Domination Break! IC (Started/Accepting/PG16)

[encapturer]

[spoiler="Date: Present Day | Location: A street in Nesland"]
Zack smiled; the workers stationed on the outskirts of town had intended to stop him from entering, but that barely proved to be a hinderance, thanks to his unique set of skills. He had attempted to contact Evan multiple times in the last couple of days, but he seemed to had vanished. There was no news of his capture or death, so he should still be alive, but the fact remains that his magic cannot reach Evan right now, He was last in Nesland to investigate what happened, and what he found was surprising indeed.

On the surface, the town was normal. Once he cast his detection spell to see if there were any Released, the sheer numbers blew his mind. More than half the town was covered with the white aura signifying that they are indeed Released. Since everyone was going along their lives as normal, Zack assumed that the police didn't treat the town as criminals.

Thinking back to the workers in the outskirts, Zack figured that the town must have thought it was some sort of disease. Even the, Zack wasn't sure why none of the Dominated made a move to kill the town. He shook his head as he took off in a run. There was no reason to think about that. For now, he'd need to find Evan, if he was still here.[/spoiler]

Evan nodded in response to Michael. "The factory is currently shut down due to the DC's order, but you might still find some security there besides the alarms and the odd guard. You'll want to make your way to the basement; that's where the unrefined Xeno Crystals are stored." Evan's shoulders drooped after that sentence. "I wish I could have gotten more information for you guys. I wish I could even go with you guys, but my unstable power makes me an easy target. This building has some equipment to suppress the waves I emit, but once I step outside, I think that this entire town may be condemned as terrorists, when they haven't done anything at all. So, I'm kind of stuck, but hopefully once you come back with the crystals we can start releasing people properly." After divulging to the group everything he knew, he turned to Kaito once more. "I'll ask you one more time. Are you sure you want to go through with this?" He saw no fear in his eyes, and could not help but wonder if he could stand having the whole world against him. Still, a part of him hoped he would help Michael and Nimue, who were already condemned with him. No one has bothered to search the city for Evan Adarian yet, but it was a matter of time once people found out what was really going on. And if Kaito's help will speed things along, then so be it.

[Jake the Sage]

Kaito had nodded his head all the while listening to what Evan had to say. The plan sounded as if it would be a relatively simple 'smash and grab' with only a couple obsticales in their way. When he heard that the security might be so lax that it'd most likely only have a few guards and an alarm Kaito got a small grin on his face, [i]"If it's that easy to break in then I might be able to do it all on my own for these guys"[/i] he thought to himself, hardly hearing Evan speaking to him. Once he finally did realize he was being spoken too he asked if he could repeat what he had said; scratching his head in emberrassment. When he had been asked, again, Kaito clenched his fist and held it up, "If I said I'd be willing to help you then I'll do whatever it takes. In fact . . ."

Sticking his hand into the bag which he had kept at the rear of his waist, low enough that it fit on the small of his back, and then pulled out a scroll. Tossing it to Evan he crossed his arms, "If the building you're trying to get into is within the town, could you point it out to me? I might actually be able to get what you guys need without raising any suspicion."

[Magnet Soldier]

Michael sighed. "Kaito, was it? Well Kaito, we dont quite trust you yet. Then again, the only person in this room I do trust is Nimue, but we all dont really know who you are, so I'm letting you go alone." Michael said, flipping his revolvers back together with a CLICK that seemed very loud in the small room. He holstered them again, glad that they were in perfect working order and cleaned properly. He then checked his ammo pouches on his belt to make sure they were all there, and every bullet was accounted for. When he'd finished, he turned to Evan one more time. "We should get going then, if you want them as soon as possible. Just one thing, who are you Evan? No-one really knows. You dont seem to have any history. I'll expect an answer when we get back." Michael said, standing up next to Kaito. Although he was younger, he looked quite older, and was much taller than Kaito. "Are you coming Nimue?" Michael asked, looking around at Nimue, who was still sat down.

[Time Psyduck]

[i]He actually trusts me? Well, I guess I do trust him as well - wait, when did that happen? Still, I'm about to walk into a Xeno Crystal processing plant to steal the raw crystals, so trusting him is the least of my worries really.[/i] "Why not?" Nimue replied, standing up. Somehow she felt a need to be carrying some sort of weapon, maybe a staff of some sort, but she didn't have one, so she settled for straightening her dress. "I'm already a wanted criminal, it's not as if my standing can go down much. Besides, I can't let you boys have all the fun now," she added with a wink. "So, where is this processing plant?"

[encapturer]

The entire time since Michael and Nimue were there, Evan had been serious about what he spoke about. When Michael suddenly asked about his history, Evan's face began to crack. First was his mouth started to wiggle a moment. Then his eyes began to water. Finally he burst out in a fit of laughter that lasted a good twenty seconds before he calmed himself down.

"Hahaha... I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you think I'm some mysterious guy, the way the media hypes me up. Hah... sure, I'll tell you my story - when you get back... I'm sure you'll be disappointed, though."

With that out of his system Evan told the three the location of the plant. It was a good distance away - about two hours due south if they walked. Unfortunately, neither he nor Mia had any vehicles to lend the team, so walking seemed to be their only option. He also urged for the group to work together; he reiterated that due to the value and danger of Xeno Crystals, there may be more security than Mia was able to glean on her scoutings.

"Well then..." Evan said, still chuckling to himself. "Good luck out there." He smiled, though it was bittersweet. Even though he knew that they would return, he was lonely. He was to save the world, but that caused the world to turn on him. Sure, since coming to Nesland there was Mia, but there was something particularly different about those three... something that Mia did not have. He could not put his finger on it, so instead he grabbed a book from his closet room in order to pass the time until they returned.

[Magnet Soldier]

"Well then, we better get going." Michael said, surprised at what Evan said. Although he wasn't exactly expecting something that would fit in in a massive novel or something, he didn't expect a reply like that aswell. He shrugged and walked out of the building, followed by Kaito and Nimue. He sighed and looked south, seeing if he could see any signs off a factory. All he could see was some small little glittering thing, which he presumed was the factory. Even with his enhanced eye-sight, it was blurry. "Well, it's this way." He said, starting to walk towards the small glittering object, and hoping it was the right building. It was in a southwardly direction anyway, so that was a start. He wasn't surprised back at Evan's place when he saw a slightly shocked expression come over Nimue's face when he said that the only person in the room he trusted was Nimue. He had fought with her, Harald and Zack back with Thor, so they were probably the only people he trusted in the world, yet. He would have thought she'd realise that, and was slightly disappointed that she didn't trust him fully yet. He sighed again and turned his head to make sure that the other two were following.

[Jake the Sage]

Kaito put his hand on his forehead, keeping the sun out of his eyes, and didn't . . . or better yet couldn't see the factory that Michael had said was there. Putting his hands behind his head he smiled nonetheless, not really bothered by following someone he didn't know, and continued to trot along with the other two. Left foot . . . right foot . . . left foot again as the miles slowly began to shrink between them and their destination. After a half an hour of walking Kaito attempted to look for the factory but once more didn't see a thing; making how Michael had seen it from so far away even more of an amazing feat. Glancing to his right he remarked on it, "You know for you to have seen our destination from so far away . . ."

"So," he then included as an after thought, not sure if he should pry, but decided to go ahead with it, "What is your two stories? If it doesn't bother you I mean . . ."

[encapturer]

As the factory came into view, Michael was the first to see the size of the complex it was on. It was immense; more like a corporate campus than a simple factory. There were seven different buildings, all belonging to the same company, Paradox Magic Inc. While the company deals with all kinds of fantastical magical items, the buildings themselves are all very plain, several gray multiple story buildings each with a single pole on the roof. At a glance the poles seem like lightning rods, but the fact they softly pulsate shows that they may indeed be enchanted. Since telling each building apart would be difficult for newcomers to the complex, it is fortunate that there are maps located all around the complex. These were all similar, with the only thing different between each was the location of the *you are here* star. The first one Michael, Nimue, and Kaito found placed them right at the northwestern border of the fabrication plant. Security outside was light, with only a few scattered booths with security officers seen, and none of them seemed to be alarmed that the group was approaching the complex.

[spoiler="Map of Paradox Magic complex"][IMG]http://i55.tinypic.com/2wghs2t.jpg[/IMG][/spoiler]

[hr]

The fact that Linus Mathews failed so horribly frustrated him to no end. No matter what happened, he was always one step behind the criminals he was chasing after, and many men under his command were either killed or incapacitaed. To top it all off, he was assigned to Nesland, a port city in [I]Mercado[/I] of all places. There was a widespead disease going around, with one of the side effects being that it makes people appear as criminals according to his detection spell. Evan Adarian was believed to be speading the disease as a part of a terror plot... and a large part of him hoped he was. The only thing that would satisfy him right now would be killing off that terrorist.

But right now... right now, he was satisfied with what he was doing. In his hand he held a single metal cylinder with runes engraved all along it, one of many magical weapons specially made for him. He carried many on his belt, since while powerful, they tend to run out of magic quickly. And he was currently spending the juice on a man who foolishly believed he could bass the checkpoint he was manning.

Later on he would recognize the fiery haired man as Johnathan, one of the criminals he was originally tasked to hunt. But that didn't matter. He had been authorized to use force if the townspeople didn't cooperate, which made things easy to deal with. With a few chants, the tube in his hand shot a yellow beam of light, cackling as it extended. Once it was about six feet long, it stopped growing, but the electricity within the light continued to dance around as he swung it around. A fully charged weapon, it threatened to electrocute Linus if he even dared to swing it the wrong way.

"Is that all?" Linus asked Johnathan, smirking. "I'm sure you can do better than that." The soldiers with him had long stopped trying to calm him down, it seemed like he would cut their heads off if they tried to do so. The had been going at it for awhile now, and Linus was only a little singed by his opponent's abilities. "If you want to pass, you'll have to beat me, remember?"

[Kōsuke Ueki]

Holding his stomach in slight agony, Johnathan looked at Linus with a scowl on his face. "Gr, he's even better than I expected." he said to himself. Johnathan then made a smirk. "Haven't you realized that I was holding back this whole time?" He then laughed and raised himself up. "Looks like I'll have to go all out!" Johnathan then took out his enchanted chain. The dragon symbol around the chain began to glow. "It's time to get serious now! Let's hope you can be a challenge for me this time." Then flames began to slowly form into his hands and prepared to fire a fireball.

[encapturer]

"Good, I was beginning to get bored!" Linus replied. The fact that Johnathan had more energy to fight was music to his ears. Linus held off attacking for a moment to see what kind of tactic would be used against him. It turned out to be a fireball spell; simple yet effective. It seemed to have something to do with his weapon as well; enchanted like all of his weapons.

Satisfied with what he had seen, Linus shifted his stance, grabbing his weapon with both hands as the runes inscribed on the tube shown a bright yellow visible through the cracks between his fingers. "Memdei Yellows," Linus said firmly, though one could barely hear it through Johnathan's flame and Linus electricity. With the enchantment prepared, Linus swung his weapon in a wide arc horizontally towards, where it became longer and flexible... like a long whip made of yellow lightning. Linus figure that If Johnathan is going all out now, then he might as well ramp up his game, too.

[Jake the Sage]

Kaito looked up at the guard booths, noting the guards whom didn't seem bothered with their approach, and then at the massive buildings which they had to infiltrate. Rubbing his chin he thought whilst the others caught up, [i]"If security is this lax outside then it has to be pretty intense inside. After all from what Evan said it is supposed to house some pretty important crystals so you'd think it would be crawling with armed guards."[/i] Putting out his hand to stop the other two he raised his finger upwards, silently making a 'hush', and then dug into his pockets. Pulling what looked like dried rose petals Kaito whispered to the group, "I think it would be best if we got inside without having to explain what we came here to do . . . agreed?"

[Kōsuke Ueki]

Johnathan then looked at Linus's lightning whip and thought, [i]I better leave the guards out of this.[/i] He then raised his hand, raising his index and middle fingers further, creating a ring of ignited flames, blocking off Linus's soldiers from him. "Now we can fight without your guards interfering." he told Linus. "Let's begin, shall we?" He then made a fighting stance and began to form a fireball into his hand, but really plans his favorite move, one which he shall reveal later. "I'm leaving this city, even if I have to kill you to do it!" Johnathan was now starting to get carried away, unfortunately.

[Magnet Soldier]

Michael smiled at Kaito's question. "Well, It's not that long a story, but we're arriving at the factory now, so I'd rather not tell you at this minute." Michael also noted the half question about his eyesight, answering that simply and plainly. "I have enhanced senses by the way, and by the look of it, we dont have much work to do. If you've got something special you can do with them rose petals that can knock-out all of these guards, then do it. If not, I've got a Katana an a few spells, and Nimue's a sorceress so we should be able to knock them out anyway, it'll just take longer. The factory is over there." Michael pointed towards a building slightly larger than the buildings adjacent to it, over to their right. "We'll head straight for it, but if any heavily armed guards appear, we take a detour. Okay?" Michael asked, eager to get going.

[Jake the Sage]

"Alright then . . . guess I'd better get us going," Kaito said with a warm smile, lifting the rose petals to his face, ""Aer et Aqua, Facti Nebula Illis Somnum Brevem! Nebula Hypnotica!" [i]Air and Water, Become a Fog and Grant a Short Rest to These People! Sleep-Inducing Fog![/i]

Blowing gently on the rose petals they vanished into a light reddish mist that flowed gently throughout the compound, causing each person who inhaled the fumes to drops silently, and would keep them asleep until they were long done with their assignment. Standing back upright Kaito turned to look at Michael with his trademark warm smile, showing he had successfully removed the threat of the guards, and waved his hand towards the factory, "I believe it is safe to proceed now. Oh! And by the way, good to know you have enhanced senses . . ."

[Time Psyduck]

"Well that's convenient," Nimue muttered. She was slightly disappointed that she wouldn't have to do anything, but putting the security staff to sleep was probably better for them than the methods she would employ, and it was hidden behind what sounded a little like sarcasm.
"According to this map, the processing facility is at the other side of this place. I'm not an expert, but I get the feeling that the raw crystals are going to be kept somewhere over there, even is it is in a cellar. The only other place that will want them is the research department, which is right next door. So unless anyone has any closer ideas..." She set off slowly through the plant, keeping an eye out for anyone who hadn't fallen asleep from the fog.

[Magnet Soldier]

"Good Job." Michael said, hearing the annoyingly loud snores of the sleeping guards. "And the enhanced senses can be painful, so think yourself lucky that you dont have them. It isn't just the eyesight you know. That guy over there hasn't had a shower in something like 3 weeks judging by his smell, and he snores like an Elephant." Michael said, moving towards the processing plant. "Although it does make my other talents even better." Michael grinned as they approached they approached the door of the plant. "If there's any security in here, it'll most likely be awake, as the fog will have just been outside. If that is the case, be careful." Michael said, glancing quickly towards Nimue, not knowing why. He drew his Katana and opened the door slowly, looking around for guards, but glancing back to his companions.

[encapturer]

"What does he think he's doing?" One of the guards said, scrambling to find a spell that would douse the fire, even though he knew no fire or water spells. Linus was calm, and simply shook his head.

"Stand at ready!" he called out, as he gently shook the electric whip he had made. The whip contorted strangely; it seemed like it would get tangled in itself, yet it did not, as the electric 'strand' passes through itself easily. "Do not worry about the fire wall and hold your positions!" It would be unacceptable if Johnathan escaped due to his men panicking.

For Johnathan himself, Linus had no words. The fight had begun anew, so Linus decided to make the first move. He ran forward towards his enemy, still shaking his whip. The weapon did not drag like one would expect, rather it stayed in front of Linus as if it was made of some stiff material. Even as he swung the sword horizontally, it seemed to be more of a horrendously misshaped axe than a whip. Then, in mid-swing, the runes on the metal tube glowed a second time, while Linus simultaneously jerked the weapon the other way. The weapon now acted more like what a whip would act like, and was longer now, too. The way the weapon curled around, Johnathan would be caught by the electricity if he did not act...

[hr]

The group quickly made their way past the guards, ignoring the fabrication plant, and running through the empty parking lot in the service building. The entrance of the building faced west, and was easy enough to reach. Surprisingly, as Michael found out, the front doors were unlocked and opened easily, even though the whole complex should be shut down.

The inside seemed abandoned, from what Michael could see. The lights were off, though the light from outside provided enough illumination through the windows. The walls inside were alot more colorful than the outside of the building, even if it was just painted blue instead of bland gray. On the walls billboards with various posters and memos for the employees to read over. In the center was a receptionists desk, complete with phone and terminal, with two doorways heading left and right. In front of the doorways were two checkpoints, each consisting of two tall steel pillars that stood on each side of the doorway. They were made in order to catch intruders or people who did not belong, usually sounding an alarm unless the person passing through was either carrying an appropriate ID, or was directly recognized as authorized personnel. The checkpoint on the right side consisted of two pillars that were glowing red and emitting a low hum, signaling that it was on and active. The left one was silent and its steel beams did not shine at all. Michael's ears were able to pick up some strange noises coming from deep within the building as well, but as for where - or what it was, it could not be discovered from where they were.

[Jake the Sage]

Kaito looked at the alarm system without much thought before heading back outside, only to return a few seconds later with something in hand. Swipping an ID he had "borrowed" from a sleeping guard he listened as the red light beeped before flicking to the green approved status and the doors opened wide for them. Turning back around he gave a wide grin and tossed the ID back towards the open door. [i]"Well that should be everything,"[/i] Kaito thought as he turned his back to the overs and looked at the darkened hallway in front of him. He wasn't sure if he and the others would have to fight something or someone but if they did it shouldn't be too hard, [i]"After all if we aren't out numbered it should be easy."[/i] Looking at the others he gave a shrugs before pointing forward, "Figured it would be easier to go this way than the easiest way . . . who knows what might be in front of us."

[Kōsuke Ueki]

Johnathan merely remained where he was as Linus ran up to him, smirking. [i]I won't use it on him just yet, but rather, I'll just play with him for a while.[/i] he thought. Stopping the flames ignited in his hands, Johnathan then raised his chain, the symbol throughout it glowing even brighter once Linus was in the air. Johnathan acted quickly and began to spin the enchanted chain in the air like a tornado. As he kept spinning it, he span it faster and faster and the air the chain is constantly cutting through as it spins begins to slowly ignite, the flames becoming bigger and bigger. "Hm, this ought to keep you down for the count!" he yelled as he made a slight chuckle.

[Magnet Soldier]

Michael smiled as Kaito used an ID card from outside on the locked security gate. He was slightly unnerved by the low humming noise, but was relaxed that it was obviously quite far away, as the other two could not hear it. Michael lowered his Katana as he passed through the now green security gate, and sighed as it flashed red behind them. "You shouldn't have thrown that Card away Kaito." Michael said, noting that the ID card that had gotten them in was outside the building, way out of reach. "Seems we're trapped in here for now. Lets just hope there's a back door, or else we're going to have to make a bit of noise." Michael said, walking next to Kaito. The corridor had terrible lighting - there were no windows - but Michael could just make out the walls and the few doors that broke the walls' almost perfect straightness. He imagined that the other two couldn't see anything, and hoped he was wrong. It didn't do well if he was the only one who could see. He noted that the corridor was perfectly clean, meaning that someone was regularly down here, sweeping up and dusting. "Be careful." Michael said to the other two. "We may not be alone down here."

[Jake the Sage]

"Heh . . . yeah hadn't thought about that," Kaito replied quietly when Michael mentioned that now they couldn't get back the way they came. He could use magic to retrieve the ID card again but somehow he had thought that going back that way wouldn't be the best idea. After all by the time they were done inside the guards outside would have been awake for nearly seven minutes, plenty of time to regroup and begin discussing what had happened or getting back to their posts. Walking along the dark corridors he noted the terrible lighting, which made it incresingly difficult to see well, and was forced to rely on his other senses to walk properly along without bumping into a wall or any of his teammates. Continuing on Kaito eventually heard Michael mention to be careful and that they may not be alone down here, to which Kaito nodded and responded with a simple, "Mmm hmmm . . ."

[Time Psyduck]

"I'd suspected as much," Nimue whispered, her eyes straining to see in the almost total darkness. She could just about make out the lines where the walls met floor and ceiling, as well as the shadows of her team mates, but she could pick out little else, despite her vision usually being very good. It was probably a good thing Michael had those enhanced senses - at least one of them was able to see anything more than a few shadows. She went through the spells she knew in her head, trying to think of one that would give off light. Suspecting the walls had quite a bit of metal in them, she ruled out electricity, fire was about the only thing she'd not been very good with, and she realised she'd forgotten the basic light-production spell they'd taught her as a child. She made a mental note to look it up again when she had the chance.

"Do you think the fire detection will be working?" she asked, in a tone that would, to the casual listener, suggest little more than idle curiosity.

[encapturer]

The hallway went on for awhile with no stairs heading up or down. Most of the rooms seemed to be offices, probably for the middle management that worked out of the building. No one could actually tell what each of them were for, though each of them did have a desk and a computer terminal, among other things one would find in offices. After stumbling through near-darkness, Michael, Nimue, and Kaito followed the hallway through a left turn. The positioning of the windows along the outer wall now allowed a good amount of light to filter in, a godsend for everyone's eyes. Of course, this meant that they could be seen from the outside if they weren't careful. This new hallway was shorter than the dark tunnel everyone just navigated. After a few yards, they were face-to-face with a large set of double doors, each with a small window to see through. On their left was a single door blocking access to the stairwell heading up and down. Both sets of doors were locked, so they'd need to be destroyed, or otherwise forced open, in order to proceed.

More worrying than the doors blocking the path was the sound of footsteps, coming from the other side of the double doors leading further down the hall. Tap - tap - tap - tap... each step came one after another in an orderly fashion, never stopping. A glance through the window showed no one, at least not yet. In addition, Michael finally got a lead on the strange noise he heard before. While he still didn't know what they were, he knew they were passing through the stairwell, probably from the floors below.

[hr]

Linus didn't have time to completely evade Johnathan's attack. Of course, Johnathan himself made no effort to dodge his attack either, and the whip was already in position near Johnathan. Unwilling to lose that advantage, Linus decided it would be better for him to sacrifice the weapon, instead. With his free hand, he slammed his palm against the pommel of his electric-sword-whip-metal tube weapon, which caused all of the runes on it to go dim. The electric whip seemed to detach from the tube - just in time, too, as his body slammed against the fiery tornado and was knocked back. The entire front of his upper uniform was burnt off, revealing a sculpted body fit for the man who was one of President Sanders' most favored soldiers. Linus quickly propped himself up, ignoring the fact that he lost most of his shirt in order to watch the fireworks; the detached whip was now extremely bright and was going to explode in his opponent's face at any moment.

The soldiers watching the battle were surprised at Johnathan's counter, but were even more surprised at what Linus did in response. One of them was able to speak through his shock, and said one sentence.

"He... he overloaded his weapon!"

[Magnet Soldier]

"That.....Is......Really.....Annoying." Michael growled through gritted teeth. He was kind of annoyed that the others could not hear the noise, but kind of relieved that noone else would be distracted by it. Michael shook his head, as if the noise was in his mind. He knew it wasn't, and the fact that it didn't work proved it, but Michael managed to live through it. He looked through the windows on the door again, but even his enhanced eyesight couldn't pick out anything in the darkness, there was not a single speck of light in the darkness, it was blacker than black. Michael sighed and moved over to the stairwell door, pushing against it with all his might. It wouldn't budge. "Too bad." He muttered, before making his voice loud enough for the others to hear it. "I'm going to have to make some noise. Be prepared for some company." He shouted over his shoulder, before drawing his gun. "Fire shot." He muttered, before firing a shell that exploded mid-shot, blowing the door to smitherins. "We dont have much time. Trust me." He turned around to face the others. "So, do you trust me?" He said, jumping on top of the railing for the stairs. It was pretty obvious what he was going to do next.

[encapturer]

Due to the force of the fire shot, the stairwell door went flying open, falling off one of its hinges. In response to the loud noise, however, the footsteps down the hall stopped, then suddenly began again, much louder than before, and at a much faster pace. Right now, there was still no one visible through the double doors, making it obvious that the owner of those footsteps was merely around the corner.

The whole stairwell was vertical, going down for about twenty or so steps, making a U-turn, and repeating that process. The design made a quite convenient hole down the middle which showed the bottom of the stairwell about 3 stories down. The areas both above and most of the floors below Michael, Nimue, and Kaito were dark, but the bottommost floor seemed to be lit up by something - the source of the light being hidden by the stairs above.