A new face in a big city

"Soldier of Fortune" and her new band of compatriots were just about to rush back into the fray, when the newest addition to their group quite literally swooped into. The quite formally dressed, caped man, flew down to the ground below. His nice trick with the glass shards quickly proving to "Soldier of Fortune" that this newcomer most certainly had "Super" abilities.

The newcomer most certainly new how to make an impressionable entrance.... Something the unknown man shared in common with "Soldier of Fortune". The "Lethal Jade" AKA "Soldier of Fortune" being as much of a showman, as she was a highly lethal mercenary. The notoriety from her showmanship being all the marketing she needed in the word of mouth world of soldiers for hire, to make her one of the highest paid mercenaries in the world. It was her amazingly difficult trick shots, fearless demeanor, cocky attitude, and killer looks which got her to such heights. Anyone could kill a man...... Not just anyone can get paid for it... In order to be a true professional, one needed to be able to do more then simply pull a trigger.... An African child soldier could do that.... No a mercenary of "Soldier of Fortune's" class had to earn her lofty paycheck by more then simply squeezing off a round..... They had to become fear..... A single mercenary, a single precise, brutal killing of a leader could stop a war.... Or start one... This wasn't truly "Soldier of Fortune's" concern however.... She was just an employee to an employer in her mind. Showy? Yes..... Flashy? Yes..... Unquestionably lethal? Yes..... However impersonal? Definitively..... Yes... And that fact made her entrance into this fight on a seemingly "Pro bono" basis..... Practically shocking....

As much as she liked this new face's entrance.... She had to take some points off for the cape.. When it came to gear and costume, "Soldier of Fortune" was all about practicality and functionality.... Well as practical as $20,000 Fendi leather pants were, often pairing them with equally "Functional" $10,000 Dolce and Gabanna boots. Still...... She was always happy to meet a kindred spirit.... Someone who knew their was more to superpowers then simply bashing someones head in. That was all well and good, and "Soldier of Fortune" wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. Knowing just as much as strength made a "Super".... So did style, intelligence, personality..

As the new man drew nearer "Soldier of Fortune" realized much to her surprise that she "Knew" the man.... Well "Knew" loosely... She had heard of him on the news before.... "He was called "The Gentleman" or something like that...." she thought to herself. She stepped forward, ignoring the Frenchman's comments to "The Gentleman" and addressed him saying "Quite an entrance..... Couldn't have done better myself.... Well.... Screw modesty.... Yes I could.... Anyway.... You must be "The Gentleman?", "Soldier of Fortune" said in her British accented English, speaking to her roots being in the former British Protectorate of Hong Kong.

Born to peasants, she used her superior intelligence to giver herself a classical education. While her super powers gave her the means to provide all the wealth she could want.... No doubt the reason she was wearing $20,000 leather pants. Few things made her truly happy.... And money was first on the short list... For it she had traveled to nearly every corner of the world, fought for republics, dictators, corporations, and gangs.... And killed without question, so long as the clients check didn't bounce... It was as she always said "Everyone is ultimately dirty..... Money however..... Money is clean....".

However noticing out of the corner of her eye the teenager bounding into combat, she couldn't help but feel her heart race a little. She shook the strange feeling off saying to herself Ugghhh.... Stop it..... She's just a street girl..... Don't get all hero on me..... Next thing you know I'll be protecting Red Cross convoys...... Despite her goodwill to the girl, she wouldn't let a teen show her up.... Jumping onto the creation of the teenagers mind, a hybrid dinosaur/tank "Soldier of Fortune" looked at the two well dressed men and said [color=red][Well you're not gonna let us girls have all the fun..... Are you????/color].

Gentleman wrapped his black cloak around him in quite the dramatic fashion, his monocle reflecting the light of the few remaining streetlights as well as the muzzlefire from the soldiers in front of them as they fired upon the hole-filled hunk of perforated metal that had once been known as somebodys car. The reactions to his arrival seemed to be somewhat mixed, in particurlar the stylish-looking gentleman seemed most perturbed with his presence, whilst he gauged the gaze given to him by the lady in red leathers to be one of apreciation. The little girl seemed to be somewhat indifferent, babbling about getting herself some pants(!) and whatnot. Apprantly this ordeal had caused what sanity she might originally have had to snap, or at least bend and twist itself around a bit.

"If I may interject here I would like to say that have always found jeans to be a little Unelegant. Not to cast any doubt over your judgement, my dear, but 'pants' would most likely be considered something of a second priority by some whilst in a situation such as this one, although I have to say that I quite admire your dedication to your original priorities and whatnot." The tophatted man spoke in a rather posh accent, his theatrically deep, rich voice calm and somewhat patronizing, seemingly lacking much concern about the gunfire being let lose upon them. Although, this stillness in the heat of battle may seem like madness or extreme carelessness, it was actually a ploy. The gentleman was very much aware that any of those bullets might put an end to his distinguished career, and even though he had his temporarily bullet-proof cloak wrapped around him, one bullet might get lucky, and that was all it would take.

However, this thoughts of bullets and the prospect of dying rather young was cut short by the rather pretty-looking lady in ostentatious red leather. Her appreciation for the gentleman's style and entrance brought a cocksure, smug smile to the face of the dashing rogue. He did so enjoy when people patted his already overinflated ego. His joy grew even greater as she made it clear that she had heard about him before. Finally, his little stunts seemed to be getting the recognition they where due!

"It is indeed a relief to hear that ones action has been noteworthy enough to attract attention." The gentleman said smugly, his melodical theatrical voice filled with pride and conciet. smile turning less smug more dashing, almost as if he was posting for a movie-poster.

"I hope you like what you've heard about me, and that my actual, physical presence can live up to the myth." he continued, this time his voice, even though it was unflappable and smug, was almost dripping with seductive tones, making it overtly clear that he would not mind having some alone-time with the red-clad mysterious woman when all of this was said and done.
However, before he had time to say anything else, the other man spoke up, asking him to stop milling about and aid them in their struggle against the oncomming hordes. He raised a condescending eyebrow whilst giving the man a rather arrogant gaze before sighing theatrically once again.

[/i]"I could sit here and discuss women's fashion and the burden of a reputation with you all day, but I am afraid that work must intrude."[i] he said, and started to pick up glass-shards from the windshield fhat was lying on the ground, as well as a few discarded burger-wrappers and an empty cigarette-packet that had no doubt fell out the door when theo wner had left his veichle to seek shelter elsewhere. Even paper was far more lethal in the hands of the blueblooded Gentleman Thief than a rocketlauncher in the hands of a lesser man.

He rushed out from behind the veichle, quickly rushing towards the bus that the girl was hiding behind, letting go of the items he had in his hand. He did not even throw them, they just started flying at speeds on par with the bullets from a gun. They flew into the group of mercenaries, each smashing through its initial target, making no indication of stopping. In fact, some of them smashed great holes in parked cars in their ways, showing that even staying in cover was no way to stay safe from the Blueblooded Gentleman Thief.

He wrapped himself in his cloak as he dived behind the bus, hovering slightly over the ground to avoid getting the shattered glass and other nasty objects on the ground.

"What? No way! I'm not talking fashion with a guy dressed as old timey as yourself anyway... Weirdo..." Penn said and grabbed her chalk again. In enough detail and concentration, she drew what appeared to be a sword. As glass shattered, she ducked, crudely attempting to cover her hands in her sleeves. She shrieked a little then growled at herself as she reached foward to scoop her sword up. She glared at the oddly dressed and apparently turn-of-the-last-centuary man. "WHo are you, you odd, odd man?"

She took a breath and ducked around the corner. Her shoulder hurt but she tried to ignore it. She looked back at the French man and the lady. She winked and dropped the shield, cartwheeling to the next car, aiming to get closer to the gunmen. "Just a little closer," she said, a smile tugging on her lips. Her shoulder ached from the cartwheel but she didn't care at that point. Penn had to concentrate.

This little band of misfits, consisting of slightly confused frenchman, a cocky teenager, a startling vixen and Mr Darcy from a Jane Austen novel would have under any other situation never have crossed paths. However fate it seemed had a sense of humour and the four of them had been thrust together under the onslaught of a gangs maniacal activity.

The 'Gentleman' fellow had already sprung into action, his strange power was actually quite impressive as it was lethal, Cilian was legitimately surprised when he saw the burger wrapper smash its way through a car window, a lamp-post and a mailbox. However that did not excuse Cilian's immediate discomfort with the man, who was too bumptious and overtly narcissistic for his own good.The woman on the other hand looked quite confident as she hopped onto the tank creation, she was armed and dangerous and her style, upon closer inspection was very striking. She obviously had experience in the shooting department so Cilian had faith that she wouldn't get herself hurt.

The girl on the other hand was getting a bit ahead of herself, running towards heavily armed gangsters was bit of a brash thing to do and even letting go of her shield was a worry. Cilian and the woman glanced at each other for a spilt second, neither of them were sure this girl could take down that many men in her condition. Well at least she has Mr Fancy backing her up, he thought to himself as he clenched his jaw. Bullets rattled away, all the glass in the vicinity was shattered on the floor and the men seemingly had an endless amount of ammo, which was a pain..Cilian simply wanted to end the day with a nice glass of wine while lazily watching the sun go down.

"Time to have some fun.." He muttered, he wasn't even sure if he was fully up to taking down a whole horde of crazed criminals..but showing up this 'Gentleman' character would be quite amusing as well, turning to the woman he rose his voice over the noise "You take the front..I'll surprise them from up top" and with that his whole body was enveloped in a black spiral of dark liquid, It wrapped itself around him and immediately propelled him into the air. The men obviously distracted by this new threat tried to gun the Black Tie down, however this form of transport was much too fast and with a dazzling turn of his trajectory the ominous black bullet rammed its way into the men literally knocking the very conscious out of them. It was quite a show, this dark blob swept over the men easily avoiding the shots they fired; a black trail was left behind as it whipped down any armed gunmen in its way, creating erratic art in motion. Cilian had full control over what he was doing as he swirled around his attackers, cutting them down in a flurry of strikes.

Once a good amount of the footmen were on the ground Cilian breezed in behind a car near the Gentlerman. Both of them made eye contact and Cilian smirked at him, raising an eyebrow; the man only returned the gesture with an upturned nose. However as both men were temporarily distracted by each other no one was quick enough to notice the grenade that was thrown only a few feet away from the teenage girl...

Kimberley AKA "Soldier of Fortune" seemed about as smitten as she could be with "The Gentleman". In other words she was curious about more than just the size of his wallet, though no doubt she had a mental sketch of it in her head. At the very least "The Gentleman" was easy on the eyes, educated, and somewhat charming in a turn of the century victorian sort of way. However any thoughts about "Solider of Fortunes" social life would have to wait... For now at least.

Upon receiving word from the Frenchman to begin her attack, "Soldier of Fortune" kicked the hybrid dino-tank into action. She smiled, saying If this things works half as good as it looks I'll keep them more then busy....." Walking the creation forward towards an oncoming group of machine gun toting thugs, backed by an armored car firing a heavy machine gun. Seemingly instinctively the hulking beast, part triceratops, part MBT fired each of its two cannons which were housed in its horns. The twin projectiles rocketing forward towards the armored car, which burst into a fireball upon impact. The impact killing any of the thugs in the car instantly, while sending those supporting the car racing for cover.

Visibly proud of the destruction loosed upon the thugs "Soldier of Fortune" yelled out "Hell yeah!!!" as the Dino-tank wreaked havoc on her advisories lines. All the while she fired her dual HK USP pistols towards the various scattering thugs. "Soldier of Fortune" finding success expertly dispatching any thug yet to find cover. All falling with bullet wounds to either the chest or the head.... Practically execution style.. A true testament to her skill with a gun in her hand.

The great commotion and destruction"Soldier of Fortune" and the "Dino-tank" she was riding caused obviously caused a great stir among their advisories. Many of them pointed their weapons at the "Dino-tank" being ridden by the seemingly fearless mercenary. Lucky for her however, she was able to seek cover behind the massive armored skull of the "Dino-tank". The part prehistoric animal, part super advanced heavy weapon seemingly as indestructible as the creations it was made after. Drawing fire was after all "Soldier of Fortunes" entire purpose in this diversionary attack.

The males of the group now stepped into the fight with great tenacity. Each downing their share of would-be thugs... All the while "Solider of Fortune" continued drawing the largest amount of fire, her Dino-tank proving all the more destructive, destroying another of the thugs armored cars.

It was a diversion.... And one that was going well.... Well until a loaded grenade bounced right next to the teenage girl.,,,,

The gentleman's smug smile grew as he saw the dent they had managed to put in the opposition. The one that cilian had taken down seemed to be unconscious rather than dead, but this was pretty well compensated by his own handiwork. Dead bodies with holes through their torsos, a few poor suckers that had only been graced by the deadly, supersonic projectiles, and thus had suffered broken arms and legs, although in some of the more serious cases their limbs had been brutally ripped off by the nigh-unstoppable projectiles. The Gentleman was not all that fond of such over-the-top brutality, and much preffered to elegantly dispatch his foes with a quick stab of his umbrella or a well-placed punch. However, the Vicious, Violent, Vivacious Villain was well-aware of his rather tenous position. All it took was one bullet well-placed bullet to take him out of the calculation for good. Despite his weird, although infinately usefull abilities he was but a man, and a man like him was very wise to fear bullets.

Manfred grinned mischeviously as he started collecting glass-shards and other small pieces of debris from the ground, 'reloading' if you will, as he thought about what manner of violence he would utilize these shards for. As he sat there, he looked up briefly, on a hunch, possibly because he heard a noise, or possibly because his subconscious told him that NOW was the right time to do so, only to lock eyes with Cilian, the only other person on the scene with clothes stylish and ostentatious enough to contend with his own in terms of flamboyance. He smirked slightly at the man, an arrogant smirk, but it did not reach the eyes of the gentleman. They where still completely cold.

However as he returned to gathering new ammunition for his next assault his eyes were drawn to a piece of debris not present earlier. A handgranade, the little spring-thing removed. His mind was going a mile a second, he had no idea how long he had to live, but he was not going to take any chances. The young girl was still hiding out behind the bus as well, and the prudent, gentlemanly thing to do was to shield her from the explosions, but would he really have time for that? Was it not just better to save himself.

Gentleman quickly cleansed these thoughts from his mind. He must not fear, fear is the mindkiller. He would let his fear pass through him and only he would remain. He quickly leaped forward, his flight propelling him, as he wrapped his billowing cloak around himself as well as the small girl, before loading it with his energy, causing it to harden to a degree that could protect against these sorts of things better than any bunker in the world.

BOOOM!

although he could not see the explosion he could feel it. His protective cloak shielded him from the heat and most of the preasure, but he could still feel the force of the explosion through the ground, andi f he had not been ready for it, this small demonstration of power would surely be enough to knock him over. He could hear the smattering of pebbles, gravel, pieces of asphanlt and assorted debris as it rained over them. It was not untill it had stopped that he dared to de-bunkerify his cloak, rising up onto his feet. "A rather violent, yet invigorating event, wouldn't you agree, miss? Are you unhurt?" he asked the small jeans-obsessed woman in a voice that might be thought of as a bit too theatrical, and posh, considering the event that had just occured. Gentleman chuckled to himself. Now THIS was exciting.

"Please remain here in relative saftey whilst I will seek vengence for their dirty attack upon our persons" he said thatrically, as he hovered up from the ground, his monocle glinting as it reflected the light from a nearby lightpost. He wrapped himself in his cloak as he took to the skies, carefully, yet quickly launching three or four shards of broken glass at a specific veichle, one at a time. as they slammped into the first one, piercing the armour as if it was made from butter, the he could hear muffled shrieks from the inside. The second veichle hit promptly exploded in a cinematic fashion and the third was actually sent tumbling down the road, ripping up the asphalt as it went. The gentleman then flew off up onto a nearby rooftop wherefrom he would launch his next attack.

Penn nodded. "I... I'm okay..." she replied the the 'Gentleman' and shook her head. She sighed. She looked at her shoulder and immediately started to tear up. It hurt. Of course it hurt. She looked up as the guy went back up into the air. She Drew her knees under her chin and looked at her chalk. "You know your problem, Penn?" she muttered to herself. "You're undisciplined... and far too obsessed with jeans. Not to mention your All Stars..."

She stared at her chalk and sighed. She reached to the ground with it and started to draw. A long line... petals... leaves... The flower, being small, came to life a lot quicker than most of her drawings. She stared at it. What else could she do now but stop to smell the rose she'd created? She was out. She kept wincing every five seconds when she moved her arm.

"I don't even know how to handle a gun correctly..." she muttered. She had a crazy idea for a moment. She looked up at the sky, watched the bullets pass over and then she looked at her chalk. She leaned forward, rubbing out the flower and began. Up, down, around, around... Basic shapes again but she knew what she was drawing. It was a giant flower with eyes and everything. It's leaves held a gun.

Once one was finished, she worked on the next. Sure they'd get shot to pieces but Penn wanted to help. For once, she wanted to help... It was uncharacteristic of her. She'd managed to draw three before she needed to replace her chalk. And that only left her with five more pieces of chalk. She grinned as the flowers came to life, a good foot taller than herself.

"Go!" she said. "Help out. Get the guys shooting guns. Don't you dare harm the French guy, the nice lady in leather or that flying guy in the cape. I'm not sure about those yet. What're you waiting for? Go!"

And so she sent her giant, gun weilding flower men on their suicide mission.

It seemed that the four comrades were pulling out all the stops as they gradually overwhelmed the thugs and their never-ending supply of ammo. All four armored vehicles were now either upturned or in flames, the thugs had now lost access to the turrets located on top of the vehicles so they now used the tanks as shields, trying their best to protect themselves from the onslaught of the peculiar armed flower men or the sharpshooting mercenary on top of the tank. Any person foolish enough to expose themselves was immediately shot down.

When it looked like the men were dry on ammo and with no hope of winning they each launched grenades into the surrounding area, although the projectiles weren't close enough to damage any of the supers the explosions did provide a perfect distraction for an escape. The thugs still armed, sprinted to nearby buildings as the grenades went off, sending gravel and metal into the air, the resounding shockwaves causing everyone to duck for cover. Shards of glass zoomed from up above as the gentleman tried his best to pin the men down, only succeeding in getting one straight in the chest, his body sprawling forward as his shotgun clattered to the ground.

After the smoke had settled only the mangled vehicles and the bodies of downed gangsters remained. Cilian scrunched his brow as he looked around at his three comrades, there was a look of annoyance, worry and shock on their faces, the youngest of which still a bit shaken from her close call with the grenade. Looking up at the armed woman, her guns at the ready if any gangster were to pop out of nowhere, "They've all fled into the buildings, I remember counting five..so they're now low on number but still high on ammo" he spoke loud enough for the other two to hear as well, "I'm fairly certain they split up into the bank and the toystore" he motioned pointing at the two large buildings located next to each other.

"We may have to split up and get them before hostages get involved" he said exhaling, rubbing the dust of his jacket he checked on the status' of the other three, the appeared relatively unharmed and ready to go on, "Are you guys up to it..?" he asked with a raised eyebrow scanning their faces for an answer..

Riding atop the hybrid Dino-Tank, "Soldier of Fortune" breathed a sigh of relief when both "The Gentleman" and the strange yet incredibly gift teen emerged from the explosion unharmed. She beamed a smile of gratitude towards "The Gentlemen's", and when he looked in the exotic mercenaries way, she winked acknowledging his terrific save of the situation. She was no doubt intrigued by this man... Both professionally... And perhaps personally... Though for the renown mercenary personal connections were often quite rare, and usually ended in explosions (Quite literally). Due to this she kept these thoughts beneath her warring exterior. Because although she mixed business and pleasure, "Soldier of Fortune" knew never to cross the two in a fire fight...

With the continuing efforts of the three other "Supers", as well as her own sharpshooting, it became clear the "Supers" had the upper hand. The thugs who destroyed what was up until then a quite day by NYC standards had paid dearly for their bold attack. "Soldier of Fortune" alone killing close to 10 of the thugs since the start of the fire fight. Their vehicles were destroyed and burning, and the thugs themselves were in full retreat. Victory was at hand for this motley crew of hero's, renegades, and villain's. Though nothing was ever really that simple in this town it seemed......

The remaining thugs launched grenades as a diversion, hoping now only for escape.... Making their way towards the nearest high rise, the thugs dashed for the doors of the massive Gothic styled skyscraper, which seemed to hold commercial shops and a bank at its base. Slamming the doors shut as quickly as they opened them. No doubt racing about the lower level entrance way for hostages, or better yet a quick escape route. The "Action" would continue for at least a little while longer it seemed. "Soldier of Fortune" muttering under her breathe "Great...... Now I have to play hero and rescue some poor old lady cashing her social security check.... Can't a girl get a day without having to blow someones head off??.

Noticing that "Cilian", "The Gentleman", and the teen were gathering near a blown out car close to the base of the building, "Soldier of Fortune" jumped off the Dino-Tank and sarcastically said "That's it..... Stay boy...." and ran to join her compatriots. The beast that had come to life from the girls imagination roared in its moment of triumph. No doubt knowing the destruction it had wrought upon its foes. "Soldier of Fortune" even wondering in a fleeting moment if she could add the beast to her arsenal.... "Could have used a Dino-Tank in Burma!!" she jokingly thought to herself...

Once in the company of the three other "Supers", "Soldier of Fortune" was addressed by "Cilian", who counted the number at 5 thugs who ran into the building. "Soldier of Fortune" nodded in agreement and said "You should fly to the rear of the building and cut off any escape from the rear... You'll have them red handed if they try it...... She looked at the teen now and said "Can you draw more of those flower soldiers??? If you can we can use them to cover any of the side exits... They'll be forced to run at "Cilian" or have to hunker down....". She then looked at "The Gentleman" and casually (Albeit semi-flirtatiously) said "And that leaves us with the front door.....".

While the "Supers" formulated their plan, the villains were in a total state of disorganization... Two ran as fast as they could hoping to make it our the rear entrance of the large building. Two more barricaded themselves in the toy store taking hostages... And the loan remaining thug took the entire bank branch hostage... It was certainly still a very, very dangerous situation.... One which would require all of the "Supers" wide array of skills.....

As the remaining mooks decided that they had had their prickly little butts handed to them enough for today and retreated into a building, Gentleman briefly paused his voilent assault, He stood up straight at the rooftop, his fine posture, smugly raised eyebrows and concieted smirk making him look like an evil, hedonistic nobleman from one of the old-timey robin-hood movies. he threw his cape back, causing it to flutter dramatically behind him as he without moving a muscle levitated from the ground, slowlyd hovering down to the ground, looking as though he was standing on an invisible platform. Whilst on the way down he took out a small, silk handkerchief before removing his monocle and starting to polish it carefully, removing any speck of dust or grime that may have ended up on it during the previous battle. He then proceeded to hover over to the other people, still wipingh is monocle and adjusting his marvelously stylish tophat.

It seemed that the female type was currently outlining some sort of plan for them to follow when dealing with these foes, but Gentleman only listened with half an ear to the missions handed out to his cohorts. After all, what they did was not important in the grand scheme of things. He was far more interest in what his own part in this zany little scheme would be. He was obviously the most powerfull member of the team. . . well, no, if he was honest that little girl who seemed to be able to conjure weird tanks and minions straight out of the air probably had more raw power than him, but he compensated by being the greatest fencer in brittain, nay the world! Not to mention having a bullet-proof cape and a kick-ass suit. His thought about his own favourite subject (his own greatness) were cruelly interupted as he was informed what his role in this battle-plan would be. He smiled smugly as he rmembered the old proverb 'good things come to those who wait', and how it had yet again came true.

"Ah, yes. That simply sounds marvellous, my dear. Could not have thought of a better plan myself." he said, his well-modulated, theatrical voice polite and seemingly pleased with the arrangements

"As my esteemed grandpappy used to say 'good fun is best enjoyed in good company', and right now I could scarcely imagine being in better company" He continued, smiling flirtatiously to the leather-dressed woman as his honeyed words hopefully managed to advanced his not-so-hidden agenda. "Shall we?" He asked as he hovered over to the door, whilst adjusting his leather-gloves for maximum comfort. As he reached the door, did not open it, or even try to break it down, but instead placed his hands on the wall adjacent to it, focusing his power, causing the bricks that made up the wall to explode inwares in a spectacular show of destructive abilities.

Inside the building two men stood, pointing a pair of particurlarly lethal-looking M16's at the door, seemingly ready to shoot as soon as it was open, although, judging from the rather surprised looking expressions of the two thugs faces, they had not expected an assault through the wall. Gentleman quickly zipped in, ending up between the two men, one of who seemed to have managed to shake his dazed confusion for long enough to raise his rifle to shoot. However th gentleman had no intention of getting shot. He quickly grabbed ahold of the barrel of the gun, whilst bringing down his foot, backed by his 180 pounds of weight down onto the villains shin, more than enough power to make the bone snap like a dry twig, causing a horrible, cracking sound to echo through the room. This caused the man's grip on his weapon to relax a little, just like the gentleman had predicted. He ripped the gun out of the mans hands, causing his power to run through it, hardening it enough for it to be used as a rather harmfull club, although not nearly enough to be instantly lethal. He spun around, elegantly swinging the weapon, somewhat akin to how a fencer would swing a blade, smashing the other, still confused mook over the face with it, knocking him out cold before he even knew what was happening. without missing a beat, the gentleman spun around, smacking the original owner of the weapon over the head, knocking him out aswell.

The battle had taken less than a second, and the gentleman was the winner. "Always did love to make a smashing entrance." he said amusedly as he looked back at the woman. handing her the weapon from the villain, although now devoid of the power he had infused it with "Here you go, my dear. a small token of my appreciation."

"Illustrator" nodded. She tore to her pack of chalks. "I can draw more. I can draw all sorts," she said, a small smile slipping onto her face. Now she was useful. "Anything... Just tell me what..."

She started to draw some more. Every now and then, her mind would wander and she'd draw things like dogs with big and sharp teeth. Stick men with knives and guns. Basically drawing anything that came to her violent imagery fueled mind. She had drawn so much that she'd ended up forgetting the purpose of her new drawings.

She blinked and stood up, examining her mini army of violent things and stuff. She smiled. "Okay... Do whatever the guys in suits and the nice lady in red says. Even you, Bobby the Ax-Man. Don't scowl at me. Oh wait... I drew you that way. Anyways, flowers, dogs, go take the exits."

She looked at the Soldier of Fortune. Her smile read across as 'Did I do okay? Is this good?' "I'm Illustrator, I guess."

The leather-clad woman was unsurprisingly very direct with her orders, much like her near-perfect aim she was straight to the point and managed to come up with a strategy simple enough to take down the escaped thugs. Cilian listened, amused at the lustful tension between the cape wearing comrade and the woman; it was a slightly awkward situation, one which on any other day would have been perfectly normal. A smirk tugged at the end of his lips as he observed the Gentleman's exhausting display of grandeur, he must enjoy the sound of his own voice the Frenchman mused, biting his lip to halt any attempt at overtly grinning at the entertaining spectacle.

Once the orders were given out the three other 'supers' rushed to do their part in ending the Gangs onslaught, the two older members made their way to the building and the teenager, who seemed to have recovered from her earlier shock was busy drawing away. Mutated creatures spawned from the concrete, their chalky complexion and slightly cartoonish features making them quite a sight to behold.

Cilian Bowed his head at the girl and glanced over at the other two, they seemed to be doing just fine with each others company so now it was his turn to get into the final act of this forever amusing twist of events. The tattoos on his body instantly began shifting and once again morphed into the black smoky vortex which propelled him into the air. He maneuvered his body with the wind leaving behind a dark trail which followed his swooping form, it was like a chinese calligraphy artist stroked the sky with their brush, creating a temporary black streak in the humid space. The back of the building faced another empty street, the suns rays could not penetrate the body of the skyscraper leaving the roads below in a cool shadow; cars littered the sides of the streets and an empty hot-dog vendors stall was overturned, possibly during the earlier chaos.

Cilian's body soared down across the pavement, the eerie black jet contrasting the polished cement underneath it. As he glided down to the middle of the road, his polished shoes brushed the city's skin, slowing his landing down; the whirling ink rapidly returned back into his body with a muted 'fwooshing' sound, breaking the tense atmosphere. Stretching his neck Cilian let out a loud sigh, if the gun toting criminals were smart they would have given up already..facing one super-powered person was foolish enough but challenging four was downright stupid.

He lazily scanned the area and aside from the absence of the bustling pedestrians nothing was out of the ordinary. The criminals were definitely inside and as he pushed through the cold glass screen doors the cool air conditioning welcomed him in with an invigorating breeze, it was a welcome change from the humidity of outside. His shoes made a crisp tapping noise against the polished floor as he walked down the glass and steel covered corridors nothing happened, business men and women cowered underneath their desks, not brave enough to see if Cilian was friend or foe.

It was only after following the trail of bullet riddled bodies on the 6th floor did he finally find the entertainment. A sweaty beefed up man covered in ammunition stood at the end of the office, his body leaning against a printer as he aimed his fancy looking gun at Cilian. The Frenchman cocked his head to the side..amused at this turn of events, getting hit with high calibre bullets would definitely not end well for him and he knew the gangster looked like he'd pull the trigger at any given movement. This was not going to end peacefully either way.

Heaving a sigh and staring at the man directly in the eyes Cilian blinked twice and smirked, the man screamed at him, "FUCK YOU WANT YOU FREAK?!" as he gripped to his weapon tighter snorting through his flared nostrils. "All I'm going to say is..you chose the wrong machine to hide behind.. Cilian huffed as he flicked his wrist in the air, before the gangster had time to even respond to this strange remark a pained gasp escaped his lips, looking down at a sudden addition to his body. The ink within the printer had already shot out from the machine piercing the mans chest and spraying the wall behind him with a vibrant red and black piece of art. It was too late for the criminal and he dropped dead on the carpeted floor making Cilian wrinkle his nose in disgust.

Hopefully the others aren't finding it too difficult, he thought to himself raising an eyebrow at his impressive printer trick.

"Soldier of Fortune" took the M-16 with a flirtatious smile towards "The Gentleman". She carefully looked over the M-16, then took the clip out, which luckily for her was nearly full with armor piercing rounds, A girls best friend....." she joked to herself. She wasn't gonna lie, she wished she had one of her assault rifles from the onset of this firefight finding her. She didn't prefer the M-16, she would rather have her MP-5's any day in an urban setting. However..... A beggar can't be a chooser.... And her lethatlity was instantly increased exponentially the moment "The Gentleman" placed the assault rifle in her hands. To bad the fights over it seems..... she thought to herself.

"Soldier of Fortune" then responded to "The Gentleman" surveying the damage they had created, saying Seems we've made quite the entrance... One with a literal bang... , she then smiled a coy smile before saying A small token?? What's a girl have to do to get a big one?. The two smiled back at each other, it seemed today was a strange day indeed for "Soldier of Fortune". First she saved countless citizens without receiving a dime, then she found herself semi-enthralled with someone and not just their wallet.

The two began to walk towards an entrance leading deeper into the building when a cornered thug who had up until then been unnoticed sprang his trap. The thug stood up in one great movement, pointed his AK-74 towards "The Gentleman's" uncloaked body, and began to squeeze his finger on the trigger. "The Gentleman" and "Soldier of Fortune" were caught totally off guard, they had only counted two thugs by the front entrance. It seemed this was about to be a deadly mistake..... Noticing the thug ready to spray both her and her new "partner" however couture and dapper they appeared, the expert mercenary sprang into action.

With lightening speed "Soldier of Fortune" threw "The Gentleman" aside with her left arm, "The Gentleman" flying unexpectedly to the ground. Then in a singular motion she wheeled her right arm around, which touted her M-16. She sprayed the M-16 wildly it seemed, however with her deadly accuracy nearly all the bullets hit the thug before he could squeeze even a round off. The bullets exploding into his chest, breaking ribs, piercing his lungs, and penetrating his heart. The kill shot however was a well placed shot nearly right between the eyes, the thug was dead before he even hit the ground. That's the difference between a brute and a mercenary.... she thought to herself, half wanting to offer her services to whoever hired this low skill band of toughs....

She stood up and walked over to "The Gentleman" and said "Looks like we just narrowly missed making a smashing exit.....", half laughing. She smiled as she lowered her hand down to help "The Gentleman" up, before saying Sorry about the suit..... Hope it dry cleans..... Unfortunately.... You're not alone! as she pointed to a few small holes in her red leather pants. She then looked towards the entrance and said Well shall we go find the others?? I have a feeling this is just about over.... We just need to hand this over to whatever they call law enforcement in this city.... Then after that how about a drink??? I know for one I could use a bit of relaxation.... This was after all meant to be my day off.....

Shadowraith had been monitoring the activity in the streets, content to watch the other heroes at work. Moving from shadow to shadow, he believed that he had gone undetected. There was the mercenary woman: uninteresting. These skilled assassins (guns like those weren't your ordinary toys, they screamed assassin) are usually a dime a dozen, and all their guns and bluster are less than amusing when they are trapped in steel tight box of shadow. Besides, she would probably work for these monsters if the coin was good. Then there was the little girl. An interesting power, similar to his own in a way, but give a teenage girl powers and she is still a teenage girl. What could they even discuss? Then there were the two gentlemen, both intriguing, but one branched off with the supposed assassin. Scum by association. That left the other man, who looked about his age with a very similar power. The least could be gleaned from him by observation, this alone made him the most interesting choice to follow. He arrived just in time to see this new face brutally slaughter one of the thugs.

His face and voice obscured by the concentration of dark energy around him, he asked in a loud whisper "Why did you kill him?" After a pause he continued.

That man was greatly outmatched by you, you were not left without options. I'm not judging you, I seek only insight. Would you have killed a female in the same manner? Did you believe that your life was in danger? Oh I suppose your name would be a decent piece of insight as well, but it's not my chief concern."

Penn's new problem started when she ran out of chalk. "Oh no," she whispered and took a peek at the scene. Her drawings seemed to be working fine... But what could she do now? Her shoulder still hurt from her wound. She absently went and lightly touched her wound. She looked around. "I need chalk... Even paints... Something to draw with..."

She sighed and looked the stores around her. She did notice a store with office supplies inside. She looked around and made a break for it. She hoped the doors were open or she'd be slamming full force into them. Luckily, when her body collided with the door, they swung open easily, allowing her to comically fall and face-plant into the floor. She scrambled up and ran to find the supplies. "The Illustrator" saw it. Then and there. A marker pen. The label said it could write on any surface. "Illustrator" grinned and picked it up. She looked around. The store was deserted. She had her mask on... She was playing hero out there but this was minor to murder. She took the marker out of it's packaging.

She ran back to the street, remembering her small notepad she kept for emergencies. "Illustrator" brought it out and started doodling away, her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth. With every drawing she made, she ripped the page out of her notepad for the drawing to come alive.

"Well, not too toot my own horn, my dear, but making grand entrances happens to be something of a speciality of mine. Although, it is only one of my many remarkable talents." the gentelaman said, as his cloak dramatically flowed behind him as the pair walked in. Despite the arrogant, Concieted smile on his face, and the general swagger in his steps, the gentleman was still on the alert, in case more of the villains would show up. Even though he was quite convinced of his own superiority, he was well aware that a single bullet could end his litttle saga without much difficulty.

Gentleman smiled in a very dignified manner as the woman he was currently accompanying asked how to procure a larger token of his favour. He wagged his finger, trying to imitate the scolding gesture sometimes used by parents and teachers alike to cause their rowdy offspring to behave, however the mischevious smile playing on his full lips confirmed that this was just another of the little flirtatious game that the two of them had played ever since they had gotten involved in this dirty mess. "Now, now, dear. If I just handed you grand tokens like that, you might stop trying." he said, his deep theatrical voice seemingly dripping with humor. Oh, yes, the gentleman loved playing these little games.

However, the smile quickly dissapeared as the woman suddenly threw herself over him forcing him to the ground. Despite the rather strange situation and the general surprise of her actions, the gentlemans upbringing and general ponceyness allowed him to say "Ooof" in a dignified, snobbish manner Was this a sudden betrayal, no if it was a betrayal, she would only have to shoot him, pushing him to the ground was rather superflous in that case. He would have asked her if the air had not been forced out of his lungs when she collided with him.

However, he soon noticed the source of her sudden leap. Another of the military hooligans hidden in the shadows. Gentleman was just about to deal with the villain by throwing a discarded cigarette butt at him, but the female mercenary beat him to it, utilizing the rifle she had provided for him to end the poor sods life.

"My, my. As deadly as you are beatifull, my sweetest of roses." he cooed in thanks of the sudden rescue, although even though he mentally cursed himself for missing the thug, he would not let such insecurities become visible upon his magnificent face. He quickly grabbed her hand as soon as it was offered and rose both quickly and elegantly. His shoulder-length brown hair was somewhat ruffled, but he would have time to attend to that later. He quickly picked up his tophat and once again placed it on his brow."Oh, its alright. I have methods of dealing with dirt and grime." He said confidently, brushing some of the dust of his pants. It could have been worse though.

"You handle that rifle like an expert, my dove. very impressive indeed." he continued, complimenting her for her successfull, stylish murder of the thug they had encountered.

"A drink in your company sounds like an excellent suggestion. I might go so far as to call it a stroke of genius even!" He agreed, before following her, althoug his steps did not have quite the swagger they had before he had been pushed over and saved unexpectedly. There were a few moments in life where even the gentleman had to admit that substance ranked above style.