Heroes: The Road of Good Intentions

[LadyTevar]

"So, you have adopted him," Li Na replied, letting the washcloth drop into the pan of water as a shadow tendril handed her a roll of gauze. The odd tone that had been in Blackheart's voice when he first merged was gone. "He already sees you as a mentor, David, in case you didn't know. Now, I'm going to wrap some gauze around your head, over your eyes, so we don't have to look at you while we're trying to eat."

[Cynical Cat]

"He is human," said Blackheart as she wrapped the bandage around his eyes. "Such feelings are normal for the species."

[LadyTevar]

Li Na hestitated, giving Blackheart an odd look before she finished winding the gauze and fastening it securely before she spoke softly, not wanting heard by the rest of the team. "How far beyond have you gone...?"

[Cynical Cat]

"You're speaking nonsense," Blackheart said coldly. "If you have a question, ask it."

[LadyTevar]

Li Na was tempted to take a step back, but didn't, keeping one hand on Blackheart's arm. "I felt it when you merged," she replied bluntly. "I can feel it now. The Demon doesn't have control, the Man didn't get devoured. So ..," she hestitated, then asked what she really wanted to know. "... How much of David is left?"

[Cynical Cat]

Blackheart sighed. "It is beyond your comprehension. I ceased to be 'David' a long time ago. You never met him. I've never been a demon. You insist on using inaccurate labels. You mind is so limited. So hobbled with its preconceptions. No wonder you act as you do.

"I will put it in simple terms: everything that you consider 'David' survived."

[Agent Fisher]

Ghost sat at his desk at his apartment, looking staring at the computer screen. Every so often, he would look over to the phone, almost willing it to ring.

The 40 year old former soldier, CIA spook, Ultima agent, and recent widower sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. He jerked his hands away when the phone rang. Ghost snatched it up eagerly.

"Ryan."

"Dan, this is Grey. I've got that info you wanted. I was looking it over, and guess what I found in it. Notice that Gazer had been put on suspension. Suspension for accidentally killing a civilian. One Amy Ryan. I'm sorry, Dan. It's one thing looking for info for your job, but you're doing it for revenge. I'm sorry about Amy, Dan, I really am. But I'm not going to be giving you that info."

"Come on, Grey. You owe me. I've done alot for the Company, for you. I'm not just talking the assignments, I'm talking about those dirty little things that you, and the bosses, don't want to see the light of day. So give me that damn info." Ghost said, his voice heavy with anger and desperation.

"No. And don't bother threatening us, Ghost. You know, first hand, how we deal with those. Give it up, Ghost, revenge isn't going to help." There was a click and the line went dead.

[Hotfoot]

Hotfoot did not say a word to anyone, he just did as he was asked. The battle had been hard, even though his part in it had been largely support. He did the errands and proceeded to search the house, his mind keeping only on the tasks at hand. Even in the comfort of his shield, his hands were shaking.

[LadyTevar]

Part of her wanted to ask if she'd never met David, then who was the frightened man who'd cried in her arms at the thought of the Demonheart moving into his head. That, however, was too private for the team to share, as was the other question that was going through her head regarding the odd threesome that'd developed over the last week.

"Inaccurate or not, something as obviously supernatural and non-human as what you were before you invaded fits the term 'demon'. Besides, 'Lovecraftian Elder God' is too much of a mouthful," she retorted, trying to hide her reactions with dark humor.

Her head jerked to the side as something caught the edge of her mind, something only those with eyes would see. She could feel Ghost's grief, anger, and pain through the link she'd not yet severed, and decided to check on him as soon as she could*. For the moment, she looked back down at Blackheart.

"Unless you're wanting your ribs wrapped, I've done all I can for you," she said, taking a step back. "Blast is out talking to Hydro... if you want I can give Hotfoot or Blast the keys to the car and send them for takeout."



* (see Ghost's post where he heard about his wife's death and Argent came to him. His current post is 'tomorrow' by our time, I think)

[Cynical Cat]

"Idiot," said Blackheart. "You wonder why you are wrong when you continually fail to learn." He rose to his feet. He was almost roaring now. "I am no demon. I am nothing your pitiful, superstition riddled mind can conceive of because you refuse to let go of your errors. Your first premises are incorrect. They have always been incorrect. As such, your conclusions will be wrong. You may address me again on the subject once you accept those facts."

[SirNitram]

"Ease off, Blackheart." Gravitas had arrived in the doorway. "There's no one watching this building yet, but what sounds like a domestic dispute might arouse suspicions."

A glance was sent to Argent. "Accept the world is more complicated than you think. Blackheart and I are living testaments, though him more than me. I can hazard guesses as to the what, but know that you're not ready for the scope of that reality."

[LadyTevar]

Gravitas' timely arrival allowed Li Na to back away from Blackheart and give herself time to get over the 'ohshit!' moment. "So... if I don't have the mindset or scope to understand, why are you getting pissed when I do like every other human would do and try to give you a name I can understand?" she asked darkly. "You're not human. You're not a demon as those we fought, or what my father was. A god might work, but I've touched what you were before you got into his brain cells, and it wasn't intelligent enough to be godly. So what are you, Blackheart?"

[Cynical Cat]

He sat down. "I told you I am not a demon, yet you insist on using that word. I told you that 'David' is just a name on legal documents and not mine, yet you use it. Both errors you refused to correct. If you are looking for simple words, fusion or hybrid will do. The intelligences that inhabited this flesh a couple days ago are now directly connected.

"What was called the Super Tumor or Alien Space Wasp was a fragment of a larger whole. It's intelligence was distributed throughout its body and when it was killed, a few pieces survived. One piece found a host it could exist in symbiosis with, instead of dying. That was David Grey. Are you with me so far?"

[SirNitram]

Gravitas remained silent. There were, according to him, few things he didn't know about in the cosmos. However, Blackheart was revealing knowledge he knew he didn't have a good grasp of. Humility rose up easy, the researcher giving way to the attentive student.

[LadyTevar]

"yes... I'm with you so far," Li Na answered, taking a seat beside Elias as she listened.

[Cynical Cat]

"The greater whole was old. I have memories from the early stages of the universe. But only pieces. Scattered pieces. The Space Wasp wasn't sentient. Not enough of its mind was left. Only instincts. So it made itself secure in its host and began to alter its host, to preserve its own life. Fragments of skills remained to it.

"It wired itself into the human and grew. As it grew, it became smarter. But it still wasn't sentient. Then it reached the brain and connected there. Two intelligences, one sentient the other not, connected together. Human instincts and alien ones. Two sets of memory. One personality, but now altered by acquiring a new set of experiences, new drives, altered intelligence. A fusion of what was before, but the human part dominant because that is the one that had a determining intelligence. But changed."

[Dark Silver]

He was traveling under cover, as it where. Kyosuke had gone to the Demon City, and had left to his own devices - for a few days at least, and with a full Power Ring to boot..

So when he had what he could get into the new temporary base, The man once known as Saibot had gone looking.

It took a bit longer than it could have taken him, but low altitude flight over the continental United States, keeping to the less populated areas, along with a short bus trip into the City, brought him into it.

It took far less time, by comparison, to find out where Ghost lived, and get there. Garth paid cash for the cab, and stepped out.

Ghost had at least been there at the end. He hadn't turned his back on him, had been proud to see him take his blows as they landed in the courtroom. And Ghost, he thought, would understand best of all, the threat They represented. He could best grasp the lengths that had to be reached.

And as such, the man once known as Saibot, stood before Codename: Agent Ghost's front door, dressed in a pair of jeans, and a old Ingrateful Undead t-shirt, sneakers and sun glasses, and rang the doorbell.

[Agent Fisher]

Ghost stood from his desk. The old spook stood in a pair of dark brown cargo pants and a simple black t-shirt. He reached down, picking up a pistol and chambering a round, most likely unnecessary, but he really didn't care. Ghost moved down the hall, reaching his door.

"Can I help you?" He asked, opening the door, the chain still attached and looked through the gap at the man standing at his door.

[LadyTevar]

"One personality, but now altered by acquiring a new set of experiences, new drives, altered intelligence. A fusion of what was before, but the human part dominant because that is the one that had a determining intelligence. But changed."

It was starting to make more sense to her now, even if Blackheart was trying to feed it to her in babysteps. "So ... you're still Blackheart. Just ... expanded? Enhanced?" The image she was getting was more of a computer getting an upgraded RAM, but she wasn't going to say that. Sooner or later, they would have to deal with the whole sex/relationship issue as well.

[Dark Silver]

"Afternoon Ghost..." he said, making little in the way of trying to disguise his voice, letting the sunglasses slip off his nose revealing his eyes to his former teammate.

"Mind if I come in?"

[Agent Fisher]

The spook raised an eyebrow. The door closed and reopened shortly, Ghost standing to the side, allowing him entrance. As he entered, Ghost closed the door behind him. "You're the last person I expected to see." He said then looked around the apartment. "You want something to drink?" He asked lamely. After all, he didn't often entrain guests who were supposed to be in a prison in outer space.

[SirNitram]

"Blackheart is a hybrid of David and an entity of scales I can understand, but whose intentions and ways of living.. Well, never encountered one. No desire to, no offense, Blackheart. Primordial is the word I use for the Wasp: It is the first." Gravitas commented.

"Primordials are common in legend, at least. More powerful, ancient, and fickle than the gods. Often evil, or at least don't like humanity much; we're the god's chosen ones. The best guess I can make is one of the big ones got in a fight or caught in a supernova and fragmented. The chunk eventually got here, to Blackheart. The fusion is probably near completion, if not there." Gravitas drew a deep breath. "The only thing even I fear too much to learn about. A Primordial. If it were anyone other than Blackheart, I'd be running for several timelines."

[Marcao]

The familiar darkness swallowed him and took him into that place between worlds or wherever the hell it was that Argent used to travel through. Under normal circumstances he would have paid closer attention to those surroundings, but his mind was racing with far too many thoughts for him to overly care. They had managed to escape from the house of horrors that had kept them, but they had not accomplished their overall objectives. The task had been left to the angel, and they had not escaped without cost.

The arrival was like any other time that he could remember after falling into Argent’s embrace but somehow something was missing. His head turned and he looked around a familiar room. His eyes lingered in the family room for only a moment before being drawn towards Legacies’ body as it was laid to rest atop the couch. He could still barely believe that Legacies was gone.

“…â€

[LadyTevar]

As she listened to Gravitas, who was doing a fine job of confusing her once more, a shadow brought Li Na a chemical ice pack. She pressed the spot that would trigger the reaction, then carefully moved to Elias' right side and sat on the arm of his chair. Without saying a word, she carefully lifted his injured arm into her lap and pressed the coldpack to the center of the bruise.

She had yet to take care of her own cuts and bruises, ignoring them and the pain for the moment for those she thought more important. Still ... Elias with his shirt off brought a soft smile to her face as she looked at him, and she was trying hard to resist the urge to curl up in his lap and collapse for a while.

[Dark Silver]

The man nodded, walked in, and took off his sunglasses. Once he was safely inside, with the door closed, and being the trusting soul that he was (Not truthfully, for the Ring warned him about Ghost's gun before, and that he still had it), kept his back to his former teammate.

"Seems I got a early parole..." he started off nonchalantly, "I saw what happened to Amy on the news....I'm sorry my friend."

Saibot, he didn't know what else to call himself yet, sat in a nearby couch, and looked to the spook, "She didn't deserve to be caught up in that shit, and she didn't deserve to die. If you need anything....I'm here to help."