Forum Thread

Jaden parked his Cobra just around the block from where he saw the two fly through an open window and readied a few cloaked satchel charges. "Whoever is in there, this should get their attention." He peered from around the corner at the seemingly abandoned schoolhouse. "A schoolhouse? Typical of a horribly written children's animated show, but not much of a headquarters. No-one will miss such a place." Jaden grasped hold of a communication device within his coat, resembling a 2000's model of cellular phones. "Are you in place?"

---

(This colored text for character's speech reminds me of Romantically Apocalyptic. XD)

Derek plopped himself down into a chair and tapped the chair's arms with one hand, while his chin rested on the other. "So I guess now we just play the waiting game, huh?" he said dully. He put his hand into his pocket to touch his phone, trying to see if he could use the connection to the Assassin's phone once again. Unfortunately, it still seemed to be closed, in the assassin's pocket, and there weren't any other phones close enough that used the same network.

"Hey, how about we go do something while we wait? It's kind of boring just sitting here, and I hear they're giving free frozen yogurt at Yogurtland." He smiled at his older brother. "Ever since you became the head honcho around here, you've been super busy with the Web and business and all that. Come on, it'll be nice to take a break for a little while while we wait for the assassin to do his job."

---

Okay. Her new friend could sprout tails at random. Just another day in Matilda's life.

Matilda found herself accepting this sudden new world with surprising ease, not even registering the thought of screaming murder when Trix climbed up to the roof with no rope or something.

Once more they had taken to the skies, the night sky seeming much less...gloomy now. Matilda found her mouth twisting to a smile as she reached up to feel the silky air brushing against her fingers. The memory of her destroyed house and dead parents seemed just so far away and unrealistic right now. The view was breathtaking from up above, and one just couldn't help feeling elated.

"Is it always this crazy around you people?" Mattie quizzed as she snapped her fingers against the air, trying to find where it connected.

The air seemed to ripple at the snap, and Mattie frowned, noting that she'd have to work harder on this whole "manipulating energy" thing. The wind pushed back her shock blue hair, stinging her face in a gentle way.

"Where are we headed now? Your house?" Matilda asked over the sudden rising sound of the wind.

Normally, a random shapeshifting stranger offering to take her in was something Matilda would call the police on. But Trix seemed to genuinely want to help.

In case things got bad, Matilda reckoned, she could always go full pyromaniac and cause a city fire. Probably not a wise idea, but hey, she was never really one to think things through.

---

Trix shrugged, which was pretty hard to do while flying with a pair of giant leathery wings over a city. "I guess it's kinda crazy 'round me. 'S better without my crazy cousin though. Last time she was around, she went on a psycho rampage before falling in love with one of my coworkers, then vowing revenge when he died of cancer. She doesn't come to visit anymore. But yeah, it's pretty hectic." Trix said. She still missed her cousin, as they had been very close friends as children. Sadly, she had pretty much vanished off the face of the earth. "I don't have a house, but I have an apartment. Brace yourself for landing!" Trix said as she slowed herself down to a stop on top of a tall apartment building. "I have the top floor. Nobody else wanted it 'cuz of a rumor that somebody stupid had accidently killed themselves up here. But yeah, just a rumor." Trix walked over to the door leading inside, her tails and wings vanishing as she scooped up the bags. She tugged the door open and pulled Matilda inside.

There was only one door on the top floor, besides the one leading to the roof, but that didn't count since it was at the top of a short flight of stairs. Trix pulled a keyring out of her pocket and unlocked the door, revealing a cozy apartment with a circular couch, several bookshelves, a sleek glass coffee table, and a stunning view of the city. It looked like something you might see out of a movie about some rich person's life, but cozier and more friendly. "Mom insisted on getting my aunt to do all that feng shui stuff and everything. She's a home designer or something. My family's not exactly what you would call rich, but they have enough to make it look like it." Trix didn't especially like her family's comfortable lifestyle, but it was helpful at times. Like when paying medical bills. Oh man, the size of those medical bills. Trix towed the luggage into her bedroom, dumping the bags on a plush beanbag chair under a decent sized window. "I ain't got the other room set, so You'll hafta bunk with me tonight." She said, gesturing to the roomy bed. "K, g'night!" She said, saluting before passing out in a small heap on the right side of the bed.

---

Rhiannon "Ricky" Anderson | Aviator

Ricky was on a quest to find any of her team mates in order to share the beginning of a plan she had been forming when she could hear Trix's voice shouting. Just barely, however, so she couldn't make out what she was yelling about but it was probably of importance. Spinning around, Ricky started making her way towards the sound but she was in no hurry, after all it wasn't like someone was dying or anything.

Though in the end, Ricky's lack of haste resulted in her missing the newest team member. She only managed to catch a glimpse of Trix slipping out of the window before the shape shifter disappeared out of sight. Ricky sighed as she crossed her arms in mild annoyance. If Trix had something she needed to tell them, why didn't she bother waiting for anyone to come around. Everyone was always in such a rush. Oh well, she'd have to ask Trix about it once she got back and hang around long enough for them to chat.

Wait! Ricky froze in mid-step as she was about to turn and walk away. Did she have a girl on her back!? The woman's eyes widened in realization as she remembered exactly what she saw. It took her a second or two before she rushed to the window and peered up at the sky and who would have thought, she could spot Trix flying away with something that wasn't a backpack on her back.

"For the love of...!"

Ricky gritted her teeth in mild anger as she contemplated on what to do. She tried avoiding using her ability and flying around as a flying human wasn't exactly what people saw every day and there was quite the large chance the word of where she was floating around would reach Daniel in no time. However, a bird-human hybrid or whatever carrying a human on its back was certainly suspicious as well and to tell the truth, she was worried. Trix was new and it was better if she stayed hidden from Web.

Huffing in annoyance and defeat, Ricky decided it was no use to try and follow them. The danger of detection was too great even though it was rather cloudy and she most likely wouldn't be able to keep up with Trix anyway so it was no use.

---

Daniel Fausto | Red Puppeteer

Daniel glanced at his brother as he sat on a chair, the younger of the two didn't even try concealing the fact he was bored. Which is why it was no surprise when Derek suggested a little trip to Yogurtland. Daniel didn't really have any reason to object and frozen yogurt didn't sound like a bad idea to him either. He gave a grin at his little brother as he got up from his seat.

"You know, I could get us some frozen yogurt for free any day. Well, I could get free anything, really."

The man who was feared among the most gave a small chuckle as he made his way towards the door before turning to face his brother again.

"Anyway, frozen yogurt doesn't sound bad at all. Let's go get some."

Daniel twisted the doorknob and stepped outside. Even though he had his powers, Daniel wasn't careless and for that reason, there was two guards standing on either side of his office door. They'd be no match for his former comrades but they'd stop any foolish commoner who got the moronic idea of 'being a hero'. Besides, it gave him someone to order around or play with if he felt like it. Daniel turned towards one of them with a dull expression and spoke with a commanding tone.

"Go get my car ready, we'll be at the entrance shortly."

---

The Black Assassin

Things weren't going according to plan. No one was coming to pick the moronic 'hero' up and he was bleeding to death. He needed to find out where the rest were hiding or the Red Puppeteer would have his head and that wouldn't happen anytime soon at this rate. The assassin was about to step out from his hiding spot and get the mohawk guy but stopped as he saw a man spot the kid and seemed rather determined to save him and the assassin did nothing to stop it. Figuring out the hiding place would take a while longer than he estimated but as long as the mohawk hero was alive and kicking, he'd just have to keep an eye on him and eventually, the location of their secret little headquarters would be exposed.

---

Ray had finally got the bus he had been working on to drive and took it to pick up Jonathan. When Ray arrived Jonathan appeared to be out cold. Ray placed two fingers on Jonathan's neck to check for a pulse.

"Sorry I'm late man," he said to his unconscious team mate, "but I'm glad I took our bus. Now I don't have to drag your butt all the way home." Ray draped one of his team mate's arms around his his shoulders and half dragged, half carried the unconscious man to the bus and dropped him in one of the seats.

"Hang on to..." Ray looked at Jonathan, "uh never mind. Just don't die man."Ray started the bus and headed back towards their home as fast as the dilapidated bus would go.

---

Matilda was in no way sleepy. After the abrupt events of the night, she doubted she could sleep even with anesthetic. The bed looked invitingly warm, and the cold night air had chilled her bones, but her eyes were wide and awake. Of course, seeing her parents sacrifice themselves to save her chilled her blood more than anything, but for now, she wouldn't focus on that.

Teeth chattering, she huddled on the circular couch (which was really quite comfy), trying to wrap her mind around the recent events.

Parents dying from saving her from criminals with superpowers? Check.
Random shapeshifting stranger part of the now so-called criminal Squad One taking her in? Check.
Discovering her parents had had powers? Check.

And a million other things that she couldn't quite process yet. Placing her hands over her temples, Mattie breathed deeply, trying to keep the bubble of emotions from bursting. All this had happened because of her. Her powers. She let out a sigh of disgust, feeling the flames start up in her palm. Splaying her hand, the flames' light flickered across the walls, casting her shadow behind her.

"Ignis," she mouthed the Latin term, focusing on letting the flames burn brighter.

Did her parents know? How she trained so hard to not burn the entire street down? It didn't do much in the end. They'd both died by fire, but not by Mattie's hand. The flames in her hand died as Mattie's throat went dry.

She choked back a late sob. There was no time for mourning. She had to avenge them. As her mind burned angrily with images of her parents dying, Matilda remembered their last gifts. She scrambled to the beanbag chair, yanking her suitcase to the floor and zipping it open. Her belongings were flung frantically and without restraint as she searched for the last two parcels.

Mattie cautiously untied the two parcels, as if they were fragile. Out went the beautiful cloak of shimmering aurora purples. Out went her tunic and trousers. And finally...

The final parcel was opened with trembling fingers, slipping and barely managing to grip it. The wrapping fell to the ground the same time as a tear escaped the young girl's rapidly blinking indigo eyes.

Their final present to the daughter who was born from the heart, not the stomach. A simple purple mask which shimmered exactly like her cloak glinted in the dim light. As Matilda lifted it closer to her face to examine it, a small brown packet fell out of the interior of the mask. The blue-haired girl reached down to pick it up, pulling off the brown string keeping the packet together.

Mattie's heart hammered loudly against her chest as she unfolded the papers. One glanced was all she needed.

"We left Squad One today..."

Indigo eyes were slammed shut. Keeping her vision to zero, Matilda hastily folded the papers back into the packet, fumbling with the string. She couldn't take any more information now. Her brain would explode, she was sure of it. Impulsively, she fit the mask onto her face, blinking in surprise as it fit her perfectly.

Her parents wanted her to be a hero, and had even provided a mask for her. No, not just a mask. Matilda shot a longing look at the clothes, fitting the pieces together in her mind. She was tired now. The adrenaline had passed and her eyes hurt from both crying and sheer exhaustion.

Matilda barely managed to pack everything away securely in her bag before dragging herself to the bed, almost automatically passing out.

---

Derek made a fist-pumping motion that he didn't think Daniel would see as he followed his brother out the door. Honestly, he hadn't expected his older brother to go along with it, what with the man being so busy. He almost felt like his older brother had changed since they left Squad One behind, and although Derek had plenty of time to think about it, he still wasn't sure whether it was a good or a bad change. Whatever it was, Daniel still seemed to have his familiar brotherly fondness for Derek, and as long as it was still there, Derek would keep his faith in his brother.

"Hm, maybe if they still have that red velvet cake flavor I'll get that one..." the hacker mumbled as he stared blankly out of the car's window. He could feel the engine purring and all the moving parts of the car as he gently rubbed the seat. He waved his hand dismissively, "Nah, I got that flavor last time. I'll probably get chocolate or something."

Derek looked at his older brother, "So, on a scale of rocky road to smooth sailing, how well do you think the Web's coming along? What with all the info gathering I've been doing lately, I've got a pretty good idea, but I want your honest opinion."

---

{Gah, I'm so sorry people! I keep forgetting to reply. Dx}

Rhiannon "Ricky" Anderson | Aviator

Ricky's frustrated pondering was cut short when he heard the rumble of a car outside and when she jogged over to one of the windows on the front, she could see the retreating form of an old school bus just before it disappeared from sight. What the...? The bus was probably the one that had been wasting away on the property but Ricky wouldn't have guessed it would ever work again. This was probably Ray's doing. The young man could work some miracles with them machines but why on earth would he go off driving an old school bus of all things? Someone was sure to notice it.

With a huff, Ricky stepped outside after peering around cautiously for any suspicious passers-by. She couldn't see any, thank god. The woman took out his phone and debated calling her teammate for few seconds before deciding to wait for a couple of minutes before doing so. Maybe Ray had just decided to have a short test drive after fixing the bus and he'd be back in a blink of an eye. Ricky sure hoped that was the case.

Sure enough, the bus came back in sight soon afterwards and Ricky watched as the old vehicle got closer and closer. She still couldn't believe it was even working. As soon as the bus came to a stop, Ricky hopped on board and gave Ray a confused and slightly accusing look.

"What are you doing? Driving an old school bus that is about to fall apart while anyone could see you. We're trying to avoid getting noticed here. What if-"

Ricky's rant was cut short when she spotted something in the corner of her eye and turned her head to look further into the bus, spotting none other than Johnny-Boy slumped on one of the seats. He didn't look right, at all. Something was wrong. Ricky froze on her feet as all color drained from her face while she turned her head to look back at Ray.

"What happened?"

---

The Black Assassin

Keeping up with the old bus proved to be rather difficult but the thought of what The Red Puppeteer could do if he failed now kept him motivated. Just as the assassin thought he had lost sight of the pathetic vehicle, he found it parked over at an old school building. A small grin spread on the man's face as he hid into the sparse forestry not too far from the old school. He found them. He dug out his phone, dialed the only number on it and waited patiently for his employer to pick up.

---

Daniel Fausto | Red Puppeteer

Daniel didn't pay much attention to his brother's mumbling as he made yet another turn. Though it was rather adorable in a way and Daniel barely prevented himself from making a comment about kids and candy shops. Instead he kept his eyes on the road as they neared their destination. However, his attention was directed back at his brother when Derek spoke again but this time the words were directed at him and the tone was different from the earlier 'which flavor should I take' -Pondering. Daniel gave his younger brother a quick glance before returning his eyes on the road.

"If I remember correctly, one dude calmed a storm and then walked on the surface of the ocean. Anything can be done if you really want to, no matter who's standing on your way. If you have the right resources."

Comparing himself to Jesus was more than moronic and Daniel gave Derek a small smirk before speaking again, with a more serious tone this time.

"Everything's actually going better than I expected at the beginning. Sure there are people who don't agree with me but they're too afraid or lack the means or equipment to do anything about it. The only real threat I see are our former colleagues. There's no doubt they've recovered by now and are forming up some kind of plan right now. Which is why I need to find them before they do anything stupid. I should have gotten rid of them for good when I had the chance."

Daniel gripped the steering wheel slightly tighter as he finished. He couldn't really bare to address his former team members as anything other than mere colleagues, it was easier to stay objective that way. He knew they wouldn't see things his way and would eventually become a problem but he couldn't bring himself to kill them anyway. Memories and emotions made him weak and he needed to get rid of them before mere sentiment resulted in his downfall.

But that was something to worry about later, now was the time for frozen yogurt.

"Aaand we're here."

Daniel swiftly got out of the car after parking in front of Yogurtland and he waited for his brother to do the same before walking into the building. The reactions he got from people made him want to laugh at their faces but he kept his pokerface on, not acknowledging the people staring at him. Confusion, fear, hatred, wonder and even respect were plastered all over the peasants' faces. Some just outright left while other's merely froze in spot, unsure of what to do.

Before Daniel got to the counter, his phone went off in his pocket and after giving the screen a quick glance, he turned towards Derek, ignoring the eerie silence besides his phone and his words.

"I gotta take this. Go ahead and get your order in, I'll be back in a sec. Oh, and I'll take peach."

Without any further words, Daniel turned on his heel and walked back outside. To make sure no one was listening to his call, he kept on walking once he was outside and once he was sure there was no one eavesdropping, he took the call.

"What is it?"

"I found them."

"Where?"

"It's an old school building in the outskirts of the city, 27 Peastreet."

"Fire at will."

"Roger."

Daniel ended the call with a small tremor running through him. He had just ordered the assassination of his former friends and he didn't know whether he hoped his underling would get the job done or not. He didn't want to be the one to pull the trigger but sending a hitman after them felt wrong as well. They had history, at least he could face them himself. However, his feelings were foolish, an assassin was a practical solution.

---

After recognizing the response he required from the short conversation, Jaden Mag placed the communication device back into its holder, preparing mentally for the showdown that was surely to happen. Jaden strapped the prepared satchel charges to his waste and lit up a cigarette, walking ominously to the reunion of the master and her two students. "Well what do we have here? Care to tell me why your 'boy' assaulted me?" Jaden slowly pulled the pistol from its holster into a readied position, aiming slightly from the hip. "Don't play with me, either; you, me, and the building you walked out of will be gone in a flash if you try anything."

---

Ray shrugged when Ricky asked him what happened.

"Dunno, I got a call from this guy," said Ray, as he jerked his thumb at Johnny-Boy, "sounded like he was in deep...trouble. I had just gotten Betsy here to work," he patted the bus's steering wheel, "so, I drove her over, heh that rhymes," said Ray, "put him in here and came back."

---

Derek nodded to his brother as he took a call.

"I'll have one Chocolate and one Peach please. Also, put strawberries on the chocolate one," he said to the worker at the cashier, who dutifully began to put together the orders. Derek cast a quick glance at his brother. Yep, busy as ever on that phone of his.

"Here you go," said the Yogurtland employee.

"Thank you," Derek said as he took the cups of froyo and walked over to the front door, propping it open.

"Hey, froyo's here," he said to his brother, who looked like he had just finished the phone call. "I'll get a table." And with that, the hacker ducked back inside the building and sat down at an empty table, putting his brother's yogurt across from him and digging into his own.

---

Trix stretched out, tumbling to the floor when she leaned to the side a bit. The contact between her head and the floor most assuredly woke her up. "Agh! Ow! Wha-" Trix remembered that she was supposed to be quiet, as there was a kid sleeping on her bed. She peeked out the window. It was still more or less day, and she was getting a little hungry, so she figured she could head out for a snack. She slipped on her backless leather jacket and slipped out the window to the fire escape, pondering where she might go. But didn't a froyo place open nearby or something? Froyo sounded good right about now. Trix jumped off the fire escape, using newly developed wings to flutter to the ground. She flicked out her cell phone for directions and happily pranced down the sidewalk in her tall black boots and jeans.

She walked into Yogurtland, stopping in front of the counter to order. She finally settled on cherry, and gave the cashier the cash for her sweet treat. Trix turned around, browsing the room for an empty seat. Most of the tables seemed to be full, spare a couple. Giving the room another glance, she- Waitwaitwait, who was that guy? He was sitting alone at a table with a froyo across him as he ate his own. Somehow, the man reminded her of someone, but that wasn't important right now. What was important was how hot he was, because, oh man was he hot. And he was alone at a table. With an open seat. She took a deep breath, brushing some stray hairs out of her face, before walking over to his table and setting her hand on the back of the empty seat.

"Is this seat taken by any chance?" She asked, smiling while trying not to embarrass herself in front of this complete hottie.

---

Derek took a pause from his frozen yogurt as a girl wearing headphones approached him.

"Is this seat taken by any chance?" She asked him. The girl appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties.

"Well yes, my brother was going to sit there," he pointed to the chair. "But I guess you could pull up an extra chair if you really want." He noted the girl's smile and...was that a hint of a blush that he saw for a moment? Whatever it was, Derek decided to dismiss it for the time being.

"Th'name's Derek, by the way," he said, pointing his spoon to himself. "And you are...?" The girl didn't look terribly familiar at all, but he might recognize her name from somewhere, or perhaps even met her without remembering her, considering the way she was acting.

---

Trix tugged a chair to the table, adjacent to Derek. "I'm Bellatrix, but you can call me Trix if you want." She said, taking a bite of her froyo. She gave a little sigh of content as she savored the flavor the sweet dessert. "What flavor did you get? I have cherry." She said, motioning to her froyo. "You know, I have the strangest feeling right now, as if I've seen you somewhere before. Somehow I doubt it, however. How could I miss seeing someone as hot as you?" Trix took another bite before realizing that she had said that aloud. She sputtered and clapped her hands over her mouth, her face flushing as red as her froyo.

---

{I'm assuming the stuff in AlStokes' post happened before Jaden stepped into the mix as well since it makes more sense that way.}

Rhiannon "Ricky" Anderson | Aviator

Ricky let out a huff as she listened to Ray's vague explanation. Of course that idiot would get himself into deep trouble as soon as there was no one babysitting him. However, there would be time to scold Johnny-boy later on after she was certain the lad was alright.

"Alright, thanks Ray. I'll just-"

She was about to go get a look at the boy slumped in one of the seats when an older man made himself known. He looked rather suspicious to Ricky and if his words were anything to go by, this stranger had something to do with the current situation or at least had information about it. Ricky took quick notice of the gun the man was wielding but she wasn't feeling particularly threatened by it. She had seen enough guns aimed at her to stop being afraid of them. Besides, she had more urgent matters to attend to.

"Stay put Ray, I'll take a look at Johnny."

Ricky didn't take her eyes off the stranger as she spoke to her teammate before directing her focus on her other friend. She wasn't really telling Ray not to move at all, she just didn't want to make the situation worse by having Ray attack this unknown man. The guy could have easily killed them both or at least one of them before they noticed his presence if he was a good shot. The fact that he hadn't was proof enough that their death wasn't his first priority at the moment and he probably wouldn't do anything hasty if they didn't either.

It didn't take for long to Ricky to take in the state his young friend was in. A gunshot wound on the leg, he had probably lost a good amount of blood already, not good. Ricky scooped Jonathan into her arms bridal style surprisingly easily. She was stronger than she looked and Johnny certainly wasn't the heaviest guy around. As she got out of the bus with the lad in her arms, Ricky finally answered the question the stranger had asked.

"My boy assaulted you because he's a damn moron. If you're not trying to kill us, I suggest you let me patch him up and then we'll talk."

Ricky gave Ray a glance before starting to move inside.

"Give a hand would you, I'll need some help fixing this idiot."

---

The Black Assassin

The man who shot the Squad One kid seemed to be back in the picture. He didn't seem too hostile at the moment but if the stranger was indeed wishing harm upon the former heroes, the assassin work would be done a lot easier. If the stranger was intending to clash with Squad One, it would be almost too easy to eliminate the ones still standing after it was all over and done. The possibility that this man could be there to join forces with the heroes was noteworthy but highly unlikely given the earlier event.

For now, the assassin would wait for the right moment.

---

Tara stared up into the green canopy as the dappled sunlight streamed through the leaves. Here, in the small wooded area just outside of the city, in the safety of the solid oaks strong branches, she could almost forget the rest of the world. She pressed her hands to the bark, feeling every ridge, every grain. Closing her eyes, she let her mind slip away, from her fingertips and into the tree. She explored every branch, twig, and leaf, and lingered down in the cool roots, taking in refreshment from the rich nutrients being drawn up from the soil. Then, in a sudden burst of energy, she pushed her mind right up to the very tips of the top-most twigs, the ones full of the most life and new growth. She stretched into the sunlight, feeling it warm her from within then, slowly, reluctantly, she brought her mind back. Tara savored the feeling of peace and strength the tree had given her before slowly opening her eyes. She flexed her fingers, noticing with mild interest that the bark had imprinted slightly into her palm.

A squirrel suddenly scampered up on a nearby branch, jerking Tara back into reality. They stared at each other for a moment, then, once it had decided Tara wasn’t anything of interest, the squirrel started grooming itself. Tara sighed.

“I guess I better start heading back,” she told the squirrel, “I did tell Ricky I’d be back by now. Not that I’m some kid with a curfew, but I’d rather not cause any more drama right now. That place has enough drama as it is.” A slight frown creased her forehead as she remembered, then shook her head. No, she wasn’t going to think about that now.

The squirrel looked at her, its head tilted to one side, and twitched one ear. Tara sighed again, nodded goodbye to the squirrel, then leaped down from the tree, landing lightly on the ground, and headed back towards the school.

On her way, she noticed a nearby field with a long, winding track of brown, withered grass. She instantly recognized the trademark and gritted her teeth in anger. Tara sent out a spark of energy into the field but it was no good, there was no life in the stems, even the roots were dry and brittle.

Her anger growing, she strode towards the school, planning all the things she would do to the ‘life-sucking parasite’ once she got her hands on him. As the old building came into sight, however, she stopped in surprise. It seemed someone else had got to him first.

[There is no excuse to my procrastination of all my roleplays. And sorry doesn't cut it so I'm going to sit here, type up the best I can, and suffer in order to redeem myself.]

Flames leaping and burning, scorching everything as they stroked the surface of Matilda's house. Screams filling the air, echoing with renewed vigor each time. Faces of her parents, tears dropping, sizzling in the ruby heat...

Matilda jolted upwards, her legs twisting awkwardly as she fell off the bed, her breathing erratic and sweat plastering her clothes to her hot skin. An involuntary groan emitted from her mouth as her luminous eyes spun wildly, trying to determine her surroundings.

She was safe. In...Trix's apartment. As her heart pounded against her breastbone, Mattie shifted in her uncomfortable position, managing to straighten her limbs, flexing them to make sure nothing was broken. Trix was nowhere to be seen, probably off somewhere. The young bluenette stretched, the muscles in her back cracking as they moved. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Mattie unsteadily rose from the floor, heading for the bathroom...There was a bathroom, right?

After washing up, she glanced at her worn and rumpled clothes with slight contempt, already ripping them off as she did so. A cool breeze wafted in and she shivered as she hurried to her suitcase, fingers accustomed to the zipper. Clothes snatched as they fell in mid-air and slipped over her frail body. Her loyal combat boots fitting perfectly onto her feet, and her hair hastily set back in place with her headband. Mattie didn't bother checking herself over as she pulled on her favorite silver cardigan, and spun around out of habit, kicking off the speck of dust that had decided to settle on her boots.

Pulling out her phone from the bag with some hesitation, she looked through it. No texts as usual. She rarely ever acknowledged she even had the flimsy device, but kept it around for emergencies. Reluctantly slipping it into her jean pocket, Mattie scanned the room for an exit. Doors, she had decided, were overrated and for people with no imagination. She skipped towards the fire escape, jumping down the last few steps while trying to cushion her descent by displacing the air. Surprisingly, it had worked at the last second, and she saved herself from a sprained ankle.

Five minutes later, the fourteen year old found herself completely lost on what to do. The main reason she'd gone out was to try and find Trix and distract herself from the death of her parents. A quick glimpse into a nearby shop window showed a television reporting a fire in one of the houses, and Matilda looked away, blinking back tears. Her vision blurring, she broke into a brisk walk, not checking to see where she was going. A hand, she dimly realized, had shot out of nowhere and grabbed her forearm and yanked her to a wall. Her head banged against the hard substance from the momentum, and that was all she needed to wake up from her half-dream. As a knife hurtled towards her, oh so slowly in her eyes, Mattie twisted her body away, the knife embedding itself on the wall, nearly snagging her cardigan.

The hooligan had literally no idea what he had gotten into.

Where the girl was held suddenly burned bright hot as static electricity shot through him, making him stumble backwards in pain and horror as he glimpsed the pure fury in the indigo eyes that glistened with tears. The attacker ducked instinctively, thinking perhaps the girl had not been the best choice, reaching for the knife. Surprisingly, she did not try to stop him. She stood there, her eccentric hair seemingly sparking as strands fluttered and fell in an erratic manner.

The knife shone as it caught a stray beam of light in the alleyway he had dragged the girl into, and as it aimed for the heart. Mattie moved into the attack, her hand already twisting the attacker's wrist into a painful angle as she twisted a kick to the shin and an elbow to the stomach. Gasping for air, they fell back, their numb wrist losing all feeling as the knife clattered to the ground.

"Should have picked someone else," Matilda stated thoughtfully as she reached down and pulled the boy, who could not have been more than eighteen, by his stained collar to his feet. The other hand ascended almost lazily, planting itself against the boy's chest. For a moment, there was nothing. Then screams permeated the air as the hand burned white hot, heat licking away at the clothing and almost...almost to the skin...

---

Chelsea Ward AKA. Nighthawk

Chelsea had been spending most of the day inside of Squad One's new "headquarters". She had fallen asleep on one of the couches, which they had brought into the building, and had only recently woken up. The group had fallen so far from their once prestigious origins. Now people blamed them for what had happened, for The Puppeteer taking over. Maybe it was our fault... She thought to herself, shouldn't they have noticed that there was something going on with their leader, they should have noticed long before this had happened. She sighed, there was really nothing that they could do about that now, no, they had to deal with any future plans their ex leader might have up his sleeve. There was no way that he was finished with them, he would be wanting to wipe them all out, that or get them to join him, she supposed that either would work for him.

She pushed herself up into a sitting position and then stood up, she really couldn't sleep all day, no matter how much she wanted to. After a quick glance around her surroundings she realized that she was alone, the others had obviously gone out of the building for whatever reason, most of them were probably close by, no-one really dared to venture too far, not with all that was going on. Heading for the door she walked out and she could hear voices nearby, just outside of the building. As she headed for the door to the building she could see their new leader Ricky at the door, carrying what appeared to be an injured Johnny. Her pace quickened and she made it to the others, that was when she spotted the guy outside with the gun. "Okay, seriously what did I miss? What's going on guys?" She asked her tone confused and her eyes not leaving the guy with the gun.

---

Allan smacked his dry lips together and opened his eyes from sleep to darkness. He stretches and then yells as his arm hits metal. Oh, he was in his favorite nap place again: locker number 5. It was the only safe and private place he could go to to enjoy peace and quiet from his rowdy teammates; it was also the place where he shed tears of pain and anger for his undeserving comrade-turned-villain.

Rubbing his sore elbow, he opens the locker and as he steps out of it, he hears a commotion outside the headquarters, if you call the dilapidated building that. Now they were in an all-time low.

He opens the door to the outside with a yawn and sees Ricky carrying Johnny-who seems to have been badly wounded-with their teammate Chelsea. "What in the Hellen's House is happening he-", Allan dwindled into a stop as he sees a mysterious man holding a gun. "Oy, get that weapon out of here." With a flick of his hand, he releases the bonds between the sodium and sulfur in the gunpowder, causing the bullets inside the gun to fall apart-but not without freezing the ground under him in a ten-feet radius. tsk. I really need to work on that. Allan silently contemplates. After getting rid of the threat passively, he turns to his injured mate. With a steady hand, he brushes away the sweat and hair from his friend's forehead and pressed his palm softly over the boy's head. "He's feverish. I can perform first-aid now if you like. I'd bind the wound a bit and if my calculations are correct, the binding of carbon atoms would create an endothermic reaction, absorbing heat from Johnny's body, which is just as well seeing that his temperature's a bit high for comfort," he states. "But you might want to restrain him just in case some screaming-in-pain happens in the process. Oh and guys, I might need some food after this. All this mojo is sapping my energy so bad and I just woke up too!"

Pulling his injured friends trousers up his leg, he placed a hand over the gaping wound. He can feel metal insi-wait-he forgot about the bullet. Ugh. "Guys, I might need a wee bit more food after this." Placing a hand over the wound, he concentrates on dissipating the iron of the bullet. After a few moments with his teammates hovering over him, he managed to turn the iron into the iron-nutrient that is safe for the bloodstream and he turned his friend's leg hairs to icicles too. Now for the wound. Wiping sweat of exhaustion from his brow, he tightens his hand around the wound of his now-groaning friend and binds the carbon atoms of the skin together in a much greater effort than he had expected-especially with the soft thrashings of his friend who was in pain even in his unconsciousness. After finishing the job, he stepped back and examined his not-so-neat work. But after a few seconds, he noticed black covering the corners of his vision. He only realized he was fainting when he saw the feet of his teammates on the concrete and blacking out not a few moments later. Great. was his last thought before he went into oblivion.


((My character's power's weakness is clearly exhibited in this post haha))

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