Chemo Jimenez's Story

Chemo stood outside of the gated entrance to The Courtyard, firing blasts of energy from his palms at the approaching mindless cyborgs. He and the other Invictus, most firing from roofs and windows, were doing a good job at keeping the cybernetic zombies away.

The numbers would continue increasing, sooner or later there would be too many moving at once to effectively keep away from the front entrance. It helped that they didn't seem to be too smart, they wouldn't be climbing over the walls any time soon.

Nina stood in the fortified guard post just outside of the gate with a few members of Team Ripper, firing shots from their assault rifles to keep the zombies from getting too close to Chemo. "Sandman hailing Miss Balkan." Sandman said over the team's communication channel.

"Yo." Nina responded, "Contacted Arya Bones, she and her team are on their way to clear a path from behind for Preston and the others." Sandman told the woman, "Got it. We'll be expecting them." Nina said, "ETA on those assault vehicles? We can get heavy duty on these fuckers." Telford said over the same channel.

"I kind of want to see a tank run through those things." A Team Ripper soldier mused.

Preston drove the Invictus van through the hordes of undead, it's cowcatcher making short work of those in it's path. "There's a lot of them, don't know about making it." Preston said, speaking into a communication device. "This is Bones, my team and I are right in the area. Let us clear a path."

"This is Sandman, I don't see you." The sniper said, looking through his scope for the team. Almost on cue Arya and her team charged through the hordes, two of her people in front projecting a wall of energy.

Arya raised her pistol, firing at the hordes as she shot electricity from her free hand. The rest of her team utilized their own weapons and abilities, seeming to make light work of the hordes. It was easy to tell that out of many of the Invictus soldiers on the street Arya's team had the most experience with things like this.

It was literally the only thing in their job description.

"Open the gate!" Nina ordered, Chemo and those holding the broken gate up allowing it fall. Preston drove the van right into The Courtyard, bringing it to an abrupt stop to allow those inside to join the fray or get medical assistance. "Winter is coming." Taco said as he stepped out of the vehicle, moving up to join the fight.

"He should really work on his catchphrases." Chemo said, "Where's Biohazard and Telford?" Nina asked Preston who moved to help Fahim out of the van. "They stayed behind." Preston answered, "Why? That's stupid. Why didn't you order them to get in?" Nina asked.

"I don't know. I agree. And, we didn't have time to wait. We had people to help, some of them being our own." Preston explained, "They're our own too! I'm going to go look for them." Nina said, heading off towards where she had parked her car.

"You have orders. I'll talk to Arya Bones and see if she can handle it." Preston called out, "Don't do anything foolish, Nina. You'll get hurt."

"Fine," grumbled Shavi, getting up with the smallest stumble. Her stockings were ruined. Ripped all on one side. But still, she gathered herself next to Nina. "This body has held up the last hundred years, but don't let your little baby bones give out on you so early, Nina." she retaliated.

When the van came, Shavi started to ask questions. Here she was, being promoted to one of the higher positions, and she barely understood what was going on. "Nina, I don't want you out there. If they stayed behind, they had to have a good reason, had to know what they were doing. When everything thins out, we'll send out a team to look for them. Can we get in contact with them now? Are they too far?" she asked Preston.

Then, as two other members flooded out, two she didn't recognize, she frowned. "Who are they?" she asked, gesturing to Genienne and her partner.

"Venomsquad," Genienne snapped her weaponry into ready with a series of well executed clicks and wrist twirls, grinning grim at the one with the questions. Jacob hopped out after her, already armed, falling into formation with everyone else around. "On your side," Her words floated through with a hint of amusement.

Jacob pressed his comm, "Haven," relaying through to the other end that they were alright. Mouth a line, he wondered how the others were. Reisel was back there with some of these people's people. In the soup.

"Hell of mess, oui? " Genienne noted to whoever would hear.

"Not sure." Taco told Shavi, "They hitched a ride. Apparently they don't have their own ride. Freeloaders." The Invictus soldier said, gesturing another over to help him remove his equipment. The bullet that Taco took and the fall seemed to have rattled him, it probably bruised his body.

He was clearly in pain every time he moved.

"Yeah, it's a mess." Preston told Genienne, "You'll be free to leave after Bones and her team take care of the hordes in outside the gate." Preston told the two unknowns, "Not sure how well you'll fare in the rest of the city, I heard there's criminals out there and some of these things are just wandering." The French-Canadian soldier said.

Preston looked around for Nina, the Serbian Soldier heading for The Palace's entrance. She was either going to yell at Stryfe or going to blow off some steam. Maybe both.

A black van sped towards the scene of the incident, a few WCPD squad cars ahead of it with their sirens effectively clearing the streets. "Chemo, Mulan, you're with me. The rest of you assist the cops and NPA if they arrive. Keep a path cleared for ambulance to move, okay?" Taco ordered as the van slowed to a stop.

"Everyone back up!" A police officer shouted, he and the others trying to put some distance between the downed man and the apathetic denizens of Wing City. "Find Johnson, help him out." The officer ordered, apparently being one of the more senior officers on the street.

The Invictus soldiers climbed out of their van, Taco, Chemo, and an Asian soldier, Mulan, trying to rush towards Shin'ichi as soon as their boots hit the concrete. "Any idea who this is?" Chemo asked the other soldiers, "Beats me." Mulan answered.

As the arriving WCPD officers joined Johnson at the floor level of the apartment complex, it took only a moment for him to bring them up to speed. Fanning out, the officers made short work of searching the building - but there was no sign of the shooter still on the premise.

Once the area was deemed clear, further investigations of the scene could begin.

While the building was being searched the situation down in the street was still tenuous as Tamotso seemed uncooperative to allowing anyone near Shin'ichi - medic or otherwise. The serpentine dragon coiled and hissed menacingly at the Invictus soldiers that sought to approach, and the ripple of coiled muscles beneath his thickly scaled hide warned of the poised tension within the animal.

"Hey, hey, easy." Taco said to the dragon, carefully removing his weapons from his person and placing them on the ground. "I'm here to help. You want him to live, don't you?" Taco asked the dragon, taking slow steps forward.

"Let us help." He said, staring the dragon down. Practically pleading to be allowed to do his job and save a man's life. The longer they weren't helping him the more his chances of infection increased.

Not considering anything that Wing City would bring about. Like cyborg fire ants.

"It's so cold." Chemo said, bundled up in a thick layer of longsleeve shirts, a dress shirt, and a thick black peacoat. "You're from Canada, why are you complaining?" Nina asked as she lead her friend towards Franklin's office.

"Toronto. It's not the North Pole." Chemo retorted, "Not all of us can be born in Serbia covered in snow. Our summers weren't spent in snow either." The Puerto Rican man said.

Nina came to a stop outside of Brice's office, taking a deep breath. "Nervous?" Chemo asked, "A little. What if this pays off and I have to leave?" Nina asked her friend, "Leave the Invictus? There's always a place for you, Miss Serbia 1992." Chemo told Nina, giving her a reassuring nod.

"A career politics might suit you better than playing drill instructor." Chemo said, "Get in there. I'll be hanging around town if you need me." He told Nina, turning to walk away just as she pushed Brice's door open.

"Yo, Serbian girl here to do politics stuff. Who are we slandering first?"

Tamotsu was unrelenting as he hissed at Taco. His coiled form served to shield Shin'ichi from further harm, but did little to permit medical care for the wounded man. Taco's slow movements seemed to be helping to not provoke the animal into an outright act of hostility though.

All around people were continuing to gawk, and the crowds were making the beast uneasy. There were people everywhere, and cameras were flashing as pictures were taken.

"We need everyone to leave. Right now." Chemo said loudly, "That means you should go home or back off!" He shouted, gesturing for the Invictus soldiers to assist any police officers in clearing the people out. "You don't have to go home, but you have to get the fuck out of here, as they say." Chemo continued, joining in to herd the masses away from the scene.

"You need to let me help him. He could die otherwise." Taco said to the dragon, the wail of ambulance sirens growing near.

"He will die if you don't let me help." Taco said, "Please?" He pleaded, continuing to face down the dragon. But, he didn't do it with hostility. Taco was genuinely concerned for the man.

The gathered crowds seemed reluctant but after some heavy encouragement and herding they were beginning to disperse.

Tamotsu couldn't understand a word Taco was saying, but it understood the nature of people to some extent. With the crowds being driven off, the animal lowered its head and flattened its body against the street - though still half-coiled protectively about Shin'ichi. Its watchful eyes never left Taco, fully ready to react should Taco so much as move one finger wrong.

Nina wiped sweat from her brow, the nervousness setting in. She'd fought in warzones, dealt with the problems that plagued, but the idea of having to speak in public was frightening. "Okay, Nina, you got this." The woman said to herself, making her way up to take her seat in front of the crowd.

The Serbian woman raised a hand to wave, greeting the townspeople with a nervous smile.

"Yeah! Nina! You go girl!" Taco shouted from the crowd, he and Chemo standing to show support to their friend."Hashtag Serbian Swag!" Chemo shouted, "Get it trending, folks." Taco said to the other people, "You got this, Nina!" Chemo shouted to the woman.

"Wooo!"

It wasn't much longer after Taco's outburst that Brice arrived at the entrance in the company of two others. Both of these older individuals were Brice's parents. His mother stood beaming in surprise at just how much of the city had shown up for the occasion, and his father, leaning heavily on both Franklin and an oak cane, expressed his astonishment with a short whistle.

Brice's clothes were in heavy contrast to that of his parents. While he wore a dark charcoal bomber jacket over a white shirt and matching jeans, his parents wore less fashionable attire. His mother wore a heavy gray coat, stuffed with fake feathers and insulation, and his father wore a dark brown longcoat with a furry cap. Brice's parents were as used to the cold as any windcrest native, but even they fell subject to their age and often bundled up to keep warm, today being no exception.

After helping his parents through the front gate he gave both of his parents a hug and let an aide and trusted friend help them to their seats. He then quickly jogged after a member of the event's staff towards the stage.

He ran right up the steps and into the middle of the stage, where he proceeded to do a quick, small bow.

"Sorry to keep everyone waiting," He pulled a small tin flask out from the breast pocket of his jacket and held it above his head. "I couldn't find my lucky whiskey. To make it up to you all, first rounds on me."

He took a quick shot from the flask and laughed loudly. "Let us begin then."

"And it looks like both of our delegates have assumed their positions at the podium!" Tom announced, "the moderator will now step forward and formally commence the debates."

It was at that moment that a cloaked man rose from the throngs of northerners. Those around him looked up at the gaunt figure as if they were only now aware that he had been among them at all. He walked slowly through the crowds, up the stairs to the stage, his knees audibly cracking with each step. He stood between the two podiums, wrinkled hands drawing back a linen hood to reveal an old man with hair as clean and white as fresh snow. Any true-blooded northerner would know who this man was: the Seer of the North, the Frozen Wanderer, Regndropi.

"Kveðjur, vinir," he hailed both of the candidates, bowing slightly at the waist, "Olafson. Brice-Drengr." He turned slowly to the crowds behind and held up his hands. He was as salty and ancient as an old sea turtle, but did not, even for a moment, give an impression of frailty. Every movement, albeit slow, was direct and firm. Despite his smallish stature and physique, he stood with shoulder squared and chest barreled.

"Hail, Northerners!" his oiled-leather voice carried through the marketplace well. The crowds offered a hearty 'Hail!' in return. Glasses clinked. Meaty hands slapped wooden tables.

"I am your humble word-keeper today, the vörsluaðili of these debates! Before I turn and ask my questions of these men behind me, I speak to you, men and women of the north. I beg you keep an open mind these next few hours, to rid yourselves of bias and prejudice, to hear the words and philosophies of your native sons with tempered ears and placid hearts." He lowered his hands. "Lokið... enough of this. My voice grows weary."

He turned back to the two candidates. "You two know how this works. I will present a question. You will each have a turn to answer without interruption in the order in which you arrived. Olafson shall respond first, followed by Brice-Drengr. Once you've both answered, there will be a chance to openly-debate one another and challenge each other's views. There is no speaking order or set time-limit on this. You can go back and forth debating to your hearts' content. When I deem the topic exhausted or appropriately answered, I will stop the argument and move on to the next question." He held up a finger. "But of course, you two are not the only ones here tonight that must be examined. Your nation has demanded you take secretaries, aðstoðarfólk, assistants who are both your aids, advisers, running-mates, organizers and councilmen. They will have power if elected, and as such, must be questioned to see what they will do with such power. I will periodically ask questions of your secretaries as well." His sparkling grey eyes narrowed. "Now then. Let's begin."

Drawing a deep breath, Regndropi proceeded with the first question.

"For generations," he began, "the northern cities and tribes have been, for the most part, isolated from the rest of Aslund. Trade comes and goes and the Patronus help where they are needed, but the people of the north have always been self-sufficient and independent." His frazzled brows wrinkled. "So I ask you, men of the north, is this isolationism and solitude good? Should the north take a more active role in assisting the rest of Terra? Or are we better off proceeding as we have been, strong unto ourselves?"

Sigurd took his seat in his appropriate chair, pulling his the chair to his left for his secretary, much to the chagrin of the person already sitting there. Sigurd begun opening his mouth to answer before noticing that his rival had indeed made his way into the square.

Late, but he'd turned it his way, Sigurd would have to figure out how to do that, he'd need a few gallons of that lucky whiskey.

The warrior knew of the frozen wanderer, he had been in stories that had amazed the younger Sigurd and driven him to push himself towards the path he was on now. Sigurd moved to enter the discussion again, but something caught his eye in the tarps. There was a pair of eyes watching there, there were lots of guards and warriors here, so a sniper or assassin would have to try a little harder to remain concealed.

Sigurd winked at the pair of eyes, it had given him an idea too. Sigurd would wait for Brice to make the first speech.

The lights in the city began to shoot back on, spotlights and sirens joining in to steal light from the darkness. The sirens began to grow closer to the scene on Main Street very quickly, the spotlights from several helicopters and Seraphim Carriers shining down on the people below.

"Everyone remain where you are." A female voice said over an intercom from one of the air vehicles, "We have weapons trained on you, we will not hesitate to open fire if you show yourself to be hostile." The voice continued, several Invictus and NPA armored transports approaching from different directions.

Each one was tailed by WCPD squad cars and SWAT trucks, the vehicles surrounding the area to keep people in and out. Devices were planted on the ground by the uniformed police officers, each one shooting on to form their part of a barrier over the area.

It seemed the law was taking more precautions with those with superpowers these days.

Finally the armored transports opened up, mostly black-clad armored Invictus soldiers, with about a dozen others wearing dark orange, and heavily armored NPA Enforcers getting out to join their WCPD counterparts on the street. They didn't react for the most part, the men and women just taking up positions around the area.

Their silence and inaction lasted for several moments until finally, someone spoke up.

"You're under arrest, by the way." Preston, a black clad man with the Invictus, told the group, the NPA Enforcers stepping up towards the group they and the others had been encircling since their arrival. "We've been ordered to use lethal force, much to my... I don't like that." Preston added, "Please, don't force our hand." He continued.

Preston opened his mouth to speak, but two of the men with him began to play 'rock, paper, scissors' just behind him. "Chemo, Taco, what are you doing?" Preston asked the men, "Just figuring something out." Taco answered, "As you were." Chemo added.

"Right." Preston cleared his throat, "The heavily armored men will be cuffing you and taking you elsewhere, maybe the police station, maybe Fort Veritas, maybe the RIP, but you'll only be taken alive if you come peacefully." The French-Canadian soldier said.

"I'm imploring you, don't do anything you, or those with me, will regret."

As the police force showed up, Rougeshadow just had to sigh and roll her eyes "Please...spare us" She said with a heavy sarcastic tone of voice "We are not the enemy here, whatever that thing was that was sucking up all the electricity was the threat. WE were here, trying to take care of it. If YOU think you have the muscle to take it out, be my friggin guest. Better you then me but I sure as hell am not going to be going anywhere with the likes of you. Besides, its not like any of you can catch me anyhow" She said with a shrug, slinging her bow onto her back and stepped into a small shadow and quickly vanished from sight.

As she did, a single arrow was sent flying from a rooftop aimed at Preston at high velocity. The arrow sung and the tip suddenly exploded into a banana cream pie and slammed the man hard in the face. A howling laughter was heard and then the female had completely left the area. Pie to the face...what a gag!

The creature let out a startled screech as the laser blast sent it flying into a wall. It slammed against the bricks with a splat. Black goo smeared across the surface and dripped downward as it slowly collected and solidified. A low growl rumbled from its throat as the creature returned to its humanoid form in a crouch position. Glowing white eyes glared furiously at Sparks.

It took a step back and vanished into the ground as if stepping off a cliff. Suddenly, Sparks would feel two feet slam into his back like a battering ram. They vanished yet again, replaced only by two eerie white eyes and a wicked sneer - on the face of Sparks' shadow.

The face vanished, only to return as a long electrified black tendril that shot up out of Cat's shadow and whipped at Sparks' legs. Then just as swiftly as the tendril emerged, it dematerialized into black sludge that fell into the shadows.

The creature shrieked from the rooftop, where it just emerged yet again, at the approaching Invictus troops. It snarled as the shadows receded.

The power's starting to return. Let's try upping the voltage and see if that helps... Activate the manual override.

Suddenly the xenoshade arched its back and released a hair-raising screech as several black spikes protruded from its body. Powerful currents of electricity danced between them like a tesla coil. The bolt of lightning became quicker, stronger, and more dense as a low hum resonated through the intersection.

Boom.

The electricity erupted from the creature with explosion, sending a massive electromagnetic pulse through the surrounding area, destroying every circuit and light for three blocks.

Was he to late? clearly the law enforcements had arrived but surely they were not trying to arrest those three? The Iron Knight landed just a few meters away from the entire group of law enforcements and Meta-Humans. His form was at first crouched but as he stood to look at the entire scene before him he simply approached those who were clearly helping him before this mess showed up. "You can go ahead and ignore the major threat to this city but do not think I will." Adair's voice was commanding and held its own presence as he turned his gaze from Copy Cat & Jimmy to Preston just to then pull out a single heated ion particle pistol and shoot the arrow that was clearly flying towards the man's face. "Sorry about that. Bad habits die hard. Anyway it is clear to me that the real enemy here is..."

The Iron Knight was suddenly cut off as an EMP was set off damaging the very circuitry that was in his suit and causing him to fall to both of his knees. This was bad, very bad, it was only a test suit to see if it could contain the natural flow of power that was constantly emanating from his body but now sense this little difficulty happened things might suddenly become bad.