Golden Gate Empire: Dreams of Grandeur [IC | PG-16]

Yui · June 25, 2017

Blood crystal monsters! Cyborgs! Although the scene unfolding in front of her was exciting, it didn't change the plain and simple fact. Sergei couldn't have possibly arranged this. Not the broadcast, not the interruption to the broadcast, and especially not the attack now commencing at the Golden Gate Hotel. This wasn't a combat trial, and it wasn't a tournament fight. This was real battle now. And Mango wasn't about to let these invaders have their way. She'd have to ask Sergei more about F.A.L.L. whenever she got the chance. Target identified. Size: Bigger than me. Weight...not like I can lift him anyway. Weak spots detected: Zero. Allies: One. Chance of success: Pretty high. XRT-41-E, moving out. Before she got out of her seat and moved in to fight, however, Mango was interrupted by a voice. Louis's voice.

"You should probably help that guy...maybe you'll actually die this time."

Mango turned her face to him, baffled on how he could still be so intent on seeing her dead. "You need to stop being so harsh on people just because of how they look. If I die and so does that guy over there, you could be next."

Back to her target. Mango got up, fingers at the ready. With that monster's size, hitting it would be easy. That thought in mind, Mango took a brief moment to prepare for battle, coating her fingersabres with some of her signature acid. And then, full speed ahead, she ran straight for the monster. Once within fighting range, Mango jumped up, then on the way back down, swung her blades downward. The goal was simple: Melt the crystals some with her acid, then ideally, get the cyborg over there to shoot between the cracks to break a hole in the crystal. From there, it was just a matter of stabbing and sludging whatever was at the core, right?

Hälō · June 25, 2017

Licht and Schatten

Darkness. As she floated limply in the void, Lace found herself oddly calm amidst the silence. "Am I dead?" She thought, a trace of sorrow worming it's way into her mind. Though death was something she had experienced many times, this was the first that the prospect worried her...

She wasn't a S.E.E.D experiment anymore. Meaning this wasn't another trial, where she'd simply be discarded and replaced. This was her life now... and it had just started.

An image flashed in the back of her mind, illuminating the darkness briefly with woman's face. "Hey. Lace? No, you said you weren't the actual Lace, right? We should get you a name of your own sometime." It was Bethany. Straining to hear other girl's words through roaring ocean that was her memories, Lace's brow furrowed slightly.

"My own name..."

"Anyway, superhero, after all this tournament is done with...How about I help you find this supervillain of yours?"

She felt her lips curl into a smile. Help? Such a thing had never crossed her mind until now. Memories leaped to the surface. Old fragments of the original Lace's time spent watching Saturday morning cartoons, with superheroes working together to to face all kinds of monsters, not unlike what the two girl's had done with Lady Merl.

Lace's smile grew wide as she toyed with the thought of having an ally, only to quickly vanished upon remembering what had become of her...

"Sorry Bethany," She thought as she submitted to the fact that she had no future anymore. "I guess I won't be taking you up on your offer after al-" Just then a massive tremor shook her from her slumber. Opening her eyes , Lace was met with what appeared to be some kind of laboratory.

Unable to make out any specific details through murky green liquid she now realized she had been floating in the entire time, Lace glanced down her nose to see a mask was placed on her face to feed some kind of gas into into the rectangular shaped tank that was containing her tiny form.

The switch was instantaneous. If she was alive, there was still hope. Even if she were injured, she'd break free from this containment and continue her journey. "You thought this would stop me?!" Growling at whoever her captors might of been, Lace brought her left hand as as far back as she could before throwing her fist into the glass, causing it to violently shatter and spill it's contents onto the ground.

As she landed on her hands and knees, Lace heard the sizzle of the green liquid evaporating upon coming into contact with the air. Now in full combat mode, Lace's gaze feverishly darted around as she scanned the immediate area for threats and possible weaponry.

Dad · June 26, 2017

Northern Tower: Lobby Floor

Bethany put her hand on Janey's shoulder.

There was a loud THUMP THUMP in Janey's chest, as her heart began to throb.

Bethany looked her in the eyes.

THUMP. THUMP. Janey had begun to panic!

"Janey Dynamite you said? I take it you were the one who.." she made a fist with her other hand and swiftly opened it up, making a explosion-like sound with her mouth.

Janey nodded, her mouth agape. She quickly closed it with her free hand as she stared into Bethany's big brown eyes. She lost focus for just a moment, as Bethany's eyes swallowed Janey whole. She sighed with contentment, until she realized she was embarrassing herself. She straightened her face, and listened intently to Bethany's words, nodding, and encouraging Bethany to continue speaking.

"What...do you think you're doing here? What are you trying to solve?"

Janey looked down, frustrated that Bethany didn't like what she was doing. "Well. Truth is, I'm getting paid really well, and I--I could really use the mon--"

"This goes for you too. You all seem like...nice people. But what you're doing here...people are gonna get hurt. And for what? Revenge? On who? Who are your enemies here? Do you even know what this...attack will do? There's a lot of people around here that you're gonna scare the tar out of. And out there too. While you guys play with your explosives here."

Janey groaned in embarrassment. She'd just been scolded by someone she admired. How shameful. "Oh, no, wait!" Janey said waving her hands frantically. "This is a big misunderstanding. I'm not here to hurt anyone. Those idiots are just here to keep any thug security guards off my back. I'm actually here to rescue someone. It's a rescue mission!" she said with her most serious face. One might misunderstand Janey due to her clinical psychosis, but she really was doing what she thought was the right thing. Rescuing something or someone named Jiangshi was her priority. Her boss had given her very clear instructions as well. "And I-I wasn't the one what killed those guards out there. It was these idiots behind me!"

The gunmen looked down in shame, slightly lowering their weapons.

"If that's so you have to have a reason, right? You saw what I did and it...inspired you somehow? What do you really think your actions here are going to inspire?"

"Nonono! I would never take your words or actions and twist them into something to use to harm innocent people. That's more of CopyCat's style. I might be insane, but I know better than to hurt people. Honest." As Janey was finishing her sentence, the elevator behind her buzzed, and the gunmen all turned around at once. They trained their guns on the door, and inside, Tiny and Matilda were revealed.

"Get down Ms. Nikolaev!" Tiny said, using his large body to shield Matilda.

But before the gunmen could open fire, their eyes were shadowed with utter darkness. A spell had been cast upon them, from an invisible enemy.

To those whom wish to erase the light of this world, I grant you darkness for as long as you stay.

Janey turned around, ready to stop the gunmen, when her vision went temporarily blank as well. In her head, she heard an unfamiliar voice. "What is wrong with that brain of yours?" it asked, as Janey's vision cleared. She blinked a few times, realizing the gunmen were waving their guns about erratically, enough to shoot up the place. "Be still you blind idiots! What do you think you're doin'!?"

In the chaos, Tiny stood up, and lifted Matilda into his arms. "Come, Ms. Nikolaev!" he insisted. She huddled into Tiny's large chest, less vulnerable, but still afraid.

Meanwhile, Janey was busy telling her gunmen to get into the elevator, trying to guide them into it. She looked over her shoulder, knowing full well that Bethany would not be pleased. She sighed, almost depressed that these events unfolded in front of Bethany. "Sorry, Ms. Bethany. I have to save this Jiangshi guy. Will you forgive me?" Janey asked, as the doors to the elevator closed on her and her gunmen. They were on their way down to the lower levels. Their destination: sub-level 4. Laboratories and experimental creatures.

"Underground Beat-down" | Northern Tower: Sub-level 10

Jack used her tethers to slide backwards and pull herself up.

"It's bastards like you that took everything from me, and now? Now I'm gonna return that favor."

"Still haunted by your past, huh?" Geno said, as images of the war flashed past him. "If you only knew what old dogs like me did just to stay alive."

Geno watched as Jack released from her suit a canister which released a thin veiled smoke, crackling with electricity. An anti-camouflage grenade. It would make things more challenging, but it was better than the fight being totally one sided. Instead of waiting for the smoke to touch him, Geno released his cloak. "Throw it." He could feel her itching to throw an arrow at his heart. It wouldn't make a difference, but challenging Jack was easier, and made more sense. Instead of running or attempting to dodge the arrow, Geno pressed his back to the corridor wall, and began to whistle nonchalantly, as he waited for Jack to throw the arrow from her back.

"You said someone let you in. Tell me who it is, and you can go. We'll forget this whole ordeal. Nothing will leave this bubble. But if you continue to refuse to cooperate, Jack," Geno looked over his left shoulder, down the nearest hall. "Things are only going to get worse for you." Soft, subtle footsteps in the hall behind Geno could barely be heard in the few brief silences between himself and Jack. But Jack went on.

"I'll let you make a tactical decision: Let me go, and I promise I'll give you a chance to actually protect the people you care about."

Now he was annoyed. Joking about the people he loved wasn't something Geno took lightly. "Are you threatening my family? Are you threatening Rachel?" he asked, standing up from the wall. He took out his sidearm, and flicked a switch. A laser dot was trained on Jack's temple. "Nobody threatens my family!" he screamed, suddenly overcome with rage. "Ghost!" he called. The footsteps that were behind him suddenly became clear, as a large Siberian husky turned around the corner. It snarled, as it reached Geno's feet. "Nobody! Threatens her. Not you, not Sergei, not any of these funking guests, not God himself! I will put you in the funking ground before I let you hurt her, or I will die trying!"

Between his relationship with Rachel, his thirty years as a Navy Seal, the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that still affected him to this day, the security he was providing to over ten thousand people, and high profile clients, and monster hunting, Geno was hurting. But no monster he had hunted, no terrorist he had taken down, no militant operation he had helped to stop, was as challenging as this moment before him.

But beside him, Ghost stopped snarling. He whined, brushing up against Geno's leg. He could sense the distress in Geno's mind. He could feel him giving in to the memories that plagued him, in addition to his own irrational fears. Especially when it came to Rachel.

A tear fell down Geno's face, as he tried to keep his composure. "Get on your knees! And don't you--don't you funking move!" There was no telling what Geno was willing to do, as even Ghost tried to plead with him.

Western Tower: Lobby Floor

As Dirk wrestled with Brutus, he was soon joined by a rather dangerous looking, sharp clawed experiment he knew only as Mango. Well, at least according to her case file. What kind of name for a weapon was "Mango"? It didn't matter. All Dirk knew was that she was spitting hot fire, her acid dripping onto Brutus' crystals, and causing them to crack.

Dirk happily accepted her assistance, as he slid between Brutus' legs, dodging another deadly strike. The crystals above Brutus were melted, then struck with Mango's powerful claws, shattering large chunks of them at a time. And beneath this crystal, Brutus' flesh was revealed. Dirk hopped onto Brutus' back once more, and pressed his Dusk Rider right into the vulnerable spot beneath Brutus' crystals. "Don't move, big guy. Because if one of these bullets goes through you, there won't be anything left on the other side. The rocket will burst, the bullet will shred through your tissue, and the pressure alone will probably kill you. And I'll be honest, I don't wanna do that." Dirk put his second gun to an already cracked crystal, where his bullets would easily penetrate and break through. "Two bullets will only ensure you can't be revived. So whatddya say?"

Brutus laughed, as Dirk tried to appeal to the man's sense of self-value. However, Brutus had none. "Know what the difference between me and you is, Dirk Rider?"

Dirk leaned in close and put an ear to where Brutus' skull should have been, beneath the many crystals. "What's that, sweetheart?" he said, soothingly.

"My life isn't worth anything. And losing it ain't something I'm afraid of!"

Dirk felt Brutus jerk, and watched him rip off a crystal from his side. But before Dirk could be impaled, he fired off two shots, into Brutus' spine, and the other into what should have been his kidneys. Sure enough, Brutus collapsed in pain, dropping the crystal to the ground. Unable to move, Brutus' insides erupted, as Dirk's rocket propelled bullets exploded. The crystals began to fade, and Brutus returned to his normal self. His stomach was missing, nothing more than a pile of corroded goop. Most of his back had also been destroyed, leaving a clean view to the other side of Brutus' body.

"Et tu, brute?" Dirk added. He turned to Mango, who had assisted him. "Hey. Thanks. The help is appreciated. That might've taken a lot longer if you hadn't given me a hand. I'd shake and thank you, but I know you're covered in a highly toxic chemical sludge," Dirk chuckled. "How bout I get you a drink instead? Wait, can experiments drink? Wait, do you even eat? This is kinda cool now that I think about it." Dirk shrugged. "I know you got knocked outta the tournament by Louis over there, but what's say I have Sergei give you a commendation of some kind. I don't really believe in the whole 'giving losers trophies' but I think for saving the people of this tower you can get somethin' for it. How bout it?" Dirk asked.

Northern Tower: Sub-level 4 | Laboratories and Experimental Creatures

Lace had just bursted out of her stasis healing chamber, giving Rachel and MARS quite a scare. They were currently operating on Angelica, but had set their tools down to address Lace, who was completely naked. "Hey, take it easy!" Rachel said, grabbing a towel, and tossing it around Lace's shoulders. She realized how tall Lace was, and grabbed another towel and forced it tightly around Lace's waist. Rachel sighed, seeing that the hemogen healing gel had expired when Lace broke open her chamber. She would have to order more. Rachel shrugged, thinking nothing of it.

"Lace, right? Sorry to have scared you. Don't worry, you're not a captive here. You had been injured, and MARS and I were restoring you to your full form. In addition to a few new kickass toys for your Beowulf there," Rachel said, nodding towards the large sword which was hanging on the wall behind Lace.

Rachel shyly shifted past Lace, hoping she wouldn't get snatched and choked. "Heh. May I?" Rachel asked, gesturing towards Beowulf. "Please, pick it up."

Lace took the weapon in her hand. Despite it's normally overwhelming weight, it was much lighter. "What have you done to Beowulf!?" Lace demanded.

"N-nothing major," Rachel said stepping a bit closer to Lace. "If you'll set it down, I'll show you."

Lace laid Beowulf down on a nearby examination table, eyeing Rachel carefully. "I--er, we--took the liberty of putting a few upgrades into your weapon. We kept Beowulf's design, as I see that it was meant to harvest your soul energy. However, we did change a few things. Look at the edges of the blade," Rachel said, pointing to the sword's edges with her finger. "It's been coated in a refined tactlochean crystal compound--those come from a cavern populated by dragons made of crystals, it's really cool!--and it makes Beowulf lighter, and sharper. You can cut skyscrapers in half with this thing!"

Lace stood up straight, slightly confused. "I was already capable of doing such things," she noted aloud as her towel slipped from her waist.

Rachel tied the towel around Lace again. "I realize, heh. This just makes your cutting power that much more devastating, in addition to increasing the speed at which you can swing Beowulf. I've also applied the same coating to your shortsword."

Lace lifted Beowulf once more. It truly was much lighter than before. "And one more thing," Rachel said jumping up and down excitedly. "The crystal compound? It's magical! It reacts to your soul energy. Putting your soul energy into Beowulf will have an impact--according to my calculations--of about one hundred and three percent more!"

Behind Lace, MARS stood holding out her clothes, folded neatly into a stack. Her all access pass was directly on top, so that Lace would know she was not being held prisoner or being denied access to the hotel for any reason.

"Heh. I hope that's okay, Lace," Rachel said, pushing her glasses back up onto her face.

LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow · June 26, 2017

It was only after Bethany gave her speech that she realized how...close she had been. Don't make it awkward don't make it awkward don't...wait no focus.

From what Janey said it looked like they were hired to do this...and they were trying to rescue...someone? From what? Who would need rescuing on this scale? No, that wasn't what's important. Whatever was being rescued...that was only part of this. The scale of this incident was way too large for something so simple as that.

Then more things happened that took Bethany's attention. A pair who Bethany had seen earlier, before the first round, came in suddenly and the gunmen looked ready to fire...but then something....interfered with them? Bethany wasn't about to question something that stopped bullets from firing but it was kind of awkward standing there being useless while all this went on.

"Sorry, Ms. Bethany. I have to save this Jiangshi guy. Will you forgive me?"

Bethany let out a sigh. Looked like her words hadn't had much of an effect. They were still determined to do...whatever it was they were doing. What in the world is a Jiangshi?

"If you're going to save anyone." Bethany said as the elevator doors closed. "Save yourself, Janey, don't help those people do something horrible...I'll leave it to you to decide what to do from here. Don't make me regret not stopping you."

The elevator doors closed Bethany let out a breath and leaned forward, hands on her knees. That took far too much out of her. She was not one for speeches.
She glanced at the giant and the girl..that was Sergei's daughter right?

"Hey..uh, Tiny right? What the blazes is going on? I was gonna head up to talk with Sergei but now someone's going down to get some....Jianshi thing and you look like you could use some help too. I Would rather not turn this into some bad end in a choose your own adventure so anything you could add would reeeally help."

VCR_CAT · June 26, 2017

Jack

BGM:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyjWEG8P5Z0

Jack touched a nerve, apparently. Geno's temperament went out the window as he drew a gun and trained it on Jack's head.

"Are you threatening my family? Are you threatening Rachel? Nobody threatens my family!" he screamed, suddenly overcome with rage. "Ghost!" he called. The footsteps that were behind him suddenly became clear, as a large Siberian husky turned around the corner. It snarled, as it reached Geno's feet. "Nobody! Threatens her. Not you, not Sergei, not any of these funking guests, not God himself! I will put you in the funking ground before I let you hurt her, or I will die trying!"

Jack stopped herself from throwing the arrow, still in her hand. She was confident in the strength of her suit and its ability to take a bullet, but she wasn't willing to risk it on her helmet. Not when she was so close to accomplishing her goals. Now was not the time to tempt lady luck.

"Get on your knees! And don't you--don't you funking move!"

Jack slowly moved down to her knees, placing her hands behind her head, staring down at the tile floor, stained with blood, the lights flickering.

"I- I don't care if you're the director's daughter!! You killed my friends, you killed them!! I'll- I'll shoot!" The technician screamed, the gun rattling as his hands shook.

"I'm not threatening anyone," Jack said to Geno calmly. "What's going on upstairs is out of my control, and you know it. If you want to keep wasting your time here with me, that's your call." Jack slowly turned her mask to face Geno, his gun taking a better aim. He wasn't like the others, he wasn't a part of the corporate machine. In the words he yelled, there was passion. He was fighting for people he cared about; this wasn't for money, or power. As much as Jack wanted to hurt him and enjoy it, there was an opportunity for her to take advantage of. "If you want the truth, you're not going to believe a funking word of it. All this sheet was your good ol' boss's idea, I'm just along for the ride because I'm a sucker for taking down rich fucks that take advantage of people." Geno seemed to calm down, but Jack could tell he wasn't buying a word of it yet. "He was the one that let me into the office through the escape tunnel, and he was the one to tell me the password is 'blueberry' because it was his wife's favorite."

By now, Jack was looking Geno directly in the face. "Yeah, you could say I'm haunted by my past. Sergei knows too much about me, and if I had my way he'd be dead by now for it. Obviously he hasn't shared that information with you." Jack's voice was turning into a low growl, more animal than human at this point. "I had to escape hell to even have a chance to be here."

"We didn't have a choice."

"You can talk about your wars all you want, because back then? I would rather have died than go through that."

"We did what we could."

"But now? Now I'm here, and my mission isn't to kill you or your family. I've told you what you want to know, I don't care if you funking believe me or not. But it's chaos up there, and I do not apologize, because that chaos is just going to help tear out another tumor of society so that they won't be ruled by the bastards of the rich and elite. But you're wasting your time with me, because my job here is done, but your's isn't. Let me go, and I'll let you go."

Jack still had her one tether, and with the position her hands were in, she was ready to fire it and pull herself out of harm's way if Geno wasn't complying. It wasn't often she had to resort to a silver tongue to get her out of sticky situations, but she was praying it would work this time.

Mr. Hyde · June 26, 2017

"You need to stop being so harsh on people just because of how they look. If I die and so does that guy over there, you could be next."

Louis couldn't help but roll his eyes, while wearing a cheesy smile.

"If that thing kills you, it'll be a waste of a pawn...you owe me your life anyways, filth." He couldn't help but flip his bars stool around to watch the two embarrassments flop around in what he assumed was an attempt at combat. Eventually, Mango proved to be at least somewhat useful to the one-line spewing detective, as they took no time whatsoever in bringing the monster down. Louis couldn't help but look on with a scowl of disappointment. He started to slow clap, but was interrupted by a yawn. "Wow...whoopee...way to go you two...so exciting...I can't believe it..."

"How bout I get you a drink instead? Wait, can experiments drink? Wait, do you even eat? This is kinda cool now that I think about it. I know you got knocked outta the tournament by Louis over there, but what's say I have Sergei give you a commendation of some kind. I don't really believe in the whole 'giving losers trophies' but I think for saving the people of this tower you can get somethin' for it. How bout it?"

Jesus Christ, the man was long winded as hell. It took every ounce of self control for Louis not to run the man through with a shadowy blade...but Sergei would probably frown upon such tact. Suddenly, Basabth emerged from Louis' own shadow, yawning and stretching.

"Now that people have seen me in action, I don't have to keep hanging in there do I?" He said, tilting his head in questioning.

Louis pouted.

"I guess not..." Basabth jumped on his lap with his hands open, palm side up. A small device was resting in his palms, something Louis had stashed in his shadow.

"This thing has been ringing for a while now." Basabth stated. Louis took the device and placed it in his ear, tapping the top of it to activate it. Suddenly, the loud shouting of one of his higher-ups rang against his eardrum. Louis couldn't help but almost fall out of his bar stool.

"Ouais, ouais...F.A.L.L. est là. Attends...tu veux que je fasse quoi maintenant? En aucune façon! L'affaire était que j'étais censé enquêter sur l'hote, je voulais dire que je devais participer au tournoi! "Les dents de Louis se moquaient, Basabth se mit à rire, demeurait encore dans ses genoux." Bien! J'étais en train de le faire de toute façon...cette opportunité est trop grande....trouvez le leader de l'opération? Compris..."¹

Louis took the device out of his ear, and gave it back to Basabth, who took it in turn. The device sunk into Basabth's skin, as if it had been placed in a vat of black batter. The shadow demon let out a small burp, upon it sinking beneath the entirety of his skin. Louis let out a sigh, before getting up from his bar stool, and approaching Dirk, trying to ignore eye contact with Mango as much as possible, while also trying to tiptoe around the blood that soaked the ground. A task that surely tested his skills. Basabth, on the other hand, hopped over to Mango. He went to see if any of her razors wasn't covered in acid, before grabbing onto any one.

"I don't suppose you know who's in charge of this attack...do you 'World's Worst Detective'?"

[spoiler=I used translate]

1: Yeah, yeah...F.A.L.L. is here. Wait...you want me to do what now?! No way! The deal was I was supposed to investigate into the hote-I mean I was supposed to partake in the tournament!" Louis' teeth were grinding, Basabth chuckling, still residing in his lap. "Fine! I was thinking about doing it anyways...this opportunity is just too grand....find the leader of the operation? Understood...

Maeriberii Haan · June 26, 2017

She lost.

She failed to proceed, and as much as Angelica hated to admit it, it's entirely her own fault. Throughout the fight she had underestimated Jack's capabilities, throughout the fight she was just so sure about what she could achieve, she didn't even think of what would happen if she actually couldn't achieve it. At that decisive moment in that battle, Jack infected her with what was left of her arrow before Angelica could manage to finish her off. Even her contingency plan with the Sword failed as her central control system refused to control her remote weapons, and so she fell on the ground, a clear loser of the round. Ah...it seemed that she wouldn't be able to meet with her sister again. She wouldn't be able to apologize. Figments of the Administrator's last words echoed on Angelica's consciousness before it went dark as her system was too damaged to continue operating.

It was a miracle in itself that her core board managed to survive the ordeal, and it was even more so of a miracle that Paraiso was unharmed - that Jack didn't seem to learn of its existence yet. Angelica silently rebooted herself to find that she was being repaired somewhere. It was a place that she didn't recognize, but a familiar face soon made herself clear in the distance. Lace had just broken from her tank, and now the person that was busy tinkering with Angelica's body and someone else was interacting with her. Angelica gave off a honest smile - it was odd, but she was relieved to find that Lace managed to survive this. As her mind was still full of thought regarding her last battle, Angelica exerted little control to her body now. Normally she would not let anyone tinker with herself without her permission, and not like she'd permit anyone in the first place, but after what happened, Angelica couldn't care less about that now.

"Ah, Lace. Didn't expect to see you again here.

For the others...where am I? Who are you? What are you-

Upgrades? Don't be silly, what are you all even talking about here?"

Hälō · July 1, 2017

"Heh. I hope that's okay, Lace,"

XIII Peered down at Rachel and offered the smaller girl a shy smile. "Yea, thank you," Upgrading Beowulf was something that she had never even thougth to be in the realm of possibility, yet some how this girl had managed to do it in almost no time at all. Her gaze shifted to the advanced AI that also apparently had a hand in her quick recovery and weapon's augmentation. "B-Both of you."

"Ah, Lace. Didn't expect to see you again here."

As she moved to grab her clothing from MARs, a familiar voice drew her attention. Glancing over to the the patient on the operating table, Lace was met with another friendly face. "Angelica." The word fell out of her mouth instantly as she studied the other girl's condition. The sense of familiarity she had felt around Angelica suddenly made a lot more sense. It seemed she wasn't the only woman shaped science experiment at this party after all...

"For the others...where am I? Who are you? What are you-

Upgrades? Don't be silly, what are you all even talking about here?"

Whilst Angelica turned to question the tiny scientist, Lace allowed her towel to fall to the ground yet again. Happy to see that the holes had been mended in her white dress shirt, the girl quickly threw on her boots and tights before sliding her arms into the surprisingly expensive fabric. "Don't worry. She does good work..." Lace addressed Angelica with a small smirk.

Looking around for her checkered green sweater, Lace sighed at the realization the Bethany still had it. "I feel as good as ne-" She continued whilst reaching for down to begin buttoning her shirt, only to be cut off the sound of the elevator arriving.

Dad · July 1, 2017

Northern Tower: Lobby Floor

Tiny paused in his giant tracks, holding Matilda closely to his chest, as Bethany addressed them both.

"Hey..uh, Tiny right? What the blazes is going on?"

Tiny nodded. "Forgive me, Ms. Bethany. But it seems the hotel is under attack. A rogue group of metahumans has set their sights on the hotel, its guests, and its staff. My priority, right now, is getting Lady Matilda to safety."

"I was gonna head up to talk with Sergei but now someone's going down to get some....Jianshi thing and you look like you could use some help too. I Would rather not turn this into some bad end in a choose your own adventure so anything you could add would reeeally help."

"The Jiangshi? Well, he was brought to the Western Tower by Ace--er Bradley, on his arrival. They will not find the creature below. But that means--Rachel is in danger!" Tiny raced to the exit, still clutching Matilda in his oversized arms. "Ms. Bethany! Please, get to the laboratories below! Sergei will be fine! We must protect Rachel!"

Tiny then disappeared from the Northern Tower lobby, making his way to the Eastern Tower bunker. Bethany would have to make this decision on her own. Even if she went to the laboratories where Rachel was now, the elevator was only just now about to empty itself of occupants. It would take at least sixty seconds for it to reach her, and another minute to return to the labs with Bethany inside. The only emergency exits below the Northern Tower did not reach the lobby floor, but extended outside of the hotel compound, far from Bethany's reach.

Northern Tower: Sub-Level Four | Laboratories

MARS approached Angelica slowly, lifting her back so that she could sit up-right. Her chassis had been completely restored, with a titanium and nickel alloy, and a double titanium coating. MARS admired it, because it was similar to his own design. "Yes, Ms. Angelica," he said rather slowly. "You have been restored to full functionality, including multiple chassis upgrades, a new weapons diagnostic and system update, and a shiny new coating." The machine's face glowed a dim blue, indicating its own excitement about Angelica's new functions.

"We've included--"

But before MARS could go into detail about Angelica's upgrades, he paused, as the elevator doors dinged, and slowly opened. "Oh. It seems we have guests."

Inside the elevator, one loud female voice could be heard, ringing over the others. "Alright you inbred morons. We're lookin' for a zombie lookin' dude who can stretch his legs wider than your mommas! Don't hurt him! Subdue him! He's a prisoner here and boss wants to rescue the poor bastard! Do not screw this--oh. Hi there!" Janey said, stepping off the elevator first, in front of her six blind gunmen. She kindly waved at Rachel, Angelica, MARS, and Lace as she stepped forwards.

"Sorry, I know this is awkward," she said at first. Then she opened her palm to reveal a rounded black bomb, appearing in the palm of her hand out of thin air. A timer was on the bomb's face, and beneath it, a skull and crossbones marked the device. "But I'm lookin' for someone." Janey was eerily calm. The bomb's timer did not move, and was paused, as though it hadn't been activated. "Undead guy. His name is Ji--er, Jiangsty? I think? I dunno, I just heard some really mean people were keepin' him here against his will. We're here to save him! We're heroes!" she said with an innocent grin.

"So would you mind tellin' me where he is?" Janey asked, her gunmen clueless as to why they still couldn't see.

Northern Tower: Sub-Level Ten

"If you want the truth, you're not going to believe a funking word of it. All this sheet was your good ol' boss's idea, I'm just along for the ride because I'm a sucker for taking down rich fucks that take advantage of people."

Geno kept his gun trained on Jack, as he listened intently. He wasn't quite sure why Sergei would go to these lengths. It didn't make sense.

"He was the one that let me into the office through the escape tunnel, and he was the one to tell me the password is 'blueberry' because it was his wife's favorite."

Geno slowly lowered his weapon. "Blueberry?" Geno said to himself aloud. He looked down at Ghost, as the world around him seemed to dim into a soft light. Geno sighed, and took a knee. He could feel his heartbeat slowing. Jack was trying to sympathize with Geno, and he could hear her every word. But in his head, all he could hear was the song Sergei would sing to himself. ". . .blueberry sweet, for a little black bird. A little sweet thing in a torn, lost world. A sweet little thing, that's precious to me. A sweet little thing, little black bird sing." A song. Geno repeated it over and over, softly to himself, as he listened to Jack's plea.

"But now? Now I'm here, and my mission isn't to kill you or your family. I've told you what you want to know, I don't care if you funking believe me or not. But it's chaos up there, and I do not apologize, because that chaos is just going to help tear out another tumor of society so that they won't be ruled by the bastards of the rich and elite. But you're wasting your time with me, because my job here is done, but your's isn't. Let me go, and I'll let you go."

Raven. The black bird. That was Matilda's mother's name. That was Sergei's wife. He remembered Sergei singing the song to Matilda, after Raven passed. A long time ago, after the war. He remembered singing the same song to Rachel to soothe her nightmares, long before they were picked up by Sergei as staff members. She was telling the truth. Or at least, Geno hoped she was. Geno sighed again, putting his gun back in his holster. He disengaged all defensive mechanisms in his uniform, and approached Jack, extending a hand and helping her to her feet.

"They have something on him," Geno said, as Ghost plopped down at his feet. "They have to. That's very sensitive information you have. Only Sergei, myself, and Matilda know that. Bradley is Sergei's right hand, and he doesn't even know that. It's not something he would just give you." Geno turned to the little device her dropped on the floor earlier. He picked it up, and pressed the underside of it, disabling the Paradox Dome. "Sergei's not the jabroni you think he is, but I'm not gonna try and convince you." Geno tucked the dome device into his breast pocket, and began walking to the elevators. "But obviously Sergei wanted you to expose them for a reason. F.A.L.L."

Geno gestured for Jack to come forwards, as he continued talking. "I don't know much about them, except what little Sergei has given me. But I know they're nasty, vile people. Probably the reason what's happening is happening upstairs." Geno pressed a button for the elevators to come down to the lower sub-levels, as Ghost got up to follow them. "My men are already protecting Rachel. They've got similar tech to mine. Not as good as yours and not as good as mine, but it's good. So if you'll come with me, I need to go check on her. Plus, this is the only way out. So it's not like you've got a choice."

Ghost barked at Jack, pressing his head against her stubborn leg, encouraging her to step forwards. A closer look at the canine would reveal he had an exact replica of Geno's uniform, fitted just for himself. The only thing missing was a Navy Seal mask.

The elevator had just emptied, and was now arriving on sub-level ten. Geno stepped inside, and whistled to Ghost. "Come here, mutt. Leave her alone," he said, stooping down as the dog ran to him. Geno flicked two switches on the back of his bask, and unlocked it, just enough to raise it above his stubbled, grey haired chin. Ghost licked Geno's neck, as Geno held the dog with a hug. "Thank you," he whispered to Ghost.

"C'mon," Geno said, gesturing to Jack once more. "I want you to meet Rachel anyway. And after this, you and I are gonna have a private sit down with Sergei." Geno patted Ghost once more on his big head. "And do me a favor. Keep this between us. You can use it as blackmail or something in the future."

Eastern Tower: Sub-level Nine

"Lady Boom, come back," said a goon over a walkie talkie.

"This is Janey. What's up?" said the girl on the other end.

"Copycat has breached every sub-level of the Eastern Tower, but we do not have Matilda Nikolaev. Have you located the prisoner?" asked the nobody.

"Nope, not yet. Just hoping this nice young girl and two lady heroines will tell me where he is. Put the kitty on, will ya? Thanks toots," said Janey on the other walkie.

"Where is he? Give me that!" CopyCat said, snatching the walkie from the gunmen. "Janey--er, Boom, whatddaya got?"

Janey's eyebrows curled and she bit her lip anxiously. She hated being called by her name by CopyCat. As a result, the timer on the bomb in her hand dropped from ten minutes to five minutes. She sighed. "Nothing yet. I'm trying to get through to some kind people here but--"

"He's not here," Rachel said loudly, enough that CopyCat could hear her over the walkie.

"Well which friggin' tower is he in!? You get your ass outta there and go help Brutus! So help me, Boom, if you guys screw this up and I'm gonna beat the life outta you!" CopyCat crushed the walkie in his hand and dropped its broken pieces to the floor.

Janey felt an angry tear roll down her face, as she raised her head. She turned in a fit of rage to the gunmen behind her. "You find me that prisoner, or I'm going to let everything loose at once. And you know I don't wanna do that. But I'm not about to take another beatin'. Not again!"

The gunmen turned around rapidly and fidgeted their way to the elevator panel, smashing what they hoped was the "up" button. Behind them, Janey fell to her knees, her mental status deteriorating once more. The bomb in her hand fizzled, as she crushed it, and Janey began to weep. Then, she felt the tick, and clutched her hand over her mouth. Her internal timer had just dropped by another five seconds, leaving her with two minutes remaining.

Western Tower: Lobby Floor

"I don't suppose you know who's in charge of this attack...do you 'World's Worst Detective'?"

Dirk turned around with a grin. "My favorite competitor talkin' sheet about me. This is pretty cool!" Dirk nodded. "Actually I completed my work on F.A.L.L.. . . .some time last fall," he said with a cheeky grin. Dirk quickly straightened his face. "But I can't disclose that information to an outside government, especially not the French Embassy. Last time your boys interfered, Scotland Yard had a heart attack, and three people died. Sure you're their best, but that ain't sayin' much."

Dirk began walking to the bar, stopping to gesture over his shoulder. "But to an old colleague who's moved on, I might be able to tell a thing or two since they're not working on any active cases. Plus, I may or may not have had some liquor in my system, that got me to spill. So, who knows?" Dirk shrugged. He calmly walked over to the lobby bar, and tapped on the counter. The barkeep was still cowering behind the counter.

"My good man," Dirk said, peering over the top of the counter. "Big, shiny, 'notice me senpai' in red is long dead. So, might I request a drink?" he said with forced smile.

The barkeep slowly stood up, eyeing Brutus' corpse from the bar. "S-sure mister. Wha-what can I get you?"

"Your strongest whiskey, straight. And if you gimme that cheap sheet, I'm tellin' Sergei," he said, looking the barkeep in the eye.

The barkeep nodded, ducking to retrieve a brown bottle. He poured a glass for Dirk, and passed it to the detective. "On-on the house, sir."

Dirk tipped his drink to the barkeep. "My man."

LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow · July 2, 2017

"Ms. Bethany! Please, get to the laboratories below! Sergei will be fine! We must protect Rachel!"

And then he exited stage right. "Big guy sure knows how to book it." Bethany thought for a few moments. Sergei, Matilda, Rachel, all were apparently in danger. She couldn't help them all. Looks like she'd have to decide and hope for the best.

It was an easy decision once she had the information from Tiny though. Rachel. That was the kid. With a sigh Bethany went to the elevator. She couldn't just leave a kid in need.

....Right. Elevators weren't instant. She'd have to wait. Bethany began tapping her foot against the floor as she waited for the elevator to arrive and, once it did and she got in, waited for it to descend.

"I wonder if cats know they're called cats."

.....

"Who even came up with the word cat?"

...........

"Cat doesn't even mean anything on its own where does this word come from?"

..............

"Man I really need Google right now."

.......................

"Wait forget cat what about dog? Who in the world came up with these wonky words?"

...................................

The elevator finally opened. Cutting off Bethany's self-ramble and bringing her into a rather stressful scene. The gunmen were there. And Janey. And Rachel....Lace and uh, other girl, too.

First thing she noticed, though, was Janey on her knees, crying?

She sighed and stepped into whatever mayhem was going on and knelt by the girl. "Hey there, long time no see, you uh...having a chat with the floor?" She hesitated for a split second before gently resting a hand on the other girl's head.

Smooth as butter.

VCR_CAT · July 2, 2017

Jack

BGM:https://makeupandvanityset.bandcamp.com/track/system-one

Geno holstered his gun, and Jack allowed herself a moment to relax somewhat.

"They have something on him," Geno said, as Ghost plopped down at his feet. "They have to. That's very sensitive information you have. Only Sergei, myself, and Matilda know that. Bradley is Sergei's right hand, and he doesn't even know that. It's not something he would just give you." Geno turned to the little device her dropped on the floor earlier. He picked it up, and pressed the underside of it, disabling the Paradox Dome.The red, electric smoke that filled the dome dispersed down the hallway, sucked into vents and pulled out of the building. "Sergei's not the jabroni you think he is, but I'm not gonna try and convince you." Geno tucked the dome device into his breast pocket, and began walking to the elevators. "But obviously Sergei wanted you to expose them for a reason. F.A.L.L."

Geno gestured for Jack to come forwards, as he continued talking. "I don't know much about them, except what little Sergei has given me. But I know they're nasty, vile people. Probably the reason what's happening is happening upstairs." Geno pressed a button for the elevators to come down to the lower sub-levels, as Ghost got up to follow them. "My men are already protecting Rachel. They've got similar tech to mine. Not as good as yours and not as good as mine, but it's good. So if you'll come with me, I need to go check on her. Plus, this is the only way out. So it's not like you've got a choice."

Jack let out a sigh. "Fine. Just make it quick; I still got a lotta sheet to do before my next match." She felt a nudge on her legs, forcing her to stumble forward somewhat. She looked down and saw Geno's dog bark at her. "Yeah yeah, I'm goin', quit naggin'."

Geno called the dog over, and the elevator finally arrived. While she didn't have a gun trained to her head, Jack was still a hostage, and she knew that if she didn't comply she would be in more trouble all over again. She needed her suit fixed. Not only that, she needed it upgraded, and Geno was more or less wasting her time at this point.

"C'mon," Geno said, gesturing to Jack once more. "I want you to meet Rachel anyway. And after this, you and I are gonna have a private sit down with Sergei." Geno patted Ghost once more on his big head. "And do me a favor. Keep this between us. You can use it as blackmail or something in the future."

"Don't worry," Jack spoke to Geno, stepping into the elevator. But for what she said next she disabled her voice filter not only as a sign of trust, but as an unspoken exchange; collateral. He gave her information that he trusted her with, and in exchange she did the same. As she spoke, Jack's voice would carry with it a surprisingly thick Japanese accent, one the modulator kept hidden. Not only that, she would sound a lot younger than perhaps anyone in the tournament, except maybe Angelica or Lace who would make a jab that Jack sounded older than they realized, would even think. "If I want to keep a secret, I keep it secret." Even if for only one sentence, this would be the most human Jack would sound the whole tournament.

Hälō · July 3, 2017

"..." Lace remained silent as she watched the new arrival and her men with her usual blank expression. Waiting until Janey dropped to her knees, XIII looked over to Rachel and rolled her shoulder.

"I'm going to remove them now, if that's fine with you." She spoke casual as she turned to a nearby table to locate her straight sword. Though they didn't seem to the most... competent, this Janey would probably be dangerous if she wan't dealt with now, and it from could be gathered from her conversation, there were more of her people somewhere in the building. She also didn't like the sound of her "letting everything loose at once"..

Just then, Bethany arrived on the scene. Lace watched with a smirk as her soon to be partner moved towards Janey, her muscles tensing with anticipation as the other girl extended her hand towards Janey to deliver a swift blow to he- oh.

Arching an eyebrow at the sight of Bethany gently placing her hand atop Janey's head, Lace rolled her eyes and slammed her hand down on the table, causing her sword to be launched high up into the air. Catching the blade effortlessly, Lace quickly vanish in a flicker of speed, reappearing between the six gunmen whilst taking a drawing stance.

"Don't mind me..." She addressed Bethany before slicing her blade across the air in front of her. Blind and confused, three of the gunmen suddenly fell to the ground as three flashes of steel swept across their bodies, shredding their armor and sending a light spray of blood into the air. "Just cleaning up little."

"f*** f*** f***!" Now aware that they were in grave danger, the fourth of the gunmen quickly spun around and pointed his weapon towards the sound of Lace's voice. Though be before he could pull the trigger, he was met with a horrible pain at the base of his arm. Even without being able to see, the sound of his severed arm hitting the ground was unmistakeable.

Slamming the hilt of her blade into the the side of the man's head to silence his screams, Lace turned her attention to the last two men, who stood paralyzed with fear. She had done a pretty good job of not killing any of them yet...

Pivoting, Lace sent the closer of the two men flying into his last remaining ally with a powerful side kick, causing them both to be sent flying over a nearby work station and into some strange looking machinery.

Shifting her attention back to Bethany and Janey, Lace calmly shook her blade clean before slowly walking towards the two girls. "Friend of yours, partner?" Though her tone was casual and her expression was deadpan, Lace's intent was clear as peered down at Janey with her blade at the ready.

Tesability Black · July 3, 2017

~Rawal's POV~

After this was over and done with, Rawal felt as if he was going to pass out and sleep for several days, the 'matches' be damned.

Rawal had Shaped a quartet of creations to accompany his Ur-Glaahk, three Plated Artilas and a Terror Vlish to lead and guide the new pack. On each floor, with the squidlike-Vlish following them, the large worms that were the Artilas fired away with their acidic spit, making many beg for death once the Terror Vlish invaded their minds with fear that was magnified by the acid eating away at them.

A couple of people that had been attacking them jumped a window after dealing with the one-two combo of flesh-eating acid and fear, just to try to get it to stop.

Between the pack of creations and himself and the Ur-Ghlaak scouring each floor, most of the strangers, the ones he saw attacking staff and other people in the building unprovoked, were mostly dead, but a few remained alive but passed out from the pain they felt.

He didn't want to waste Essence healing them, though. Instead, that could be used as an excuse to see how this world took care of injuries such as these.

He finally reached the lobby, the floor level with the planet, he had seen the large guy, Tiny, make a speeding exit out of the building that made him think he was part-Roamer somehow.

There seems to be more invaders down in the floors below.

The telepathic message had Rawal straighten up, energy regained for the moment to shoot back a statement of his own.

You have some explaining to do, Talis-Eye, Rawal repremanded. Especially regarding that note about the Rebellion. Such a thing should not be able to happen, since I am the only one whom knows how to Sha---

No, you are not.

Rawal froze where he stood, the Ur-Glaahk needing to step between him and another attacker among the madness and throw the person through one of the nearby windows.

Explain. Now.

Instead of an explaination, he felt memories from Talis-Eye's primary point of view overlapping some of his own, specifically when he was last sleeping before this chaos started. Rawal paled further than he already was naturally at the realization of what happened, especially considering how Talis-Eye was rendered unable to do anything to stop it.

What have I fallen into now?

"It may be a good thing I never managed to get started on figuring out how the Drakons were formed...the last thing needed is an army of creations that can also Shape even more," he muttered to himself before pushing down further, into the floors that resided below the world. "This world isn't ready for dealing with such reptiles. Terrestria certainly wasn't."

It did not take him long to figure out the elevator's functioning, thankful that similar functions had been performed back on Terrestria...

Mr. Hyde · July 3, 2017

"My favorite competitor talkin' sheet about me. This is pretty cool!" Dirk nodded. "Actually I completed my work on F.A.L.L.. . . .some time last fall . But I can't disclose that information to an outside government, especially not the French Embassy. Last time your boys interfered, Scotland Yard had a heart attack, and three people died. Sure you're their best, but that ain't sayin' much.""

It was taking Louis every ounce of his patience not to kill this man on the spot now. His eyes rattled in annoyance. Like he could even talk. Louis then took a moment. How had this imbecile even know he worked for French Intelligence? He was literally a shadow operative...no one was supposed to know who he really was. The fact that this jabroni knew was a problem. Louis would tie up the loose strings later, but for now he needed to know what the hell was happening.

"But to an old colleague who's moved on, I might be able to tell a thing or two since they're not working on any active cases. Plus, I may or may not have had some liquor in my system, that got me to spill. So, who knows?"

His body language was vague...it was almost annoying. If he kept this sheet up, it wouldn't be information that was spilling in the end. Louis walked over to his stool from prior, and sat in it, laying his arms on the counter of the bar. As the barkeeper came to ask for his order once more, Louis promptly stopped him with a flat palm.

"Water." Louis said flatly.

Maeriberii Haan · July 3, 2017

"You have been restored to full functionality, including multiple chassis upgrades, a new weapons diagnostic and system update, and a shiny new coating."

"Chassis upgrades? Shiny new coating? The hell did you even do to me?"

It was concerning enough for Angelica for her to properly boot herself this time. However, after scanning and analyzing the additions for a bit before fully integrating them to her system, she noticed that it was not obstructive in any manner - as proven by how she was still capable of melting and shifting her form as freely as before. She let out a bedgrudging but still somewhat genuine "Thank you." to the girl before choosing to stand up and examine her form now while Lace was busy dressing herself. Angelica, being who she was, even if she wasn't really that concerned about it, she always believed that due to lacking the physical concerns of a human and the ability to continuously improve on her form, her body was the pinnacle of humanoid excellence, and she took quite a pride in that as she decided that it'd be a nice idea to flaunt it around for the time being right now.

However, her attempt of rebuilding her shattered self-confidence was disrupted by the appearance of a woman and his six clueless cheerleaders with guns. Oh fun. She talked quite a lot too.

"Undead guy. His name is Ji--er, Jiangsty? I think? I dunno, I just heard some really mean people were keepin' him here against his will. We're here to save him! We're heroes!"

Though, that didn't last long. That Janey lass got a call, she started to go all weepy and frantic and fell to the ground, her cheerleaders went nuts with panic, another contestant appeared and tried to talk with her, and then suddenly Lace killed Janey's cheerleaders. And Angelica was just watching all of that unfolded in what could probably count as a metaphorical blink of an eye.

Oh well. Now she just had to ride in the flow and pretend that she's somehow connected to whatever was happening here to not hurt her pride for being out of the loop further.

"First off, last time I heard about one, I don't think a hero is supposed to prepare bombs and point guns at strangers. Second off, the hell you're talking about this Jiangshi? This isn't a place you'd keep a hopping Chinese undead stuck eternally in awkward pose anyway. Third, I don't know anything about you but do you even have any ideas on what are you getting yourself into? All of my sensors pretty much tells me you're someone I should vaporize in this instant, but damn, you're as clueless as a little duck without its mother.

Tch... "Angela shook her head as she saw Lace walking towards Janey with a clear intent and Bethany still trying to calm the girl, and decided to act immediately instead. She fired off her arm towards Janey like a rocket, which split into several parts midair and turned into shackles that would hopefully pin her to the ground and prevent her from doing anything if it all connected properly. Of course, Bethany would be quite a wild card in this situation with how friendly she was with Janey. That could be an issue.

"Just killing you off isn't going to be worth it at all, so let's have a talk instead. You can say everything now, or I can make you talk and sort out this nonsense.

The hell is even going on in this place? Who the funk you're even, and who the hell did you talk with earlier?"

By god, being out of the loop really sucked. And since when Lace was this friendly with Bethany anyway? So many things that she missed, it started to irritate Angelica. Although that wasn't really hard to achieve.

Yui · July 4, 2017

"Hey. Thanks. The help is appreciated. That might've taken a lot longer if you hadn't given me a hand. I'd shake and thank you, but I know you're covered in a highly toxic chemical sludge. How bout I get you a drink instead? Wait, can experiments drink? Wait, do you even eat? This is kinda cool now that I think about it."

"Of course we eat and drink," Mango answered. "Nutrition is essential for any life form to continue functioning, artificial or not."

"I know you got knocked outta the tournament by Louis over there, but what's say I have Sergei give you a commendation of some kind. I don't really believe in the whole 'giving losers trophies' but I think for saving the people of this tower you can get somethin' for it. How bout it?"

"I don't need any kind of reward," Mango smiled. "Just knowing I did a good job is enough for me." As Mr. Cyborg Detective headed over to the bar, he and Louis talked about something. Mango wasn't fully paying attention. It wasn't really her business anyway, right? Eavesdropping was rude! The boys then ordered themselves some drinks. Whiskey for the detective, and water for Louis. Louis's taste in drinks was surprisingly normal. Mango seated herself next to the detective, putting him between herself and her ex-competitor. She wanted a drink too. But water was too bland and Mango wasn't entirely sure about her legal status with alcohol. Even if it was legal for her, though, that didn't mean she had to drink it just because she could.

"Some kind of juice please, surprise me. And add a straw if you don't mind." Gripping things was still problematic with her hands as they were.

LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow · July 4, 2017

Bethany already felt a blush creeping on her face simply from the look that Janey gave her. What was this girl seeing when she looked at Bethany anyway? It was beyond anything the girl had seen before. Not that it was...entirely unpleasant.

What followed, though, now that was certainly unpleasant.

First was Lace.

"Don't mind me...Just cleaning up little."

Bethany cringed as she heard what was happening. She didn't really bond with the gunmen but they HAD stopped from attacking her. But they also definitely had killed some people before. She decided not to dwell on that...especially due to the much bigger issue that cropped up.

Jenny the Teenage Robot over there straight up threatened the poor girl. Which sort of cut short their little talk.

When had Bethany started thinking of someone who seemed to want to blow people up as a "poor girl" she wasn't quite sure. If she gave it some thought perhaps it was just the fact that she was clearly broken and...oddly innocent in some ways.

As Janey was struck by what was apparently some kind of shackle Bethany jumped up to her feet. It was obvious that Janey's mental state was worsening after the attack and she had to act fast.

"Just killing you off isn't going to be worth it at all, so let's have a talk instead. You can say everything now, or I can make you talk and sort out this nonsense.

The hell is even going on in this place? Who the funk you're even, and who the hell did you talk with earlier?"

"Whoa hey there just...cool it for a bit," crap crap what was the name Ashley, Abigail, Abercrombie and Fitch, wait no not that for sure...right. "Angelica." There we go.

"You can't just go around attacking people like that. She wasn't exactly in prime position to harm us right at the moment. Let's all just calm down a little okay? If you want answers then you could try, you know, just asking first."

She knelt down by Janey again and tried to look the girl in the eyes, hesitantly putting a couple fingers to the girl's cheek, like she remembered doing for some of her kids when they were having nightmares. "Hey, Janey, focus on me alright? It's gonna be fine. I won't let anyone hurt you." She glanced up at Angelica, then Lace for good measure, and spoke with a firmness. "Anyone."

"Now how do I get this...arm, seriously a detachable arm what is this, off of ya..."

Dad · July 4, 2017

Northern Tower: Sub-level Four

As the elevator rose with Jack and Geno inside, Geno was given a very late warning of hostiles on the fourth floor. All of his men were there, in position, but one of the contestants had dealt with the gunmen. Unfortunately, there was still a dangerous meta-human in the same room. "Ghost," he whispered to the dog beside him. The dog understood Geno's intentions immediately, as he shook his fur. When Ghost stopped shaking, he became willfully invisible, much like Geno.

"Forgive me, Jack," he said as the elevator dinged to stop on the fourth floor. Geno put a hand on Jack's back, as his camouflage engaged to stealth only. Geno's camouflage spread to Jack, making her invisible as long as he was in direct contact with her. She'd probably scold him later.

As the doors to the fourth floor opened, Geno was surprised to see a full blown party of contestants, with the meta-human on her knees and bounded to the floor. One contestant who he remembered to be Bethany, was consoling the meta-human. Then Geno recognized the meta-human's face. Janey K. Briggs. A.K.A. Janey Dynamite or Janey Boom.

"Hey, Janey, focus on me alright? It's gonna be fine. I won't let anyone hurt you."

She was a demolition expert who had been kidnapped some three years ago, out of the southern border of New Mexico. Geno had only had one run in with the girl when he was assigned to her case. She had been dragged across the south and ended up in San Francisco. A violent militia that Sergei refused to let Geno engage, led by man named Julius Paul. Or, his meta-human name, CopyCat.

Even after Geno freed the girl, she didn't want to leave. Over the course of the two years she had been missing, CopyCat did something to her. What, Geno wasn't sure of, but he knew her brain was warped. It didn't help that she had a bomb in her head that was formed as a result of her meta-human capabilities being forced to manifest sooner than appropriate. The combined results destroyed Janey's psyche, and made her a ticking time bomb. Literally. It wasn't her fault, but she was clueless as to the people she was working for. Thinking herself a hero, she could've gotten a lot of people killed.

When Geno realized she was shackled to the ground, he silently bit his lip. He took his hand from Jack's back, and de-cloaked them both. "Nobody move," Geno said, asserting his authority. He stepped over the unconscious bodies of those Lace left, and pointed two fingers behind Rachel's head. "Come on out boys."

Two of Geno's men stepped away from the corners of Rachel's laboratory, disabling their cloaks, and holding their weapons to the floor. "You," Geno said, pointing to Angelica. "Remove the restraints." Angelica retracted her arms, pouting.

"And you," Geno said tapping Lace on her shoulder. "Put that behemoth of a sword down and step aside."

Lace scoffed, setting her weapon aside but keeping her short sword in its sheath, as she moved out of Geno's way.

"Ms. . . Bethany?" Geno said, stepping forwards. "Thank you."

Janey was on the verge of tears. She was angry, scared, nervous, excited, and just feeling a rush of emotion all at once. She wasn't sure what to think or how to feel, or what she should do next. She just looked up to Bethany, and met her eyes. Unfortunately, she was also feeling cowardly, and averted her eyes back to the ground. She couldn't even utter a response. When Geno's boots stepped into her line of sight, she looked up to him, gasping. He stooped down, and slowly unbuckled his helmet. Beside him, Ghost lowered his own cloak, and sat at Geno's side. Geno placed his helm on the ground, revealing his face for the first time.

He was an African American, grey haired man, with a scar across his forehead. He had two differently colored eyes; one grey, and one green. One of them was a biotic eye given to him by Rachel, after an accident. You could never tell which was which. He had a stubbled chin, a broad nose, and a warm smile. "Long time no see, kid," he said, extending a hand to her. "C'mon. Up ya go."

Janey accepted Geno's hand, and he helped her to her feet. "Got yourself in a mess with CopyCat again, huh?"

She nodded silently.

"I warned you about them, didn't I?" Geno asked.

"Geno, I--" Janey began.

"It's okay, it's okay. You're fine now, hmm? What'd they bring you here for?" he asked.

"It was a rescue mission. I was supposed to save a Jiangy dude, or something," she replied.

"The Jiangshi. How do they know about that?" Geno thought silently. "Tell ya what. I'm gonna get this all sorted out. And then, I'm gonna free you from those bastards."

Janey shook her head, and pried her hand from Geno's. "No! I can't! Geno--CopyCat needs me! He loves me!"

Geno frowned. "Damn it, Janey, he doesn't give a rat's ass about you. He kidnapped you! He beats you! He threatens you! What has he done to your timer!? Huh!?" Geno barked. He quickly shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Look, Janey," he said pointing to the elevator. "I'm gonna get you some help. Someone can help you get your abilities under control, and get out outta of CopyCat's hands. Will you let me help you?"

Janey fought back tears, but she nodded. "Okay."

Geno motioned for his two men to come forward. "I'm gonna have them take you to a room. Not an interrogation room, not a torture room. A hotel room. These are good guys, and you can trust them, okay?"

She nodded again. "Thanks Gene."

He hugged Janey. "Here, gimme your radio," he said, pulling it from her waist. "Now don't worry about CopyCat. And the person you're looking for isn't a prisoner here. I'll explain everything. Just wait for me, okay?"

Janey hugged Geno, her mood swinging back to excitement once again. "Ooh! I can't wait! Can I get room service!? I've never had room service! Oh my God I want an apple pie! Can they do that!?" she asked to the two masked men beside her. The elevator closed on their conversation, but Janey's excited voice could still be heard, slowly drifting away. "And I want a pizza, and some ice cream, and a really big box of popcorn! Oh! And. . . !"

Geno sighed with relief, and Rachel ran to his arms. "Hey sweetie. You okay?"

She hugged Geno, but let go, and punched him in the ribs. "I knew your boys were here, but I wasn't expecting six of those gun toting idiots to show up! What took you!?" she said, pouting.

He rubbed his head. "Business. I'm sorry. You know I wouldn't let any harm come to you."

She threw up her arms. "Yeah, yeah. Yeah I know," she said with a grin. "Now go on, get outta here. I got a lot of work to do."

"Alright, sure. Oh, hey wait," Geno said, stepping aside. "This is Jack, you've already met. But she's gonna need some work done too."

"You mean suit repairs? Yeah, I know. MARS was finished with drafts shortly after she was picked up from the battle," Rachel said, excitedly.

"Cool. I'll leave you to it then. I'm gonna go deal with CopyCat. You've got more backup in Research and Development. Ring me if anything else happens, and fall back to R&D. Got it?" Geno asked.

Rachel nodded. "I'll be okay. Plus I've got MARS."

Geno shook his head as he pushed the button for the elevator. He was beyond relieved that she was okay. She was the most important person in the world to him.

"Now, Jack," Rachel said stepping forwards, standing just barely at Jack's waist height. "I'm willing to bet you nabbed some of that sweet, juicy alien tech from your fight, right?" Rachel was growing more excited by the minute. "Why don't we sit and talk about it?"

Western Tower: Lobby Floor

The barkeep brought Louis a cold glass of water, and mixed a special mango fruit juice for. . .Mango. He returned to wiping down his bar, and pretending to watch the television news from afar. It was on every station. Police sirens blared behind news cameras, as the Golden Gate Hotel was plastered on live television for the world to see. In big, bold, red letters, the headline read, "Meta-human Terrorist Attack at San Francisco Hotel". What the barkeep was actually interested in, however, was whatever Dirk and Louis were talking about.

He was purposely standing on the opposite side of the bar where he could just barely listen in to the conversation.

"Thing about F.A.L.L. is," Dirk said as he took another sip of his drink. "They're public. Always have been. They changed names once or twice, but that's something you already know. But they're wrapped up in so many global and local political activist 'movements'," Dirk said with air quotes. "That it's like finding hay in a needle stack. They've got their fat, greedy fingers twisted and intertwined in everything from here to the U.N. Hell, they've had moles in the Embassy for going on six years now--that tidbit is new to me actually. But the only moves they've made--not including this little sheet show--have been super safe."

Dirk pulled out his phone, and swiped it open. He went through his bookmarks, and pulled up an article four years old. "The catastrophe in Germany last year, involving the loose fire-starter? They supplied the money for reconstruction for the damage done. I thought that was cute. But you know what they say about these types. Follow the money."

Dirk pulled up a second bookmark. It was a news article on a newly deceased billionaire philanthropist. Dublin Helshire, of Helshire Banks. Dirk expanded the picture of Dublin shaking hands with an unknown man, who was identified as a Mr. G. Dillinger. "See the guy next to Dublin? He was Dublin's personal accountant for years. And Helshire banks just so happens to be partnered with the U.N. for 'disaster relief'," he said with more air quotes. "Dillinger is a well known accountant, because he helped a few big name sports stars better accumulate their wealth. But suddenly when Dublin died, he got a nice chunk of change which he just so happened to donate to--and I quote--anonymous charity for the betterment of mankind. Yeah, that was F.A.L.L."

Dirk put his phone away, back into his pocket. "My point is, they're not hiding. They know the money can be traced, and they know they're in the spotlight. You would think with all this money going around, there would be a stopping point. But there isn't one. I've gone through hundreds of thousands of accounts, but the money keeps moving. Breaking up across the God damn globe like you wouldn't believe. But I did find a common mid-way point." Dirk finished off his drink. "The money always gets cleaned by Helshire Banks right around the beginning of August. So I've been investigating the bankers, stockholders, the owners, and the customers. And who just so happens to be one of their customers?"

Dirk turned around to put his back to the bar. He looked over to the television, just as Sergei's image appeared on screen. "Sergei's been using them for years. Even Matilda has a college fund saved with them. Long before F.A.L.L. made themselves known. But if they're working together, why would F.A.L.L. attack Sergei?" Dirk stretched and sat back, folding his leg as leaned against the bar. "And lately, one of their small time companies took on a contract for deep sea exploration. Little place called 'Aquaduct Betterment and Control'. Weird name. But they're one of sixteen companies who took on deep sea exploration contracts within the last six months. That's a lot of money to be throwing at the ocean."

Dirk scratched his chin. "I'm willing to bet they're lookin' for something. Something that Sergei either has, or doesn't want them to find."

Dirk turned around, and paid for his drink as he stood up. "The good news is, before long, you're gonna be in contact with one of F.A.L.L.'s deep sea contractors. Shortly after round two starts."

Dirk began to walk away, leaving Louis to think. "You're going to Africa, by the way. Aquaduct will be working on the shores, and you'll be stuck in the rainforest. Make sure you wear shorts. It's hot out there."

Dirk disappeared into the Western Tower elevator, rising into the building and heading to an unknown floor. The information he supplied Louis with was factual. He would find that to be true no matter how many times he checked it. Why Dirk was willing to help Louis was an unknown. But it would be nice to have some cooperating force investigating deeper into what F.A.L.L. was really up to.

Eastern Tower: Lobby Floor

Tiny darted through the lobby doors, only to be greeted by a guest he didn't recognize. "Well. At least I found one of our prizes," CopyCat said, noting that Tiny was carrying Matilda. "Why don't ya give the girl to me, big guy? Then you can carry on doing whatever it is giants do. And, you won't be filled with holes. How's that sound?"

Tiny held Matilda closely, and lowered his shoulders to protect her. "I will not give you anything, heathen!" Tiny bellowed.

CopyCat sighed, raising a hand. The five gunmen behind him raised their weapons. "Last chance. C'mon. Pretty please?"

"Theo--" Matilda began.

Tiny turned his back to the gunmen, to shield Melissa. "I would gladly die for you, Ms. Sergei."

CopyCat snorted. "Well, you heard him boys. Fire!"

There was utter silence at CopyCat's command. "I said, fire!" Still, there were no gunshots. CopyCat turned around, to see his men had been incapacitated. "What the--God damn it! Useless pricks!" He snatched the radio from his waist, and changed the channel on it. Pressing the talk button, he yelled into the radio. "Janey! You better have found that God damn prisoner! Or so help me, I'm gonna beat you like a rag doll!"

That was when Geno revealed himself, and took the radio out of CopyCat's hands. "You're a real jabroni, ya know that?"

CopyCat took a step back. "You again! Wha--where's Janey!?"

Geno took a step forwards. "Safe. And you won't be seeing her again."

"Wha--but, Brutus! Brutus, will come! He'll kill--!"

"Brutus is dead," Geno said taking another step forwards. "Couple of my men just came down from the rooftop of the Western Tower. Said your boy is in the lobby with a hole the size of a sun roof in his back and his stomach."

CopyCat snarled. He turned on his heels and began to make a daring escape towards the fire exit in the rear of the Eastern Tower. "You'll regret this, old man!"

"Nah, I don't think so. Ghost." Geno pointed to CopyCat, and Ghost, still invisible, chased the cat. He de-cloaked as he charged after CopyCat, who let out unholy wails of terror as he saw the large Siberian Husky's jowls dripping with saliva, as it bared its teeth. Ghost leaped into the air, and tackled CopyCat, slamming him into the ground. He got a powerful jaw around the man's leg, sinking his teeth deep into CopyCat's flesh. "Easy. I need him alive."

As Geno went to secure CopyCat, Tiny stood up, and lowered Matilda to the ground. "Forgive me," he said to Matilda.

She stood on her tip-toes and hugged the giant man as best she could. "Thank you, Theo." She brushed past Tiny and ran over to Geno. "KICK HIS ASS!" she demanded of Geno.

Mr. Hyde · July 5, 2017

What Dirk was saying, everything about the money trail, it wasn't anything Louis hadn't known already. French Intelligence wasn't the brightest star in the sky, but they were at least good for that much. That's why he was here anyways, to investigate what ties Sergei had with F.A.L.L., and what his end goal was. Any loser on 16chan could tie these trails together into one cohesive knot, but it really hadn't been what Louis was looking for to further his investigation. What was Sergei's end goal in surmounting all of this money, and what was F.A.L.L.'s in the first place? Meta-human Genocide?

Was the secret tournament just a way to lower the population of serious threats to the world?

Had Sergei been blindsided by what F.A.L.L. was really after? Why would F.A.L.L. turn it's back on one of it's more generous benefactors. It was all nonsensical.

""And lately, one of their small time companies took on a contract for deep sea exploration. Little place called 'Aquaduct Betterment and Control'. Weird name. But they're one of sixteen companies who took on deep sea exploration contracts within the last six months. That's a lot of money to be throwing at the ocean. I'm willing to bet they're lookin' for something. Something that Sergei either has, or doesn't want them to find. The good news is, before long, you're gonna be in contact with one of F.A.L.L.'s deep sea contractors. Shortly after round two starts. You're going to Africa, by the way. Aquaduct will be working on the shores, and you'll be stuck in the rainforest. Make sure you wear shorts. It's hot out there."

Those last few things he said, now those were intriguing. Something both F.A.L.L. and Sergei wanted was where he was headed next. It was pretty asinine letting him get so close to such a vital operation. Whatever was down there, Louis would be sure to score it for himself...or for his agency...whichever benefited him the most. As he turned to see Mango, he noticed that Basabth was holding onto the creatures hand as if he was following a mother duck.

"Let go of that thing Basabth...you're gonna get us both mutated or something..."

Tesability Black · July 5, 2017

~Rawal's POV~

This platform was moving slower than he would have liked.

He would have understood if this was back home, where the movement came from semi-sentient plants that would move the platform up and down with their strength. But here, on this strange world, he saw nothing like that, so he could not understood why the slow pace.

It took too long for the boxed platform to finally stop, opening up to quite the scene in front of himself.

Careful to not draw more attention to himself than the five creations behind him would gain on their own, he motioned for them to follow, the squid-like Vlish waving its tentacles in the air to guide the blind trio of Artila with its minor telepathic ability.

Thankfully, the scene in the area broke up without any action on his part, leaving him alone on the floor. Taking advantage of this, Rawal kept his hands behind him as he looked through the place, studying everything he saw with his eyes. Considering his life before this world, he knew better than to touch what he did not have permission to.

Especially since even a touch could have disasterous consequences at times...

...as if another stealing away with a copy of his memories regarding the dying Art wasn't already destined to be disasterous.

Rawal was starting to see why that annoying man did what he did. Doesn't mean he liked it, but he was certainly seeing why.

"The power to Shape comes with great responsibility. Even the most ambitious among us are careful to not cross certain lines with the art," he muttered to himself, recalling lessons from his youth. "The true power for us comes from not the art itself, but the air of authority we project around us to maintain the order needed to keep our power under firm control in our territories...to prevent its abuse..."

Rawal looked up towards the ceiling, a frown on his face. "Those whom learn the Shaping Arts that are not allowed to do so are sentenced to immediate death upon discovery, for if they are willing to go outside of the normal methods to gain that knowledge, they are also willing to abuse that power for nefarious deeds..."

Which means that if we find that person, their life is forfeit, he heard in his head.

Yes, their life is forfeit...theirs and anyone else whom is seen using this knowledge...

LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow · July 6, 2017

Bethany let out a shuddering breath as Janey was led away by Geno. She collapsed to her knees and tried to relax best she could. She was certain the girl was about to snap. Or one of the people here were going to do something drastic. But it seemed the girl was safe. She wasn't worried about the rest all too much, though she did inform Geno as to where Tiny and Matilda were, even if she had a feeling he already knew, and everything got...quiet.

She looked at the others in the room. "Let's not do that again any time soon alright? Alright." She said. It took her a few minutes to get her bearings but, once she did, she started to worry again. Wasn't she just trusting these people to treat Janey well? She still needed to talk to Sergei but first...

----

After getting some directions from one of the guards Bethany made her way to the third floor of the Western Tower. After being let in to Janey's room, not taking no for an answer, giving anyone her best stern frown if they dared stop her, she leaned against the door frame. "Hey there...again. How's it going? These guys treating you alright? Do I gotta talk to management? Cause I am the QUEEN of talking to management."

VCR_CAT · July 6, 2017

Jack

"Forgive me, Jack," Geno said, placing his hand on Jack's shoulder. She didn't look at her body, but Jack noticed immediately as her HUD and helmet seemed to disappear around her; her body becoming invisible with the active cloaking technology. There was a scene in the lobby, something to do with the hotel invaders, and as Jack followed Geno into the room, she caught sight of most contestants being gathered in this area. Geno got to work resolving the scene, helping some random girl having an episode, and restraining the remaining gunmen. Jack crossed her arms and played little attention to what was going on, until she caught wind of some words that interested her.

"This is Jack, you've already met. But she's gonna need some work done too," Geno introduced Jack to who Jack could assume was Rachel. Jack waved her hand, not much caring for what was going on.

"You mean suit repairs? Yeah, I know. MARS was finished with drafts shortly after she was picked up from the battle," Rachel said, excitedly.

"Don't get too excited; I'm not the kinda girl who takes kindly to other people driving her car, if you know what I mean," Jack said with a tight tone, her voice modulator back online.

"Now, Jack," Rachel said stepping forwards, standing just barely at Jack's waist height. Jack looked down, almost annoyed at the difference in age between the two of them. "I'm willing to bet you nabbed some of that sweet, juicy alien tech from your fight, right?" Rachel was growing more excited by the minute. "Why don't we sit and talk about it?"

"Slow down squirt, I gotta go grab that sheet; I left it in my room with my bow too. I'll meet you in a bit, I need to get out of this suit first. You won't be able to work on it while I'm in it; not without a lot of problems," Jack replied, a little more annoyed at the excited nature of the girl. Rachel nodded and told Jack where to find her once she was ready.

Jack shrugged and went over to the elevator to return to her room.

BGM:https://makeupandvanityset.bandcamp.com/track/from-the-ashes-of-yesterday

Jack's room was dim, with only one lamp on. This was the longest Jack had worn her suit in one stretch, and by a long shot too. Some of Jack's longer operations had some adverse effects once the suit was taken off, but she wasn't looking forward to how this was going to feel.

Jack's hands shook like an earthquake as she desperately tried to get the helmet off of her head. The suit was disengaged and off; the locks were all released and it was all only a matter of slipping the suit off. But when Jack turned the suit off, she was given a sensation similar to that of a lot of blood rushing to her head, like someone who stood up too quickly, but only much worse. Her vision was clouded, her head pounded, muscles twitched violently and involuntarily, and every inch of her skin was on fire. When the helmet was halfway off, a muscle twitched in Jack's arm and it violently lashed out. She hit something solid and there was a loud crash, but she couldn't see what had happened.

"You can still run away."

"Shut. Up," Jack growled through gritted teeth, her helmet falling to the ground and bouncing a few feet away with a dull thud. She walked over to a side-table, and found a small container of pills; slowly and with much difficulty getting the container open and removing two pills from it. Jack popped them into her mouth quickly and swallowed them dry.

"You still have time."

"I said. Shut. Up." Jack growled once more, working at the other parts of her suit.

"You don't have to do this."

"SHUT UP!" Jack screamed, her face twisted in pain, tears streaming down her face. Jack stood up to her feet, shaking as she tried to steady herself. The upper body of the suit was off and on the floor, and she was almost done shedding the rest of it.

"Yu, please listen to me."

Jack let out an animal scream, lashing out again, but her arm was caught. She glared into the eyes of her father, standing there as if nothing had happened. His suit was crisp and freshly pressed, his face calm and relaxed, yet pained as it looked down at Jack. "You don't have to do this," he said softly in fluent Japanese, pulling Jack closely in for an embrace.

"LET GO OF ME!!" Jack screamed, struggling to break free from his grip. "I'LL KILL YOU!! LET GO OF ME!!"

"I'm so sorry, Yu," he whispered quietly into Jack's ear, hugging her tightly, tears running down his face. "I'm so, so sorry I did this to you." Jack stopped trying to fight it, and broke down sobbing into her father's chest as he hugged her. Threats screamed of blood and murdered muffled in his suit. Her father continued to quietly sob, but his voice was strong and unwavering. "I know... I lost you years ago... but I can't lose you again... Please just come home."

"Please...

...come home..."

Jack felt her father's grip loosen, and she slid to her knees, grabbing a pillow off of the ground and screaming into it. She didn't know how long she was on the ground like that, crying into the pillow. There was a desperate knocking on her door outside, and several attempts on the lock, none of which worked. Jack made sure to add her own measures to the door's security when she moved in. Finally, the pain began to disappear. The pills were taking effect, and Jack's head felt like it had been emptied of almost anything that could form a thought.

Everything was quiet.

Jack slowly got to her feet, and looked around at her room. She wasn't aware of all that she had done trying to get the suit off; the room was a complete mess. A flower vase had fallen from a table at the end of the room; shattered and soaking the carpet around it. Blankets, pillows, and anything loose in the room was strewn about; side-tables overturned and lamps lying on the ground. Jack walked over and got to work packing up her suit.

Jack left her room in her usual out-of-suit disguise. She was carrying with her a large, armored case on a dolly, along with a duffel bag on her other arm. Outside her room was a small collection of hotel staff, all looking concerned and asking Jack a multitude of questions; if she was alright, and what had happened. Jack shrugged them off and continued down the hallway, reaching the elevator and going down towards Rachel's lab.

Once there, Jack brought in the large case and set down the duffel bag; opening both. Inside the bag was the tech that Jack had managed to swipe; a few canister-like objects that appeared as grenades, an alien glove that would never fit her hand, and a plain pole that was sticking out of the bag as she carried it down. The armored case contained Jack's suit; neatly set inside like an outfit on a mannequin with her bow stowed just below it. The suit had seen better days.

"You should count yourself lucky," Jack told Rachel. "Nobody but me has gotten to really look at this suit since it was made and tested. I have the only copy of the original schematics, but I'm going to hold onto those if you don't mind." Jack looked around the room. I doubt she'd need 'em anyways. "I don't know what the tech does, but I think you'll figure that out and work from there. Also Geno said somethin' about fixing my cape and making it more practical; so you better follow up on that. Anyways, tell me whachya got in mind."

Maeriberii Haan · July 8, 2017

"Well...I guess anything for a definitive conclusion. But she's still a bit too unstable for my tastes."

Fitting her arm back to herself while she continued to pout, Angelica watched in silence as Geno sorted out the whole situation and started to figure out what the hell was actually happening there. It seemed that the Hotel had been infiltrated by this certain group with this CopyCat dude and they're looking to free someone inside for their own purposes. Well, the situation had thankfully been defused well from the look of things. She saw some of the group including Geno, Janey, and Rachel left through the elevator and let out a sigh. As much of a sigh as a hunk of metal could let out, of course.

"Ugh...whatever happened here, I feel we're getting into something real weird fast. Yo Lace, care to hang out for a bit? I'm feeling pretty sour now, sour enough that my acid could probably melt metal at this point. Don't care wherever you want to go, I just want to shift my attention from all of this and sort out my mind."

Yui · July 8, 2017

Mango half-listened as the detective went on and on about some organization called F.A.L.L. that was apparently behind this attack. The super-short version was that they were very bad people. Then he left, telling Louis about his next destination in the tournament. A rainforest huh? First a swampy battlefield, then an African rainforest. Mango had always wanted to go to Africa. There was so much life there. She wanted to see it. Meet tribes... no, that was a bad idea probably. Even normal modern people generally didn't react so well to Mango's presence. How would African tribes see her? She didn't get long to think about it though, before Louis made a loose comment to his little partner, who'd been hanging from Mango's hand.

"Let go of that thing Basabth...you're gonna get us both mutated or something..."

A surge of bubbles shot upward and splashed through Mango's drink as a sharp exhale escaped her lips. Followed by laughter. "Pffffft! Ahahahaha! You won't get mutated!" Pointing up to her face with the hand that Basabth - what a weird name, but it was kind of cute - wasn't hanging from, Mango explained "This sludge is toxic, not radioactive. The worst that can happen is he'd get really sick as soon as he touched me, but look at him!" Mango lifted her arm up to bring Basabth more to her eye level, and excitedly observed "He's fine! It's actually really impressive! There must be something about you that doesn't apply to most living anatomies, huh Basabth?" A stifled giggle slipped through her mouth, before Mango said "For such a great fighter, you sure are bad at science Louis. Do you want me to teach you? I know a lot about biology and anatomy because of my time at the lab!"

A thought then crossed Mango's mind. Basabth obviously wasn't human. As if his appearance didn't already give that away, he was just fine even after direct contact with Mango's cooling sludge. Louis, however, was indeed human. Mango had never met something that didn't get sick on contact with her, but she didn't want to risk anything happening if something in her sludge stuck to Basabth's hands then he touched someone and got them sick. Mango's eyes drifted from Louis over to his little partner, and she turned the creature to face her if it wasn't already. "Make sure you wash your hands whenever you leave though. I'd hate for you to touch someone and accidentally make them sick because of me."

Dad · July 11, 2017

Western Tower: Third Floor

Janey was sprawled across a bed, wearing a t-shirt and shorts. She stretched out, not realizing just how exhausted she was. She had only been in her room for maybe twenty minutes, when she heard shuffling outside of her door. She sat up, rubbing her eyes in the darkness. The door creaked open, and a young woman stepped through into her room. It was Bethany. Janey hurriedly straightened her hair and sat up right, a pillow on her lap.

"Hey there...again. How's it going? These guys treating you alright? Do I gotta talk to management? Cause I am the QUEEN of talking to management."

Janey smiled. "I'm okay. I think. The guard guys outside were pretty nice. I asked one of them if there was a pizza he liked that the kitchen downstairs could make me. He recommended the barbecue chicken and bacon. Sounds greasy and awesome," she replied. "I uh--heh. Sorry. I'm a little nervous," Janey admitted. "I wanted to thank you. For all you've done for me. I'm still new to this whole hero thing."

Janey stood up and threw her pillow back onto her bed. "Wanna stay for dinner? My pizza should be here soon. And I'm gonna order some ice cream. And some chocolate. And some brownies. Maybe cake too." It was a wonder how a girl Janey's size could eat and not gain weight. She was by no means a twig, but she was well built. Construction work in her past had really done wonder for her, and her appetite. "And I hear there's a really cool movie coming on about a princess in a faraway land who has ice powers and a sister and a boyfriend who she falls in love with in one day! I'm so exicted! Will you stay and watch it with me? Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase?" Janey asked with big, wide eyes.

Northern Tower: Sub Level Four

"I don't know what the tech does, but I think you'll figure that out and work from there. Also Geno said somethin' about fixing my cape and making it more practical; so you better follow up on that. Anyways, tell me whachya got in mind."

Rachel and Jack's conversation was lengthy, as they discussed the parameters of her new gear. Using the equipment Jack recovered from her battle with the extraterrestrial life form, Rachel would spend the next few hours carefully breaking down the equipment with MARS and Jack's help. Thanks to the gear Jack was able to swipe, she would get major upgrades to her bow, her suit, Hack & Slash, and her haze weapons.

"Theoretically," Rachel said as she finished the latest attachment to Jack's Cipher Bow. "If we apply the new light construct technology to the bow. . . " Rachel tightened a cylinder and a bolt on Jack's bow. "There." Lifting the bow, Rachel pushed turned the cylinder. A beam of light fed into the Cipher Bow's opposite end, forming a string. Rachel reached out, and was able to successfully grab and hold the string made from this new hard-light technology. "I don't know how much force it can take, but it's not like you'll be pulling the string with a tow truck. You should be able to manipulate it to your heart's content. Which means I should also be able to apply this to your arrows. That will effectively give you an almost infinite supply."

Next. The suit. "I can refit this glove for you. Looks like palms are magnetic, which will give you a lot of sticking power," Rachel giggled. "There's also a dart attachment on the knuckles. MARS could you take a look at the ammunition?" The machine beside Jack took the glove from Rachel, and entered a separate room. Moments later, there was an explosion. MARS returned with the glove still in tact, and four darts in his hand.

"They appear to be explosive, Rachel," MARS said, his face green with confusion.

"Combustible, huh?" Rachel queried, taking the glove back from MARS. "Thanks dude. I'm gonna take a sample of the ammo for your glove. It won't be ready tonight, sorry to say. Reproducing something volatile in such a compact state is gonna take some work. I'll have more ammunition for you just before you leave for the second round. Now let's look at your two friends," Rachel said, referring to Hack and Slash.

"Oh! I can fit them with the hard-light stuff!" Rachel grinned as she took two more identical cylinders from beneath a lab table. "Y'know, hard-light sounds really lame. You should rename it," Rachel said, measuring Hack and Slash. "But hard-light projections are gonna be super cool. Though, we'll have to take out their shock attack." With a few quick turns of wrenches and screwdrivers, Hack and Slash were done.

"Oh, MARS. Did you finish the cape?" Rachel asked, still examining Hack and Slash.

"It is ready," he said, removing a cloth from a steel suitcase beside Rachel's feet. "We've reduced the length of the cape by two feet. However, it has been redesigned to give you more aerodynamic movement. With the span of your shoulders, you should notice an increase in air time of approximately one minute and sixteen seconds. A forty-eight percent increase," MARS said, passing the shortened cape to Jack. "Rachel also embroidered the cape with a logo. It should increase your popularity by fifty percent. This is inconsequential and will not affect your flight time, however. It was taken from a photo that is believed to be consistent with your own tagging style. We do hope you like it." MARS face turned blue with excitement.

"And one last thing," Rachel said, replacing Jack's haze canisters. "These are pretty nasty, so be careful. These canisters will release gentronytes in addition to its standard electrical cloud. Please, please don't use them anywhere near the hotel," Rachel said with a careful smile. "And Jack. Thank you. This experience has been awesome! I can't wait to see you use it in action. Also," Rachel began to whisper, lowering her head shyly. "I'm kind of a fan, so I hope you do well out there."

Somewhere Near the California and Oregon State Borders

Her astral projection simply wandered through the walls and entered the conference room, where Cedrick Faust, and his three companions were seated. Cedrick said nothing as the projection entered the room, and he sat back in his seat with his arms folded.

"You're not pleased," Faust said.

"Of course not, you babbling idiot. What the hell was that?" she asked.

"You mean the attack? It was just a display. No one was going to get hurt." Faust seemed sure about this.

"Oh? Were you counting on all of your men dying? Brutus is a puddle of blood, and you've got an insane psycho-jabroni who can't control her emotions in the middle of the Northern Tower. If she blew her top, everything would have gone to hell. And I assure you, I wouldn't be projecting right now," she said angrily.

"I assure you, my dear. Everything is going according to plan. While we did not account for the detective, most everything else is in place," Faust replied.

"What else did you screw up?" she asked.

"We did also fail to extract the Jiangshi. It appears the soldier and the ice witch got in the way. To be expected, but Janey's emotions and her sudden new relationship with this Bethany may prove to be a problem," added Mr. Lou, beside Mr. Faust.

"And how do you plan to deal with this? Because I don't want more excuses. I want answers. I am this close to finding the Atlas," she said, almost pinching her fingers together, leaving just a sliver of space between them. "And if you ruin my plans, I'll rip your skeletons from your bodies."

Faust smiled. "Be at ease, my dear. The Congo Basin is sure to reveal much to us."

The projection slowly began to fade, as the woman spoke last. "You call me dear again, and you'll regret it."

Golden Gate Hotel

Secret Cup Tournament: Day Two

Losers Bracket

Winner's Bracket

The previous day's events had come and gone. Despite the utter chaos that took place at the Golden Gate Hotel, local news reported only two casualties. Among them, a single meta-human, and a three time escaped convict who took part in the events as a hired mercenary. Over the course of the night, local law enforcement agencies, coroners, news stations, and other authorities came and went from the hotel. The bodies of the deceased were moved, and police cordoned off the lobby floors of all three towers. Late night travelers would require escorts to go to and from the lobby floors until the morning of day two of the tournament.

And what a morning it was. Local news stations were still chattering about the previous evening's explosive events. A secret organization created to 'aid mankind'? Unprovoked attacks on innocents by metahumans? Was the metahuman threat real? Just how dangerous were these people? And what did they want?

The coverage would be broadcast all day, as interviews with locals in the San Francisco area were held. A poll would also be made public online, to see just how the United States' felt about a metahuman presence in the world. However, the day would not be overshadowed by tragedy and conspiracy.

Day Two of the Secret Cup Tournament was still going to be held.

As the day began, the Golden Gate Hotel News was the first channel to be live on the television of contestants and guests. Victor Skye's bald head and navy blue suit spoke first.

"Good morning, guests, residents, and contestants. I'm your host Victor Skye, and beside me is my generous co-host, Yasmine Janine. Good morning Yasmine."

"Good morning Victor. Seems last night the hotel had some unexpected and unwelcome guests," Yasmine said right away.

"Very much so. I'm grateful that none of our guests, contestants, staff, or residents were harmed. Thankfully, we have excellent security. Our top story this morning stems right from our own front door. Should the Secret Cup be cancelled? Most staff, guests, and fans, say no. We took to the halls early this morning to get the opinion of the public."

A black frame wiped across the screen, as a video played. It was Yasmine standing beneath a large poster advertising the Golden Gate Secret Cup tournament just near the Golden Gate Bridge.

"Sir?" she asked of a local passerby in a trenchcoat. He paused, stepping over to Yasmine and the camera crew.

"I'm Yasmine Janine of the Golden Gate Hotel News. Have you heard about the Secret Cup Tournament?"

He was an older gentleman, with a scraggly voice. "Hell yeah I have. That Louis is somethin' else."

"So you're a fan? That's great. Can you tell us, after the events that took place at the hotel last night, how do you feel about metahumans being in an among society?"

The man scratched his beard. "Well, I ain't too worried. They ain't done me no harm, and they're puttin' on quite a show at that tournament. Long as nothin' really comes of that little display last night, I think we'll be okay."

A similar video played over Yasmine's interview, with Victor interviewing a local woman with her child at the bus stop.

"Frankly I think that should've been the end of it," the woman said, nodding at her own words.

"What do you mean by that, if I may ask?" Victor continued.

"I mean, look at what happened. You've got crazy men armed to the teeth breaking into what should have been a secure location. Where was security? The guests could've been hurt or killed. There are children at that hotel. And what disappoints me most is seeing this all being broadcast like it's a movie. It's not. It's actually happening. Don't get me wrong, I do think it's interesting. But enough is enough. Someone has to step up, and put an end to this. Everyone needs to go home, especially the metahumans. They're dangerous."

The videos ended and cut back to Yasmine and Victor live.

"Wow. Strong words," Yasmine said, as the broadcast resumed.

"Strong words indeed. But right now Yasmine, we're going to let our viewers soak all of that in, because the tournament has not been cancelled. Day two is here, and there are quite a few things to discuss this morning," Victor said excitedly, changing his tone to match the news in question.

"That's right Victor. Day two is officially underway, and it looks like our contestants arena has been decided. In round one, contestants were split into groups of two and given their own individual stages in which to perform. However, that will not be the case for round two. They will all be going to Africa," Yasmine added.

"All the way to the Congo Basin. It's the largest forest in Africa, and home to Africa's largest river: the Nile River. What do you think about this choice for a stage, Yasmine?"

"It's interesting. The humidity is incredibly high, and it's sure to be a very wet climate too. It could be a great advantage to some and a great disadvantage to others. I think Bethany may have a tough time," Yasmine said, shrugging.

"You're right that the climate is a big factor. But let's not forget what Bethany and all of our contestants are capable of. Here are some highlights, from round one."

There was another fade to black as the News Logo floated towards the screen, before disappearing and revealing a clip from Bethany and Lace's fight.

Bethany attempted to dodge and was partially successful. Instead of getting the blade through her chest it instead cut a gash across her side, over the ribs.

Hissing out in pain, Bethany hauled out and punched Lace once more across the face. Giving it as much force as she could muster. And the superhero flinched. Ever so slightly. But it was enough.

Bethany went in and swung several more times. But Lace dodged each one, backing away slowly from the girl as the experiment eyed Bethany for an opening. She was going to end this in one more...

Lace swung horizontally at Bethany, prepared to cut through the girl’s neck. She had enough holding back, if Bethany was going to fight to her fullest than Lace didn’t feel the need to avoid killing.

Bethany watched as the blade got closer. Had she screwed up? Was Lace that much faster than her? She watched, eyes widening, as her end approached...

Bethany ducked down hitting her knee hard against the floor in order to just barely avoid being decapitated. She sprung up immediately and delivered an upper-cut into Lace’s jaw, snapping the girl’s head back.

She didn’t stop it at that, though, and proceeded to raise her leg and kick Lace in the chest.

As Lace was knocked backwards she realized her mistake. Bethany hadn’t just been flailing at random. She was backing Lace up to a specific location.
A memory flashed in Lace’s mind. Of when the fight started. The unusual way that Bethany had avoided her attack...

She couldn’t react as the ice spear earlier thrust into the wall impaled her abdomen.

Bethany moved towards the girl, oddly hesitant, and spoke. “Please...just surrender.” She pleaded.

To no avail evidently as Lace put a hand on the wall and began to push herself off of the spear.

Bethany sighed and released another attack. Her freezing wind caught Lace full blast as she slowly moved along the ice stuck through her body. The wind began to slow her, making it harder to push off, and in turn causing her to be stuck in the icy wind longer.

It was mere moments before she realized that her joints were freezing up. She was finding it impossible to move more than slightly. And even that brief movement was fading.

She stopped. There was a bitter taste in her mouth. But also an odd feeling of excitement. “I know when I can’t go on.” She said. “I surrender.”

Bethany sighed in relief. Truth be told she wasn't sure she could keep it up for long. Had Lace kept fighting, who knows, maybe Bethany would have collapsed from exhaustion alone. Now, though... "So, guess uh...it's over? We can get out of creepsville?"

"Most likely." She had lost...it was over for her. What a way to end it...

The chase was on. Mango ran as fast as she could, in the straight line she figured her opponent would be running. The chase brought her to...a river. Where the boy was. With some kind of pump. And it was firing at her. By the time Mango realized what he was up to, it was already a bit too late. "Wait! I fo--" Mango's attempt at surrender was cut off as the experiment was blasted with water, diluting and rinsing off the layer of sludge over her body. When the attack had cleared, Mango remained, sludge gone and revealing the brown-scaled creature underneath. She couldn't win the fight like this. Mango was going to die.

No...not like this.

"You really think it's that easy?" Jack jammed her arrows into the center of Angelica's chest, her own nanites beginning to spread into Angelica's system at the same time. "I've got too many people to hurt to just let some glorified science-fare project stop me." Jack gripped Angelica's body with both hands, slowly forcing her leg out and damaging the hole further as she did so. Jack got her mask closer to Angelica's face, who could almost see Jack's eyes glaring through the thin visor.

Jack twisted the arrows, driving them into the scientist's chest slowly. Blood soaked into his shirt and dripped to the floor. The arrows had pierced through the sternum, and now she inched them closer and closer to the man's heart as he screamed for mercy. Jack's mouth twisted into a contorted smile, wide and toothy. "Now do me a favor," She snarled, her voice more animal than human. "and die."

Then there was a glint of light out the corner of her eyes, sunlight glinting down through the open silo doors and into the interior walls of the silo. The missile began to roar. Jack blinked and looked around the silo's interior, the walls, the roof, the missile, then the administrator.

"Flee . . . you fools," The alien sputtered out, before falling limp once more.

Jack ripped her leg out of Angelica, and almost the moment she did so several more beams were fired from Angelica's weapon directly at Jack. Jack only had a moment to leap as far from Angelica as fast as she could, the beams peppering the ground in her wake as she did so. If Jack's nanites remained in Angelica, all she would be doing with them is keeping the android motionless; mess with her ability to get herself out and keep her occupied.

"Sounds like this is my queue to leave. But please, stay as long as you like. I'm sure the alien won't mind," Jack taunted, firing out her remaining three tethers as high up the wall as she could, and zipping upwards. She only had the tethers on her right arm active and won't be able to ascend as fast as normal; she'd need to move upwards, let herself drop a small distance, and move upwards again. But, it looked like she could make it, and if she could, she won.

Rawal landed safely on the ground, boots connecting without too much effort before the elder looked up. With the front of his thickened robes torn off, the thinner clothes that he wore under this for comfort were now exposed to the world's view. He wasn't sure how he would get these repaired or replaced, but he had to do something soon.
Even with this in the back of his head, he could see Kai being forced up higher and higher, eventually crossing a boundary formerly unseen, the limits of the arena.

A smirk of relief cross his face under his peppered mustache, glad to see one source of unpleasant reminders out of his face for the time being. "About damned time," he muttered under his breath.

After the clips of the victors were done, the feed cut back to Victor and Yasmine in the broadcast room. "What a great series of matches yesterday," Victor said. "Congratulations to the winners, who will be proceeding to round two. But before we give the winner's bracket details, we'd like to announce the Loser's bracket. Victors in the Loser's Bracket will qualify for a chance at third place

after round two has completed. And in our Loser's Bracket are--huh. There should've been four contestants, but it seems one of our contestants has actually left the premises. My apologies," Victor said, straightening the stack of reports in his hands.

"With that in mind, it looks like Lace Thirteen, Mango, and Angelica will be having a ladies bout in the Loser's Bracket, as they duke it out for a shot at third place. Their arena has yet to be determined but will be announced later today. This battle will be a free for fall, and contestants will be placed in a single arena," Yasmine said with a smile.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, guests, residents, contestants, and fans. It's time to announce Day Two, Round Two of the Secret Cup Tournament," Victor said happily. "Moving forwards into the second round, first, is Louis Ebon. Following in his foosteps is Mr. Rawal Torai. Next up, a rising star and fan favorite, Jack. And last but most certainly not least, Ms. Bethany Cunningham. They'll each be transported by a single plane to Africa, where they'll be split into four different helicopters to reach the Congo Basin. The arena has been outlined, and each contestant will receive documentation on the area, and any perceived natural threats. This arena has thus been dubbed, the Fragility Badlands."

"Now, Victor, the contestants will be driven to an undisclosed airport, where they will be flown to Africa, in preparation for their big battle. The victors of this fight, will compete in round three: the finals. Those competing in the finals have a chance at one hundred billion dollars. The chance of a life time. Victor, that's enough money to be set for. . .well, many life times over!"

"You're right Yasmine. And that's why the contestants are fighting so hard. Because if they win, they won't ever have to fight again," Victor said. "Over the course of the day the Golden Gate Hotel will be hosting public popularity polls on our homepage. Make sure you vote for your favorite contestant! And don't forget to vote for who you think is going to win in round two, and who we can expect to see fight in round three."

"That's all for this morning. I'm Yasmine Janine."

"I'm Victor Skye."

"And thank you for watching Golden Gate Hotel News."

Sergei's Lounge

"Geno," Tiny said.

Geno raised his head from his plate. "Hmm?" he said with a mouthful of eggs and bacon.

"Don't forget about our bet. You owe the victors an apology," Tiny said, taking a smug sip of his tiny cup of coffee.

Geno gulped down his food. "God damn it. Alright. I'll do a blog or something and put it online. That way--"

"Ah, ah, ah. You have to tell them directly," Tiny said, his smugness growing.

Geno sighed. "Alright ya little sheet. But only because I'm a man of my word."

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Golden Gate Empire: Dreams of Grandeur [IC | PG-16]

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