and two weeks of training didn't exactly make him a professional at this. But at least Arlana would be backing them up at this mission as well, she had seemed capable, if a bit straightforward in her approach. But seeing as he was utterly useless at close quarters it was a relief to have someone like her on board.

Clenching the rifle in both hands he nodded in greeting to the driver as he turned towards the lobby and waited for Mark, with the time he had used to get his gear in order he couldn't be far behind.

 

[Pm0n3y]

Eventually, Justin breached the roof level of the organization's skyscraper. Being up that high warranted a cool breeze, causing a shiver to pass through the wiry male. He sighed, still quite bothered at the whole job that he had to do. "Man, I'm getting cold just being up here! How the fuck am I supposed to be of any use near goddamn Canada, when i'll be freezing so hard I won't be able to think straight?" He thought. Looking ahead, he realized another man was up here, seeming to take admiration in the aircraft Adelbert called a 'helicopter'.

"But that's not a helicopter, it looks nothing like a helicopter! It looks more like VTOL." The more he looked at the vehicle, the more he showed a similar look of admiration. "...But high tech-er, and about seventy-five percent more badass looking than that *****-mode pussy repellent the military call the V-22!" He walked up to the man as he talked, crossing his arms as he did so. He stopped where his teammate stood, and got a good look at his face. Telling by the man's featureless face mask, he knew he wasn't addressing Faraday, and he wasn't wearing anything that would designate him as the aircraft's pilot.

"You're our third? I'm Justin. I hope you got some shit up your sleeve that can take out a sea monster, cuz' we're gonna need it." He told the man simply with a questioning eyebrow. He half-figured if Adelbert was to send these three out to sea to take out a legend, then at least one of the three would look somewhat intimidating. By the way Justin saw it, this definitely was not the case. The boy let out a sigh as he gave a look back towards the craft.

"We'reeeee doomed." He added with a slouch.

 

[CounterAttack]

Mark soon reached the exit to the Seraphim building. Waiting for him outside a car was a man kitted out in what looked like some sort of combat gear, carrying a rifle in his hands and a pack over his shoulder. Mark felt rather under-dressed for the mission, compared to the older man's choice of apparel.

It was probably best to establish some sort of chain of command, given Mark's inexperience as a Seraphim operative. "Hey there. You must be the Waldemar that Christopher mentioned," he greeted the man as he stepped up to the car door. "Mark Robinson. Um... I'm new to Seraphim, so I guess I should defer to you and, um, Arlana, on who does what." That goes for you too, Talsper.

Naturally.

"So yeah. You look like you're geared up for a fight... gonna be honest here, that's not a strength of mine," Mark continued. "I mean, I can hang back and help from a distance, but I'm not about to jump into a fight like some other people might do."

 

[Baldrek]

Waldemar nodded in greeting as Mark approached the vehicle, though the only real way to recognize his new ally was from the way he had ran towards the car straight as an arrow, as he looked remarkably like any other pedestrian. He listened intently as the other man introduced himself, but couldn't help but mentally remark 'Well, so much for luck then' when the other super mentioned that he was also a new arrival here at Seraphim.

"Good to meet you Mark, I'm Waldemar Abel, a doctor and also a marksman, apparently." He replied to Mark's introduction, not reaching his hand out to him as he'd rather keep his grip on the rifle for now. "And you and I will probably be working together then, no good at straight up fighting either, no fancy powers protecting me so I prefer to stay back. But we better continue this en route." He remarked as he opened the door closest to him and got into the vehicle, always keeping a hand on the rifle to ensure that he got synchronized with it quickly, or whatever one might call it.

The driver waited until both supers were inside the car before setting off towards their destination in the south of the city, and seeing as they would be told once they had arrived Waldemar thought it best to find out a bit more about Mark, and maybe mention Arlana to him as well if he had yet to meet her. "Anyway, now that we're on our way I guess I'll fill you in on what I can do, and a bit about Arlana too, if you've yet to meet her. I'm primarily a doctor, or I was I guess, that's got nothing to do with my superpower by the way." He told Mark as the car sped through the streets, giving a little 'humph' afterwards as an indication that he didn't quite like the term 'superpower'. "My power makes me capable of mastering a weapon I'm in contact with over the course of half an hour, or thereabouts. Means that a formerly useless civilian like me can become a master marksman in that time, other than that I have more sensitive hearing and sight, and above average reflexes. That's about it though, other than that I'm just as vulnerable as any other middle aged person."

Shifting his grip on the rifle and opening the balaclava to reveal his face for now he continued. "Oh, and about what you said earlier, about 'deferring to me'. You certainly don't have to, I'm older than you but I've only been here two weeks now, so I'm about as green as you. Arlana, she's a gargoyle or something along those lines by the way, has apparently done this for a while, so she's got experience with this kind of operation. So I'm pretty sure that makes her the leader, if you were looking for one."

 

[CounterAttack]

"Right... this is my first day here, so I have no idea what the standard operating procedure is for... well, pretty much everything. I figure it'd be easier to have someone telling me what to do rather than try to figure it out on my own and make a train-wreck of the situation," Mark answered, before turning to the subject of powers.

"I suppose I should fill you in on what I can do..." He used a similar explanation to the one he had given Kurt: it was easier to go through the same motions for everyone rather than try and explain it a different way each time. "I myself am a traceur: I use parkour training to get around. In combat, I let my friend here take over." He briefly removed his glove to show Waldemar his ring. "This ring is an enchanted artifact from another plane of reality. It's designed to contain a living being's mind and magical talents. Inside the ring is a man named Talsper Rekuhai: he takes over during a fight. Spellcasting is easily more effective in combat than freerunning," he explained.

Perhaps thou couldst integrate some form of martial combat into thine abilities, Talsper commented in Mark's head.

"It might be easier to give you the full explanation when we're not heading into the middle of a crisis..." he added as an afterthought. "Speaking of which, um... Driver?" he asked the woman behind the wheel.

"Lanette. Did you need something?"

"You don't happen to know anything about this guy you're taking us to, would you?" Mark queried.

"Sorry, I don't know all that much. Christopher did mention that this kind of attack is unusual for a supervillain. Although in my experience this isn't the first time people have attacked the general populace for no real reason," Lanette answered.

"Hmm... Thanks anyway." Mark turned back to Waldemar. "Guess we're jumping in blind, more or less."

 

[Baldrek]

"Looks that way, can't say I'm happy about it, but no use complaining now. At least Seraphim can pick up all these people quickly when they start moving." Waldemar replied to Mark, apparently thinking the last bit out loud. He'd listened to what Mark could do, and frankly he'd been a bit surprised. He'd seen quite a bit of odd powers and their sources during his two weeks at Seraphim but an extra dimensional person trapped in a piece of jewelry was stretching his imagination a bit. Luckily he wouldn't have to wrap his head around just how that worked, that was Mark's, and this Talsper's, problem. As long as it worked that was more than good enough for him.

"We're approaching the area where the latest reports have originated." Lanette told the two of them from the front of the vehicle. "I'll be dropping you off a short distance from the latest report, get ready."

Waldemar nodded in response and pulled down his balaclava again to obscure his face, always being careful to have contact with his weapon, couldn't afford to reset his ability now after all. Turning to Mark as the vehicle stopped and the doors unlocked he nodded once before getting out into the street, looking around for anything immediately suspicious. Luckily it seemed like they had gotten off in a relatively safe location, which is to say that cries of agony and pain could be heard from not too far off. Figuring that they'd be given direction towards the perpetrator from either the Seraphim central or Arlana from her higher vantage point, Waldemar started walking towards the screams, taking the time to call Arlana before he and Mark was in the thick of it. "Arlana, this is Waldemar, me and Mark are close to where the villain was last sighted. Are you in the vicinity? Better, can you see the villain?"

 

[socialtangent]

"You're our third? I'm Justin. I hope you got some shit up your sleeve that can take out a sea monster, cuz' we're gonna need it."

"I'm Kurt. And I was kinda hoping one of us would have an ace in the hole, too. Between the three of us, we'll figure something out. Hopefully."

Justin looked towards the aircraft, back to Kurt, and let out an exasperated sigh. "We'reeeee doomed."

Kurt gave a sigh of his own and removed his mask. He figured that giving a face to his voice might help. "C'mon, that's not an attitude that's going to help us at all." He paused. "Although, to be fair, I'm not sure how we're going to take down a giant sea monster."

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

"I'm not far from you now, Waldemar." She paused over the location, beating her wings twice to keep her stationary, then angled herself and tucked them back, dropping from the sky like a stone, only to extend them a heartbeat before reaching the ground, lifting her briefly before she dropped to the ground - managing to not break through the ceiling of the building she landed on.

"I don't see anything yet. Going to descend to ground level." She gripped her weapon, currently shortened to be a two-handed sword, and dropped off the building to the pavement with a loud thump on impact.