What Lovely Specimens. PLOT

[Ϛ Cylo]

Over the sound of gunfire, Cylo had barely heard the order to ready grenades, but that didn't quite matter because when the chatter of the guns decreased slightly as a portion of the guards stopped firing to get their grenades, he'd taken a quick look to see what was going on anyway. He didn't want anyone sneaking up on him, after all.

When he realized what was going on, an impressive groan escaped him.

"You have got to be kidding me! Grenades? What the hell is this, a video game? You can't just buy those things in a corner store! Screw this!" Positively growling with annoyance now, he went to the far side of the cover he and Kirien were behind so he could have a running start when he burst from cover. "Stay here until they stop shooting. Maybe throw junk at them or something, I don't know. Just don't get shot."

And with that, he sprinted out from behind cover in a blur of motion. If the guards that were still firing managed to follow his path, at least it would draw fire away from Kirien.

He (presumably) took a couple bullets on the way, but he reached the guards in a split second and flashed through their ranks, slapping an unpinned grenade to the floor at one of the guards' feet, pulling the pin from a grenade still strapped to another guard's body, and aiming a swipe with his butterfly knife at Stephens' cheek, the blade moving through the air so quickly it was whistling and barely visible; not much more than a flash of light.

As he exited at the other end of the group, he attempted to grab the gun from one of the guards' hands, but his foot caught on another guard's and he ended up stumbling, windmilling his arms to maintain his balance as his feet kept moving, carrying him behind Rae and her followers. He finally came to a stop by running into the wall beside the door he had originally come through, feeling a little dazed from the whole ordeal.

At least the guards had a grenade rolling around their feet to deal with now, not to mention a live one still strapped to a comrade. If they hadn't been spraying him and his improntu posse with automatic fire, he might almost have felt bad. It could certainly prove to be messy.

[matt]

What's with this place? Aren't there any doors around here? The young Cavan thought to himself wearily. He'd been walking for what felt like a lifetime, but it hadn't even been five minutes; being cooped up in a shady institute with a bunch of shady men had him thristing for freedom. He even took to running his hand along the wall as he went, just in case he could trigger a secret passage to safety that way.

Something should definitely have happened by now. He thought suspiciously, eyes darting from side to side, expecting a camouflaged enemy to leap out from the opposite wall. When he turned to check behind him, just to make sure no one was silently trailing him, Niplik was hit by Garion's attack.

Matt's eyes grew to the size of saucers. Not only was a man coming, but he was flying, and straight at him! He threw himself to the side just in time, not about to trust the man to stop in time.

"Hey!" He called out to the fallen man, firmly, so he sounded threatening, and quietly, so no one else would be drawn to the area. He stood a safe distance from the man, close enough to see him, but far enough to run if need be. He opened his mouth to ask if the man was his ally or not, but ended up muttering a swear word. It didn't look like his 'friend' was fit for conversation.

Guess he's a bad guy, then.

With a shrug of the shoulders, he turned and headed back from whence he came, back where Niplik had been flung from. There had to be something interesting down there, right? It could be a friend, someone there to help him. But what if it was an enemy?

Uh...I'll think of something.

[scythe]

At the comment from Rae the dragon just gave her a bored look, but then pushed off the wall he'd been leaning on. Uncrossing his arms he started forward not seeming to be bothered by the bullets, even if some of them managed to hit and pierce his hardened skin. Flesh, epidermis, hide. He was getting rather close to the guards when he caught a flash. The male red head was going in.

Stopping in his tracks he watched in mild amusement as the boy pulled his fancy little speed stunt. He crossed his arms and waited. Either the guards would find the granade and throw it at them. In which he would try to catch it and throw it right back. Playing catch with a boom ball not the brightest idea. Or he would watch as the men went kaboom. Exploded, splattered, detonate. Then he'd finish off what was left. But before he could have fun he'd have to wait. The old war dragon new how to wait.

When the lad came back his eyes followed him but no words came out. That lycan girl was careless, always blocking that female dragon. The female war could probably handle the bullets better than the little doggie. Canine, wolf, cur. Demon boy was rather gutsy, and his wee girl was interesting. Such rage in such a tiny casing.

[Raelena St. John]

Getting blown up by a grenade did not sound like a pleasant way to go. If Rae were making a list of ways to die... well, honestly blown up by a grenade would probably be in the middle of the list or so. It had to be more pleasant then torture, and was certainly cooler then, say, a car accident. But point was that Rae didn't want to get exploded by a grenade.

And she really didn't want Eve or Eryk to get exploded. Even more then her herself, actually.

She surged forward, but paused as a red blur shot past her. Then the Hulk moved, more or less providing cover. So Rae did the relatively smart thing, waving for her friends to line up behind Scythe. Her hope was that everyone would just stand behind the dragon, using his bulk as a shield.

Then the demon lurched by them, and Rae winced. It was a shame they hadn't brought a healer... hadn't brought anything besides a bunch of bada** brawlers, really. So Cylo would have to heal himself or something.

Rae dared look around Scythe, frowning at the scene.

"Tha's goin' ta be fun," she murmured. "Goin' tae blow themselves oop fir us?"

[Admin]

The strike force had not been anticipating the enemy to have someone bulletproof. They had not been anticipating the enemy having someone so fast they couldn't see him move.

So they were thrown into momentary chaos as the hulking man stomped towards them. This panic was only accelerated by the sudden addition of a live grenade at their feet. And the guy wearing the one grenade started desperately flailing

Fortunately Stephens was still there. He jerked his head back as Cylo came close, though a thin red line still blossomed on his cheek. Grunting, Stephens dove to the floor, scooped the grenade, and lobbed it over the large bald man's shoulder. He then turned to the dancing guard.

"Throw it," he ordered, eyes narrowing.

The panicked guard just managed to jerk out his explosive device, and desperately flung it at the oncoming enemy. His throw was arching directly at the bald hulk (Scythe), and was liable to hit him; were it not intercepted.

[scythe]

The other people were using him as a shield, and that made him smile. It would make most people laugh but he didn't really laugh. When the alpha wolf moved behind him so did the other smaller wolf, and the war female as well. He just stood and stared at the frantic enemy his smile growing all the while. Grin, sneer, smurk. Like mice in a room with a starving cat, so very humorous.

Then an idiot tossed a grenade over him he ignored it knowing it was tossed too high. Hopefully the lob would land far enough behind him that the people hiding behind him would get it instead of him. When the second one came at him he uncurled one arm and caught it easily. Simply, lightly, smoothly. He rotated it in his hand a fraction before throwing it like a baseball at the group of guards. If they dodged it then it would most likely exploded behind them and damage the building inside. That was fine with him.

Hopefully someone behind him took care of the other grenade. Speedy might be able to kick it away or something. Or it would explode and people would get hurt. Well, most people. He define 'hurt' differently than most. Wounded, scathed, damaged. Course most people weren't a meat block built for damaged to be inflicted upon them and upon others. Most people simply weren't him.

[Garion DeLuse]

Garion stared at the body of the scientist go down, down, down the dark hallway until it was out of sight. How did he do that? He had done some impressive stuff, but nothing like this. Perhaps his Gift was finally evolving? The skin around his temples started to tingle, but Garion thought nothing of it. He turned and caught a glimpse of blue in a window.

Garion didn't even see Matt almost get hit by the flying scientist. He was too busy staring at a blue cat through a window and trying to determine if it was Locke's trademark hair or not. He figured it wasn't after it jumped on a mouse playfully, landing in a bloody mess. He turned around to see a young boy, about eleven or so, run down the hallway Niplik disappeared into.

Garion approached the boy, figuring he had nothing to lose. He looked like a captive, in fact. In any case, he wasn't armed, so Garion spoke to him in a hushed whisper.

"Are you from the Academy? How did you escape? " He wasted no times with introductions.

[Locke F. Herald]

Locke had heard something, while he was working on the door, to little effect. Something outside, a scream of some sort. Was there a fight out there? Well, anyone fighting out there that wasn't an enemy was an ally, but he needed some way to alert them to his presence.

His tiny fists wouldn't make any noise against the huge metal door, he needed something heavier.

And then he looked up at the collection of metal on the ceiling, held up by his 'magnet.'

With a wry grin he cut off the power, letting the metal and such fall to the ground with a mighty crash. Sure it might not be heard over the sounds of the fire fight, but it would be heard in the vicinity.

He hoped.

[Kiri Honeywater]

Once safe within the confines of the giant box Kiri sagged to the floor waiting for them to reach the bottom. Star looked frazzeled and she hoped he was okay. This was all very terrifying, especially at feet squashing size. Her height in the air decreasing as her wings slowed. The thought that she should be ready to fight or flew as soon as those doors didn't occur to her. Why should it? She was a combat verteran.

Then she heard someone talking to her. Did someone say her name? Opening her eyes she looked around, first at Star but he wasn't talking. Then she spotted him.

"Godfather!" She cried zipping to him so glad to see that he was alright. Kiri stopped short of him holding her arms close she knew if she hugged him she'd cry. "I'm so glad you're alright. Star, and I...this is all so...I've never done anything like this before."

She wasn't brave, she wasn't a hero, she wasn't supposed to go save her boy friend! This was just insane. Her wings fluttering her features clouded over with worry, and fear. What she wanted right then was to be held, but if she was she'd break. She couldn't break now, not yet.

[Karmine de Arcadia]

Karmine looked at the girl, she may be tiny right now, but he could see her face as clear as day. So tired, both physically and mentally.

"Brave little one, it's almost over." Karmine said with a smile. "All that is left for you now is to let your Fairy godfather reunite the princess with her beloved prince." He turned to the door, and looked back towards them.

"When the door opens, fly down the hall, don't go too fast that you pass out or anything, just move down the hall. There should be plenty of 'friends' down here you can ask about him. It'll make it quicker for you. Remember, they have to be getting air to them somehow, so try the vents if your way is blocked." He spoke more to Star then Kiri, since she was obviously in way over your head.

"Become a man now, I dunno who you are, but it's about time fer ya to do something really important dun ya think?"

A sharp ding told Karmine they had reached the base floor, and with a small flash he was clothed from the look of a clubber to a soldier in combat mesh. He'd seen them through the vents, so he knew what he looked like. When the door opened they would see just Karmine, not the other two, and hopfully they would get far enough away so that they couldn't hear what happened next.

She should keep some of her innocence after all.

And with that thought the door creaked open.

[aaron]

Star shifted with nervousness as the elevator shifted deeper into the facility. Star was never good with enclosed, dark places. The little node of light following him winked in and out, unhappy to be where no real light shone. Being so near to artificial light was like a person surrounded in a sea of realistic mannequins. Soulless, empty, but it looked good.

Star nodded at Karmine's words, his throat very dry. His entire body was waiting to dash at the sound of a ding, making him extra jumpy. He almost flew into the wall as the elevator made the sharp, pointed noise.

Star grabbed Kiri's hand, and shot off like a rocket.

[Ϛ Cylo]

Cylo, who was sprawled on the floor beside the door they had entered through, took a moment to try to clear his head, shake it off, and heal a little. Bullets began to dislodge themselves from his 'skin', and scratches began to close up. However, none of this quite finished before a grenade came flying at him.

"Dammit."

From where he was lying, he couldn't reach it with his hands nearly fast enough; he was lying slumped against the wall and it had landed by his feet. He didn't particularly feel like getting his face blown up trying to make a grab for it, even if he could regenerate a new one. Something about the experience of not having a face just didn't appeal to him.

So he did the only thing he could think of; he swept his legs across where the grenade was lying, effectively scooping it up and tossing it out the door beside him, reversing his position as he did so. However, grenades aren't exactly known for their patience, and this one had been live awhile. This unfortunately meant it wasn't exactly waiting until he was done with it before blowing up, causing it to make it perhaps a foot out the door, and two feet from his legs, before exploding.

Suffice to say he wouldn't be running for at least a couple of minutes.

Being sidelined didn't exactly appeal to him, though, so he decided he'd put his control over speed to better use while he was down and out. It was always much easier to control his own speed, but he could still control the speed of others with little difficulty. He was, after all, built for it by nature. Of course, he wouldn't be increasing the speed of the guards, he would be decreasing it, until it felt like they were trying to move in wet cement.

That should even the odds a little.

Hell, who am I kidding, the odds were far from even already. Now it should be a slaughter.

It was perhaps unsurprising, the satisfaction he felt knowing this.

[matt]

Matt gave a sigh of relief at finding Garion, who didn't look like an enemy in the least. He was probably the younger boy Dr. Marshall had mentioned.

One down, two to go. He told himself, trying to keep an optimistic attitude.

"Yeah, I am. Some doctor guy was interrogating me, gave up, tried to leave, and the power went out. I snuck out when he was standing there wondering what happened, so he's probably still around..." He kept his voice low, and spoke quickly, glancing around to make sure Marshall or his buddies weren't lurking nearby.

He wanted to ask the boy's name, how he got there, what his power was, but he knew he didn't have the time. Wait a minute...didn't that guy who was out cold back where he came from fly from this direction?

Great. He can throw people down a hallway, and I can't even light a fireplace?

"There's two more of us, a girl named Morgan Cavan and someone else." He made to start walking again and resume their search, but stopped shortly after, wondering, 'Is this way even safe?' He gave a questioning look to Garion; if his fellow captive had come from somewhere more dangerous, they certainly weren't looking that way first.

[Raelena St. John]

The incoming grenade surprised Rae. More because she hadn't expected anyone would be able to throw something around or over the giant bald death machine then because she hadn't expected them to have grenades and start lobbing them at her. She reacted by instinct, lunging toward the incendiary device. By the time she reached it, Cylo had already kicked it out of her grasp. She glared at him, then rolled out of the way of the explosion.

As Rae came up, she looked around quickly. The guards were still dealing with the relobbed grenade, and seemed to be moving slower then normal. A few dots of pain on Rae's body let her know that bullets had penetrated, but they popped out as she focused slightly.

"F**k," muttered Rae, shaking her head. She quickly got ahold of herself, pulling on that inner strength that somehow made her into an alpha. "Eve, Big-'n'-meaty! Go fir 'im, they slower then s**t. Eryk, 'elp me wit' th' legless wonder."

Rae backpedaled, falling on her butt next to Cylo. Grinning, she slapped a hand on his, wincing as she felt the drain. Fortunately, the lycan had more then enough energy to grant the demon a boost.

"I disnae want tae carry ye, so pull ye'self tagether!" she ordered, squeezing Cylo's hand hard.

[Admin]

The guards did not dodge Scythe's pitched grenade. In fact, it caught one of them directly on the forehead, the strength of the blow rendering him unconscious.

Stephens barely had time enough to mutter a curse and shout an order when the incendiary went off. The beaned guard went up in flames, as did several other, poorly armored ones. The rest had backpedaled and were trying to recover quickly.

They drew guns, and were attempting to fire. However, it felt like they were slogging through jello, and their reactions had been rendered to naught. A few spat curses, glaring at the group.

"Boss," hissed one of the men, looking to Stephens, "the big one looks p**sed, and the bullets ain't working... and he's coming at us."

Stephens blinked. "Get ready to fall back."