The Numbers

[Fehrant]

The facility from the outside looked like a medium size military base. On the surface, it had a square building one floor high, that led to the other underground levels. There were other smaller buildings nearby, and all of them together were surrounded by a fence that was intended to keep people out rather than keeping people in.

There was little that remained intact. The buildings had been cracked on some parts, smashed on others, and some sections even had been pulverized. The fence had been cut, or simply trampled. Even the roads had some craters in them with different shapes and sizes.

And the buildings weren't the only one that had taken a toll. There were corpses all over the place. Mostly human, and with different levels of damage. Some had merely died of shot wounds, others from lacerations, but the hardest to look at where those who had been torn apart leaving gigantic pools of blood, with guts and dismembered limbs floating about. Judging from the fact that the blood had not dried up, it was evident the attack had been recent, and Dr. Horowitz had gotten to the party just in time. Still, the place was dead silent like a cemetery; no one had survived.

Surrounding this complex there was nothing but plain terrain. It had a slight orange tint, and it looked deserted. A green sign at the side of the road right outside the facility read, "Texas City, 3 miles". Indeed, the city loomed not to far from the party's position. A closer inspection on the city revealed a vestige of civilization past its former glory. Like the facility, the buildings were damaged in more ways that one cared to notice, the roads were deserted and the one big city had become somewhat of a ghost town-- at least ignoring the dinosaur-like birds that circledthrough the city like hungry ravens.

At first it all seems foreign. The world in everyone's head was different from this. It was noisy, it had movement, people rushing, going to work, going to school, cars, colors, smoke, electricity, music... life. Yet it doesn't seem so foreign after all. Taking a long glance at the ruined city stirs something deep in your mind, something that feels sealed and hidden. It makes your head hurt, and it itches to come out. But somehow, it doesn't. Somehow it's unable to open the door in your mind and let you know. But you feel it. It's a weird feeling. The more you try to pry open the door, the more your head hurts. Those who try to hard even get a nosebleed. Whoever or whatever placed that door in your head, did a damn good job.

You do recall some of your childhood memories, however. They are blurry, and they are vague, but they somehow slip through the cracks and let you know that before this, before you got your powers, and this city was laid to waste, you were someone. You have a name, and not just a random number. You had a life. Perhaps in time you'll remember who you were, and who you have become.

The facility makes one final complain, before it collapses in itself (check OOC for details). It makes a loud noise, shaking the ground violently and sends a huge cloud of blinding dust on a radius past the fence. There's no going back to it now, even though for some reason after the wrath of the energy beam most threats seemed to have disappeared or diminished. That's not to say, the danger is over. The city doesn't look welcoming at all. You sense, though unsure why (aside from the flying creatures), that it's not safe. Yet, wearing those flimsy clothes, being barefoot, bound to go hungry and not having shelter to sleep when night comes, you see the need in at least securying some supplies. Whether in this city in front of you, or elsewhere, that's up to you.

With an unclear past, an uncertain present, and a future you know not what it holds, this moment is where your story will start. The quest for the new you, or the search for your old self.

[Acheron]

The sun kept everything lit, but he could have sworn that he wasn't seeing everything. The three of them had been moving from building to building for the past hour, yet it seemed like progress was something completely alien to them. Each of them checked their weapons, his pistol was running low but there wasn't much he could do about it. Hours of running before this scramble, hours more ahead. He was getting pretty frustrated, they weren't going to make progress like this, this was not the mission. Yet his frustration ended when she turned around, when she walked away from the window and faced him.

"Smile? Please? For me? We're going to get there...I promise."

One Hour Before Collapse

IX's eyes opened just in time to realize how close he was to the surface level. He stopped the elevator below him, then stood in front of the closed doors. Using both hands, he pulled the doors open and allowed his eyes to re-focus to the light that was on the surface. His eyes weren't exactly all good when he stepped out of the shaft and let the doors slam shut behind him. He was expecting his feet to touch marble, something expensive considering the facility he was just in. Instead, he had to step again quickly for at first, he had stepped on some rubble.

Once he had finally adjusted to the light, he was able to see what was around him. More accurately, he was able to see what wasn't around him. He was standing in the lobby of a destroyed building. For the most part, the shell of the structure seemed to be cobbled together. There was only one room intact, it was to his left and it looked to be something like a staff room. The rest of the building was empty, there looked to be a few more floors but walkways were missing and the building couldn't have been in worse shape.

IX made his way over to this room, once inside it looked like a room employees would use on their breaks. There was a folding table and a couple of chairs, maybe this room was still being put into use? Besides the table and chairs, there were four green lockers against the one wall that was still standing. He started looking through the lockers, he figured that anything he could find would be useful in what seemed to be a wasteland. The first three lockers were empty, but the fourth was a little different. Inside he found some socks, a pair of black boots and a pair of jeans; the socks were a little snug but the boots and jeans fit pretty well. Since he still didn't have a shirt to wear, he kept the gown on that he awoke in. Once he searched the room and couldn't find anything of use, he went back out into the lobby.

The lobby didn't hold anything more for him, so he stepped outside but there wasn't really a door to walk through. Only about five minutes after he had left the building, it had started to collapse. IX figured the structure couldn't have taken much more damage or maybe it was something else all together. All he knew was that he was standing in a field of bodies, destruction all around him and nothing really to suggest any hope.

[T.G. Oskar]

Bloodied and scarred, XIII had finally managed to exit the complex that had became its prison. The monsters that terrorized the building had seemingly disappeared, barring the one monster he slaughtered with his own hands. The tingling feeling of his body, no longer as agile as it was before the surge of energy that he absorbed, became a signal of just how difficult it was to face it. The nervous system of his own body was painstakingly alert, which made his muscles uneasy. He gave staggering steps, after the great effort he made to leave the installations. He recalled, as if it were so much, how he managed to escape the maze...

--

To his surprise, XIII's solid strike was nothing to the swift hulk facing him. The attack was strong enough to stop the monster from slicing him to ribbons in mid-air, but not enough to prevent a split-second lunge before XIII could recover. Or, at least, if he were a normal human. Almost as fast as the monster could recover and lunge, XIII managed to evade a potentially mortal strike with inhuman reflexes. Somehow, the surge that flowed into his body waived the chemicals in his body, tuning his muscular and neural reflexes to a potential beyond what he could recall. His neural perception was so tuned, undoubtedly because of the sensitivity of his nervous system to the electrical impulses, that he could swear he felt the displacement of air caused by the attack. His method of evasion was unorthodox, as he proved when he fell to the ground because of his inability to claim balance before his action. He stopped his fall with his hands, feeling as how the impact struck his mind almost at the same time. Pain briefly surged from his hands to his mind, and he realized he felt more pain than before.

He was about to muse upon his finding, but his mind went faster than him. Despite the fall, his feet were interlocked with that of the monster's, which gave him a great opportunity to sweep the beast into the metallic ground. With no time to spare, he used every bit of his recovered strength to strike the zombie's legs, giving him enough time to recover his standing. As he stood, he realized the strength of the impact as the ground shook slightly. The monster didn't wasted any time in recovering, ready to unleash another lunge against XIII. But this time, he was ready.

He recalled the best tactic he could use against the monster. He settled to fall back against the ground, using the very inertia of the monster's lunge to push it back. He leaned forward, ready to receive the monster with both hands and enable the move, a favorite of his. However, despite how refined were his reflexes, his tactic possessed one little flaw. He fell into the ground, indeed, but the weight of the monster and the magnified pain caused XIII to be unwittingly pinned to the ground, at the mercy of the monster. He could almost breathe the foul smell of the monster's own breath, a rare moment of calm before his primal urges took hold once again. The zombie mockingly slapped him several times, softening the victim for his fall. XIII had to react, and quickly. Recalling the experience with that scientist, he did what a desperate man would do, hoping it would work. He grabbed the zombie's neck, too large for his hands, and squeezed the monster in a dire attempt to weaken and gain the upper hand.

His tactic, ironically, resulted well for him. Not as well as expected, though: the zombie clawed frantically at the sides of his torso, producing very painful wounds. The pain he felt drove XIII mad, so mad his grasp desperately strengthened. And with that desperate act, he felt how his muscles began to jiggle out of control, as the monster trembled and screamed in writhing pain. The skin around the monster's muscles began to burn, while XIII's hands showed flickers of static electricity flinging around like mad worms floating around. A rallying scream and a bout of effort, and XIII turned the tables, now on top of the monster and strangling him with killer instinct. The urges to murder the monster became unbearable, his mind only focused in ending the life of his would-be murderer. The monster reacted in surprise, as he used his hind legs to send XIII flying in the air, loosening the grasp and raking his stomach only barely. XIII struck the cold, unforgiving ground at mere meters of a set of iron wires, now turned into devastating spikes. He was incredibly lucky to survive.

The zombie was ready to finish this. XIII felt the pain in his entire body, a reaction he was getting accustomed to again. It lunged, ready to open a new hole right into the stomach of his victim. Yet, the primal mind of the beast proved as his downfall; as he leapt into the air to finish his victim with brutal thrust to his heart, XIII received the monster with a surprising grab, now properly using the beast's momentum to fling him further. The beast felt the shocking grasp of his victim, as the hind legs of XIII launched him right into the path of the iron spikes. With an inhuman wail, the beast trembled in pain, as its entire torso was skewered by the wires that once solidified the complex. XIII regained his composture, as he saw the beast shaking, desperate to be released from his torture. With a sadistic glee, XIII ended the monster's pain by placing his hands upon the cold metal, and unleashing a burst of energy from his hands, seeking that the current would reach the zombie and finish him once and for all. Somehow, XIII wasn't worried about thoughts or pain; for a slight moment, he knew and recalled how exactly he used his power, as he saw the beast trembling and wailing until it died out. The wails of the beast shifted in tone and intensity, breaking down until a long and weakened wail marked the end of its existence. The current died out, and XIII snapped out of his trance, only to feel his muscles barely responding again. He could move normally, but the set of inhuman reflexes he possessed flared out. He felt pain in every bit of his body, which caused him to adopt a limping posture. He recalled where he enjoyed the move, and cursed the ones that often did it...

Gah...¡¡lucha libre mis polainas!! Those bastards make it so easy!! I bet Blue Demon never had to face one of these bastardos in one of his movies.

He moved upon what seemed to be the elevators, for one of the doors was open. He saw as the cart from that specific chamber was still at the ground, and the cords remained, a way to escape. He didn't thought to escape so quickly, but the telltale sound of bending metal alerted him to escape. This was no time to pillage the installation any further, this was only time to escape. Finding stairs would prove fatal; even if he could walk them faster, the time it could take him to reach them could prove to be his undoing. He made the tough decision to use the elevator cords to lift himself to the highest floor he could find, and from there, find an exit to the complex. In his mind, climbing the cords was faster.

First, the impulse. He took some steps back, and lunged as fast as he could to reach the cords. In his mind, he recalled the moments when he used fences and stairs to stage escapes. Escapes from what, his mind was fuzzy enough to prevent him from knowing, but they gave him the talents to escape. Then, the long climb upwards. Again, memories of climbing ropes and using his feet as impulse came into his mind. Again, his mind was clouded and couldn't reveal more of what he wanted. With effort, and fighting his pain, he made the arduous journey, seeking to reach the top which wasn't very far away. He heard how the complex wailed, ready to collapse at any minute; he had to move faster. Then he recalled how dangerous could be to fall into despair, and merely built his resolve to keep going, no matter what. He passed his first door, realizing he was only halfway to his freedom.

Finally, he reached the last set of doors. They were slightly beaten up, enough to allow him to push and make an opening without much difficulty. He swung around, until he could reach the door; he used the small bump from one of the doors to remain in the small area. Knowing he had little time, he placed his body at the back of one of the walls, taking enough care not to fall into the abyss below. He pushed with care, finding that the door gave away easily. With a new opening, and still unaware of what was beyond, he opened the other door, giving him enough space to finally get free. As he escaped, he noticed how the ceiling of the elevator began to give way, telling him that he was lucky to have survived. The building was destroyed, except for a small room nearby that seemed to be intact. He decided to ignore it for the moment, as he realized it was more important to move away. How much time he had, he couldn't care; his body was wounded, in pain, and the effort he did to escape had taken a bit of its toll. He moved as fast as he could, following the light at the end of the tunnel...

--

...and just as he finished to recall his daring escape, steps away from the complex, his fears were confirmed. How close he was to stop breathing again, how close he was to be entombed upon that building. Outside, the first bastion of civilization he met was like a graveyard, the still-remaining buildings like gravestones of what the world once was. He recalled the sign he had just passed behind: Texas City. Texas...since when he passed all the way to Texas? Looking at the city, memories of his old past swirled in, like a vortex unleashed upon his mind.

His band...
...the dark alleys...
...the classy style of the pachucos...
...a betrayal...
...a new life...
...a life spent in training...
...meeting the past...
...despair...
...Los Angeles...
...los federales...
...la injección...

"Miguel..."

The voice of a woman snapped his trance, as he looked back, finding no person near him. The bombardment of so much images made no sense. It was like if two lives were lived by him. The name was eerily familiar, for he recalled the meaning. He recalled the name was in honor of the Archangel, to which he recited prayer. He almost instinctively touched his neck, to find it bare. He made a small grasp, as if he was touching an important charm. He recalled, in those unclear memories, how he always held a charm around.

Hanging from the neck of a corpse, he found a small necklace, with what seemed was an image. He grasped the necklace, a simple necklace that was either gold or gold-plated, what he could care. He gave a good look at the image: an angel, holding a sword in one hand and a chain in another, grasping what seemed was a demon, in a conquering pose. He immediately recalled the meaning of that image, what it meant. Knowing that person he just met, or that corpse he just found in his way would not need it anymore, he clasped the charm into his necklace, and placed his right leg on the corpse, as he saw the city.

And in his face, a smile...for somehow, despite the gloom of the unforgiving city, he was aware...that something exciting was about to happen to him.

[loaf]

"Fine we wait 5 minutes!" XVII blurted out. Just as first man to wake up returned into the capsule room. "Who are you!" XVII barked at the man, "Where did you come from!" "I woke up maybe 10 minutes ago, I was going to look for help for that girl who is passed out." he replied to XVII. "I must have not noticed your capsule open when I awoke," XVI said to the man, "Well, to start off, I'm XVI, the other two are XVII and XVIII." "So I take it I'm XIX?" XIX replied back pointing at himself.

"Do you guys have a plan if this girl wakes up or not?" XIX asked to XVI. "I'm still thinking about that part," XVI replied, "You said you came from the hallway? How does that look?" "I saw a blue creature in the hallway earlier but it's gone now," XIX replied. He stood up and examined III, seeing if she was actually dead or truly passed out. "She is passed out for sure, but what caused it." XIX thought to himself. "ALRIGHT!, It's been way past 5 minutes now!" XVII announced to the rest of the group as he stood up. "I don't want to wait any longer!" As the 4 started to walk to the door to make their way to the hallway, XVIII stopped for a second, looked down at himself and said "Hey guys, can we find some clothes first?" The rest of the group looked down at themselves also, "Yeah. I agree. I cant stand these white robes. I look like I'm in an insane asylum." XVII said back.

The group stood in the hallway, XIX explained where he saw the blue creature and proceeded to walk the other way from where he saw it, the rest of the group following along. The group looked into the window of each door they walked passed to see if any clothes were anywhere. Most the doors were either locked, blocked off or jammed, and all the doors unlocked had nothing. After maybe 5 minutes of looking, XVI found a door ajar, looking in first to see if it's safe. Looked like nothing was wrong with the room, chairs moved around and papers scattered around was the only mess. XVI looked around the room for a bit, at first found nothing, as he was about to leave though he saw to what looked like a closet. XVI opened it to find 3 lab coats and three pairs of slacks. "Hey I found some clothes!" The rest of the group walked in the room, "Only problem is, there is only 3," XVI said with a low tone. "These damn coats are all the same. We'll be back to being identical, screw this." XVII said to XVI. XVII rips the coat so it's shortened to about his waist. "Those clothes they had us wearing are uncomfortable." "I'll stay in mine," XIX said softly. XVI stayed in the normal attire as well while XVIII put just the lab coat on. "Shall we get a move on?" XVIII asked willingly.

""Oh yeah? Where to? We woke up with no memories. I suppose you guys know where you are going!?" XVII said out loud. "I say we find an exit first," XVI said, "Maybe if we get out of here we can find a more safer place to rest at least and maybe for shelter." The group wondered the corridors again, this time ignoring most the doors since their main mission now was the find a way out. "We have gone up at least two stories and I'm pretty sure down one floor, we got to be close to some sort of exit or a sign towards an exit," XVIII whined. "I'm just as confused as you are," XIX replied to XVIII. "Why don't we just keep going up the stairs and stop looking in the hallways," XVII suggested. XVI nodded in agreement and headed to the stairs.

The group continued up the stairs for about twenty more minutes when it suddenly stopped and there was a door in the ceiling with a ladder under it. XVII climbed up and opened the hatch and looked out in the world. It was in ruin and XVII had this hopeless look in his eyes. "What... A mess... It's horrible." he said under his breath. XVII stood up and out of the building, as XVIII came up and XVI followed behind with XIX last. The group stood up and gazed out into a new world.

[Hyzenthlay]

XVII was the first out of the facility. His eyes scoured the barren landscape around him. Dropping to his knees he looked back to see the others behind him. All silent, all searching for what he was... Life. None lay anywhere. At least, not as far as they could see. The sky seemed almost dark and XVI felt a malevolence that made his legs tremble. Suddenly he realised what they had done.

"We left her. We just left her there. Does that not worry any of you?" XVI looked around at the other faces. XVII was the one to respond.

"Look. Saviour sixteen." He pointed at the place from which they had escaped. It rumbled as if on a fault line and pieces of the roof fell inwards. "Would you want to be inside that thing now? We clearly saw the signs. Or did you not?"

"XVII. Don't you have anything else to say about it other than stuff about saving your own skin?" Shot XVI angry, stepping forward he bared his teeth as he spoke.

"No. Thats all I have. Me. If I'm not even sure who I am why should I save somebody that I know and care even less about!?" XVII spoke with another helping of malice. He rose to his feet and glared at XVI, facing him.

"You cared about her when you woke up. Whats changed now!?" XVI stopped right next to XVII, looking up they were practically face to face.

"The situation changed. Danger means you get out. I do remember that much!" XVII turned his back on XVI and walked a few meters into the barren dunes.

XIX and XVIII seemed to remain quiet but, when XVI turned to look at XVIII, he was holding his hands in tight balls. His eyes were closed tightly and his body trembled. XIX was watching, bewildered.

"Kid, you alright?" Said XVI, his tone shifting from anger to sympathy.

XVIII didnt speak though his mouth moved as if he were talking extremely fast. XVI placed his hand on XVIII's shoulder and asked again.

"Are you feeling alright, kid?"

By this time XVII had turned to look and was walking slowly over. Before XVII had made it XVIII's body began to glow but not white, not yellow. It glowed with a darkness that reflected the emptiness of his black eyes. XVI removed his hand and took a step back. An orb of this 'black light' was slowly englufing XVIII. His words were finally audible but they were not English.

"Is obscurum... Is obscurum clouds meus lux lucis quod dat poena!"

XVI watched as the orb grew and shrouded the boy from them and still XVIII continued to speak.

"Is poena... Adeo poena... Sedecim servo mihi. Servo mihi tutus!"

As soon as his words stopped the orb or darkness shot outwards. It threw XVI 20 meters away, he landed with a loud crash and lay still. XVII and XIX, on the other hand, only got a small amount of the blast and were only thrown to the floor. As the dust settled XVII looked up to see the boy on his knees. He held his head tightly. His nails were digging into his scalp fiercly. XVII stood up and cautiously approached him. XIX sat up, very still, and watched.

"Eighteen? You feeling alright?" This wasnt the question on XVII's mind but the question on his mind was sensitive right now.

XVIII looked up, his dark eyes examining XVII's face. He nodded slowly and searched with his hands an the dusty ground. He found what he was looking for. Cleaning the lenses of his glasses he placed them back onto his face. He slowly pushed himself up, his arms shaking making it a tricky process. XVIII was breathing very heavily. Nail marks lay in his face and forehead, some of them scratched and bleeding. He took a deep breath and looked at XVII.

"Where is sixteen?" He asked, in reply XVII pointed to his body far off behind them. "I didnt...!?" added XVIII. XVII nodded.

XVIII ran over beside XVI and shook him violently. XVI didnt move. XVIII's eyes filled up as he continued to shake XVI. He punched the ground cutting his hand on a rock. XVI still didnt move. XVII and XIX had now walked over and stood above the body of XVI. XVIII lay his head on the mans chest and cried. His heart pounded, he could hear it. So loud. But it wasnt his heart. The tears stopped and XVIII sat up. He looked at XVI's face as it scrunched up in a sudden realisation of pain.

"No... Not another headache..." whispered XVI. He swallowed loudly as he tried to gather the strength to stand. It felt as if he had been hit by a bus.

"You're alive!" shouted XVIII, "man, you were like... Whoaaaaa... I'm like... Oh my god!"

"Less of the shouting, kid. I cant take it." Spoke XVI quietly, he rubbed his temples softly and raised his torso up to a sitting position.

The landscape flashed black. All around them were capsules. People were getting into them, one at a time. A woman stood in the doorway to the right and smiled over at them. Then, in a flash, she appeared next to the far left capsule and got inside. The capsule fizzed and rippled. A piece of debris was suddenly through its roof and blood was splattered on the side. Another man had walked in, a scientist. XVI knew his face but, before he could speak to him, the scene changed to that of a desolate forest. XVII stood up.

"Okay, this is too weird for me." He span around looking around the forest. Deer ran past, the tree's blossomed and withered to a golden autumn. Birds sang happily overhead.

XVI stood to look as well but the scene faded. Blowing away as if on a breeze it gradually faded and before them was the same old barren wasteland.

"I'd love to know what is going on. Is any of this sh*t real, or not!? Who was the broad and why were we back in that damn room?" XVII looked directly at XVI when he asked these questions.

"Why do you always expect me to know?" Said XVI wobbling a little as he stood.

"Could be related to your headache, sixteen. This sort of thing always happens when you have a headache." Suggested XVIII pushing his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose.

"You're trying to tell me I can change what we see? What we hear? Not likely, kid." XVI laughed slightly as he spoke. "People cant do that!"

"People cant throw people 20 meters without touching them, either. Guess what, though, it happened." XVII argued.

"So... What? We have powers, now? I suppose in a while we'll turn out to be superheroes. This is rediculous, how. How could we be? Whats your power scars... Knowing how to really piss people off!?" Spat XVI. He wasnt angry as such. Just confused and that scared him.

"Hey, look. I say what I see. What I've seen is some crazy ass sh*t that can't happen without a reasonable explanation. Maybe we were down in that room being tested on? Huh? Maybe we are experiments? What if..." XVII replied, no anger in his voice, though. He seemed to relish the idea.

"Nineteen hasnt showed his power. Neither have you. For all we know. This could be a game. What if this is some kind of VR universe?" Intejected XVI.

"VR with pain?" Said XVIII unsurely. "I dont think that level of technology exists, sixteen. We arnt in Ghost in the Shell, you know."

"Ghost in the... What are you on about, kid? This is crazy, are you honestly believing this?" He turned to XIX, who shrugged in reply.

"Fine. Show me yours, seventeen. Maybe then I'll believe..." He looked at XVII with a smirk.

XVIII walked between them and held up his index finger pointing it towards the ground. On the tip formed a small ball of 'dark light'. Warily XVI stepped away. XVIII aimed it at the rock he had cut his hand on and, in a flash, the orb flew from XVIII's finger and shattered the rock into dust. Another orb formed on his other hand and XVIII aimed it away from them all, off to the left. Again the orb flew and landed with a loud crash. Dust sprayed up all around where it had landed around 200 meters away. XVI stood open mouthed.

"How did you...!?" He said looking at XVIII.

"My head told me how to do it. I can't explain. It's like... I want to use it. So I did." XVIII looked just as shocked as the other 3.

"We need answers... Now." Said XVII quietly. He was still looking in the direction of the sandstorm created by the 'dark light'. "There have to be more like us... Like three... We need to find them."

XVI nodded and set off back towards the building from which they had escaped. He decided that if they were to be found anywhere, the buildings proximity was a good place to start.

[Fehrant]

The map in her head had become very neat again, everything was properly outlined and it slowly stretched the radius. Looking at everything at the same time was like not being oneself; it was like playing a videogame and watching the character move through a level trying to reach the exit. Yet, there was no controller.

The building's metal framework kept wailing with every step. She spotted cracks in several places of the floors, ceiling, and walls. With no time to lose, her steady paced sped up to a trot. She didn't run out of breath, and it made her realize her body was in perfect physical condition. Her arms weren't muscular at all, but her body was solid. She didn't have overwhelming strength, but she was precise. She did, however, felt rather naked fighting with her bare hands. A weapon would probably change this but she wasn't sure exactly which weapon she was familiar with.

A few turns, and she would be out. That's when she spotted the wounded professor Horowitz, making his way through a hallway not far away, apparently heading for the exit as well. She stopped, and pondered for a moment. The building appeared to be about to collapse, and while she didn't knew exactly who she was, she didn't care to save the Horowitz, that was certain. But she had several questions that would remained unanswered for the moment if the professor died. Decisive, Number V turned away, and run towards the professor.

It didn't take long to reach him. Horowitz was panting and had blood splattered all over his white scientist coat. He used the wall for support, and moved very slowly. "Who... who's goes there?" He asked nervously. Number V stood in front of him, but didn't say anything. "Oh, it's you, V. Help me out, will you? I'm hurt."

V stood still. "And why would I?"

The professor glanced warily. "The building is about to collapse... we got to... we gotta get out of here!" He explained desperately.

"Exactly," confirmed V. "That's why I would like you to answer some questions first, or we'll play dodge-stone and I assure you, I have a higher chances to win, doctor."

Horowitz went to his knees as if defeated. His face was a mix of discomfort, pain, and hesitation. "I... " He searched for the words, but they didn't come out. The entire room made a sound as if heralding the inevitable. The professor turned his head frantically.

"No time for hesitation, doc. What happened to my memories?" She asked.

Horowitz grimaced. "They were blocked. We have someone who uses that power. He's able to block memories selectively. The mental barrier gradually lifts off. If you try to force it, it will hurt, might even make you bleed. Now, can we please go?"

"Why was my memory blocked? What is this place?" And who am I? Who the hell am I? She had too many questions at the moment and she made a conscious effort not to let all of them come out.

Horowitz was clearly worried about the collapse, he looked desperate but made an effort to comply with V's demands. "I... it's complicated. This facility however is... a research institute of sorts for The Founder. He's the one who discovered the first one of your kind. We've been... researching the nature of your powers, and... ah, I know!" He rummaged through one of the pockets of his white lab coat. He took out a disc in a case. "Here, take this. It will shed some light into many of your questions until your memory completely returns. It will be... hard to find a powered, working computer, however." He glanced at the ceiling nervously. "Can we please go?"

"Yes, I'm taking you with me," explained V. "I don't care about your survival, but I want to know more."

A loud sound, louder than before, finally announced the beginning of the gradual collapse. The floor cracked opened, and turned into a slope. V held her ground, but Horowitz rolled backwards nonstop and fell deeper into the darkness. Not wasting any time, she turned and climbed the slope, while debris fell down. For a normal person, it would have been impossible to survive in this situation.

..but she wasn't normal.

Watching the falling debris from above and below, the floor at the same time, and the path ahead, it made it a sound possibility to escape alive. It was like a platform game, but you only get one life. For some, this might have nerve-wreaking enough to stop certain limbs from moving, but she moved and jumped as graceful as a cat. Her ability might not be flashy, but she certainly exploited it and reaped its benefits. 'Daredevil' was a word that would've fitted perfectly in this context; she was a superb individual, and her ability only outlined this very fact.

Jumping from the falling slope, she landed on unstable ground. V bolted immediately even though the floor fell apart into pieces like a dismembered chess board. She zig-zagged her way heading for the visible exit that couldn't be reached by making a straight line through the deadly rain of metal, concrete, and more debris. The door was visible, but somehow the outside light kept being shut out. The exit doors that had been opened started to cave in with the rest of the wall. The floor finally collapsed entirely, and she timed a flying kick to blast the broken door open, land on it, and with the momentum slide her way to freedom, passing a couple of other Numbers who quickly vanished in the cloud of dust of the final collapse.

She jumped off the sliding door before it crashed against the fence. She stood still for a moment, appreciating the "Texas City" sign, and ignoring the rest of the survivors whom she could clearly distinguish despite the temporal dust cloud.

The asian guy who had called her Cassandra wasn't among them. Nor was the familiar face she had seen in her power outburst. With her view she could see the first floor had entirely collapsed in itself, so there was no chances for survivors on that floor. If there had been anyone below, they would remain trapped, if they hadn't died already. But somehow she knew the asian guy had survived.

There were several corpses littering the facility. All of them dead. She started searching for footwear that would fit, and she found some boots from someone who apparently had been some sort of security personnel. She also took a .45 she found, but still felt something missing. She could clearly use a firearm, but she wanted something for melee as well. None of what she saw interested her. Finally, she ripped a piece of someone's tattered clothes and tied her long, black hair in a ponytail.

Still wearing the facility attire, she headed towards the city, in hopes she would find something, or at least slowly remember who she was.

[Doc Rocco]

((OOC: The actions of Toph's and Rika's characters were approved by them, so you don't need to bite my head off for godmodding or whatever.))

XV gazed at the vast expanse of wasteland. A mass of inhospitable nothing dominated the landscape, a stretch of dull brown. The sun beat down upon him, high in the sky. He wasn’t quite sure which environment was more hostile. These new lifeless surrounds, or the battleground within the facility. As Fifteen pondered these thoughts, he did not notice the short, fair skinned woman behind him until she breathed

“Aide-moi quelqu'un.”

Fifteen turned abruptly to be confronted with the woman, coughing blood and collapsing. He rushed to her side, and turned her body over. The woman’s chest rose slowly and regularly, indicating she was still breathing. For now.

“Gah, what do I do?” he muttered, “Hey! Greenie! This chick’s collapsed! Gimme a hand.”

XIV turned, looking confused, but as she spotted the woman lying on the ground, covered in what appeared to be blood, a look of realisation dawned on her face. She strode over to the patient in a few quick strides and bent down to take a closer look.

“What seems to be the problem?”she asked, her voice serious.

“Well, obviously she’s fainted or fallen unconscious.” snapped the young man, “And she’s coughing up blood. We can’t just leave her here, she must have been a patient or something here as well. She’s one of us.”

“Feisty one, aren’t you?” grinned XIV mischievously.

“Not helping!”

“Lay her down and give her some space. She needs to breath.” biting her lip, trying to hide her joy at seeing blood.

Gently, Fifteen lay down the girl as if she were made of paper thin glass. The last thing she needed now was to have head injuries added to her list of problems. He stepped up and took a step back, and focused his intent gaze on her face. XII, as he discovered, looked to be in a state of calm, despite her frazzled exterior. Her brown hair was messed, clothes torn and various smaller injuries. Fifteen’s fractured leg sprang to mind, and with it came an idea.

“I can heal myself.” he murmured.

“Is that so…?” XIV’s face took on a intrigued look, as thoughts raced through her mind.

“Maybe that means I can heal others as well…”

XV bent down beside Twelve, and placed his right hand on her forehead.

“Heal her injuries, and wake her up.” he willed her body to do so.

Th effect, while not as overt as it was with his leg, were still noticeable. Slowly, the cut and bruises healed themselves, just as XV had willed them too. XIV looked on, amazed by the display. Soon after, XII began to stir.

“Where… Who are you?” she asked quietly.

“I’m Fifteen. I can’t remember my name.”, he laughed, and indicated to his left, “Greenie over here is Fourteen. Don’t worry - I’ve healed you. Just rest or something, until we figure out what to do next. You look halfway dead.”

The girl smiled, and slowly closed her eyes. Soon, her breathing became regular, and once again calm settled upon her.

Fifteen looked at the horizon, and noticed something rising out of it. Intrigued, he ran to his left, so as to get a view unimpeded by the facility. A mass of buildings dotted the skyline, all clustered together.

“A city!” he exclaimed happily, “That means food. And clothing. This trash is so fashion missing.”

Excitedly, he made his way to the others, ready to share the news.

“Everyone, listen up! There’s a city over there! I reckon we make our way over there. There’s no point staying out here, or we’ll die. Eaten by insane rabbits.” He giggled at his feeble joke, “So. Who’s coming with me?”

[Fehrant]

While the rest of the party made an attempt to stick together, either willing or by mere coincidence, Number V walked intent towards the city, alone. It felt natural to her, and she didn't feel the need to relate to these other people, who shared the same situation as her. She wasn't sure what had made her this way, but there was a certain bitterness to it, something yet out of the reach of her trapped memory.

She had learned that if she tried to dig into the sealed parts of her brain, it hurt her head. "It might even bleed," Horowitz had said, so she decided for now it would be better to let it all come back alone.

And still, there was the CD Horowitz had given her before he died. She had no pockets in her patient's attire, so she carried it in one hand, while the other held the .45. She knew watching the contens of the CD would probably hurt, but she wanted to find out. She was getting tired of not knowing who she was, but most of all, she was tired of feeling anxious about things she couldn't tell. Something was slowly eating her away, deep in her mind, and she didn't know what it was.

Each step took her closer to the city which, aside from the flying creatures, appeared to be desolated. A feeling crept on her, ever since she had read the sign. Texas City. Somehow it had a familiar ring to it. When her mind started to outline the entrance of the city on this side, she froze, standing motionless at it. An acute headache got a hold of her, and suddenly... she wasn't there.

The sky was blue. The ground had an orange tint, bright green in some parts, dark green in others. The roads were of the same dull gray most of the buildings. She was only looking at the front, only as far as her field of view could go. She could not see her entire body, only parts, and only when she glanced down. She knew she had powers, and she could use them, but they somehow were turned off, shut down.

In front of her four people stood. All of them were glancing at city. She recognized the asian guy from among them, even though she was facing everyone's back. They all were dressed in formal suits, even her. They looked like...

"A funeral," started the guy in the farthest right, "might be a befitting concept, but do we really need to wear these lame clothes? We did many things without them."

"And we'll do many more with them," said the guy next to him without taking his eyes off the city. He sounded resolute, and had a hint of authority in his voice.

"Oh, come on. Kobayashi, say something! I know you hate these clothes too."

So, the asian's guy name is Kobayashi.

"Suit suck," Kobayashi said in broken english. "ねえ、カサンドラ?"

He's talking to me. He referred me as "Cassandra". That must be my name.

"さあ···"

That's me saying something like, "who knows".

The guy complaining about the suit shook his head, and turned. His face was blurry. Number V couldn't make out his facial features. "You two should get married or something," he jested, "and have a whole chinese wedding and everyone should dress up like chopsticks."

"It's japanese, you retard."

Me again. So it is japanese. Why do I know japanese? Why do I...

The setting in her mind changed again. She was younger. A woman was facing her, she recognized her. "I'm so proud of you, Cassandra. You have come all this way with your japanese studies. I'm so proud. I didn't care much for japanese and grandpa was very mad about it. But every time you two talk in japanese he's so happy."

Cassandra felt warm. Mama.

Before the memory could resume, the setting changed back again to those four people she was facing, all wearing suits like a funeral.

"Suit stays," declared the man with the commanding tone of voice. "It serves as an identity for the group and to give off a certain message. We have talked this several times." He turned to face Cassandra, but his face was blurry in her mind. "Right now we need your other set of eyes."

Slowly, she closed her eyes. The world outlined again like a construction map, much like the one she saw ever since she got out of that capsule in the facility. See everything in a certain radius at the same time. That's when she saw it. The face, the familiar face she had seen before. In an instant, the face was next to her, like a nightmare. The face stared at her, and then cried, then smiled, then frowned... it changed facial expressions over and over. She wanted it to stop. Not only the headache was getting more intense, but it all felt like a bad dream. The face melted. The world of color returned, but she was watching a different setting. A hand was placed on her face, covering her eyes. Pain. Intense pain. Muffled screams. Hate. Sadness. That was the moment when she had lost a part of herself---she had lost her regular eyes.

As fast as the daydream had come, it went away. She was back to the colorless world, but her nose was bleeding, and she was having convulsions; the lid in her mind had been opened for far too long, and she was now facing the consequences. Her body was nonresponsive. The gun and the disc in her hands fell to the ground. The face came back to her mind. That face. It made her sad. It made her long for it. The perfectly marked surroundings in the eye of her mind started to vanish. Gradually, she was engulfed in total darkness. Her body didn't stop shaking. Her mind slipped, and she passed out. She hit the ground.

------------

Few moments prior...

Atop a ruined tall building, two men stood. The two were wearing similar clothing: a pair of worn, dirty pants, boots, a leather sleeveless jacket, and some accesories in the neck and wrists. One of them was bald, and the other had a mohawk.

"Do you see anything?" The bald one asked.

The mohawk raider held a pair of goggles. "Yeah, people are coming out of the facility, boss. I'm surprised they survived after we saw that huge beam soar high up and get lost in the sky. Hell, and I thought Satan's Wife was scary..."

"You idiot!" Called the bald leader. "Don't mention her name! We already have enough to deal with thanks to her little pets she left here. Especially that huge mother****er."

"Sorry, boss, but you know she isn't in this city anymore."

"I don't care!" Complained the leader exasperated.

The bald one made a pause, then cleared his throat. "What you wanna do with those freaks that came out the freak facility? They don't look like they have anything valulable with them. Maybe we could shoot 'em out from here with snipers."

The leader smirked. "Why would you do that? Let them handle the Wife's pets. They can kill each other for all I care. Plus, they might get some of the arrogant freaks who walk like they own the damn place."

"I'll let everyone know," said the mohawk underling. He took off deeper into the building.

[Hyzenthlay]

"Crash and..." XVIII fired a dark orb into a pieve of rubble and watched as it disintergrated, "Burrrrrnnnnnnn!" he smiled and blew the end of his finger as if it were smoking.

"I cant even tell you how cool this is." He said as he looked forward at XVI and XVII.

"Good. Save it." Said XVII angrilly, "you're little trick is boring me now."

XVI was at teh head of the group, XIX at the back. He was rounding a corner of the roof which stuck up like a huge rock from the ground. Instead of ground a crater lay next to it, XVI peered down it as he walked past. Below teh facility was completely in ruins. If the others didnt make it out, they wern't getting out. Then, he heard a noise. A desperate voice in foreign tongue,

“Aide-moi quelqu'un.”

He stopped dead and held up his hand, flat with all fingers pointing upwards. The other behind him stopped. XVII slowly and carefully came to his side.

"What's up?" He asked in a whisper.

"I heard a voice, it sounded in pain. Agony." Replied XVI.

"What did it say?" Said XVII, surprised. He tilted his head to the side as if he were able to see around the corner.

"I don't know. It wasn't english."

"Do you want to take the risk of walking into a person in agony? What if the person that had caused the pain is there?" Said XVII wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

"What if it's one of 'us'. A survivor, maybe?" Replied XVI without looking at XVII.

"We arnt taking the risk. You can, we arnt." Said XVII, knowing what was on XVI's mind.

"Fine. As much as I'd love to find others, I agree." XVI forced himself to say this. He wanted to find others above all else.

XVI turned back and started to walk the other way. XVII watched XVI walk back, raising his eyebrow but followed anyway. XVI headed towards a city nearby, wrecked, ruined and deserted. He supposed that there must be shelter, food and water there at least. Then, maybe, some new clothes. He could hear XVII using his power behind him, blowing up rocks and bits of debris as they strolled past. This may prove to be a good thing if they ran into trouble. His aim would be perfect. Then XVI's headache returned but, this time, he felt the images coming. He almost knew how to stop it, but he couldnt. An image flashe before them all and they stood still, XVI was on his knees. A basement. On it's walls hung pictures of people holding musical instruments. The floor was covered with an persian rug. A sofa lay against the back wall, a guitar lay down on it. Then, XVI was visible, emerging and decending down stairs to the left. HIs hair was long and dreadlocked. He wore jeans and a blue t-shirt. A cigarette was in his mouth. The image faded. Reality sprung in. NOt just the reality of the world around him, but, he was the one causing the images. THat reality was the worst of all. It made him feel strange rather than good. He didnt feel the excitement XVIII did. He felt scared, like he wanted to hide down in that basement and keep safe. As if the world and it's creator was aginst him. He rocovered and stood taking a deep breath.

"Nice do, dude. I love the dreads!" Jested XVIII.

"Shut up, kid." Barked XVII. "Can you not see him!? You okay sixteen?"

He was about to ask what XVII meant when he realised he was sweating heavily. His nose bled a little, too. He wiped his brow and nose on the sleeve of his shirt and continued walking. Ignoring XVII. They were now on the edge of the city, they faced a wide street with tall buildings on either side. XVI stopped and looked around for a second. He felt that odd sense of malevolence again. His heart pounded yet he stepped forward and continued to walk. XVIII was gasping in amazement somewhere behind, blasting walls and rubble; smiling to himself as tehy went. He heard XVII shout but ignore it. Then he shouted again and XVI heard what he had said.

"Sixteen. Stop!! Look up."

XVI did so and before him was a pack of the strangest dogs you had ever seen. The bared their teeth at him and growled un-naturally. Shocked XVI started to walk back. As he did so the dogs began to dash forward as one. The nearest tok a lunge at XVI but was hit with a hard black orb to the skull. XVI heard it shatter and turned to sprint. XVIII held up his hands in the shapes of pistols and charged the orbs. He fired one after the other, some connected and left the beasts yealping, some missed and simply landed in the street with a loud bang. XVI was now beside XVII who readied himself for the hounds, he held his arms out and spread his legs. XVI put a finger to his temple and tried furiously to create an image that may be able to help. More yelps, more cracks, more bangs. Nothing. No image came to their rescue. Still the dogs outnumbered them 7 dogs to 4 men. One was now upon XVII, it pushed forward snapping at his throat. With a crack XVII broke its neck and tossed it to the side. Another dark orb flew past XVI's head crashing into the pavement sending bits of grey into the air. A dog jumped through a cloud of dust striking XVI and pushing him to the floor. XVI crossed his arms and pushed its head upwards with all his strength. He heard XVII call him, he sounded worried. Then XVII was at his side. He dragged the canine from him and threw it to the side to be shot but XVIII. XVI rose to his knees and rubbed bits of dust from his eyes. He heard the last dog yelp and opened his eyes. He rose to his feet and looked around through hazy eyes. XVII was on his knees beside him. Directly behind XVIII was smiling, blowing on his index fingers and pretending to insert them into holsters. XIX was behind him, looking directly ahead and beside him... XVII stood. XVI rubbed his eyes again. The second XVII ran at the one beside him and walked into him, dissapearing. Maybe XVI's gift had worked, afterall?

"Right. That was... So weird. Why did I create two XVII's?" Asked XVI.

"Create? Baby, that was allllll seventeen. Go seventeen, it'sssss your birthday." Said XVIII with a laugh.

XVI looked down at XVII beside him. He shook and was looking at his hands. He looked up at XVI without saying a word and then back at his hands.

"I don't... How... I don't know what just happened. I feel weak. Nothing hit me but I can feel scratches on my back." XVII sounded scared. He sounded the same way XVI had felt when he had the realisation just a while ago.

"Don't think about it right now. We have to get indoors, before more come."

XVI helped XVII to his feet and looked to the right side of the street at a building. It had a door. That was good enough right now. He headed towards it, stepping over a dog body on his way. The others followed close behind. XVIII was the one on the rear this time, holding his hands up and close to his sides. XVi grabbed the door handle and turned it slowly. It wouldnt budge. Seemed liek something heavy was blocking it from the other side. He rammed it with his full weight and it opened a tiny bit. He peered inside and looked around making sure it was safe. Once he was sure he shifter his weght onto the door and pushed. It was heavy but it opened enough so that the could all get inside. XVIII walked to the middle of the room and look around with dissaproval. XVII pushed the door closed behind them and the wardrobe that blocked it off back into place. Heading to look upstairs XVI saw a man slumped against the wall opposite, on the landing. His arms were limp at his sides and his head hung downwards onto his chest. He was covered in blood. No scratch marks were on his body but he had strange marks on his skin. As if from an acidic burn. So deep was the burn in some places that you could see the bone. This was the case on his knuckles. He was wearing a set of white clother teh same as theirs. He was from the facility, maybe? XIX had awoken before them. This person must have, too. XVI pressed his finger to his neck gently. No pulse. The man was dead. He then heard a moan from the side. There was a door to another room. Shaking he stood, now paying careful attention to his footfalls. He heard XVII talking to XVIII downstairs and prayed whoever was in the room wouldnt hear it. He places his hand gently on the handle and turned it. The door flew open and a woman lay there. She held he chest tightly and was dragging air in so heavily she sounded like a vacuum. He noticed the same burns on her and the same lab wear. Her ribbes were exposed through a deep burn on her chest. She looked at him and blinked.

"Is 'Thor' okay?" she asked weakly. "Did he find you? I knew he'd find help. I knew he'd save us."

XVII felt a lump in his throat. This 'Thor' was obviously the man in the hall.

"He, erm. He'll be fine, lady. Don't you worry. What's your number... Erm... Name?" He asked looking at her and trying to look positive.

"My name is 'Spark'. Can I see Thor!? I want to see him." She said. Her words were taking more effort, XVI could see it. She wouldnt survive much longer.

"He's resting. Don't worry. He's resting, he's peaceful." He said swallowing hard. "What happened to you both?" He asked averting his eyes.

"They... They found us, again. Thor couldnt stop them. His lighthening wasnt enough, not nearly enough. 'Minerva' was too quick. I tried to help him, I shone and burned my brightest. I tried to blind her. She can't aim if she cant see... 'Spear' got in the way. He, then... Then... 'Hector' he threw Spear through a wall. He died, I know he did. I ran to him but she got me. She burned me. I fell down. Thor got angry... He... She got him. Oh, no. She found us. We hid but, she found us. Then she left us to die. She, she found us..."

The woman looked terrified. Eventually the woman smiled gently at XVI and lay out a hand to touch his as he knelt at her side.

"You'll make sure he's safe, wont you?" Again she smiled.

XVII mustered a smile back and watched as her strength gave way and she fell silent looking up at him. He had to shield his eyes as her body turned to flame. It burned so bright that it made her impossible to see her. He heard her breath leave her and the bright light dimmed to a dull glow. Then, it faded. He sighed and looked at her. He wished they had got here earlier. She could have been saved.

[Victoria]

“Is that so…?” I raised a brow as a spark of intrigue washed over my face.

As thoughts of taking up his earlier request for a bodyguard flashed through me, the added bonus of him being a healer caused my inner demon to swell with bliss. I could use him very thoroughly if the opportunity presented itself.

The battered young girl woke up from her stupor and brought my attention back to the real world.

“Where...Who are you?” she asked. Fifteen responded first, as he was her healer. My turn was next.

“I'm Fourtee--” I began to say as a flash of blue whisked into my brain and caused my knees to collapse.

Darkness came over me and surrounded my vision. I was alone in a vast amount of nothing.

“...Where am I? How did I get here?”

The darkness had another flash of frost blue as pain pierced through my head. My eyes winced as a window appeared in the darkness. I...I feel like I've seen this before..


A toddler played around in her bedroom with a small puppy. This toddler had the same color hair as me... Who was this girl? Suddenly, as I peered through the window, the puppy must have sensed my presence and let out a flurry of barks. The girl tilted her head at the white German Shepard puppy.

She peered out through her window and caught my eyes. She walked up to the window and tilted her head at me. She opened the latch and slid the window open.

“Hmm...Shiranai hito hakken. (A strange person was discovered.)”

These strange words somehow felt familiar to me, yet my brain couldn't process them. I tilted my head in response. Another flash of pain zipped through my mind.

I leaned on the windowsill and flicked her forehead. I smiled. “Unubore kozou mitsukeru ni aru! (A cocky brat was found!)”

Yappari... Ore wa Nippon... (Just as I thought...I'm Japanese..) I thought to myself as I covered my mouth as I spoke these foreign words. She rubbed her forehead and puffed her cheeks at me as the white puppy growled at me.

“What's your name, nee-san?” she asked me. I shook my head and let out a sigh.

“I don't remember... what's yours?”

“Rokudo Minami.” she said easily. She pulled me through the window and into her bedroom. A flood of pain washed through me as my eyes took in everything in this scenery. I've seen it all before. And my common sense told me that she was me when I was little. Why didn't I notice it sooner? At least now I remember my native language.. I had no idea one could even forget their native tongue.

So my name is Minami.... how cute. I thought to myself as I attempted to smile through all the pain.

Suddenly the little girl took on a more serious tone. “There is still more stuff for you to remember, nee-san. Someone else wants you to remember... zenbu. Everything.”

“This person is near you right now, and his synchronization with you caused the wall to crack.”

The little girl grew ten years older, into a well built teenager with a nice figure. The white puppy also swirled into darkness and was replaced by a silhouette of a larger canine with a unique hair design. Its eyes were a soft red color, yet gave off much intensity.

It sat down and released a loud howl. The scene changed to a winterly tundra. The wind raced through the air, causing a mild blizzard. There stood the teenage me and the canine silhouette, in a face off.

The two of them lunged at each other in a direct clash. The canine turned around in mid-clash and dug into her back with his claws. However, in that brief exchange, she gave him a blow to his stomach with her foot. The wind grew fierce and clouded my vision. In that instance, he pounced at her and had his jaw around her neck. She had her hand around his neck and what looked to be her other hand attempting to reach for his tail. The struggle hadn't gone her way, as she swayed his weight from side to side and clashed his body against the mountain wall. With one last spurt, she turned their positions so that she was on top of him.

Again, my brain went through another sharp turn of pain, and the gust of wind grew fierce once more and released its tension. Through the slowing of the wind, the silhouette was no more. The wolf's fur blended with the dark blue atmosphere of the winter and the sheer size gave me a weird thought that it had a Great Dane's blood in it, but I knew that wasn't the case.

Then a realization flashed through me as I looked at my back and recalled the scars that were present when I first inspected my body when I woke up.

The fight between the teenage me and the large wolf continued for several moments, until the wolf howled in acceptance. Perhaps this fight was some sort of test for me... but what was it a test for?

I hadn't noticed, but my nose had dripped blood. It continued this action as my head continued to feel pain as more and more realization came into me. The scars were clear now, and so was this frost wolf..

..Omoidase... Ore...(Remember... I...)

“I.. remember...” I told myself as the scene flashed a dark blue and swirled into a spiral as I heard a huge vacuum sound. I started to feel the darkness shake as the memories turned into a blue light and flooded into my head. Blood flushed through my nose as the real world appeared once again from where I left off.

I collapsed into Fifteen's arms and lost most of my consciousness. Before my vision faded to black, I heard the same howl I heard before.

“Lee...Ul..Furu...(Liulfr)....tasukete...(Help...) ”


“Hey, are you all right, Fourteen? You were about to introduce yourself to her and you blacked out. Who's Liufr?” Fifteen asked after he healed my injured head that had been resting on his shoulder. Then he remembered. “Well, forget that for now. Looks like a beast is headed this way.”

I blushed and left his arms. “That's...no beast.” I said as I straightened myself up. I took in a deep breath and put in my index finger and thumb into my mouth and let out a high pitched whistle. The howl revealed itself again and off in the horizon was a silhouette of a creature that headed this way.

He barked as he came closer into my vision. His eyes took in fifteen's form and leapt into the air to pounce on him. I lifted my hand and shook my head.

“It's all right, Liufr, he's an ally...they all are.” I motioned to the others that were still within the area.

He snorted with distrust, but respected my decision. Upon his back was a white pack that had been dirtied. He shifted his weight and grabbed the pack and handed it to me.

“...For me?” I took the pack and opened it up, as it felt heavy. It had various fruits and a change of clothes that seemed to actually be mine. I took off my fake glasses and tossed them away. I took off the high heels and stashed them in the pack.

I took off my lab coat and pants and slipped on my black hakama that had a design of snowflakes on it and a martial arts gi shirt that was also black and had kanji in the back of it that stood for 'blood'. The shoes were a lot more comfortable. They were simple wooden sandals. I felt more comfortable in my own attire and pulled out an apple and took a bite out of it. I tossed an apple each to Fifteen and Twelve. I was so happy to have my memories back that I walked back to Fifteen and motioned Liufr to follow, so that he can be introduced to the party.

I smiled to the two of them. I patted Fifteen on the shoulder and helped Twelve to stand up.

“I'm not Fourteen anymore, I'm afraid.” I said with a huge grin on my face. I wrapped my arms around the two of them and brought them in for a group hug.

“Rokudo. Minami Rokudo. Remember it.” I pinched their cheeks and squatted down to the floor.

“This frosty phenom is no beast by any means. He's my most treasured partner in crime. His name may be a bit hard to pronounce and spell, but I like it. Liufr, say hello to my newest tomodachi.”

Liufr ran his nose through their feet and memorized their scents. He looked up at Twelve and let out a soft growl and huffed. He sat back down after he paced around them. I turned my head to the side and giggled softly.

“Liufr doesn't like the hospital gown, Twelve.” I smirked as I ran my fingers through my hair. I turned around and laid my eyes onto the city in the horizon that Fifteen had spotted earlier.

“So, shall we start heading toward the city, minna (Everyone)? Liufr and I for one are going with Fifteen. I don't know about everyone else.”

I had a light bulb realization again and eyed Twelve. I walked up to her and smiled. “Would you like to come with us, my fair maiden?” I mocked.

[loaf]

"Hey guys, it's getting dark!" XIX yelled from across the building. "Should we keep shelter in this building for the night? We should be safe right? XIX continued as he walked towards XVI and XVII in the other room. "What are you crazy? What if that lady finds us too! XVI replied. "I'm sure they were being chased, we aren't, I'm sure nobody knows we are here," XIX said. "Yea, and plus we don't know what could be out there at night," XVIII said aloud. The group settled in the building and prepare to sleep through the night hoping nothing finds them.

As XIX sat down to sleep he started to feel lightheaded. "I must be exhausted from escaping that facility," XIX thought to himself. Then all of a sudden, he dropped to the ground, one eye pure white, the other...pure black.

The sun light in front of XIX as he walks forward and the outside starts to get into clear vision. He had just left to what looks like a hospital, with a woman, a man and a young teen with a smirk smile on his face. "He almost looks like me," XIX thought. His vision goes black for a second, then a flash of white. He now was laying on a bed.

Oh my god Dean look! Their bodies, they're glowing! The boys mother screamed. Another flash, now seated on a chair in a kitchen with his father on the phone.

"Doctor Sperski, we need to see you as soon as possible..., Dean whispers into the telephone and mutters something, "I think the original problem just became a brand new one." XIX looks over and sees that boy again, this time he had a mean look on his face.

In Doctor Sperski's office with Dean and his wife discussing the situation. "Well you see, when we tried to extract the power out of both your son's body, we think that we didn't actually extract it the way we planned," Dr. S explained. "We can't explain at what happened." Dr. S added. "Right now, the boys look healthy, we believe nothing bad happened but we are still unsure at what happened." The two boys sat by themselves on a bench outside the office. One boy had the eyes of a madman and a gray glow in his skin, the other had eyes of a brilliant strategist with a light green glow in his skin.

Next, the two boys are strapped down onto large trays in an operation room. Although it doesn't look like a normal operation room like surgery. There are weird looking machines hooked up to the trays the boys are laying in. Just as the Doctor looked over XIX, his vision went dark and he stood there, in an open field of emptiness. "Am I dreaming still? XIX thought to himself.

[Doc Rocco]

“Hey, are you all right, Fourteen? You were about to introduce yourself to her and you blacked out. Who's Liufr?” Fifteen asked after XIV, as he healed her injured head, “Well, forget that for now. Looks like a beast is headed this way.”

“That's...no beast.”

The snow white beast turned out to be the Liufr Fourteen had spoke of. Only, she wasn’t Fourteen anymore. She was Minami. Her little fainting episode seemed to have restored her memory, or parts of it at least.

“Maybe that means I’ll get mine back soon…” thought XV.

“Well, it’s good to hear I’ll have some company on my little trek to the city. As much fun as I am, a walk of that distance is boredom inducing.” he grinned at Minami, “Shall we get going? We don’t want to be out in the desert too long. Who knows what’s waiting out here.”

Minami nodded, and picked up the pack Liufr had brought her. Fifteen began the long walk to the city, hoping that it held some answers as to where they were, who he was and why he was in a facility in the middle of the desert.

Fifteen minutes into the journey, a distant rumble came from behind, prompting XV to turn and see the entire facility collapsing. In ten seconds flat, the entire building had become a pile of rubble.

“I was in there. I could have been killed.” he murmered, “Lucky I managed to follow you, eh, Minami?”

He grinned at her, and she gave him a dazzling smile. Thinking this as good an opportunity as any, he asked the question that had been sitting at the back of his mind.

“Minami. These things you remembered, how did it happen?”

“You had healed Twelve, and suddenly there this flash of blue, and then pain. Then I was watching myself, as if it were a film. And from them, I learnt things I had forgotten. Why do you ask?”

“Well, the short of it is I want to remember stuff about myself, and I was wondering if you did anything special to trigger it.” Fifteen replied frankly, “Obviously something has been done to us, to make us forget ourselves. I’m willing to bet that they made us ‘patients’ forget important things about us. You couldn’t remember your name, and I can’t either. All I remember is a guy - Matt - and a girl telling me I had a cruel look about me. You triggered that.”

He nodded approvingly at her.

“Which leads me to think they’ve messed with our brains. I can tell my body what to do, so if it’s my brain that’s been messed with, I could make it remember. But that’s just it. It’s my brain. If it gets messed up, there’s no going back. I’ll be a goner. So I’ve got this internal conflict - wait and play it safe, or get something back and possibly end up braindead.”

Fifteen took a deep breath, and looked at Minami, asking her what she thought.
“I think,” she said slowly, “you should go for it. You healed my brain, and though I don’t remember much, it’s a relief to know even a little about myself. And if you go braindead, I’ll take care of you. Promise.”

She placed her hand on her heart, and raised the other as if taking an oath. Fifteen nodded, closed his eyes and concentrated.

“Memories back. Memories back. Fix my brain.” he thought over and over.

A flash shot through Fifteen’s mind, and pain followed. Blackness engulfed his mind’s eye, and suddenly he felt as if he were floating in nothingness. Voices called through the void, ones that XV recognised, but could not name. One word repeated itself over and over. Lorcán, Lorcán, Lorcán.

“Is that me?” he thought, “Yeah… It is. I’m Lorcán.”

The blackness dissolved, and was replaced by the scene he had witnessed before when he first saw Minami. He was there with a girl. She was slim, about 3 inches shorter than he was, with long brown hair, and kind face. Ileana.

“Do you think I’m good looking? Do you think my features are too harsh?” he asked her.

Once again she said those words.

“It’s a cruel beauty. You’re lovely to look upon, but it’s like... Scary at the same time, you know?”

A stab of pain, but not the physical kind. Sadness overwhelmed him as he remembered that all his life, people had marvelled at his beauty, yet been scared by his features. Ileana continued.

“Your cold grey eyes that have this intense shine, and they’re gorgeous. But they have this way of instilling fear. The harsh jaw, your smile, your bone structure… It’s all beautiful, but it’s all… scary.” she managed to sob, on the verge of tears.

“So you’re the same as everyone else.” he said quietly. As calm and cool as his voice was, he felt as if his heart had been stabbed a thousand times. Even Ileana, the girl he loved, was scared of his face.

“I’m sorry, Lorcán. I am. I’ve grown used to you, I really have. It’s not shocking anymore. Believe me when I say I love you. Do you believe me? Lorcán? Answer me.”

He remained silent. As he turned, the scene melted, and suddenly Lorcán was standing in the middle of a large hall. He was standing close to a boy. They were arguing.

“Stay away from Ileana, okay? She’s not your girlfriend, and I won’t have you trying to get it on with her!” Lorcán blasted at the male.

“I can’t help it if she wants me, mate. I’m just that irresistible.” laughed the boy.

Already, Lorcán hated him. He could tell he was a narcissistic fool, and lacking in brain cells. He half hoped he would punch him.

“Oh shut up, you deluded narcissist.” (“Ha!” thought Lorcán, “I know myself.”), “If she wanted you, she’d have chosen you over me. But she didn’t. So get lost.”

“It’s not my fault she’s scared of you.” his face took an an evil look as the past Lorcán’s took on one of sadness mingled with horror, “Yeah, that’s right. Your face scares her. She wants someone normal, mate. Not a freakshow like you.”

His past self was livid now. He pushed past the moron, and made out the door, slamming it shut as he left. This time, flames engulfed the scene, and he and Ileana were arguing. Everything was bathed in an ominous red light, causing Lorcán to feel that this was not going to be a happy memory.

“You confide in that loser, rather than me? Your boyfriend? Because I scare you?” he shouted at the girl.

“Lorcán, I... I… He listened to me and… Well… With you… The face kind of stops me going into detail.” Ileana turned away.

“If you’re so scared of me, why go out with me?”

“I was afraid you’d be mad if I broke up with you.”

“Whatever gave you that idea?” asked Lorcán, aghast.

“...Blake.” she sobbed, “he said you always looked mad and abused your last girlfriend and did horrible things to people who annoyed you and …”

“The face.” he snapped tersely, “And you believed him about those things he said about me? Him over me? You must have spent enough time with me to know that’s untrue. Ileana, you know that’s not true. Blake talks shit, you know that.”

“I…” she didn’t finish her sentence. Suddenly, the black returned, and Lorcán was back in the desert with Minami. His face felt hot, and he released there were tears covering his face. Minami rushed over, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Well?” she asked.

“I’m Lorcán.” he managed to spit out, “And my face is terrifying.”

[Lady Rika]

Everything was happening so fast and it was shocking, Twelve couldn’t believe that someone had been near enough to rescue her. Most would run for the hills to save their own skin but these two were different. She felt as if she could trust them.
Twelve looked at them with longing eyes, ‘Not alone…im not alone anymore.’ She smiled at the tall women, admiring her strangely colored hair and attractive face.
Twelve felt like a little child the way she beamed up at both Fifteen and the woman named Minami, like a lost girl who had finally found her way home.

“Please…I would like to go with you, I will be no burden.” She assured them with a tilt of her head but she continued to eye the delicious red apple that was thrown her way.
Her fingers gripped the apple tighter as she decided to either devour the apple now or wait till later. Though the hunger gnawed at her tender belly Twelve forced herself to get past it and continue with the two strangers.

Minami reached her slender arm out and stroked the girl’s cheek, “Don’t worry so much.” And with that both her and Fifteen turned towards the city determined to get there quickly. Twelve walked behind them quietly but watched the mysterious creature Minami had called Liufr, what if the growl hadn’t been because of the blood that coated both her clothes and lower face. What if the beast knew something, more than the scientists in the labs or her own mind though it was clouded that mattered not, this mysterious thing inside her continued to grow. ‘What could it be? With its claws and rows of dagger like teeth…’ It seemed ancient, wild with anger and strength.

They walked in silence for quite a while, the hunger in her belly continued to roar throughout her body. It hurt, a pain she’d never felt before; she bit the apple viciously taking in huge chunks. The delicious juice filled her mouth as she chewed but the amazing red skin and sweet insides didn’t last long. Soon she held nothing but a lone core in her tiny palm, its sweet juices still clung to her pale flesh.

She licked at her palm, sucking on one of her fingers before feeling stupid and releasing it. Twelve calmed herself keeping her hunger under control, oddly though it didn’t want to go away. That starved hunger. ‘It doesn’t matter I’ll get some food soon.’

Minami turned around to stare at the girl and smiled more with her eyes then her already nice smile. “You alright?” She asked politely when Fifteen went silent.

Twelve opened her mouth to say something but lurched instead, she felt like she was going to throw up. A loud weird sound croaked out of her throat, a mixture of the loud bellowing animal cry and strange vomiting sound. Her eyes rolled back, Twelve felt her body shaking but her footing was sure and strong.

“Come on Inconnu, lets play with my new dolls.” The little bubbly blonde girl pulled out a small doll with flaming red hair. The smile on her face didn’t seem as fake as most but it was still frozen in time.
“I don’t like dolls.” The small girl with feathery hair replied back as she dumped out a bag filled with dinosaur toys. The pile was large, most were pretty Parasaurolophus. The girl ran her fingers across the large crest its plastic skin felt like rough scales as real as dinosaur skin could get while being made of material. She lined up the toys and smiled, ignoring the blonde girl. “Come on sissy lets play!” She whined, “How about we play with both?” She persuaded making a face willing to compromise.
“Okay.” The girl said with a sigh picking up her third favorite, the feared Raptor, “Rawr.” She whispered playfully as she leaped at the doll. “Hee hee.”
The blonde sighed and shook her head, “You’re so mean!”
“I’m Lorcán.” he managed to spit out, “And my face is terrifying.”

“Huh…” Twelve pressed her hand to her forehead, a splitting headache began to crack her skull open but it disappeared as soon as her clouded eyes cleared.

“Lorcán?” She uttered quietly but just enough for both to hear her and look back. Twelve took a few steps closer and reached her hand out to his face. She stopped herself though fearing she might make him uncomfortable but she felt like she needed to do so. Her hand trembled close but finally she pulled away, “Im not scared.” She admitted honestly feeling a blush cross her face, ‘I must sound so stupid to both of them.’ She felt like a child amongst giants as they looked down at her.

“I think my names Inconnu…” She added though still hoping to get a response from him from what she said earlier. “So you can call me that now.”

[Acheron]

The three men in black suits surrounded him, there was no chance of escape. The fourth man had already claimed his prize, the ravishing redhead who had been with him for awhile. Another man was dead on the floor, four bullet wounds to his chest. He was not too far from where the blood was running off from the body, soon enough the stream would reach him. But he could not move, at least not enough to get away from all of them. The three who had encircled him weren't the ones he focused his anger on, it was the one holding the girl. He knew that these three were just cronies, probably entry-level agents who were on first assignment. The young man placed his palms on the ground, in order to push himself off of the cold pavement, but he felt the baton crash against his back, forcing him back down.

"You really are a pain in the ass for a 15 year old....", the words came from the man holding the girl.

IX opened his eyes, which showed him what used to be the facility that he had just come out of not too long ago. Once again, like when he was riding the elevator, he wasn't sure about how much time passed him during his "vision". One thing that was for certain, he was almost convinced that the young man in his visions was him; everything about it felt all too familiar for him. He examined the rubble from what used to be the building he had been in. Nothing really stood out as uncommon, just a tangled mix of steel and other construction materials. When he turned around from the facility, he was once again on his own. A little disheartening, but apparently traveling with the others just was not in the cards for him. IX did not let it bother him too much though, and started walking away from what used to be the facility.

The three had finally broken the circle they made around the boy, instead they went over to the girl that their boss had been holding onto. The boss got on one knee and kept looking down at the young man, who had so much fight in him not too long ago. He had been severely outmatched though, even though he was able to give one of the Agents a black-eye, there was little else that he was able to do. The head Agent picked up the boy’s head by the hair, looking him straight in the eye.

“You gave off a pretty good fight for a kid, but I told you once already, you aren’t going to stand in our way”, he let off a smirk as he finished speaking to the young man.

The teenager spit a misty blast of blood into the Agent’s face, “I’m going to find you and I’m going to do whatever it takes…”

Agent Overbrook wiped the blood off with his free hand and then looked back to the boy, “Oh I don’t doubt it. But you’re too young to understand apparently…I’ll give you the chance to get her back eventually, she’s not even what we want, but sometimes….the picture isn’t clear enough without all the pieces….”

Another blackout, but this time, IX was not left in the same place he had remembered. He was standing on the side of a street, somewhere in the city that had been right next to the former facility. Over to his right was a young woman, passed out on the ground, with a handgun and what looked like a disk, next to her. Part of him thought about leaving her but the other part, figured that maybe she had been in the same place he had. IX walked over to the fallen girl and took a knee, hoping that maybe she wasn't too far passed out.

"Hey, you okay? Or at least....alive?"

[Fehrant]

"Hey, you okay? Or at least....alive?"

Her senses returned, but the picture of her surroundings was unclear. A voice had woken her up. She was laying the ground, not sure what had just happened. Cassandra felt the blood dry on her face.

A man was kneeling next to her, but the eye of her mind had not adjusted so she couldn't make out any details. She didn't know who he was, but judging from the fact she was still alive, she surmised it was another "number"; a capsule buddy who had his memory blocked.

Each returning memory had caused her to collapse. She would've preferred to be more careful about it, but the process was rather involuntary: it triggered on its own, and it shut down on its own as well.

Cassandra started to feel her limbs, so she slowly sat up with a grunt. She wiped the blood off her face with her arm, and remained sat. She knew IX was bothering to help her, but somehow she shut him out in a similar fashion to how she had done with the rest of the party. While she still didn't understand the bitterness yet, it felt natural to her, like her instincts telling her not to trust him, or anyone else, and rely on herself.

"No need to worry. Side effect of having our memories blocked and them trying to forcefully come out." She explained while only facing him sideways.

She picked up the gun, the diskette, and got up. She didn't bother to clean the dust off from her clothes, and she still had her own blood smeared over her cheek.

The eye was adjusting. The young man's features became clear. He had short hair, a scar on the side of his neck, and was wearing the same attire as her. She pondered for a moment about questioning him to see if any useful information about this whole situation would come up, but she felt rather reluctant to open up, and also guessed he was as lost as she was. Cassandra recognized she was far from her full potential at the moment, and the memory surges left her completely vulnerable to attack thus realizing that perhaps it would be a good idea to tag along with him rather than move about on her own. But she couldn't bring herself to do it.

------

While Number V and Number IX were talking near the entrance of the city, a pack of hellhounds roaming the outskirts of the city became aware of their presence. They all simultaneously targeted the seemingly unsuspecting party, and charged.

The two raiders from before were paying close attention. "The hounds spotted them. If they can't even handle a couple of dogs, they won't survive here longer," commented a raider that was holding a pair of goggles.

The term "hellhound" suited these dogs very well. They were all black, except for their nails, eyes and spikes jutting from their spine, that were of an unnatural bright orange. Their teeth were far more pointed than a regular dog's, even though they sounded like one.

Cassandra charged the oncoming hounds, leaped and landed on one's head, and then leaped again, past the lot of them. She ran deeper into the city, while some of them trailed behind her.

[T.G. Oskar]

I'll do it. Broken, tattered city...hell, Los Angeles was almost like this, only more lively. Yeah, gonna make this my turf. Though...should I return to my old life? ¿Que voy a hacer? Maras may not exist. I...I gotta hide my tattoos...I don't wanna scare people with the tattoos of the Salvatrucha...

The thoughts in his mind made him stop. He was leaning towards the city, looming and threatening in the horizon, seemingly unconquered aside from the birds at the distance. Or, what looked like birds: they were too big to be birds, nor they looked exactly like one. But the thought that someone could recognize his old marks of age made him stop. What if one of the people he would find, or that he found, knew of his ties with the band? What if that person was a cop? He was alone, defenseless aside from that stingy powers he seemed to have.

Since when did he had them? Well, he knew that since he woke up, he felt the feeling. That made him mentally flinch a bit, but he decided not to ponder upon it now. The tattoos were more important.

And, sighing of relief, there were none. Strangely enough, there were none: only a few small discolored dots. It was strange for him, considering what he recalled of his old band: the most feared band in Central America, known for their terrible acts of vandalism and execution. And all band-members were littered with large and elaborate tattoos as a sign of their membership. Large, something these discolored spots weren't. Elaborate? Perhaps, but the spots weren't as elaborate. Why, then, he had memories of belonging to a gang so terrible like that, if the marks of his membership were taken away...perhaps even before awakening? Perhaps...this was a result of his imprisonment.

Now, he could think of it. Since when did he had powers? Was it a result of his imprisonment, or did he had them beforehand? Why electricity, a power so tied to the city, something...so urban? Uneasiness filled him, as if he, somehow, feared this power. Something that transcended even his amnesia. And he was using it very liberally, considering that he needed to use it. Somehow, it tied to his physical condition; each time he used his powers, he felt sluggier, but when he absorbed that energy, he became faster, agile, more responsive.

His mental musings were stopped by the sound of dogs. It seems something aside from him was nearby. Up close, he saw two people, one of them apparently dressed in the same clothes as he did. They began to run away, trying to outrun the dogs. Somehow, he knew that wasn't the best way to handle the dogs. He had to do something; if the dogs got to them, they could easily finish them. These, as he saw closely, weren't normal dogs: sickening orange spines and protuberances emerged from their bodies, and so did their nails. Even their eyes were orange. For what they looked, they could easily out-run any of them, and considering the menace of the zombies, these new monsters could be equally as devastating. So he did the only thing, the only sensible thing he could do. And that...was face them.

From his mouth, he shouted something eerie and distracting. It didn't sound as a senseless muttering, but something akin to a war cry. In his desperation to gather the attention of the hounds to himself, he shouted in eerily melodical intonations, as if he was muttering something on foreign words, foreign even to himself. He began to rhythmically stomp the ground, his fists clenched and moving almost at unison, before stopping abruptly. He leaned, his right fist slightly behind his left one, his arms resting upon the knees. The hounds were goaded by the tantrum, halting their advance and lunging upon the newcomer. He awaited them, his hands briefly leaving his knees and inviting them to lunge upon him. Sparks of energy flowed from his body, as snakes moving and warding him from danger.

Finally, the closest of the hounds leapt upon him, bent on leaving him without appendages. XIII, now recognizing himself as Miguel, expected the move, and grabbed the beast by the head, in a way the spikes were being splattered by his shoulders. The beast howled in pain by the surge of energy, and its sound deafened as its head was driven straight to the ground, after the effort of lifting the body. The body of the hound trembled and its mouth frothed foamy saliva. He was now on the ground, the impact of the barren soil taking its toll once again on Miguel's body. He expected the hounds to follow him, and perhaps anyone nearby to help him. He wouldn't give up, indeed, but he would prevent anyone else from being harmed.

Or he would be, were it not because of another blackout...

[Hyzenthlay]

(OOC: Forgive any spelling mistakes. I'm on Notebook. Also, Lowlf, if you plan to carry on from this my characters are running as you write. I dont want a page of them discussing running. They ran as soon as this post finished. Thats the way I intend it to go. We have PM'd about this.)

XVI sat shaking uncontrolably. He felt so sick he could barely find the strength to stand. XVIII stood, coolly by a collapsed window beside him. The window had a small 'V' section from which you could see the street outside.

"So, we arnt getting any closer to knowing what is going on? The only survivors we have found are dead..." XVI looked at the floor.

XVII sat against the cupboard blocking the door. He was thinking about what XVI had told them moments before. 3 people were in the girls story, only two were confirmed dead. Maybe they could find the last one in the morning? XVIII, still looking out of the window, turned to the others. He felt tiredness kicking in, though, he would never openly admit it. He walked over to XVI and sat beside him. XIX, who was standing across the room from them called out,

"Hey guys, it's getting dark!"

XVI was mumbling under his breath, seeing Thor and Spark dead had hit him hard. Though his words were inaudible he was clearly thinking out loud about it.

"Should we keep shelter in this building for the night? We should be safe right?" XIX said again.

XVI felt himself tremble. He thought about Thor on the strairs and blurted out without thinking clearly,

"What are you crazy? What if the lady finds us too!?" He said, his voice trembling. His thoughts were jumbled. Part of him wanted to find the killers, part of him feared what might happen if they ever were to run into them.

"I'm sure they were being chased, we aren't, I'm sure nobody knows we are here," replied XIX. XVI couldnt help but feel that XIX's view may be different had he seen Spark die for himself.

"Yea, and plus we dont know what could be out there at night," XVIII spoke directly to XVI. He was more interested in sleeping, if he told the truth.

XVIII then turned to XVI and whispered to him, "Concentrate on your power. Maybe we could..."

He was stopped by XVI who stood up straight and pointed to XIX. Who was now lying flat on the floor. He jerked slightly and his eye's changed colour.

"Look. It's happening to him too!" XVI whispered, "You know what this means, XVIII!"

XVIII nodded. An idea had sprung into his head as soon as he looked at XIX.

"Our memories are trying to come back. It's not voluntary. Our minds are fighting to recover the blanks!" XVIII theorized.

XVI nodded. He walked over to XIX, his mind finally torn from the thought of Spark. Pulling him up hea leant him against a wall nearby. Then, without a word, he marched back up the stairs.

"So. You think it's a good idea to stay here, do you?" Spoke XVII with a laugh, "I thought you were hardcore, kid. I thought you liked all this danger!?"

XVIII glared at XVII and frowned then walked back over beside the window. XVII laughed and leant his head against the cabinet, closing his eyes and smirking.

XVI's trip upstairs was for one reason, to learn how to control his power. He stepped over Thor, ignoring him to keep his mind clear and walked along the hall to the room on the end. A bed sat against the wall in the corner. Walking over he sat on it and immediatly pressed his finger to his temple, 'show me the lab' he thought. 'I want to see the lab!'. Nothing happened, the same room stood before him. Dust covered and moth eaten. He punched the matress angrilly stirring dust up into a cloud around him.

He slumped backwards onto the matress and rubbed at his forehead.He needed to find the reason his power worked. The catalyst that allowed it to manifest itself. What was the reason it happened? He sat up once more and, again, placed his index and second finger to his temple. 'the lab!', 'what happened at the lab?'. Again, nothing. He felt frustration boil inside him. He punched the matress again, this time clipping the side of his hand on the wooden bedframe. Pain shot up through his arm and he placed his hand to his mouth, closing his eyes. When he opened them a collapsed room lay before him. The pods him and his comrades had stirred in just hours before lay crushed below a pile of debris. He could see the arm of III jutting out from below a piece of rubble. Then, the room fell and before him stood the same, derelict bedroom covered in dirt.

The account disturbed him, but, he also had an idea. He had realised what connected the events that had triggered his ability. The body of III, the headaches and the pain in his hand. All the pain and the shock had dissapeared. It was like he needed to escape from reality, so he changed it. He just needed to imagine something. He stood up, straightened his arms at his side and thought of the dogs outside. He thought of what may have happened if they had hurt one of the others. The room span his eyes adjusted to a brightly lit basement. He saw himself decend the steps on the opposite wall. The same dreadlocks, the same attire. Blue jeans and a blue t-shirt.

"Don't start, Bridge. I don't want to go there. I'm not leaving!" The other him said, his tone an angry one.

Another voice followed, a womans voice. Her words were so beautiful to his ears that he almost didnt pay attention to what she had said.

"I still think we should get out of here. Minarin can't protect us forever!" the girl spoke. Then she imerged down the stairs and XVI recognised her. It was the girl he had seen getting into the crushed pod.

"Bridgette. She isnt protecting us. We're here because it isnt safe, yes, but I'm not here for protection. I'm here because they can't reach me here!" Said XVI with a growl.

"Benji. Who's to say they wont come here? I have an ability, Minarin has an ability. Are you so blind that you can't see they may want us, too!?" Bridgette replied, her peaceful tone turning to a frightened one, "I'm scared. I know they are your friends but I don't feel safe!"

Another girl emerged from up the stairs. She walked down towards Bridgette who was now stood halfway up with XVI at the bottom. The other girl wrapped her arms around Bridgettes waist and licked her neck.

"Oh, sureeeee. I'd love to use you, my dear. How did you know!?" The other girls spoke with slight amusement whilst kissing Bridgettes cheek gently, "you know I wouldn't let anything happen to my friends." The girl smiled sweetly and released Bridgette.

"Minarin, don't do that. It makes her feel unconfortable." said Benji, coolly. "Also, her paranoia isnt unfounded. I think it's more me than you. I've been known to give away where we are. I'm too... Careless." Said XVI, who was apparently named Benji. He placed his hand to his head and rubbed hard.

"Just, shut up. It's not like that." Cried Bridgette, "It's not just me I want to keep safe! It's you, too!"

"Bridgette. I don't know if you heard but I... We, can look after ourselves!" Bridgette walked down the stairs to wrap her arms around Benji. She placed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

The second girl, Minarin stepped down towards them. She placed her hand on Bridgettes head and arched her arm, taking the hand from Bridgettes head and feeling her bicep.

"Don't worry, I'm really strong. I'll make sure you're safe. And besides..." She touched Bridgettes back to reassure her and Liufr nuzzled at her neck "how can we lose with him and I at your side?"

The room faded and bubbled to re-form to the old, dusty room in their safehouse. XVI now sat on the torn matress with a name, a nosebleed and blood oosing slowly from his ear. He fell from conciousness.

"Dude. Dude, wake up. We have to go... Now. We have to leave. There's somebody in the street!" It was XVIII who had stirred him. Benji felt exhausted but pulled himself to his feet, anyway.

He followed XVIII downstairs to find XVII waiting for him. XIX still lay cold against the wall.

"What's the problem?" Benji looked directly at XVII and then down at XIX.

"We need to get out. We saw a woman pass a few minutes ago and it freaked out the kid!" XVII looked less than scared. His shoulders were up and he looked like he were ready to fight.

"Well. We're best off not risking anything, not now." Replied XVI looking away from XVII. He didnt want to tell any of them about his vision just yet, or his name.

XVII gritted his teeth but acknowleged what XVI had said, anyway. He looked at him dead in the eye and prepared a question.

"What do you suggest we do?" He asked, still through gritted teeth.

XVI, Benji, looked at him and didnt speak for a second. After thinking he replied with one word, the two dead people in mind.

"Run!"

[Fehrant]

The hounds had stopped chasing her. She could see someone from her group had drawn their attention, and even handled one of them. She couldn't see the numbers imprinted on the cloth of his fabric as her world had only two colors: green and black, like a computer terminal. She didn't know him, and she intended to leave him to die as it were. After handling the first attack, he looked defenseless. Innocent, and defenseless.

Innocent and defenseless. The words triggered a weird feeling inside of her.

She turned without hesitation and faced Miguel and the hellhounds, ready to provide assistance. Even if she ran towards the hellhounds, she was going to make it in time. She raised the gun, and shot one of the dogs. Surprisingly, even though she didn't take the aim, the bullet went cleanly through their torso. Her ability certainly aided the aiming greatly, but it also felt like she handled a gun before. It wasn't foreign to her. The sound of the shot, the empty shell flying, the brusque recoil... no, she had done this before countless times.

No time to think. One more hound close to Miguel.

She fired again, but the bullet only cut the ear off of the bobbing head of the creature. It complained, but it did not relent. Whereas a normal dog would've fled, this one simply sidetracked and took a defensive position. Cassandra sprinted towards the beast, and it took the challenge. They both headed towards each other as it they wanted to bump into each other. It was only when they were about three steps from each other that the hellhound leaped, jaws wide open. Cassandra span her body sideways, held the gun by the barrel, and pommeled the side of the hound's face with the grip. The creature went to the ground, but it seemed almost unaffected by the blow. She resented the lack of a proper melee weapon, and realized that was probably why she felt unarmed; she had probably used one of fight before.

Just as the creature was back on its four legs, a bullet went through her head. With her ability, she could see through the barrel there was no more bullets, though for now the threats had been handled. She tucked the CD under her arm, and used her free hand to help Miguel off his feet. Or rather, to get him off his feet by grabbing him by the collar of the lab attire.

"If you pull that shit on me again, I swear you'll end up as dog food," she warned.

Innocent and defenseless. Why did those words trigger something in her? What did they mean?

----

"What do you see, Goggles?" Asked a bearded man.

A young girl, no more than thirteen, was looking at a wall somewhere underground with intent. "They handled a pack of hellhounds very well. Or rather, a girl there. She had her eyes closed the whole time. Didn't show any powers, though..."

"Maybe those are her powers," added a man leaning nonchalant against the opposite wall of that room.

"I agree," acknowledged the first one. "Keep them watched, Goggles. If this lot came from the facility, they will show their powers eventually. I'm sure we could recruit a couple, even, clean this city of sadistic raiders and these hell spawns from that damn witch."

"You mean bitch," quipped the man behind the two.

"Both."

[Acheron]

They had decided to let him live. No matter how they looked at it, he wasn't what they had come for. While maybe none of them would have said it out loud, killing a teenager was still a little too low for all of them. Overbrook had gotten what he wanted though, despite the young man's best efforts to change things. Deep down inside, the young man begged for one of them to end his life. It would have been simple enough, they would only have to pull out one of their guns, place it on his forehead and simply put it all away. Yet he knew why they were keeping him alive and it wasn't just because none of them had the stomach to off it. Mostly, it was because they knew living with the loss would be far worse than a quick death.

While other kids his age were enjoying a nice summer vacation from high school, he was dealing with the FBI. He was going to bide his time, do what he had to. Finish school, go to college, do whatever he could within the realm they had built him. No matter how long it took, he was going to get "Her" back....

The hounds didn't phase him, not at all. IX instead decided to take a different approach to the situation, in lieu of what was going on around him. He had just met up with V, a woman in the same shady situation as himself. Along with her, another number had shown up, meaning they had some numbers to fight the hounds if that's how they were going to go. He was itching for another opportunity to show his powers off, to see how far he was able to push himself. Yet once he saw the hounds and the reactions of his fellow lab mates, IX had a better idea.

Miguel, or at least that's what he thought the new guy was calling himself, seemed pretty intent on drawing the attention of the hounds. IX was not going to step in his way. As much as he wanted to fight himself, IX was also very interested in seeing what the others could do for themselves. He didn't know exactly what was going on between all of them. While they had all come from the same lab, there could be far more to these people than just simple numbers and complicated powers.

V handled the hounds rather easily though, which made IX raise an eyebrow during the fight. While she worked on that and Miguel was on the ground, IX had been leaning up against a streetlight, the only one that still stood on the street. He noticed that she used the gun to defeat the hounds, whatever her power was, it apparently was not in the form of something used to attack. Miguel was watching her work against the hounds as well, yet IX didn't know whether he was analyzing the situation like he was.

Once the fight was over and V had helped Miguel up, IX moved away from the streetlight. He started clapping once he was close enough to the two of them.

"Well, that was certainly interesting enough. Something tells me though, that those puppies will be the least of our worries."

[Hyzenthlay]

(Again, no spellcheck because I'm on notebook. Sorry!)

The three sprinted through street after steet. Alley after alley. Never looking back, trying to tear the image of XIX out of their minds. Building half ruined and collapsed swam by in rythm. Jumping rubble, dodging boulders and sprinting all at the same time made it difficult to keep pace. But, they had been running flat out and their calves began to complain. XVIII's legs ached and shook uncontrollably on the little breaks they did take. XVI, being the most physically fit, was at the front and hardly seemed tired at all. XVII was second and XVIII brought up the rear. They rounded one last alley where they intended to take a break. They stopped and, almost immediatly, XVI heard a voice.

"Come out, come out wherever you are. Come on little Speary, we don't want to hurt you!" The voice was spookily high pitched and it's words were followed by taunting laughter.

Benji froze on the spot. He looked back, knowing the voice had come from behind them in the street they had just come from. XVI turned back and stopped the others. As soon as XVII saw XVI he grinned,

"Finally." He smirked and stood with his arms crossed, "something inside you stir, at last?"

"The voice... The voice said 'Speary'. What if it's... We have to fight. It's no use running forever, they are obviously far more used to the city than ourselves. They would catch us eventually." Benji turned back to XVII ready to prepare his case.

XVII nodded slightly before replying,

"You don't have to convince me, hero boy. I'm in."

XVIII also nodded, stepping forward. They were cold, tired and aching all over. It was time to act and if their time to act coincided with freeing somebody. More fool them if they were to pass it up. Benji looked at the floor and thought it through. He had to make sure he wasn't being stupid just to save somebody he didnt even know. 'This may be our last chance to find any survivors at all' he thought. He straightened up and walked back towards the street. He felt his heart pound hard against his ribcage. A fight was coming and he knew it was going to be tougher than a pack of dogs.
Out in the wide street stood 3 people, walking side by side. They had their backs turned away from XVI and the others. At the front of the 3 was a woman with long silvery hair and a black trench coat. A tall, skinny man beside her spoke, his voice in that high pitched tone Benji had heard before.

"Awwww, Speary. Don't be like this. We just want to talk!"

These words hit the street and a man ran from the rubble beside the other 3. In his hands were bright silver blades, he lunged at the man who had spoke. Obviously intending to impale him on the blades. Before he could reach the man, however, he was thrown away by an unseen force. This force dislodged rubble sending it forward in a ripple. Like a shockwave from an atom bomb. The same high pitched laugher rang out. Spear hit a wall to the side of the other group and fell down landing in a sitting postition. He looked up, exhausted with blood flowing from his mouth. He glanced at the man he had tried to attack and then his head slumped.
Benji jumped out, furious. The street swam like a wave. It every surface bubbling and spitting. The other 3 turned and spotted him almost straight away. XVII and XVIII were stood to his right, XVII clenched his fists while XVIII prepared a dark orb.

"Leave him alone!" Yelled Benji, gritting his teeth.

The man started laughing again but was silenced when the woman put up her hand.

"An admirable statement. Tell me. What makes you think you can tell me what to do in my own city?" She said, he tone was sweet and forgiving. Yet XVI felt that she was more dangerous than she would let on.

"Look, lady. How about you shut your mouth and walk away? This is our city now." Laughed XVII, "or do you want to find out what we can do!?" He crossed his arms and smirked coolly.

"Ahhh, adepts? How lovely. We can rid ourselves of 4 in one go..." The sweet tone of the woman never faltered. "You gave yourselves so willingly. Usually we have a chase before we manage to kill our prey. Know this, adept, we have killed many like us. We will take this city. We are not likely to lose it to you..."

"Bad choice of words, feaky lady person!" Shouted XVIII, not knowing what he was going to say until it flew from his mouth. Now that he thought about it, his words hadn't made much sense.

"Lets find out what they can do, boys." Yelled the woman. The two men at her sides ran forward.

XVI, XVII and XVIII spread out along the street each preparing himself for the enslaught. XVII was teh first to run forward, running directly at the man who hadnt spoken yet. This man was small, fat and balding. He didnt seem much of a threat compared to XVII's immense size. Then his arms flew outwards, wrpapping around XVII like rope. They tightened around his ribcage almost asphixiating him. Then another XVII walked out from inside the first, this XVII grinned at the stretching man and ran at him.

XVIII's target was the man with a high pitched voice. Skinny with long hair but still taller than XVIII. XVIII took aim with a dark orb and fired directly at the mans head. It bounced off as if it were rubber on concrete. Then he threw another orb. This one impacted with some sort of forcefield around the man and, again, bounced off. XVIII stood, shocked. He readied two more orbs and combined them in front of him into one big orb. He fired it towards the mans body. It impacted but only half its power went in due to the forcefield. It threw him just a few meters away where he landed with a soft thud. He rose to his feet in no time. XVIII readied another 'super-orb'. The other man smiled evilly and threw out his hands, a rippling shockwave flew at XVIII from down the street. It tore up asphalt and threw bit of concrete in it's path. XVIII turned to run but was thrown into a lamp-post which sent him spinning. He hit the floor with a crash and lay still. His face was grazed and blood trickled from his mouth.

XVI's target, the sweetly toned lady stood facing him. Her eyes on his, she wore a kindly smile showing a set of perfect teeth. Her blonde hair was set in a side parting and she had beautiful blue eyes.

"It will be ever so interesting to see what your power is. I'll enjoy watching it leave you as you die. My name is Minerva. Tell me, though. Who are you? You seem familier." Said the woman.

Benji smirked at the cheesy line which came first to his mind. True, though it was.

"I'm quite literally your worst nightmare."

The woman raised her eyebrows and smiled. Then her smile faded as the street began to melt, its pavements crackling and slowly falling inwards. The other fighters faded away in a sea of flames and screams. Then, all that was left was a thin slit of street that held Minerva and Benji. Minerva looked over the side and saw a river of lava below. She then looked back at Benji, no smile on her face.

"How did you...? You can't possibly have the power to do this!" Her voice had begun to show signs of panic, XVI found that he enjoyed it.

He lifted his head to look at her and spoke, though his lips never moved.

"I have the power to do anything I want to this world." His words echoed down the streets and through the buildings.

The image of Benji then flickered and looked up, walking towards Minerva. She opened her arms wide and grinned. A spray of acid flew from her body and scortched the ground around XVI, leaving himself untouched. The smile once again fell from the womans face as XVI shook off teh attacka nd continued to walk. Minerva dropped to her knees and looked up at him, shaking.

"What the hell are you!?" She whined, her once sweet voice now shock and terror.

"Lets see. What do you fear?" Asked XVI with a smirk. His voice wa snow monotone and pitiless. He rubbed his chin sarcasticly and then looked back at her, "a beautiful woman like you. What if your skin were to melt? What if I melted the looks from you body?"

As the words left his mouth Minervas skin began to peel. She looked at her hands as the flesh beneith became visible. Soon enough teh bone was visible below that. Tears flooded her face and she looked up at him.

"Why can't I feel this!?" She asked frantically, rolling up her sleeves to see the skin there melting too.

"I don't want you to. I want you to be awake to see your death. You won't die like Spark did. In pain." Benji was still grinning, looking down at her as if she were an insect and he a god.

"I, Spark got in my way. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didnt know she meant anything to you." She looked at her hands as the flesh was completely stripped from them.

Her body fell limp and she lay on the ground shaking. Her hands blood and bone. She didnt even look up at XVI anymore. She just looked, unblinking ahead. Staring through the objects that lay there.

"I... I didn't know... I didn't... Know..." She murmered over and over.

"Fear is a powerful thing!" Laughed Benji as the scene turned back to that of the street.

Minerva didnt even move as the rubble fell back into place. She just stared forward in a terrified stupor. Benji, who reappeared in his original spot, walked over to her and stroked her hair. He then looked around and saw 5 XVII's stood around the body of the stretching man. They kicked him on the ground, his lifeless body as unblinking as Minerva. Then he searched for XVIII, he was out cold on the pavement some 50 feet away. His head bled severely and he wasnt moving. The shockwaves man, however, was lay next to him. On his front, with two huge gashes across his torso. Standing over him was the heaving, bloodied form of Spear. His arms had turned to sharp, meter long blades. Blood tarnished their shine. He was looking down at Hector with such hatred. The battle, it seemed, was won. XVI rose to his feet and walked the distance to XVIII.
The boy wasnt moving. Benji felt his heart drop. He places his hand to XVIII's neck and pressed lightly to get a pulse. Nothing. He felt sadness well inside him. The sky turned black and thunder lit the scene. He turned the boys form over and looked at his face. A smile still evident on it. Blood trickled lightly from his mouth. Benji pulled him into his chest and hugged tightly. He heard Spear slump against a wall beside them but payed no attention. XVII joined him and knelt low. XVI looked at XVII through hazy eyes and looked back down at the boy.

"This is my fault... I never should have brought us back!" Said Benji. His eyes clouded with tears.

"Look. He wanted to come. It was his choice, too. He'd hate you for thinking he was weak enough to need you to tell him what to do!" Replied XVII getting to his feet.

XVI hung his head and fell silent, still holding XVIII. The clouds parted and a clear sky was visible. XVII walked over to the shaking body of Minerva and spat on her. He knelt low beside her and whispered close to her ear.

"This is our town!" He smirked and stood up. Then, with one powerful kick, he crushed her skull underfoot.

[loaf]

((OOC: It's finals week, would have posted earlier but this will do.))

"I've been walking FOREVER!" XIX screamed out loud into nothing. He continued to walk through the emptiness of the unknown. "I can't believe I'm stuck here," XIX said to himself, "I don't know where I am, still don't know who I am and I have this green glow from around my body now." "But hey, I feel pretty relaxed right now despite the situation," XIX continued to say, "but I still need to find a way out of this place."

"You want out?" came a lighter version of XIX's voice, but XIX didn't say a word and his voice was deeper. XIX looked around in shock only to see emptiness, "uhh, who's there?" XIX said out loud. He continued to walk trying to ignore it. "Why do you walk away?" the voice came again, "I haven't seen you in oh so many years, why give me a cold shoulder." XIX tried to ignore it as he kept walking into nothing, XIX replied out loud, "I don't know who you are, who are you!" "Oh how sad, he forgot me, he forgot about me," the voice said with a deep soft sigh, "fine."

Just then a figure came walking out from the emptiness, the figure looked just like XIX only he was fully dressed. "HAHA you look pathetic, look at that attire," the man laughed at XIX, as XIX looked at what appeared to be himself, but only it wasn't. "Who are you?" XIX asked again, "Oh come on, you can't remember!?" the man replied quickly. "This was your favorite outfit, I mean I am even wearing your shoes," the man stated. XIX looked up and down at the man, his clothes were that of what a typical person wore. Jeans, a nice shirt, a simple jacket and with a pair of converses. Still amazed at what he is seeing XIX can't say a word. Just then that dream came back in XIX's head, only this time just quick flashes of moments and XIX was still able to move. "Remember yet?" the man said to XIX. Then a dark gray glow began emitting from his body, much like the green one XIX is emitting. "You see, we are the same in a way, only that mine does something different," the man said with a disappointed look on his face, "Only problem is, it isn't strong anymore and is growing weaker by the moment," he added, "Same with yours, I'm sure it only calms you down now."

"How do you know about all of-," XIX said quickly but was interrupted by the man, "So here's the deal, I wake you up from this place and I join with you." "This will not only make our powers get stronger but also I can get out of this place as well," the man said to XIX with a smirk on his face. XIX stood there for a minute, he started pacing around pondering the situation. "With your body in this state, all alone maybe by now, could be dangerous," the man added, "ok ok, I have thought about it," XIX replied, "but how will you wake me up from this, as well as getting yourself out?" "Just let me do all of that," the man said as he walked towards XIX, "I always put my twin brother Daern first," the man added just as he grabbed XIX and disappeared. "What? You're my twin brother? My name is Daern?" XIX yelled out loud. Then he heard his brothers voice in his head, "I'm still here brother don't worry about me, I want to get of here just as bad as you do," his brother said inside his head. "Then tell me your name," Daern said to himself, "You want my name? I just gave you yours and you want mine?" his brother said in his head, "Fine brother, my name is Golte, now we leave"

The black emptiness started to show a white light from far away, as it came closer with great speed the light started to grow brighter and brighter, so bright Daern covered his eyes. As he removed his arm from his face, he saw that he was in the house he last was at, but XVI and the others weren't there. Daern stood up and noticed the green glow around his still, as well as the gray one emitting not that far outside of his body. "Oh it feels good to be out of there." Golte said inside Daern's head. Daern slowly walked outside the building, but with no sign of XVI, XVII and XVII. "Looks safe enough," Daern thought to himself, "I wonder what happened to the rest of the group."

[T.G. Oskar]

What...what is this? I presume it must be another of my memories returning. Perhaps this is the reel of my life, playing as I remain to inches of my own death. Well, now to see how good...or pathetic...my life was...

His awakening to another memory was rather rare. He was opening his eyes, but he wasn't awakening to a dream within the dream of memory. He was seemingly preparing for something. He was buttoning a shirt, fixing some cuffs, placing a plaque to his chest...

A...plaque? Well, that's odd. Once a Mara, siempre un Mara. Then...why I'm one of the azules now?

He could watch as he grabbed the much larger plaque, the official plaque that placed him as one of the members of the Police force. Namely, the Los Angeles Police Department, as he saw on the plaque. He couldn't see the number, strangely, but he could grasp from other documents part of his lost vital information.

From his car license, he gathered some vital statistics. Apparently, his surname was Roca, and while he didn't knew of the actual date, his birthdate placed around the year 2004.

Roca? Something's here not right. Why, I could recall another name...

Upon deeper examination, he found more documents of him. Somehow, he felt this was a habit of his, examining his documents. His cards that placed him as a legal resident and a naturalized citizen, hailing from his native Guatemala. While he couldn't figure out well the name, to his mind came a few bits of further information. He recalled his birthplace was around the borders with Mexico, and that he lived around Yucatan, whichever that area could be as of now.

He was almost ready to prepare for what seemed to be his work as a policeman, but while he finished, he gave a good look at his room. It was full of things from what seemed was his childhood: a blue mask to whom he couldn't recall the wrestler, with a black ribbonlace placed around; some statues of fearsome humanoid monsters, aborigine decorations, and a big flag of what he assumed was his native state, with a similar flag of the United States stored in a triangle shape and placed aside in the wall. His attention was turned to the music, which for some reason was familiar to him...

Ah...I always liked that corrido. Dunno why...it sounds so true to me.

As the singer of the corrido spoke the words, "como el agua en el desiertooooo/a veces buena/a veces muerte...", he turned the radio off, packed his belongings and left.

After hours of travel through the heavy traffic of Los Angeles, he reached his workplace. Somehow, the name of the County was obscured to his sight, as he swept past and entered the locker rooms. There, some of his partners looked at him with saddened eyes. He couldn't realize the sadness in their hearts, until he gathered the courage to ask.

"Hey, what's wrong? Why the long faces?"

"Mikey, you know...those Mara bastards...they shot Martinez!!!"

He felt the very same sadness in the hearts of each of his partners on himself. Apparently, this man was an example, a good friend of his, and his parting was grievous to his partners, and to him. The tense situation was broken when the sergeant of his division entered the room; a dour looking and toughened man, whose demanding looks did well to hide the sadness and frustration he felt. He addressed the officers, with a commanding voice...

"LIsten up! The captain wants us to meet on the room immediately. You know that Martinez got shot by some of the bands around, and because of that vigilance is being increased. Cap'n has some info on what's to be done. I don't want any of you people getting late; that goes double for you, Roca. You got 15 minutes to prep up and get to the briefing room!"

Apparently, those fifteen minutes were easily skipped, for the next thing he remembered was that he was at the briefing room, still heavy on his heart for the loss of that officer. The captain addressed the officers, slightly distraught...

"Listen up, gentlemen. During night shift, officer Martinez was shot down by some of the gangs who've been increasing around. The perpetrators identified themselves with the growing band of the Mara Salvatrucha, which have strengthened their influence around. Violence on the streets has increased as well. It seems the Maras are trying to take control of the other gangs, and some hiding bands have been dragged out. Just a few days ago, a band of Maras were slaughtered, decapitated and some Japanese symbols were around. It seems the Maras and the Yakuza are in battle for the streets, and none of them are willing to give up. That's why we're doubling vigilance these days, so any free days or vacations are being cut in order to improve the security on the streets. Your sergeants will be notified to which areas of the city you'll be watching."

His mind was distraught. He could feel the confusion on his head, he himself was confused. Wasn't he one of the Maras? He remembered that, in his other memory, he was one of them, and that he stopped his goons because they were about to hit a Yakuza. And now, he was a cop and the two bands were at war. He couldn't recall much, as a startling notice forwarded him in time.

"All units nearby, we've got a 415 on Olvera street; I repeat, all units, we've got a 415 on Olvera street. Requesting assistance."

"Patrol 1415, copy situation. We're going in."

"Copy that, 1415. Be careful."

The siren of the patrol car howled as the officers, sought to assist their fellows in restoring order. Olvera, as he could recall from the landmarks, wasn't very far from where he was driving, only a few minutes at the speed they were going. His partner was loading a shotgun, while he was trying to get a good point where to park and hold cover.

The coded situation was that of a veritable all-out war. From all sides, shots of potent rifles and smaller-caliber firearms were breaking the unusual silence of the street, known for its lively inhabitants. Some cops were fighting against hooded miscreants, returning fire from cover. A few people, either wounded or dead, littered the streets. The situation was out of control, and his partner was asking him what to do. He figured an idea, something that could possibly work.

From the building they were located, they went behind the block until they could reach the end of the street and effectively circle the area to where the other cops were located. Before they went, Miguel placed his cellphone and gently placed it near where the button of the siren was located, enough not to accidentally press it. He asked for his partner to call him, to the amazement of him. A few seconds later, the siren blared from its hiding location, and the hoodlums were distracted enough to allow them and the guards to shift into a safer location. The gangmembers shot at the alley frightened by the sound, as the shout of "more azules" pierced beneath the volley of bullets. When they recovered, he and some more officers began circling the buildings enough to catch them unaware from behind. They moved swiftly yet carefully, each alleyway treated with care, until they reached the alleyway near the building. A few gangmembers were close, watching; the same who were shot down by the guards, after the usual warnings. As the other guards began to find a way to enter the building, Miguel remained behind. All of the gang members were wounded, and he alongside a fellow officer were bounding them up. He saw with frustration how the members of the Maras were children, youngsters who were just about to reach adulthood. This frustrated him more than ever, which caused him to ask them what was the goal in turning into criminals.

Oh, you don't remember, Mikey? You were one of these youngsters before. Not only that, one of the good ones. You know Martinez; he dragged you out of us. But you know the rule; once a Mara, siempre un Mara. Time to return to the roots, carnal."

"That ain't true. I ain't no Mara anymore. Tell me, who killed Miguel? ¿¡Quien lo mató, maldito infeliz!? ¡Anda, cobarde! Damn bastard, you just tell me whom!!!"

"It doesn't matter. You don't...remember me?"

When he turned around, flashes of memory interposed around. He recalled that day, briefly; he was one of the Maras, one of those Miguel was commanding. He was almost like that day, only a bit older. He was one of the people who raped the young woman that day, something that he couldn't bear to remember out of the shame it provoked him. He was full with anger; his blood boiled just by seeing him.

"NOW you remember. Good. I wanted to provoke that in you. Come...come and remember. This ain't you, Mikey, you ain't an azul. You a Mara. Come home, carnal."

With a violent "never!!!", Miguel lunged upon that man, and was promptly lunged back. He was lifted into the air, a black shadow pushing him outward, and pinning him strongly into the ground. As if a different appendage, the Mara was pinning him down, while he was trying to get a cable near him. His partner was frightened; he was watching how whom seemed to be a lowly Mara was actually something else. The body of the criminal was being covered in dark shadows, strong enough to block the light. Desperate, Miguel sought to set himself free, but the shadow was pinning him with such strength he was feeling pain.

"I'll make you remember, Mikey. I know you're addict to this; a slight jolt and you'll remember everything. I almost forgot, you hate being called Miguel. How about your old name, Tezca? Yeah, that was a good name, like el gran Tezcatlipoca. I remember, you called him Hurakan, but the old bosses told ya you were the reincarnation of the great Tezca..."

The rest of the words were muddled. Miguel couldn't hold it anymore. He grasped the medal, the same medal he held during those years, and with a great scream, he freed himself from the pinning shadows. He lunged once again, this time with sparks emanating from his body. He felt the communicator on his left shoulder short-circuiting, but that didn't mattered. He brawled with the shadow-man, punching him with great fury, contained during all those years. He began strangling him, pouring every bit of his energy into killing that man. He was only stopped by his own partner, snapping him into reality.

"Damn, Mikey, stop that!! You ain't gonna be worse than them if you do that!! Stop it, man!! You're scaring me!!"

As he stopped, the shadow-man drove Miguel into a wall, and gasped for breath. He was helpless, as he saw that monster kill his partner with the same cable he attempted to touch Miguel with, and electrocuted him in several parts of the body. Finally, with a smirk and a scornful "nos vemos ahorita, carnal", he placed the cable into Miguel's neck, with the shadow-tentacles. His helplessness was exchanged into a sensation of ecstasy, something he felt only when he touched the high-tension cables not so long ago. He faded away, somehow regaining consciousness...

"If you pull that shit on me again, I swear you'll end up as dog food..." Dragged by the collar of his shirt, he awakened. He felt, again, stiff and stunned by the sudden loss of energy. He could barely move, but he could see. The hounds he was about to face were slain, shot by the girl apparently. It was rare, for as he saw her, he could swear she was blind. Another man was nearby, slowly clapping as he met the two. He made a slight remark, assessing the difficulty of the situation.

"Well, that was certainly interesting enough. Something tells me though, that those puppies will be the least of our worries."

"Gimme a shock. Quick."

The words emerged from Miguel's mouth. Perhaps they didn't knew what he wanted, but he felt he couldn't speak anymore. He was trembling, with cold sweat, as if he was withdrawing from the effects of a drug. He saw a spotlight, from where the other man stood. He tried, as much as he could, to stretch to the standing light, hoping that the cables still held a bit of energy for him to consume. Helpless again, he pondered...

Was I a Mara? Was I a cop? Just...what the hell am I...?

[Fehrant]

Cassandra released Miguel from her grip. The man who was unusually exhausted fell to the ground like a limp sack of potatoes. She didn't understand what Miguel was requesting, but whatever it was, it was his problem.

Another lab-rat like herself approached them. He was the one who had talked previously, and had stood idle during the battle. Though she couldn't discern the numbers written in the clothes with clarity, she remembered his face, and knew she had seen him before in the capsule chamber.

Distant and faint, birds squawked repeatedly high in the sky. Though Cassandra's eye of the mind did not reach that far, the rest of the people could appreciate the gigantic, dinosaur-like birds circling a particularly tall building. Suddenly, one of them was blasted with a colorful ray and fell to the ground. The rest of the hell birds kept squawking and flying regardless.

Cassandra grunted. She couldn't see what was going on and this certainly frustrated her. The eye of her mind was quite an advantage over a regular set of eyes, but somehow she knew she once had both the regular and special set of eyes. She made a conscious effort not to think why she had become this way, since she had already fainted twice when her memories were brewing up.

Everyone stood silent, clearly watching whatever was going on at the distance. She wanted to ask, but she didn't want to show weakness. Still, it was important to know what was going on. Determined, Cassandra opened her mouth, but her question was overshadowed by a massive, inhuman scream that resounded throughout the city. Even the hell birds ceased their flying pattern, and all flew into a different direction together.

The ground shook. And again. Something was moving. Each step resounded like a massive creature. The scream again. It was closing in.

The hell birds flew in disarray, spreading out and circling the entire city from up above. One of them flew over the party of three. The monstrous bird stopped gliding and batted its wings. It squawked again.

As if answered, the scream resounded again. The steps interval became shorter, louder, and stronger. Whatever it was, it was coming even closer.

A four story building stood not far at the distance. Though the building was clearly vacant, the cause of the damage it had sustained was not as evident. Part of the building had collapsed, and it revealed its interior. It was as if a demolishing crane had hit the building pretty hard, but hadn't finished the job.

The ground stomps stopped. A massive fist went right through the building's remaining wall. It had the size of a man's torso. Whether intentional or otherwise, a piece of wall propelled by the fist catapulted right towards the party. It reached the ground up ahead of them, and with the momentum it tumbled towards Cassandra and the rest. She jumped out of the way, safely getting out of the boulder's deadly trajectory.

In the eye her mind, she could already see the massive creature, but it didn't take long for the party to do as well. The wall collapsed, and immediately out of the dust cloud came a creature that resembled a minotaur. It had the legs and head of a bull, but the torso was a man's. And this, was a hell-tainted version of it.

Through red eyes it searched frantically until the creature's head and snorting nostrils locked on the party. The hell birds who looked more like gigantic bats circled around the minotaur, but a few broke from the circle and flew towards the party. Just when the minotaur was hurling another boulder -ignoring the approaching birds- a young man appeared in the distance traveling through the walls of buildings smoothly like a boat through water, carried out by what appeared to be two arms made of the same material as the wall. He extended his own arms, and shot a colorful beam that hit the flying boulder, and prevented it from landing on the party.

This caught the minotaur's attention for a moment, but not the birds'.

[Victoria]

As the party of six united and came upon a familiar destination goal that was the city three miles ahead, a rough patch of wind kicked up dust, and the smell of rust and asphalt whiffed past my nostrils. With Liufr and I leading the pack, we headed toward the city upon the horizon.

As a collective, our feet paced forward onto the barren rocky plains. Some tumble weeds rolled around in the soft gusts. After much trekking, I yawned and pulled out a large jug of water and took a sip of it. I passed it around to the other members, because I knew that they were as parched as I was.

Eight and Eleven followed the group. They seemed to be the only ones who hadn't recovered some of their memories yet.

Moments after we replenished our thirst, Liufr stopped in his tracks and growled softly and glared out at the horizon up ahead. His ears perked up and he barked loudly as he snarled. I smirked as my eyes marked out spots on the horizon of heat waves. The ants slowly grew larger as the moments passed.

My friends and I stood our ground as a group of desert raiders headed our way. As they came into our view, gunshots were fired. Liufr and I gracefully hopped around to avoid the fire, and I took Iconnu's hand and put her behind me. Something inside of me stirred to protect her, but everyone else I felt could handle things their own way.

The foul brutes drew ever the closer toward my group on the way to the city. It seemed slow at first, as they had traveled on foot, but they arrived to block the path into the city soon enough.

“Well well, lookie at what we have here, mates.” said one of the men. He wore a dark, yet pale yellow tank top over a light brown t-shirt. He carried an axe over his shoulder with one arm while his eyes ran up and down my form.

I smirked as I “accidentally” let my haori slip a little to show more cleavage. He smirked and took a step closer.

“Seems we've gotten ourselves some fresh meat. Let's see if we can get some eats off of'em, eh?”

“But look at most of'em, boss. It's like they all came out of that facility over yonder that just blew to shreds. Just this fine lass here is the only one worth anything. I mean look at 'er pup. She has it carryin' her stuff. 'slike she's the only one with stuff worth stealin'.” said his lanky lacky that was behind him to his left. He had a short-sword that he pointed at me. He had buck teeth and shoddy hair. His skin was pale in comparison to the big ox of a man that stood in front of me.

I looked up to the man with the axe as he smirked at my presence. He disregarded the other party members aside from me and Iconnu, who still held my hand with a tight grip. Though at this point, she held more than just my hand. She had her arm around my waist. I felt her heart race. I took in her fear and glanced back at her, and then back up at the boss man.

“I'm well aware of that, Frank. However, there is still sport to be had with the others. I'm sure they'll have a wonderful time being hunted.”

I glared at him and took three steps closer to him and closed my haori back up. Now that I walked closer, he wasn't that much taller than I. Just about five inches or so.

I stood face to face with him, and for some reason I felt compelled to say the biggest pun of all. The most perfect opportunity arose itself as I poked him in the chest and said,

“You know, if you play with fire....” he grabbed my hand and pulled me from Iconnu's grip. He turned my body around and groped my breast while Iconnu watched in a frozen state as her eyes could only look on, as her friend was being molested.

Although in my mind, his actions screamed that he was a big hands-on flirt. If he wanted to play this game, so could I. Something in my mind sparked as he ran his big hand down my body. I smirked and licked my lips as my hand found my way to his nether region. This gave him the signal that perhaps I liked being handled.

He turned me back around and leaned down to kiss me, and that's when I struck with my move and the finish to the pun.

He started to sweat as his lips were close to mine, but not quite at their mark. He winced. I leaned in to his ear and whispered.

“...You're gonna get burned, sweet cheeks.” He slapped my hand away from his crotch and fanned the area with his hand as his eyes watered.

“...You'll pay for that, you whore! There's just one thing you don't do, and that's play mind games with a man's heart.” He seemed to get used to the heat in his lower area and stared me down. His followers caught wind of what I did and pointed their guns at me. I glanced at their numbers and grinned as I let out a soft giggle.

“This, coming from someone who mugs people and kills them for sport? If there's one thing I hate the most, it has to be hypocrisy.” My playful expression turns to a serious one as another spark goes off in my mind.

“Here you are, attempting to mug me and kill my friends who have nothing of value on them whatsoever. I don't care what you try and do to me, but once you direct your attention to people who obviously have no means of fighting back, that's when things get hairy.”

He snarled and swung his axe at my head, which penetrated through an afterimage. As he stood back up when he missed, I landed on his shoulders with my legs wrapped around his neck.

“Not so fast, big man. I'm not done,” I squeeze my thigh muscles to disrupt the blood flow. “Yet when I try and make a move to stand up to all of this, you say I do something dishonorable by playing with you.”

I grind my hips and smirk. “So we both do dishonorable things. That's fine. Just don't preach about honor when you yourself do something foul.”

One of the follower raiders pulled the trigger to his gun. I dodged the bullet by pulling my momentum backward and brought the leader's weight down to the ground.

I separated my grip from him and glanced at Liufr, who's patience grew thin with every second. I saw fire in his eyes that made me proud he was my partner. I whistled as a signal for the go ahead.

He snarled and barked, as his legs scurried through the sand to close in the distance between him and the man who shot at me. He lunged in the air and went for his shooting arm. Through my peripheral vision, I spotted another who pointed his rifle at Liufr. I ran over the leader's back and launched myself in a jump kick that knocked the gun off course. My legs swept at his ankles and brought him downward.

Liufr must've used his Frost Fang, as the guy he bit screamed in agony. There were no blood drops in Liufr's muzzle as he continued to lay the smack down on the group. However, as I kneed another man in the jaw, I heard a deafening howl in the distance where I deflected the gunshot.

A pack of hell hounds entered the fray. The leader of the pack missed his left eye, a small blood trail seeped down to the sand. The city felt so close. I could see the start of a broken road that lead to the city entrance sign.

Shit! I thought to myself. I attracted these beasts with my attack. What are the chances? I pondered.

The leader of the pack spotted the weapon that pierced his eye. He pounced on the guy still on the ground and went straight for the throat. Another hound discovered an open and fragile Iconnu and leapt toward her.

I was still close by and intercepted the hound and gripped his neck with gusto.

“No one touches this girl but me... got that?” My hands burst with flame that sent it out of my grip and to the ground. I knelt down and held out my index finger with a small flame on it. I blew on it and extended its reach. Fire consumed the hound from hell as it hastily ran in circles and toward some raiders and other hounds, until it collaped.

I stood back up and held Iconnu's hand tightly. I recalled what I said earlier and blushed and looked sideways from her eyes.

“I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me.” I apologized.

My foot slammed into a hound's ribs as it lunged toward my torso. Liufr held his own for the most part with his Frost Fang and Winter's Fury attacks. The few remaining hounds had been occupied with devouring the Raiders. I could hear their screams as they were bitten in several places. So much blood all over the place, I couldn't keep calm.

I tightened my grip of Iconnu's hand and her yelp made me snap out of my euphoria.

“Ow... you're hurting me, Minami...” I looked and released my grip. I blushed once more and kept my hand to myself.

“I'm sorry, Iconnu..” I looked downward as my heart felt bashful.

“What's wrong, Minami? Are you okay? You were sweating really badly, and you had this really scary look in your eyes.... I was worried.”

I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. Most of the raiders were dead now, or unconscious with grave injuries, and the hounds straggled around, but didn't give up the fight. Stubborn beasts, these hounds.

“I'm fine, thank you...” I unconsciously wrapped my arms around her waist and hugged her. I blushed once again and cleared my throat as I released my grip.

Once the rest of the pack was eliminated, we continued our trek to the inside of the city.

I took a long sigh as we finally reached the limits. Off in the distance I saw a few more people. They looked to be the other facility members. Then I looked up and realized they weren't alone.

There was a huge minotaur that headed in their direction, and he looked pissed off. He also had a flock of hellbirds that circled around him. The mere sight of their collected size sent a shiver down my spine, and a huge grin across my face. As I held Iconnu close to me, we made our way to the other group. In one of the intersections, I saw two other people that came this way.

Liufr barked to get my attention to one of the two men. He looked at me as if he saw a ghost, with his eyes wide. Then he shook the cobwebs from his head and continued his trek toward the intersection.

The bigger of the two guys took a glance at Liufr and smirked.

“Well, look what the dog dragged in..” he said as he peered over my group. He gave an expression in his eyes that he recognized the hospital gear and saw some numbers on some of us. “So, you guys came from that hell of a facility too, huh?”

“Yep, same with you I'll bet,” I snapped back as I looked up at him. The guy next to him was relatively quiet, and held a pair of glasses in his hand.

“But I think I should cut the conversation short as we have some really large company.” I glance at the guy next to him as I wince from head pain. An image flashed in my mind from the past that revealed to me this guy's identity. I smirked and looked at him from the side, as Liufr circled around him and took in his scent, then soon after took in another foul scent ahead of us.

He snarled as he saw the hell birds and the huge Minotaur ahead of us. I cracked my neck and slipped off my haori and my obi to reveal a flame patterned tank top and dark black martial arts gi with no design.

I place my haori and obi in the pack on Liufr's back. I crack my knuckles and glare at the opponent ahead of us.

“So who wants to help take down this big lug and have his chickens for dinner?”

As if understanding the human tongue, one of the hell birds changed their trajectory and landed right in front of me. It screeched and flapped its huge wing to knock me off my feet. I smirked as it missed its target. I ran up the spine of its wing and hopped onto its neck. I plucked one of its feathers and lit it on fire.

It seemed to take what I said earlier as a literal threat. It flew back up high in the air and flipped upside down. I dangled on its neck as it attempted to shake off my grip. I must've been fifty feet in the air.

[Fehrant]

The minotaur kept roaring. A man all in white kept shooting rainbow-like spray from his hands, while being carried by what appeared to be a set of human arms jutting out of a building wall. Yet for all the roaring, there was no actual damage. The minotaur was just getting pestered as he got showered in the multi-colored light.

With one final fiery roar, the minotaur lounged at the tiny attacker, swinging a massive arm. The man was carried upwards by these arms with amazing speed like a shark on water. Yet the minotaur's arm slammed against the structure, and split the wall in half, slowly crumbling. As soon as the broken wall got disconnected from the rest of the ruined building, the arms vanished and the white-dressed man fell to the ground, using his power against the ground to cushion the fall.

Once again, the set of arms popped out the ground, same color and structure as the pavement they came out of. They lifted the man by the legs, and transported him as fast as if he were on a motorcycle. All the while he kept shooting his power at the minotaur, but it all seemed futile. Unless all he was trying to do was get his attention.

Most of the birds however, had their attention focused on the facility party. They soared high, then plunged like a normal bird on lake fish. Two hellbirds lifted Number VII into the air and ripped him apart, spilling all the innards and entrails on the party below. The gore shower caused more birds to approach, apparently lusting after the stench of blood.

Cassandra did what she could, but her ability only allowed her to dodge since she couldn't be caught unaware. Her bare human hands could do little against these beasts. She kicked and chopped when they approached, becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of a proper weapon.

From between two buildings near the party emerged another figure. He was wearing a black hoodie, and green camo pants. As he walked towards the party with a certain air of ease, rocks started to lift off the ground. He raised his hands as a maestro in a concerto, and bigger boulders began to elevate. Once they had reached a certain altitude above his head, one by one they started to shoot off, aimed directly at the birds.

Despite the state of chaos, a few heads from the party turned, and saw the man. "Come with me," he simply said.

He glanced up carefully tracing the flying pattern of the hellbird carrying Minami. He pointed at it with two fingers, and a rock from the flying lot thrust in that direction. Because the bird was struggling against its mount, the flying pattern was erratic and the rock missed. Instead of falling however, the rock simply floated, and sought the bird again missing one more time. The rock repeated this until it finally hit the bird, bumping Minami off.

The head-sized rock fell, somehow losing its magic. When Minami was about the hit the ground, an unseen force stopped her, carefully placing her on the ground. "We can't do much about the minotaur with our powers. Let's go before the accursed beast turns this way," he said, beckoning everyone once again.

He hurled all the rocks at the same time trying to hit as many birds as possible in one attack. The rain of stone effectively knocked near half of them down, but there was still the other half to deal with.

Satisfied, the man went in between buildings as he had come, lost in the deep shadows the tall walls cast.

Meanwhile the man in white seemed to have stopped fighting and simply ran deeper into the city, the minotaur following on his trail and getting farther from the party.

The space between buildings looked ideal for an escape route: enough for a person to walk, but the birds would find a hard time getting inside and maneuvering properly.

[Hyzenthlay]

(Again, any spelling mess-ups... You know why. Take stoo much time to go througha nd I have a few RP posts to do today. I'll correct spelling later. =])

The whole group had turned to view something up ahead. XVI, however, simply stood and stared at the girl in front of him. He knew her, and he knew her name. It was then that he saw Liufr sniffing around him. He heard Spear groan from beside him. He was holding him up, Spear placing all his weight on Benji's shoulder. Spear was looking behind, too. It was then that XVI's focus was upon the beast, he span to view the scene unfolding. A flock of hellbirds circled a wide area overhead. Swooping and tearing people limb from limb. Benji gently lowered Spear to the ground and readied himself.

"You ready, hero? We've had more than a fair share of trouble today and it aint over, yet!" Said XVII, waiting for XVI's lead.

Benji simply looked at XVII and nodded. He couldnt find the breath to speak. The pain and guilt of XVIII's passing was still too strong. Never-the-less, he readied himself. Flexing his arms and cracking his neck. XVII places a fist into and open palm and closed his arms. A white glow flashed no more than a centimetre around him. Then a whole group of VII's walked from within him, they all stood in a cluster around the original XVII. There must have been 10 clones altogether. XVII opened his eyes and relaxed his arms with a smirk. He looked ahead. In this light his scarred face was clearly visible. Hundreds of tiny lines that dotted his face near white.

XVI glanced at the group of XVII's. The girl who he had been staring at flew past, grappling with the bird and trying desperatly to stay aboard it. The bird was shaking trying frantically to escape her grip. XVI took this as a sign that all out combat was needed. He loosened up, blinking heavily, trying to relax. Then, a bird swooped low at him. Before it hit him, however, it was set on by 3 XVII's. They pinned it to the ground, punding its skull to mush with bits of rubble. A group of 5 more ran up ahead to intercept another bird that was fast approaching. The original XVII now stood alone and still. His arms crossed, he didnt even have to move to cause damage. He simply sat back and smirked. The other 2 XVII's were nowhere to be seen. They must've be helping somebody elsewhere.
Benji looked down at Spear, who now rolled and writhed with pain. Benji could have used his morphing ability right now. It wasnt his day, not at all. With a shake of his head he patted Spear on the back, his glare then fell on a bird the was circling up ahead.

Benji opened his palms. He knew he couldnt physically knock the bird from the sky. He had a plan, though. The sky opened up, the bird dived to avoid it as a woman stepped from within a casm. Her skin was perfect, her iris' yellow. Benji grinned as Sparks skin began to glow. It's light that of the brightest sun. The bird turned, stunned by the light and fell to the ground. As it landed, it stood. I stumbled around, unable to see. Benji simply walked over to it, gripping it's neck, and tugged hard upwards. It's head fell limp and its body crashed to the ground. Spark was his new toy, now. Her power the perfect thing to use in conjunction with his own.

XVII, in the meantime now directed all of his afforts into creating a perimiter around the group. He released 5 more clones from within himself. They all stood in a cemicircle around them, ready to fight. All holding a weapon of some sort. Some held rocks, some heft sticks and some even held bits of sharp metal framework. On of teh clones was caught by surprise, carried into the air by one of the beasts. The rest of the clones watched as the captured clones head was ripped of. A rain of blood settling on his brothers faces. The original XVII fell to the floor, gripping his neck. He choked down air, struggling to breath. He fell forward to the support of his right hand, gripping his neck with his left. At last he regained a steady breathing. As he removed his hand a scar lay there, long and thin. It stretched the length of his neck. He fingered it slightly and took a sharp intake of breath. The scar was still quite painful right now, it seemed. He pushed himself up and re-took his pose. This new dilemna in his power apparently shrugged off. He re-folded his arms, another clone walked from from him, and XVII's trademark smirk returned.

---o0o---

A fire crackled in a brightly lit room. Candles lay scattered all around. The room was dust and debris free. Surprising compared to the state of the rest of the city. A woman paced the room, her silvery-white hair swaying with each step. She pushed aside her trench coat, anger filling her head. The paint in the room started to bubble, the floorboards stripped of varnish with her every step. The furnature around her began to melt and burn rapidly away. She stopped as she heard a knock on the door. A young girl walked in, she looked no older than 12, though her actual age was nearer to 18. The silver-haired woman calmed a little and faked a smile. Staring down at teh tiny form of the girl, she stroked the girl silvery hair gently.

"What is it Rinna, my dear? Have you got some news for your mummy?" Said the woman sweetly. She removed the hand from her daughters head and placed it onto her cheek, stroking gently.

"Yes, mother. I told 'Silo' and 'Cage' to get us the bodies. They have brought them back, 'Hector' is still alive. I-I thought this might please you?" Said teh girl. Like her appearance, the girls voice seemed far more innocent and younger than her actual age.

"Oh, it has, my dear! You have made me very proud. Please, bring the bodies and Hector in." Said Minerva. With a smile she patted the young girl on the back and turned her to face the door.

The young girl walked out of the door and returned just seconds later. In her left hand were two dead cats. In her right; a single, living cat. The cat that was alive squirmed and struggled to break free. On its back were two deep gashes. Rinna dropped teh two dead cats on the ground and handed her mother the alive one. As Minervas hands touched the cat it's movement stopped, its eyes staring into hers. Its ears flat against the side of it's head.

"You may give the others their original forms, dear." Said Minerva, her face expressionless.

"Do you want me to give the other you her orginal form, too?" Asked the girl. This question was barely audible, as if the young girl were worried her question was stupid.

"Yes, please. My darling." Minervas gaze never left the cat in her hands.

The young girl knelt beside the to dead cats. She stretch out her right index finger and poked the first, slightly fatter one gently. It form changed to that of a small, fat and balding man. His face was beaten badly as if his head had been stamped on several times. She then turned her attention to the second cat, who's head was near smashed to pieces. Again she gave it a slight jab with her index finger. This cat, though, turned into an old, whithering lady. Her hair was grey and matted with blood. Her back hunched with age.

"I have done so, mother. So you can inspect them yourself!" Said the girl as if in expectation of approval.

"My dear, you have done tremendously well. Now, turn hector here back into his rightful form. Then you will leave us, do you hear?" The girl nodded in reply to Minervas words.

The young girl then gave the cat in Minervas arms a slight jab in the ribs. It turned into the form of a small, wrinkly old man. His face riddled with wrinkles and tired from age. He dropped to his knees and looked up at Minerva, his hands clasped together. The young girl bowed and shuffled out of the door, quietly.

"Now now, Hector. I know you are sorry. I can only assume that Stretch and Mary would be too" she pointed at the two dead bodies across the room, "they seem to be at a loss for words, however. I cant have it that my daughter, in her good graces, sees fit to bless you with a good power then you waste some of my best people. I think you are taking advantage of my darlings kindness, and my own."

"No, no my lady Minerva. Just, have me transformed into that facility chap again and I can be of service to you, I swear!" Begged Hector, needing the same approval that Rinna had.

"'That facility chap' was my husband! Rinnas father! I killed him for less, you have been equally as dissapointing!" With that she placed her hand on Hectors forehead.

The paint and furnature once again bubbled and melted. Hectors face began to blister, his skin peeling away like pencil shavings. His tearducts began to leak blood and his eyes rolled back into his head. His nose spat rivers of crimson down his face. Minerva released her grip and grinned. Hectors body fell to the ground with a gently thud. Minerva turned to the door and called out,

"Oh Rinna, my dear. Would you come here please?"

[Sinister]

Since her escape, Eleven had just thoughtlessly wandered with the group. Her eyes were like dim fires, with no priznak žizn’, no verve or will to carry on. Just the grim pantomime and tired phraseology of a doomed being.

The ridiculous scenes of violence and visceral gore never registered with her higher self. They merely flickered over her eyes like a bad picture show. She invested no real sense of emotion in them. And she watched people die with a nonchalance that betokened no real interest.

Her wounds, although major for a fragile creature, went largely ignored along with their accompanying licks of pain. Any worries or fears of infection or contamination were abandoned as her care for even her own well-being seemed to drastically drop.

But behind her eyes a memory was playing out. The Rock…

Flashback 1:

Eleven's Name

She felt a polar chill and saw the ripping heights from which she dangled her legs. Below her was the river Rhine. From a nearby hidden waterfall came a loud burbling that sounded like the faint whispers of a ghost. The Katz castle was plainly in view, stately and weathered on the opposite side of the Rhine. It stood as a bright turreted and steepled omen of the ages.

It was cold as Christmas. The point made more clear by the handsome Russian at her elbow with a father Christmas hat perched atop his short black military hair. Over his uniform was buttoned a white lab coat. Stitched over the pocket was the name Abramov.

"We'd be out of the Rhineland-Palatinate by tomorrow evening." Came a deep Russian accent.

"But?"

"But what?"

"You said 'We'd' which is the contractional phrase of 'we would.' Which in it's current usage implies we won't be." Eleven laughed richly, kicking her feet over the side of the cliff. Abramov grinned, sheepishly.

"You forget I've not had training in English that you were subject to." He disclaimed.

"Subjected to, you mean. And don't forget your articles." She corrected. He lowered his eyes, feigning embarrassment but found himself unable to keep from grinning.

"But we will be out of here by tomorrow. Doktor Gereheardt won't be leaving with us. He's been detained."

"Is everything alright?" Eleven asked.

"Maybe not. But seeing as roždestvó is near, I have a present from good doktor, Gereheardt and myself." Abramov sat beside her and put his arm around her. The tacky lights strung from the Katz castle were reflected down in the river.

"For me?" She gushed.

"Your name." He said, suddenly serious. "Your name is…" He took from his pocket a syringe and shook it, it's contents were a voluminous dark green. "With all your memories in this single syringe. They may come and go. You may remember and forget, but they'll always be with you." He handed her the syringe.

She put the needle to a familiar scar at her temple, giving it a firm shove she forced the plunger down causing a rush of chemical imprinting to magic years into second. It was more than a blizzard of confusion…much more than sad memories. Without it, Eleven was emotionally cold…no warming blanket spun of empowering fibers… She stood alone. Searching the peaks and nadirs of the landscape below.

"Where are we?" She asked, worriedly. "What have you done?"

"You are at Lorelei rock, Darya Lorelei. This is where it begins." She turned towards Abramov with alarm. She grabbed him and shook him gently.

"You can't do this!" She cried in heartsick protestation. "They will find us all. They will kill you." Abramov stood, taking her hands in his own and staring her into her eyes.

"It should never have happened this way." He said, direly. "I'm setting you free. You have everything back. You can run. The KGB will do what they can to find you. Classified operation retrieve Broken Arrow has already commenced." A smile blossomed on his face, a smile of absolute fondness. "But it isn't goodbye, after all. Find a terminal and search the Hindertraum database for the keyword 'Pygmalion' and it will link you directly to me."

Flashback 2:

Eleven's True Form

That scene faded. Her memory was still tumbling in a rolling boil. The next memory hit her like a wave of sickness. She was there in the overhanging turrets of Katz castle. Wind whipped and shoved at her. In front of her stood the little blond German Doktor. His bright glasses masking his eyes. He honed a soft Mauser C96 automatic at her, smiling capriciously and uttering a low giggle.

"You cannot escape from us, Broken Arrow!." He used the term insultingly. "Z'ere is no retirement plan, fraulein!" He cackled. "You think you are one of us! You think you have rights!" He braced his pistol with his other hand. "Hah!" He cried. "I made you!" Leaning forward, he gave a jeering grimace and in a wicked spirit of confidence added: "I stitched you together like zie patchwork quilt. Verstandlich? You're a thing! A verdammt Frankenstein!"

But that memory quickly faded as well…just the whim of a random subconscious mind.

Broken Arrow

Eleven's eyes flushed with consciousness. Her mind, that had been caught in a million storms, fell back to her body. A tiny pulsing superpostion wave shuddered off of her as she lightly shook her shoulders.

Her name… She was Darya Lorelei…KGB's Broken Arrow…The Broken Arrow. Her hand traveled to her patient's robe and pulled it back. Underneath was her scratched and wounded stomach…completely lacking a belly button, old scars from stitched seams criss-crossed across her skin. Tears welled in her eyes as she wanted to fold herself over, wrap her arms around her knees and cry. She let the robe fall back.

A squaw came from a great hellbird as it drove down at Broken Arrow. If at a time anger was a weapon, fury, a destructive force then in that instant Eleven could've buried the world. A gentle motion of her hand sent a rocketing wave that blew the creature out of the air until it's crushed carcass hit the ground sending up a shockwave of dust.

"I know what and who I am." She asserted, bitterly to herself.

[T.G. Oskar]

As if waking from a dream, Miguel found himself near the light he tried desperately to cling upon. He could barely remember what happened after phasing out of the flashback, only that he was dropped by the very person that dragged him around. His eyes opened to a cut wire, the metal ends joined on the elbow joint. The numbing, the sweat and the trembling had ceased, his fix of his "drug" filled. He had drawn what little flow of energy remained upon the light, as the bulb held no more energy to give any light. Even though it was little, it was enough to energize him to the point he could walk freely.

The sight was not welcoming. Flocks of birds hungry for the flesh of humans attacked the few people around in sight. Somehow, it seemed that the fight distracted the birds long enough to prevent notice. Again, he was wrong: a bird laid dead upon him, part of the neck burnt, with the area roughly similar to his hand. Somehow, the birds must have left him for dead considering he could be dangerous even when limp. But, what could have really happened? He could barely remember what he did only mere seconds ago, but he knew he was "safe".

--

Miguel felt the hardness of the street as he was dropped unceremoniously. He felt heavy, unable to react as he desired; the burst of energy he unleashed drained him of the energy he required to move and react. He knew there was a light nearby, and that it could have the energy he needed. He began dragging himself with his arm, trying to reach the spot. Suddenly, tremors flowed from inside of the city, small and swift, unlike true seismic movements. Miguel tried to lift his body, to see what was the source of such tremors, when he could feel it. Air was displaced towards him, in one direction, as if something was pushing the air towards him. His nerves were much more sensitive now, somehow, than before. Knowing that such displacement of air wasn't good news, Miguel used as much strength he could muster to leap to the side, as a massive piece of wall lunged upon him and any who was nearby. Inhuman wails joined the chorus of screeches in the air, a new challenger entering the fray.

Miguel was focused in reaching the light, for in his weakened condition he was no match for whatever drew closer. He tried to drag himself again, slowly but surely, as if nothing was nearby. Somehow, the luring menace of the alpha beast was beyond him; something was dragging him to "safety", it was the only way to describe it.

It was like a dream. The minotaur, the blind girl and the man near the very light he tried to draw himself near were away. There was no one...no one, save what seemed to be a man, right at the same spot the other man was, assuming even the same stance. But he was different: jet black hair, tanned skin, very strong complexion, a stern look at his face. The spotlight held also a magnificent visage; a serpent with what seemed feathers instead of scales, with magnificent wings spread wide open. The man and the serpent looked at Miguel, and extended both arm and wing. They uttered words alien to him, for their meaning was lost in translation. He couldn't gather the meaning of the words, as he tried desperately to tell them he could not understand them; the desperate cries pierced the veil of unreality, as Miguel began moaning in a bizarre tongue.

"<So, it seems you don't want to understand us...> Very well, I shall speak in that tongue you have assumed." The voice of the man was booming, commanding. As thunders roaring through the sky.

"What did you meant? I can't understand."

"Simple. To come to me. To come to safety."

"But...but there are monsters outside!! I am not safe anywhere, I only need to charge myself to run away, to real safety!!!"

"You have little faith. Here, you will be safe. Trust me. You will be safe...from him..."

Behind Miguel was a fearsome sight. A man-beast, its face painted in black and yellow, its back as if fur of the same color, its hands like paws of a fearsome panther, loomed upon him. The man-beast's face was that of a large cat, and roars of thunder and war emerged from its mouth. The man-beast's fangs and claws were of a shimmering black material, as if a gem; one of the legs elongated into the head of a black serpent, hissing in foreign words, dragging the massive body which was kept standing with the other leg. The man-beast was dressed in war attire, spears protruding from its back. The man beast hissed at the feathered serpent, and the serpent hissed back.

"Why...why that beast seems familiar to me?"

"Seek your past. Seek your heritage. He is known to you, as I am, and as it is known to you", the man spoke as he pointed to the serpent. The serpent, feathered in beautiful colors, lunged upon the dragging body of Miguel, as if protecting him. The man-beast uttered wrathful words to the serpent, words unknown to Miguel. Yet somehow, the words began unraveling to him. Somehow, he began to understand...

"<Leave him alone, Quetzal. He is mine. I nurtured him, I made him grow. He is a worthy follower of mine. He leads my people. He follows my will.>"

"<Silent and begone, demon!! He is not of your pack any longer, but of our flock. He has renounced your ways, and as such, I stand before him to protect him.>"

"<Quetzal, you have betrayed our ways. Aligning with the conquerors, with those who do not represent our ancestral ways. Remember!! You and I built this world!! You and I are meant to kill each other, and the victor shall rebuild this world!!>"

"<Of that no more, Tezca. He is of the herd divine, and you are of the fallen host. He and you are not of the same pack. Leave him, torture him no more!>"

Finally, Miguel had reached the lightpole. He could hear the two beasts fighting for him, but he could no longer pay attention. He fiddled with the pole, trying to find the cables that would sustain him. He heard the man speaking to him in a sad but firm tone.

"And I thought you had grown of that. Perhaps I should not talk. What you did is brave, but foolish. Now, you need rest, and you cannot have it. Thus I must let you indulge in your craving."

He grasped the cords, and ripped them. The arc of lightning flowed briefly, the telltale smell and sound of lightning, which for a moment dispelled the illusion presented upon his eyes, the delirium he was living. In his dream-state, he saw as how the black serpent lunged upon him, intent on devouring him. He was tired, numb, but he held tightly to the feeding cord. He attempted to hold the serpent, but to no avail; it had bitten his thigh, the pain becoming unbearable. His left arm fell into the ground, only to meet the head of the feathered serpent breaking its fall. The hand blended with the serpent's head, which felt renewed with strength drawn from unknown places. At a moment's notice, Miguel thrusted his left arm into the serpent figment, and pressed hard enough. The inner strength gathered from the serpent diminished the pain, while the black serpent writhed in pain, hurricane winds battering upon him.

In the real world, Miguel gathered strength from unknown places to grasp the head of one of the dinosaur-like birds. The strength he placed upon the grasp caused the bird to screech in pain and release the grasp upon Miguel's thigh. The desire to be released caused the wings to flutter, forming a strong draft at his direction. Once the beast was prey to fear, Miguel unleashed a very potent shock, causing the bird to tremble and screech until it died. His eyes were empty, devoid of life, as if he was watching something else; his sight was fixed upon the beast's neck, but his eyes were of a different color, and there was no reflection upon his iris. It was like if he was there, and somehow he wasn't there.

Finally, the bird laid down near him, muttering its death cry. In his dream-state, the serpent leg of Tezca retreated from its grasp, while the head of Quetzal separated from Miguel's hand. The man-beast retreated, uttering curses to the pair and swearing he would return for Miguel's soul. In ecstatic bliss, Miguel couldn't do more than ask who were they, to express thanks for their aid. The man, with a solemn face, limited only to respond.

"<This being and I are no more than figments of your imagination. Or perhaps, beings sent to aid you on your quest. That depends on what are your beliefs. You know, deep in your heart, all of our names. Seek your heritage, it will serve you well.>"

"<The jaguar god, Tezcatlipoca. The feathered serpent, Quetzalcoatl. But...why I speak of the Aztec deities? My people are not of Aztec origin, but...>" Without noticing, he spoke the language he couldn't understand before. It was an innate reaction.

"<...of Mayan origin. You may remember them, as Hurakan and Kukulkan. But I am of a different heritage. If it helps, think of the wish hidden deep within your name. It may help you understand this. Just remember; what you've seen is not what you may believe. You must understand the meaning behind this, to understand the message.>"

As Miguel returned to reality, the man gave his back. Behind him, a magnificent sword stood sheathed, and in his left hand a set of black chains hanged...

--

The thigh swolled with pain, when he tried to remember. The birds were finally noticing he was awakening, just when he was gathering his lost strength. Before him, a battle of unimaginable proportions was unfolding upon. Several images of the same man were fighting against the hell-birds, while several more people dressed in the same attire as him assisted in the battle. The number of birds was greater than before, and they were eager to end the lives of any one foolish enough to remain defenseless. He hoped not to fall under another blackout, or under the effects of delirium, as he was already defenseless enough without a definite power source. He needed to find something to give him more power, and fast. But now, he had to run away. Perhaps the party would be capable of fending for themselves, thus he was in no obligation to follow them. Recalling the blind girl held what seemed was a data disk on her hand, and considering despite her apparent lack of vision she was capable of assisting him and rescue him, he felt indebted to assist her. At the distance, there was a passageway that provided some safety. The beast that attempted to kill the small group he was following was apparently gone, but the birds still swooped by. The passageway seemed safe, and the only logical choice. Perhaps the girl followed that path, perhaps she was devoured, perhaps she took another path. The bite on the thigh hindered his movement, exactly the same thigh the man-beast on his vision had as the black serpent. He knew he couldn't use the thigh, so he resorted to the only possible way he could; imitating the way the man-beast ran upon his body. Trying to withstand the pain, he stood on all fours, then lifted the wounded thigh as best as he could. Then, he dashed as fast as he could to the safety of the path. One of the birds noticed the wounded man and lunged upon him, ready to end his life; however, Miguel managed to develop an unusual dexterity even in that abnormal way of movement. Just as the bird was about to reach him, he made a desperate leap into the path, and ignoring the pain, he tumbled until the beak of the bird was beyond his reach. The bird screeched, unable to pass beyond the walls, signaling to Miguel that he was safe...for now.

Finding some of the debris, Miguel began to throw as much rocks as he could to drive the bird away. The rest of the group had to find the passageway, and they needed the path clear. The pelting eventually caused the frustrated bird to back off, realizing the futility of seeking the wounded man. Before moving forward, Miguel sought to cover the wound, and find something to help him move while his body recovered. To his good fortune, one of the nearby buildings in the passageway apparently held some military supplies. It was not a definite stroke of luck, as the building appeared to be ransacked; there seemed to be some supplies left, such as clothing and apparent weapon replicas. Miguel entered the building, gathering what little clothes were left, a combat knife that appeared to be real enough for use, and a wooden stick that could help him walk. He decided to rest for a while, until the pain receded, before going forward.

[loaf]

"You know we're lost right?" Golte said to Daern, "Will you stop talking? I'm the one walking!" Daern said out loud. "Hey stop talking to yourself," Golte replied. "I'm already beginning to not like you inside my head," Daern said out loud again. Daern walked into an alley to try and find a route to another street to find XVI, XVII and XVIII. He stops to look at a pile of rubble that caught his attention, under it looked like a corpse of some animal. It was a hellish looking dog like creature, half of it's body was missing and the smell reeked. "What is that," Daern thought to himself, "It's a dead dog Daern, can't you tell?" Golte replied. "That is not a dog, that is a demon," Daern said, "I don't want to see an alive one any time soon." Daern continued to walk down the alley, the alley had many turns in it, it looked like it was never going to lead to a street.

From a distant Daern heard some ravaging coming from a building. Daern walked closer to the sound to find an open door at the end of the alley. As Daern walked closer, the ravaging got louder and louder, it sounded like two of those dogs were in the building. "I don't think we should go in there, I have nothing to defend myself with," Daern thought in his head, "They're just dogs Daern, what can they possibly do," Golte relpied. "Are you serious? Do those dogs look like harmless dogs to you? They look like killers to me," Daern thought. As Daern stepped away from the building he tripped on a trash can, startling the dogs Daern got up and ran back through the alley. Hearing the dogs running towards him he tried to pick up his speed but he was still tired from escaping the lab and having the flashback. A dog leaped at Daern but only to get knocked back, slammed into the wall of a building the dog fell and didn't get up. "There I helped you not die," Golte said to Daern, There is still one more dog behind me! Daern yelled. Just then the dog leaped onto Daern and started to bite him left arm, he fell to the ground and tried to wrestle the dog off of him but the grip was to much. "Sorry but I used all the power I had to get rid of that last one Daern, you're on your own," Golte said with chuckle afterward. As Daern tried to wrestle the dog off of his arm he glanced around to find a weapon to use, only to find a broken piece of glass on the floor, Daern picked it up and stabbed the dog in his head, the dog let go of his arm and fell to the ground dead. "See? You are fine without my help," Golte said sarcastically, "Shut up, I don't wanna hear anything from you," Daern replied. Daern sat there on the wall trying to calm himself down from the attack.

"Shouldn't I feel the pain from the bite? Also my heart is calm like I've been sleeping all day," Daern said, "That must be your little power little brother, I mean you still are glowing green," Golte replied. "I'm gonna go into that building, find some shelter from everything," Daern said to himself. Daern walked back down the alley way he just got chased from into the building the dogs were previously in. "I am glad I was passed out through the entire night, without any light I would be a dead man quickly," Daern thought. He walked up the stairs cautiously just to make sure he wont get attacked again. He looked at his arm, it was covered with blood from the bite but he still felt no pain whatsoever. "Why couldn't I be able to heal my wounds instead?" Daern thought to himself, "Try, maybe you can," Golte replied. Daern closed his eyes and thought about healing, anything compared to healing. Just then his wound began to glow a light green and he started to become drowsy. Daern collapsed to the ground, his eyes once again turned white and black.

"We would like to perform an experiment on your child," Doctor Sperski said to Dean, "We will pay you well, as much as you ask for, just a little experiment is all we want." Dean stood there pondering on the situation, not wanting anything bad happen to his son but his family is also in desperate need of money. "We will also buy you a new house for you Dean," Dr. S added, "A nice mansion for your family, we even have one picked out for you, it's also close to the lab if anything bad happens." Dr. S passed Dean a contract about the experiment as well as a blank check and the deed to the house involved in the deal. Dean hesitated to sign the contract, Dr. S smiled as Dean wrote his signature at the bottom of the contract.

Daern then was laying on a bed at the lab, just waken a couple days after the experiment was finished on him. Daern can hear his own thoughts in his head as if he was listening to himself. "Where am I, this isn't that room I was in last," Daern thought to himself, "What did they do to me, I feel weird...inside." Then a scientist walked into the room Daern was laying in and then he blacked out.

Daern awoke again in the emptiness he was previously in when he last blacked out. Again, Golte was standing there with a smile on his face. "Welcome back!" Golte said out loud, "Did you have fun going back?" "How come I didn't see you in that room with me like I did with that previous flashback?" Daern asked Golte, "I have no idea what you are talking about Daern," Golte replied. "Anyways, on the bright side of this flashback of yours, I gained some of my power," Golte said to Daern, "Care to have a look?" Golte then closed his eyes, he stood still for a few seconds, all of a sudden, Daern fell to the ground. Daern awoke again in the same emptiness, but this emptiness was pure white. "GOLTE! WHAT DID YOU DO!" Daern yelled, "WHERE AM I!

[Fehrant]

Hoping to find some answers to the overwhelming amount of questions tormenting her mind, Cassandra followed the man into the shadows. A few hellbirds tried to get in her way, but she systematically knocked them to the ground, until she reached the narrow passage between buildings.

With a field of vision as clear as day, she followed the mysterious figure up ahead. The hooded man turned a brusque left passing through a door in one of the walls. Cassandra could see he sped up his pace, but it made no difference to her. He was far from losing her trail, if that's what he intended.

Inside the barren building, he went down a set of stairs, then down again. He slammed a door open, and it made a loud bang resonating through the entire floor. She could see him. He stood still, waiting, facing the open door. This was his final destination, and he wasn't alone. "No matter," Cassandra thought. "I can handle myself."

There were three people in the room. The boy she had followed was one of them. Next to him was a young man as well, wearing a trenchcoat, standing casually next to a muscular, towering man with a thick beard. In a smaller room connected to this one by a door standing right behind these three men, two children hid. A girl and a boy.

"Nice outfit," said the cocky trenchcoat man and pulled back a few strands of his long hair. "Vince, by the way."

"Her name is," started the hooded man. "Number V? What kind of name is that?"

Vince grinned. The man next to him did not.

"How does he know?" She pondered. "Even if I wrote it in my lab clothes, he couldn't have deducted it so easily. He wouldn't know it was my actual name until a few moments ago when I remembered my real name is..."

"Ah, Cassandra," he said as if he had just found a something he was looking for. "That's more like it."

"How do you..." Cassandra wanted to ask, but was interrupted by him.

"...know your name? I know several things," he confessed. "Your attire is weird, but after witnessing the massive energy outburst in the nearby lab, I think it's clear you came from there. They held you hostage?"

Cassandra remained silent. It was then when the felt something in her mind, like a tug. It was a feeling she had never experienced before. It was like something was trying to force its way in. Out of sheer willpower, she pushed the foreign presence away.

"Not bad," he said.

"It is you," Cassandra realized. She took a few steps forward, when stone arms emerged from the floor and tried to hold her legs. She quickly somersaulted backwards, avoiding their grasp.

"You can see better than what appears to be," the hooded man complimented. "No need to get rough, though, we are not here to fight you. My name is Jack, and we are one of the last original citizens of this city. We want to take it back from all the people who don't belong but got comfy here anyway. You've seen some of them: hell beasts from our dear lady, there's a group of raiders, and a few more characters you might have the pleasure to meet one day."

"So," Jack resumed, "are you friend of foe?"

"Neither," Cassandra simply declared.

Jack frowned. "That won't do, I'm afraid. That makes you a potential friend, and a potential foe. I don't like taking risks."

Cassandra tensed. She felt very light probing in her mind, far more subtle than before, and far weaker. "Cut that crap," she demanded.

Jack sighed. "Very well, then. I can't easily trust you, but I won't lie to you: I believe you have powers, and right now we need every hand we can get. There are several threats for us to deal with alone. I won't get into your mind, but I need some answers. You know, so I can better grasp the situation."

"Why don't you answer some of my questions first," Cassandra countered.

Jack pondered for a moment. "Fair enough. How about we do one and one? You get one question, I answer. Then I get one question, then you answer."

She nodded in agreement. "You read minds, so you obviously got my name from reading mine. I suppose none of you know who I am."

"Should we?" Asked a bemused Vince,

"That's not what I'm trying to say," Cassandra said honestly. "When I... woke up in the facility, all my memories were gone. I only have my childhood memories, but other than that I don't know who I am. You know anything about that?"

Vince and Jack exchanged glances. Jack glanced back at her. "Some time back, I believe 6 months or so, we met a kid wearing the same clothes as you. He had the power to walk through walls, and he had apparently escaped from the same facility. As in turns out, he also had lost his memories like you described. We got along pretty well, so eventually I decided to give the kid a hand. I'm not sure if this is the same for you, but when I sank into his mind, and searched for the section holding all his memories, I felt a strong barrier being placed, one that just touching it or forcing it with my mind gave me and him terrible headaches."

"Did he recover his memory?" She asked eager.

"My turn to ask," Jack replied. "I saw there are several of your lab buddies. How many are there, and do they all have powers?"

"I don't know how many there are," she confessed honestly, "probably less than or around 10. As to the powers, I didn't talk with them much, or hang around them much to actually see if every one of them had, but some of them did, and I'm sure we are all on the same boat."

Jack nodded in satisfaction. "He gradually got pieces of his memory back, and it certainly looked like he was going to fully recover, but unfortunately he was killed. Now, explain your power in detail."

"I can see my surroundings. I can see everywhere around me within a certain radius, that's how I know there are two kids behind that door behind you." Cassandra awaited a reaction.

The towering man grunted, visibly annoyed. Jack raised a hand as if to calm him down. "Interesting power. I saw you easily fight those hellbirds, so I guess regular martial arts combined with your power boosts your talents. It makes sense."

"Know where I can find a computer?" She asked feeling the CD with her fingers.

Vince burst out in laughter. "I guess your memory loss must be pretty impressive, Cas."

"I guess you aren't up to date on the events that occurred these past two years," Jack surmised. "But to answer your question, you will easily find a computer anywhere in the desolated homes. A powered-up computer, on the other hand, not anywhere in this city." Cassandra looked puzzled, so he continued. "You clearly can't see the lack of light in this room with your power. This whole building does not have electricity, neither does the entire city. As Vince said, the world changed---well, at least America. Electricity is now a luxury."

"Let me be forward, Cassandra. I can't help you with your memory blockage problem. You are welcome to join us until you recover your memory. After all, it's not like you have a place to go."

Cassandra felt hesitation in her being. Trusting others was something she couldn't find easy to do. "I'll pass."

"Why?" Jack questioned. "You got somewhere to go?"

"I don't," she said bluntly. "But before I go, I'd like to know what happened these past two years."

Jack sighed. The towering man turned around, and went through the door towards the children. Vince shook his head. Jack face suddenly changed. "Wait, I just realized. You are looking for a computer because of that CD you hold on your hand, right?"

Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "Yeah..."

"You got that from the facility?" He questioned.

"What's your point?" She asked mistrustfully.

"It might hold important information," he observed. "I think we should find a computer and watch its contents."

"I thought you said there were none available..."

Vince grinned. "We might have other means," Jack suggested.