Activity in Australia (Nekro)

This story takes place in Australia. Why? Because that's where things were going to go down. You see, some people are just able to do things that most can't. Some are just talented, some are just smarter than others, or particularly good at one thing. Some people considered natural talent to be genetic. In some cases it was. Some beings were born capable of doing things they really shouldn't be able to do, but they could, and it was generally accepted as reality even if it wasn't liked. We all lived in a world full of superpowered beings running around. These visitors to a part of Australia were all supervillains. They were known as the Ultra Gang. A group that had been around for over a decade, formed by and consisting entirely of supervillains They had stowed away on a plane that had been taken off from Los Angeles, and stopped by in Hawaii until heading towards its destination. It had been a long trip staying in uncomfortable conditions for days until the plane finally arrived in Sydney. From there they had to sneak off the plane and away from the airport. Four days later, they were in Lithgow, a city almost 100 miles west of Sydney with a population of about 12'000. In this city, the Ultra Gang were robbing a bank. Within minutes they had everyone in the building subdued and the exits blocked off.

"Now then everyone, if you keep quiet and not interfere, you'll be alright." a voice spoke from a man wearing a black armored suit. This was Jacob Coleman, better known as Deathbringer. He was sort of the leader of this little entourage. "Savage, you and I will raid the vault. Killer Mime, you monitor the entrance. Weaver, you keep everyone here occupied in the meantime." he told them and then he, along with a very large man, made their way to the back.

"You're not going to get away with this." one of the tellers boldly shouted at them. Seconds later a strange fabric wrapped around his mouth to silence him. A bunch more did the same to everybody else in the building.

"Shush now. That's no way to behave." The woman known as Weaver said. She had a countless number of strings of this strange fabric coming out of the sleeves of her jacket that were spread out like a gigantic spiderweb to keep everyone detained and quiet, and the entrance blocked off. Minutes passed by until Deathbringer and Savage returned with a few bags full of money. "About time." Weaver told them when they returned.

"Apologies, we wanted to make sure we grabbed the right amount." Deathbringer said to her before addressing the crowd once more. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are sorry for taking up your time. When you tell people about what happened today, make sure to mention that was the Ultra Gang that was responsible. Oh, and as an insurance policy." He said as suddenly the bank's tellers and guard were killed by something nobody even saw. With that done they walked to the door as the strings that were blocking it parted so that they could leave. About a minute after they exited the people inside were freed. It was enough time for them to get some distance from the bank as the people inside all started calling the local authorities. By the time they could even get there, the Ultra Gang was long gone and headed to a different part of the city to meet with some local criminals.

Australia was hot. Like, really, really arid and hot. It didn't help that concrete made the problem worse with something called "urban heat island phenomenon", because concrete tended to retain heat very well, making things hotter. The Ultra Gang could probably have their A/C at full blast and it would still be lukewarm in their getaway truck.

Closer to the designated location a pickup truck was barreling down the road at the speed limit.

Betty Springs, known locally as "Boomerang Betty", was one of the nastiest pieces of work in all of Lithgow. She could drink, she could curse, and she threw a mean left hook, not to mention razor sharp boomerangs that could cut through guns. She was also a nice looking, tattooed, short haired blonde gal who wore some denim hot pants, boots, an outback hat and a sleeveless, partially open jacket with nothing underneath due to this sweltering heat and a busted AC. When the local criminal element heard of a new foreign group moving into their territory, there was a meeting called, and Springs, hiding out in the wilds outside city limits, took a bit longer to join. That it was going to be held at a freeze locker helped.

"Oi open up. It's a friggin barbeque out here!" She knocked on the service door a few times, before impatience forced her to kick at the lock. She was surprised to find the lock was already broken, and a flimsy wooden chair was keeping it closed on the inside.

The cold, refrigerated air was a welcome relief to the oppressive heat outside, though given how slightly sweaty Betty was, she felt a bit of a headache as she changed temperatures so quickly. An air curtain seperated the hot outdoor air from the wonderful cool environment inside.

It was dark inside the warehouse. Betty took out a sharpened boomerang from her bandolier, her experience immediately telling her to expect trouble. She found the lights and switched them on... to find the warehouse had become a killing floor. From the meat racks hung dozens of stripped, flayed and some beheaded bodies, of men and women alike who were members of various gangs. Betty had seen sick before but this took the vegemite. She could feel her lunch try to leave her stomach via her mouth.

The cold was part of the reason she didn't smell anything when she got in, and there was also the fact that there was little blood. She looked at the bodies... still warm... these were fresh kills. She walked deeper into the warehouse, grimacing as she saw a woman she knew, missing an arm and an eye, the other eye socket bulging, a blank stare at Betty. The others had some vicious throwing daggers stuck in them, very sharp as they easily sliced through the bodies when she removed them for inspection. Most of them died from an edged weapon though, some kind of sword that cut clean through them like a hot knife through butter.

She could hear some of the refrigeration equipment running, and saw where the blood was going- it was diverted through the coolant valves, chilling the blood and leading inside. So, the thing that did this was here. Betty's thoughts raced. Some kind of monster? A vampire maybe? she'd heard awful things were afoot abroad. And why of all people, were the criminals targeted?

Things became truly grim when she turned the corner to see a shelf with the heads of a few Australian metahuman villains arranged in a neat row. most of them frozen in some horrified expression at the time of death, a few having their tongues sticking out. Betty could identify Wally the mutant wallabe man, the entire back of his head lopped off, brain intact. His face was one of surprise. The aborigine hunter Redback, two daggers sticking out of his head where his eyes should be, dripping some tears that were a mixture of liquid eyeball and blood, while his mouth was fixed in a death scream. Eunice the Eucalpytus manipulator, one of Betty's old partners, had her mouth jammed with her own leaves, oil dripping from her nose, mouth and eyes. Dropbear Dan's temple was caved in. The others were the gang's bosses...

Against all common sense, against all the things you would tell someone in a horror movie not to do, she stood before the inner door to the slaughter room. She put her ear to the cool metal door and heard some splashing. She also heard a voice.

"Please, come in. The blood is fine..." Followed by a knife emerging from the door, half an inch away from her face.

Betty lost it. One of Australia's hardened mercenaries, ran away like a damned coward, getting into her truck and driving off. If she saw anyone driving towards the warehouse, she signaled them to "Get the hell outta here!"

The Ultra Gang had just robbed a bank in Lithgow, Australia. The reason they did so was part of an agreement with the local criminal organization. Allies were always good to have. Besides, they were looking for some new members after two of them got arrested a few months back and the ranks had grown a bit too small for their preference. The possible deal they would be making involved helping these locals assume greater control over the area, and in the meantime, convince them to ally with the Ultra Gang. Jacob was confident things would work out well for him and his allies. Very confident.

Due to the extreme heat outside they had opted to steal a vehicle so that they could drive over towards their destination rather than walk. The sweltering heat was not quite unbearable, but when you add in the fact that they had spent hours locked up in the storage compartment of an airplane only a few days before and you get a group of people that were relatively worn down more than they needed to be. They had managed to find a car, but the trunk space was limited so some of the money had to be carried in with them, which left the back seat very cramped for Deathbringer and Savage whom were the ones sitting back there. Killer Mime was driving and Weaver had called 'shotgun'.

"How much longer until we get there? It's hot as hell out." Savage asked angrily. He had quite the temper to him. One the others were sometimes wary of since they felt it would cause him to leave.

"Only a few more minutes." Deathbringer responded. "Relax, Savage. Remember that we're going to a cold storage area. It'll be very comfortable in there." he told him with a fake tone of kindness.

"You mean we're going from sweating our asses off to freezing them." Weaver chipped in sarcastically. She turned to Killer Mime and asked him "Sounds fun, doesn't it, Mimey?" Of course there was no response at all. Killer Mime said nothing and just stared straightforward as he drove down the road. "Sometimes I forget that he can't talk. How do we even communicate with him again?"

"I learned sign language, and we're here." Deathbringer replied as the car pulled up to warehouse while a woman ran out of it towards her truck all while screaming like mad about something. "Wasn't that one of our hosts?" he asked as he got out of the car. All four of them watched her drive away frantically. Something had terrified her. This left Deathbringer intrigued by what could have caused it. They grabbed the bags of money and strode inside. Upon entering they quickly became aware of the bloodbath that lied within. "Well then." he said as he expressed both interest in what he was witnessing, and disappointment.

Weaver strode forward to get a better look at what lie before them. "Looks like we're late to the slaughterfest. You think anyone's still alive?" she asked before hearing a noise from deeper within the building. "I think my question has been answered." the four of them walked further within the building until they came to a door with a small hole in it that had sounds coming from the other side. "Hello?" she called out to anyone that might be on the other side.

Deathbringer saw Killer Mime saying something in sign language and responded to it. "Yes, it does sound like someone is eating in there. And by the sound of things, they don't have much in the way of table manners." he stated as Weaver sent a few pieces of fabric forth that pulled the door open so that they could see what was inside.

As Weaver opened the doors, she would see a few bodies hung from the meathooks in the slaughter room, bodies once attached to the heads on the shelf beside them. Despite being fresh kills, all the blood had drained from their bodies, not even a drop on the floor. There was only the slightest hint of the smell of gore and guts, the cool refrigerated air suppressing the odor.

Aware of the presence of new guests, Diana emerged from her bath, pulling herself out with both hands, swinging her legs out and standing a bit weakly before straightening up and taking a look. Blood and viscera clinging to her exposed skin and hair, like a macabre red body paint slowly peeling off of her. She allowed most of the blood to fall, seemingly unaware that she was pulling off some gruesome Hostel-level gorn and just letting bathwater cascade down. She eyed each of the members of the gang, her eyes landing unsettlingly longer on the lady, Weaver.

She had her sheathed katana in hand, as always. took a couple of steps, getting blood all over this unnatural clean floor. She blinked a few times at the gang before her, then slowly massaging her stiff left shoulder, giving it a good couple of rotations. Despite the gore fest she didn't seem too threatening, since she was bereft of her clothes, accessories and armor. "Hello there. These... people... said they were looking to join a group with pay." she gestured to her victims, then pausing.

"I'd like to join too." She said.

The door was opened, and the Ultra Gang would see a few more bodies hanging from the ceiling as severely torn apart as the previous ones, and a tub full of blood in the middle of the room. A woman was bathing in the tub. Seems they found the person responsible for this bloodbath, taking an actual bloodbath. All four members of the gang examined the woman as she emerged from the tub and slowly walked towards them all while covered in blood. They each noticed as she examined them in return and all reacted differently. Savage would step forward prepared to fight, but would be stopped by Deathbringer whom was slightly intrigued by what he was witnessing. Killer Mime would do nothing and Weaver smiled sadistically as she expected a fight to break out and was trying to intimidate this blood soaked woman more than she could ever hope to intimidate Weaver.

Deathbringer was in deep thought about what to do about these recent developments. This woman had killed all of their potential allies. He was a bit frustrated by this, yet he saw some potential in her as one. Perhaps if all of these people had been so easily dispatched by one individual in such a way they were, then they simply weren't worth the time. Besides, there was always a chance they could get this woman to join. She could prove a valuable asset.

It had been quiet for a moment as both parties just stared at each other. Finally the blood soaked woman spoke. She said something that made Deathbringer smile from behind his mask. She said she wanted to join. "Oh, you do, do you? Is this massacre your way of eliminating the competition? What's your name?" he asked wanting to know more about her.

The air in the room was as tense as it was chilly, fresh blood dripping onto the floor but slowly flowing back towards Diana's feet. The stare down seemed to continue for a bit, even into their conversation. Diana could sense Weaver tensing, the older lady itching for a fight. "Oh, this one is the one to keep an eye on." She thought to herself. But, As much as she enjoyed the prospect, Diana was no fool. Four unknown metahumans would put up a fight, unlike those fools who flaunted themselves. She paced back and forth, slowly, and kept her sword down.

"I tested them. If they were worth it, they would have put up a fight... Oh right, where are my manners." Diana said with a smirk, like she had done something so impolite as to not introduce herself. All the while, the blood on her receded from her body and slowly crept into her blade, seemingly vanishing somewhere into the solid object. Diana's features were more visible now, and one could make out numerous scars on her toned physique, some of them in really painful places to ahve scars, each one with a story to tell. She walked over to her backpack and got herself a change of clothes.

"People call me lots of things. Brat, Monster, Sword Girl... Blood Sword. Doesn't matter." She said as she got dressed in mostly black, a loose tank top, some knee length leggings and rubber shoes. Some gloves helped with the grip on her sword. Comfortable and functional clothes for the young and hip psychopath villain. She did flinch a bit when her clothes touched her scars, meaning some of them were recent. Not surprising; fighting that many enemies, no matter how powerful, you were bound to get injured. Remarkably her clothes didn't stain from the blood.... Costumes are for the silver age, daddy-o.

Diana continued her introduction, talking about her motivation. "I'm not interested in taking over countries, politics, power plays in the group, or anything like that. I like money. Lots of money, because I like eating good food and staying at nice hotels. I like clothes too. And I like cutting up people who can put up a fight. Point me where we can get those, and I'll play nice. There's little else about me that's important. So, do we have a deal?" She asked, an amused glint in her eye, and not a hint of deceit in her voice. She took a few tentative steps towards Jacob and extended her now pristine hand, offering him to meet her halfway to shake hands.

The Ultra Gang came to this warehouse with a lot of money in tow expecting to meet with a bunch of local metahuman gang members, but instead found them all to have been killed by one woman. Deathbringer saw this as an opportunity to add a powerful individual to the team. Now, how to go about recruiting her properly. Sure she may be expressing interest in joining, but would she be in it for the long run. Now those were the ones he wanted. Those that would stick around. After all having people just up and leave can complicate things when one is trying to accomplish great things in this world. Great and terrible things. So he studied her as she spoke, as she was cleaned of the blood that soaked her. Blood that would seep into the blade that she wielded. The very weapon that she most likely used to bring about this slaughter of all the criminals that had been gathered here. Was she one of the types whose powers came from an object or weapon? Was that sword the source of her powers, or just an extension of them? If it were the former, he would have leverage available to him. Granted, Deathbringer preferred not to have to rely on leverage to keep allies around. He preferred to forever earn their trust so that they would never want to give up on being allies with him. So, what was the quickest way of earning this woman's trust?

"Blood Sword." he replied. "I like that name. It fits you." he told her as he noticed the scars that covered her. She wasn't as badly damaged as Killer Mime was, but she had clearly been through the wringer. The entire group remained tentatively silent as she told them a little bit more about herself. Her ambitions in life could be summed up as money and bloodlust. Simple enough, yet still intriguing to some extent. "When it comes to money, we've got plenty. We were supposed to present it to the people that were here, but you of course incapacitated them. We don't need any of it so it's all yours if you want it. As for getting to kill specific people. Trust me, you'll get plenty of opportunities as a member of the Ultra Gang. I accept you as a member. What say the rest of you?" He asked his teammates as he accepted her handshake, even though he already knew they would all agree to adding her. Killer Mime merely nodded and also extended his hand for a handshake. He rarely disagreed with any of Deathbringer's decisions. They had been working together for nearly ten years now. Trust came with the terriotory after that long a period of time. Savage just grunted "Fine." before turning around to walk back towards the exit. Weaver however took a moment to respond. She was still smiling at Blood Sword. It had not faded at all. Finally she gave her answer. "Welcome aboard." she said before turning around to head back towards the exit as well.

Diana waited patiently, and wasn't too surprised with her acceptance. Since her earliest days as gymnast and model, projecting strength and confidence was the key to a good first impression. She was good at auditions, and she demonstrated her worth on the local criminal populace.

The bag of money eventually passed to Diana, and she took a peek to see what she wanted. Cold hard cash. American would've been better, but she could get a money changer somewhere soon enough.

"Nice. This will do nicely for starters. Maybe a few days at the Hilton, steaks, sushi, shopping for new clothes...all fun... all fun." She said with a smile, piling them up with her backpack. She was already pondering how to spend her money, and indeed it was a habit of Diana to burn through small fortunes in a few days by living vicariously. Not that it mattered to her, since she could always find more. But this haul would definitely hold her over for a while.

She went over to personally shake their hands and introducing themselves to her, exchanging contact numbers and emails, delighting in the promise of booty and bloodshed. They all seemed fine enough people, and Diana would be more or less true to her word about her wants. Weaver though was the one she kept an eye on. She seemed the sociopath of the lot. Their hand shake would last long.

The Bloodsword itself too, seemed to throb with excitement through the meeting. Diana had reaped a great harvest, and their mutual anticipation filled the air with a palpable need for violence.

"Well then, I'll see you folks around." Diana said, gathering up her things, preparing for an ethereal jaunt with the use of her cloak, the Shroud of Shadows. Soon enough she and all her bags would be gone, melting into the very shadows, not a trace remaining save for the trophies that decorated the warehouse.