Jack shelided her eyes again as Orion shattered the Swordsman. She felt a presence close, looking up expecting to see Orion. Her smile grew seeing Tsitua. His touch familiar and still comforting. “This was your test?” She asked softly trying to get up, a dull pain shooting through her arm. Jack hid the wince as she sat up. Bruce had disobeyed hearing all the commotion having made his way down the stairs. Yelping a little bit as he hit the ice left behind slipping trying to make his way over to Jack. “Oh that silly pup” She smiled looking around the guys. “Well now that I made a bit of a fool in front of not only people I know but someone I don’t…” She said motioning to Kreos. “What now?” She asked sort of babying her right arm.

The sound of a cigarette burning came through the speakers, followed by victors voice again. "I don't decide the tests, I just help administer them." He said, "but most of the time, the boss likes to make you prove your worth in some way. You've already helped kill demons, so your test will be a more aimed one. Probably something mental." He said, dragging on his cigarette again. "What I can tell you about him is simple. He is older than you can imagine, and more powerful than he lets on. He earned his position, and we all hold him in the highest respect. Shiva thinks that Jareth will be interested in his prosthetic limbs. I designed them myself based on simpler models that my father created. They're laced with smartfibers that are protein soldered to the nervous system, making the ping shorter than even the fastest processer unit." He answered. nn@shylarah

Amuné digested this information. So she'd need to prove herself, possibly with a mental challenge. Well, there was no point worrying about it. Next to her, Jareth blinked. "Advanced prosthesis? Well the practical applications might be interesting, but I've gotten the impression that you don't share your findings with the rest of the world, so I dunno. Besides, cybernetics aren't my thing." He leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "Other folks can deal with the people. I like the machines."

"Rest of the world?" Victor repeated with a scoff. This kid had no idea, "doesn't matter, I'll share it with you, if you so choose. We also build mechs and body enhancing armor, not to mention weapons, ship repair, aircraft, watercraft, and land craft. Speaking of which, pull over, Shiva. Car is in that hollow." Victor replied. He transferred back to her earpiece as she did as he told her. nn"I love a smart man." She said, opening Jareth's door for him as she rested her arms on it with a smile. "You guys will have all kind of time to talk nerd stuff when we get back to the ship." She said, leading the way toward the trees. nn n[im going to wait for Vintage to post before replying to batgirl.]

((OOC: I keep confusing like half your characters with Orion xD))

IC: Kreos watched as the bleeding man underneath him managed to slip out from under his shoe. He dug his scythe into the ground just where the man would've been in an attempt to pin him to the floor, but he got out of the way just in time. He watched lazily as Swordsman lunged at another man wearing a blank mask. The masked man was fast, a bit faster than Kreos if he would actually try. He was slightly saddened when he was motioned to sit down by the guy in the corner of the room, but he didn't question it, sheathing his scythe before sitting down backwards in one of the nearby chairs.

Kreos watched carefully as the girl tried to freeze Swordsman, starting to doubt her abilities when she wasn't able to really do it. He raised his eyebrow once he saw her sliding along the floor, practically slapping the impaled rage-filled man. He couldn't help but laugh as she fell over and slid into the wall. He watched the spirit of the man get dragged screaming and kicking as his father pulled him into the floor. Although only the dead or the children of Thanatos can see him, Kreos gave a small two-fingered salute to his father while he and the spirit of the man disappeared into the ground.

Once Jack was done talking, he lifted up his mask and sighed. He looked up at the others and asked with a smile, "So, uh, what's everyone's name here?"

"Mechs?" Oh /now/ Victor had his interest. "Piloted, or remote?" Jareth was so intent upon the conversation that Shiva's commentary didn't throw him, for once. "Oh sweet, I can't wait."

Amuné smothered a snicker and slid out after him. "Easy there, partner. Remember, I need to pass a test, or you might get lonely. Unless you would rather stay. I mean, it sure beats moving sculptures or whatever your current project was."

Tsitua touched Jack's injured arm gently, to show he cared as he answered, "next we hone hat skill you just discovered." He said. He turned to the rest of the room as Kreos spoke. Orion was approaching them, "Kreos," he said, putting on arm on the demigod's shoulders, "you were just a child when I last saw you! My name is Tsitukaiza, this is Jack Frost, and Orion Blankface." He said, motioning to the appropriate people. "We're waiting for more, however. Sophia!" He called out. The girl stood up from behind the bar tears down her face and shaking. "Kreos, if you would, carry her over here. She's in shock. Jack, you tend to her as well. We can wait her until Shiva and her cargo arrives." He pulled out an ear piece and placed it over his right ear, "status." He commanded. nnn"We're only a few Knicks from the coast," Shiva answered her leader, "boarding the frog now." She added as she and the two others came to a clearing in the woods where a car was parked. It resembled a normal sedan with its four doors and streamlined shell. She got in the driver side and breathed a sigh of relief. She hated human cars. The dash board was on large holoprojector with solid light controls. The windows were screens showing a full 360 degree view all around the outside of the car. As she started he engine, which was a quiet purr, victor's voice came over its speakers once again. "Alright, Shiva, let's take it easy. The interstate is mostly clear so we should be good. Initiating remote control." He said. nn

Not being able to hide the minor pain, Jack flinched when Tsitua touched her arm. She knew it was in good jest. “Okay” She smiled “And I guess give you back your coin? Which is still upstairs in my jacket, where Bruce should have still been.” She smiled as the pup finally reached her side. She looked over at the other girl as she appeared again. “There’s more?” Jack asked looking back at Tsitua as he started talking to others. “Sorry if I hit anything, I tried my best to avoid you” She looked up to Orion who was still a little quiet as she carefully patted Bruce’s head, scratching behind his ear still staying on her spot on the floor.

"Whoa, sweet!" Jareth looked like he wanted to take off a panel and poke at the innards of the "frog". "Don't even think about it," Amuné warned him. "I know, I know. Besides, you gotta have a death wish to mess with something /while/ it's running," the young man grumbled, settling in a seat. "But...maybe when we get where we're going?" he inquired hopefully, looking at Shiva.

Kreos raised an eyebrow at the mention of knowing him at a young age. He didn't quite remember anything before the age of ten, everything before then being just a dark blue. He still, however, gave a small wave to the others in the room. He was about to say something, calling out to someone named "Sophia." He remembered that Orion mentioned something about a girl named Sophia. A short moment passed, but a girl shakily emerged from behind the bar, crying. Kreos nodded to the task he was given by Tsitua, seeing that she seemed to be, indeed, in shock.

Kreos got out of his seat and walked over to the bar towards the still-crying girl, casually sweeping her off her feet and into his arms. He carefully moved over to the far wall that it seemed everyone was dwelling, setting the girl down nearby Jack, propping her up against the wall. "Hey, you alright?" He asked Sophia with a slightly awkward smile. He wasn't very good at comforting people, discretely gesturing to Jack to help him with comforting the shocked girl.

It felt good to be back in the swing of things. Tsitua couldn't help but be thankful for Jack, who had relit his motivation to get back to work. He had wondered for so long and so far, simply agonizing over his sins. He knew there was something big about to happen and had disregarded that for his own sake. Never again. He turned to the unlikely group of new recruits, satisfied with those who had joined. Jack, who had the potential of being the greatest elemental he had ever seen; Orion, the sad but powerful ghoul just looking for a place in the world; and Kreos, who's appearance was shocking but welcomed. These three were definitely the stuff of what he wanted in his team, and that was good. Things were about to get serious really fast, and before the end, he knew he would need to be able to rely on them all.

He pressed a key on the earpiece which emitting a holo display in front of his right eye. It gave him updates from Victor, the chief engineer, on Amune's package. Another elemental, and a seeress were on there way. The seeress had already proven her fighting abilities and advantages, as well as weaknesses, with her sight. The elemental was a promising engineer that needed only education. As he reviewed the profiles, he began to formulate ideas on how he would determine the seeresses worth. He would need to see how much of her own gift she was capable of handling. All in all, it was a good bunch.

Jack's arm was beginning to swell, despite her obvious attempt to tough it out. He respected that, but if she couldn't recognize a handicap, she could potentially compromise an op. "Jack." He alerted, his old authoritative voice was back as strong as ever, "Ice your wound before it swells too much. You're gonna need that arm." He commanded.

Shiva smiled genuinely at Jareth. He was like a kid with a new toy. He really was cute in a way. Not just in a joking kind of way, but in a real kind of way. It felt good for her to think about some one else for a change. As victor drove the car at a reasonable speed toward the coast, Shiva reviewed Tsitua's orders. She was going to be roomed with the other water core named Jack. Jareth would be with Orion, and Amuné was roomed with... Nunque. That was odd, but probably for the best. He was restrained most of the time anyway. She would be able to have her own space in the room. Nunque was easy to be around. Unless he had some ulterior motive for rooming a seeress with a mentally unstable daemon spawn. She assumed Kreos would be allowed to choose his own room because there was no update on him.

Soon the frog approached an abandoned road off of a random exit, and found its way to an untouched cave. "Get ready!" she said, more to Jareth than Amuné, she probably saw the coming underwater journey coming. The frog went into the cave water and began its submarine protocol, shifting parts to propel underwater. It zoomed through the underwater cave and out into the open ocean, descending down toward the ocean floor. It drove on the sea bed for some time before the screens shifted to a new view. They went from light sensitive cameras that the two with her were used to, to a sound sensitive camera. Victor had designed lenses that could pick up reverberations of particles that make sound and using them as an advanced form of sonar that "lit up" the surroundings. The waves were gridded out with a simple 3d program and displayed on the screens. It had taken a while in the past for him to cut out the actual water, but the new program treated water like clear air, giving a perfect textured view of subliquid terrain.

[sorry it took so long ]

Her fingers were still blue, Jack didn't want to risk touching and freezing Sophia as she tried to help calm her down a bit. Bruce doing his little job being a sweet little bean snuggling up against her. Hearing her name come from Tistua she could feel the change in his voice. With the little bit of scolding she carefully put her hand on her arm and just started lightly rubbing it, numbing the pain a bit. "My hands have been blue and cold for some time now" she said looking at them, even her hair starting to stick and change certain colors. "I don't want to be the ice version of King Midas and freeze everything I touch. Think some form of gloves would work until I can control that?" She asked just thinking back to her dreams and how she was going to be able to control those for now too.

"Whoa, it's using sonar!" Jareth exclaimed, his nose practically touching one of the screens. "But the clarity of them, it's amazing!" He launched into a half-audible series of analyses and guesses regarding the capability. His friend just sighed. "Don't let him get into the workings of this thing if you have any intention of using it in the next two weeks. He'll practically sleep in there," Amuné warned Shiva. "It's cute, but it can be annoying. Like the time he insisted on 'fixing' my car when it broke...yes, it worked beautifully after, but I had to take the bus for a week."

Kreos suppressed a cringe, seeing that Jack couldn't help at the moment. He sat down legs crossed in front of Sophia, not sure what to do exactly. It seemed that she was still crying a bit. Kreos quietly tapped on his black steel greaves, trying to figure out how to calm regular mortal emotions like sadness. His father had no problem, being able to sooth people who have died of old age with his silky yet cold voice, but Kreos decided talking to Sophia like she was dead wasn't quite the best idea.

Kreos started to get slightly annoyed with how he couldn't help the shocked girl, though he didn't show it. His mother never really showed being sad before, being always happy, even on her death bed. Not even the thought of her death brought Kreos sadness, being the son of Thanatos, he knew death came to everyone, Kreos himself included.

At the mention of Jack needing gloves, Kreos held up a finger, saying "Just a sec." He reached into the shadow of the corner of the room, pulling out a messenger bag. He searched through it a bit, pulling out various items such as trail mix, a box of matches, old spice body wash, but no gloves. He tossed the bag back behind his shoulder, at which point it faded back into the corner of the room, stating, "Nope, sorry, I've got nothing."

"What do you know about that merc we picked up in Germany?" Asked a crewmember to another, yelling over the roar of the c-130 engines that carried them over the Atlantic. The guy being asked shrugged in response, glancing over his shoulder at the man in question. "They say he was in some crazy shit in Russia, some Blackwater, Splinter cell stuff, you know? Apparently, not only was he up against the GRU, but some otherworldly shit. Demons and the likes, some failed russian experiments he was sent to investigate. That's all my intel buddy would say, shouldn't have said that much, either!" The Airman looked back over his shoulder at the mercenary, who had a hand on the M39 EMR he used, and another propping his head up as he slept.

Ruarc McMinn wasn't an imposing, threatening, big man. At 155 pounds and five feet, 8 inches, he was a little guy. But he was built to scrap. Jiu jitsu, krav maga, jeet kun do, you name it, he was overly proficient in it. And what he lacked in size, he made up for in willingness to fight, and eagerness to kill. No one could out shoot him, either. He was a sneaky, deadly, intelligent dude. He had to be.

He was rather plain in the looks department. Mousy brown hair, skin length on the side and long and spikey on top. Emerald green eyes. He's been told he's a handsome man by a fe women,but his inability to grow facial hair has kept him looking forever 18., when in reality he was 28. He looked just like everyone else. He didn't stand out of the crowd, which was perfect for his line of work.

As the plane neared Boston, one of the airmen walked over and tapped his shoulder. He snorted loudly, and tilted his head in the direction of the tap "We're getting ready to land! You're almost home!" The airman shouted, and Ruarc replied with a thumbs up [I]"Thank Christ! Been on this plane far too long!"[/I] He shouted, an irish accent butchering his words. He buckled his seatbelt, and hoped the landing was softer than the previous one.

After the c-130 taxied around a bit, they came to a stop behind one of the terminals. He unbuckled his seatbelt, packing away his rifle in a case under his seat, and tossing his side-arm, a Five-seveN, into a backpack, before slinging both over his shoulders and walking off the plane through the back, gliding with serpentine- like gracetowards an employee parking-lot. He popped open the trunk of a black lancer EVO, tossed in the case and the backpack, before jogging to the driver's side. He jumped in, and started it up, grinning at the chance to drive and jam. "A lesson never learned" was the song he burnt rubber out of the parking-lot to. And towards his apartment he went.

He pulled in, and parked below his apartment. He unloaded his stuff and up he went. He unlocked the door, stepped in, and locked it back. Tossing the guns on his bed, he stripped down, and started up his shower. He plugged in his ipod to the stereo system, pressing play, and walking back to his room, grabbing a shower beer on the way. He took a gulp, and hopped in.

After what seemed like forever, he climbed out. He dried himself, looking over new scars and cuts. None really needed medical attention, quite surprising, since the type of enemies he had to fight this last mission weren't exactly normal. GRU soldiers were one thing, the demons they somehow summoned was another.

As he pulled on some pants, he noticed something...off. He listened for a moment, noticing that his music had gotten ever so slightly quieter, then went bqck to normal volume, like a door was opened and shut. He grabbed the Five-seveN, screwed the silencer onto the end, and slowly opened his bedroom door. He rounded the corner, gun raised into some suit's face. Arms raised, smile on his face "Mr. McMinn! Just the man I want to talk to!" He said, laughing nervously. Ruarc furrowed his brow, pointing with the barrel of his gun to a chair. [I]"Who are you? Sit! Make it quick, or I'll blow your brains all over my freshly cleaned carpet."[/I] Ruarc said, sitting across from the man, still pointing the pistol at his face. The man cleared his throat, setting a brief case on the table.

"I have a job for you, Mr. McMinn. Your work for the Sneaky Seven has caught the attention of the CIA, and we would like for you to do something for us. Your last mission in the heart of Russia has yielded some interesting information, and we are impressed with your skill." He pulled out an iPad, flicked through a couple videos, and pressed play. It was security camera footage, and it showed two guards, all decked out, standing guard in some facility. The lights flickered for a secons, then went black. Another second passed, and the lights came back on. Both guards were crumpled on the floor, bullet holes in their helmets still smoking as a shadow passed down the hallway past them. And it cut off

Ruarc watched the videos the man cycled through. How they had these he didn't know. Ruarc sighed, and put the pistol on the table. [I]"What is this job, and when does it leave? I literally just hiked across Europe from the middle of Russia, I kinda need some R&R..."[/I] The man smiled, and flicked to another video, pressing play.

A map of the Pacific ocean flicked across the screen, where a box appeared around Mariana's trench. It zoomed in, and went infrared. A tiny, tiny blip appeared.

"It appears there is an underwater city, Sybil. It is a gathering place for 'Humanoids' and other odd folks. In particular, a group, who's name and origin are unknown. Now, because of your experiance in dealing with the paranormal and other sorts, we want YOU to investigate the city, and study, report on the people, particularly this group. And 'defuse' any incidents that may occur, how you defuse them is on you. It leaves in two weeks. We pay half up front, and half when you return." He pulled a checkbook out, scribbled $250, 000, and signed it. He looked to Ruarc, who sighed, scratched his head, and held his hand out to shake. [I]"I'll see you in two weeks."[/I]

He plugged his nose, and blew, popping his ears. He'd never been on a submarine before, and the first time was headed towards the deepest part of the ocean. He patted the gun case next to him, which had his EMR, an MP5, his Five-seveN, and enough ammo to wage war against Russia. He looked down at his clothing, and chuckled. Apparently,  the city of Sybil was 'Steampunk' in style and mannerisms, so he had gone with brown dress pants, a grey vest, white undershirt, and some nice boots, to fit in while he 'lived' there.

There was a groaning noise, some banging, and finally loud thud. "We have landed in Sybil, Mr. 'Billings'." A voice said over an intercom. He wheeled his case down a walkway through an opening in the bulkhead.

When he exited the sub, he looked for an "employee only/authorized personnel only" Looking door. He pulled a panel and, sure enough, pipes filled with steam ran to the locks. He grabbed a wrench, and swung it, knocking a pipe out of place, steam spewing from the broken pipe. There was a clunking noise, and the door opened. As he walked through, there was a nother clunking noise, and the door forced itself shut. He could hear water filling the chamber he just walked through.

He found an apartment to live in after wandering the peculiar city, using doing small jobs around the building as tinder. But now, time to get a drink!

He put the Five-seveN in a holster in he small of his back, with a couple extra magazines in his boots, and went wandering again.

Soon he came across a saloon, where it appeared that some shit had gone down. He eyed the group, particularly the man with the scythe. This city was already filled with weirdos, but this man was something else.

He 'Scuse me'd and 'Sorry'd his way though them to the bar, set down some money he had gotten from beating some drunk dude in an ally, and ordered [I]"Something that hurts"[/I] While pretending to not listen to ANYTHING the group was talking  about.


OoC// Done, @TheMinorFall

(( Hey look who turned up! glomp))

Ooc// Hi! ^.^ -pats head post-glomping-

[sincerest apologies to everybody, I had a long weekend of bills, errands, and stress. Thank you all for your patience, and welcome, good to see you! Now we have two military here lol. I'm going to fast forward just a little, guys. Gotta keep it moving ]nnnFinally, after some time, Shiva entered the saloon with a the pair she had reported on. "Amuné, Jareth, these are Kreos, Jack, and Orion. The young one is Sophia." If the seeress could see auras, she likely could see a projection of Coodaudu, the fire daemon living within the hybrid. His light blue, fire engulfed body was likely standing just behind Tsitua in the girl's eyes. As soon as she was in the room, the hybrid could feel Coodaudu's attention fixed on her, like a dog fixes on a threat. He turned his own attention to the group. "Now I need you all to listen," he began, "apart from Kreos, you were all told you will have to pass a test. In fact, you have already passed many. Trust is the most valuable quality of a team, and each of you trusted your mentor enough to go to a place that may not have existed at all, then trusted those with you to watch your back. For this, you are worthy of consideration." As he spoke, he felt Coodaudu get more and mor focused on the seeress, "Your second test was, obviously, to come together and fight an abomination that threatened peace. Jack, Orion, and Kreos; I knew what you were getting into. I apologize for putting you in danger, but danger is very real at all times. And in my team, the Midelvenites, you will be the thing that danger itself fears. We are a unit of warriors from all walks of life, and originating from a collection of nine different planets scattered across what you call 'the univers'. This notion of one single verse is silly, but that is for another time. For now we will be boarding a dropship, and ascending into orbit where we will dock in the /Mother/ and remain in orbit until our next ping of activity sounds. If you want more information, you'll get it on board." Tsitua began toward the door, but stopped, and turned back around, " anyone who is not prepared to be the savior of the human race across the cosmos, stay here and Shiva will escort you home. Otherwise, follow me to your destiny." He ultimated. nnBack on the ship, a perplexed Victor tapped away at holopanels and keyboards. He was tracking and intercepting communications on Earth, looking for a ping using key words in all languages. His Ultramind, a computer he built that surpassed the original supercomputer that was in the lab of the ship before he gutted the room and rebuilt everything, picked up a series of transmissions from the CIA. He ran a few filter programs and a tracer, pinpointing a series of files containing photos, videos, even full reports on what they were calling "unexplained phenomena". Victor smiled, lighting another cigarette as he looked the files over, habitually scratching the metal plate that was his prosthetic right eye socket, then making sure all of his spikey blonde hair was swept over on the right. He came across one photo that actually caught him off guard. They actually had a topographical map of the ocean floor. He was impressed. The human race was finally learning to walk, but the map was murky. It wasn't very clear at all, yet there was still a definite shape right about the middle. Right in the heart of a huge trench was a bulbous, bubble-like shape. It seemed that Sybil had been discovered. Maybe humanoids would be making an appearance soon.. Unless the American government had other plans. nnnVictor set up a live feed of quiet decryptions and filters on all American government broadcasting of any wavelength the humans would emit. If it was related to this unexplained phenomena, the Ultramind would find it. nnn

Jareth smiled at those introduced to him, though he felt a little uneasy. Something felt off, but maybe he was just nervous. "Nice to meet you," he said, offering a hand to each in turn. But the whole bit about being a savior, that wasn't really his deal. "Um, sir? I'm not...a fighter. At all. Does that mean I have to go back?"

Amuné sighed and nudged him. "Shiva said you could work back end, Jareth, don't get so tense. You'll be fine, yeah?" She could see the creature of fire, an aura that overlapped with the one that Shiva hadn't introduced by name. And it was looking at her, eyeing her like it would an opponent. Without meaning to, she shifted into a ready stance, her hand dropping to where it could easily grab the knife that was now strapped to her thigh. His She thought Shiva had said something about a mental test, but the stranger seemed to be waiving that -- or maybe just delaying it. And then there was Kreos. His aura was different too, darker, and Orion had a faint echo she couldn't bring into focus. Of the group, only Jack seemed to be a simple human, like herself and Jareth.

Things were different down here, that was for sure. Water carried impressions better than air did, and it felt like a weight in her mind, much like being near the ocean, but stronger. It would take time for her to adjust. And with so many faint impressions the stronger ones were harder to make out.

Jack had long since gotten her jacket back from the room upstairs along with her bag, when the others arrived. She felt the coin still close to her having not given it back just yet. Enough time has passed she managed to calm herself enough her hands were back to normal color, no longer blue. Bruce was in her arms as she listened to Tsitua speak. “You had good intentions” She nodded softly.

She couldn’t help but notice the other person who had made his way into the saloon. There had been little to no others that stayed for a long period of time since they scattered when the Swordsman showed up. It was curious, but she remembered she couldn’t read to much into anything at this point.

Beginning to follow him out the door, she was already this far, nothing more to lose than a chance. “Do you want this back?” She asked finally taking his coin out of her pocket. Keeping Bruce under her other arm so he wouldn’t wander off and get lost.