Diving In(Closed to O.C.E.A.N Members Only)

It had been about a couple of months since Marks was active as a Renegade. He remembered his last job from his employer back in USA. Some crazy man named Womb who was like the son of life or something like that. He remembered his crazy plan that involved some giant bank heist to destroy it or free some people, which took a detour after the Womb man sent some assassin that was out of line in the eyes of Womb's minions, The Legion of Womb. Mak was glad he left all of that behind; after a few primary members of the group left, he knew he would not be around with them for a while. After leaving this all behind, he decided to try to run away from all of the craziness: war,heroes,fighting,etc.

He relocated himself to Italy to stay with some relatives of his host family back in Chicago. He loved the environment. Interesting females, a surrounding oceanic scene, and the food. It was like he never wanted to leave. Although sometimes he thought back to himself, and felt that something was missing. Despite the few floods and various domestic issues such as pick pocketing or brawls over the futbol matches, there was hardly any crime to fight in Italy, at least not in the part he lived in.. He just needed something to do in the mean time: whether it be receiving a beacon to go help his homeland in Atlantis or help some old lady get her purse back from a thief, he needed some sort of new hobby to do.

"Indeed, you just love Vatican City once you view the scenery.", smiled Mako, as if he was expecting her. In reality however, he was obviously lying. Never in all his years of being trained to be the predator, was he stalked without detecting it himself. He swished the heels of his armor boots to the stranger's direction to study her. He realized that she had been watching him closely for a while, enough to detect the armor wavelengths and basic functions of his suit. Who was this woman? And What exactly did she want from him?

"You're a metahuman, I take it. Seeing as though you've been following me around," he sighed. 'Yeah, that will do it. Make her believe you knew she was around,' as he brushed off tiny specs of dirt from his last mission in the suit. He decommissioned Mako after what happened with LoW, but decided to wear it occasionally for freelance work, just to keep Vatican City slightly safer. He began to study the female for himself, watching her fully equipped with top-notch weapons, they were classic. What caught his eye the most was the flame bird sitting on her shoulder. He had seen creatures similar to bird when he swam to the shores for fun during his child years, but never did he see one of a infernos background. 'Keep calm, dont lose your temper Mako. One false step, and she might end my life right here and now.'

"I do admit that you appeared a bit frightening to me," as he watched that bird look closely into his soul, as if it was staring him down. He chuckled at her second remark before replying with a "If you were passing by, you wouldn't be still standing here," as he slowly went to his sides. On each of his hips was equipped a tiny container about the size of a sword hilt. There laid a hole in each, as the container was filled with fresh seawater, Mako's greatest strength. "So what exactly do you want with me? Because I can tell we're both not from around here.. or of this world", as he motioned to the hilts. He was ready for any slight move she would make to apprehend him. A Predator always knows how to defend itself. Especially against what appeared to be prey, but even deadlier.

Piazza di Spagna, Rome, Repubblica Italiana: The Black Angel was having a wonderful day, spent under the warm, Italian sun, which was cooled by the breeze off of the Tyrrhenian Sea, which kept Rome at a very Mediterranean climate. Rome was her kind of city, filled with the arts, culture, high fashion, beautiful people, a fabulous night life, and a brutal, bloody, yet glorious history. One which changed the face of the earth with every Senate edict, Imperial coup, victorious battle, and marbled arch. However these days the Black Angel was equally as interested in the Vatican, the Holy See, which following her near death experience, and subsequent new found spirituality, began to hold some sort of deep meaning in her life. She never expected to be a Catholic, however life was taking her down a strange and unusual path, one which she couldn't have seen coming.

So when Saileyra said she was traveling to Rome, the Black Angel jumped at the opportunity to travel to the Eternal City, a city where she'd surprisingly never been in her extensive travels. A trip to the "City of the Seven Hills" with a good friend, high street shopping, and staying in a five start hotel? O.C.E.A.N certainly had its perks for an operative, more so then any organization she'd been in during her long career. It had been a short, yet bumpy ride with O.C.E.A.N however, as she'd run into some trouble in Chicago, which had certainly got some bad exposure, not to mention embarrassed the Angel. The Black Angel was committed to O.C.E.A.N however, more importantly to her friend Saileyra. So while Rome certainly had an allure all its own to the Black Angel, she'd travel to Timbuktu to provide a little extra muscle for her friend.

All the same, Rome was Rome, and she fully intended to enjoy herself. Saileyra had insisted on going off alone, leaving the Black Angel with some free time, which she used to travel to Rome's famous Piazza di Spagna, which housed Italy's most famed fashion houses. After a short taxi ride from the hotel, she was surrounded by the flagship stores of Versace, Dolce and Gabanna, Armani, and Fendi, with other luxury item designers, such as Dior, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany CO, and many more also having store fronts within the Piazza. It was as if the Black Angel had suddenly found "El Dorado", and after a few short hours she was hauling enough bags, that it was almost a dead giveaway she was a Meta. She'd used her superhuman strength for many things, carrying designer clothing and accessories was not one of them, until now.... As she lugged several hundred pounds of luxury goods with ease around the Piazza, from one store to another, picking up more items as she went.

The Black Angel was looking radiant, the Mediterranean climate doing wonders for her skin, which tanned a light brown. She was wearing a newly purchased pair of tinted Fendi sun glasses, skin tight white Versace pants, with a black Dolce and Gabanna vest, and wore her long raven hair down. She blended in perfectly as another high fashion model out shopping, or perhaps an heiress, or trophy wife. Whatever the case, the Black Angel looked like she belonged here, of course she didn't, but she loved the world of high fashion. It was an expensive love, one which fueled her drive in the past to work as a mercenary. Though she'd changed much in the past few months, her champagne taste was one thing that wasn't going away any time soon, no matter how much change was in order....

Always blending high fashion with functionality, the Black Angel wore a holster on her black, leather, Dolce and Gabanna belt, which held her Glock 9mm, armed with armor piercing rounds. She was ready for anything, because who knew when that boar demon would rear his ugly head once again, or if Saileyra would run into trouble during her recruitment? She was connected to Saileyra via comm link, but so far everything seemed to be going good. So, the Black Angel with an extraordinary amount of bags in hand headed over to a splendid smelling, tiny, red food cart, with a friendly looking, round Italian man hard at work at it. White smoke rose from the cart, drifting into the sky, filling the Piazza with the fragrant aromas of Italian cooking.

The Black Angel smiled at the man, saying "Ciao", and he replied in kind. The Black Angel then looked over his men, saying in her head "Piada.... No.... Pasta Bowl.... No.... Grilled Chicken.... No... I want something more Italian... Calamari and Hot Peppers... Perfect!". She promptly ordered the fried shrimp, speaking in broken Italian, and the man quickly got to work behind his cart. A few moments later, a most amazing basket of friend calamari and vibrant looking, colorful hot peppers was in front of the Black Angel. The man then said "Sette cinquanta euro's bella...". The Black Angel fumbled awkwardly, inching around the bags, trying to reach her pocket. After a few moments of struggle, the Black Angel finally reached her pocket, and produced the correct amount of money. The man took the money, and with a smile said "Ciao Bella...".

The Black Angel obligingly nodded, then took her delicious smelling food over to a small bench near a marble fountain of a medieval knight slaying a dragon. As she sit, she looked on the passerby's, the beautiful storefronts, and the blue sky, thinking to herself "Well this is the life.... Isn't it?". She certainly was enjoying this recruiting trip, hopefully Saileyra was as well, and they'd net themselves a new, useful member of O.C.E.A.N.

"Telling by your appearance, it wasn't hard. In case you don't know already anyway. I'm Mi'koro. People call me Markos Jackson, but I'm Mako," he said after studying the tone in her voice. She wasn't looking for any combat at the moment, at least not anymore. Slowly he raised his hands from his hilts and crossed them as if he was waiting for her next reaction. He had somehow seen this type of encounter before, but with the Legion. He just couldn't remember exactly how the story went down in the first place.

"So what exactly do you want from me?", he raised his eyebrow. "Because you obviously didnt just come here for a autograph or something. There's more to it."

The Black Angel finished eating, then quickly saw to having her most recent purchases moved to her hotel room. She was having a good time so far in Rome, who wouldn't? Their was much more however that lived underneath surface then some simple material girl.... That was a persona, a part deep within her that she continually had to defend against, showing the entire world that she was so much more then meets the eye. Her defense wasn't obvious, rather it was subtle, built through deeds and actions, as opposed to words. The Black Angel of course didn't feel as if she needed to vocally defend her actions, however the need was always present, as outside eyes were always peeking in at each other. Ultimately however the Black Angel was a warrior, without many frills, and her pomp outside of her professional life surely didn't describe how she was in her professional life. Ultimately she was a hard nosed warrior, much different then she appeared visually.

Once she dropped her items off to hotel staff to transfer to her room, the Black Angel was left without much to do. However, wasting little time, she decided to link up with Saileyra again, and perhaps help finish her recruitment efforts. Stepping outside after dropping her bags, a doorman quickly hailed a cab for the Black Angel. A small, white econo car quickly pulled over towards the hotel, its side heavily covered with advertisements. The doorman opened the rear door, while motioning to the Black Angel, who stepped towards the vehicle, handing the man a wad full of Euro's. A short taxi ride later, and the Black Angel had reached Saileyra's comm links location... St.Peter's Basilica.... St. Peter's, the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture, remained one of the largest churches in the world even up until the modern era. Neither the mother church of the Roman Catholic faithful, nor the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, St. Peter's was regarded as one of the holiest Catholic sites, certainly among the greatest of all churches of Christendom.

The Black Angel walked into St. Peter's Basilica, the Late Renaissance church located within Vatican City, and which was one of the four main Papal Basilica's. Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's was a masterpiece of the Late Renaissance Era, and served as the final resting place of St.Peter, one of the twelve apostle's. Made primarily of stone, the Black Angel's designer leather boots echoed through St.Peters cavernous halls, as she made her way to the direct location of Saileyra's communication device.

The Black Angel entered a small courtyard, with plenty of green shrubbery, and light, giving the centuries old basilica an earthly touch. Here she found Saileyra talking to a clearly unearthly meta, which was something the Black Angel had grown accustomed to. As she walked over to Saileyra, the Black Angel simply nodded at the other meta, it was greeting enough. Her hands far enough away, yet also close enough to quick draw her duel Glock 9mm's with armor piercing bullets in a split second, should the need arise. However, she hoped that wasn't necessary, and an ally would be gained today, not another simple enemy to be fought. The Black Angel looked out into the courtyard, leaving both the possible new addition and Saileyra to their business, her presence enough to speak for her.

"Interesting," he thought to himself as she went on and on about some initiative. He was focused more on her friend that was watching from an horizon. One false move and this assassin could just send her lackie to double team him. 'Play your cards right,' he mumbled on and on silently as he tried to figure out what to do next.

Reality snapped back when she mentioned about the tab she kept on Mako. That was a first.. Nobody in all his life of heroing ever admired or noted his skills and expertise, not even back home under the sea. She later went on about her group. S.E.A or something. Surprisingly, that was the only word that caught his mind since he thought they were a maritime based group. Hearing more and more about the group would deny that assumption, but it interesting him.

He changed his posing when she mentioned how she noticed his freelancing on local crime seemed to bore him. He couldn't deny it; she seemed like his saving grace needed to satisfy his lust for adventure. He finally broke the silence, stating " You're group really interests me. Your cause, the bravery you all display. You seemed to find the right man to join you,". He thought back at her remark about former members that were either killed off or forcefully changed to join her. It didn't matter, it showed how much she was dedicated. Surely, she didn't want to waste her time with his decline.

"Although I have one request. It may seem crazy. But every fish needs his fins to swim. And I need mine," he grinned as he thought about his prototypes for a cruiser he wanted to use for traveling purposes. The request seemed ridiculous, but if granted, it would surely come in handy to both his and O.C.E.A.N's benefit.

(Sorry :PMako just couldn't resist)

Spoiler:

The Black Angel knew both sets of eyes were on her as she strolled over to the other side of the courtyard, Saileyra likely happy to have her friend at St.Peters, and this new recruit "Maa..... Whatever he called himself..." likely wondering if he'd been set up, the Black Angel thought. She planned on staying out of the way, not interfering in Saileyra's recruitment in the least, as stepping on her bosses toes wasn't the Black Angels thing. However, Saileyra took the time to introduce the Black Angel to Mako, saying "This is Black Angel. She is a friend and my operative.".

Not wanting to appear rude, the Black Angel moved from against the gilded, ornate wall she'd been resting on, and made her way to Mako and Saileyra. The O.C.E.A.N operative confidently striding over to Mako, a friendly look on her face. When she reached the two, she shook Mako's hand, saying "A pleasure to meet you.... Saileyra hasn't stopped talking about you since we arrived in Rome... I hope you'll join us, as I've found O.C.E.A.N the perfect organization for a crime fighter like myself... I was a freelancer like you, but the worlds gotten to complicated, to powerful to make an actual difference being a strict freelance crime fighter. O.C.E.A.N lets you keep your autonomy, while giving you access to supplies, weapons, many things you've never dreamed of.... So I hope you chose to fight alongside us.".

The Black Angel spoke confidently, her eloquent, upper crust English accent perhaps giving Mako the impression she was from money, however only she knew how truly far that was from the truth of things. She'd planned on keeping to the sidelines, but the man had clearly been uneasy about her presence, and she wished to put him at relative ease. She hoped what she said made a difference on his decision, as the world was becoming a difficult place for true freelancers to operate, as villainy was becoming more coordinated, well armed, and organized then ever.... And it was certainly time those who fought back were as well.

Ultimately however..... The choice was his... And the Black Angel crossed her arms, waiting patiently for him to make his choice. She wasn't a smooth talker or a people pleaser, and she certainly didn't plan on being a recruiter for O.C.E.A.N, but the Black Angel believed in what O.C.E.A.N and Saileyra were doing, and she'd do what she could to secure O.C.E.A.N's long term future, even if that meant doing something like this. Each operative made them more relevant, more feared in the criminal underworld, and the Black Angel didn't plan on resting until she did what she could to make O.C.E.A.N the worlds primary Meta-human crime fighting force.

Saileyra noticed her friend come forward and explain her existence here to put the other at ease. It was all her purpose of introducing Angel, it was to keep the atmosphere from being the violent shit hole it can be. Considering they were in a beautiful place like Vatican City why would these people go to ruin what made history? Hopefully some of them had felt the same but introductions have been made and business was done. Sometimes Recruiting was really, really Easy And Sometimes Recruiting was really really hard. It was only her and Redline who did this but she could consider more due time, but it was only right that she would know each and every operative.

Thisi s why she kept recruiting so low profile..so out of the way so there could be progress and growth. It was important, to know each and every person meant they would know when to come to her. With her being close to Redline on a personal and professional level it would make shit a lot easy to coordinates and recruit twice as much. She intended to have a lot of people, there was leaders of consultation that needed to be filled but all in all this man in front of her was someone who would help them.

Yet, there was an issue, he wanted something in return. If he did accept he would receive what he wished material items meant nothing to her. "If you need a vehicle." She said probably reading his mind, "I can provide it. But it will have to be non-lethal. I am not giving our operatives the go to destroy with technology that we have in one man." She said, her arms crossing. It was understandable, her resolve that they had power in their ranks not the technology. Quite ironic, considering the woman came from a world where technological advances were fruitful and essential but here this didn't matter and slowly she had adapted to this time period. Oddly. She felt destined for it.

"It isn't a necessity. At least not now. I will discuss plans with whatever technician you have in charge of vehicles to create this non lethal version," he replied with a warm smile.

'Here goes nothing,' he remarked mentally. He fondled around one of his hilts as he decided if this was really his wish. He already had to change his identity to hide from his people, especially his sister. What if O.C.E.A.N made him change again? Abandon his family back home. Was it worth it?

"We have an accord, on the condition of a recreation of my vehicle. And a promise that joining you won't affect those I love. I have a family to care about. And if I'm doing a duty to protect the world, I need some confirmation that they'll be safe," he went on. It was the first time he wanted to sacrifice his life for his family, even though they weren't his biological family, they kept his secrets.

After hearing Angel's introduction, it was settled. He was becoming an Operative. No turning back as he took in those words about their morals. He shouldn't make any false moves to hurt the team. They are his new family after all. He stepped closer to Angel and Saileyra and stretched his hand forward to seal the deal. No more freelancing, it was time for him to use his true potential.

The Black Angel smiled a rare smile as Mako said "Here goes nothing", and it became evident that she and Saileyra had "Sealed the deal" when it came to Mako's participation in O.C.E.A.N. O.C.E.A.N was growing by leaps and bounds, and like it or not the Black Angel was a key component of the groups success. The Black Angels journey in O.C.E.A.N had been a strange one, as she transitioned from mercenary, to whatever it was that the fates had intended for her to become. She could hardly remember attacking those anti-meta protesters, then she remembered reading about the attack in the paper the following day as if it happened a long time ago.

The Black Angel had no grand scheme, she was simply letting the fates take her where they may, and what a journey she was on. They'd taken her all the way to Rome, where she now stood in the Basilica of St.Peter. Being in such a holy place was special to the Black Angel, even if she didn't show it, as she felt a special connect with St.Peter. When the Black Angel fought as "Soldier of Fortune" in her past life, and when she was killed by "Soldier of Fortune", she believed she traveled to the very gates of heaven, where she met St.Peter, the gate keeper. It was St.Peter she believed sent her on her new path, one to right her life's wrongs, and perhaps one day regain a spot in paradise. That was however at least for now a ways away, depending on who you asked.

In the here, in the now, the Black Angel was more concerned with making Mako feel like a member of the team. His demands were reasonable enough, and the Black Angel even appreciated the fact he negotiated quite professionally his entry into O.C.E.A.N, reminding her of her freelance days as a mercenary. Once Saileyra agreed to Mako's terms, and everything was settled, the Black Angel smiled, reaching for Mako's outstretched hand. Shaking her new team members hand, the Black Angel simply said "Welcome to the team.... I certainly look forward to working with you coming up....".She then stepped back, leaving Saileyra to do the formal introduction.

Rome had been a successful trip in more ways then one, and a victory the Black Angel could notch in her belt, one which did not require violence. She was relishing her time in O.C.E.A.N, as well as the experiences it afforded her, however she would be lying if she didn't admit she felt that something dark was on the horizon. Something distant, yet all present, and as of yet.... Still invisible...