Earth

Emilia woke up with a slight headache. It has been a while since she was in a normal house. "What a crazy night." She rubbed her head as she sat up. Last night she had to fight some other Vice's. It was hard, but she managed. Grabbing her headphones she walked out of the doorless room, and saw that everyone else was sleep. She walked downstairs and grabbed an apple off the counter. Wiping it on her shirt she took a bite before looking outside. It was dark as usual in the slums. Emilia had become accustomed to it though. It used to bother her, but it doesn't anymore. She went to the other side of the house where there was no one sleeping. Taking a shower she walked out in fresh clothes. "I'll go for a walk." Emilia walked out the door and down the street quite a ways.

It was a peaceful walk until she spotted more Vices. It wasn't hard to spot them, they always had their headphones with them including herself. From their attire she could tell they were working for Viktor. Emilia jumped behind a fallen tree and looked over it. Unlucky for her they spotted her right away. They turned their headphones on and charged at her. "Crap not now!" She jumped up and started running away from the house. It didn't make sense to have everyone in danger because she led the guys there. As she ran she turned on her headphones, giving herself an extra boost. One of her favorite songs, Till the World Ends came on. Now she was pumped and ready to go. Emilia came to a stop and slid because she was running so fast. As she was sliding, she turned so she was going backwards. One of the men gained on her, so she took the chance to attack.

"Ready!" She taunted him to get a little closer to her. Once she stopped sliding the man took a swing at her. Ducking out of the way she spun around him and kicked him in the back. The other one came at her and she punched him in the face. As he fell to the ground the one she first kicked charged again. Both men charged at the same time, trying to corner her. To no avail, she jumped over them and they ran into each other. Emilia kicked off their heads and landed on one knee. "Come on guys you're going to have to try harder than that." She smiled at them trying to make them have a conniption. That was the usual tactic she used; make your opponent mad so their actions will become predictable. One charged and jumped behind her, while the other came from the front and punched her in the stomach. She wasn't expecting them to do that at all.

Before the man could punch again, Emilia kicked the man behind her and blocked the other ones punch. He hit her forearm so hard it pushed her back into a fallen building. As she coughed a little from the dust, she looked at them both as she charged. The next song came on, Blow, and it energized her more. Her movements became faster and she managed to hit them both knocking them into another building. With a smirk it was time to get the final blow on them. Emilia wasn't a violent person, but sometimes she had to be to stay alive. As they came at her again, she kicked them with all she had, in their faces. With a kick as powerful as that it would kill them almost instantly. With a slight smile she turned her music off. Emilia lifted her shirt a little to see a nasty bruise from the one guy kicking her. Sighing she began to walk back to the house.

It was obvious that they would have to leave the house soon. Finally she made it back and she pushed the door open. Grabbing ice, she sat it on her stomach, and sat on a dusty couch. Sighing again she waited for the others. It would be a hard thing to take down Viktor, but it needed to be done. Emilia had to find her parents, and get Viktor back. It wasn't going to be an easy task though, seeing as she struggled a little with just those two Vices. As she sat there and thought she looked at her headphones and they had a crack in them. "Great." Lucky for her though she was good at fixing the headphones, or anything dealing with technology. She figured she got it from her parents. They were the ones helping with the Vice making, which it was okay with her because she knows they didn't want to. Emilia went upstairs and grabbed her kit.

Coming back she sat the headphones on the coffee table in front of her. Pulling out some tools she opened up the headphones. She was relieved to see that only some of the wiring was messed up. It would be a much bigger problem if they were completely severed. Pushing a button on the side a holographic picture came up of the controls for the headphones. She entered in her password to enter the main controls, and messed around with some of the coding. It was a tedious process, but it was well worth it. She wouldn't be able to access her fool Vice abilities without her headphones. While she was in the settings she decided to add a new feature to her headphones. Now with a little bit more code changing, her headphones will glow when they are in use. With a light smile, she closed out the headphones.

With relief she put them around her neck. It was important to take care of your headphones. Each headset was made exactly for it's user. So if you ever broke them you would be powerless. That was the last thing she needed right now. Emilia needed her Vice abilities to get her parents back. She could only do that though with the help of her being a Vice and her friends. They all had their on reasons for wanting to get Viktor, but they all agreed on one thing. Viktor had to die.

It was a damp, dreary day for New Moscow. The sun hadn't come out in days, and idly, the female wondered if it ever would again. It wouldn't be a surprise, considering everything that he'd already done, if Viktor somehow managed to block out the sunshine permanently. Just the thought of his name made her blood boil. When she was still a little human girl, she never would have thought it was possible to despise someone so much, especially her own father. But here she was, perched on top of a black, narrow building-using her hawk-like vision to spy on the office of the man who helped give her life. If luck was on her side, she would've seen him standing in front of a large tinted window, that smug smile on his face, and sniped him from her very spot. Of course that would be too easy, and she did want him killed-very much so, but not so quickly like that. He had to suffer for all of the pain and agony he had caused others, for all of the lives that he ruined. A smile of her own spread across Ari's lips at the thought of strangling the man to death. Yes, that would suffice. If only she could get the proper chance to do so, that would complete her life and she would satisfied, at least for a little while.

"Just you wait, I'll tear you and your entire company down." Her black-gloved hands clenched into fist so hard that if they weren't covered in leather she would have drawn blood. She hoped the others didn't think she was insane too, possibly obsessive about the task at hand, but not crazy. She was aggravated about everything, about how her life turned out, about how so many people were suffering, about how her power-crazed father was at the root of all those problems. Sometimes she struggled to stay focused on her mission, but whenever she pictured the man's face she snapped back to reality and became determined again. It was going to be a dangerous, and maybe even suicidal job. She knew well that her father kept the best of security around him, top-of-the-line Vices, other agents ready to spring at any moment should someone attack, and her father was no weak man himself.

That wasn't any concern to her, she was actually hoping there would be a struggle, that would only make their victory that much better. It wouldn't be right if they could just waltz in, toss Viktor off the roof, and watch him become a red splatter on the ground. Maybe that would be nice after a big fight. Sure his security was numerous and undoubtedly strong, but Ari and her group were by no means powerless. The fact that they had free-will gave them an advantage, they could plan and if it failed, ditch the idea and wing it. Others Vices seemed to be pre-programmed and they couldn't adapt to changes as easily.

Ari could tell her energy was running low, her keen vision started blurring and her body felt heavy. She leaned back against the cold black metal of her perch and slid her headphones over her ears. Instantly she could feel herself recharging as Christina Aguilera's Fighter flooded her senses. It wasn't long before she was up and running across the roof, her view of Viktor's office obscured as she flung herself over the edge. Now sure, a normal human would have to be a suicidal maniac to willingly toss themselves off of a seventy-story building; Ari wasn't a normal girl so she could do things like that and survive without breaking any bones. The air rushed past the female and her eyes caught sight of a tall streetlight getting closer and closer. She shot her arms out in front of her body and grabbed hold of the steel.

The metal bent a little from the power behind her grip, but it was able to support her weight. She swung around once, stopping so that she could perch on top of the light. About another five stories below neon cars zoomed below faster than one hundred miles per hour. It was the new standard speed limit, but of course no one went that slow anymore. Ari picked an especially bright purple car and dove for it, landing soundlessly atop the vehicle. She crouched down as it sped over a bridge, where below the beginning of the slums could be seen, and once again she lept over the edge. Thirty feet below she made another successful landing on a raggedy roof, being extra careful not to fall through one of the already existing holes.

Ever since they had ran away from the termination plant, Ari and the group had been living in a shabby house in the slums. It wasn't too bad if you didn't mind the occasional burglar-which was always dealt with, or a leak in the roof. They were alive and able to change the outcome of the future, that was all that mattered. Ari wouldn't be picky since it always could be worse, they could've been living on the streets, hungry and exposed to the elements. Sometimes Vices patrolled certain sections of the slums, and having a roof over their heads made it easier to stay hidden from them. She was extra careful to look out for them now, she didn't want to risk being followed and them finding their hideout. Instead of continuing her roof-to-roof routine she landed noiselessly on the wet ground and frowned when a murky puddle splashed on her tight-fitting, black leather pants. "I seriously need to invest in more clothes." Ari quickly darted through the maze of alleys and back to her temporary home. She hadn't seen any Vices nearby so it looked like she would have a rare fight-free morning. It was a shame she couldn't say the same thing for Emilia.

"Get in a fight? I guess you won considering you're still alive and all." She grinned at the black-haired female on the couch, eying her bruise. "Oh, would you mind taking a look at my headphones? Sometimes the music stops for a few seconds and I have to tap them to get it back playing." She knew if she ever needed anything done to her gear, Emilia was the perfect girl to ask. "We need to come up with a plan," she huffed and sat down on the edge of the couch, "here we are hiding while Viktor is out just destroying what's left of the world." She sat back and closed her eyes, they had a lot of work to do.

It was still dark outside when Dimi woke up, the cool and damp air relaxing. But that didn't surprise her. Sunshine and fluffy clouds probably didn't exist anymore. Groggily, she sat up and a pain shot down her neck. She'd fallen asleep on the floor again, which always resulted in a god awful crook in her neck that took forever to work out no matter what kind of stretches she did. This always happened whenever she stayed up all night, thinking. She got to sleepy to move onto a proper surface and just dozed off wherever she was. But it was also the fact there were men around. No matter much security she had about herself she still couldn't help but feel uneasy knowing they were there in the next room, and her 'mommy' was to thank for that. At that thought, her hands started to tremble a little bit and huffed, leaning back against the wall and running a hand through her messy hair.

Dimi sighed again. "I just woke up," She gave a little laugh. "And I'm already thinking about these things." Her mom was the reason she hated a lot of things, but most of all she was the reason she could never really talk to people. Dimi was suspicious of anything that moved. If the a breeze blew, she'll wonder if it's poisoned. If it rains she'll wonder if it's tainted. Most of all if someone talks to her, she'll wonder what they want. What they plan to do, what they were capable of... She just wasn't the type to accept or trust anyone, which is why it never failed to impress her that she actually lived in the slums with other people. Boys at that. Whenever she saw one of them she couldn't help but tremble, she felt and sick and had to put on her headphones to erase the bad feelings.

That's exactly what she did now, pulling the low riders over her ears and relaxing a little bit as Last of the Wilds started started to play and she leaned back up against the wall, her hands quieting and her breathing returning to normal as the rhythms pulsed into her and filled her with much needed energy. It made her feel like floating. Like gliding through the sky and feeling the air brush her skin and take her worries with it. But she doubted Vices could fly. or at least they couldn't, who knows what Viktor was working on in has twisted labs. But in a way she had to thank that man. Him taking her had saved her a lot of pain and violation, but it'd also taken her away from her mother.

That woman had been the picture of evil. Why God, even though she doubted he was real,had even blessed that woman with a child was beyond Dimi. All those nights she'd spent locked in closets so she wouldn't interrupt 'business' with her cries of hunger and dehydration, all those times she'd been left with mysterious creepy men for weeks at a time to perform services that were hardly as innocent as cooking and cleaning. All that had conspired to create a revenge-hungry teenager. She wanted to capture that woman, lock her in cage and watch her weep after she'd been starved for days, and then torture her until she'd be begging for death and that she wouldn't give her. Dimi had suffered for an entire year, her mother would suffer for much longer than that.

And what of her father? She didn't even know who he was. She did know she looked like him though, her mother had been a short dark-haired woman whereas Dimi was tall, lean and fair-skinned and haired. She would find him, considering he most likely worked for Viktor with the wealth he had, and end his life effortlessly. As her song changed to Revenge and Its Thrills by Tonight Alive, Dimi couldn't help but smile a little considering what she'd just been thinking about, and she stood up, pulling on her sleeves to cover of the little white scars on her arms, and stretched her long arms over her head as she walked out of the back room.

The other girls where already up. "We need to come up with a plan," She heard Ari say. They did. How long had they been hiding exactly? Who knows. She was glad that one was a thinker, even if it was rare. That was way more than she could say for the other one. Dimi had to stop herself from moaning when she saw Emilia was injured. Again. from solo fighting. When would she learn? but she couldn't help but smile anyway. Foolish as they maybe she admired anyone who came from hardship and still managed to have heart and confidence. Silently she moved and sat and the floor beside them and leaned on the couch as she pulled of her headphones. "Hi." Was all she said. She wanted to listen to what they had to say.

Damien yawned and opened his eyes to find himself staring into the small print of a news paper covering his face. He had fallen asleep in the subway station..... again.  Stretching out, Damien listened to the sound of people bustling around him as he felt himself begin to doze off once more.

 Suddenly, a metallic voice boomed over him. "Damien Vasiliev. Subject for termination in: Five. Four..."

"Awww go away mom," Damien moaned, curling up on the bench into a ball. 


 "Three. Two....."

Suddenly Damien's eyes flung open as he remembered where he was, no longer living in his comfortable apartment with his mother. "Shit, shit shit shit!" Damien said, hopping over the bench as the final  'One' was said and the bench exploded into flames.  "Ummm, stage show!" Damien shouted to the people that gasped in horror at the site. "Gotta run!" 

Damien leapt over the stair rail that lead to the above ground world. He didn't need to wait for his eyes to adjust as the surface was just as dimly lit as the subway. Damien glanced over his shoulder, dismayed to find the Vice still following him. Quickly, Damien shifted his headphones to his ears to charge. Turning around he faced the Vice. "Listen, I don't want to fight you," he began only to be stopped by another attack from the creature. Damien jumped out of the way, eyes wide in surprise. "Why aren't these stupid things working?!" he panted, not feeling the usually energy from his playlist. Then it dawned on him.... He forgot to turn the headphones on. 

Damien was a newer Vice created by his father, Viktor, and was still getting used to the idea of not being human. Originally, Damien was not to be used for testing as he lived with his mother and had a rather happy life, but that didn't last for long. Damien discovered he had a sister, Marishka, a few years back. However, Viktor refused to let the siblings meet. Damien respected this, but also loved his older sister dearly. He often sent her gifts and birthday cards signed with the name 'Viktor'. When helping his mother, Viktor's secretary, with filing one day, Damien had discovered information on the Vices. Not only that, but that Marishka had been turned into one of them.

Viktor walked in on Damien and was furious, deciding to use his son as an experiment for punishment. However, it didn't take long for Damien to realize there had been an error in the process. The original Vices had been attacking him with every opportunity they got. Damien decided to leave home so not to endanger his mother. Since that day, he has been sleeping in subway stations and anywhere else that seemed empty of the original Vice.

Damien clicked on his headphones and faced the Vice, realized he was no match, and took off running while listening to 'Happy Happy Joy Joy.' Ohhh the irony, Damien thought to himself, although he admitted that he had a sweet spot for the song. Finally Damien paused, gasping for breath. The Vice was gone, for now at least. Damien stuffed his hands into his pockets and hung his headphones around his neck, looking for somewhere to stay safe.

Sir, it is requested that you wake now. Your biological algorithms all say that you are fully rested, and you have been fully rested since you first put on your song…

“You, Dante, are the worst alarm clock ever. Much too polite,” Vai said humorlessly, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling, unblinking. “I would think that Milton would be much more forthcoming with waking me up. A jarring song played over the intercom instead of the gentle melodies that you played,” he said, rolling to his side on the cot that was shoved against the wall. He stretched, allowing his unused muscles time to grow accustomed to movement again. “As it was, you have distracted me from a troubling problem,” he said. He stood up and with agile fingers he buttoned up the rumbled black shirt that he was wearing.

The computer sighed, The problem, Sir?

Vai reached out and patted the console as one would a small dog, or a well-meaning child who was unsure of his/her place in the world. “The problem remains, Dante, that the Vices are getting restless and wishing to go out and attack Viktor, I should just let them,” he said. His long leg kicked out quicker than the normal human eye could follow, set his foot so it was hooked around a rung of his chair and pulled it towards him. He sat down smoothly as he logged into his computer again. “Quite the invasion of your personal boundaries, Dante,” he teased, “and on the first date,” he murred as the screen flickered to life, as if groggy from being disturbed. His best friends were the souls of his computer. The hard-drive that he had hard-wired into his brain. The monitor was of little consequence. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. It mattered little to the inventor that sat in the chair. The brothers, Dante and Milton, were programs that he had invented when he was younger and eager for company. Their words and mannerisms started off as programs but as Vai got better with computers and technology, they became fully sentient and in control of their own areas.

Would it be wise, to attack Viktor right now? Dante asked, his voice playing over the speakers that Vai had built from scraps of tin and screen. Dante’s voice was gentle, the welcoming voice that Vai had heard only for a few hours when he was twelve. Deep, rich… in some ways reminiscent of Vai’s own.

You don’t know anything. The time to attack is now, while we still have the means to do so, before others are allied against them. Before non-Vices grow afraid of what we can do and ban music, Milton interjected. His voice was cold, higher pitched than Dante, but bordering on the insane recklessness of a teenager who has yet to face loss.

Vai shook his head at his bickering Programs. He knew that a man from his past had five Programs that were similar, and he wondered how the man could handle it. “Children, you’re giving me a headache. Now, shush. I can only advise, I cannot tell them what they can and cannot do. They have a greater stake in this war than I do. I don’t care if Viktor dies, or what he has done to me. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be able to do nearly as much as I do now, He has increased my memory,” he said, his words soft, cold. He was analytical, devoid of much emotion other than sarcasm. “Let them have their rebellion, I just have to be there to be the Devil’s advocate,” he said as the screen that he was looking at flickered and died. He grumbled, “Milton, make sure that you get this screen in working order. I don’t care if you have to Infiltrate to do it. I was one step away from winning my chess game,” he said, standing up and pulling his black business coat on, buttoning the middle button.

You’ve only made two moves, Milton pointed out as his voice moved from one speaker to another as if were walking past one to the other.

The man patted the screen again; Milton was new and had a lot to learn. “Three moves into the game and I can tell you if I have won or lost. Like you said, I have only made two,” he said. He turned away and walked to the door to his room. His long legs still protested the movements and his skin, pale, seemed drawn. He rested his head against the door. He wished for birds. For sun. For something that could help him beyond just music. He heard Mozart’s Requiem swell and the funeral dirge did much to echo his mood, but also his anger that he kept carefully hidden. The music cut off and returned to his headphones. Dante was not a fan of Mozart. The song ended and seemingly upbeat rhythmic guitar started until the liquored voice of an older gentleman, the best of his genre, started singing into Vai’s ears. There was much of “When the Man Comes Around” that Vai had to research when he first heard it, but the promise of a Savior coming, and people being forced to reflect on their lives did much for him.

He pushed the door open and paused, his eyes falling closed. He permitted the music to wash over him and give him comfort. The music, while it rejuvenated most-all of the Vices and helped with their strength, helped Vai remain focused. It was more of an internal aide than it was something that made him a strong fighter. His carefully groomed intelligence, and sociopathic lack of emotion manifested in the music that he listened to. He wasn’t galvanized by upbeat music. He preferred the deep ranges of male singers, the gravel voice of the classic Johnny Cash, he preferred to hear the lyrics and put stock into them. It was the lyrics that kept him moving. It was the hope that the songs that were able to give him.

Vai heard a commotion, voices talking, in the kitchen and saw that Emilia was fiddling with her headphones. Note, Dante. Do not allow her to ‘upgrade’ mine, he spoke to his Program as he walked smoothly into the room. His pale eyes focused on the women that he saw. He knew them, and had known most of them for a longtime, but he hadn’t cultivated a friendship with them. He was the one that planned routes, gave them weapons to test out, but often would not get into the thick of the fighting. He was a strategist, three moves ahead and towards the end-game. He didn’t want his headphones putting off colors. He often moved about the city late at night and stuck to the shadows, speaking to people, and if the headphones put off a light, he’d be a moving target. He knew better.

“Ladies,” he said, inclining his head to them. He was thin, as if the music wasn’t quite enough to keep him going, as if he had yet to find the right song... or he was punishing himself for something and keeping himself lean, was the way that he gave his atonement. To any that offered their concern, he shook his head and simply stated that he was much too busy to bother looking for new music and the faster beat, hard rhythm music only gave him a headache and worked against him. “I am sorry to bother you. I heard from the other room that you are getting restless.” His voice was curt, cold and to the point. There were little pleasantries that could be passed from him. There was little in life that made him smile, save for the picture that was in his wallet, always kept on his person.

“Might I offer a word of caution? We have not fully seen the extent of Viktor’s powers. Nor, do I think that we know the extent of our own. Perhaps we should work towards honing our own abilities and forming more of a cohesive team… instead of one person going off when they feel like it, to do what what little damage a fly would do to a windshield when it flies into it. In fact, I know little about most of you and while I think it’s fine that I know nothing more than your names, we should work together better than we are now.”

Another dreary day in the slums. Jonas had lived in the slums his entire life, but he never quite remembered it being so dark and gray. As far back as he could remember, he figured he saw at least a minute or two of pure sunlight - you know, blue sky and everything - each day. If not, it would at least be bright gray. Now, it was just dark. Dark, dark, dark, all day and all night. It was really unhelpful, especially when one's biological clock didn't necessarily line up with everyone else's. The sunlight would have easily been able to filter through the flimsy curtains Jonas had over his windows, and it probably would have kept him from sleeping so late each day. He couldn't help it if he liked to sleep so much, even if he didn't need it! Besides, one of the others could easily wake him up if they needed him - which, apparently, they never did. So Jonas didn't mind sleeping in.

Still, Jonas couldn't sleep all day. His eyelashes fluttered slowly as his lids opened...not that they had much light to block out, anyways. He say up slowly, yawning. His eyes quickly darted around the room before standing up and stretching. Perhaps it was the fact that he had lived in the slums for so long, but he was just accustomed to "checking" the room each day when he woke up and before he went to bed. You know, for burglars or other people who wanted to harm you while you weren't looking. The time when shadows looked like monsters (or people) was long past for Jonas, his eyes trained now to see the details in the darkness. Some of the others might have complained about their living conditions. It was a house in the slums, after all. It even came equipped with dusty, moth-eaten furniture, tattered rags of rugs, flickering lighting, and even a couple of cracked and broken windows. Now, Jonas never lived in conditions quite as bad, but not so much better. All in all, it didn't take him long to adjust to this new home...if you wanted to call it that.

No, his home would always be with his family. His family. His home. He had given almost everything up, walked into this with blind eyes, just for the chance to give them a better life. They had worked so hard to provide for him while he was young and unable to help, and this was how he repaid them. Needless to say, this was not how he intended it to turn out. Before, he didn't know of the things that Viktor Vasiliev was doing. He didn't know how awful of a man he was, the terrible actions he took against those that had willingly (or not) given themselves to become these things he called "Vices".

Jonas also never expected to be hunted, to have the threat of death hang over him so readily. Now, he wouldn't be hunted if he never ran away in the first place, sure. But was he really expected to just lay down when the threat of termination was given to him? Of course not. Jonas was not the type to give up, after all. He wasn't going down without a fight. In fact, he didn't intend to go down at all, and Viktor would soon see this. Still, it was quite tiresome being chased everywhere he went. If he wasn't being tracked like a criminal on house arrest, he would have sought out his family. Let them know he was alright and all. But he wouldn't do that, not how things were now. He would never put his family in such danger.

But this was all beside the point. At this point, Jonas had taken a shower. He returned to his room, his hair still dripping and his chest bare as he wore only a towel around his waist. He dressed quickly, drying his hair as best he could (it was still damp) before grabbing his headphones from the desk next to his bed and slipping them over his ears. No matter how much sleep he got, he would never feel rested from it. As the music came on and washed over his synapses, he could feel his body slowly becoming recharged. Ah, that was more like it. He closed his eyes for a moment, allowing his body to really rest.

Ah, but there was no time to waste, right? As if. Ever since escaping, Jonas had a sense of urgency originating from somewhere deep inside of him. However, he had no idea what to do about. He still didn't, even after meeting up with these other Vices. He hoped that they would come up with a plan soon; it was only a matter of time before Viktor's security force found where they were staying. And Jonas didn't want to be around for that battle (though he was sure they could easily hold their own). Either way, this was beside the point again. Jonas heard voices down the hall, and Jonas moved to join them. As he entered the room, his face was plastered with a smirk. When he spoke, his voice was full of that usual confidence, "You know, you can't have a party without me." He winked at the group of girls (and the single, lanky male) before moving to join them.

"So, what's up? What'd I miss?"

I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone.

The music slowly began to filter into the ears of the young man who laid upon what once was probably a mattress at one time in its existence. Golden hued eyes blinked open as the memories of the previous events swam through his mind. The revolt, the escape, the regrouping. Vivid images flashed behind his eyes, the pictures toned in a dark scale as again and again they replayed. Still, he remained motionless, memorizing the techniques he had observed and the faces he had fought, the people he had killed. They were no longer themselves, but still people they remained, and he had killed them. His mother would have wept to see her son put through such circumstances, forced to such an action. But he knew the truth. He did what was necessary to survive, and would do it again should the circumstance present itself. His father knew what it mean to be a soldier, he had read the books and heard the stories. So much war and death, and still the fighting continued.

And continue he did as he sat up from the bed, his headphones remaining over his ears, ready to move at a moment's notice. He was a realist, and the music that siphoned through his ears only served to fuel that. Most would find the song depressing and a reason to give up hope in a situation as grim as the one he and a band of others had been placed within, but not he. Not the Lladimieriav youth who's family spent countless years fighting onward. No, instead, the song fueled him, assured him that the world still remained the same, and that nothing lasted forever. Perhaps he would die today, perhaps tomorrow. It mattered not, for he would eventually pass on. But it held the same for the man who thought himself invincible to the natural elements of the world. He could hide behind his money and power, continue taking from the people to further build himself, and even lengthen his life. None of it mattered, for he too would succumb to the laws of creation, natural or man-made. His time would come to an end, perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow, or ten years from this point. The when never mattered, the facts of his demise existing, of the laws continuing to remain intact, was all that mattered to the youth.

All we do, crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see.

Mischa Lladimieriav stood in the center of the small, private room he had claimed as his own, a pistol seeming to materialize from what was thought to be mid-air. With the care of a trained marksman, he set the weapon down on a short end table as he straightened his the muscle shirt that had ridden up on his form. Taking a belt that had been placed on the end of his bed, he secured his jeans into place. Every move he made was done with precision, each action holding a purpose and no amount of energy spent wasted. He had learned the importance of routine and held firmly to the traditions and laws he had been taught. Stepping into his boots was done smoothly, the laces made tight and knotted in place before he sat with his back to his bed, reaching behind him to take hold once more of the pistol.

He had taken it in their retreat, pulled it from a man's holster and used the end to club him down. Thinking back, he should have killed him, saving the man the torment he was sure to face having his weapon stolen by an escapee. Still, he had a limited number of bullets, eight in the magazine and one in the chamber, if the weapon was what it appeared to be. He quickly disassembled the weapon, finding it to be quite similar to the over millennium old, semi-automatic Colt M11911. He removed each of the bullets and began to wipe down the weapon, taking care in the procedure. He allowed his mind to wander as he did so, remembering the advice his father had given to him, the lessons learned, and mistakes he learned from. After several minutes of making sure the device would function properly, the gun was again assembled and the magazine loaded. He made sure the manual safety was activated before sliding it between his pants and belt. He made a note to himself to look for something he could use as a makeshift holster before standing and moving into the shared common room where he had heard voices.

The women stood together, and the other man he had escaped with was speaking to them quietly. He remained silent against the wall, listening to the advice being given. He had nothing more to add to the conversation, and since he was not asked for his own specific input, did not grant any. The second male came into the room shortly after, asking a question that Mischa couldn't help but find to be pointless. He looked over to the run down kitchen and had a sudden longing for food in the household. He silently moved toward the area, checking it idly. Breakfast should always come after rising. Not that he needed to eat, but it was tradition. Garbage scramblers, as his mother called them, were his favorite, and if they had the necessary ingredients for such a thing, he would have already set to work cooking a meal for himself and those he resided with.

Dust in the wind. All we are is dust in the wind...

Emilia looked at Marishka as she came in. "yeah I got into a fight, isn't that normal?" She laughed lightly before feeling the pain in her stomach. "Sure let me see them." She took them away from her friend and opened a small compartment on the side of it. It projected a screen and she started to type on it. She messed with the girl's coding before smiling with success. "All done sweetie." She laughed again before handing them back to the girl. "Try those out." Emilia spoke confidently in herself. She watched as Dimi was next to come into the room.

"Hello." She smiled at the girl before thinking about what Marishka had said about some sort of plan. "I agree with you, we can't stay in hiding forever now can we?" She knew everyone was eager to get back at Viktor but then again they couldn't just charge into battle with the man blindly. Emilia's eyes looked over to Vai as he came into the room. She had to agree with what he had said. "Your right Vai, we may not know much about each other, but we do know somewhat about everyone's powers." She said taking the ice off of her bruise.

It was already black and all discolored. Sighing she tossed it aside and rolled her shirt back down. She looked as Jonas came into the room after Vai and she laughed a little. "We aren't having a party without you, more of a meeting." She joked with him before becoming more serious. She saw Mishca wonder into the room and he was as silent as every. Out of everyone he was truly the one she knew the least about. Dismissing the thought, she looked back at everyone and stood up. "Now we should practice more with our Vice powers, but be careful not to attract any other Vice's to us. We don't need to have Viktor's attention in the dead zones."

She spoke before walking around the back of the couch and resting her elbows on top of it. "We should head out now and train. There shouldn't be any guards or anything out right now. They usually only come out at night looking for people who are trying to get into the city. I know just the place we can train too." Emilia smiled widely at everyone. "Oh let's have sparring partners. Just don't go overboard here people. You have to remember that we want everyone alive and not dead. We are going to need everyone here right now to do what we have to do."

She was half joking and half serious as she spoke to them. Ignoring her painful bruise, she walked over to the door. "Let's remember our goal here people. Take out Viktor." She opened the door and headed outside. It was the nicest day she has seen in a while, sad to say though cause it was still pretty cloudy and gloomy. She peeked her head back in to look at everyone, "Well?", she mused. Shrugging she walked all the way out and went to the right. Emilia headed for an empty field that was pretty far from the house they were staying in at the moment.

When she got there she took a look around looking for anyone that could be watching them. The only thing that was there were remnants of an old building. She looked over and saw the city where most of the people lived, that was if you were obedient to Viktor's rules. She would never listen to word that man would have to say. She couldn't believe the people followed him, then again with the Vice's he had, he was a pretty powerful man. It wouldn't be easy taking someone out who was so heavily guarded. Emilia waited for the others before she would start her own training. She didn't want to be the only one out there.

Ari leaned back against the couch and sighed, rubbing at her temples and trying to fight off the headache that threatened to start up. Vai was right, it wasn't a smart idea to go out by herself, especially running around the city and carelessly throwing herself off the roofs of buildings because she felt like it. She was a bit reckless, it was no big secret, she just couldn't stand waiting around for the perfect plan to be created. She envisioned just storming her father's office, killing everyone who tried to stop them, and finally getting rid of Viktor after making him beg for his life. That was a poorly pictured fantasy that she knew would never happen in reality. She didn't know how many guards he had around, but it was no question that there were well over a hundred. A man with all that power had to have more enemies than just a handful of Vices that had minds of their own.

She snapped out of her thoughts before getting lost in them and focused on the conversation around her. "Thanks, you're a genius." She offered Emilia a sincere smile, without her music working properly she wouldn't be able to function. For a moment she took the time to test them out and was relieved when the music played, loud and uninterrupted, she could feel herself perk up even though she didn't need the extra energy. By the time she removed her headphones Ari noticed the room had suddenly become full. "I guess we can come up with a plan later." She worked to keep the disappointment out of her tone, it wasn't that she didn't like sparring--because she loved it. Ari was just being impatient, she was ready to come up with a plan of action then go out and tear her father down. She could picture his face, a smirk forever playing on his lips, sitting back and counting his money while the world around him crumbled. The brunette shook her head furiously to banish the image away.

"Wait for me, I'm coming." She hoped up from her perch at the edge of the old couch and stood up, twisting from side to side to stretch then follow Emilia out the door. She wasn't really sure training outside where others could see was a good idea, even though the guards usually came around during the evening hours, there was no promise that they wouldn't just randomly do a search of the area. Ari wasn't worried about fighting them, but she was concerned about what might happen afterwards. Reinforcements could come in and possibly hurt innocent people while trying to look for the Vices. Being outside in the open made her feel both very cautious and excited at the same time. "Let's not stay out here for too long Em, I don't want to cause any unnecessary trouble." Deep down, there was a small, rebellious part of her that did, but she reminded herself about the other lives that would put in harm's way.

Ari stretched some more, pushing all of her heavy thoughts to the back of her mind for now, then turned to face Emilia. "Okay, show me what you've...-" She shut her mouth immediately and ran at Emilia, lunging forward and tackling her behind a pile rubble from the old building. "Shh, I knew today was too quiet." She peeked over the top of the pile and watched as a group of eight standard model Vices marched through the dirty street. She ducked back down and prayed the others weren't in plain sight. "We shouldn't fight them unless they find us first." She whispered evenly and suppressed the urge to charge after them.

Dimi stared off into the air as the girls continued to talk, a usual haze settling over her mind that kept her from hearing much of anything, and thought.
Several points had been made she'd already been thinking about. They wouldn't fair well if they just spontaneously decided to go after Viktor. She didn't even want to go after Viktor. The only reason she bothered with sparing him any thought at all was because of the termination team that was looking to take their lives. She couldn't die yet. Dimi had a lot to do before she even thought about giving herself over to an eternal rest and if she killed him, the organization would most likely fall apart without its mastermind and any orders would be forgotten in the chaotic aftermath. But what if Viktor had a successor of some type ready to step in? Someone who knew every little thing about his 'company' and was just as messed up in the head? That would most certainly be bad. And Dimitri would be damned if she'd die before her beloved mother perished at her hand.

She sighed, and shook her head, a few platinum strands covering her eyes. There was a such a thing as over thinking, and Dimi was the picture of it. She remembered the days when she was young, suddenly, when she'd ask her uncle hundreds of questions about anything. She'd ask, legitimately curious, some of the most ridiculous things and he'd answer them all with a satisfying answer before making those delicious vanilla snacks and finally just telling her to shut up. She smiled unconsciously at that thought. Uncle Yulia... But there had always been one question he couldn't answer.

Why does Mommy hurt me? Why doesn't she love me?

Dimi's eyes opened abruptly and her uncle's image shattering as she took a deep breath and let it out in a lengthy exhale. Pushing back a few strands of her hair she finally looked around, her heart pumping almost painfully in her chest. The other two girls were nowhere to be seen, the female realized, and an even greater tension gripped her. She was left alone with the other three. Why she didn't just tell Emilia and Marishka that she hated that was simply a fact of being too proud. She wanted to believe she wasn't afraid anymore. But what she wanted didn't make up for the truth. Nervously, Dimi pushed a strand of hair behind her ear like she always did and stood up moving toward the exit quickly...before she realizing she heard footsteps. And they weren't just any footsteps. It was way too measured. Standards She thought, stepping back. So much for leaving the house... Walking back into the living room she plopped onto the sofa and huffed, keeping her eyes on her trembling hands.

"There's more vices..." She said quietly. She had barely even heard herself. "So we should chill for a while." Warning said, she slipped her headphones on her ears and let the rhythms of Xandria's India wash away her uneasiness.

Damien wandered the streets aimlessly while munching on a hotdog. He may not need food for his body's strength, yet he still found himself always eating. Perhaps even after the experimentation he was still stuck with teenage hormones. Either that, or his bottomless stomach had become habit to him. Damien shrugged and tossed his wrapper into a dumpster, not really caring about the cause. While walking to his unknown destination, Damien paused to see eight original Vices marching down the street. Panicked, he practically tripped behind the dumpster for cover. He held his breath and waited for them to pass. To his surprise, they did without picking up on him being so near he could have reached out to touch them. Crawling from his cover, he stood up and brushed the dirt from his jacket and shook out his sagging brown hair.

Curiously, Damien watched as two girls in the distance also stand up. He noticed their headphones and wondered if they were Vices. Tilting his head to the side, he watched them chat slightly and gasped as the brunette turned toward his direction. "Marishka," he said, unconscious the word escaped his lips. Damien took a step forward and then hesitated. Viktor would not like this. Who cares? he thought in response as he once again walked towards the girls. "Marishka!" he shouted to get her attention as he lumbered over to them, practically killing himself in the process by stumbling over lose gravel. He was unaware she preferred to be called 'Ari' as he knew her only from photos and perhaps stalkerish chance encounters. "Marishka," he said again, panting upon reaching them. He glanced to her companion regretfully and then stiffly held his hand out to his sister. "I'm Damien. Damien Vasiliev." Her face showed no recognition. Awkwardness rose as Damien turned a slight shade of red. "I'm you brother. Well, half-brother, and I know we haven't meet before but..." Damien trailed off, knowing he was only making himself appear foolish as he tripped over his own tongue.

Jonas leaned against a nearby wall, his arms crossed. He listened as the others talked - mainly, the girls. He couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself at Emilia's response. He continued to joke, "Of course, because the party doesn't start until I get here." After than, he was fairly quiet, uncharacteristically. He knew that some people - or Vices, whatever they were now - wouldn't approve of his constant joking. The situation was a "serious" one, after all, and they would need to be "serious" about it. But to be honest, Jonas figured that these girls were being serious enough for all of them. They always talked about the goal, the goal. You know, take out Viktor and all. Jonas didn't exactly have anything personal against the man. Though he wasn't sure if he kept his word - that is, if his family received the retribution they were due - it wasn't like Viktor did anything wrong. Well, besides make the order to kill him. That was pretty bad, huh? Still, everyone around here was always so serious. It would be alright if he made a little joke here and there, right?

And now they wanted to spar. Jeez, Jonas wondered if they ever rested. He had just woken up! Then again, he had been sleeping all day, something he was sure went unnoticed by the rest. Still, it wasn't like they always had to work toward "the goal". They could relax, right? You know, eat a meal together or something (not that they needed food or anything, it was more the idea). Didn't they do enough fighting already? Jonas ignored the fact that they were, in fact, made for fighting. And he ignored the fact that they were refugees hiding out in a slum house, where the threat of discovery increased every day. And the fact that there were, more likely than not, other Vices out right now, tracking each and every one of them down, so they didn't really have time to relax. It was unfortunate, but also the unfortunate truth.

But this was all beside the point. Jonas' eyes followed the two girls as they exited the building, leaving him alone with one male (Mischa, was it?) and one female (her named escaped him for a moment, but he soon remembered it as Dimitri). Jonas stepped forward from the wall, raising his arms above his head to stretch. Ugh, he still felt so sleepy and tired. He placed his headphones over his ears, allowing the words of The Offspring's "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" fill his ears. Still, he didn't feel any more awake.Ugh, it must have been some sort of memory or habit from when he was entirely human. Great. Well, hopefully, he would wake up. He moved to follow Dimitri outside with the rest, but the girl stopped short, turning to enter the house once again. Before she even explained herself, Jonas could hear it too. The precise footsteps, all in line. Yeah, it wasn't safe to go outside, he knew. Instead, he took a seat on the arm of the old couch.

Soon enough, the footsteps passed them by. Jonas could hear them fade off. Replacing them was a voice. A male voice. And it was close - very close. To him, it sounded rather young, but you could never be too sure. He could have worked for Viktor; Jonas wouldn't be surprised if the man employed tactics like that. Jonas stood up, closing the distance between where he was sitting and the door in only a few steps. He swung it open and stuck his head out. He overheard parts of what the male was saying. Most surprisingly (and also, perhaps, the scariest part) was that he knew one of their names. Marishka. That was one of the girls who had exited the house before he did (he saw now that both the girls escaped the sight of the other Vices). Jonas hurried over to the group, his usual confidence replaced with some concern.

"Hey, hey, hey," He said, the short jog nothing to his newly enhanced body, "Damien it was, right? Jonas, nice to meet you." Yeah, it was a bit reckless of him to introduce himself like that. Oh well.

Emilia looked as Marishka tackled her down to the ground. "Hey what the..." Her words fell off as her eyes drifted over to the other Vice's. There were eight of them and they just didn't have enough people for that. Not to mention she had a pretty nasty bruise at the current moment. She didn't have enough energy to take them all on. She was taken back when she saw someone talking about they were Marishka's brother. Damien was it? "Hello, but can we have this family reunion later." She whispered as she kept watch out for the other Vice's.

Next to come over was Jonas. "hey we really should go like now!" She whispered before standing up and pushing everyone back inside. Once they were all in she took a deep breath. "Practice was cancelled for the day cause some unwanted Vice's came strolling in." She sighed before leaning back off of the door. "Hey Dimi you okay? You seem out of it, like your mind is somewhere else." She said as she walked over to the girl and sat down next to her. "Oh Damien right? I'm Emilia." She smiled to the boy as she stood up again.

"Well people since it looks like we won't be going anywhere until those Vice's are gone how about we get to know each other a little better? Like for example are you a Vice Damien?" She asked him as she shifted her weight to one leg. It would be a whole lot more helpful if he was. It would give them more muscle against Viktor. It appeared they were going to need everything they had to take him out. Looking at everyone she tapped her foot impatiently. "Well you already met Jonas over there and I guess you know Marishka, oh and this is Demitri, but you can call her Dimi." She introduced everyone. She was a very impatient person at times. Sitting back down she ran a hand through her hair and let out a heavy sigh. "So who wants to tell us about themselves first? I'll go last."

Ari listened to the identical footsteps as they passed by, she held her breath and in the silence wondered if they could hear her heart beating, it seemed awfully loud in the painful quiet. Once they passed by she let out a sigh of relief and rubbed her forehead with a gloved hand. "Jeez I thought they'd spot us over here for sure." She stood up and stretched her arms over her head, right afterwards they fell at her sides and her form went rigid with a new fear. Someone had called her name, she abandoned that name a long time ago, and she made sure all of the others knew she preferred to be addressed as Ari. Stiffly she turned around and was greeted by a rather young looking boy. The surprise she felt was probably clear on her face. Her mouth fell open and she blinked a couple of times, her mind was a frenzy trying to search for a reply.

"Uh wow, hi." That was the best she could come up with, the mix of emotions she was experiencing prohibited her from coming up with a more appropriate response. Still, she did reach for his hand, unbelieving of his words. She had a half-brother? First she thought maybe he was lying, that he was some sort of spy sent by her father to give their location away. Then she thought more, it wasn't surprising her father had another child. What stumped her was that Damien seemed to already know who she was and Ari hadn't the slightest clue that he existed. Too soon for her to recover from her surprise, Emilia was leading them all back inside. She let the younger female push her back inside and took a seat on a rickety chair across from the couch.

A crease formed on her forehead when she looked at Dimi, but Emilia had already sat beside her to see what was wrong. Ari finally broke her astonished silence looked at the boy she now truly believed was her half-brother, and she hoped she wasn't jumping to a false conclusion that would come back to haunt her later. "Wait I have a question for Damien, uh my brother?" She asked and raised her hand, it wasn't necessary, but she did it for some reason anyway. Her eyes fixed on him as he mind cleared and she found herself thinking a dozen questions at once. First she asked the one that was bothering her the most, "Damien you clearly know me...but I don't know you at all." She admitted in a bit of a sullen tone. She really would've liked to have known him before she was changed. "Where have you been all of this time? Viktor never mentioned you to me." She finally got out. It only made her angrier at her father, on top of everything else, he hadn't told her about her brother and she was sure they could've had a great sibling-relationship if she'd only known about him.

Riley walked along another ally, her eyes slowly operating. She was getting restless and the fact that her headphones were now junk thanks to her repeated falling didn't help reassure her. I guess she should have expected it, she was rather clumsy. Her eyes batted open and then soon fell back down, only to be forced open again. At least she was close to her small set up out in the more rural area.. well.. as rural as you could get now days. 'A few more steps..' seemed to be the only thought flooding her mind when in fact she knew it was stil fairly far away. She eyed a boy waking near her and began to walk closer and closer till the tiniest 'Thump, Thump, Thump' of the bass was heard from the silver and yellow headphones hanging around his neck. She tried to listen harder and eventually picked up the chorus of the song. Suddenly, the idea hit her, not everyone was so friendly around here. Her head spun around, her hair whipped around just as fast. From under the curtain of side bangs she flashed her emerald green eyes out of worry he would be eyeing her with a glare, to her relief, his eyes were shut and he just bobbed his head to the beat. With a quick smirk, she went back to picking up as much of the sound that she could until she finally had enough energy to last for a while.

After she split from the random vice, she continued to walk and was now close to her 'home'. She crawled through the lowest open window and began to make her way to her own room. When she got there, a quick happy dance was had and she delightedly pranced rather than waked to her bedside table. There was her other set of headphones. She smiled and picked them up, plugged them into her iPod, and was soon out of the door once again. This time she was headed a bit more into the slums, she seemed to get along better with some of the older children there than others her age somewhere else. She turned on her song 'Monster' and hummed along and bobbed her head to it, much like the boy she had leached music off of and continued on her very way.

The Beast Awakens

Deep in the heart of a complex, many miles away from the rouge Vices, something stirs. Egg-shaped, wires trailing from the outer shell, it rocks. The lights shift, from yellow to red, as steam hisses and hoses disconnect. All at once the object irises open to reveal a Vice, but a special one. As it rises, three fingered hands clenching and relaxing, it's optics scan the area.

SCANNING. RUNNING DIAGNOSTICS. SYSTEMS ONLINE, UPDATING DATA.

Eyes shifting from dull blue to a glowing amber, it recieves it's orders.

Seek Rogue Vices. Eliminate Rogue Vices. Protect Base 01

HUNTER/KILLER01 was a special varriant of Vice; unlike most combat models this one had an advanced 'learning AI' that let it adjust to situations faster than a normal Vice. This wasn't anything like the free will of the Rogue Vices...yet. It was feared that one day a HUNTER/KILLER would go rogue, but so far all had gone well. Codenamed Rage, unit 01 was even more powerful than others of it's series, being the test model for a few new tricks. The internal sound feed was one of them, 01 didn't need headphones.

Exiting the building it stands in the light. Looking less human than people were used to, it stood out quite a bit. six feet tall, gunmetal grey in color. It possessed the signiture 'death's head' skull face augmentation that showed it was one of the HUNTER/KILLER series. It's legs ended in brutal shanks, designed for battle; it's main propulsion system was similar to that of a hovercraft. It used a heavy ion buffer to cussion it's steps. From the three fingered hands extends razor sharp battle blades..it's fingertips.

Crossing it's arms, and leaning forward it lets the hovers take over...zipping off at high speed.

(OOC think of it's movement like one of those segway things. If it's upright it stands still, but if it leans in a direction it will go that way.)

The song had just ended when the blonde opened her eyes again, and she saw everyone else coming back into the home. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was thankful they were okay, but she wasn't conscious of it, and a sigh of brief relief escaped her lips. Emilia was asking if she okay, she now realized, and had come to sit next to her before she continued talking. Dimi didn't answer, instead she leaned against the back of the sofa and shrugged. It wasn't like anything was wrong now, both her and Marishka were back in the room. So it wasn't like she wasn't saying anything. As she cleared her mind, she finally came to to the realization there was one to many people in that room. There was another boy standing next to Jonas with the same brown hair as Marishka. Dimi blinked her eyes once before letting those unnerving green eyes lock onto him as she listened to the conversation around her.

"So who wants to tell us about themselves first? I'll go last." Dimi most certainly didn't have intention of talking to this mysterious person anymore than she had to talk to the ones she was familiar with. Who was he anyway? Why did they even let him in here knowing their situation? He could be an assasin created purposely by Viktor to have an independent mind so he could get close to them. And then what? All that fighting and survival would go to waste. Even the other boy, who's personality was always much to brigfor her, was silent with concern. "Wait I have a question for Damien, uh my brother?" Marishka said next to her.

Damien... That wasn't a Russian name. Then again they weren't all Russian, were they? And did she just call him her brother? Even though they did look alike, that was hard to believe. Dimi didn't recall seeing him at the facility they were at, unless he was turned afterwards. Marishka obviously had no knowledge of him, which was suspicious enough, unless they had different mother and considering... Calm down. If everyone else is this calm why are you over here freaking out? She pushed back the the stray strands of hair and crossed her arms, never moving from Damien's as she watched his every move.

Damien suddenly felt self-conscious as he realized he was now the center of attention in the room. He also noticed that everyone wore headphones. Were they all like him, a so called Vice? He had never meet this many Vices before. "Wait I have a question for Damien, uh my brother?" Damien turned toward Marishka, excited by her calling him her brother at long last. He looked at her intently with interest, unconsciously playing with his headphones. "Damien you clearly know me...but I don't know you at all." She admitted in a bit of a sullen tone. "Where have you been all of this time? Viktor never mentioned you to me."

Damien glanced down slightly to avoid her gaze. "I live in an apartment with my mother, she's an American and, uh, Viktor's secretary." He paused feeling slightly uncomfortable by the implied meaning to this. "I've known about you for awhile Marishka. I used to help my mum with filing in Viktor's office and there was a file with your name on it. When I asked my mum about it, she told me you were Viktor's daughter. I wanted to meet you but Viktor forbade it. Have you suddenly noticed all the cards and gifts in the mail from Viktor in the last few years?" He smiled slightly and glanced up at her with shy eyes. "They were sent by me."

He blinked slightly and looked around the room, realizing he was at least a year or two younger than everyone else. He shifted his gaze to Emilia to respond to her earlier question. "I am a Vice, a newer batch than you guys." He laughed uneasily but good heartedly. "I found some files I wasn't supposed to in Viktor's office. Let's just say, he's always thought I was a bit of a nuisance and was more than comfortable to test upon me. He only allowed my mum to keep her job because she didn't ask for child support." Damien paused and rubbed his arm. "I left my mum a few days ago. With all the older Vice attacks, I didn't want her to get hurt."

Patrick looked at the silver lighter in his hand. On the front was an embossed shamrock that was almost to the point of fading away. He flicked the top of it open and a dim, low flame jumped out of the small opening. It flickered and swayed side to side. Slowly he brought it closer to his mouth, careful not to have the wind blow it out. The end of the cigarette began to glow a bright orange and Patrick snapped shut the lighter. He fumbled it around with his fingers for a few minutes before pushing it back into has coat pocket.

Patrick was sitting at a grotty old bar in the New Moscow slums. The tables were old and worn, much like the majority of the patrons. It was an eerie atmosphere, filled with resent and misfortune. Maybe that was why Patrick spent so much time there. Did it resemble how he was feeling? He didn’t know. He knew nothing about his emotions. They were either non existent or buried somewhere to deep for him to find. Either way he didn’t care. Feelings would only slow him down and give his enemies a weak spot to lock on to.

Patrick was gazing at the floor when he was disturbed by a young woman, a waitress. She placed a pint of beer on the table and quickly walked away. People were uneasy around him. They didn’t trust a vice in its submissive state not to mind a vice who had a mind of its own. He picked up the pint glass in his hand. Just as he took a sip he heard the distinct sound of other vices. Footsteps in perfect synchronized movement, at least 8 of them. “Oh bugger” he muttered. He closed his eyes and sighed, awaking to the realisation that he was sitting in the middle of the street and the footsteps had stopped. He turned around to see four vice’s looking right at him. Immediately he got up and ran.

The intro to `Assassin` by Muse rang through his hears causing his heart to beat faster and his legs to move quicker. He jumped up onto a ledge and again once more onto the roof of a small shack. It began to rain now and the metal roofs he was running on began to get slippy. He had to lose his pursuers somehow. He decided to quickly zig-zag his way from building to building using walls as cover to block his enemies line of sight. After 10 solid minutes of running he backed up against a wall. Looking behind him he could see no sign or pursuit. He let out a sigh of relief and began to move once more. He attempted to jump to another rooftop but lost his footing in the slick and slippery metal. He fell backwards onto the roof causing it to buckle and break. Patrick fell into the house he was on top of. Slowly bringing himself together he looked around to see he was in a room with a group of vices sitting down in front of him. “Oh shit” he sighed.

Riley continued to walk about in the slums, she waked with Indian steps, one foot straight in front of the other instead of two separate lines. Soon she heard the same steps that Patrick had. She slowed her steps and then slowly stopped and crouched behind an old mattress someone had thrown out. Her eyes were squeezed tight and her fists were clenched. As the sounds descended she slowly got up and began to advance her pace. Now at a fairly steady 'fast walk' she heard a crash or explosion. Her body tensed and she picked up a full run, every stride longer than the one before. Soon she found herself at a building with the roof caved in. She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the left and peered through the open window. There was multiply vices all around and a boy that seemed to have fallen from the sky. Puzzled, she tried to enter as carefully and quietly as possible, not to disrupt anyone. After all, Riley was sure that most of these other vices were just as puzzled as she was.

Her personal mission of being quiet and careful came to an abrupt end as she lost her balance and she began to tumble inside. Luckily, she caught herself from a complete fall, she had grabbed the window pane and stopped herself, but not before someone noticed. Her eyes looked up in the most innocent looking way and then she looked back to the ground and quietly stood up and blended into the rest of the group, well as well as she could. Riley then let herself almost melt in with the rest of them and looked back at the boy. At unease, she played with her hands behind her back and muttered a quick 'Uhh.. Hi..' to anyone that glanced at her. Hey, she still had to stay as friendly as possible, she didn't even know if these people, or vices, were going to be friendly back or simply rude and throw her out or worse, beat her. Riley glance back over them, nahh, they seemed friendly. So she hoped..

Rampage

The boy ran onward, ducking behind corners and trying to lose...whatever that THING was! The pain in his left side was starting to throb terribly, letting him know that he hadn't escaped unscathed. Stopping behind a dumpster he rips open his shirt to inspect the damage; a broken rib and shredded skin. He was bleeding quite bad, the only thing keeping him going was pure adreniline..and his music. Closing his eyes he tunes into the beat and tries to catch his breath. It had happened so fast! One minute him and two others were hiding in an old building when BAM! this thing crashed through a wall. Without pause it had killed one of them, three-fingered hand ripping the girl's head clean off. The crunch of it crushing her skull would haunt him.

Then both the other guy and him just took off. He was slightly faster..so he got to hear the THING catch the other guy, his scream ripping through the air suddenly. It was crazy..the thing was so damn fast! After that he had started trying to lose it...only to have it come through another wall at him, that was when he got hit. It hadn't hurt much at the time..just a solid WHACK from one of those hands.

He was still trying to catch his breath when Rage found him.

Subject. Located; Terminate? Command Accepted. Terminating.

The metal of the dumpster gave like paper to the razor sharp claws of the Unit, as it passes through. The boy never saw the extended hand as it moved towards his face, but he felt metal...then brick as his head was slammed into the wall behind him. His feet kicked, impotently as the Unit lifted him effortlessly into the air.

Locating heart. Scanning....scanning....Target locked. Removal.

The other hand of the Unit flashes forward, and plunges into the chest of the young Vice as a hot knife would butter, before roughly ripping free the beating heart...and crushing it before the boy's eyes. Lifeless the boy's body hangs, limp meat...only to be dropped at Rage's feet. Task done, three Rouge Vice eliminated, HUNTER/KILLER01 Rage slides off into the city...already a cleap-up crew would be on it's way.

Jonas was, surprisingly, one of those people who thought in an "out of sight out of mind" way. At least, when it came to small things like those average Vices. So when Ari ushered the three of them (Marishka, the new boy Damien and himself) inside, he was nearly swept off his feet. Yeah, smooth, smooth. He quickly straightened himself out, closing the door tightly but silently behind him. Alright, everyone was inside now...right back where they started. Except this time, they had one addition: a young boy who, by the looks of it, was a Vice as well. And who claimed to be Marishka's brother. Or half brother, whatever. Either way, this all seemed very sketchy to Jonas. How did he know where to find them? And why was he so damn eager? Jonas crossed his arms, leaning against the door. He would have to keep his eye on the situation, and hopefully it wouldn't deteriorate into something...well, unfortunate.

Jonas listened to Ari's suggestion that they tell each other a little more about themselves, seeing as it didn't seem to be safe to go outside at the moment. Alright, Jonas was okay with this. If there was one thing he was good at, it was talking about himself (and making himself look good, in the process). His eyes fell upon Dimi's blond head as she volunteered to go last. Jonas opened his mouth, ready to go first, when Mariksha and Damien began speaking. Alright, this was acceptable. After all, he imagined anyone who just found out they had a half-brother would have a lot of questions. Besides, Jonas would be lying if he said he wasn't curious too. To be completely honest, this Viktor guy was seeming worse and worse as the days went on. What kind of man turned both of his kids into...well, he didn't want to call the lot of them abominations, but that was basically what they were. If there was a nicer word for it, he supposed he would have used that. Either way, he had just always figured that this wasn't a lifestyle that a father would choose for his children. Then again, Damien's conception sounded a bit sketchy, from what he said. Jonas wouldn't have been surprised if Viktor didn't even want the boy.

Still, Jonas felt that he shouldn't judge the boy based on his parents' action. So he offered the boy a welcoming smile, commenting, "Wow. Seems...hm. Seems like a tough life, for sure." His eyes drifted over the boy's headphones once more, and he approached the group. Jonas took a seat on the ground near everyone before adding, "And now you're in the same situation as all of us. Good way to meet friends, huh?" He couldn't help but grin at his own joke, even if no one else found it funny. Again, he liked making light of stressful or tense situations. The grin faded ever so slightly into a friendly smile. He continued, "Well, like I said, I'm Jonas. I come from-"

Jonas' words were cut off by a rather loud crashing sound coming from above. Immediately, Jonas jumped to his feet, turning to face the source of the sound. He glanced upward at the newly formed sunroof above the group, and instantly knew that something had to form that. And, well, there was that thump of a body hitting the floor in front of them. Great. Not only did their house have a huge hole in the roof, there was yet another stranger to deal with. Jonas' mouth was open already, and he was about to address the newcomer when he noticed yet another extra body - this one, a female. Jeez. As if it wasn't hard enough to keep track of all these Vices already. As the dust from the roof caving in settles, Jonas let out a long sigh. His eyes turned to face the new male and female when he spoke, "Alright, I think you two owe us an explanation. Who are you?"

Emilia knew she should have known that Dimi wasn't going to say anything. She swore it was the hardest thing trying to get that girl to talk sometimes. Shrugging it off she watched as Marishka and Damien talked. "You guys do look a like, and I don't know, you have like an older sister younger brother vibe going on here." She pointed from one to the other as if there was an imaginary line there. She could be quite eccentric at times, when she wanted to be. Her eyes wondered over to Jonas and she had to agree with him.

It did seem like Damien and Marishka's lives were pretty tough. It seemed to be an occurring theme within the group. Seeing that no one else was going to talk, she decided to talk second. The only thing was that she didn't want them to see her as different or the cause of all of their problems, do to her parents creating Vice's. Emilia stood up as if she was about to make a speech or something. "Well my parents took a major part in creating Vice's. They didn't mean for them to do any harm to anyone, but it was Viktor's orders. I don't think you guys want to hear the rest of this pretty boring story, so I'll just give you guys a little glimpse of my old life."

She laughed nervously as she rubbed the back of her head. Just as she was about to say something else, there was a rather large crashing noise coming from the ceiling. Her eyes watched as the figure fell to the ground. From the looks of his headphones, he was another Vice. Before she got the chance to react to him, another one came through the window. What was going on? They didn't seem like they were going to kill anyone, but almost lost or something. "Listen up you guys better tell us why you're here. If you are spy's or something, none of us will hesitate to terminate you."

Her voice was rather threatening as she slid on a pair of fingerless gloves ready to fight them if she had to. There was no way she was letting anyone get killed. Not at least on her watch. As long as she was there she was determined not to let anyone die. Emilia has been protective over everyone, even if she knew almost nothing about half of them. Since none of them have tried to kill her yet, she didn't see them as a threat to her. All she had to remember was to keep them all alive and get to Viktor. Once those to things were accomplished, then she would be able to get to her parents.

The thought of them made her want to succeed at everything she does. All Emilia wants is to get her family back and kill Viktor. It may sound foolish, but with the people around her, she knew once everyone put their minds to it then they could get to their goals.

Now that Ari took the time to think about it, before she was changed, there had been an awful lot of mail coming in from her father. Besides paying for all of her utilities and giving her a hefty check the beginning of every month, he'd never given her any other gifts for holidays such as her birthday. He wasn't what you would call a sentimental father, and even if he had been more concerned, it would've undoubtedly been coming from one of his secretaries, Viktor was a busy man. Now that she knew who the cards and unexpected gifts were really coming from it made her feel bad for constantly setting fire to them. At least she burned the cards, all of the gifts were still stored away in her apartment, which had probably been cleaned out and sold to someone else by now.

Ari laughed genuinely, despite all of the chaos going on in her life, she had a brother she'd never known about. It was a pleasant surprise. "Wow um, thanks for the stuff you sent me." It was a late thank you, but she figured it was as good a time as any. She chose to leave out the details on how she disposed of the cards and moved on. The girl was in a slight daze, catching bits and pieces of the conversation going on around her but she was more involved in her own thoughts. Once they dealt with Viktor everyone's lives could go back to some remnant of normality, or at least that's what she hoped for.

Ari tuned back in near the tail end of something Emilia was saying when a crashing noise had her springing up and ready to defend herself from an unknown attacker. She watched as the man fell through the roof, a little puzzled at first. If he was planning on attacking them why did it look like he unintentionally fell? She shook the question out of her mind, focusing back on the man. "You've got five sec-..." This time Ari's mouth hung open as she watched a female come in through the window. "What the hell is going on?" She was talking more towards herself but looking around at everyone else to see if they were just as surprised as she was.

The house was starting to feel really small with all of the people randomly popping up, or falling in. She was ready to fight if needed, but she would give the strangers the benefit of the doubt before lunging at them unnecessarily.

Dimi gaze didn't waver as she listened to Damien's explanation. His mother was American and Viktor's secretary, he's a newer batch, he left his mother because he didn't want her to get hurt... Something about that story seemed very....constructed. She seriously doubted Viktor would let someone just wonder aimlessly in his office, and the man probably had an army guarding his place. Well...he actually did have an army but that wasn't the point. His story was too easy. Not to mention he was obviously nervous. "Wow. Seems...hm. Seems like a tough life, for sure." Dimi felt a spark of anger rise in her at Jonas' statement. That didn't sound like a tough life at all. He knew who his parents were and clearly had went unscathed most of his life. What was tough about that? But she didn't bother protesting.

Sitting up she was just about to leave the group to go to the silent privacy of her own room when a loud crash sounded and and she turned slowly and too see a man on the floor in a pile of debris. Had he just fallen through the...? Before Dimi had time to process this another person came bounding through the door headfirst. Her hand twitched with the sudden urge to hit something, and that urge manifested itself into a low laugh without much humor. She didn't realize and tired and angry she was getting.

"We are on a roll today." Dimi said, smiling. "First we find family, next we get a freaking sun roof in our home that's already falling apart..." She was in front on the man now, her hands clenched into tight fists. "And now? Now we've got people falling out of the fucking sky. That's just fantastic!"Squatting down in front of the one who'd came through the roof, she narrowed her eyes at him. "You my good sir, have exactly 2 seconds to tell me who you are because right now...I really feel like killing something and your the first thing I want to take care of." Without looking up she pointed her finger at the female. "And you, too."

Dimi never got angry, only when she was lacking energy. And that had to have been the most she'd said since she'd been turned but that was at the back of her mind right now. This was way to much stimulation this early in the morning.