Domination Break! IC (Started/Accepting/PG16)

[encapturer]

As everyone left the room, Nimue and Minnie searched the room, making sure there was nothing out of place, and hung up the wet sheets caused by the defrosted ice. Once done, Doctor Brown locked the door behind him; The room was still messy sure, but at least it didn't look like they were leaving in a hurry. Fortunately, the hallways were clear of traffic; perhaps they would indeed be able to escape safely.

Of course, Kaito then suggested that the group should go jump out of a window to escape. [i]Absurd![/i] Andrew thought to himself, sure that he would probably die from just attempting it; he's not as fit as the others, after all. Michael noticed it and corrected Kaito; though looking at how he carried the body of the former assassin so easily made him wonder if Michael carry a third person. Andrew discarded the thought, it seemed rough, as the assassin passed out during Michael's sprint to the doorway.

Nimue then went ahead of the group, opening the door at the end of the hallway to allow the others to pass through easily - Michael in particular since he was carrying someone. It lead to the parking lot situated behind the motel. Each floor has its own parking spaces, filled with vehicles, each with a permit that allowed it to enter and leave the motel lot. There was an elevator on the other side of the lot, with a ramp heading down next to it. There was an up-ramp nearby as well. They could feel the night air here, even though the entire area was mostly enclosed by concrete.

[Jake the Sage]

"Okay so now what?" Kaito asked looking around at the empty parking lot. He didn't know hoe to drive a vehicle at all and even attempting to would most likely end up with him crashing into something pretty darn violently. Looking about he notted the fact they were mostly surrounded by concrete, though not entirely and still able to leap from it if need be, but they could only go up or down by now; this was clearly evident by the ramps going up and down. Closing his eyes for a moment he felt the cool breeze of the air blow through the structure from the outside and let out a small breath to almost relaxe his beating heart. Glancing back at Micheal as he walked beside him he asked again, "So now what? Do you want me to scout out ahead as the rest of you try and find something to sneak us out of here?"

Of course by "something" Kaito was referring to any of the cars that were abundant.

[Magnet Soldier]

"No need." Michael said, smiling at Kaito a sec before walking over to the nearest row of cars. Being very picky with cars, wanting something cool, fast and practical, he couldn't find anything until right near the end. There it was, the perfect car for this situation, atleast in Michael's mind. A Black Audi Quattro. Four wheel drive, relatively fast, good handling and cool. Michael smiled and walked up to it, pulling out a bullet out of his pocket and inserting it into the Key Hole. He muttered a few words as he wiggled the bullet around in the lock. He grinned when he heard a satisfying click in the door. He pulled the door open slowly, jumped into the drivers seat and Hot-wired it before the alarm could go off. He grinned and put it into reverse, driving it around to the others, but not before dropping a sheet of paper into the parking spot, saying sorry for taking the car, but they needed it. "Get in." Michael said, opening the door next to him for anyone to get in. He then leaned back and opened the doors in the back. "And be Quick."

[Jake the Sage]

Kaito was suprised at the loudness of the vehicle and how easily Micheal had been able to get into it. He wasn't even sure how he knew the ways to get it started since it wasn't his at all. But there wasn't any time for him to talk about that detailed information, but he wanted to at a later time. Hopping into the back seat of the car he slammed it shut once everyone was inside and looked out the window to see the cops heading towards them. Turning to the front seat Kaito yelled at Micheal, "Get this thing moving now before we have to explain what we're doing in a stolen vehicle!"

Turning around Kaito rolled down the window and jutted his hand out towards the cops and uttered a spell. Wind blew violently from his hand and knocked the cops back so they could break out of the parking lot.

[Magnet Soldier]

Michael smiled, watching Kaito, Minnie and the Doctor slipping into the back and Nimue in the seat beside him. "Gladly." He said, simply, as he slammed down the accelarator pedal, revving the engine loudly as Kaito cast his spell. He sped out of the parking lot, shocking a lot of cops, and earning them a chase from the police. However, even in a city he didn't know, Michael could drive a car like a rally driver, and quickly lost them. He slowed down as the cops disappeared, joining the crowd of cars in traffic. "I used to drive cars regularly at home, and like them alot, so I've kind of taught myself about them, reading a lot. I used to have a good Mercades, but I had to leave it in Eldwund." Michael sighed. "But this baby'll make up for it." He said, smiling and tapping the steering wheel. He looked out of the window, seeing if he could spot the cause of the traffic jam, but it was hidden. He supposed it was just a busy day and relaxed. "So, do you want to stay in the city, or go somewhere outside the city, and only come into the city occassionally. Because it doesn't seem that safe in here."

[Jake the Sage]

"Get this thing moving now before we have to explain what we're doing in a stolen vehicle!"

Turning around as Micheal responded he could hear the loud roar of the engine as the acceleration was revved. Kaito rolled down the window and jutted his hand out towards the cops and uttered a spell that cause the wind to blow violently from his hand, knocking the cops back so they could break out of the parking lot and even made the car lurch forward in a small boost of speed. The wooden guard rail didn't stop them at all as they snapped through it, Kaito almost getting hit by a shapr piece as he ducked his head back in, and could see more cops scrambling into their cruisers to persue them. [i]"Oh great now we have to loose them in this city . . . which nobody knows anything about,"[/i] he thought to himself begining to roll the window down again, bent on trying to shoot the tires out from the cars; he didn't know much, but it was obvious without any tires the vehicles couldn't go anywhere.

A sudden sharp turn instead caused him to stumble back in as Micheal, using the controls up front, rolled the window up and locked them. Looking up at the driver Kaito was going to ask what he was thinking, but never got the oppertunity too. The next few minutes of the high speed chase was hellish for Kaito as the evasive high speed manuevers caused him to get wooshy and feel nauscious. Eventually Micheal had lost them and he slowed down, joining the crowd of cars in traffic. Glancing back he explained how he had always liked cars and had certain ones at home, but Kaito didn't care all that much. Holding his stomach and lowering himself in the leather seat he moan a bit, "I will seriously . . . knock you out if you . . . do that again . . ."

Kiato knew what it was like to be car sick for the first time in his life.

[encapturer]

"Do you think so?" Doctor Andrew said, longingly looking out of the window. It would a shame if they had to leave the city. "I'm sure there should be someplace for us here." he added, trying to think up someplace.

Nimue shook her head. "Now that we stole this thing nowhere is safe in the city." The doctor didn't respond and continued to look out the window at the passing scenery, admiring the night view. It was a different experience watching the buildings pass in a car, that's for sure. Fortunately, there seemed to be no one following them, but who knew if the cops were planning something.

"If we have to stay outside the city, then so be it," Andrew finally replied. Even though being with the group caused him to waste his money on the motel, he was sure that he was the target of the assassination. It was obvious that he was the one who broke in and took the Xeno Crystals... he just didn't expect things to be so rough...

[hr]

Once outside, Zack ran out deeper into the alleyway with Johnathan following right behind. Once the two emerged from the alley and onto the main street, Zack was faced with a sight that he did not expect: Osalian Soldiers - the same army he and the others had to deal with back in Eldwund.

"The hell? This isn't right! We're in Mercado!" Zack exclaimed, not able to believe that there were eight soldiers facing them down with swords, spears, and staffs. There were no civilian pedestrians around at all - which wasn't surprising with the 'Disease' spreading those few days before. Linus Mathews wasn't around either, which was good, since Zack was not in the mood to deal with him now.

"Alright," Zack said, making some indescribable hand motions in the air in front of him. "There's someone waiting for us the next block down," he continued, turning to the left. At this point, the soldiers suddenly attacked, saying nothing at all besides their battle cries. "Let's take care of these first!" Zack added, finally drawing his shortsword. The nearest soldier swung at Zack, who blocked the attack, before using his phasing ability, causing the soldiers sword to phase through his. With the soldier now unbalanced, a quick slash defeated him easily.

[Jake the Sage]

The car drove up into a dark alley way as the sound of sirens raced off into the opposite direction. Without waiting to check if everything was safe and what not, Kaito opened the door and stumbled out onto the cold hard concrete. Feeling his throat flex he crawled over to the corner and vomitted up everything he had eaten in the past couple of hours; which luckily was not very much. Spitting out the remaining flem he wipped the corner of his mouth and stood back up trying to act as if nothing was the matter with him, his vision still swirling around. Coughing he took a couple steps and then brached himself against the hood of the car and looked at Micheal, "You don't get to . . . drive anymore . . . even if it means we die you don't get too . . ."

"So," Kaito said regaining his composure and looking at the doctor, "Where do we go from here?"

[Magnet Soldier]

"Unless you fancy walking 6 miles, you've got no choice." Michael said, stepping out of the car aswell, hoping that the Cops had given up, and wouldn't notice them down here. "I'm the only driver here, if you've noticed Kaito." Michael pointed out, tempted to hit Kaito. "I'll go slower though. That was just to escape the cops." He explained, resting against his door. "I'll go get some food. For the moment you lot stay here." Michael said, walking to the end of the alley. "Unless you want to go your own way Kaito. I'd be happy without your whining." Michael said as he turned around the corner towards the nearest food shop.

[encapturer]

Andrew watched as Michael left the group in order to get food, which was good timing too, before they fled the motel, he was planning on ordering food for the group, since he still had not eaten dinner. Still, the fact that they were on the run from police yet again was depressing. But it was part of the risk he took when he practically stole those Xeno Crystals from his old workplace. All for science, of course.

He looked at the former assassin who laid on the ground, wrapped in a blanket. The man seemed to be asleep, but he could be dead - Andrew could not tell. He was a magic scientist, not a medical one. "Well, at least we'll get to sleep under the stars today," Andrew said to the others as he looked up into the sky... only to find that from his position he could not see even one star.

[I]That's right. Cities and their industries,[/I] he thought to himself, sighing.

While Andrew was attempting to stargaze, a young child no older than 10 started passing by the alleyway. He stared into the alleyway for a good six seconds before running off, presumably to catch up with his parents. Nimue spotted it and stepped out of the car, unsure what to make of it. It could be dangerous, after all.

"We don't stand out that much, do we?" she asked no one in particular.

[hr]

As expected, there was a fast food place nearby, specializing in selling hamburgers. There were a few cops patrolling the area, but none seemed to spot Michael as he continued to walk. It was clearly getting late; the number of pedestrians started to thin considerably as most people returned home, leaving only those who participated in the night life.

[Magnet Soldier]

Michael walked passt the cops as casually as he could, covering his guns with his coat before anyone could spot them. He walked into the fast food store calmly, getting a couple of stares but ignoring them - he seemed to get that everywhere he went anyway. He ordered 6 burgers(Incase the Assassin woke up) emptying his pocket of the last few coins he had, and walked quickly out of the store. The cops noticed him, but seemed to be too consumed in their conversation, allowing Michael to walk back towards the main group, eating his burger while walking, also noticing the small boy run from the alleyway.

[Jake the Sage]

Kaito had, for a rare time in his life, felt like beating someone just to do it. Normally he only reserved violence for those who wouldn't learn or people who deserved it, but the truth was Micheal was just getting on his nerves. Taking a deep sigh he let it out and felt the ground finally stop moving underneath him, [i]"I really do not wish to get back in that thing with Micheal driving"[/i] he thought eyeing the vehicle. Turning back to the group he could hear Nimune ask if they stood out too much which prompted Kaito to check his own wardrobe. Sure where he was from it seemed normal, but where they currently where the chances were high it was [i]very[/i] out of place. His head back upright he noted to Nimue, "Probably . . . do you think it's attracting too much attention, even here?"

[encapturer]

"Perhaps..." Andrew replied, digging into his backpack again. In their haste, the protective wrappings on the Xeno Crystals in the bag loosened, and he wanted to be sure that they crystals stayed inert; unable to affect anything. The last thing he needs is for the car to stop working on the road due to the crystals messing with any safety mechanisms it had.

Watching the unconscious assassin again, Andrew noticed that the man seemed to be breathing at least; so there was some hope for him. Of course, the more Andrew tossed ideas in his head, the more he was sure of a few things. He ran through the list once in his head, like so:

1) Whoever tried to kill us, they knew where we would be going.
2) Someone was using this man as their assassin, without their knowledge.
3) The magic they used to do so was powerful and exotic. Either Xeno Magic, or something even more insane.

Although it did not occur to him that the targets may not have been him directly, Doctor Andrew Brown was a little fearful for his life, As Michael turned the corner, Andrew went digging through his bag, bringing out a few shards of crystal and placing them in his pockets. He had to act.

"Thank you for coming with me all this way," Andrew said, smiling uneasily. "But... I'm going to head to the Paradox Magic branch right now." He didn't know how everyone else would respond; truth be told, he was afraid of going on himself. He took once last look at the assassin. "If someone can manipulate someone to that extent..." He began, but trailed off, eyeing the burger that Michael was eating.

After all, he was still hungry.

[Jake the Sage]

Kaito took one of the burgers from Micheal and tossed it to the professor whilst bitting into his once more. Chewing the food before he began talking, Kaito explained that he wanted to still come along even though it would be dangerious, "I want to figure out who has such power was well . . . and if possible see if they need to be stopped for obvious reasons. I hope that is okay with you Dr. Andrew, Mina?"

Kaito knew the tiny girl would agree with him and even go with them, she just clung to him like that, but didn't know of Andrew himself would be so happy to have them coming along. He figured that if things would get dangerous that someone might need to go along . . . and he wasn't quite sure that Micheal was going to continue going with them for much longer. Sighing Kaito thought about his life back in the countryside and how peaceful it was, at least relative to how it was here, and waited for an answer so he could plan out his next move. Stay with Dr. Andrew- Discover what is going on, Leave Dr. Andrew- Return to his personal travels. [i]Those[/i] where his two options.

[Jake the Sage]

BUMP BECAUSE I REFUSE TO LET THIS DIE

B |

[encapturer]

((You refuse to let this die? ....Very well.))

Andrew stood dumbfounded for a few moments, then started chuckling to himself. "And to think, the only reason I made it here was because of you guys." He looked upwards to the sky, though not at anything in particular. "I don't know how long this will be... I don't know where to start looking once I get there." There was his contact there, sure, but he didn't know his work schedule. Most likely he had a mundane 9-5 work schedule... meaning he wouldn't be around right now. "But if you're still coming, I won't stop you." He paused for a moment, then relaxed his arms, dangling them at his side.

"I mean, how could I? I'm just a scientist," Andrew added, chuckling to himself. He shifted his backpack once more before finally taking a bite of that sandwich that was tossed to him. He hoped that at least Michael would give him a ride into town; walking would be... ill-advised, since the facility is a good distance away. By Andrew's reckoning, they were in the southeast end of the city, and the facility is somewhere in the center-west portion of it. Hopefully neither Michael nor Kaito would complain.

[Jake the Sage]

<Sorry for not posting sooner>

Kaito looked around at the giant buildings around him, suprised at how tall they were and yet still standing. With each person who passed by he gave them a polite nod and recieved an odd look back. Soon he began to wonder how long it would take to get through the city and if there'd be any other distractions along the way. Stopping for a moment he addressed Andrew, "How long are we going to take to get through the city?"

Coughing from the smog he felt a ting in his right arm, the shard digging itself farther into the bone, but it soon subsided. He was begining to wonder if the shard had planned on eating all the way through his arm and just dropping out on the opposite side.

[encapturer]

[spoiler='Location: Capital City, Mercado | Date: Present']
"So they've come here..."

Zack stood alone on top of an office building, still lit up from the people working inside late into the night. He had watched as the vehicle driven by Michael sped past earlier that night being pursued by police, before he was able to evade them. Zack sighed, he figured with Evan's death the group would be able to move around easily; it seemed like that Franklin was seriously trying to get rid of all of the Released quickly, without another media incident. Zack wouldn't put it past him, anyway.

He was worried about Evan's old chip, as Johnathan had it last, before he was seperated from him on the way here. He told him that the next destination was Capital City, though who knows what the man would do with that. Zack had plans laid out whether or not Johnathan would show; he was just interested in how Johnathan would handle to power to create Released. Still, with Michael, Kaito, and the others in the city, he knew that they did listen to his instructions to go to the Paradox Magic building. In his mind, the only question was 'when'.

As for himself, there was only a little time to examine his surroundings. There were things to be done, and things to prepare. Right now, he needed to head back downstairs to meet his partner, who needed to constantly be reminded on their main goal. Zack hated this, but it was his fault he needed to do this, so he decided to bear with it, until a more permanent solution can be found.
[/spoiler]

Andrew shrugged. "If we take the car... I don't know how long it'll take. It'll be faster than walking, that's for sure," he said, shrugging. Michael had decided that going to the complex right now was fine; he would had went there eventually even if Andrew didn't get impatient. After all, it was the only clue that Zack left for the group. Nimue was fine with it as well, tired of the group's slow progress. Minnie didn't seem to mind much, either, though she seemed to be waiting for her friend Kaito's decision before saying anything.

While he spoke, he noticed that when Kaito coughed from the smoke, there was an... unusual movement from his arm. The arm that was injured back in Nesland. "Are you alright?" he asked Kaito. "You're not hurt anywhere?" He could not put his finger on it, but there was something different about that arm. It worried him, and hoped that at least Kaito could see a doctor at some point about it. When they're not being hunted by amnesiac assassins, of course.

[Jake the Sage]

Kaito felt Andrew's finger on his arm, directly above the shard, and he quickly moved it away. Only afterwards did he realize that the motion made him look a bit too suspicious and he placed it back by his side while thinking up a half-assed excuse to calm any worries about his arm. What he had came up with was that he had strained his arm using the hurricane spell to put out the fire from earlier, hopinh that it would suffice to draw attention away from his arm and the shard inside. Kaito thought it was the smart thing to go have it seen, but at the present moment they had no time and bringing it up would only worry Minnie . . . something he'd avoid at nearly any cost. Clapping his hands together he gave a small wave, "Well? Shall we get going?"

[encapturer]

[spoiler='Date: Present Day | Location: Capital City, Mercado']
"No way."

It was not a good day for Franklin Ettada, the Crowned King, as he sat in his office, head buried into his desk. First, his covert attack against the Released in his city failed. The second problem was that the chip Evan Adarian used, the one that gave him the ability to Release people, was missing. And now this.

The Released have Xeno Crystals.

No sane man would even get near them without proper protection, let alone carry them around. The only reasoning he could come up with was that the Released knew of the power they crystals held. He then wondered exactly *how much* they knew... and the thought scared him. After all this time, the one thing that could strike fear into a man like him has finally appeared. And he knew who was to blame.

"Zack... Your game ends here."

Back when Evan Adarian first appeared, if Zack didn't help him, none of this would have come to pass. Evan would had been put down and killed, and everything would be back to normal. But now, things were out of control. And he would do whatever it took to regain it. The first step to do this, would be to get in contact with the President of Osalia.

And with that thought... the Crowned King simply vanished.[/spoiler]

Andrew nodded. "Yeah," he said while Michael picked up the former assassin's body and placed it in the back seat of the car. While everyone was getting back into the car, Andrew tripped, causing his backpack to open, and almost causing the Xeno Crystals within to spill out. "Phew, close one," Andrew said, sighing. Feeling the collective eyes of the others on him, he quickly secured the exposed crystals and closed the backpack, before getting into the vehicle; this time without incident.

The ride to the local Paradox Magic branch started off simple enough. Michael navigated the roads with direction from Nimue, who held the map. Andrew would have done that himself, but he had trouble staying focused for some reason. Soon, Michael's countenance changed, as he sped up a bit, but then slowed down, and began deviating from the path that Nimue gave him. The sudden turn reignited Andrew's consciousness, who by chance looked out of the window to see a bizarre sight.

There were people. More people than that should be out at this time of night. They all stood eerily still, only watching. Only their heads moved as they tracked the car that the Released were riding in. Looking into the mirror he spotted a car that was following them, no matter where Michael went. Michael could easily out maneuver it if he wasn't trying to be inconspicuous, the trailing car wasn't even an average car; it was a beat up tin can of a vehicle, somehow still working due to some magic and elbow grease. Andrew looked around in horror.

"W-what's going on?!"

[Jake the Sage]

"Not sure," Kaito had murmered under his breath, looking back out of the corner of his eye. For the better part of the ride he had been able to doze off and take a nap simply because Micheal hadn't been driving like a lunatic this go around. But when the car started to speed up and slow down in succession before swirving in and out of lanes he had no choice but to get up, having begun to flipflop around in the back seat. It was then he noticed the car and kept an eye on them . . . sure enough it [i]was[/i] following them where ever they went. Not just the car, which was troubling on it's own, but the people standing around and watching them go by added to the mysterious atmosphere. Turning around to face the front Kaito patted the corner of the driver's seat, "It's obvious these guys're following us and something feels . . . off. I don't think we can be inconspicuous anymore. Micheal, I can't believe I am saying this . . . but . . . get us out of here right now."