Shattered pieces [invite]

”I had always thought the snow to be a good thing for me, a lucky charm. Now, I think it’s just another expression of my loneliness, silent, beautiful however still cold and distant.


Bereft, the large snowflakes would tumble downward from the sky in an almost whimsical fashion, each flake unique and each flake something of a wonder. It was snowing today, a sign of something likely good to happen, though of what Ryan could not quite tell. It was a silent and lonely night, waves lapping up against the sandy shore despite the snow that was falling down upon Los Angeles, each flake melting upon touching the moist sand, disappearing forever. Not that he was the type to complain about a lonely day, those had been things that were far too common lately, but now he was just alone with his thoughts, as limited as they seemed to be at times. Fingertips would brush over the amulet, the one given to him by the mysterious blond guy, feeling the warmth that radiated from the gem in the center; a blue sapphire that gleamed each time he touched it.

He was supposed to gain control over the powers that had been the source of fear within his life, but in the end, he was too scared to actually even do that. An end to fear as it had been worded, but it looked like fear was the thing that was keeping him from trying it, simply clutching onto the trinket, as his ice would find it difficult to overtake the thing. ”What’s keeping me?” He muttered with a frown, catching his reflection within the small gem, radiant icy blue eyes caught within it. Ryan blinked, and they were dull hazel once again, white haze falling around him as it seemed to do this day. There was of course that small voice within the back of his head that questioned why he was so scared to try, and for that he had no answer.

The only answer that was available was plain animal fear, but that was not a good enough reason to even consider something like that. In fact, he was not even aware of the ground beneath him freezing, or even what was happening within himself. The storm was beginning to pick up, releasing more and more of the snow upon him, and his small section of the city. However, he was unaffected by the cold precipitation falling down, kissing against his skin and even sticking against the pale flesh occasionally. With a small sigh, Ryan would push off of the ground with his right hand, looking out to the sea that seemed to stretch on forever, with an almost baleful expression. A low, painful rumble would roll through his stomach as Ryan remembered that he was hungry, or rather that he had been for the past few hours.

A small frown formed upon his lips as he kicked the sand, and continued to walk along the beach until the lighthouse had become a small shape in the distance. Despite the fact that the snow was falling, all he heard as the sound of wind whooshing past his ears, making all other sounds almost nonexistent. He was dressed simply, in jeans and a shirt that were a size or two too big for him, a zipped up jacket over that and a beanie cap over his head, dressed warmly despite the fact that he could not feel the cold, or even be harmed by it. A low whistle would echo out above the whirling snow, Ryan pursing his lips as he would walk along, in the pseudo winter wonderland.

Metahumans. Superhumans. Mutants. Abominations.

These names and more described the new breed of homo sapiens sapiens that had become a severe issue in the past few decades. Much like homosexuals, they have existed as long as “ordinary” humans, however are just now becoming prevalent in society. Not all were a problem. Many thousands of them managed to work within the rules society dictated, and lived a peaceful lifestyle. However, overshadowing these “innocents” by far were the atrocities committed by their more nefarious counterparts. New York City was destroyed. The White House was taken. The total death toll is uncountable, but extends far into the millions.

Public views were rather intolerant of such creatures, however there were still cries for “Meta-Rights” and “Equality for All”. Such traitors to their own species, those who would have found it inhumane to execute Hitler or who would complain about the way animals were treated before being butchered. The kind of people whose deaths would benefit the world as a whole. Unfortunately, bringing about their demise was not the task of Dante van der Bliksem.

The man was currently moving at fifty three miles an hour down the interstate on a motorcycle, weaving between the few cars he encountered. They seemed irritated by both the minor inconvenience he proved and his apparent recklessness. Unbeknownst to the other drivers however was the fact that there was less than one two thousandths of a percent of a risk that he would crash. His superior reflexes, combined with the impeccable suspension, steering and automated controls of his vehicle, minimized the risk of any harm that would come his way, intentional or not.

Dante was heading towards a location marked on his phone, now synced with the motorcycle’s navigational system. A Metahuman of great destructive potential and energy output was active some twelve miles away from his current position. No other information was known about the target, so it was unclear whether or not it was hostile. However, it posed a threat, and as such required observation, and then possibly elimination. Such was the nature of van der Bliksem’s work.

It took approximately fourteen minutes to reach the destination. Dante parked the motorcycle three blocks away, and walked the remainder of the distance. The target was along the shoreline, walking away from a lighthouse and down the beach. Dante, equipped with his MNT4, began his hunt, watching the prey through guarded eyes as he stalked through the dunes, hidden from above and below, some hundred yards behind the Metahuman.

A localized ice storm, on a beach, in Los Angeles. The poor metahuman might as well have put a large beacon on his head that said "COME GET ME". At least that was the opinion of the Agency. And after weeks of careful monitoring of this "infected" subject it was clear that his power potential was a lot higher than giving California children a snow day or two. This kid was a danger, not only to himself for his lack of real control, but to everyone around him. So it seemed necessary to all involved in the Agency to either bring the kid in or eliminate him permanently before he had the chance to really unleash his powers. And that was why today they would send their top attack dog, GIZMO.

Encased in his pod, GIZMO would rapidly approach the eye of the small snow storm. On his way in however the pod would intercept a signal. Someone in the area was also tracking the dangerous metahuman, and judging from the triangulation of this other entity's phone signal, they were rapidly approaching his location. Whatever this other thing was it was non-Agency but the help would certainly be appreciated, and who knew, maybe they would be interested in joining after seeing a display of GIZMO's force.

Speaking of which, as the pod landed GIZMO sent a message to the device owned by the other entity stalking this metahuman. Being in pod is an ally. Will work with you to capture/detain metahuman. Should you succeed, we would be happy to speak with you privately. Present GIZMO with the provided code if you would like to speak with us as well. The message would be sent as a text, private and unreadable to anyone not with Dante's specific phone. At the end of the message would be a code, good for one use, that when presented to GIZMO would link him  back to Agency HQ. And just as the message was sent the pod would burst open and the hulking GIZMO would step from within. The metahuman some distance before him was a known hydrokinetic. GIZMO had just the thing to combat such an entity. Modules 1-2: Begin Kerosene production/manipulation as always his internal modules got to work changing his body. Every gland within him would begin rapid production of kerosine while a node in his brain would be produced that allowed him to control it. With kerosine's highly hydrophobic properties, it would allow not allow water to penetrate any film he produced with it. That would give him full defense against this metahuman's abilities but what he needed now was an explosive offense. Modules 3-8: Begin Caesium production/manipulation once more the modules would alter GIZMO's very physiology, this time creating zones for the production of the highly reactive metal beneath his skin as well as again allowing him mental control over it. And with his new arsenal ready he would produce a thick film of kerosene over his body as he stepped towards the metahuman. Then without warning he would thrust both hands in the infected being's direction, flinging streams of caesium surrounded in kerosene towards the metahuman. The kerosene surrounding the streams would prevent them from reacting with the water in the air, but if an construct or manipulation was created by the metahuman GIZMO would remove the kerosene film at the point of contact, allowing it to react with the water and explode with a massive concussive force.

Current Grid:

Snowflakes fluttered, shifting and molding over his upwards held palm to form a snowball, small in size but considerable nonetheless. A simple construct, but something that he would have the least trouble making, considering that he could have made it just as well with his bare hands. In a white cloud, his breath slipped out in a small white cloud, fading away into the night air as he looked up to the cloudy night sky dropping the heavy snowfall upon him. No, it seemed that the snow had picked up compared to a few minutes ago, though as to why even he was not sure. Fingers clenched around the snowball, digging into the cold snow, though the sensation of cold itself was lot upon him as the dull crunching sound would flow through the air nonetheless. Another boring day, not that Ryan was the type to complain, well he was never the type to actually.

Little did the young metahuman know, he wasn’t alone, but then again expecting him to have any sort of excellent foresight would have been asking for too much. Well, until of course he heard what sounded like something moving through the air, though what that was is the question. It was mostly lost amidst the now howling winds that accompanied the snowstorm, and slowly visibility was being lost as well. However, this process was a steady one and one could still have seen him within the snowstorm anyway. However something did catch his eyes, something moving within the snowstorm, though out of his peripheral it just looked like someone trying to hit him. The reaction was almost reflexive, snow pooling out from the storm and forming a barrier, hopefully enough to stop whatever was coming towards him, yet Ryan was ill prepared for it.

Despite the thickness, and considerable durability of the ice, the resulting explosion seeming to tear it apart with little difficulty. The concussive force was disorienting, causing his ears to ring and all equilibrium to go to hell as Ryan found himself being hurled, head slamming into the sand. In the place of sound, there was only an all-consuming ringing, blood trickling down his forehead from what was likely a wound produced by the blast itself. An iron tasted well up within his mouth as a sharp pain reverberated through his abdomen, Ryan wincing as he tried to gain some bearing, only finding that he was groping almost blindingly. There wasn't much time really, as the snow swirled around him, serving more to obfuscate than anything else, as the sand beneath him would ice over, and within a second he would sink into the icy surface, reappearing on another section of the beach, behind a rather large dune.

The storm had begun to pick up, Ryan pressing his back against the dune and taking in a calming breath, trying to wipe away the blood that was trying to pour into his right eye, and finding that fruitless. This was…..not going well at all.

Dante was closing the distance between himself and the target when an airborne metal construct descended from the sky, making an impact into the earth. Simultaneously a message appeared on his phone. “Being in pod is an ally.” So apparently there was something in the contraption, presumably one nonhuman, due to the usage of the term “being”. “Will work with you to capture/detain metahuman.” Ah, so they’re after the target too, he thought to himself. “Should you succeed, we would be happy to speak with you privately.” He most definitely planned on succeeding, though who these “we” were was unknown to him, and he doubted he should know (for there was little Dante was not aware of that pertained to himself). “Present GIZMO with the provided code if you would like to speak with us as well.” That explained the following sequence, a lengthy combination of alphanumeric characters and symbols similar to those found on a keyboard, though who this “GIZMO” was was a mystery.

The message was curious to be sure, however Dante still had a mission, one he planned fully to carry out, regardless of any interference from the “”being in the pod”. Should they prove to be of any assistance, then their help would be greatly appreciated, however should the prove to be either detrimental or directly harmful to Dante, they would be eliminated. The man did not stand for incompetence or opposition, and all threats to himself or his objective were swiftly and efficiently dealt with. It was this nature that made many who worked with Dante despise him, however it also gained the admiration of many more.

It would appear however that he need not have any animosity towards the other entity, at least not at this time. With swift action they unleashed metaphorical hellfire down upon the target, sending out torrents of fluids that, upon impact with a crystalline structure made by the target, created a catastrophic explosion. Dante ducked his head and hit the ground, relying on the natural barriers of the dunes to protect himself. Cautiously he rose a few seconds later, taking stock of the scene. A large flurry of snow was before him, obscuring where the target was last seen. However, his contacts alerted him to the fact that the location of the energy traces had moved, and were now some twelve yards away, behind another dune.

With great vigilance Dante stealthily approached the dune. As he walked along one edge the target came into view, obviously disoriented, visibly shaking and with blood dripping from various wounds. Making as little noise as possible, he removed a smaller gun from a holster on his hip, and fired into the abdominal muscles of the target, and then moved rapidly back. To the best of his knowledge the target did not have an abnormal skin integrity, as witnessed by the flesh wounds. Should they prove to do so, he would opt for a higher caliber round. The ammunition used was a small, yet incredibly sharp needle, filled with a potent tranquilizer.

Direct hit. The fluid metal had done exactly as intended, utterly destroying the metahuman's barrier and sending it flying from the force of the explosion. Good now all he needed to do was move over to the insect and...well that did not go exactly as GIZMO had planned. As he moved closer to the small figure, the winds and the snowfall picked up, lowering visibility and by the time he had reached the spot where his target had landed, they were gone. They could have gone anywhere on the beach in this snow storm and he would have never seen them. GIZMO needed to get rid of this storm and fast. Only then could he find his target.

Staring straight into the sky GIZMO would watch a flake after flake fell to his face from the massive storm cloud above. Destroy the cloud, destroy the storm. Lifting his arms to the sky a literal geyser of caesium and kerosene into the skies. Like a bat out of hell they would scream towards the skies and once the sky had been filled with the element, GIZMO would allow the kerosene film to disperse, leaving only the reactive caesium inside every inch of the storm clouds above. In a brilliant blaze the sky would ignite and the air itself would seem to be ripped apart by the massive explosion. There would be no storm cloud left in the sky but a fine white powder would continue to fall from the heaves. But it was not snow, instead it would be the result of caesium reacting with water, caesium hydroxide. The corrosive substance, corrosive to organic matter would eat at the skin of anything it came in contact with. Anything that was required to draw breath in the area would find it incredibly difficult to do as the deadly compound would burn the mucus membranes of their nose throat and lungs, restricting air flow and burning the eyes. It would be like hell itself was raining down on them. GIZMO too could feel the corrosive material tingle at his synthetic skin but he would be fine and with the pesky storm cloud no dissipated he would begin the search once more for his target.

Despite the fact that Ryan had thought he was out of harms way, it seemed that he was far from it. A dull pain rang through his abdomen, a small amount of blood pooling around where the tranq struck, a low annoyed grunt slipping from his mouth. Within a matter of seconds however, vision seemed to slowly fade, turning into a blur as Ryan fell back against the dune as he held a hand over the tranq still imbedded with his flesh. In fact, he was by no means capable of even recognizing that his own personal cloud had been reduced to nothing but a burning mess, falling down upon him a powder that would likely burn at his flesh. ”Ow.” Ryan muttered slowly slipping out of consciousness as the burning caesium fell upon him, and the last thing he felt was it eating away at his flesh.

The target did not have suprahuman skin integrity, and as such the tranquilizer round pierced the target, releasing high levels of sedatives once embedded in the skin. Before Dante could prep the target for extraction, however, an eruption filled the sky. Reacting with what would almost appear to be superhuman reflexes, Dante would duck down yet again, this time with his eyes faced skywards, gun pointing in the same direction.

A fine white powder now fell in place of the larger clumps of snow. At first glance the powder would appear as nothing more than ash; volcanic, perhaps. However, as it began to come within a few meters of Dante, an acridic burning smell wafted down, and it became stronger as some of the ammophilia on the dunes was touched by this powder. As a precautionary action, Dante removed a transportable respirator and placed it over his face, quickly sealing off any access to the previously exposed skin.

With a press of a button on his watch, an order would be sent out for the vehicles parked nearby to approach the location in order to extract the target.

GIZMO couldn't see the target nearby. Quickly he began to scan the area, for all the area a metahuman could have covered he situated himself to use the pods to fly overhead and identify the threat and the one whom assisted him.

 Gizmo. Pods are deployed. Bring the man who assisted you in with you.

 Authorization Code Required.

 KJ97LL-Alpha-78-Sigma-96GGHO-VHGVHS

  Understood, Director.

  Gizmo watched as the pods landed right around the fallen metahuman and the human comrade. Gizmo made haste at optimal speed in order to reach the drop point. Gizmo arrived just in time, looking as the pod opened and pool-tube looking mechanical hands fired out and grabbed Deluge, stuffing the metahuman into itself before turning on the power-negating cells and launching itself back to base. The next pod opened and Gizmo motioned to it.

 "Enter. You are not metahuman, you don't need to fear. The Director desires to meet you." Gizmo explained blandly, but as much a sense of comforting tone as he could manage.

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Agency vs Renegades

Spoiler:

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