For whom the bell tolls [Echelon]

The light flicked erratically as the female staggered backwards on feet that failed them. Their fear was a pungent scent that filled the room, a room that had served them as a study for years, something that that had served as their studio for years. A metahuman known for painting strange prophetic images, something that not many would have known about. A secret that kept to themselves perhaps in fear as what many would think and perhaps even what their family thought. One sound however flowed through the room like a dirge that drove him nearly mad as Clockwork encroached upon the person throwing a pot of paint in his direction.  

An invisible hand batted that away as it clattered along the floor and spilled deep red along. This appeared to increase their fear as eyes fell upon his face masked within shadow, revealed only by the brilliant light of a lamp settled upon one of his desks. "Running won't do you any good." He muttered with an almost dark tone that chilled their blood to ice almost. One of their hands raised as a force threw them to the ground with exceptional strength, drawing a strangled gasp as the lamp burning within the corner would flutter. "Unfortunately, your life was over the moment I took sight of you."  

One foot pressed down against the flustered woman's chest, exerting pressure that would cause them to gasp. Holding one hand up, the index fingers extended outwards as his telekinetic grasp reached out in the form of an invisible saw. Like a siren her scream echoed outwards as both flesh and bones were pulled apart. All it took was a minute at the very most for the top of their head to be removed, as the blood began to pool around them. Crackling flames could be heard, guttering and sputtering as he walked over to the now exposed brain. Softly he prodded into it with his index finger, focusing his hearing upon his environment should anyone come to check upon the scream.

From there, well examining was the main thing.

The blood itself clung distinctly around his index finger as he could feel his own body within the grips of a slight transformation. Sucking on the finger, he considered the now dead person at his feet with a silent bemusement. "Quite the amusing gift you have." He noted with a smirk slowly standing from there sitting position while letting his eyes scan around the room. Adjusting the glasses with a slight push upwards he walked over to a small display which held a lot of paints, many colors before a blank easel. Picking up one of the beaten paintbrushes, a sudden feeling ran over him as his pupils appeared to glaze over. A frenzy ran over him, images flashing over his eyes as he began to frantically paint along the blank canvas.

All of it took a few minutes, but by the end of it he came back to himself to see a painting fleshed out before him. There was a man, bathed within fire and wings spread outwards behind them. Jonathan blinked a couple of times while examining the picture with a silent interest. That was when someone spoke out, an unknown person causing him to whip around to look them over. A small smirk formed upon his lips. "It appears that you're looking for trouble." Clockwork noted with a deadpan tone, before looking down to the now dead woman. "Unless you're some manner of hero meaning to punish me or something along those lines."

Christopher considered the male with a single raised, taking in their words silently while nodding. His nose crinkled slightly as the smell of scotch hit him hard, which suggested that they had been drinking. Just smell it was enough to put the taste upon his tongue, something that reminded him why he disliked alcohol so much. "A compromise? Well how generous of you." He noted with an amused smirk as the person appeared to examine the body he had gained their power from. They dug through one of the drawers and pulling out a breakfast bar, likely showing that this person was more disjointed than initially assumed.

He could tell they were confident within themselves, that they could beat him down should they need to. "Very well, I'll bite." He noted with a raised brow while resting against one of the cluttered tables. His eyes scanned over the male, considering everything from their posture as his mind would do the thing that it always did while looking a person over. They screamed danger, and that was something he did not want to mess with. "Tell me about this Ultra that you're talking about."

Christopher played around with one of the many paint brushes, flicking it between his fingers as he looked between it and the male that had interrupted him. An amused smirk continued to play along his lips while they spoke, though they had managed to catch his interest well enough. In the end, gaining something was his goal really and if he could gain something from this person then he would do so. That strange sound emanated from them, something faint but he could hear it. Perhaps he was similar to the one he killed in some fashion, but then again just attacking them would have been not so smart if he knew nothing about them.

"A group that seeks to forward humanity. Well, now that's an interesting goal." He noted with  a low hum, crossing his arms over his chest while continuing to examine the male before him. The fact that he had been followed for a while now suggested that he was a little sloppier than he had intended to be but then again things happened. Not as if he could control everything entirely. "Very well, you have my interest. We will probably need to....talk things over in a place that isn't so bloody." He noted pointing to the corpse.

A portal appeared before him, cementing the fact that they were some manner of metahuman. Likely they could do more than create portals, but that was something that just caught his interest in the end. Examining the portal within the air, he slowly walked through it until he stepped out on the other side. His hands which were now free of blood slipped into his pocket, nostrils taking in the almost sterile scent of the area around him. It appeared he had happened upon a rich individual, someone that had money to throw around anyway. "Echelon? I'll have to keep that in mind." He muttered to himself with a small nod, taking in his surroundings still with a small amount of hesitance.

"What could this organization of yours offer to me? I'm sure with someone as...well supplied as you could offer much. Though in the end, I'm only really interested in money, those metahumans you offered and one other thing. It might require a little legal action, but I wonder if you could do that." It was partially a test and partially getting something he wanted, but in the end mostly the former.

With a sound the windows shutters would open, revealing the view beyond them. Something about the thing he saw was different than what he was sued to, perhaps it was where they had ended up on the other side of the portal. A hand would direct itself towards a chair before the mans desk, Clockwork sitting down in it with legs crossed while considering Echelon. It sounded like they would be able to give him exactly what he wanted, but Christopher would keep their excitement to a minimum. Instead all he did was nod slowly.  

"All of these terms sound...agreeable. However, the favor I require is a simple one. It would be a girl, the age of fifteen and my daughter as it would be." Christopher explained reclining within the chair. "When her mother died seven years ago, her aunt had been able to take custody of her. If you can bring her into my custody, you'll find my compliance...set." He explained with a certain seriousness. "Does that sound agreeable?"