Guardian Angel [Open, but just ask first]

Rain. There always had to be rain in this god forsaken city didn't there? Rain drops plunked off of a metal arm of an unmoving figure. Night had begun to settle into as the rain grew heavier. Someday's rain falling seemed hopeful. As if it could wash out the dirt and grime coating everything. Other days it just weighed heavily upon who's shoulders it fell upon. Jeisen sat there, on the edge of a rooftop, just watching the city below him. A small orb floated next to him, looking out over their city.

Nolan: "You need to get going." the tiny voice came from the metallic orb. It bobbed up and down in the rain, its blue light emanating from its eye. The man next to it made no movement as if it had heard the figure. Nolan bumped his shoulder, trying to urge him up. That got his attention, a shifting of his eyes as Jeisen came back to the present. A sharp inhale of breath as the man's eyes focused on the world before him. Where his head had been before only Jeisen really knew, but he was back. For the moment at least.

Nolan: "Come on, we need to go"

Jeisen just nodded his head yes as he grabbed his mask from the ledge next to him. The armored mask snapped into place with a whirl of gears and two glowing blue optics appreaed beneath the dark green hood. He stood up slowly, looking at the city before him. Somedays he hated the rain. Other days, he welcomed it.

Italian leather shoes tapped against the London cobblestone, splashing water upward a little as they did. They made a distinctive click-clack sound as the fancily dressed man kept the exact same pace the whole trip. He had no umbrella, so the water seeped into his clothing and bounced off his skin. The rain was quite refreshing today. Some days it was just plain horrible, but today, today it put the man in a good mood. Something about the quaint city and it's whether had a certain charm to it, even if it just seemed like a wet mess to those who have never experienced it. He had a sly smirk across his face as he walked, he was looking for a certain kind of trouble. This trouble wore a cloak, armor, and was one of the quickest and smartest metahumans Lucius had ever known of. This trouble was the old leader of the now fragmented Guardians, Jeisen.

They had met a few times in the past, always clashing. Though it wasn't entirely hostile. There always seemed to be some amount of respect there, even if Jeisen understandably didn't trust Lucius. But why was Red going after him now? Well, he could be an asset if they came to an agreement. He wasn't the man he used to be. His anger was curbed, his powers gone, and his grief in ashes. He was ready to put old enemies behind him.

No doubt Jeisen had heard of all Red had done. The coup of Belarus, the smearing of the Talons, the Rise endeavors in New York and Detroit. Perhaps he even heard that the former Soviet country was now a blossoming society and metahuman sanctuary. Perhaps Jeisen had heard his praise, perhaps he had heard his condemnation by critics. Regardless of what he heard however, one thing was certain, and that was Lucius wasn't some villain bent on world domination. He was truly in this to help his people, and by extension humanity. He just wanted this violent world to Rise in any way possible.

Lucius had created a fake distress call that perhaps only something like Nolan would pick up. It detailed a man being hunted by superhumans and in need of help. Of course, that message was outdated by years. It was only to get Jeisen off his brooding rooftop and into Red's sight. Even if Jeisen knew it was a fake, Lucius knew he would be too curious about the high tech encryption to stay away. The meeting place in question was a wrecked and abandoned hotel, in which Lucius sat in one of the rooms at the table, drinking from a glass of scotch. He seemed to have changed into his gear, hood pulled back and mask on the table but otherwise the long robed armor was in it's full glory.

"Hm, perhaps i gave him too much credit. Are you absolutely sure he can pick it up?" Lucius asked aloud, and his mask replied in turn.

"Considering his flushing of the Guardian ship's mainframe, yes, he should have the technology." Hector said. Lucius just sighed and took another drink.

".....Perhaps he went on vacation, then......"

Nolan: "But how do you know its a fake?"

The rain had picked up at this point, really starting to pour. A spark flew out as Jeisen soldered a device to a cable box of an old Hotel. He ignored the question for a second as he worked. After a second he gave a metallic sigh.

Jeisen: "It has the same signature."

He gave no mention to who or what signature, but Nolan knew. He was referring to a man in their files known as Red. Lucius Alba, the now leader of a foreign country. Their clashes numerous, always on the opposite side of lines drawn in the sand. The only person Jeisen knew to rival his own tech and skills. The only enemy Jeisen had something akin to respect. Just what was he doing here? Jeisen closed the circuit box with a small click.

Jeisen: "Set up the drones like I told you then shut down all access points. No getting bypassed this time."

If Nolan could stick out a tongue, he would have. Instead he had to be content with just floating away grumbling. Jeisen watched him float away inthe rain.


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Jeisen: "Do we ever get vacations? I seemed to have missed that.

The metallic voice emanated from a near by chair where a man in a dark cloak was sitting. He had one leg crossed over the other with water dripping off of the metal. Two blue optics peered out from underneath his dark hood at the man's back.

Lucius smiled when he heard the voice. It was robotic as ever, but then again he was one to talk, with his own cyber-sounding voice filter on his mask. Lucius was always curious about the suit the man wore. Was it holding him together? Containing his powers? It was clearly not something that could just be taken on or off without a hitch, but that was a conversation for another time. Right now Red had other business.

"Yes i just got the memo last week. Payed vacations for all superpowered individuals. Pretty great right?" Lucius joked with a little chuckle. He then turned in his seat to face the man, taking a final drink from his glass before setting it on the table in front of him. Of course the so called hero was all decked out in his gear, as it seemed even when he was doing basic things or having breakfast he was prepared for a gun fight. Understandable really, many English muffins are not to be trusted.

"You look; healthy?" Lucius said while he looked the man up and down, still in a rather humorous mood it would seem. But when you were face to face with someone you normally just attacked, breaking the ice was a little necessary.

"Maybe getting away from that insufferable demon friend of yours has been good for you." Lucius said, then turned away from the man to once again face the table. He was looking over his mask, as it was newly reforged since his encounter with the Talons. It didn't seem quite right to him. Maybe because he was so used to the way it fit before the repairs.

"But enough chit chat, you're probably wondering why I'm here. But before i tell you, i want you to go ahead and guess." Lucius said. He gestured for the male to come sit, but if he didn't it was all the same to Red. He knew Jeisen knew it was him all along, any reasonably intelligent person could have figured it out. The real question was why show up? What did Jeisen think Lucius was up to? That's what Lucius was most curious about at the moment.

Jeisen: "I can think of a hundred reasons. A thousand. But when it comes to you Lucius, I've never trusted just my guesses. And to be honest, I'm not really in the mood for guessing"

That was true at least. Sure, Jeisen could guess and maybe figure it out, but he had never truly trust himself when it came to dealing with Lucius. Why? Jeisen never really knew exactly why. Predictiing the actions of others came second nature to a man who's mind could keep track of the thousand of possibliities. Thing was though, Lucius never really fit into a normal guess work. His mind was far to slippery to just be picked apart by a wild guess and check. But really, it was because Jeisen always felt that looking into Lucius head was like looking into his own. His own after he had a really, really bad day.

Jeisen: "You've avoided London for a long time now. And I'd like for you to keep on avoiding it. You and that group of yours. All groups really. This city is not ready to become a war ground"

Again. Not a war ground again.

Lucius chuckled and laid his head back at the word 'avoided' when Jeisen used it in his sentence, referring to London. Honestly, how good did the guy think he was? Sure he was smart, and skilled, and very quick. But did he really think Rise was avoiding London because of him? If they wanted London, they could probably have it. But that wasn't in the plan. He was done taking over. He had his territory, all he needed now was to exert his political dominance. All he needed was to eliminate his rivals by using the pen rather then the sword.

"So protective over this gloomy old thing..... I don't want your London. Minsk after all is quite nice now, more advanced then any of the cities like this one that are held back by the fear of our kind. Think I'll stick around there." Lucius said, now turning his entire chair to Jeisen. He was trying to contemplate what the man was thinking. People were usually easy to read but Jeisen, all Lucius could read of him was he wasn't pleased to be having this little reunion. Maybe it was the suit, maybe it was the relaxed attitude, maybe it was the sophisticated thought processes they both had. Whatever it was, they both couldn't be sure of what was going through the other's head.

"I'm here because i need your help. You see, i opened negotiations with the Crown earlier this month, and i deduced they had created a weapon that can not only destroy my countries shields, but also then release a nuclear explosion. For obvious reasons, this is an issue for me." Lucius said, holding out his hand which then produced a hologram of a building. It looked abandoned, but then the hologram showed what was under it. A high tech facility of some kind, apparently.

"This is the facility that holds the weapon. They have anti-teleportation technology and a full matter shielding system covering the entryway. This of course means i can't get in, not in a way that wouldn't implicate me." Lucius said, then pulled his hand back and let the hologram fade. He leaned back in his chair and continued.

"So i began going through a simple list of metahumans i believed could pass through this shield AND remain undetected. The shield blocks solid matter but there is one critical flaw. It has to first scan the object trying to move past the shield and then mark each and every atom as disallowed. This system is in place so things like air and friendly soldiers can move through it. This means, something moving as fast as the ultraviolet light the system uses can beat the scanner and move through the barrier without a hitch." Lucius explained. He was sure Jeisen could keep up. That was one luxury of speaking with someone as knowledgeable as you.

"I suppose you know where I'm going with this. You move in, shut down the shield to let me in, and i go about my business. In return I'll stay out of your precious London, and make sure nobody like the Phoenix decides to go border jumping like he did in Canada. This would really be your city, no trespassers, nobody trying to do the vigilante thing except those that are already here...... And we both know you can keep those amateurs in line." Lucius finished. He already knew Jeisen would probably say no, or at least be skeptical. But Lucius never lied. He wasn't even using his play on words thing here. If he got his end of the bargain, so would Jeisen.

Jeisen: "You know what that big weapon they have is called? Insurance. In the cold war Nukes used to be enough to deter a war. Then you know, metahumans arose. You're country is right next to Russia. They launching a missile or even just setting off a device like that would spark the end all be all of wars. You know politics better then I, I'll give you that, but you should see this wouldn't work. "

Jeisen leaned back in his chair again, crossing his arms. That was quite the elegant speech. Jeisen was pretty sure he had come here with that already planned. He thought over the plans for a second then shook his head.

Jeisen: "And it wouldn't do anything to really stop them from just creating a different device right? You can't do this in every major country. This sounds terrible, but build your own device, display it and tell them to fuck off. The smallest country in the world with a nuke, is still a country with a nuke. Besides, there are all those heroes out there who would fly out to stop the bomb. Specially if other metahumans were at risk"

He gave a sort of dismissive hand at the end of the last sentence.

"Besides you're offer would be useless. I would never trust any offer you make simply because its from you. There is always an end game, and whats to say I wouldn't be left holding the bag in this facility hmm? I'm sorry Red, this plan wouldn't work and I don't want to be a part of it."

With that, Jeisen sat up in the chair, leaning forward on his hands with his elbows resting on his knees, fingers interlocked. The two blue merciless eyes glowed bright in the dim room.

Ok, now Lucius was irritated. Jeisen was always the questiony type, but this was just over the top. The actual details of this whole thing didn't concern the male, just that his help was needed. Lucius sighed, finishing off his glass of alcohol and then setting it back down on the table quickly.

"You're right, i do know politics better then you. The issue is not that they will potentially use the weapon, they won't. The issue is what it represents to the public, what leverage it gives the entire UN over me. I assure you i have my own weapons, but the mere presence of something that can destroy what i have built creates a public stir. It's bad for the image of strength, and it's bad for diplomacy. And no, they won't make another. Because the genius behind it died of cancer a week ago." Lucius said. Jeisen made some good points, but they were points made from an outside view. The male was smart, but Lucius doubted he knew enough about the psychology of the masses or politics in general to make an informed deconstruction.

"As for this being a trick...... It isn't. Even if it was i'm sure it wouldn't wreck your anti-hero reputation too bad. What you stand to gain is worth more then your misguided pride and paranoia. I'm not just asking for your help, I'm asking you to put our past behind us. You don't want me as an enemy, Jeisen." Lucius said. He figured the male's pride would kick into high gear, but maybe he would be pleasantly surprised. Regardless of what happened, he would get rid of the device and all the research that made it possible in one way or another.

Jeisen: "You're right, you don't want me as an enemy. That's why you need to leave London and stay the fuck away. I don't care what you and Rise are up to. I really don't. But you came here. That was crossing a line. You've carved out your part of the world. So have I."

Even from behind a voice filter, it was easy to tell that Jeisen's voice had gone hard. Maybe it was pride, even misguided pride, but Jeisen could draw a line in the sand as well.

Jeisen: "Here is the deal. You stay out, you stay gone, and I'll forget the past. Maybe even help you one day. But not today. Not now."

He stood up slowly, signalling that this meeting was over. The dark green cloak of his slide low down his shoulders, almost to the ground.

"So uncivilized. No need to use such harsh language." Lucius said with a smirk. He was pretty sure this would happen. Jeisen was immature enough. Threats meant nothing to Lucius. What wash he going to do? Even if Jeisen won a fight between them it would mean absolutely nothing in the long run, Red had more resources and would be out within hours of being imprisoned. All of Rise was not afraid of one lazy, fast metahuman with laser guns.

"Please stop with the 'mine' attitude over this city. Frankly it isn't yours, and likely never will be. You can beat the tar out of whomever you like, it won't elevate you past what you are now and that is nothing but a thug, a kingpin, an enforcer. You think you're changing the world? This entire country is a drop in the bucket." Lucius said, now clearly fed up with this guy's arrogance. He put his mask on and it sealed shut, optics coming to life with red light, then pulled his hood up. He fully expected a fight now, whether Jeisen would make the first move or not.

"But maybe you don't care about saving the world. Maybe you only do this to stroke your ego. Crime is still rampant everywhere, people still die because of superhuman pissing contests, and all we have for our so called guardians are people that invite challenge. If you really wanted to change the world, you would use that head of yours. But you're selfish, you want all your toys to yourself. Especially this city." Lucius finished. He didn't care if Jeisen didn't listen or if he simply dismissed it, because in the end he knew he could do more for the planet as a whole. Instead he decided to devote all his mental capacity to shooting people.

Jeisen: "Oh you arrogant man, you've forgotten what you are. See, I guess that's the biggest difference between us Red."

Even in his voice, one could hear the smile behind that mask. The room was a wash in a red and blue light, contrasting the two men.

Jeisen: "You think you can do it all. You think the world can only benefit from your help. That you know all the right answers. You infallible god. Why not make the decisions for others no? I know how tempting it is. We can see so much can't we? We both know more in each over our heads then the rest of the world right? You arrogant, arrogant man."

" We are just men, you and I. You are not god, no matter what that country you rule over says. You do not hold the right to make the choices of others. I do not hold that right either. Humans will make mistakes, its true. But its their own mistakes. They deserve to make their own damn decisions. The fact that you are too blind to see it has always and will forever separate you from me. In the end, I pity you Red. I really do. "

"Now you're simply grasping at straws. By being a vigilante you're enforcing your will on everyone else. Who elected you? What law said you could do whatever you wanted? None. That's why this difference you see between us is a lie. You're a hypocrite that doesn't want to admit what he does is the same only with worse results as the so called monster sitting in front of him." Lucius said, smiling under his mask as well. He was having fun now.

"I don't have to be a god to see our system is broken. I don't have to be a god to see false guardians can't protect a weakened world." Lucius said, now standing up and looking at Jeisen eye to eye. Or in this case, optic to optic.

"The fact you sit here and want to be the only vigilante in this city shows me you want to be that dictator, that god. Don't call out someone's arrogance when you're dripping with it." Lucius said, taking a step forward to be about four feet from Jeisen.

"Now run along home son. Be glad you weren't corrupted by the big bad villain, you perfect little guardian angel." Lucius said, standing his ground. He loved messing with these contradictory hypocrites. Now what was going to happen? Jeisen was going to lash out, or simply dismiss what he said and walk away. That was the only thing people like him could understand.

"Who ever said I was the only one here eh? There are others I'm sure. Not as many as New York or Chicago, but others. I don't drive just anyone out. Just you. And you would give up a persons freedom for security. Now, that in itself is just sad."

Jeisen gripped one of his shoulders and rolled it, loosening up. Looked like things were getting ready to boil. Only question was, who would pop first?

"Run away? Mate, if I recall correctly you are the one that does the running. In fact our very first encounter was ended in you running away. Like dog that had been whipped, its tail between its legs. You can fool a country there Red, but we both know the truth. Deep down you will always be coward. Then and now. So why don't you take your posturing and shove it up your ass. I ain't buying the false bravado. "

"I'm both arrogant and have false bravado. I believe you should make up your mind as to what exactly you think i am." Lucius said, resting his left (and dominant) hand on the sword of his hilt. Like a little school boy Jeisen was calling him chicken, how cute. Luckily this part of town wasn't exactly populated, so if things did come to blows, well no one else would get hurt. They could settle their differences without the unfortunate causalities that many heroes seemed to forget about. But Lucius was not going to make the first move. If Jeisen thought he was such a threat he could back it up.

"I already had what i wanted, a flash drive in a safety deposit box. There was simply no reason to stay. You might hold bravery over common sense, but i do not." Lucius said. His stance stiffened, as did his grip on Cora Zen's hilt. The repulsive energy field around his armor activated, and the occasional spark could be seen along his armor. He was fully prepared to deal with Jeisen, locking his scanning system on to everything that he was, spirit, energy, metagene, whatever.

"You want me to leave? You want me to stay gone for good? Make me." Lucius said. From behind his mask he prepared for the male, setting up his HUD and soul sync for anti-speed tactics. He was just about on par with Jeisen as far was reflexes went, but his biggest problem would be a lack of speed, even if he could see Jeisen coming.

Quick as lightning, Jeisen had both a gun out and knife in hand as Red rested his hand on his sword. He felt that hum of energy as the shields fired up. Looked like Red was ready to fight at least. Besides the gun and knife though, Jeisen appeared nonchalant. Or as nonchalant a man in armor can appear.

"A sword? Really? We both can regularly time bullets and you don't move faster then a normal human. You know I do, so come now. "

Jeisen was pretty sure this was a Mexican standoff or something. Sure he had seen it in a Clint Eastwood movie.

"Leave red. You got nothing to win here and I don't get any enjoyment from kicking your ass. Well... Maybe a little."