Biting Bullets

Do you ever watch the clouds of a storm move?

It appears as large sweeps of soft content, overlapping and connecting as it stretches across the entire sky. The clouds here are the color of a long disposed of ash, rumbling and growling. These clouds push together, squeeze and shove until finally, finally.. A tear slides along through the atmosphere to settle into the palm of a patient, armored hand. This armored hand encloses as other tears steadily make their way to waiting palms, mouths, and faces. To provide bliss or annoyance, it does not matter.

The Kaia-Mai tips her head down to the soulless city below her feet as she balances along the edge of the building. Her form is still, beneath the mask she clenches her teeth. Gun shots have been fired. That was the thirty-second tonight. She hadn't wanted it to come to this, but she had to face facts; Portland was soulless place. No longer could it be granted the honor of the word city. Portland was just an empty grave waiting to be filled. A one-way ticket to Hell. Goddess.. Where was a fucking miracle when you needed one?

'Miracle? For you? Ha ha! You know better my dear, you know how tainted you are. I mean, just look at you... You're hearing voices in your head and pretty soon, you'll be seeing stuff too,' a satin, sadistic hiss slithered in her conscience. This had been occurring quite often. The more blood spilled, the higher the risk of danger rose around her. Something was not right inside of her. She knew that. But that sure as hell didn't mean she was going to admit to anyone.

The two story building she stood became drenched in the tears of the billowing softness above. Down the street, an orchestra began playing a song under the large canopy that connected to the interior of the restaurant. The Kaia-Mai knew this piece. 'Deference for Darkness' by Marty O'Donnell. Silently she applauded the conductor for his choice- it certainly suited the mood of the night. The teen sighed as her heart hummed to the deepness of the saxophone and the subtle of the piano that danced along with it. Instrumental music held a soft spot on her exterior/interior. The hood of the faded ruby cloak was pulled onto her head as she made her way down her the building and near the restaurant to watch from the shadows. Her heart hummed silently, in the blissful cloak of darkness; in his rare moment the Kaia-Mai could be sane, could be normal and breathless.

And as she listened to the saxophone and piano sway and twirl in a steady stream, some part of her internally wept.

Why was it that she always felt the sudden need to kill all that was before her? ..Where was that comforting presence her Mum provided when she needed it?

....

What happened to her innocence?

A storm approaching, not good for flying. Need to land somewhere... These thoughts went through Drake's head as he flew through the night, his wings flapping a little faster to get more speed through the powerful winds. He was wearing a new outfit, something he had picked up after kicking in a gang's head in, who had tried to mug him and even shoot him. He had gotten a new white trench coat with a black spiral detail on its back, but his chest now had a broken rib. He could have flown away from Portland like he planned to, but with a broken rib and a storm approaching, he had no choice but to turn back.

Through his dragon vision, he faintly saw a two-story building near-by that would do well for a landing zone, where he could not be seen. He opened his wings more and angled them to glide down, landing softly near a girl nearby, who looked like that one girl at "The Pit". She seemed to be lost in her thoughts, listening to a beautiful orchestra that was playing nearby. The melody gave Drake a feeling of the current scene, a sad and thoughtful one. He decided to quietly lean on the door that lead back inside, and call to the girl softly,

"Hey. What brings you out here, tonight, Cage?"

A distant sound of flap, flap broke her thoughts momentarily. Along the clouds, her incredibly enhanced eyesight saw the large wing and could make out the body that said wings were attached. 'Ah, so he's still here? Makes sense, I suppose, with the way the storm is coming in.' The boy she had previously fought in the Pit landed just behind her so she turned in a way that she was both able to watch the orchestra and the boy. He called out to her in a voice so soft that she almost choked on her spit.

It was him.

As the song drew to a steady close, her mask tilted to peer at him threw the narrow slits. "You should never land in range of your enemy. It gives them a nice shot at you." Her words were threatening, but her voice remained a constant murmur, unlike when the Kaia-Mai performed in the Pit. Honestly, she felt no need to quarrel with this boy..with the 'MetaFreak'. Even though he wasn't aware, she sacrificed her reputation that night just so she could feed her family.

The Kaia-Mai hummed the melody of the song that had long since playing, but her heart was now locked away- unable to hum along. Frustrated, she sighed and looked towards the sky. "The usual. Just trying to catch the sadistic, murdering bastards around here." Hypocrite.

"Gotta' admit Meta-Freak, didn't think you would stay here for long. You don't seem like the type to settle down." The Kaia-Mai used that term just for the soul purpose that he wouldn't suspect her to be a Meta as well. Deep down, she knew that there was a high chance he could just smell it on her. Eogs knew, why wouldn't a dragon-human hybrid?

Drake was taken aback a bit when she called him her enemy, but he kept his calm demeanor. His wings ruffled slightly behind his back, and his tail twitched slightly. After a moment's thought, he was about to reply, but then she told him her reason for being there. So she was a good person after all, even if the way she operated was...unorthodox, at best. Someone who would save others while risking themselves, however, was good in Drake's book.

Drake hadn't felt the same since that match at the Pit. He had intended to throw the match himself, he had even rejected the offer of being the Pit's new king. It was true, he wasn't one to settle down, but Portland had grown on him, it seemed like a place where to survive, you needed to be strong, and Drake could relate to that. So why had she thrown the fight? And who exactly was she?

Questions, questions. He decided to ask a couple of them later, when she seemed less tense. He let go of the dragon's power, and his form shifted to his more appealing human status. He felt his wings, horns, and claws recede, but his tail stayed, always a reminder to the world that he was different. After he had changed, he could sense Kaia's power clearer than he could when he was in the Pit or in half dragon form.

"So, you're a 'Meta' as well? I'm assuming that you held back at the Pit, same as I did. No wonder I didn't see it before. As for me staying here, well...it's true that I don't stay in one place for long, but this place has grown on me. I don't know about you, but I was thinking of, well..." He murmured the last part, "Becoming...one of the 'good' guys."

It was embarrassing to say, especially for someone like him, who had seen nothing but war from humans all his life. Ever since he had come to this world, though, starting with his master, he had seen the good that people can bring. He wanted to help that side of the world, the innocent ones, so that the corrupt of full-on war would never happen in this world. That was his new goal.

The way his voice lowered about him going from Yang to Ying, so to speak, managed to pull a smirk out of her. She was the same way when she had her first kill. Despite the strenuous training in the art of swordsmanship, her kill had been sloppy, blood somehow managed to stain her dark skin through the mask, but it happened. Vincent questioned her several times afterward, "What side do you reside on?" Traumatized, feeling the first sparks of bloodlust, she could only reply, 'the tainted'.

He reminded her a lot of himself in an amusing perspective. "Meta? Whatever do you mean?" She chuckled darkly.

Despite himself, Drake blushed brightly, "You know what I mean!! Ack, whatever."

He crossed his arms and looked up at the clouds forming overhead. The clouds were dark, like it was about to rain, 'Finally, an excuse to go inside.' He looked around, found an open pub nearby, the music and lights blasting from the inside, and pointed towards it, a clear signal to continue the conversation elsewhere. He ran towards Kaia, passing by her as he jumped off, and glided down towards the street. He silently landed on a lamppost, crouching, and whispered to himself, "A perfect ten." He slid down the pole, then walked along the sidewalk, looking behind him to check if Kaia was following.

A bright blush appeared on the other's face and she found herself intrigued. Usually when she made someone blush it was out pure fury, not embarrassment, and their death followed afterwards. Hmm... Interesting. She observed Drake's gymnastic performance and decided that it wouldn't hurt to show off a bit, right?

The Kaia bent her knees, then unbent them as she jumped off of the building. Her hands caught the street pole and her body wound around it once, twice until she let go and landed a few paces behind Drake. She began to walk ahead of him, an extra step of swagger in her casual stride as she moved ahead. "Hungry? I have a key to a fish shack," the teen spoke as if they were long time friends now. It often startled people how frequently her moods shifted. Hollow steps of armored boots echoed on the wet cement. Ignoring the rain, Kaia pulled her cloak tighter around her bulky, armored form.

"So. No other questions? Curiosity as to who I am? You're special you know. Usually people don't live long enough to ask." Disregarding her rigid and surly demeanor, the Kaia felt that Drake earned the right to be treated in a cordial manner. That, and she entertained the thought of what kind of information she could pry from him; abilities, his true form, his origins.

All of these seemingly minute pieces held a subtly high place in her web of so-called justice.

Drake watched as Kaia leapt from the building and flashily spun around the lamppost, smiling as she had a spring to her step. He listened to her talk about having keys to a....fish shack!? He felt his mouth drooling as he thought about the delicious, succulent meat,

"HELL YEAH! Let's go, after the bar, I need a drink."

His walking got faster, soon he was side-by-side with Kaia, "So. No other questions? Curiosity as to who I am? You're special you know. Usually people don't live long enough to ask." Even though he shouldn't feel like he needed to impress her, Drake felt a little happy that he was being praised by Kaia, even if it sound a bit dark.

"Well, I'm not really a prying kind of guy. I wouldn't want anyone to pry too much into my life, I know that much. I do have one question, though. I sense a darker presence inside of you...almost like a sadistic voice, should I be worried?"

He didn't want to pry into anyone's business, whatever they felt like sharing, they could do it themselves. He did, however, sense an strange force inside of her that was strangely ominous. It kind of reminded Drake of his inner dragon, except this force didn't seem to want to kill out of rage, more like killing for the sake of killing. So he thought, anyways. He really couldn't believe they were actually getting along, he was sure that she'd be a bit impartial to him since the Pit...

Before he knew it, they had made it to the front of the pub. He opened the door for her and made a big production of bowing, letting his tail hover above his body, "M'lady." He smirked a bit at the thought of himself in a butler suit and Kaia in a princess's dress.

Celtic coughed to cover her immensely amused posture. She figured he would like that minute detail. And with the prominent tail, Drake probably didn't get into stores that often to buy food. Perhaps he swam and caught fish himself? Another question to add to the growing list.

Her heart, caged and chained, shifted at the question; uneasiness crept along the bottom of her stomach. Shit. Sixth sense for him must have been pretty strong in order to sense the darkness inside of her. No reply of any sort sprung forth forth until they made it the bar doors. As Drake opened it for her, saying "M'Lady," she snorted in a manner unlike a lady. Leaning close, Kaia murmured, "If anyone asks, we're extreme cosplayers, alright? Now let's find a secluded booth."

Scanning the bar, an empty booth with terrible lighting located in back of the pub stole her attention. Gesturing for Drake to follow, Kaia strode to the worth leather of the booth and slid in. Once both settled comfortable did she dare to answer the unsettling question.

"I don't know if you should be concerned. It doesn't feel like it's escalated, but it's progressively- albeit slowly -getting there. The only reason why I'm telling you this is because..It's because... I n-need...your.... help." The last four words managed to slip out between gritted teeth. The Kaia-Mai held a delicate pride for her independence; to openly ask for help did not prove to be an easy task. She lifted her hands onto the table and folded them neatly, almost like a proper young lady.

Drake laughed a bit when he heard Kaia snort, and nodded when she told him their cover-story. He followed her to a shoddy-looking booth, and sat down, trying to get comfortable on the seat, which was tough considering his tail was in the way. He had to sit awkwardly, with his butt facing the outside, and his face turned towards Kaia. It made for a hilarious pose, which lightened the mood a bit. He listened to Kaia as she explained things to him, making an amused face when she choked out the last few words, almost as if they were extremely difficult to say.

"You need my help? The great and almighty Cage needs a mere metafreak's help?" He began to smile, then he saw the look on her face, and his eyes hardened like they did when he was tensed, his eyes slitting to pupils. "Sorry, this must be hard for you, asking for help. Sometimes it's good to trust in others, though."

He placed a hand on her's, trying to reassure her, but not really knowing what he was doing. He noticed the waitress coming, a pretty blonde with a short skirt and apron coming to take their orders. He quickly pulled his hand back, and turned to the blonde as she said with a cheery voice, "Hi there! What's your order?" Drake looked to Kaia, waiting for her to order first.

"The great and almighty Cage needs a mere metafreak's help?" Impulse made her bristle, visibly going rigid in the set of her shoulders and tilt of chin. Behind the mask, a look of uncontrollable fury etched onto a face of deep sienna. This is why she never trusted people. Bastards! All of them. The one time you-

"Sorry, this must be hard for you, asking for help. Sometimes it's good to trust in other's, though."

An apology? To her, of all beings. A pang of guilt (an emotion she thought long dormant) traveled through her stomach. 'Don't apologize,' she wanted to say. 'After all of the things I've done, I do not deserve it.' Nevertheless, Cell remained silent for a few moments until he set his hand on hers. It made her uncomfortable.

The urge to snap his wrist rose. And yet, she found herself opening her mouth instead of crushing bone, lips pursed to pronounce 'thank you' when a ditzy blonde in a skimpy skirt bounded to their table. The warmth disappeared; she felt.. Goddess, she just needed something strong. Drake looked towards her expectantly.

"I don't care what it is or how it's made- as long as it's strong," Kaia snapped her head in a threatening demeanor, daring her to ask for I.D. When the blonde simply nodded in fear, grey irises returned to look at the armored hands folded on the table.

Drake looked down and smirked a bit, he'd gotten a bit more of a reaction from her than he'd hoped to... He made a gesture to the girl that he'd have the same thing, and she scurried away to grab the drinks, probably happy to get away from the table. She'd been eyeing his tail, but after Kaia's deadly glare, she decided not to ask.

Now came the hard part, trying to diffuse this bomb in a way so that it wouldn't explode and destroy that pub. That bomb being Kaia herself. She had a rough personality, prideful and yet with an unexplained mystery that only came from truly interesting individuals.

"So...what exactly do you...uhm...need my assistance with?" He tried to make it sound less like she was asking for help per-say, more like she had asked him to hold a man still while she beat him to death. Whoa. Where had that analogy come from? Maybe Kaia's killer personality was starting to get to him...still, it's not like he was afraid to kill, he'd just had no reason to as of yet.

Hotel Monaco, Portland Ore

One of the gilded window to the Black Angels suite at Portland's swanky Hotel Monaco opened, letting the cool night air into her room, as well as a misty wind. The Black Angel had been in contact with O.C.E.A.N HQ earlier in the day, letting the organization know she was extending her stay in Portland.... The "City of Roses". She wasn't in Portland on a social call to smell the roses either.... The low level meta crime boss she'd killed didn't seem to be the cause of most of the cities violence, as both she and O.C.E.A.N had previously felt. Crime rates stayed exactly the same, with the killing seemingly having no effect. It was frustrating for the Black Angel because she'd wanted to get back to her duties at O.C.E.A.N, which she felt was critical to the continued success of the organization. Still.... She couldn't leave a job this unfinished.

The sound of sirens on the cold night air made it evident to the Black Angel that she was certainly wrong in believing her simple mark of Tony Fasano, a connected mob boss, with superhuman strength would end this reign of violence and terror in Portland. She told Saileyra she'd be back in a few days, now she was starting to believe she'd have to stay a week, maybe longer... Her hit on Fasano went without a hitch, she got the jump on him, then their was the usual struggle, which she inevitably won... She always won. Then it was a gun to the back of the head, the typical begging/shoe kissing for another five minutes of life. The fact that Fasano and many like him resorted to this sort of... Pathetic... Behavior before their deaths did not go lost on the Black Angel. She figured she could have gotten Fasano to dig his own grave if she wanted to, before squeezing a round off in the back of his head.Well.... She didn't have time for that.... So she supposed she'd never truly know, however in the recesses of her mind she knew what the inwardly cowardly man would have done.  

Standing atop the second highest ledge, atop the Hotel Monaco, the Black Angel looked down at the street below. "Well I hear sirens heading in at least three directions.... To many for this crime to be a single person or meta... And to many to be able to easily track.... I suppose I should just go for a stroll.... Let the crime come to me?". Satisfied this was the best course of action, the Black Angel began acrobatically swinging, jumping, and scaling down the various sections of the Hotel Monaco. The Black Angel making it look easy, even though she doubted an Olympian would be able to replicate her moves with the same ease. Sure it would have been easier to take the stairs.... But she would also bring attention to herself by leaving past midnight, armed to the teeth, carrying a wide array of weaponry. And attention was exactly what she didn't need.... If whoever she was after... A gang, organization... Hell maybe even a group of meta's.... She certainly didn't want them to know an O.C.E.A.N Operative was on their ass. She always found it better when surprise was at a maximum and maintained.

Swinging off a high flag pole, the Black Angel did a back flip, flinging herself free into the air, thirty feet above ground. Her body rotating a full 360 degrees in the air, she landed on her feet on the concrete sidewalk. Without missing a beat, the Black Angel started walking immediately upon landing, not wanting to appear to have just accomplished the superhuman feat she just did. Luckily, the sidewalks were mostly empty, as those who were out at this hour were at the bars a few blocks away. Hmmm.... Seedy port city.... I think the bars would be a good place to start looking for whatever it is I'm looking for.... After all I'd managed to find the "Pit" there... Stands to chance those sorts of places would attract just the kind of people I'm looking for...". The Black Angel then began walked left from Hotel Monaco, heading towards the bars and clubs, which were mainly on that side of the city.

The Black Angel was dressed for warmth tonight, wearing her usual black leather tactical pants. A customized studded belt, held two holsters, which allowed her the ability to quick draw her dual Glock's without any trouble. She wore a tight fitting, O.C.E.A.N cut off, but wore a knit gray hoodie, with a heavy black coat over it. She had the appearance of a hiker, or a special operator. Her long black hair was left down, giving her neck some protection from the biting cold. And since she'd spent the better part of the year in the Philippines, the Black Angel wore ear muffs, as the cold had been making them hurt quite a bit during the night. Slung across her back was a hiking backpack, which still have her the aura of a hiker... Perhaps one backpacking the Northwest? Instead of granola, water, and a canteen, it held an M-4 Carbine with a collapsed stock, which fit perfect in the bag. She also had several throwing knives strategically placed in her pants, hoodie, and jacket. While she was also going "Chola" for the night, putting small box opening blades in her hair, just in case someone tried to get a fist full of her hair.

Pressing on into the cold, the Black Angel kept her head down, while remaining seriously vigilant. Those out seemed like drunk college kids, sailors, and the usual drunks a city would attract. The Black Angel was pretty sure Portland was dealing with some sort of gang activity, and with the city being such a busy port.... Well it could be any number of gangs, mafia's, or even drug cartels. The Black Angel could even think of at least a dozen that she'd had dealings with herself... She imagined the Triad had at the bare minimum a toehold in Portland.... A large Chinese population, a west coast city, and a large amount of Chinese flagged vessels passing in and out of its harbor daily. Without the focus and attention the ports of California and Seattle received, while also being large enough to move whatever is was they wanted into or out of the country.. Yes... Portland could be a low key gateway to the "Land of the Free.... Home of the Brave...." for any number of criminal entities.

The Black Angel would have to be careful to not let any stone go unturned in Portland.... As she felt she'd stumbled into something much larger then she or O.C.E.A.N previously thought.... First things first... She needed information and that was what tonight was all about...

The teen nodded as she reached for a pouch along the strap wrapped around her waist, connected to the armor by various secure clips. "I don't know if you're good in the dental department, but a generous friend of mine," a pause, as a pair of scarred lips involuntarily twisted into a sadistic grin at the thought of Fraiser the information broker dead inside a dumpster. "Bought me a bag of bullets. You want a bite?"

Kaia reached across the table, attempting to not death grip Drake's hand as she turned it over and placed a cellphone into his palm. The recently released iPhone 5 was unlocked. On it, the notes were opened were a long list of text extended into cellular oblivion. Names, sights, dates, occupations; all of this information on the last two-hundred and thirteen people who died in the past two weeks. Numbers were continuing to climb even as they sitting. She could guarantee at least shots were during the short amount of time that she had Drake had spent in the pub.

Finally, she released his hand, making it clear that this wasn't something to share with others. "Have you been to track lately? Horses have been dropping like flies; the news station believes that it may be an illness contracted out on the field. Except for the fact that when veterinarians examined the bodies, several bones were broken. I think it's sabotage so only one of them can have an 'easy win', you know? To the point though; I called you because you're one of the best vet's out there. Maybe you can help figure out what's going on?"

If Drake scrolled down the long list of text, he would a highlighted section reading, 'In other words, people have been dropping like flies and I'm cold when it comes to leads. I don't like it. I can't risk anyone who's human; too many variables. Plus, you're strong and probably the only person I've talked to that I haven't murdered. Police reports say that the bodies found human, drained of all blood. I can't do this alone..'

Drake looked at the Cage with an extremely confused expression, biting...bullets? Why would humans even...whatever, who was he to judge what people did? He reached inside the bag and took one out, it was about the size of a baby dragon's tooth, and it reminded him of hatch-lings back in his realm, and his eyes softened, almost tearing up a bit. He shook off the feeling and put the bullet between his teeth, then bit down, cracking the bullet in half. It surprised him, and he quickly spit the pieces out.

"ACK! Are these made of styrofoam?! Huh, at least my tooth didn't get fractured."

He almost choked in surprise as Cage handed him a small electronic device with a list on it, rather forcefully. "Have you been to track lately? Horses have been dropping like flies; the news station believes that it may be an illness contracted out on the field. Except for the fact that when veterinarians examined the bodies, several bones were broken. I think it's sabotage so only one of them can have an 'easy win', you know? To the point though; I called you because you're one of the best vet's out there. Maybe you can help figure out what's going on?" He tilted his head in obvious confusion, then looked at the list, trying to figure out how it worked. After a couple of seconds he tried touching the screen, and it scrolled slightly, 'Oh, well damn, she could've told me!' He pushed aside that thought as he read through the list

It looked like a list of names and dates of various people, who were they? What was this talk about horses? When he couldn't scroll any longer he noticed a message at the bottom, 'In other words, people have been dropping like flies and I'm cold when it comes to leads. I don't like it. I can't risk anyone who's human; too many variables. Plus, you're strong and probably the only person I've talked to that I haven't murdered. Police reports say that the bodies found human, drained of all blood. I can't do this alone..' Well damn, he felt like an idiot, now. He nervously handed the phone back to Cage. So...all those names he had read, and it had been a large number, were humans. Most of them probably innocent, too. He felt his tail twitch with rage, almost hitting the waitress as she came back with their drinks, "Wha...that tail just moved!"

"Uh..forget about it. I'm an uh...extreme cosplayer? It's supposed to be like that."

She reluctantly accepted the excuse, and set down the drinks, "Well then...enjoy." She ended that with a slip of paper placed in Drake's hand. A note with her name and phone number, that said "Call me! <3" Drake held his head and sighed, why did human females find him attractive? He thought the tail would have scared them off anyways.

EDIT: ((OOC: I was totally confused too until I read the last part, like "Did I miss something?" x3))