WCPD Agents's Story

"I hope you aren't afraid, Jackson." An officer said to Will, his weapon also trained on the Hooded Man. Officers swarming the building as a few moved in on the man in the hood, "Don't move. If you have any weapons drop them now or we will open fire. There's more of us than there are of you." The commander told the man.

"There's fresh tire marks, I can smell gasoline." An officer said, "Someone tipped them off. This might have been a chop shop. They've already left a little while ago. About an hour, maybe?" Charlie said, looking towards the Hooded Man. She recognized him from somwhere, she couldn't place it exactly.

"What's your status in the apartment?" The commander said, speaking into his radio. "It's clear, mostly. Just homeless and users, we're sending them out to the others. Gonna see if they know anything out there. What about you?" The officer on the other end of the radio responded.

"We've got a suspect, not sure if we're going to have alive. I can only hope he's smart."

"I am." The Hooded Man said, the garage door slamming down shut. "We can just open it back up when we take you down. This is your final warning. Stand down." The commander told the Hooded Man.

The Hooded Man took a single step back, revealing a container of gasoline hidden beneath his cloak. "We aren't trying to kill you. Just slow you down. If the fire kills you, well... my bad." With a flick of his wrist the container flew towards the officers, dousing some of them and the ground in gasoline.

Several officers opened fire, the Hooded Man seemingly disappearing from where he stood only to reappear deeper inside the garage.

"No!"

It was too late. The small flames from their weapons sparked the gasoline's fumes, fire engulfing some of the more unlucky officers. "Get that gear off if you've been hit by the gas!" Charlie shouted, "Raising her weapon at the Hooded Man, but she didn't want to risk helping the fire grow.

"We have to get him!" Charlie said to the other officers who were still standing or weren't beating the flames off of their comrades.

Will watched as the fire erupted and the officers engaged. He was standing far enough away to avoid the gas. So when he heard Charlie shout to get the man, Will acted. He burst into a sprint heading deeper into the garage. He paused not wanting to shoot and risk starting another fire. He looked around the room for anything that he might be able to use.

He noticed a crowbar laying on the ground and placed his pistols in his holsters and reached down to grab the crowbar raising it up and slowly approached the hooded man. "ON THE GROUND NOW!" He shouted.

Charlie and several of the NPA Enforcers aproached the Hooded Man and Will, most of them parroting Will's command for the man to get on the ground. The Hooded Man didn't comply, he stood in defiance to the law. It didn't apply to him as far as he was concerned.

"Put me on the ground and I'll put the cuffs on myself." He said, a door nearby opening up. Several men in masks crept out of the door, tossing molotov cocktails and gasoline out to keep the fire that already raging for much longer. Helping it to spread.

If there was going to be a fight it had to happen now, the building would catch fire before the fire department could arrive and set up. If there was any evidence inside the building it was going to be gone soon.

"We can take him." One of the NPA Enforcers said despite the fires growing, the masked men fleeing as officers began to charge them in hopes of taking at least one or two in for questioning.

"We've got to go. Just forget it!" A police officer said, heading back to the garage door. It was being pried open, they couldn't be trapped inside with the fire. Someone would die if they didn't leave now.

"He's got a point. Is it worth it?" Charlie asked Will and the other officers.

It was a question they had to answer now. Otherwise they'd be cooked.

Will held the crowbar and watched as the scene unfolded further. The he heard the NPA enforcer speak. With the fires raging it would be dangerous. Then he remembered something, that was stated by the chief. No heroics With this memory he tossed the crowbar aside.

"We should pull out of here. The Chief wouldn't be to happy to hear about us chasing them through an inferno. We could always call in back up and lock down the next few blocks." Will suggested to the other officers and Charlie.

The Hooded Man began to back away as the fire caught more and more of the building, weakening the structure of the floors above them. The place was going to come down eventually. But, the man just stood there fearless. He wasn't worried.

"Gah! Screw it. Let's get out of here." Charlie said, raising her weapon at the Hooded Man. "Jackson, take point. We're behind you." She said to Will, keeping her weapon trained on the Hooded Man in case he tried to get a cheap shot in on her and the other officers.

From behind the fortifications being set up a small convoy of armored police vehicles arrived on the scene. Many of them bore the insignia of the WCPD SRU. The vehicles came to a stop setting up a barricade across the street as heavily armed officers began to pour out of their vehicles. Once assembled around the vehicle there seemed to be roughly 30 officers a few SRU and the rest standard WCPD.

Will Jackson was a Sargent with the WCPD and the SRU however he was anything far from a large command position. He was given this small group of officers and asked to go assist on Sol Ave. Though from the looks of things they probably didn't need much help. "You five go look for wounded or trapped civilians." Will said

He looked out over the fortifications, Chen take 20 guys and Guard the Vehicles" Jackson said to another officer who was in a metal suit of high tech looking armor metal cables were attached o multiple portions of the armor.

"The rest of you Stay with me let's go see if we can figure out what the hell is going on." Will said as he grabbed an anti-material sniper and slung it over his back the rest of the officers followed him towards the fortifications.

From the direction of the Business District, another contingent of the golden armored warriors marched forth to Sol Avenue. At their head was a man dressed like a monk, with gauntlets of starsteel upon his fore arms and fists.
The forces following him were a overwhelming display of strength. Over Five Hundred footmen wielding shield and spear of golden starsteel, no less than fifty Fyrnskain, each wielding their massive two handed axe or Hammer with the ease of a wooden stick. Fifteen paladins filled the air, their staves open to rejuvenate and heal their brothers and sisters. One hundred and fourty three Archers, who leaped from roof top to roof top, securing snipers roosts as they went.

The most impressive display of force however would be the massive fifteen meter tall starsteel Golems who marched only just behind the Monk. Each filled the lane with their girth, and their strength could tear down buildings with such ease, that the buildings would seem made of sand.

The Monk stepped forward, keeping a distance of a hundred feet between his forces and the opposing marines, soldiers, and policemen. In a clear and almost musical voice he spoke.

"Leave now while you can, this area is not safe, and if you stay your lives may be forfeit. It is my hope to avoid unnecessary death. If, however, any of you would seek to challenge us, then we shall oblige you. Be forewarned that if you do so, it shall be an ultimately futile endeavor, as we who may perish at your hands shall only return an endless stream, until you are all washed away."

His warning given, Ekfricai stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his legs spread at shoulders width, and awaited the response.

As the Imperial Guard stronghold became more and more fortified, Cain assumed his position in the comamnd room as he received word from the Lord General that in event of his death he would be in command. Although it was to be expected, an unexpected call did come in. A call from the Commonwealth requesting that Morgannovicz be pulled out immediately, an event that required all available Irregulars had come up and he had agreed to it.

Cain personally walked down to the infirmary with a Teleporter Homer in his hand and attached it to Morgannovicz. "Orders from the High Emperor, you are being pulled out immediately. You did your part in clearing the area quick enough to help my men set up defensive positions. But enough talk, you are needed elsewhere." With one press of a button, Morgannovicz would suddenly vanish from sight to be placed on board one of his ships.

Meanwhile outside the stronghold, Heavy weapon teams set up in every nook and cranny, mortar teams held up in new holes made into the grounds. Guardsman took up defensive positions and tanks were fortified into static defensive emplacements.

A massive explosion of warm light shone over all the land. As it brushed against the denizens of terra it inspired joy and happiness in them. As it touched the Legion warriors and their forces, they all shattered into flurries of soft white feathers that emitted a warm glow of their own as they faded away into nothing.

Ekfricai laughed as he felt the light touch him. He then rushed forward and leaped clear over the defenses and battlements, even as his body fluttered and fell apart. He smiled and raised both arms wide open and said "A glorious day! I give apologies to you all for what sorrows you've faced, and commend your bravery and sacrifice. If ever you might meet me again, then pray tell, join me for a drink and song! It is but the least I owe you" as he spoke his voice and form faded to nothingness, but his laughter lingered on.

The Guardsman looked into the air as a bright light shone overhead, afterwards the Legion soldiers they had been fighting suddenly turned into feathers as they faded away. All the Guardsman began to cheer, some jumping up and down while others actually shot their weapons is the air laughing.

For Cain, he was relived that the battle was over. He was risking his neck out there and he could have died. However there was one last thing he had to do. "Come in Lance Of The Emperor, do you read?" The Commisar spoke however all he could hear was static, he soon tried to vox all the other ships but all he could hear was static. "So the space marines steal all the glory and leave us on this planet...Fine then...I guess its time for paperwork to arrange for some things while we are here..." Cain sighed as he walked outside the command post to issue new orders to his men to begin rebuilding the city and to salvage the fleet that has been destroyed.

"Did you all see that?" The Invictus pilot asked the ground team as they made it to the ground floor of the building they were in, "No, what happened?" Arya asked, "They disappeared, one of the invading armies. I see others though, you can probably hit them hard and take them out." He said.

Arya and her team made their to the exit, watching the Imperial soldiers celebrate their victory.

"Our orders are to rescue civilians, if these guys get in our way we'll handle them." An Invictus heavy said, "On you, Bones." Another said to Arya, the woman making her way to the front of the group.

She raised a hand, indicating that her team should wait. Slowly and carefully she pushed open the door to the street, taking advantage of the Imperial soldiers' distraction to order her team forward. She and the Invictus soldiers jogged over to another building, peeking inside to see people huddled together.

They could only hope the fighting outside was over, or that the good guys had won at least.

"In here." Arya said to her team, stealthily leading them inside. There were too many people to sneak by, they'd have to clear the area if they wanted to evacuate them.

"It might get gory."

As they were all herded into the area, Tabitha feet were sore from all the quick walking, so in frustration she removed both high heels and flung them down angerily, "The one time I fucking wear heels and Terra decides to get attacked." she was merely frustrated. Of course she knew this was hardly an uncommon occurence, nonetheless it still felt like Karma was intentionally screwing with her. Still being here was heartbreaking, she could see as people milled about. Terra or Wing City was unfortunately a hot-spot for activity and this meant often many people lost their homes or worse.

It was essentially the sad dreary truth of Wing City, peopling moaning in agony, with people on stretchers with bloodied bandages stumps, whimpering. Crying out. While Doctor's and Nurses ran all around, looks of worry and other concern flooding them. In truth it was hellish, but they kept on. Curtaining off the more serious injuries and euthanising those who wounds were too severe to survive.

Sol Corp had employed War Journalists and they had written about horrors like this, but witnessing them. If it was not for Invictius there would be no one to rally these people. The Government though benevolent could never handle the pressures of such a hotspot and though certain Corporations had acted in the people's interesting. Invictius were only ones who kept to this job through the worse.

Not far off siren from WCPD could be heard among the other terrible music coming from the injured. It was difficult for Tabitha to remain angry, here she was getting furious at something so mundane, but around her people were dying and suffering. Certainly put things in perspective and made one feel very guilty.

*******

It would come as no surprise that in all of this, Athena was livid. If the Vankoryth Detente still had teeth she would have fought with the others. But they had discarded that, leaving her without need to be attending to them. Thus she had resigned. At first she was merely stewing in fury, until she remembered a meeting long ago. It was something, but when she had discovered Invictius was gone, she was back to seething rage.

That is until they had come back in full force, once the carnage had ended, she head immediately following the refugees towards the buildind, when asked she immediately spoke to the guard, "Athena Ivanova, former Commander to the Vankoryth Detente and now seeking to provide my skills to a new employer, if possible?"

The Imperial Forced followed their Commisars orders and began to head to work. Tanks now equipped with bulldozer blade began to clear the rubble off the street, guardsman began to work together to fix every damaged building in the area, gathering the injured or dead, and gathering all defensive emplacements and weapons. They were now beginning reconstruction operation and seemed to not be going forward to conquer the area. In fact they were packing up everything.

Meanwhile for Cain he was filling in reports to hand to command once he could return. He wrote about the events, how many men died, what they did after the battle was over, and any additional notes he could write.

"They were helping us." A civilian called out to Arya, "Helping you or helping themselves?" She asked, letting out a quiet sigh. "Diplomacy. It ain't my area of expertise, but let's give it a shot." The southern woman said to her team, "On me."

With Arya in front, the team of Invictus soldiers cautiously made their way back out onto the street. Their assault rifles were raised, ready to be fired on anyone that presented themselves as a threat. The team began to fan out slowly, keeping about five to ten meters between them.

The more magically inclined stayed in back, the wall of soldiers protecting them to make sure they could get spells off without being hurt.

"Friendly?" Bones shouted as she and her team approached the Imperial Guardsmen, "This is Arya Sloane of the Invictus. Are you friendly?" She shouted, slowing her approach into it was a full stop.

The Guardsman that had been lugging around a beam of metal soon heard heard shouting, as soon as they looked at the source they spotted a group of guys aiming weapons at them. They immediantly stopped, slowly lowered the beam and slowly raised their hands. "Easy there! We are friendlies! We are the Imperial Guard of the Valhallan Ice Warriors, we are just here rebuilding this town! No need to shoot!" One of the Guardsman shouted.

"No, please! You don't have to do this." the man pleaded. His voice trembled with the fear of his imminent death and the crippling pain born from his mangled leg. He had backed himself against the wall to try to get away from his assailant, but the darkened alley offered him no more to him in the way of space. Edward stood there, clutching a rusty pipe tightly in his right hand. He loomed over the felled man like a wolf waiting to devour its prey.

"That's funny. You were so sure of yourself just a few moments ago. So confident." said Edward as he ran a hand through his flaxen hair. "It's amazing how quickly fate can reverse one's fortune. You know, the Greeks imagined fate as an immutable force - something that not even the gods could alter."

The man groaned again, "Please just let me go, man. Look I'm sorry. I made a mistake."

Edward hated being interrupted. He took one glance at the pipe in his hand and smashed it into his other leg. Another scream. This one scared him a little a bit; sent a chill up his spine. Or maybe that was that was the thrill of him doing something that he knew was wrong. Sure, this piece of shit came after him, presumably with the intention of mugging him, but he could have left already. His would-be attacker posed no threat to him now. And yet something compelled Edward to continue on his gruesome endeavor - a desire that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Don't interrupt me again." he practically growled the words instead of saying them. "You know this isn't the first time this has happened to me. And guess what? I don't intend for it to be the last."

The crippled man's eyes widened in horror when he realized what he meant. This man, dressed in a clean gray suit with black spectacles, intended for someone to mug him. He had set a trap. Edward was beginning to grow tired of hearing the man's begging and pleading. It was time to put an end to this. He set his sights on the man's head and swung. One swing. Two swings. Three swings until everything north of his neck was a nauseating pile of mush on the damp ground. His heart raced at a million beats per minute as he stared at the fresh corpse laying before him. He took a moment to calm his breathing lest he faint. Then, he dropped the bloody pipe onto the ground. He had made sure to wear gloves so he wouldn't have to worry about the police picking up his fingerprints.

Edward kneeled in front of the body and stared at it for a few seconds. A small trail of saliva rolled from the corner of his mouth, much to his surprise. Drool. The body's involuntary response to the anticipation of a meal. Was he really getting hungry at a time like this? "Well, nothing wrong with indulging one's desires every now and then." Edward said to himself. So, he stepped forward, grabbed the dead man's finger, and bit it off. There was a crunching sound as his teeth closed into it -- the sound of enamel against bone. Since he preferred not damaging his pearly whites, he readjusted the position of his teeth so he could bite again. This time, he took the entire thing off.

Working his way around the bone was hard, but he managed. The taste of iron saturated his tastebuds as the man's blood filled his mouth. He ate off as much as he could chew, then he spit the rest out before taking his leave.

---

Hale sat at a table in the city's local diner with a plate of apple pie sitting in front of him. He took another bite when his phone rang. He chewed and swallowed what was left of it before picking it up.

"What's the news, chief? Hopefully you have something good for me."

The person on the other end informed him of a murder that had happened not too far from his location. He supposed that him being the nearest detective meant that he'd be given priority on the case. He didn't mind. It'd been a while since he worked a case anyway. Things had been slow in the DoI recently. Why? Hale never bothered speculating. It was probably just a natural thing that happened. After ending the call, he took two more bites of the apple pie. Then, he placed a few bills on the table before walking out.

A sizable group of police officers and forensic scientists gathered around the crime scene. A handful of reporters lingered just outside the perimeter of yellow tape. One of the officers walked up to Hale shortly after hemarrived.

"Detective Santiago. Good to see you."

"You too. Frank. So what've we got?"

"Vic is a twenty year old caucasian male by the name of Raymond Watkins. All the evidence points toward him dying of blunt force trauma to the head. The killer even left the murder weapon on the scene."

Hale gave a look of surprise, "Not too smart, is he?" He buried his hands into his coat pockets when a frigid breeze rolled through.

"Doesn't seem like it. Get this, though: the vic's right index finger is missing. After searching the area, we found what was left of it a few feet away. Looks like someone has been chewing on it."

Hale listened quietly as the officer relayed the relevant information of the case. After nodding to communicate that he understood, he gestured for the officer to follow as he circled the crime scene to locate each piece of evidence that had been marked. This was the third murder this month in which the victim's body was cannibalized in some manner. It seemed that they had a serial killer on their hands.

"Keep me updated, Frank. I'm off to dig up all the information I can find on the last two murders in our jurisdiction. With any luck, I'll be able to find a connection between them and our new vic. Thanks Frank."

Hale patted the officer on the shoulder before taking his leave.