Chapter 2: Don't Feed the Animals

"Seeing as we missed our 'talk'." Marcus said a she moved the chair close to Zeru. "You want to have that talk now and Frank me boy, before you head to study your void can you wake Bell." Marcus asked him before turning to Zeru again.

"I forget what talk you mention but sure. I wouldn't mind having a talk. Do you want me to go check on Bella first or do you want to talk first?" Urthus asked, looking at Marcus with a curious expression.

"Of course," the nurse said. She stepped outside and a heartbeat later, Chris came rushing into the room. It was definitely a repeat performance as she tackled James back into the bed with a vicious bear hug, nearly sobbing into his neck. "Gpddammit James!" she swore, the words muffled against his skin. "What the hell were you thinking?" What was I thinking? I was thinking banging my head against the wall was all the rage, he thought sarcastically. But he hugged back and said "I.....I don't know."

"No, Zeru wanted to talk. We can talk but please grab Bell. I'm worried." Marcus asked him while adjusting his seat a little.

"I don't see why you can't, but I don't really have anything else to do." Urthus replied. His helmet slit back into place over his head and sealed himself in. He stood up, moved past Shadow as smoothly as he could, and went to go look for Bella. A minute later or so, he found what he thought was her room and knocked.

Bella trudged though the snow without rest, the cold was starting to get past the extra heat she gave off. She thought about walking the streets to avoid something like last night but now she was just walking though them. A mistake she could deal with maybe. "Stop their girl."

Urthus knocked again before opening the door. "Bella." He looked around a moment at the interior and stepped back out, closing the door behind him. "Marcus! Bella isn't here!" He shouted out from his location. "Least not where I think she is."

When Marcus heard Frank call out, he allowed one of his snakes to rip though his skin and clothes. A new scent coming at him, but no where was Bella's smell. "Zeru, Bella isn't here."

Bella stood where she was as she heard footsteps come closer. "Good. Give me everything you got. Don't try anything or I shoot." Bella gasped when she heard that, a gun. It gave him a advantage indeed and she didn't have any money, still she reached for her pockets slowly. Giving her time to think.

Czar looked around him. The area was open, large. A few bizarre things had happened within New York City in the last few months, but he still had an objective to achieve. He analysed the area, tried to establish areas of greatest weakness. He found little. He decided to keep wandering through the busy streets, using a dark leather jacket to cover up most of his upper body, including of course, his cybernetics.

"of course she isn't said sighing while putting chair back down on all four legs then resuming speaking"any ideas where she could be?"

"Well from what I saw it looked like you were trying to put your head through a wall," Chris whispered. "So something happened. We can talk later, but it's happening." She said it quietly enough that Michael didn't hear her, and as she pulled back her volume increased and tone changed to something a bit less.....depressed and worried. "Wow James, guess you can't resist the hospital food huh?" she said, making an attempt at a joke. It did have the effect of making him glower at her, so in a way it had the desired effect. "Har har, why don't you spend some time in this place Chris. Maybe you can get hooked on the food."

Thumping him lightly on the shoulder, she said "No need to be a sour puss.....but seriously head banging?" Looking away in shame, James had nothing to say. Michael cleared his throat, getting his daughters attention. "Ma'am," he said, addressing the nurse, "Chris, could you please give us the room? I want to talk to my godson."

Czar looked at a large screen in Times Square, yet another bulletin about the Second Gulf War. When the oil industry crashed, Saudi Arabia plummeted, as the Saud Family simply moved out of the country, and left it to disaster. The UAE, along with many other Arab Gulf countries, exploded in conflict not long after Saudi Arabia had been occupied by the military of the country. With more than half of the entire regions GDP demolished due to the oil crisis, the peninsula turned into a hellhole. People were trying to help, but it simply didn't matter.

Czar walked around more, before eventually hailing a taxi. He wondered where, if anywhere, he should strike. Of course, when the time came, it wouldn't matter. He'd simply have to.

Both Chris and the nurse blinked, the younger of the two looking to her dad and about to speak before he held up a hand and said "Please? I'd like to keep this between him and I." Nodding, the nurse left the room though Chris still looked ready to argue the idea before receiving a cool look from her dad. It shut her up completely, so she left though didn't go too far.

Alone in the room with Michael, James gave his godfather a steady look from the hospital bed. Michael sighed, dragging a chair from the wall and sitting down next to the bed. "We should have had this talk a month ago," Michael said, clearly looking like a tired man older than he really was. "But I was hoping that giving you your space would be enough, that when you were ready to talk you would.....but now I've got no choice but to step in." James wasn't entirely sure what Michael was talking about, but decided to stay silent as he talked.

"James, I know," Michael said and the statement nearly made his heart stop. Hell the heart monitor's steady beeping took a sudden increase in frequency as James feared the worst. "Look Michael I can expla--" James began before he got cut off. "Let me finish. I know what it is you're going through right now. Believe me, I've seen plenty of my friends go through it as well, and just like them you don't have to go it alone."

James was very confused now, unsure exactly what the hell Michael was talking about. Then it hit him with the next sentence. "I'm setting up an appointment for you to talk with someone," Michael said. And there it was. His godfather thought he had lost it.

She watched as the men chopped at trees, grounded the land and drove away the wildlife. It made Floras skin glowed with anger and with a few thoughts, the trees would begin ti fight back. Slowly they would uproot themselves slightly. Vines moving to attack, choke, spear. All sorts of things that stopped the men in their tracks and made Floras skin return to her human look. A soft smirk rose as she looked at the dead, the trees. "It had to stop. Why not now."

"Because I banged my head into a wall?" James asked, though Michael shook his head. "Not just that. James. I'm getting calls from your school; the past month you've been absent for either hours or whole days. And the classes you do show up to, I'm told you've been having a hard time staying awake." Sighing, Michael closed his eyes and said "Chris also told me....about the episodes you have." At that James glared and snarled "Well that's not her business to share!" If James' glare had been meant to intimidate then the calm, cool look Michael gave him was one to kill and it shut him up fast. "It is her business to share when it's her best friend and someone I've treated like a son since I met him. Especially when that someone went through hell and expects me to believe he's still not carrying the moment with him."

Leaning forward, Michael rested his elbows on his knees, hands interlocked before him. "James I've seen many friends and comrades go through this. When something terrible happens, something you were never prepared for happens in front of you......and they act like it's fine for a bit. But it sneaks up on them when they never expected it to. Or they carry it around like a ball and chain attached to their leg. Chris told me how you get when you hear the sirens. When you're around fire.....this stuff with school is part of it. The head banging is part of it. So no more dodging it from me, I'm doing what I feel, in judgement as your guardian, is best."

"Zeru, let's just leave her for now. Shes being a teenager and all we can do is let her take out her pain. She will come back because this is the only place she has." Marcus said to him as he stood up to go get some food. "She'll be alright." Marcus finished to himself with soft words. He hoped his words were true. By the gods he hoped.

"So I'm not getting a say in this at all?" James demanded, before slumping back into his bed rather aggressively. "Goddammit I'm not crazy!" he groaned. Shaking his head Michael responded calmly "I never said you were crazy, James. But there's something going on that you need to talk with someone about." Giving him a look James asked "And it can't be you or Chris? I've got to talk with a shrink about this?"

Giving him a tired, strained smile Michael said "Just because I've had friends who've gone through this, doesn't make me qualified. And if I know my daughter as well as I should......tough as she is, she may just mess up and make things worse."

Bella's hands searched about her pockets for anything until she felt the dryness of paper on her hands. A note she had on her it seemed. She pulled it out slowly until it was in open air and dropped it. "Sorry!" She yelped and bended over to pick it up a slight groan from her would be robber. Her hand curled around some snow and quickly she turned and threw what snow was in her hands at the thief.

"Make things worse?" James asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Michael I'm not going to......" he trailed off. James meant to say 'kill myself'.......but considering what landed him here in the hospital, that was a pointless statement. He knew it, Michael knew it. Sad but true......James proved himself suicidal, or at least possible of committing the act. "So," he quietly whispered, looking down at his lap. It struck him then that his prosthetics were missing as he saw one whole left arm....and one stump of his right. But he ignored it, used to the reality of his loss now. "What happens next? Besides the obvious."

Sighing, Michael sat back in his chair and said "You come home. I keep my eyes on you and make sure you stay safe." Chuffing out a hollow laugh, James said "You mean suicide watch, right? Bye bye shoe laces and headphone cables......" Giving him a careful look, Michael said "Only until I can be sure.....that you'll be okay."

Bella didn't waste time after she threw the snow and charged at the man. The fact she could hear him swearing and no throbbing pain from a gunshot wound had appeared Bella knew she hit her target and once she got close enough she lunged at him. Knocking the unsuspecting wannabe thief to the ground.

Deciding that the conversation wasn't going to get any better, James reached for his old hospital friend: the tv remote. Flipping it on, the first thing he discovered was that the previous patient in the room must have been an MTV fan, since the first thing that came on was 'Beverly Hills Shore'.

After Jersey they went through about two more areas. It was one Snooki too far, James thought, which was why he immediately changed the channel. Flipping through the food network and a Spanish soap opera he knew Chris secretly tivo'd, he didn't stop until he saw the local news station. The headline was.....well, unnerving, to say the least.

The chief of police was on screen once more, looking somewhat.....grave, as well as resolute. "Thank you all for coming on short notice, I apologize for calling for a press conference so soon. At approximately eight pm last night, several people were murdered in a Brooklyn convenience store. Evidence found at the scene, along with the presence of two individuals, lead us to suspect the vigilantes Revenant and Shadow as the perpetrators of these deaths. Which is why we now have an arrest warrant, for both individuals and rest assured, we will catch them." A reporter in the crowd shouted out "But we've heard that Hercules had both of them in custody before they escaped, what makes you think your officers will do better?" Another asked "And what about the monster running loose in our city subways? What are you doing about that?"

For an answer the police chief said "We've been contacted by a party, offering to aid us in both the hunt for this creature, and the vigilantes. A representative is here now, to discuss that." Stepping away from his podium, the chief was replaced by a man wearing military style fatigues though with none of the standard US military insignia, save what looked like a silver dragon. He was middle aged though with only the barest hints of gray in his dark hair, and a weathered look on his face like a man who had seen a great deal of.....things. James saw how Michael reacted, heard his sudden intake of breath like a man readying for bad news. "Know him?" James asked. Nodding, Michael said, just as the new guy spoke.

"His name is Laurence Barnes," Michael said.
"I'm Colonel Laurence Barnes of Draco LLC. Thank you for your time," the man said.

The ride is a silent one. He doesn't mind it; it gives him time to plan his moves. Plan out what he'll do and how he'll manage to get away with it. Even if he does meet the target, he'll have to identify the mark. His firearm would be useless, considering the noise it would make. It'd draw others in too quickly and he wouldn't have enough time to take the shots he needs. Using his knife would be messy, he'd leave wherever he would be with blood on him. He could give the excuse a mugger happened to be wherever he was, and he defended himself. He sighs and folds his arms across his chest.

Just gotta take it slow. Can't over think this.

He takes a drag of the cigarette and blows the smoke out of the cracked window.

Take it one step at a time, then improvise if things get'a be too hairy.

At the reveal that a PMC group would be moving through the city, there was a small uproar. It was difficult to make out all the questions but the general idea James gathered was 'Are you out of your mind?' Barnes simply raised his hands in a placating gesture to calm them down and said "I understand not everyone will agree with this decision. Our force is a military one best suited for waging wars, I will not hide that. But we have resources at our disposal that we are more than willing to use to help safeguard this great city of yours, if you will please allow us."

He pointed to a reporter with a raised hand, who asked "Does this mean the city will be under martial law now?" Shaking his head Barnes said "In no way are we putting the city of its people under martial law. There will not be armed throngs of soldiers marching through your streets and inspecting civilians. What we are offering is to form and deploy a task force, much like Hercules only better equipped. And for the taxpayers out there, rest assured that Draco's parent company, Nexus, has agreed to cover the costs for this task force."

Something hits him, a little late, he'll admit. The radio station the cabby was listening to had turned off the music and turned to the recent announcement. His fists clench as the announcement goes on. Being a now deceased member of Draco Securities, he's worked to keep away from anywhere they might be. He'd manage to avoid them for years and he doubts any new members would know who he is, but still. This could prove to be a terrible turn of events for him.

Nah, this might be kinda nice. Hercs and DS runnin' the same streets. Turf wars might be plentiful.

That doesn't mean he won't have to be careful. If someone from DS finds him and they know him. He could be forced back into DS uniform. The solution is simple. Stay out of DS's sight. Which, of course, would be easier said than done.

"Can ya turn up the radio a tad?"

The only response he gets is a grunt and the cab driver's hand going for the knob.

"Well that's just great," Michael growled as he took the remote and muted the TV. "They couldn't make security for Nexus, so now they went ahead and became security for the city. Dammit Barnes...." James cocked his head quizzically and said "Know him?" Giving him an annoyed look that had nothing to do with the question, Michael calmly said "Yeah. You could say that. He runs Draco's branch here in New York and has been lobbying hard with my employers to allow him and his own people to run security at Nexus."

"Wow.....guess that'd be bad?" James asked, though it was a stupid question if the narrowed eyes from Michael told him anything. "Aside from me losing my job? It'd turn the Governors Island facility into a full fledged military base."

She lifted the man into the air for a second before slamming him into the ground, His air left his lungs with a groan and she sat up before elbowing him in the forehead. Sending his head back into the snow, his struggling stopped. She looked around for his gun but saw nothing. "Haha. You had no gun. Idiot." Bella growled as she got off the man and walked away. She was close to Zeru's place, not far to go.

"So what do you know about him?" James asked, trying to change the topic. "He a bad guy?" Michael shook his head before saying "No. Barnes may be....ambitious, but he's not a bad person. Worked with him before when we both served in the Marines, so what I can say about him is that he wants security. It's our definitions of security, that tends to differ. Barnes believes in a strong, firm handed security with military police and gunships." Blinking at that, James said "Uhm....wow, okay then. Overboard much?"

Giving him a weary smile, Michael said "James.....you've been lucky so far on where you live. New York, Brooklyn....it can be bad, sure. But there are still places in the country trying to fully recover from the collapse years ago. That sorta thing makes for prime breeding grounds for crime. Way worse than here really....I hear the National Guard was doing its best to establish order but the groups like Legion don't make it easy."

A car stopped before the forest, two men both dressed in police uniforms got out and looked around due to disappearances that had happened earlier. "So. Draco. Sounds like fun." One said to his partner, the other chuckled as he walked towards the trees.

"Yea, I still reckon the vigs didn't do it. Maybe the shadow one but just earlier didn't they like save a bunch of people from a monster." The other said as he inspected the ground for a minute. "I there is blood here."

"No shit captain obvious."

"Wow......so they could be expending their efforts elsewhere, Draco and Hercules, where it's needed and instead they focus on a couple of vigilantes?" James asked, to which Michael shrugged. "True but trust me James, the 'protecting the public' is just a cover for them. I mean.....come on, guys like that running around with those.....I don't know, powers, abilities, whatever you want to call it. Point is, I've been hearing things from the boys in Nexus," Michael said.

"The fact that people like them exist....changes things," he continued. "Imagine what the boys in DARPA or in government science and weapons agencies around the world are thinking. The vigilantes with their abilities, represent whole new ways of.....well, fighting wars." James never thought of it that way, though to be fair, he should have. Just thinking of what one Revenant or Shadow could do was bad enough. But then to somehow make an army? That was.....somewhat terrifying.

"Even when they're trying to help people?" James whispered. Michael gave him a solemn look and said slowly "James, they can try all they want. But it's just a few people fighting against, not just some bad people, but human nature. The dark part of it anyway. They can help all they want, all the way till their graves.....but it never changes the fact that there's always gonna be bad people in the world." Giving his godson a look, Michael then said "And don't try changing subjects on me. We're still not done talking about all this."

"radio in. News might change to an entire crew is missing in nearby forest." The first one joked but the second officer obliged. Radioing in that the entire crew was missing with all the tech still in the open. He stopped when they both heard a woman's scream and out she came of the forest.

"Help! There's a man back their." She practically cried out when she saw them and the first officer ran past her, hands moving for his gun as he ran into the forest. The second came to her.

"Miss what did you see?" He asked her but when she looked at him all he saw was a smile, before the feeling of something around his throat came.

Sighing, James remained slumped in his bed, grateful it was upright a little. "So when am I getting out?" he asked. "Well, the doctors were amazed at how quickly your head injury was healing, so they say later today if you're lucky. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to inform my daughter of the new ground rules." With that, he stood up and left the room, leaving James with no one to talk to.

Well, save an AI and a dead girl in his head. But dead girl had been quiet since he woke up so that left the more preferable AI.......though that wasn't saying much since Gestalt wasn't being supportive.

He has a point, you know, Gestalt said. Even with all our might.....we're just one individual. What can we hope to accomplish?

We take the fight to the bad guys in ways the police can't, James argued.

What good does that do? Again, we are one person. If you wished to help the world why not use our hacking suite to better use? Expose lies, shift the balance of power, and freeze the accounts of those who have done the most harm?

Urthus sort of sighed to himself and started heading for the door. "Well, if you don't need me any more, I'll be heading out." He called out, walking past the duo chatting. He headed for the main door and quickly slipped out into the rays of morning sunlight, somewhat filtered by walls and dirt. He made his way up the steps, not bothering to portal at this point, and slipped his helmet back on around his face. So what if somebody saw him when he came out, who would believe someone going on about a black and red demon-like humanoid vanishing into portals? He shook his head, and once above ground, ripped open a hole into the Void and leaped in, heading for an abandoned island he could experiment and research and piece.

And yet I doubt that would help much, James thought to himself sullenly. I don't have the answer to this one Gestalt. Only thing I do know is that.....well, can't just sit around on my hands when I can be doing something. If it means going out there and beating criminals up and maybe, just maybe make them afraid to go out and do what they do......then that's enough.

And yet.....it may never be enough. James, you are our host, we will do what we can to accommodate your wishes. But we will also do our best to advise you on choices as best we can.

I appreciate it, believe me I do. For now though....we're gonna have to focus on our present problems before dealing with the future ones.

With the added threat of Draco running around, this makes today's job even more difficult. This thought runs through his head over and over enough times to qualify in a Nascar race. If Draco outfit were to find the deceased, there is no doubt they'll run records and find out Dean has been alive and well for the past couple of years. Unless they shredded his documents, which he doubts they would do. Maybe lady luck will be on his side. He looks out through the window, takes another drag and blows it through the crack. Scanning the main road and looking as far as he can through the nooks.

The cab gets closer to his destination by the second. Meaning his prep time is also getting smaller and smaller. He'll have to make up a plan and stick to it if he happens upon the target.

A'course this news has to come today.

In the meantime, while James was in the hospital and Barnes finished off his questions.....across town, Sparrow was once more at work.

She had been relatively quiet the past month, yet to truly encounter Revenant, or any of the other vigilantes really. For a group of supposed crime fighters she was apparently beneath their attention. That, or simply so good at her job they never noticed her. Either way, it wasn't exactly bad. She snagged some pricey gems from a high end jewelry stores' vault, along with a valuable art piece from some tycoons penthouse. Sparrow doubted they'd report it though since....well, it had already been stolen. But on to the moment, no more of the past; the Japanese thief was busy in the home of some rich, old money family living in the city. According to a contact, they had a rather breathtaking set of ruby and sapphire necklaces locked in a private safe, the kind that were only taken out for the fanciest of fancy events. It seemed such a shame that they'd be locked up like that.

Then again, not like her plans for them would be much better. Steal them, fence them, and they'd probably wind up locked up in some other rich idiots collection. That was always the downside of the world; you could have the beautiful jewels.....but wearing them out in public made you a walking target. As the safe popped open, the combination lock child's play against her skill, that belief was only confirmed by what she saw. A pair of blood red rubies the size of normal human eyes glinted in the low light of her goggles, held in place by tiny arms of gold. Between the crimson gems hung a solitary sapphire that outsized both by a small margin. The necklace at first appeared to be either silver or white gold, but she had seen enough from her mother's test to realize.....it was platinum. Oh my, she thought, heart fluttering a little at the sight. This will be worth quite a pretty penny.

Reaching out, she took the necklace from its small display.....and in her excitement, tripped the alarm with her blunder. Aww fuck me, she swore. Dammit Kyou, you're supposed to be smarter than this. Stupid stupid stupid stupid!

The vehicle stopped moving and the driver looked back at him. He reaches for his back pocket for his wallet and pulls out a little more than he should've.

"Keep the change, fella."

The driver's face lights up slightly and he takes the money. Dean steps out of the cab and looks around. In front of him sits a bar, as he looks at the door he sees a piece of paper that shows their hours. He takes out his phone and checks the time, noting it.

Got a few hours. Knew I should've caught a movie.

He puts his thumbs in his pockets and begins walking around, looking for an open food joint and observing the people around him.

<Somewhere>
 

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

 
 
 
 
"You know, people are bound to ask questions if we keep meeting like this. 'Where does he go at such odd hours?' they'll wonder."
 
 
"Nonsense, if they wonder they wonder, if they find out, people will think they're mad."
 
 
"Yeah, sure, but what about on your side?"
 
 
"My side? Oh, well, I don't think they'd notice really, 'He hasn't been around in a wild.' - 'well he was an odd one, maybe he's doing odd things.'-"
 
 
"I don't think they'd react just like that, they might check on you."
 
 
"They might."
 
 
"They might."
 
 
"Hmmphf."
 
 
"Oh, don't give me that."
 
 
"I'm not."
 
 
"You have, you are, and you will."
 
 
"Most certainly have not, will not, and are not doing so."
 
 
"But you already have."
 
 
"No I haven-"
 
 
"Should we bring Him here?"
 
 
"I think not, it's too soon for him."
 
 
"But he should know we're both here, should he not?"
 
 
"Don't be so subjunctive, we already have done it, but we won't do it now, but later."
 
 
"Oh, Already? That was soon."
 
 
"It was, is, and will be."
 
 
"But of course."
 
 
"Indeed."
 
 
"You know brother, all this quanta is making me rather hungry, perhaps we should eat?"
 
 
"But we already have?"
 
 
"Not yet, we haven't."
 
 
"But you said it yourself in the double."
 
 
"Oh, negative pedantics."
 
 
"And now you're being substantive!"
 
 
"Oh bollocks!"
 
 
Two men in suits share a laugh at their game of words. The Physicist, Nicholas Oehlberg, sharing a conversation with his brother, the Biologist, Nicholas Oehlberg, talking about their brother, Matthias James, in an alternate universe in which they have seen Matthias and have realized that he is, in fact, their brother, under a different name. He had the unfortunate timeline of having his mother marrying someone after which he was born and named. These two, the Physicist, in his own Reality, had the timeline where Nicholas Oehlberg became a physist, and quite the entangled one as well. The other, the Biologist, in his own world, was also named Nicholas Oehlberg, both were bastard children, Matthias, not so much, but his history is also entangled, as their intervention in the time-space continuum might have cause  a few Realities to converge on certain points, specifically people like Matthias, However, Matthias is the only they know for certain has been affected by quantum consequences. In this world Matthias has in fact followed through with a biology degree, however, he also followed through with numerous other tedious things that his alternates, or "brothers" did not do, or did and did not stick with. They all, of course, are the same. They even believe that a Sister has found herself through time and space in this Reality as well. They are quite the Entangled little family.

Stashing the necklace in her suits pockets, Sparrow stood and was about to make a break for the door. The rather expensive house she was in was not a modest one, taking up damn near half a block on fifth avenue. And while the owners had been out on business, their home security was still standing watch.

In this case, ten rather burly security guards armed with various close range weapons. It wasn't by any means a disaster for Kyou; she already had an escape route secured through the window of the lavish study she was in, the safe hidden behind a false wall molding. But according to her mom.....her hand to hand was getting rusty and it was better to keep them sharp and never dull. So she waited in the study for the first of the guards, hidden courtesy of her suits optical camo panels. Only problem was that the tech wasn't near as good as stuff in use by government militaries who had better paychecks than her friends, so the suit would flicker between cloaked and not cloaked if she moved.

As the first guard came in, a guy wearing an inexpensive looking suit and brandishing a strange looking SMG, Sparrow stood still against the wall, waiting to see who else came through the door. As expected, a second guy came through carrying a shotgun. She doubted either weapon actually had lethal rounds, too many expensive items to be caught in the crossfire so either rubber rounds, beanbags, or shock pellets. Even then, getting hit wouldn't be good for her.

Choosing the right gadget to take down the guy with the shotgun, Sparrow decloaked as she ran towards the SMG toting guard. The rapid sound of footsteps was his only warning before he spun to face her. Too late though as she launched herself at him, spinning like a ballet dancer with her foot out to knock his gun aside before her hands came at the end of the arc, grabbing his head and pulling his face down into her knee the moment she regained her balance. It hurt her knee but at least the suit was reinforced enough to keep her from breaking it on his face, and he went down from the blow. Just as his partner raised the shotgun on her, she flicked her hand out, one of her gadgets sent flying. A small sphere of jet black, it exploded the moment it touched him into a slime that rapidly spread across, bits dripping down o the floor. A heartbeat later the sludge hardened into a thick resin that held the guard still. He could breathe just fine but he was immobilized and unable to shoot. "Help!" he screamed, right as Sparrow fled for the window. As she stood in the open frame, she mimed blowing the guard a kiss before firing her cable gun, swinging away.

(Sorry Zeru)

Marcus rose from his seat moved though the many corridors that tended to confuse him more then aid him in getting about but in time he found the corridor that led to the exit. Opening the bunker doors he stepped out only to be met with a pair of eyes he knew he would have to see at some point. "Hello Bella."

--Back at the Hospital--

Present problems.....such as being stuck in a hospital for another hour or so while also being considered suicidal all while having a possibly psychotic presence running around your head?

Hey, who knows. This may soon become just another Saturday for us.

In which case I dread the coming years.....

That's the spirit, James thought as the door to the room opened, and Chris slipped inside. Her eyes were, he just noticed, still red and puffy. She had been crying and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. "Hey Chris," he said, a tired tone creeping into his voice. She sat next to him, silent for a bit. "James I," she finally whispered, before going silent. Sighing, he said "I.....I have some explaining to do."

So for the next few minutes, he did his best to explain the situation. He left out the puppy though, since that.....well, he didn't want to think on it. Chris was silent as she listened, never once saying a word or giving a hint of expression. At the end of it, she finally said clearly "That's.....a lot to take in." In a way, it wasn't, not in the way James probably thought. Chris wanted to believe him but.....advanced alien nanomachines was one thing. She could see them in action. But a presence in his head compelling him to do things, or forcing him outright? That was....well, not even borderline, but outright crazy to her.

"You know I'm sorry." Marcus said to her before she could speak and he didn't let up. "You think it would have been better to say. 'Hey you have my last name, my dead sisters face. I'm your long dead brother." Marcus said to her while moving to go past her.

Bella thought about his words for once. Now that she claimed, and heard his story fully it seemed logical. Why would he? He must have wanted to quite a bit. She turned but was too late. Marcus was already gone. "Sorry."

Urthus flew in one portal and out the next, making complex patterns with gravity and angles to move him gradually up higher into the air. Yes he could probably be seen by someone, but he didn't care, he had a place to go. He steered towards the island, eventually settling into a sort of overlapping arc pattern, and stayed just above the rooftops. As he went he could see the people going about their day, driving and doing normal human things. He didn't care what they were, they were of no importance to him.

Making a small chuffing sound, Chris realized that James had chuckled, the sound hollow of any humor. "Yeah, I know how it sounds," he said. "But I know what happened was real....even Gestalt says so, and I believe him. But so far....she's been quiet lately. Maybe we worked something out and I can't remember just now, but whatever it is I'm glad for it." That said, he was still worried as hell. After all quiet didn't mean not there.

Like a stalking predator hidden in the grass, ready to strike. And he was the goddamn doe....

He'd walked about two blocks, fighting the current of people. He stops at an intersection and looks around. He sees a building with a sign that reads "Delicatessen". His stomach rumbles in metaphorical joy as he patiently waits for the lights to turn to his favor. They eventually do and he makes his way towards the building. Once inside he orders a pastrami sandwich. He makes his way to a table to consume the hefty breakfast. A little unusual for some people to start the day off, but he's never been the one to eat a usual breakfast.

As he slides into his seat he looks around at the other people. With him being at this establishment, it should be easy for him to spot a birthmark on someone's hand. The person who served him his sandwich had some good news seeing as how he didn't have a mark on his finger. There are a couple of elderly people here, the worker who served him and a young family. His eyes dart from one to the other only to find nothing out of the ordinary. With the coast clear, he digs in.

It's a pretty good sandwich, in fact, he's never had something as good as this in his entire life. Even his mother's cooking doesn't even come close to this. Everything about this sandwich comes together so perfectly. He closes his eyes to delve even deeper into the taste, shutting off one of his senses to enhance the others. No matter what happens, he'll have to come back here again sometime.

Something interrupts his meal. The ringing of a bell invades his ears. His eyes open and he looks to the noise. The door's bell and through the door walks a person clad in a long black coat with a hood, which is perched above the person's head. This person has a small frame and is about the average height for a woman. Hands raise up to the hood and lower it, confirming his suspicions. A comely looking lass with short brown hair greets his eyes. He's taken out of his mission for a brief second, quickly remembering his duties, he looks to her hands.

A little while later, James was cleared--physically anyway--to leave the hospital. Like before he had to be wheeled out, sulking in the chair while Chris pushed him along. "Okay," Michael said, getting off the phone, "anyone hungry? Wanna grab lunch somewhere?" To be frank, James wasn't much in the mood to eat......even if his stomach was growling up a storm. He had a feeling that the first thing that would happen, if they went out to eat anyway, would have been that Michael held all the knives, and accompany him to the bathroom.

Hey at least that, however pointless it may have been, was to ensure James didn't try anything bad. Beat having him be creepy and follow him into the restroom. Jesus that would have been bad.

Chris decided to speak for the both of them and said "I could do with some burgers. James how 'bout you?" Giving her a sullen look, James sighed and said "Sure....at least it beats the hospital food. Tastes like crap." "Hey!" a passing employee said with mild offense as they came within earshot. "No offense!" James called back.

Her hands unfortunately are covered by a pair of gloves.

Well, can't say I ain't surprised.

She surprisingly looks directly at him, he quickly looks towards his sandwich to try to cover up his voyeurism. He hears the sound of heels making their way to a seat. He looks up when the noise stops. She hadn't ordered any food and went straight for a table. She must be meeting someone there. Her back is to him and he can barely see what she's doing.

C'mon girl, that ain't fair. How am I supposed to see your hands like that?

Without much else to do, he returns to eating his sandwich. Occasionally looking up at the back of her head. He hopes she doesn't feel the metaphorical holes he's putting in the back of her head.

Getting in the car was easy since James wasn't really incapacitated; all he had to do was get up and sit in the back seat, that was that. It was a microscopic victory though, all things considered and as the car pulled out of the hospital parking lot, James found himself staring out the window at the passing street. So, what's the word on those creatures? Did the police or Hercules have any luck yet?

None, at least from their end. But I've been tapping into the city surveillance systems and searching through subway terminal cameras. There was movement last night several hours ago, roughly four in the morning. The subway terminal does not often get many passengers so its recordings are looked over less frequently than others. Found this.

In his eye, James saw as a rectangular screen popped on, a video played by Gestalt. He saw a regular looking subway terminal, though it was filthy. Dirt and grime on the walls, trash in heaps. One of the heaps was actually a homeless person, sleeping under a bundle of newspapers and rag, empty bottle of whiskey at their feet. There was no audio to the video but something made the guy wake up, stirring in his paper and rags. Eyes opening, he at first stared in disbelief at something unseen before his mouth dropped open in what would have been a piercing scream. But James could only watch the silent footage as something huge, huge and scaly, surged from outside the camera angle to descend on the homeless man. It was only on them for a handful of seconds, before it moved on and all that was left was a puddle of blood and quivering, bloody remains.

Jesus Christ.....send me back to the hospital I may puke, James thought, his hungry stomach now terrified into submission from the footage.

The wounds were gone, thanks to resting in the dark. Marcus could manipulate the darkness again and already Dark was singing highway to hell. Today was going to be a day. He walked on down the street, which were eerie quiet for some reason. Like something was happening that Marcus being the no TV watcher he was didn't know about. Was their like a disease or something? He didn't know and would probably find out later when he started coughing blood.

Indeed, Gestalt said. I checked the outside footage for the area surrounding the terminal entrance. Whatever it was never left. And because the subways are now closed, no one's gone down to find the body. We can do now if you'd like.

Define now. Because we're already on our way for lunch and on top of that Michael's not gonna let me out of his sight. Options are kinda....scarce.

True....suggest talking to Chris, see if something can be done to buy you time. Or maybe you should sit back, I inform everyone else including the authorities, and let them handle this.

That would be the smart thing to do.......but dammit, I can't just sit back and do nothing. Not when I'm capable of action.

If you didn't have your godfather watching you like the proverbial hawk, you would be capable of action.

Not having a response, James went back to looking out the window. It was strange in a way, seeing the surrounding city so subdued. Sure it was understandable, monsters on the loose and people felt the need to stay indoors. James just always thought the people of his city would have more.....well, moxie, gumption, attitude. Whatever it was that would make them not just back down.

Marcus made his way though the streets, occasionally grabbing some snow to throw at things every once and a while. He got to a small place where he would occasionally have launch and Thankfully they were still open. "Time for some good old Rice."