New home (OPEN TO OCEAN MEMBERS)

The Black Angel took a refreshing sip of her Coors Light, exhaling deeply as the cold beer went down her throat. In a couple hours, and after about twenty more Coors Lights she'd be ready for bed, but not after putting the finishing touches on her new utility belt, which she was hoping to debut in combat quite soon. She figured if it worked well enough with her, she'd make a few more, perhaps even making it standard O.C.E.A.N equipment. Of course she'd have to test it in the field first, but she figured it would go off without a hitch. It wasn't nano technology, but it could get an operative out of a sticky situation, and better yet was light weight, and truly functional. That was perhaps the Black Angel in a nutshell, she didn't wear some outlandish costume, nor did she use space age weaponry, and she'd beat a handful of Meta's who did. Mostly she'd found herself fighting the wars of humanity, but every now and then she'd come across a Meta, especially as of late, and she'd proved just as effective fighting her own kind.

She turned to look at Shi, who seemed to talking to a teenage operative, and the newest female addition. Shi tipped his straw hat, and the Black Angel raised her beer. It was the sort of silent acknowledgement that was common among seasoned warriors. The Black Angel liked Shi, though she'd had very little time to work with him. However, when it came to boy Shi was talking to, the Black Angel still didn't quite understand why Saileyra was letting teenagers into the organization, as they lacked the physical and mental development of their adult peers, but perhaps this one was different? All the same, this wasn't high school... And people died in this business, making the Black Angel doubt very much a teenager could take a life, or deal with the aftermath of taking a life. "Who knows.... You did it well enough...." the Black Angel thought to herself, before remembering she'd been trained for it since she was ten. She doubted very much this boy had been, which would pose a problem if he had to take life.

Then their was the new operative, it was nice to see another female in the organization, she seemed bubbly, a bit awkward, but perhaps she'd be a good addition to the team? Saileyra seemed to think so, and that was good enough for the Black Angel.... She'd learned to trust Saileyra with her life, a distinction not many people had ever earned with the Black Angel. So even though this operative seemed, overly chipper..... She had the Black Angels respect, and she was coming her way....

The Black Angel looked up in something resembling horror as the newest O.C.E.A.N operative came bounding over to her table, tray in hand, smile of face. When she reached the Black Angels table she quickly sat down, excitedly saying "Hi! I'm Sabrina!". In a normal situation the Black Angel would make a rude remark "I'm sitting alone for a reason...", or "Good for you..", or some other insult. But being a friend of Saileyra, the Black Angel decided to give her a chance. The Black Angel said "Hi Sabrina... I'm the Black Angel... You can call me Angel, doesn't matter.". When Sabrina said "Why are you sitting all the way over here? We are all suppose to be family here right?", the Black Angel laughed, saying "Well their is one in every family... Right?". After taking another sip of her beer, the Black Angel asked "So Sabrina.... What brings you to O.C.E.A.N? You're some sort of scientist right?".

The Black Angel wasn't much of a people person, but Sabrina seemed genuinely nice, and that was rare in this day and age. The Black Angel only hoped O.C.E.A.N didn't take her sunny outlook and seeming innocence, as getting ensnared in such an organization had an ugly habit of doing that to the type of people like Sabrina.

The blond easily resisted the urge to glower at the straw hatted samurai as he detected the throaty chuckle that accompanied the brief explanation of what he was doing. Adam had been spending the majority of his life masking his emotions in order to keep an air of calm around himself so the feat of keeping a straight face was exceedingly simple. That being said, he could not stop the indignation welling in his chest at the sound. Was that man really daring to mock him at such an early juncture in their acquaintance? The teen, however, was all too well aware of how counterproductive reacting to his own anger was.
 
Then the neko woman was pointing out proteins in the genetic code like he didn't know how to manipulate them. It occurred to him that she was just trying to be helpful or make conversation or something, but the fact of the matter was that it was only compounding upon his frustration. Her explanation of how she'd come to be the way she was, was interesting enough so he filed away the fact for a later discussion and took a breath. Discarding the anger towards the woman was as simple as that, made all the easier when she bounded off to speak to the room's newest arrival.
 
The sound of a gruff voice, the gentle tipping of a hat and returned nod from the darker haired woman from across the way, drew Adam' attention back to Shi.
 
In well accented Japanese: "I see, Ryurou-san. I hope you understand my perturbance. The mask, to me, in this place, signified a lack of trust in we, your fellows. I show my face out of respect for the rest of you as we are meant to be rather close comrades. As I'm sure you are aware, most of the populace is unaware of the identities of most masked heroes and I happen to be one of them. I keep my identity secret for very good reasons. I might suggest that you invest in a pair of sunglasses for around here, in case anyone else takes offense, oh son of the dragon,"  the genius stated, sitting up straighter in his chair.
 
Adam wasn't completely sure that the other man spoke japanese but with a name like what he had given, there was a fair chance, though, the name was also so simple that it felt almost like a fanboy had named the man out of some degree of japanophilia. The straw haired teen  was willing to take the chance however.
 
As he finished his minor diatribe, he could feel the eyes of the darker haired operative on him. Apparently she wanted to go by the name Angel, which stemmed from her handle, the Black Angel. The judgement filled glances of the more well established agents he'd come across so far made Adam rather pleased with this organization. Its members were wary and smart enough to question the capabilities of the newer recruits. It told him that they were concerned with the dynamics of the team because they were curious as to just how well people they didn't know would incorporate into the group. A good sign that they'd react appropriately in the field and that they'd been successful out there already and didn't want any new additions gumming up the works, as it were.
 
Then, for the first time in a while, Adam gave thought to the fact that to most of these people he probably looked like some high school student. The thought that he was some common, jock like, blond, air headed adolescent brought a smile to his face that he quickly tried to hide by covering his mouth with a casual hand. No one had regarded him as a simple child in nearly 5 years, so it was refreshing to be looked at differently for a while. He knew, however that even if the adults around him were unaware of who he was for the moment, all of that was going to change rather soon given the fact that his face and name were about to be on every television and news stand in short order.  He couldn't be too angry about it though, changing the face of the globe had a tendency to do that.
 
((OOC: in case anyone is unaware, Adam is actually relatively well known for being a super genius teenager who has started a major engineering company in the last year. The second reference is in regards to the fact that Adam is going to debut cures for Cancer, HIV, and Diabetes in short order in a different thread in the near future. If you want to participate in the thread involving that revelation: https://www.superhero-rpg.com/t6429-sickness-meet-cure ))

Japanese: Of course I do, you bring a valid argument, and I hope you understand that my ac tions are in no way meant to offend..." Shi said with a small pause, recalling revious events. "You know, this is the second time someone has suggested sunglasses. I'll be back in a second." Shi said, standing up and pulling his mask off of his face, no sooner had it left the flesh of his face, had it dropped to the ground, as the man behind it disappeared in a shadow step. He found himself in the 'shopping commons' as he called it. He visited a clothing store, sure to cover his eyes with his hands, his heightened sense allowed him to manuver well, although not perfectly. He knocked over a man on accident and accidently made eye contact. The man started screaming incoherently and freaking out. Shi sighed and walked away, there was nothing he could do for the man, and he would not waste time. He stepped into a store and took a pair of thick sunglasses that looked like these. With the new thick sunglasses  on he looked into a mirror, hoping that his 'true self' was hidden. It was and he looked around, inspecting his body. He had never seen his 'mortal coil' before.
 
  He shadow-stepped back, only having been goon for an accumulation of about three minutes, or four. He stepped on his old mask towards the chin area and it caused it to flip up into he air. Shi then back anded the flipping mask and sent it right into the trash. "Take that Yao Ming." He muttered to himself, humoring himself a little bit. True he knew that that wasn't really a basketball feat, but still...it humored him.

   "Your approach is the more fufilling, the smarter approach. This way I can keep what needs to be hidden hidden, and what needs not be in the open. Does this look more....'approachable' or more 'acceptible' at least?" He asked the young man, a genuiine interest in his input. Let's face facts, the man was obviously intelligent, and Shi would not be able to look at him as a 'boy' due to the tech jabber aboout the turtle and for making a suggestion that was shared only with another intelligent person Shi knew. Shi shuttered at the thought of his 'ancient wisdom' being smashed under the new-age philosophy of a teenager.

     Shi had heard Black Angel also give up the whole 'there is one in every family' excuse. Shi looked at her in his new sunglasses and called out at her.
    "Last time I checked it was a 'black sheep' that every family had one of. Few families are ever truly bllessed with the pressece of an Angel, black or not." Shi said with that 'ha-ha I got you' tone. He liked Black Angel, hell of a good operative, got the job done, thought about what needed to be thought about and nothing else. Shi managed to nod at her, sort of trying to pull the angel out of her shell a bit. "Try something new. Eat and talk with them today, and if you don't like it then you can just stick to doing missions with them. That's just my advice however." Shi added, thoroughly enjoying the thought that he could now finish his drink without having to wait for people to look away. He picked it up and instinctivly reached for the mask, feeling that it wasn't there he froze up, and noticing that people around may be watching him he set the drink down, not letting his disappointment known. He was scared to eat with people watching him? That's a new one...

"Well angel usually the black sheep is the most fun to talk to." said Sabrina, smiling. She picked up and ate more of her sushi, nodding. "About a week ago I was a geneticist, I had created two serums that would splice animal DNA into human DNA. The first serum was a test serum which only contained the DNA of a Household cat. The second was my crowning achievement. I called it the chimera serum. I had stuffed the DNA of any animal I could get my hands on. But I was out of test subjects, I was collecting the courage to inject myself with the serum but then my lab was raided. They stole both vials, but I was somehow about to get one of the vials back in the poor excuse for a fight I put up. But neither of the vials where labeled on the vial so I didn't know which it was. I run to my house, inject it into myself and then passed out from the pain." Sabrina pointed at her ears and tail.

"When I woke I was really sore and there where there instead of my ears and this tail was here." said Sabrina. She then pointed at her waist and chest. "But I guess it wasn't all bad cause these where changed too, i wasn't lanky anymore." The joke was poor and there was still nervousness in her voice from repeating the events. "So I was pretty much out of a job, because when my employers found out my job was out the window so I went on a job hunt and a hunt for a wardrobe with clothes that fit. Either way Sai found me and hounded me on me hiding something. I thought she was part of the people who raided my lab who had shown up to kill me, but apparently not. She offered me the job and I took it. But in the end the people who stole the serum got away with it. But I can't help but feel bad for the person the used it on. The vial I used only contained DNA of a cat. That serum has a lot more DNA in it. The pain would be unbearable. Probably mind breaking." She paused for a moment. "So what brought you to OCEAN Angel?"

As the Black Angel was listening to Sabrina, Shi who'd overheard her conversation with one of O.C.E.A.N's newest members said  "Last time I checked it was a 'black sheep' that every family had one of. Few families are ever truly bllessed with the pressece of an Angel, black or not.". The Black Angel blushed, it was sweet, Shi was sweet, and more and more she felt apart of this... "Family.... Becoming a little bit of Kimberly everyday, whoever she was these days. Her past memories were hardly good, but they were all that connected her with being human, and that had to count for something she guessed. Whatever they were, good or bad, they at least grounded her to something "Normal" in a life that had been anything but.

When Shi reasoned to her, saying ""Try something new. Eat and talk with them today, and if you don't like it then you can just stick to doing missions with them. That's just my advice however.", the Black Angel smiled an awkward smile, sighed heavily, jokingly saying "Alright.... Just one meal right?". Social skills weren't her strong suit, likely because her time in a Hong Kong orphanage was quite literally a fight for survival, which became only worse when she reached the Triad's "Jade Program". Something about being force to kill those she was matched up against made the Black Angel apprehensive of people, even to this very day.

However, deciding to give things a chance, she returned her attention to Sabrina who was still speaking. Once she finished weaving her interesting tail of creation, the Black Angel said "Wow! You're quite new to your powers.....  This has to be.... Overwhelming? I was eased into mine over time, through experimentation, training, harnessing my own natural powers... I couldn't imagine suddenly getting them all in one day. To have made it this far, you're stronger then you think Sabrina, as what you've done has taken great courage. Maybe one of these days if we have some time I can take you to the gym... Make you able to put up more then a poor excuse for a fight?" the Black Angel said with a friendly laugh.

When Sabrina pointed to her ears and tail, the Black Angel was shocked she hadn't already noticed them, but then again Sabrina blended in pretty well. She clearly was intelligent, that much was obvious, and she'd certainly be an asset to O.C.E.A.N because of that. Speaking once again, the Black Angel said "Well I'm certainly happy that Saileyra found you... I've found role here, after searching for a place for quite some time. I suppose that's what brought me to O.C.E.A.N.... I was looking for something for quite some time, looking to belong to something bigger then myself, which stood for what O.C.E.A.N stands for. I had a chance meeting with Saileyra in Chicago, she offered me into O.C.E.A.N, and here I am....".

The Black Angel then said "I suppose we're similar in a way.... I was genetically experimented on as a youth... I always had "Powers", but somehow Triad scientists altered my DNA, making me what I am today, for better or worse. At times a feel created... Anyway, I know that horrible pain you speak of. It's like being ripped apart from the inside... It never got any easier, no matter how many times they experimented on me...".

Adam found himself pleased to discover that Shi properly spoke Japanese, primarily because it didn't make him look like a presumptuous ass. It would have been exceedingly annoying for the genius to have to waste time repeating himself in a different language, not to mention it might've come off as pretentious which was not the trait he was hoping to display upon his first meeting other operatives.

Then the lumbering samurai pulled his mask free of his face and disappeared in a blur of motion. Rolling his eyes, the blond took a moment before turning back to his work and found himself struck by inspiration. The language of the land of anime and honor made him think passingly of octopi and he realized that a telekinetic Octopus would be a much more interesting specimen. Reaching out with both hand, the teenager squished the rotating DNA strand in front of him and threw it away in a mock fashion, essentially deleting it. A flick of his fingers and a fluctuation of his wrists next and keyboard like construct was floating beneath his digits and in the next, his hands became hazy display of motion, not too different than Shi had. The boy masterfully stroked the air in front of him passing back and forth through the light display and before him a new , more complex double helix began to form in rapid order. The movement of his fingers was almost dizzying to witness and even more difficult to believe that a human not possessed of superhuman speed could type so fast.

By the time Shi stopped back beside him, Adam had managed to construct the arrangement of a super powered octopus. The chain of chemicals was significantly longer than that of a human beings which was simple to understand given that octopi had more chromosomes than people did. As the samurai skidded silently back into position, the duplicator reached out and expanded the strand and selected a specific section and began manipulating the shape of the molecule models there by hand.

"Wasn't Yao Ming chinese? Then again I suppose he's still the only asian basketball player to grace the courts in the US in the last 30 years or whatever. Though on an aside, you should keep the mask for missions. It suits you. But to answere your question, the sunglasses don't look too bad, sturdy seeming to say the least. I'd say you looked more approachable but it wouldn't be true. You look like a samurai. Most people find that intimidating it seems. Doesn't bother me, but the common person would probably avoid you or run the either way based on that. Now the shades do make you seem more relaxed here though, which is a good thing and also more acceptable amongst your peers here," Adam replied absently as he continued to work steadily and accurately despite the fact that he was conversing about something he had only taken a second to look over and was also speaking about something wholly unrelated to his work. Multitasking in such a way would've been difficult for most anyone else, even others with superhuman intellects but the teen was anything but normal.

He was glad that Shi didn't immediately seem to become dismayed or upset by his words. Many often found his opinions to be mildly scathing despite their accuracy and honesty. Some had tried to call him callous in the past but he hadn't been particularly phased by such reviews.

As he went through and refined the structure, he overheard Sabrina's tale of how she had come to be the way she was. It was unfortunate and sloppy in his opinion but not everyone was as efficient or possessed of the same forethought that he was. He couldn't recall the last time someone had deigned to try and steal from him nor the last time he hadn't either labeled or memorized the differences between two serums he'd synthesized.

Taking the advice of the samurai beside him, he decided to try socializing.

"What are the chances that someone, aside from yourself, of surviving the injection of this Chimera Serum? I presume it was synthesized for you or someone somewhat similar in build and body composition and given the dangers of tampering with the base structures that compose your body, especially outside of a lab, do you think the person they injected lived? I ask because you realize that we could still...find them right?" he asked turning away from his project and swiveling his chair in everyone else's direction, placing a few more fries in his mouth as he did.

"Not to mention your employers are the ones who should be out of business for firing you over something so wildly out of your control. If you'd like I could ruin their lives in less than five minutes from this very chair?" he offered with a slight grin. As it stood, he was telling the truth, he could make just about anybody broke, homeless and without any job prospects in just over 3 minutes but the true fact was that he wanted to see what these people would say about doing such a thing. It would be good insight into who they were as people. Years of practice kept the fact that he was testing them hidden while he let them toss the idea around for a few moments.

"Yao Ming was in fact chinese. I was simply making a point. I also have several masks, so I won't bother to retrieve that one." Shi said. He looked back to find that the young man had been absently givng him the opinion, far more interested in his work. Shi was slightly offended, however this wasn't the first person of this intellectual calibur he had delt with. They were all similar in the thought process that they needed challenge, they needed to find new ideas, new questions to answer. Shi would swallow his pride, and not say anything about the young man playing with the device that had Shi really...really uncomfortable. He realized that this device and the need to do what he did was as compelling to Shi as it was meditation for him.
    "You could also suffer a stroke, or have a heart attack before you could even process your next thought." Shi said, this was not an insult, and his tone in no way was threatening. "Simply because you have the power to do that does not mean you should. Sabrina I am deeply sorry for all the misfortune that has befallen you...but I would advise agaisnt it. What good would come from it? Revenge, justice? There is a cycle to such things. You take revenge, and all it truly does is give them a reason to retaliate. Any mindless fool can follow a cycle...but only a true soul can break them. Instead of taking such actions, I would offer that your trials and tribulations were for a greater good. You were fired for means beyond your control, and somehow you ended up surrounded by people who in a heartbeat welcome you and hold you as close as family. You recieved something in place of your loss. You were wronged...but in the end you were the one accepted into one of the most elite organizations in the multiverse... My advice..." Shi said. This next part was a lesson from his own heart."Revenge leads only to a heart as black as the abyss...and with every beat...you can only pray that it does not beat again." He didn't realize how dark and morbid he came across. He took in a deep breath and stood up. He was honestly just trying to fight off the urge to cry again. he screwed up, a lot. He needed to go get his mind off of the current events.
   "Excuse me...I'm going to the sparring room for a moment. I will return soon." Shi said. He walked away, not bothering to shadow step. He didn't plan on actually sparring, he simply needed to do something active to get his mind off of his failures as a Spirit, and his recent failures at Madagascar. He would be back by time they missed him, but he just hoped they all didn't notice him acting slightly odd. Who was he kiding though. He kenw that two of them at least ewere smart enough to figure it out.

"I don't think I'll do well in a fight, I'm still getting used to this body and all the strange stuff that goes with it." said Sabrina. "With out going into great personal detail all I can really mention is that my tail and ears are really sensitive. The rest is well... kinda embarrassing." Her face slightly turned red for a few moment before returning to normal. She smiled though, her and Angel seemed to have a lot in common and she felt a wave of relief wash over her knowing someone had some idea of what she was going through. But then Adam brought up a point which she didn't think about till now.

"Well... uh... umm... truth be told neither of the serum were ready for human test... or any sort of testing at all. So I made the serum to adapt to fit any composition or build. It was really only a theory at the time but it was worked into both serums. So the fact that I survived gives a high chance that who ever gets injected with it will survive. But they might go crazy from all the changes from the different DNA." said Sabrina meekly. Her face turned red when Adam suggested to ruin her previous employer's lives. She was surprised he even suggested it. "No!" she snapped angrily, her tail twitching. She calmed down after a few moments and she blushed. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to snap. My employers did nothing wrong, I did. I was hire to work on cures for different illnesses, but instead I did genetic research with the supplies they gave me. So I was the one in the wrong. I left before they could actually fire me. There was enough evidence left over to show I wasn't doing what I was hired to do. So I was going to be fired anyway."

It seemed Shi agreed with her, but for really morbid about it. Philosophical, but morbid. Sabrina looked at Angel after Shi walked off. She gave her a 'should we follow him look'.

The Black Angel smiled as Sabrina said "I don't think I'll do well in a fight, I'm still getting used to this body and all the strange stuff that goes with it.", and replied "I can imagine you're still feeling pretty awkward, probably even uncomfortable in your own skin? Well, once you're ready, come and see me and I'll show you a few moves.... Consider this a rain check! You'll be surprised what you can do once I get through with you.". The Black Angel wasn't going to force Sabrina to do something she didn't want to do, but she was certainly going to push her to expand her skill set. With the type of genetic modification that was underway within Sabrina's body, she could be quite deadly if she applied herself to the martial arts, and harnessed the true power she'd be given. However, that was ultimately up to her, but Sabrina would know where to find the Black Angel at least.

Sabrina then said "With out going into great personal detail all I can really mention is that my tail and ears are really sensitive. The rest is well... kinda embarrassing.". It was obvious to the Black Angel that Sabrina was having a difficult time adjusting to her new body, in more ways then one. She liked Sabrina, she seemed a genuine person, and one who shouldn't be so down. So, the Black Angel said "I don't see anything to be embarrassed about.... It might sound easy for me to say because I can hide in plain sight... But I don't see anything to be embarrassed about... You're truly one of a kind, and not many people can say that!".

The Black Angel listened as Adam, Sabrina, and Shi all began having a conversation once again. Adam posed his question, which seemed merely like an opportunity boast, as opposed to something he genuinely cared about. However, the Black Angel was seventeen once... She remembered what it was like, and the need for self gratification. "Had to climb every mountain simply because the existed..." she thought to herself. He was an intellectual however, and she'd also found an arrogance within those sorts that always had something to prove. Whatever, the case, the Black Angel simply rolled her eyes at Adams statement.

In a flash Shi was off, leaving just Adam, Sabrina, and herself, and Sabrina gave the Black Angel a look that said she wanted to get out of here. She wondered if it had something to do with Adam's statement? Whatever the case, she wanted to leave, and the Black Angel was done eating, so she nodded, saying "Why don't we get out of here.... Go catch up with Shi?". Shi had said he was going to the sparring room, and though he was among the operatives that the Black Angel really enjoyed so far, she wouldn't mind seeing what the Samurai was made of. Not to mention she could show Sabrina a few basic moves.

Grabbing a few more cold beers from the cooler, the Black Angel was ready to leave. She held onto them, opening one as she and Sabrina exited the dining area, and began to head towards the sparring room, which the Black Angel had yet to see.

Shi seemed almost nervous, Adam noted as he could perceive the man shifting slightly, becoming more tense as he witnessed his work. Having no prior data to go off of, the blond was unsure what was inciting such tension in the samurai but it was there, even if he was hiding it well.

Saving his work with a few precise hand motions, the boy deactivated the holographic projections and deftly pocketed the devices. He also listened while Sabrina gave slight descriptions of her new found body's shortcomings as he viewed them. It seemed the girl was shy and probably sexually inexperienced especially given the fact that prior to her transformation she was probably rather mousy and 'lanky' as she had put it which lead him to believe she was unattractive. She had also probably been underconfident in herself and had a slight lack in self esteem which had yet to fully rectify itself in her new body. He presumed the sensitivity in her newest extremities was because the nerves attached to them would be fresh and overly sensitive for a time or perhaps forever since they were supposed to be somewhat sensitive in a tactile sort of way.

However, as she went on, his expression soured. How was it that someone could be so irresponsible?   He was not even surprised as she dug her hole deeper and deeper with her explanation.

Shi on the other hand had simultaneously failed and passed his verbal test at the same time. He had advocated against the irresponsible use of his intellect and talents, though for a relatively different sort of reason. It seemed the samurai had experience with making poor decisions when it came to the likes of vengeance. As the memories moved closer to the surface, Adam sensed a shift in the man's demeanor and decided he wanted to know more about it so as to better understand his co-worker as it were. Hell the entire point of his interaction with the three of them at this point was to adjust his opinion and understanding of each of them. So far Shi had moved his rating in a positive direction as had the Black Angel while Sabrina had made her own plummet.

"You're somewhat right but a seizure is far more likely for someone like me, though a stroke or cardiac arrest are both highly unlikely for me. I'm in far to good a physical condition for either. Thank you for the opinion, though I think it's long since past the point where I'd be in need of a lecture from anyone about what I 'can' and 'can't' and 'should' and 'shouldn't' do. Wouldn't any of you agree? Not to mention of course, that if I really wanted to abuse my talents, there'd be little most people could do to stop me, you all included. That said I've long since decided how I want to use my abilities and the fact that I'm on and leading a portion of this team, should be proof enough that you needn't worry about that from me," the youth replied as Shi got up to vacate the room.

"You, however, Sabrina I think are not past that point in your life. What you've just told us you did was very sloppy and you should feel bad about it. Firstly I apologize for having misunderstood you in the first place. You took a job and then essentially stole from your employer and on top of it, never even did what you were hired for. You spat in the face of the societal structure that we're supposed to be trying to protect here. We live under a system of fair trade of services and goods for payment. Further, you were even negligent in your thievery and were yourself robbed. Why would you create a substance for this? Ethically speaking why? What was the purpose? What was the intended application and why didn't you find a job that would fund you to research that sort of work instead? Then on top of that, you should feel bad because what you created has either formed a monster and broken a man's sanity which will probably drive him to hurt or kill people. Or you just flat out killed someone. You should follow up on this and clean up your mess either way," Adam said as he rose to his feet.

The others had been coddling her about her mistake it seemed and wanted to hold her hand, but the smartest teen alive wasn't going to do the same. The woman before him sickened him and lessened the groups they shared common membership in. She made the word scientist mean less. She made OCEAN mean less. She even made being called a human seem less as far as he was concerned until she redeemed herself.

"You're a member of OCEAN now. We are an elite group of people assembled for the sole purpose of protecting the world at large from threats that would endanger its very future. We don't do it for money. We don't do it for glory. We do what is necessary in this pursuit because we have the power to do so and someone has to or we are all fucked. Do you understand that, Sabrina? Shape up and do better and don't fuck up again," the adolescent lectured before walking off to follow the samurai with the sunglasses.


He didn't care if the others felt that his words were harsh but he was supposed to be one of their leaders and someone needed to say what he said.

"Anyhow Shi, if you'd be willing to tell your story, I'd be willing to listen. I think you could use the company because you don't need to be alone you know. Plus I've been sitting in that chair for too long and I need to fit in a workout for the day anyhow," he offered trotting to catch up with man.

"Uncomfortable in my own skin... well I guess that could technically be considering what's gone on." said Sabrina as they walked out of the food court. "Every bit of my body feels super sensitive, I'm not sure if it's something I have to used to or only temporary, either way everything feels different. I only mentioned the ears and tail cause it's they are the most sensitive. Umm... I'll let your imagination fill in the blanks becuae I don't want to say them." Sabrina's faces turned a bit. "But since we are going to the gym. I guess I can try learning for a bit, but not sure how it will feel."

She then returned her attention to Adam, who in all honestly made her a bit angry. Did he think she didn't know this already? Why does he think she is in this situation. "First off, I don't even know how anyone knew I was working on the serums in the first place. There was no way to know other then talking to me. There were no cameras in the lab and I avoided using computers to keep the data on. Besides, if I would of had it my way the serums would only of been used on one person. The person who the next version of the formula would of been tailored for. Myself. I told no one about the formula at all. So it wasn't me who damned some random guy. Who ever stole it is who is putting some random person through some sort of unbearable pain. Because like I said, the serum I injected in myself and the other serum where still both experimental. I think right now what people should be worried about is someone perfecting the serum and weaponizing it. You don't need to tell me what I did right on wrong, which laws I broke because I know. My stupid attempt to be able to help the world bit me in the ass as soon as it got stolen from me. Most likely the people who stole it aren't interested in using it in only one person. They stole my entire life's work! Something that took me years to figure out and will take just as many to figure out again they could theoretically make multiples of the serum in months. I don't care who you are or who you think you are. I will not tolerate being told mistakes I already know about and being talked down to like I am a 5 year old!" ranted Sabrina furiously at Adam.

She cooled back down relatively fast, it was just a quick moment of anger brought up by the frustration she had been feeling the past few days. By the time they arrived at the gym she was cooled down. She knew she should probably apologize for snapping at Adam again but right now she didn't feel like it. She leaned on a wall, her tail flickering slightly. Until Angel was going to show her some moves she was going to observe the others.

Since the event in Chicago where the Black Angel had some sort of breakdown due to her past, she began feel different, stronger, at least physically.... Her moves quicker, her opponents becoming less of a challenge, until they were only barriers in time, prolonging a forgone conclusion. The Black Angel didn't tell anyone, but she was changing, perhaps even evolving? Truth was, she had no idea what the Triad had or hadn't done to her. Nor did she truly know the depth of the powers she was born with, before the Triad's scientists had been left to their work. Though she truly hated to admit it, she also felt as if she was losing control. Not total control, not even all of the time.... However, when pushed within her mind, the Black Angel exploded, a more powerful, more deadly version of herself. She was always a renegade, but now she was changing, both mentally and physically, and she didn't know why. No one truly did.... The Black Angel knew eventually she'd have to confront these changes, and confront the ghosts in her past. In her past there were things that scared her, that mesmerized her, that inspired her, and that enraged her....

Right now however, she was more focused on someone in the present who enraged her.... A boy who'd likely been told he was gifted so many times that he began to feel invulnerable. A boy who'd been given a position of leadership within O.C.E.A.N, just as he'd likely been given just about everything else in his life. As such he neglected that position, neglected it due to his certainty in all things, failing to see any possible answer but his own. Yet what could be expected of one of the worlds smartest people? He had been given a truly amazing I.Q, yet his youth failed to give him wisdom, and wisdom was the most essential characteristic of leadership. Wisdom would show him not to believe so strong in perceived certainties, as it was Voltaire who once said "Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.", truly wise words. Words that would would no doubt go lost on this head strong teen, and that was why he was no leader of the Black Angel.... Nor one she would ever follow.... Intellect be damned.

Leaders still had to obey rules, and Adam had clearly broken one in the Black Angels eyes, as one of O.C.E.A.N's pillar rules stated "Everyone On The Team is An Equal. No Disrespect Will be Made Among the Fold.", and their certainly was disrespect here.... He disrespected Sabrina, then he tore into both Angel and Shi when he said "Not to mention of course, that if I really wanted to abuse my talents, there'd be little most people could do to stop me, you all included.", and that was beyond anything the Black Angel could overlook. O.C.E.A.N was about preserving the "Balance", and the Black Angel intended to maintain that balance.... As many things had placed that out of balance in this boys mind, which was fine until the moment he decided to spew it to Sabrina, Shi, and her.

The boy was supposed to be a master tactician.... Yet the greatest in history, Alexander the Great never believed in absolutes.... Nor did he believe leadership came with a title, rather it was earned, through deeds, and through wisdom... And he was scarcely a few years older then this.... Excuse for a leader when he became King of Macedon. The Black Angel was surely among the best fighters in the world, however she believed on any given day, anyone could get in a lucky blow, an outlying, chance outcome. As she thought to herself the Black Angel made sure that she'd see that Adam had a fine understanding of "Chance" before the day was out.

As the Black Angel came to her decision, she realized pure rage was coursing through her veins, and she'd completely blanked out for Sabrina's and Shi's rebuttal's. She began to feel as she did back in Chicago, a feeling of pure power, and pure rage coming over her. To her Adam lacked wisdom, he lacked life experience, well she would make sure he had one today. Whatever pedestal he'd placed himself atop in O.C.E.A.N, it would come crashing down, she'd see to that, that it did.... Their was no place for that in an organization like O.C.E.A.N, where people had to live together, train together, and fight together. One could not think they were above the group, as this would truly make O.C.E.A.N mean less, and in the end bring the whole show crashing down....

By this time Adam and Shi had left, leaving only Sabrina and the Black Angel, the Black Angel holding two beer cans in each hand. Cracking one open and chugging it, the enraged Angel said "Did he piss you off??? Because I sure know he pissed me off...." to Sabrina. The Black Angel turned her head slightly to Sabrina, saying "Come on....", and before Sabrina could even more an inch they were off into the cavernous halls of the O.C.E.A.N Headquarters.

As they walked, the Black Angel said "I don't want you to get the wrong impression.... We're not all like that asshole... We all have skeletons in our closets, we've all done bad things, and we all have scars...", as she lifted her shirt to show a large scar she'd gotten in a Hong Kong orphanage before her healing powers had totally stabilized. The Black Angel then continued by saying "Look.... Were all equal here... At least I feel that way, and I know Saileyra does to.... And I don't want people feel any other way. Just because some punk thinks he can pick on you for something in your past...".

A few more steps and Sabrina and the Black Angel were in the sparring room where Adam and Shi had taken up. The Black Angel smiled at the two, saying "Ahhh... Funny we run into each other again! Seems we're all attracted to each other or something.". The Black Angel kept a light air about her just as she reached Adam, at which point quickly soured her expression, and she said Yes, you are in far to good of shape for a heart attack, or stroke to kill you.... I've read your file.... Says your body takes little damage from knives or bullets.. How about a sword?", the Black Angel walked over to a rack, and picked up a large Samurai sword, slicing it through the air several times, looking at the weapon to truly see if it was good enough to be wielded by her.

The Black Angel then continued by saying, "We're all here because we've done things Adam.... Things many of us aren't proud of... Most of us have learned from those mistakes... That's called experience! You should get some boy.... You speak of ethics.... They don't matter out their...". The Black Angel then looked at her sword, saying "This is power... What stops me from taking this and running it clean through you? I guess it's what separates me from those we hunt.... We're O.C.E.A.N, we're in the business of hunting and killing villains.... And if you think people will follow you because of your fucking I.Q, or because you've developed a cure for the common fucking cold... You're wrong.... People will follow you because your actions, your deeds, because they know you have their back... That's what makes a leader Adam....".

The Black Angel then placed the sword back on the rack, then said "Now I know you enjoy picking on the weak of us Adam.... But do try and take heart to my lesson.... Because, many of us could stop you in ways you can't even imagine... Because the line the separates me from turning you from the worlds smartest teenager, to the worlds smartest teenager with his head sprayed all over this wall is about that thick", the Black Angel made a motion with her fingers that showed about an inch. The Black Angel then said "Oh, and Adam.... I've decided to take on being Leader of Consultation Fighter Squadron... As a person from the "Leading portion of this team", and if I think you're bringing O.C.E.A.N down, or endangering our mission.... I'll kill you... And I'd hate to see a minor get injured...".

The Black Angel then patted Adam on the back, and had a large smile across her face. Behind it though she was troubled, she'd let go once again, and she'd let her rage take control. Her rage was making her more powerful, yet at the same time, much more unpredictable. Worst off, she couldn't explain it.... And by looking at the faces of those in the sparring room, she knew this wouldn't be the last she'd here of it either. Whatever the case, she let the sparring room, and was unaware if anyone would join her.

(OOC: Alright all edited up. In the future if anyone thinks a post I've made is godmodding just PM me, I'm reasonable and will clean it up. I'm an admin on another forum, hate it to death, and don't like doing it. So ya, just let me know next time : ) Sorry for the crappy post. This one should be better.

While the samurai stepped to the side of the room and took on a more relaxed pose, clearly aiming for a more meditative state to begin, the blond teen began stretching, taking the opposite approach. Where Shi seemed to aim to be more still, Adam was more apt to get the more vigorous exercises out of his system and end his workout by winding down into a meditative state. It was the most pragmatic option he had found because the more active motions of his workout allowed him to slowly devote more of his thoughts onto what his body was doing and how everything around him was operating which were far more tame thoughts than ones about string theory, philosophies about morality, how to end world struggles, technologies light years beyond those the masses had at their disposal, the failures he could have prevented had he acted, and the like.

Standing up straight and wiggling his extremities he waited for Shi's response, content to let his teammate find the words and decide what he wanted to reveal. Deciding to start with his balance, the teenage hero leaned forward and with a spin, performed a motion reminiscent of a break dance move on his hands, rotating on a handstand, spinning around and winding up balanced perpendicular to the ground on one hand and after a few seconds he raised himself onto a singular finger and balanced that way for a few moments until Shi spoke again.

"It's relatively fine, Ryurou-san. Everyone is 'slow' to me so there is no need to apologize. I much prefer the thoughtful people to those who let words tumble out of their mouths before they've fully formed a thought. But regardless, I think I have the time to hear both stories if you have the time to murder the moments anyhow," Adam replied with an upside down grin as he tumbled back to his feet only to have the moment put on pause as the two women from before made their way into the room.

"Oi vey... Well I suppose you'll need to hold onto your story for another few minutes while this inane conversation continues it seems," he informed the other man as the darker haired of the two made her way up to him, the unmistakable scent of beer wafting off of her.

However before she spoke, it was the doctor who decided to blow off steam first.

"And so it would seem my more subtle advice was lost on you the first time. I prefaced my explanation to you by saying that you were not beyond the point in your life where someone should be there to tell you and offer you advice as to how to use your abilities. It would be relatively outlandish to think you were seeing as you've been superhuman for all of a week. The vast majority of the OCEAN Operatives here have been living with and mastering our varied abilities for years. Decades in a few cases. Your life is back in its stages of infancy, doctor. It is doctor, correct? Regardless. You've erred and exceptionally so because what you made was and still is dangerous and you, specifically you, need to fix it. Well at least if you expect anyone to respect you in the future. You have the tools and time at your disposal and you've been wasting opportunity in the week. Most people who would fall into this sort of situation would declare vengeance or vow to right their mistake and yet here you stand with that sort of power at your literal fingertips and on the tip of your tongue and yet you're sitting in the Philippines crying about it and licking your wounds instead. You claim no one knew so that is perhaps the first place you should start. You call yourself a scientist and arguably you are one, simply one with low moral standards and ethical sinkholes in your decision making. So why aren't you trying to solve a personal mystery? If your project was so fucking secret, then how did someone find out? And going even further your statement is incorrect. 'People' do not need to worry about what they're going to do with the serum. YOU specifically need to think about that. This is your mess to clean up. I'm not going to do it for you and no one else should either. If you want to help the world so badly, why not start with yourself and your creations?" the youthful CEO responded, stepping around the Black Angel in order to get a better look at the meek doctor who stood in front of him.

He hoped this time she got the point because he was trying to impress upon her that anything that came of her serum was her responsibility and the only one to blame would be her in the long run.

"Also, you should care who I am. Or did I not make it clear that you are a port of a team now. One I happen to hold membership in which means that you are a loose reflection on me and I can't speak for everyone on the team but I happen to give a damn about a reputation. Also with almost no effort whatsoever, I could possibly find out that through some way, you formerly worked for me on my dime, which means if you did, you'd be talking to the man you've been stealing from to fund "your life's work". Now I'm not saying I am necessarily but there's a pretty damn good chance in all honesty." the boy said with a pointed lifting of his eyebrows.

Turning back around, decidedly done with the discussion over Triscari's screw ups and morally dark gray decision making, he found himself facing Angel once more only to find that her beer addled anger wasn't something she was very good at controlling. Struggling to not roll his eyes prior to his rebuttal, the blond drew in a breath before beginning:

"I suppose I'll go from the top down with your argument here, Angel correct? Reading the file about me will give you very little information about me, mostly because I wrote it myself and have yet to expand on it very much at all since I've been at this compound for almost 48 hours now and have little reason to divulge every aspect of myself or my abilities as of yet. That tidbit is correct ,however. I am made of much tougher stuff than the average human being. The vast majority of swords even when wielded by the likes of yourself, hold little chance of injuring me massively."

To exacerbate his point, the adolescent doppleganger made his way to the same rack and picked up a similar sword to the one the assassin had picked out and with a swift promise to pay Sai back later, he unsheathed the blade and expertly twirled it through the air much as she had before bringing the blade to a quivering halt. Then without warning, promptly snapped the the sword clean in two like a child does a twig, metal shards glittering briefly through the air and spine tingling cry of stressed metal seconds before a sharp snap rang out.

"Now that being said, you're still incorrect on several other matters. Specifically ones that are far more critical than my capabilities. We are not here because we've 'done things'. We are each and every one of us here, because Saileyra saw something in each of us that she believes can make a difference and save the future of our planet and race. In the time she comes from, if you were unaware, we're extinct and our planet is a cold lifeless hunk of rocks and water floating through space. We're here because we have the capacity and power to prevent that from occurring, not because our lives were hard. Secondly, please in the future refrain from speaking to me about experience. I might look 17, mostly because I am, but I've got more experiences under my belt than most 90 year old people who've had to fight in wars. I've been to every continent and saved several millions of people's lives on several occasions. Making mistakes is not the only way that people learn and gain experience. I've got plenty of mistakes under my belt that I could bring up but I'm not a dog. I can learn in other ways and I don't want to trudge through memories of things I've analyzed from every angle and  extracted every aspect and lesson from. Further, you're an idiot. Ethics is everything. I'm sorry if you're too jaded to have a moral compass that can pick a direction to point you in at this point in your life, but the simple difference between right and wrong and being able to choose the best possible option that can do the greatest amount of good is what separates us from the criminals we pit ourselves against. And I apologize to you for something I thought and said earlier, Angel. It seems not everyone here is as well put together as I thought they were. I had assumed that I was joining a group of individuals who didn't need handlers and teachers to inform them about how we should be using our abilities in order to be better than the villains we face. We might be willing to put a bullet in someone's brain but we're supposed to be doing it in the name of righteousness without losing sight of that and devolving into inhumane zealots who are essentially criminals and serial killers themselves."

Squaring his shoulders he shifted on his feet, standing taller and focusing more of himself on the Black Angel, his eyes picking her apart as he continued, noting the way her hair hung about her face, how skepticism and incredulity and wrath coursed through her eyes, and what may have been a hint of shame. How she held the sword like someone not unaccustomed to its weight and lethality. The way she stood as if poised to leap at him and attack him anyway despite every reason in the world not to. The woman who stood in front of him was a simple assassin. A tool. A knife blade and what upset him about her was the fact that she seemed to be fooling herself into thinking she could be better than what she had been but she had yet to evolve past a simple tool to be wielded against someone else's enemies. She stood in front of all of them with the gumption to spout words as if she had actually thought about the things she was going on about but the fact of the matter stood out that she was so short sighted that her philosphies came off as idiosyncrasies tailored more towards recovering murderers struggling with who they had been abnd who they wanted to be. Sad truth though, was that Adam realized that if she showed any actual potential to become a better person, he would've felt pity for her but since she didn't as far as he could see for the moment, all he had was contempt for her.

"Now you're standing in front of me trying to say you have some sort of understanding of 'power' but you clearly don't. Any person can wield a sword and any person can shove that blade into the guts of someone else. That isn't power. It's an exercise of self control, which surprises me because you've shown a profound lack of any throughout most of your tirade. What power really is, is simply the ability to exercise some sort of control and influence over the world around us. But the unfortunate difference here is that your brand of power is a knife blade. SHort and close and precise. My brand is that of entire armies, broad reaching and able to decimate entire planets. You point your sword at one person and cut them down. I open my mouth and issue orders and watch entire countries drop off of maps. I exercise self control with every motion of my body and word from my lips. Do you understand that? I can accidentally throw a car with the flick of my wrist. If I say the right combination of words, I could blow the white house to smithereens. A few waves of my hand and I can turn off the entirety of the financial world. That's not an exaggeration either, I could do that right now. You say you can stop me but you don't even know me or what I'm capable of. You say there are ways you could stop me that I can't imagine. I counter that if it can be imagined, I've already thought of a way to counter it. That's what I do. It's the reason I'm here. It's why Sai came to me. You can't fathom the gruesome and terrifying depths of my imagination. The web of my constant thoughts makes the number of molecules in the oceans look like an infinitesimal number, Angel. I don't expect people to follow me because of my IQ,which can't even be measured by that system. I don't even expect it because I'm smarter than essentially all of you. I expect you to follow me because I'm right. I expect you to follow me because my decision and planning  and tactical capabilities are well within the realms of being considered amongst the greatest in the world. I expect you to follow me because I have the experience and track record to back it up. I disdain you as a being right now and all you need to truly know about me is that if our enemies stormed this place right now, my first 400 thoughts would be about how to make sure every one of you gets out of here alive and as unmarred as possible. You haven't seen my actions, you have no understanding of my deeds, no matter how copious they are. But you do have faith in Saileyra correct? Well she put her hopes in me so that should be plenty for you until you've seen them. And to be clear, the amount of time that separates you from being one of the world's best assassins and a black scorch mark and some dust on the ground is about as much time as a stroke of lightning, since we're going to stand here and wave our dicks around. But to better prove my point here. I also want to point out that ou showed way more of your thoughts than I did. I never called Dr. Triscari weak. That was very much you. I said her actions were sloppy and shameful. As for you heading up the Fighter Squadron, I simply hope someone has the wherewithal over there to notice that they could use a consultant with more rational thinking and more experience controlling herself and her emotions as well as a better understanding of what it is we're supposed to be doing here. If they don't however, I look forward to working alongside you because I enjoy a hefty challenge. They're very difficult to come by these days. Now, if you would kindly excuse me. Ryurou-san and I were in the midst of beginning a story, before this and I think tensions around the room could do with a subject change, don't you?" Adam spouted after the woman finished her diatribe, finishing his own soliloquy with a genuinely offered smile, replacing the passionate and sincere expressions he'd been using to better exalt his point.

Turning back to Shi, Adam looked down at the two halves of sword in his hands and regretted his decision to snap the thing. It had seemed like a pretty decent practice weapon and it hadn't been his own to turn into trash. Sighing to himself he gently placed the pieces on the ground against one of the walls deciding to try and reforge the sword later. Of course that also meant he'd need to learn how to fix a shattered katana first but it would probably be worth it and not dissimilar to actually forging one, which he did know how to do.