Heroes: The Road of Good Intentions

[B4UTRUST]

At the edges of one of the mountains the pull was felt. It stretched further into the mountain itself before disappearing into the mass.

[SirNitram]

"Subterranian, and pretty extensive." Gravitas said as he glided through the air. "I lose track of it, so it's pretty damn deep."

[LadyTevar]

Li Na set the cinnimon rolls on the bar counter that seperated Kitchen, Breakfast Nook, and Familyroom, beside the platter of fresh fruit and other breakfast goodies.

Looking over at the two teens sprawled in the familyroom, she shook her head. "If you two can pull yourselves away, I've got breakfast ready." She gave Legacies a smile. "Welcome back ... got tired of The City already?" The emphasis was casual, local idiom for what the rest of the world considered San Francisco.

"Just so you know ... Blackheart and Gravitas have gone somewhere East of here." That was where she felt the links stretching, so she could follow them easily. However, how far East and if they were even somewhere she should follow was unknown. "I believe they will be calling a meeting when they get back."

[Cynical Cat]

"Great," said Blackheart. "The underground death fortress. This is going to be as hard as hell to crack."

[SirNitram]

"So fuck cracking it. I could open a gateway into it from Mars." Gravitas shook his head. "It does destroy any chance of orbital support if things go south, but with our situation, that was dead anyways. Should we continue to examine, or head back and start mustering the troops?"

[Cynical Cat]

"Getting through the door isn't the hard part," said Blackheart. "It speaks to their resources and security measures. We should head back. We'll need the whole team at full strength for this place."

[SirNitram]

"Oh, this I have no doubt of." Gravitas said, opening a second portal and soaring through, back into the basement of Li Na's.

[Cynical Cat]

Blackheart stepped through the portal. "Listen up people," he bellowed in his best drill instructor voice, "we have something very big on the plate."

[LadyTevar]

Argent felt the links snap back just before Blackheart bellowed his way upstairs. "Told you..," she said to no one in particular, walking over and handing Blackheart a plate full of cinnimon rolls and fruit.

"Explain over breakfast," she suggested, taking a moment to gauge his emotions. Controlled anticipation, focused determination, and a touch of cautiousness... he'd found what he was looking for, and now all he had to do was plan the attack to prevent casualities.

Plates were handed to Gravitas and Tachyon as they returned to the kitchen as well, pointing them to the food on the counter. Empty bellies led to empty heads.

[Charon]

Legacies shrugged at Argent's question. "We figured that something was about to go down. You all had three days to get something. Figured something would come of it by now."

Then Blackheart showed up. "Looks like we were right." Legacies got to his feet and looked at Blackheart and Gravitas. "What's the word on Raising Cain? We assume we shall be striking soon?"

[Cynical Cat]

"If we're up for it," said Blackheart. "We need everyone in top form and Blast charged up and all of us ready to throw down. It's going to be the toughest thing we've ever done, and one of the most important. This is the going to be rough."

[LadyTevar]

Argent looked back at Tachyon just long enough to meet his eyes, then looked around at the others.

"We know they create demon-possessed meta," she said bluntly. "That means that they are going to have several ways of stopping demons ... and those with demons inside them." The last was said looking straight at Blackheart. "You and I are going to be the most vulnerable."

[Cynical Cat]

"No," said Blackheart, "You're wrong. Everyone is vulnerable. These are men who would wrangle the powers of hell. There is no one that is safe from them and my flesh is at least somewhat resistant to injury. No, anti-demon work has been tried to tame this thing inside of me. Everyone who goes in is risking death or worse."

[SirNitram]

"I fear I may need to release some of the bindings on my own powers just to get us through this." Gravitas intoned solemnly. "I've been assured the fallout from such events are within this world's capacity to handle. But I'm still not going to like it."

[LadyTevar]

Argent's gaze went from Blackheart to Gravitas and back, frowning slightly. She'd been trapped by Kyosuke's magic, and sometimes certain items had given her pause. Some fireworks set off during the Chinese New Year celebrations were especially annoying.

She swallowed her worry and her other protests. "Since I'm guessing you've seen the place, what is the plan so far?"

[Cynical Cat]

"Gravitas teleports us inside and we gut them before they know what's happening. We hit them fast and mercilessly hard. No restraint. Don't let them breath or muster for a counter attack. They will anyway, but it will be better for us if we run it that way."

[SirNitram]

"As much as I have distaste for the 'Enter and start hurting people room by room' approach, there is little other option. We are dealing with the ultimate deceivers in this universe." Gravitas intoned simply. "They would see through our ruses. No, we hit hard. Of course, I would like to vote in favour of ignoring normal doors and stairs and using our own. To keep them off balance."

[LadyTevar]

Argent, having spent years as a sneak-thief, didn't like it.

"Do we have a map of the place? An idea how big it is? How many people are there?" she asked, trying to get some actual plan in place. "Once I'm inside, I can take us nearly anywhere within the building ... but I have no idea what would be where. That's even if I can teleport past the wards they're sure to have to stop Demons from moving around."

[Cynical Cat]

"No map," said Blackheart. "We go in, they'll almost undoubtedly see us and know they are blown. It's very big and will have a lot of people."

[SirNitram]

"It's an off the books facility built inside a mountain to a depth where I can't track it. There's no map." Gravitas sighed. "If you have a better plan, please, let us hear it. Because that's the problem, we've not been able to come up with one. Admittably, I usually didn't have to worry about strongholds; I was the bad guy in most people's eyes, they came to me. Usually when I was trying to watch TV."

[frigidmagi]

"Should I go ahead and try to find someplace to charge up before we go? Hotfoot can head out with me and play overwatch if you like." Blast asked.

[LadyTevar]

She blinked at both men in near-shock.

No map. Of a complex dug into a mountain. So deep Gravitas couldn't read all of it. Full of unknown number of people, who may already be demon-possesed meta.

The urge to shout "ARE YOU NUTS!" was strong. So strong she didn't even realize she'd said it aloud, as well as broadcast it empathically.

[SirNitram]

"Yes. I have a marble-sized lump of flesh pressing against both lobes of my brain, radiating quantum radiation steadily at all times. Most would consider me fucking insane." Gravitas said dryly to Argent's shout.

"As I said, is there a better idea? I'd love to hit it with a nuke, but we can't. Even if we evacuated the nearby city, it's in a mountain."

[Cynical Cat]

"No," said Blackheart to Argent. "This is fog of war. You don't always have the luxury of good intel. These guys are going to fuck the dog and let us prance around or give us blue prints. We're going to have to go in blind and drop the hammer. Blast, go on an charge up, if you're coming. Take who you want as long as you can do it quick."

[LadyTevar]

"sorry... didn't mean to shout...." Argent said softly, her hand lifting to her face, fingers rubbing the bridge of her nose. "You're right, Blackheart ... I am used to having maps and plans, and sometimes even the exact time a guard will take a piss break."