Heroes: The Road of Good Intentions

[LadyTevar]

The name alone had the silver eyes in the shadows goggling. GARTH!? Here?!
No... she'd feel him... wouldn't she? Inside her mind she touched that black, empty void where the connection to Garth once stood.
It was as dark and inflexible as ever. She could feel nothing from its depths.

If it was Garth... and Ghost was meeting him with a pistol, but more as a precaution, not out of fear ... what was he doing here? And did she want him to see her like this...........

The answer to the last question was a no. She slid over the kitchen floor under the fridge, where the darkest shadows would be and fled between, leaving Ghost with the definite feeling she'd be coming back to talk to him later.

[Dark Silver]

Garth stepped out of the bedroom, well, more floated then stepped, still wrapped in his forcefield.

His right hand was clenched, "Got the information. You'll need this."

He moved his arm out in a quick motion, his hand opening, as a Ring flew from his hand, and towards Ghost.

"You'll figure out how to use it quick enough."

Garth held out his other hand, which had a slip of paper, "Couldn't get his social....but I got in touch with Database. It cost me, but that's Gazer's home address. The rest is up to you."

[Agent Fisher]

Ghost caught the ring. He looked down at him and smiled. The spook set down his pistol and then looked back at Garth, putting the ring on and taking the slip of paper. "Thank you, Garth. This really means alot to me." He said. "If you need anything from me, let me know." Ghost said. It was to be expected. Garth did Ghost a favor, Ghost had to return it.

[Marcao]

“I never said that you did.â€

[Cynical Cat]

"She gets to make her case," said Blackheart. "She also gets to hear how serious the matter is. I don't want to hurt her. There's precious few I do want to hurt, but she's reckless and impulsive. She doesn't think, but she's willing to break orders without considering the consequences. I won't let her pile up bodies because of that, especially not of the people I'm leading. I won't permit it."

"If I can prevent that by pounding it through her thick skull, then that's what I'll do. If I have to terrorize her, then I'll terrorize her. It's better than killing her, but I'll do that to if I have to."

[LadyTevar]

The trip between took a little longer than normal, as Li Na was in desperate need of a nap at this point. Had she been going to any other spot on the planet, she may well have gotten lost, but this was the one place that she considered 'home' above all others. And Tachyon was there.

When she got home, she had to pause a moment in the shadows before emerging to metaphorically catch her breath. That pause let her hear the last of Tachyon's discussion with Blackheart. She had been right. He would protect her, even from Blackheart.

Blackheart's curt reply had her frowning but she waited until he was finished talking before she stepped out of the shadows. The step was slightly more of a stumble, due to her exhaustion, but she only needed to touch Tachyon's arm to catch her balance. A much-needed calmness seeped into her from the contact. "I thought I had good reason, Blackheart," she replied quietly. "I thought I was taking our strongest fighter to where we needed him most. I thought I could take his place as rear-guard." Her grip on Tachyon's good arm tightened, her voice dropping as she forced herself to speak.

"And there was blood, Blackheart. On the walls, on the floor, on the ceiling. Not one of the horde survived walking into that hallway, without Legacies or I ripping them apart, slicing and killing, two or three at a time. But they kept coming ... kept fleeing towards us." The hand on Tachyon's arm trembled. "Then Legacies ... saw what was chasing the horde." Her voice broke, seeing vividly the behemoth biting down on Legacies body, ripping off his leg in the attempt to pull the viciously spiked silver form out of his mouth before falling over dead. "It's. dead. too." she said, the trembing making her bite off the words, tears in her eyes. Had she not gone to Ghost, not broken down there, she'd never have been able to speak clearly. "He killed it. From the inside. I. Couldn't. Reach Him."

The last words were the hardest to get out, her throat wanting to stop up. Ghost had seen the signs in her, the intense guilt of any agent who'd seen a buddy die just out of reach. Now it was time to see if Blackheart also knew the signs.

[Cynical Cat]

"You feel like shit. Good. You decided to over ride my decision and use your powers on me and a man is dead. If we were in the military, you would be court martialed and getting acquainted with a firing squad. If Ultima knew you would be spending the rest of your life in prison. This isn't the first time you've done it and it isn't the first time you've said your sorry."

"You're not sorry. You did it again. You're sorry it turned to shit. Again. What assurances are you going to give me that you're going to give me this won't happen again? Your word? You've broken that already.

"So I'm not interested in how you feel. I'm not interested in your promises or reasons. I will make it crystal clear. You will not be permitted to endanger anyone like that again. You don't trust my judgment or don't like my orders? Fine. I'll walk out of here and I won't tell Ultima anything about your secret life here. But if you walk with me you will not get anyone killed by undermining my god damn battle plans."

[LadyTevar]

"She gets to make her case," Li Na parrotted back to Blackheart in tired tones. "Then you get to throw it all back in my face, while giving me one more last chance," she added, dropping Tachyon's arm and turning away, exhausted in mind, body, and voice. She couldn't even get up the energy to scream.

"If I had the power, Blackheart, you'd be gone from here before you could draw breath to deny me," she continued, taking the few short steps between the staircase and the door leading to the master suite. "If you want to kill me over it, fine. Do it and be done." She entered the door into the short hallway, leaving it open because she didn't even have the energy to have a shadow slam it shut in Blackheart's face.

[Cynical Cat]

"That went well," said Blackheart. "Why the fuck no one listens to me when I say I'm a lousy choice for team leader, I'll never know." He felt around for a chair to slump down in. "You would think that having a negative psychic aura and the mental and social baggage associated with it would be big fucking clue, but no, apparently Ultima bureaucrats aren't that fucking smart. So I'm stuck with the fucking leading job, which I can't do worth shit, instead of someone who has actual people skills. Fuck. I miss not officially existing and killing people for the government."

[Marcao]

It was an unusual feeling that rippled through him when Li Na arrived. He knew that she was near but little else, the link he shared with her was tenuous but where there had been absence there was now something. He took comfort in the knowledge of her return even as he made no overt effort to try and locate her at least not yet. He had faith in her and he had a feeling that she would find him far more easily and readily than he could find her. He heard the step, his head turning as he looked over his shoulders. Li Na was there next to him, reaching for him.

For the moment, everything seemed to be right in the world although that moment faded when Li Na began to speak. He could not afford to lose focus at this time, and as such he did the only thing he could. He listened as Li Na began; hoping that his presence alone would be enough to diffuse the tension and anger that likely existed between the two Meta humans around him. He had loyalty to them both. Li Na’s grip on his arm tightened and without thinking his free arm moved enough to place a hand over hers. The motion brought with it some discomfort, but it paled in comparison to his need to offer comfort to the woman beside him.

He had not been there when Legacies fell and as such he tried to visualize Li Na’s words and place himself in her position. Her hand trembled against his, his fingers moving lightly enough to brush against her own reassuringly. Had she made the right decision? He could not honestly answer that. She had made the best decision that she had seen in her mind, he could not argue against that but had it been the right one? He had to be honest with himself. He did not know. Knowing the manner in which Legacies died did bring with it comfort however and he closed his eyes for a moment. His eyes opened and focused on Li Na’s face, the guilt that he saw in her face reflected through the link. It was sincere and genuine. Every choice brought with it certain consequences. Silently he wished that Legacies end had not been such a consequence.

Blackheart responded and his attention naturally focused on the Meta, his words chosen with care and wielded like a stiletto. He almost winced but he controlled himself for Li Na’s sake as much as his own. Blackheart could be stubborn when he wished to be, but there was truth beneath his thoughts. That was the problem, he could see both sides of the argument and he could not in good conscience make believe that Blackheart was completely in the wrong. No, he did not believe that Li Na had willfully gone off on an adventure with Legacies that had cost the Meta his life. On the other hand, good intentions or not a member of their team had been killed. Maybe Legacies had wanted to die, maybe not. Either way, Blackheart was not being very diplomatic.

“Not exactly fair Blackheart.â€

[LadyTevar]

Li Na had undressed and curled up fetally on her bed, trying very hard not to break into tears again. She could hear Blackheart say something, and Tachyon answer, but the words were indistinct as they echoed down the hallway into the bedroom. The door shut softly, and Li Na didn't need the quiet stillness of his presence to know it was Tachyon. Blackheart wouldn't have shut the door that carefully.

She uncurled a little as he came in and said her name, rolling towards him as he sat down and stroked her shoulder. The look he was giving the smilie-yellow panties with the little winkie icons drew a small smile. "They're silly... I know," she said, finishing his sentence for him as she sat up and leaned against him.

[Marcao]

He admired her body as she moved, rolling towards him as he sat down and caressed her shoulder. Her smile was a welcome sight, it seemed to displace some of the exhaustion and anger that he remembered so vividly mere minutes before. She sat up and he held her against him wordlessly for a few moments. During that time the only sounds in the room were that of their breathing and the steady beat of twin hearts, they were not as one in rhythm but at that moment they were one in purpose.

His free arm moved and slid around her, his fingers tracing small circles on her back before he moved his head next to hers, his right cheek pressing lightly against her left. "Lets go to bed Li Na, tomorrow will be another day," He whispered. He was tired and at this moment there was nowhere else he would rather be than with her. He pulled back then slowly, just enough to have enough space to being to undo the rest of his clothing with limited success. Between his sore arm and aching muscles progress was slow until Li Na herself reached out and began to help.

He blinked and found himself speaking. "I can..." Li Na looked at him and the lie was unsaid. There was amusement in her eyes at that moment, something that he was pleased to see. It took remarkably little time for their efforts to yield results. He kept his own underwear but nothing else. He leaned forward then, placing a kiss on the tip of her nose before he brushed his lips against hers.

"And yes, they are very silly," He admitted, a small smile appearing on his lips before he snuggled against her. Her skin was cool as expected but inviting nonetheless his arms snaring her to him even through the discomfort that his bruised arm offered. Right now, she was his cure all to herself. Maybe it was the loss of Legacies but a part of him did not wish to let her go. He had not been prepared for Legacies passing. That loss had reminded him to take nothing for granted. Nothing at all...

[LadyTevar]

Part of why Elias was irresistable to Li Na was the silence from his shrouded mind, even when held this close. In all her years, he was the only one that could close off the background emotions that she always felt nearby, like soft cobwebs brushing the back of her mind. That silence was as comforting as the arms he wrapped around her, or the soft brush of his breath over her skin.

But nothing should be taken for granted. Her mind drifted back to Ghost. Was he really meeting up with Garth? Why? Ghost was a spy for another agency, and might be recruiting, but somehow she got the feeling that wasn't the real reason. Still... for now she could do nothing. Telling Blackheart about it was out of the question, but she might ask Elias' advice later. Right now, she wanted peace, quiet, and Elias' arms around her. Absently, her mind touched the mental thread that marked the bond to Ghost. It was muted by distance and her own exhaustion, but she could feel a faint ripple of concentration. Whatever he was doing, it was highly important to him.

Right now, however, she was curled up in her bed with the one person she trusted to protect her should things go wrong. She turned slightly so she could kiss Elias gently before snuggling as close as their mutual injuries would allow. Safe. Secure. Loved? She wasn't sure of the last part, but she would not take this gift for granted. Laying her head on his chest, she drifted off to sleep, listening to the slow beat of Elias' heart.

[Dark Silver]

"If you need anymore help, feel free to contact me. I'll be in the city for a few more days."

With that, Garth floated back into the bedroom, and back through the window, leaving it open for Ghost to close and fix later.

Once he was out the window, the blue glow around Garth intensified slightly, before he streaked off into the air, disappearing in a faded blue streak into the sky.

[Hotfoot]

Hotfoot reached the top of the building without major incident, stopping short of the inky blackness ahead of him. He paused for a moment, trying to figure out just what the hell was going on. The distortion around him dissipated and he called out, "Hey! Anyone need saving up here? Cavalry calling!" The shell of plasma burst back into existence, getting ready just in case one of those killer cyborgs came barreling out of the darkness. He really hoped it wasn't the case, but with everything that was going on, he just couldn't be sure.

[B4UTRUST]

Hotfoot's guesses were fairly accurate. Several laser blasts came flying out of the darkness in his direction. He dodged them easily enough, skipping over falling chunks of building. A few of them moved out of the unpenetrable darkness. His plasma shield was like a tiny sun in comparison to the rest of the roof, every sensor system picking it up.

Down below Blast managed to burn his way through the door. It fell inwards with a satisfying crash, thick metal impacting with the ground. It indented the concrete on which it fell, even as the bright red metal began to dim. The temperature around the doorframe was enormous, the ambient air around it superheated with Blast's effort. Breathing would hurt if they stayed in this area for much longer, as human lungs weren't designed to safely accomodate such hot air. Though in Gravitas' case, his lungs were probably extremely tolerant to such temperature extremes.

Beyond the hole that was formerly occupied by a door was the maintenance corridors leading to the reactor and the mainframe.

[frigidmagi]

Blast dived through the opening and hit the ground running.

"I'm through and heading in!" He yelled has he ran forward has fast as he could.

He sprinted down the maintenance corridor, shield up and praying.

[SirNitram]

The shattering of the Faraday cage was noticed after the extreme heat. The superheated air didn't bother him much, but as he sought to find ways to drop drones without expending energy, he wondered how Hydro would handle it. Yet the residual from the reactor was felt now...

"That's a reactor!" He shouted. "What are you going to do?"

[frigidmagi]

"That's a reactor!" He shouted. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to play jingle bells, what do he's think I'm going to do?" Blast muttered as he drew closer to the reactor.

"Just pull back! I'm not sure how the reactor will... Huh... React to this." Blast shouted.

[rhoenix]

A persistent, and relatively powerful source of light insistently pressed on Alexander's consciousness, just as he heard a non-cyborg voice yell "Hey! Anyone need saving up here? Cavalry calling!"

The instant he thought about replying, one of the women noticed the shroud was thinning, to the point where the cyborg legion figures were dimly visible across the roof. One of the women sat down next to Alexander, and put her hand on his shoulder with a determined smile. "Just concentrate on keeping that shroud up. I'll answer back for you."

Alexander's half-lidded eyes watched her with concern, until he saw her carefully zig-zagging her way to the far corner of the roof, taking cover behind a large air conditioning unit. She then called back to the voice that had hailed them. "Yes, there are four of us, and many cyborgs still in that shroud! Watch out for potholes in the roof on your way over!"

The fusillade of weapons fire peppered the area where she just was, but she managed to get back across seemingly unscathed. As she sat back down next to Alexander, her eyelids fluttered, immediately followed by her head falling against his shoulder. One of the other women noticed the dart in her right thigh and removed it, but it was already too late - she was fast asleep. The other three that were still awake, including Alexander, hoped a fast-acting sleep aid chemical was all that was within the dart.

[Hotfoot]

Hotfoot pieced together the words while keeping irregular movement on his side of the shadow. He rushed through the door, trying to watch his step as he did. The shield flared brightly as he focused on speed and caution at the same time. He kept low and irregular to try and keep from getting hit by errant laser fire. Remember his cat stance, he tested each step before putting his weight behind it.

[frigidmagi]

Blast stopped running when he saw it...

There it was... The reactor. Blast ran through his options. He could try to fuck with the computers controling it and risk a meltdown by accidentally turning off all the safety controls... No not good. He could try to blow up the reactor... God No! He would have to drain it. Drain it to the point that the uranium rods fueling the fission process were done... Yeah... Okay.

The reactor was actually protected by a thick shell. That wouldn't be a problem though. Blast stepped forward and and put his hand on it. He could feel the power in there and it was reaching out to him, almost diving for him like someone despreate for the touch of his hand. It slammed into him tearing a gasp from him. Too much, too much he had to fire some off now!

God I hope no one is above me.

His shield began to swirl and rotate like mad. It was as if he stood in the eye of a tornado.

His arm twitched up almost of his own accord and he threw the energy out, without any control or limits. It tore through the above floors and blew the roof right off the building. A massive column of white hot burning energy surging through the sky.

[SirNitram]

"...IDIOT!" Gravitas snarled. A flash of distorted space rent cyborgs in half. No time. He had to take some of the strain off the energy absorber. "Hydro! Fall back now, I need to help Blast!" The Nova lifted off the ground and rocketed backwards.

Merely approaching the reactor was like bathing in it's power. Gravitas didn't need to touch it; getting close and opening his Node was all it took. The fission reaction was suddenly losing vast amounts of neutrons and other particles, the quantum energy funnelling to the Nova. Crystalline growths burst from his skin like warts and boils.

"Can't do this for long, Blast! Fry the cyborgs with your excess, then come back!" The energy was being properly retuned so his body would accept it as Chrysalis, not Taint. But that merely meant instead of going mad, he risked entering a crystalline prison.

[Dark Silver]

Garth had set down on a rooftop several blocks from Ghost's apartment.

He settled himself into the shadow of a air conditioning unit, slinking to his haunches, half crouched down, the glow from the Ring fading from his body.

He just gave Ghost the tools to take his revenge, to eliminate Gazer and make it look like someone else did it.

Namely, himself.

Ultima would be able to trace the power of a Ring, and since he was the only one on the Planet with a fully functional one.....well..they could guess from DNA evidence of the explosion that he didn't die in it. That and with his Ring gone from their evidence lockups....

Still, it would draw suspicion from Ghost, and let his friend be about for awhile longer. He just hoped he didn't misjudge the man. Ghost would be a valuable asset for him in Kyosuke's plan....

Especially since he intended to out Kyosuke and his entire drug selling idea the moment it was oppurtune.

Still, there were other things to concern himself with right now....like the tracking of the other Rings...

He brought the Ring up, level to his eyes, and concentrated. The Ring glowed slightly, following along the connection it had to the others, and getting a glimpse of where they where.

The first image was of the closest - the Ring in Ghost's hand - the other images flashing briefly in his mind. All but the Ring he gave Gravitas was still in their hiding places. And Gravitas' was amoungst great amounts of power.



Ah well, he was sure the Nova could handle the situation. After all, he was a god amoungst men.....

"As long as you serve those men..." Garth whispered, before letting his hand fall back to his side, and waited for Ghost to make his move....

[B4UTRUST]

Hotfoot made his way across the rooftop as carefully as he could. He was forced to move quick and keep on his toes as whole sections began to disappear underfoot. Laser fire blasted around him as he nimbly dodged out of the way while still maintaining his balance. Slowly, for him at least, he made his way to the group on the other side of the roof.

The woman was indeed knocked unconcious for the time being and showed no signs of returning from the land of nod any time soon.