Legends (Alpha)

"Oh, i do believe this is treason, Senator........" Lucius mused, mostly to himself. He sat in the back seat of a limo, a box. In here, he was completely cut off from the hustle, bustle, and corruption of America's capital city. In here, and in places like it, the real decisions that shaped the world were made......... He knew of the dealings of DC's old men in smokey rooms, and now here he was, one of them.

How revolting.

The truth is, Lucius didn't think much of these men. They were puny, slimy, evil little degenerates with only self advancement on their minds. These men didn't serve a higher calling--they only served the pleasures they could acquire. With that truth in the back of his mind, Lucius couldn't help but question the Senator's motives.

"What drives a man such as yourself? What makes him want to go against his country? Do you see yourself as some tribune of the plebs? Or, perhaps you just want to be President........" Lucius smirked, taking a sip from his glass of Bourbon. The Senator twitched, his face a mix of emotions. One quality that could be observed on this man was that he could not be accurately read, not even by the Prime Minister.

"Mr. Alba, what i seek is none of your concern, with all due respect. All that matters is what you stand to gain from this arrangement. Keep your musings about my motives to yourself." Senator Ziles Buchanan said bluntly. Lucius was impressed. it took a bit more then a corrupt puppet to speak to him like that. Perhaps there was a bit more to this one. But then again...... Probably not.

".....Forgive me, I'm a curious man. No doubt that's what's got me this far...... Your deal, at least at face value, is favorable for us both. But like i said, I'm a curious man. If there are any layers to this plan of yours, I'll find them, and then make them my own." Lucius said, opening the door to the limo. Ziles smiled a not so genuine smile as the Prime Minster left, their eyes connecting for one final moment.

"Have a good evening, Mr. Alba." Ziles said. Lucius nodded in return.

"Don't act like you mean that, Ziles." Lucius said, a soft 'click' audible when the door was closed.




"Do i trust him? Of course not. I barely trust you, and would advise you to feel the same of me." Lucius said, his foot on the gas pedal of a black sports car. It was a vehicle that was obviously of his social class, but it was inconspicuous enough--not that he cared about people knowing he was in town. In a few hours, that wouldn't matter.

"This has the potential to improve public perception of metas, which is critically low in the US right now. If he also gets a PR boost for his little election, i really couldn't care less." Lucius said. He rounded the corner, his eyes scanning traffic. It wasn't like he really needed to with a mind like his, but then again he might as well be cautious. Lucius Alba hadn't been welcome in America for quite some time.

"Besides, Travis, when was the last time the two of us did something for the cause personally? The Mistress? .........I often wonder what came of that wretched woman."

Gathering his thought was always something Alpha enjoyed, sifting through fragmented and misty memories hovering beyond the realm of understanding. Bullets ruining his memories was an odd thing, though Alpha could see it as a possibility considering how his own body could regenerate.  Something that apparently he had to rejuvenate after the injuries had been done, though Travis did not put too much thought into the thing. Having Chris, and to a lesser extent Oliver made the whole process all the easier. Thoughts like a maelstrom through his mind were present, easily picked apart with careful mental fingers. Lucius’ voice pierced the veil of internal thoughts, Travis looking to the male driving with silent considerate expression. ”He’s a politician, heard they aren’t exactly known for their truthfulness.” Was his response, not expecting Lucius to trust someone that mired themselves within the shady world of politics.

Apparently those tasked with the more governmental jobs were all just as insincere in what they said, save for the few that kept themselves truthful. Typically moves that improved their chances for election, now that was something that a politician really cared about. A trivial matter really, though he was not one to just offer out his services for those that wanted things done that way. Likely Chris wouldn’t want to do such mass mental tampering anyway, something about it being against his morals. An irritant but not one that he would pursue any further. His siblings were entitled to their opinions and desires, so he would leave them to that.

With only the most minor of intrusion should the fancy strike him.

Having a few of the younger members branch out on their own was an odd thing, though he knew well enough where Zeta and Delta were placing themselves. Playing the role of human as it was, which included attended school but perhaps it was just so they could feel a little superior for once. From what he could gather of Aaron, it was more about his flirtatious personality more than anything else.

”I...believe that was the last time.” Travis said with a small nod, less sure about that but assuming that was the case. What had come of someone who called themselves The Mistress was an unknown, though he assumed she was still likely doing whatever it was she did. Crossing one leg over the other, he turned full attention to Lucius.

”So, what exactly are we doing?”

Lucius had outlined the basics of this little operation to Travis, but the finer details he had kept to himself. The dictator supposed this was as good a time as any to let his friend in on what was happening, though. After about a minute more driving, Lucius pulled down a dark alley, pretty much ignoring the question in complete silence. He was going to answer it, but not until he stopped his vehicle and got out.  Lucius then gestured for Travis to join him outside, moving to the trunk at the same time.

"It's called Project Perfection. And yes, It uses the same name as the experiments that brought you into existence. I'd wager you didn't take down everyone that knew the science behind your creation, and that one of those people started this up in the wake of the original's destruction. That's why you're here, and that's why I'm here. We're both too invested in this to send others. Whatever the connection this project has with the lab that made you, we will find it, and then shut the place down regardless." Lucius said, opening the trunk to his car. What could be seen inside was two arm slots, which Lucius put his hands in. Within moments, metal segmented like scales up his arms, over his head, and down his body. It was micro tech, and it was forming his armor, cloak, and gadgets. Once finished, a whirling sound of the armor powering up could be heard, and Lucius retrieved his sword from it's holding place in the trunk.

"Rumor has it they have been capturing 'potentially dangerous' metahumans without trial. Merely a flimsy excuse to cherry pick the powers and DNA they want, if you ask me. The problem is, they have the backing of the New York State Government, and skirt around the federal. The Senate can't decide whether to move on them or not. They're in fear of dangerous superhumans being left on the streets, so they've turned a blind eye to the rights issues. What Ziles wants me to do is shut it down, and fill it's place with another 'regulatory' group that the Senate can support instead. He'll get the backing of the people who know Project Perfection is unethical, and we'll get a nice foothold in this city in the form of a new partner of mine. But, more importantly, we'll tie any loose ends regarding your origins. I don't exactly want people using your methods to make an army." Lucius said, his voice now filtered by his mask. The Rise Head pulled his hood up, then sheathed Cora Zen. It seemed he was prepared for just about anything.

"Their main HQ is a block from here, and heavily guarded. It would take an all out assault to break into, which is both sloppy and impractical. We'll need to take a trip through an old subway tunnel that runs under the building. I tracked an access point to this location. I have no idea where in the HQ we'll find ourselves in when we reach the surface once again, so we need to be ready for the worst. These people act like they're law abiding, but they're nasty players." Lucius said, taking a few gentle steps toward where he was tracking his entry point. In only a moment he had found it. It was a collapsed basement that had broken up in a way that allowed a person to access the subway systems, so all Lucius and Alpha had to do was get through the basement window, then hike the tunnel.

"Alright. Here it is. After you." Lucius said, pointing to the window. He half expected Alpha to use some telekinesis to make this easier, but then again, he didn't really know the new Alpha as well as he did the old one.

The car sat in annoying silence for a few minutes until they pulled into an alleyway, fingers tapping against his legs as the waited. Travis really wanted to know what they were doing and that meant all of his attention was directed onto the question that had been posed about their activities. As the vehicle stopped, Lucius would begin actually explaining things, in a long stream of dialogue that made little sense to him. Stepping out of the vehicle, the door would close without any hand to do so while those murky gray eyes focused themselves upon the older male. Likely what he had to say was of ut most importance to whatever it was he wanted to do, and he was willing to help out in some way. ”Possibly. Don’t exactly remember anything like that, though apparently there was a lot of killing that went on.”

Images of blood and bodies flashed through his mind, things that came and went occasionally. Perhaps his mind trying to reorient what it had lost with that bullet through it. The term project perfection, now that was something that  made his deja vu sensors really light up. A connection with him and his creation, now that was something that he wanted to learn more about. Manually running fingers through his hair, forcing it into usual slicked back fashion he tried to drew up anymore of those mental images that had occasionally vexxed him. Nothing came about, so he tried to rely upon what he had read from his own personal notes. Someone was picking out metahumans, for their DNA likely though what they were hoping to accomplish by doing so he could only guess.

The creation of a metahuman super soldier was one thing, composed of powers that likely negated each others weaknesses into a cohesive whole sounded like one thing they could be trying to do. ”No, a psionic army is never a good thing. Could collapse world infrastructure in hours if they have anything like Chris’ ability.” Travis noted. Stroking his chin in an almost thoughtful fashion, thinking over and imagining an army that could unleash the psychic virus upon the entire poor human race with their unprotected minds.

A true travesty if nothing else.

People that acted like they were law abiding but were nasty players, something about that sounded familiar. However, Travis said nothing about that and just followed Lucius’ lead. He seemed like he understood things more than he did, which meant he wouldn’t want to potentially ruin the agendas of their shared organization.  Looking up to the window, he decided he might as well make use of his personal physicality and work from there. Taking a few steps back before darting forward, pushing off of what looked to be a dumpster place din the way they were in alleyway, launching himself upwards, grabbing the lip of the open window and lifting his body upwards with a pull.

Looking down to Lucius, he gave an almost playful smirk. ”Need some help up?” He asked, either giving that help or not, dropping through the window and landing on the interior with a solid thud. Burying his hands into his pockets and waiting for his fellow Rise head to follow suit.

"No." Lucius said simply, his movement stabilizer kicking into gear. The gadget gave him full control of his own movement, so all he had to do was step through the air as if on stairs. He walked through the open window, then turned his stabilizer off, landing gently with both feet on the ground. The floor was blown out of the building except for the part they stood on, revealing the half destroyed subway system that ran under the building.

"We'll go down there, then follow the tunnel...." Lucius said, once again simply walking through the air until he reached the bottom of what could only be called a pit at this point. All that had to be done now was the walking, the awkward, mostly silent walking.

For most of the trip, Lucius didn't say much. He had already told Alpha the reason for them being here, so there wasn't much to say until they reached their breaching point. That said, Red knew that questions were inevitably coming. Travis couldn't sit still longer then a minute anymore, and his need to speak was only a little less active.

"Travis..... I have to warn you, some parts of this might not be easy. In your condition, seeing some of the things they might have could cause unwanted memories to return. Just....... Just don't lose your self control, alright?" Lucius said, breaking the silence. He knew that was ironic coming from him, but he meant it. PTSD was a real thing, and for a mind as advanced and damaged as Travis', it could be catastrophically worse. He felt the need to warn his friend for what was to come, even if he knew it had to be seen to be fully gotten over.

Landing on the warehouse floor, Travis took note of the fact that most of it had been blown out by an unknown event. All he offered Lucius was an almost disappointed frown, viewing the act as not being fun more than anything else. ”You’re no fun Lucius, you know that right?” Was all he said, giving a small roll of the eyes while turning his full attention back onto the massive hole that lead into the collapsed tunnels beneath them. Following the tunnel from there was simple, Travis mocking the ease of Lucius’ motions but with his own telekinetic abilities. Stepping upon air that had been compacted into solid form with nothing more than a thought. Delving deeper into the tunnels from there was a long walk of silence, his own mind bouncing off the metaphorical walls in an attempt to entertain itself while they walked along.

Eventually they did come to a breaching point and Lucius did something that made him wonder  if this was actually Lucius. Concern for another person.

From what he could ascertain about the male, he was not exactly one for  showing concern or even care for someone. Yet warning him about here, well that did break any preconceived notions he had about him or the notes he had written painted about him. ”You don’t need to worry. I’m fully in control of myself.” A self assured smile followed that, despite the underlying current that he could sense within the air. Something that made him wonder if he should be worried, though that feeling was pushed off rather quickly. ”Let’s just get this over with. I think I have a dinner date tonight and that would be rude to be late to.”

Lucius hadn't realized this little operation had to be 'fun.' It was, after all, going to involve quite a bit of seriousness. Lucius wondered if Alpha would ever be the same again, or if he was going to be stuck his fellow Rise Head acting like a child half the time. It wasn't that Red found Alpha repulsive at this point, but with Gravity Man AWOL, and Dressler, well, being Dressler, Lucius didn't have many competent and trusted partners right now. Lucius just hoped that when this got serious, Alpha would too.

"You think you have a dinner date? I'm quite sure that bullet only knocked out your short term memory, Travis." Lucius said, musing. Obviously Travis did remember, or he wouldn't have mentioned it. Red just liked poking holes in people's words.

"Alright. Here we are." Lucius said as they approached their destination. A flash of crimson followed, and once it faded, a perfect square of the tunnel ceiling was cut out. It lead straight up into the facility, which was already sounding alarms by the sound of it. Red just let out a sigh....

"Now you can lift me......." Red said, mostly not wanting to use any more power on his Movement Stabilizer when he had someone that could do the job for him. Besides, it would likely keep Travis entertained, at least for a little while. Once they reached the surface, Red would draw Cora Zen. The alarm was indeed going off, and dozens of young people in what looked like hospital gowns were scurrying away.

"Want to grab a couple?" Red asked Alpha, clearly referencing the teenagers running before them. The Dictator had a few questions to ask before the business started.

”No, think my short term memory is fine...oh you’re being sarcastic. Didn’t know you were capable of that.” Travis started, and then stopped upon realizing with an almost amused smirk. With a raise of his hand, he covering them from the bright flash of light that resulted from Lucius’ odd energy, carving an oddly smooth square within the ceiling. Always a pleasure to see the power in action, for the few times that he could recall it. That did not stop him from looking absolutely pleased with Lucius gave the go ahead to actually lift him through said massive hole within the ceiling.

”Going up.” An audible elevator ping could be heard as the two were lifted with invisible force, rising in the air  at a decent pace. Though Lucius would find that  the area around them was surrounded by a faint shimmer of the air, an encasing of telekinetic energy that ascended much like an elevator. Part lift, part protection should anything annoying  decide to shoot at them on the way up in their  odd infiltration of unknown facilities. Eventually reaching the apex of their ascent, Travis stepping forward and giving Lucius the chance to do so as well before dispelling his own construct.

Young looking people were running from them, likely in response to the alarms that were ringing out. ”Well, isn’t this suspicious.” With a  beckoning motion, two were jerked by an unknown force and drawn towards him, squirming against the unbreakable fingers clasping them. ”Alright kids, we have some questions and by we I mean him. Take it away Lucius.”

A boy and a girl, both with dirty blonde hair and grey eyes, were brought forward by Alpha. They were quivering in fear, as children are known to do when faced with scary people. Lucius knelt down to their level, then reached out. He grabbed the boy by the face, examining him for a few moments. The Dictator let out a scoff, then let the terrified boy go. Lucius looked back at Alpha, rising to his feet once again.

"Notice anything familiar about these two?" Lucius asked. The answer was obvious, and asking was more of a way for Lucius to get some affirmation that he wasn't seeing things. Then again, Alpha was a little slow on the uptake these days, so maybe it was a worthwhile question to ask after all.

"Who are you two? Who........ Who made you?" Lucius asked, uncertain of how he should word things.  These kids probably didn't know much about the operations here, but at the very least they could give Red and Alpha a bit of insight into what the place was.

"T-the Master, they call him. They say he's our Dad, but, i don't know.... Maybe he isn't? They don't tell us much here." The boy said, still quivering. The girl said absolutely nothing, looking as if she had just seen a ghost. Lucius could only sigh, his hand igniting with energy.

In a flash of crimson light, the opening Red and Alpha had used to enter the facility was ruined. The tumbling of rocks and cracking of bricks made it quite evident that nobody was getting in or out that way again. For now, the kids would remain here.

"Sit tight. We'll get to the bottom of this, then decide your fate." Lucius said, the vagueness of the statement making the two children visibly worried. Of course, Lucius didn't mean to harm them, but what happened next would indeed decide what would be done with not just them, but every one of the children in here.

Red was about to access the situation to get an idea of where to go next, but he was taken off guard by a bolt of energy. The bolt in question came from a gun fired by what seemed to be a robot, or more accurately, a droid. It was a sleek thing, made of shiny steel, but just by looking at it you knew it wasn't very intelligent.

Lucius had been thrown back a ways by the shot, and another was heading his way. Grunting, the Rise Head was able to regain his footing before he was hit again. He swung his sword, the gem in it's hilt now glowing bright cyan, and the next energy shot was dispersed on contact with the blade. After that, Red got into a fighting stance. It wasn't like these things looked very tough, but he had been taken by surprise once, so he couldn't be too cautious.

"You are intruding. Leave now or be eliminated."

Closer examination did bring about some kind of understanding, if only because Travis had looked into a mirror lately. The same dirty blonde hair and oddly grey eyes staring back at him saturated with fear. ”I see it.” Was all he said, giving a few nods as if they were needed to confirmed that he indeed did see it. A part of him couldn’t help feeling pity for the two, if only because the implications were not too hard to consider. Still, they were here for a purpose and that was not to play nice, as far as he could tell with Lucius anyhow. They wanted to know who made the two, and they gave the answer they best could likely. Masterminds rarely told their creations who they were, especially if those creations were nothing more than children.

With vague threat made, lucius destroyed their entrance and continued to walk onwards. ”Don’t worry, he probably won’t do anything bad to you.” Travis followed with an oddly warm smile, ruffling the kids hair before following along behind Lucius, hands buried within his pockets. Security was likely something around here, and that manifested with a sleek looking automaton stepping out and firing at Lucius with a bolt of energy. A shot that launched the male backwards but a second one doing nothing more than annoy him from what Alpha could tell. An annoyance that was standing in their way really.

”This thing looks boring.” With hand extended his influence moved t warp around the machine, and with a motion it would be slammed into the ceiling, then the floor and then the ceiling against, before inward force meant to crush it inward was applied. Reducing the machine to nothing more to scrap, unless it had any protection against psionic powers.

Within an instant, the android was ripped apart. Lucius couldn't help but smile at Alpha's power. One good thing about his little run in with that wannabe Robin Hood from LA was that Travis came out of it exceptionally more formidable. Red was glad he had finished his displacement device, otherwise the fear of getting his head ripped off at any moment would be too great to even be near Alpha.

Beautiful violence aside, Lucius expected this wouldn't be the only enemy they would encounter in here. If the android served any useful purpose at all, it was alerting the rest of the facility to the pair's location. They were about to have a real fight on their hands.

Dozens of androids poured into the large open room Alpha and Red were in. Some of these weren't the same as the one Alpha had torn apart, as they were visibly bigger and had blueish shielding around them. Any attempt to directly manipulate these larger androids would result in the telekinetic power being redirected back at Alpha.  Even so, these most likely wouldn't prove to be a problem for the two Rise Heads. The real issue was the kid in the gas mask and hoodie.

Waiting until all the androids were removed, the teenager circled. His eyes were visible as well as bits of his dirty blonde hair, as it wasn't a full gas mask. His gaze darted to Alpha, piercing into him with a sharp look of disdain.  He said nothing, but soon the room began to rapidly fill with smoke, made worse by the exits closing off.

Red had been busy melting the androids Alpha didn't take care of, with relative ease might i add, but soon enough he turned his attention to the real issue. Telekinesis could hold off the smoke for awhile, but soon it would become too thick to ward off.

Sven, what's going on? Lucius thought, his AI responding in turn.

Well, it seems they're trapping you like rats. All entrances are sealed off..... In fact, this place is pretty much air tight. See that blueish shielding covering the floor and walls? It's the same as the stuff the androids were using. It's energy reflective. It'll take even you awhile to burn through it. And........ The gas this kid is controlling seems to be a highly reactive, cell damaging poison. You could probably withstand it for awhile, but give it ten minutes and you're as good as dead. Now.... leave me alone please. Thought this was my day off.... The android said, helpful as always but still a bit snarky. Red just grimaced at the prospect of dying in here to some test tube kid, not that it was a real possibility.

Even with his gas mask and resilient nature, Lucius was beginning to slow. If it continued, it would be difficult to fight. Red showed no fear though. The problem was not the threat of the child, but the fact the facility reacted to assist it's powers. That could only mean one thing.

Someone much bigger was overseeing their demise.

The android had been reduced to nothing more than scrap metal with a thought, Alpha looking pleased with how easily he put the thing down. That however was not the only defense, as more of the machines came but there was something immediately different about them. Shields, just something that were no issue with him but the moment he released the pinpoint burst of pressure as the thing did Alpha realize what the shield meant. As he found pressure slamming into his own chest, colliding with the barrier around him and sending the Rise head backwards against a wall with an audible slam. ”Ow, that sassy bitch.” Travis groaned, lifting himself up without the actual exertion that came with physically doing so with glare settled upon the robot that had thrown him back. Okay, psychic blasts would not work on these things but they were not the only trick he had up his sleeves.

Bits of rubble produced by a hole being blasted into the facility levitated around Travis, making a small flicking motion as they fired off much like bullets. Ripping through metal and circuitry without much else getting in his way. ”So, this is what passes for robots. I’m not impressed really.” Travis noted with a smirk, makeshift bullets ripping their paths through the guardians that were meant to keep the two Rise heads out and yet served as no more than swiss cheese. Their presence with the gas mask was obvious, or would be once he ripped that bit of information out of him forcefully. Grey eyes centering upon them with laser focus, as if they were bore a hole within him, gas unable to spread through an invisible field that kept it at bay from the two for now. Tendrils of influence coming out from him, and trying to pierce their mind, slither through mental barriers that might have existed.

The push back was solid, as if trying to batter against a brick wall. One with cracks that he could likely exploit but not ones that were readily available. Slamming his thoughts like a tide proved annoying against this kids fortitude. Lucius, how long do you think you can last? Gonna have to put all I have into this but if it works we should be fine. With an answer he would let down any telekinetic barrier put up and attempt to put all his mental energy into ripping control of the kids mind away from them, and from there make them deal with the smoke and maybe even work up a way out of here.

With a flourish of his hand, a blast of crimson light was flung toward a group of the lesser robots. The wicked fast sphere of energy exploded on contact, and the group was utterly obliterated. With the knowledge of the shielding, Lucius didn't bother with his energy on the reflective androids. The dictator instead closed the distance with each, absorbing incoming projectiles as he did, then gave them the killing blow. His swordsmanship was masterful, with each motion having a specific purpose that a lesser man would find far too subtle to know about. In no time, the efforts of both Alpha and Red had cleared the room, except for one, of course.

The gas manipulating test tube child was an issue. Lucius found himself barely able to think. This gas bypassed all his gear, and was literally killing him. Sure, his healing factor was at work, but as Sven had stated, that hardly made him completely immune.

Lucius threw a burst of energy, but the child dispersed in the smoke, and then reformed. The Rise Head even tried closing the distance, swinging his sword in a desperate attempt to stop the gas from continuing to fill the room. But, it was in vain. The meta was too slippery, pulling the same smoke trick every time. Defeating the boy required a plan, and he couldn't form one with his thought process slowed.

Sven.......How.....How do i beat this kid? Give me anything... Lucius said over his link with the AI. An audible sigh echoed through Lucius' mind, as if Sven were put out by the fact he would now have to help Red.

You know, you do have someone else here you know? Not like you're doing this alone. I'm sure you and Alpha could figure this out, but because I'm bored with watching you slowly gassed to death, I'll help out. The last time he turned to smoke, i did a simple scan. Turns out the gas particles that he shifts to are the same he is reconstructed with, meaning they travel quickly to make it seem like he's teleporting through his own smoke. Deny enough of the particles access to each other, and he won't be able to reform, and will probably die. That's all Imma say. If you can't figure it out, you don't deserve that genius title everyone gives you. Sven then drifted off the comm link once again, but Lucius had his info, and it was time to use it.

Just after speaking with Sven, Alpha made mental contact with Lucius. Red took the opportunity to point his fellow Rise Head in the direction of victory.

Don't bother straining yourself. He can't reform if his smoke is separated. I'll fire a blast of energy at him, and when he disperses you put a barrier through the smoke he turns into. I'm willing to bet he needs to reform after a certain amount of time, otherwise he wouldn't be doing it. Lucius explained. It was always nice having someone of Travis' abilities around. Without the TK or telepathy, Lucius could see that this could have gone quite badly..

With a motion, the on the fly plan was set in motion, and Lucius fired an arch of energy at the boy. As predicted, he turned to his smoke form. Now, the rest was up to Travis to execute. Most likely literally.

Right now Alpha really wishe d he had badass ai to help him with this problem. Preferably one that took the form of a corgi. Now that would have been fucking neat, and something that needed to be done at some point. Still it proved pointless almost to grasp onto their mind, as if something was protecting it or he didn’t know what he was doing. It felt odd to have his psionic abilities reduced to nothing effective, but then again that was how things were so he had to work in another strategy.

Luckily Lucius had some idea, and so Alpha would go along with it. Watching the blast force them to go into smoke, falling right into the plan as he created barriers of force around the smoke, attempting to trap it within spheres where there was no escape. Condensing it enough so that there was no way that he could escape. ”So, now that we got him. What about the whole smoke pouring into here?” His body felt like it was beginning to slow down a little, but keeping the smoke at bay was the only thing keeping him from being brought down completely.

Blood exploded inside the telekinetic spheres, turning them into crimson balls of what remained of the boy. In all honesty Lucius wasn't quite aware of what would happen if the smoke was separated for long enough, but at least now they knew to go easier on these kids. It was not Lucius' intention to kill them, but perhaps liberate them from this facility and integrate them with Alpha's family. Unfortunately for this one, that wouldn't be happening.

As if on que with Alpha's words, the smoke dissipated. From what Red could infer, it seemed the boy was holding the smoke molecules together, and when he died those bonds fell apart. As good as that was for the Rise heads, it was still at the cost of the boy's life. If only they had more time to figure out a way to win without death.

"It seems that issue took care of itself....... We need to move." Lucius said, walking down the main hallway that lead to this lab. The energy shielding didn't effect him, as he was made of matter, but it was difficult because of the energy in his system. It took about ten seconds and some healing to walk through it, actually. Alpha would have an easier time, Lucius guessed.

"Sven's scanning indicates this hall leads to a large main room. There's dozens of heat signatures. We could be dealing with kids just as powerful as the one before, and we'll need to make sure as few as possible are killed. This won't be easy." Lucius said as the two men traversed the corridor. Whatever this was, it was prepared for this day. They had to know they would eventually get Lucius and Alpha's attention.