Loa Blood

[Abraxas Winterlight]

Monolith

The tunnel was barely big enough for my massive body, but it seemed to be widening the farther down I went. Ever since I awoke from my last hibernation sleep, I was much more aware of the stone & earth around me. I could feel that this tunnel was not made naturally, and could tell that other tunnels were surrounding me. Light had been left behind long ago, but I could still sense the stone and earth around me, sort of like a sixth sense. I knew three hundred feet ahead the tunnel ended in a large chamber. I entered and finally stood to my full height, scanning the chamber in the dim glow that some phosphorescent plant gave off. Looking around I saw the shattered remains of military vehicles, and what looked to be large amounts of blood.
"Monolith, our sensors place you in the general area where Omega team said there was a egg chamber of some kind. Reports are sketchy, but somewhere farther down should be where the main concentration of the colony is at. Be careful down there, if it gets too hairy back out, and we will resort to plan "B"."

Plan "B" was something I wanted no part of. A gamma-enhanced bomb would turn the land for miles around here into a wasteland of ash and radiation for thousands of years.
" Roger that. I'm proceeding as planned, will contact you when I find something"

I keeled down and placed my hand flat on the stone floor, then closed my eyes. Calling upon meditation techniques that Hope had taught me, I relaxed my mind, and let my senses do what they needed to do. It was as if I left my body, flying down through the living rock of the earth, following the vibrations of the creatures underground, until I found the greatest concentration, a great cavern over a mile underground, filled with creatures. I felt my body growing light, like my mind was tugging on a string wrapped around my waist, & felt as if I was flying through the earth. I felt the stone surround me, then finally it seemed to spit me out onto the floor of the great cavern underground. Looking around me, I noticed the hundreds of teeming creatures surrounding me.

This was not a good sign!

 

[Lady_Siren]

Nikki smiled at Kamodo nodding at his words. "My name is Serena Jett, I have always supported the holy cause of Loa. I have been searching for way to furthur support this holy substance. Yet so many oppose. I only ask that you let me help you in some way. I have many connections, many resources. They are at your disposal." Her lying was flawless her mind perfectly blank. She wanted to gain this creature's trust. Then maybe the killer bees would gain true insight into Hass's plans.

 

[DarkThoughts01]

Queen
Queen stared at the drone camera,and laughed sharply wihtout emotion."i understand the risks,and it is you who do not understand.You do not represent your species do you?would you accept the responsibilities of being ambassador for your entire peoples?I think not.The good of some can not balance the atrocities of millenia."
The rock suddenly seemed to burst a few feet away as Monolith appears,the rock melting of his body like water.She turned and gestured imperiously.Hundreds of bullets and spears were launched,followed by a wave of workers and soldiers.She held back Him with a hand palced demurly on his arm."Is this what you offer me?i am glad i have kileld those humans.I know of your weaponry,do you nto think that i have not?i know that you humans will be forced to use your trump card eventually,and i am ready,Yous ay we cannto burrow deep enough?then why not Wide enough?"she laughed againa nd faced the camera."I will nto believe your lies human.When i was newly born ur colony on the island of our birth sent me and an escort to further our race.We attacked no one,we merely tried to leave overpopulation.And what did we find?naught but death.Only two of the hundreds sent survived."She turned up her head to look at Him as he palced himself between ehr and Monolith as the drone caera is shifted,lifted."can you guess who those two were?can you udnerstand seeing those around you killed for no reason other then being there?Wait..of course you do,you humans are a disease,a horrible blotch on the beauty of the planet.I cannot accept such monsters to survive,I Refuse to allow such creatures to exist.You will be nothing but food and a cheap labor force from now on.And your bombs?i care naught,for using them will destroy the planet,and you will be gone,and nothing dshall be left but dust.Is this what you wish human?I will offer it to you."A soldier went flyign back,body crushed as Monolith crashed and moved in the background.She turned and gestured,an a battalion of soldiers fell in around her and whatever was carrying the camera followed.He waited a moment more and turned,limbs and antennae moving in a complex pattern as 4 or 5 Huge new ant forms rolled out,huge tree-trunk thick legs braced and clenched the ground.a tube dropped from their stomach and through the transparent membrane rock and dirt could be seen swirling up itno the creatures.Their mouth opened with a cracking..slwo sickenign fleshy noise,small muzles popping out udner thier upper pincers.ueen and the camera holder stepped up to a tunnel entrance and turned,watching as the antmen withdrew,leaving a circle where Monolith stood.A path cleared and with a grinding,crucshing noise the 5 huge antforms rocked back witha roar,huge,compressed pieces of stone and metal exploded outwards from each,pummeling monolith with enough force to derail a train at full speed.The camera turned as Queen walked down the tunnel,followed by Him.
Him
He turned and gestured tot eh camera man.Queen continued walking and let him stay as he caleld up another Soldier,this one not much smalle then him.He gestured and it and a 8 mroe built up around him,then streamed towards Monolith.He tunred to the camera as the 9 Charged.His voice ccame,gutteral and unused,but still discernable."Humans.....Any harm intended to Queen and the colony will be given back with a tenfold.As we speak Queen will be in a secure location,miles away.You will never find gher.You would ahve to bomb every part of the planets surface.In short,youd have to kill yourselves to kill us.understand Me,we have no wish to fight,but you have hurt Queen,every one of us that dies,every one of us that hurts,every one youve hurted,killed,maimed,hurts Her."He talked calmly,but wiht a hint of sadness."We are One,Her and Us,but we are still different.You cannot possible understand this.Queen believes you are lawed,and I agree,but it does nto change matters.You are living also,and Queen has forgotten that.I will follow whatever she demands,for I am Me.Stop attacking,show Her what has allowed you to survive without killing yourselves off.She has grown her whole life with deatha nd hatred.Her first memories were seeing Us be kileld,then watching humans shoot eachother in their poor dwellings above us,seeing death spoken without compassion on your television.perhaps I am wrong,perhaps You are flawed.but if you are not,take My message to heart,or all of us are dead."He bowed his ehad,then turned,stalking after Queen,folowed by teh camera view.

 

[DarkThoughts01]

Queen
The camera's view eventually reached another chamber after 20minutes ro so of travel.The camera bearer slwoed ot a halt,showing teh second birthing chamber.This one was even bigger,carved with collumns and ramps placed at intervals,having 60 ro so vertical levels.Queen stalked over to a large vent-like structure and crouched,hand stroking the sticky sap covering it as it squirmed.out of the mass a soldier pushed its way out and nuzzled affectionally with soft whistles and clacks of chitin as she petted it.She smiled and looked almso tpeaceful for a moment,then stood,alowing a number of workers ot escort the new soldier away.She ignored thecamera as she strode through the mass purposely,the creatures aprting for Her and Her entourage.She smiled softly and stopped before a small,dense-looking woman of worker status,her left side covered in red chitin and the right human.she smiled matronly-like at Queen and She smiled back inr eturn,hand sliding over her softly,praising her.She finally turned and moved away again,signaling.The camera spun and showed the old woman worker totterign away to tend to teh newborn soldiers.She headed deeper itno a com,plex maze of tunnels,then appeared at the entrance to a small room,where a number of humans rested on their knees,chained,sweatign,soem crying.She stepped up to the first,an attractive lady in a business suit,who shuddered and tryed to pull awaya s Her inhumanly calm face smiled downa t her.the womans head was tilted and their was the briefest glint of fangs as the woman shrieked,then seemed to immediatly calm,looking drowzy as her skin shifted,haredning,becoming red chitin as She pulled away.She tunred to teh camera and smiled,mouht dripping a little blood as He swept up behind her,his own ehad loweringfangs p[uncturing each captive,converting them as he walked up to Her,a chitined arm wiping the blood clean

 

[Morgoth]

The Crusher

"The Purple Princess, I take it? Interesting setup you have here. Even more interesting that I can't even warm it. But that's just a side issue, which I'm sure can be explained later. I'd really love to know just who you are, and why you and the unicorn treasure me as a friend."

Leos

At first, he shrinks back from the three new big ones. After a while, he realizes that they mean him no harm. Tears come to his overly large eyes as pangs strike his stomach, and he points to his mouth escpectantly.

 

[SwampThing]

Bridges

Doctor Dugan laughs at Roza. "Guarantee? Baby, the only guarantee in this world was atomic decay, and now with you Gifted running around, I wouldn't even trust that. It doesn't matter to us what your background is. Ashes, Symphony here was a common thief before he hooked up with us.

"If your background is important to you though, maybe we can help you out. I'd recognize that accent anywhere. You're from Amun Island, same as me. 'Course, I ran away when I was a teenager to study quantum dynamics in Reva. See, Amun is kind of a backwater hole in the world. Real primitive. They worship the moon and shit, all these old-time animal-headed gods, and the whole culture's totally death-obsessed. Anyway, maybe your answers are there. I'm sorry I can't help you reach Amun Island, but GAIA doesn't have any embassies there. The Amuinet are fanatical isolationists, guilty of countless human rights violations. GAIA won't give them Loa Blood, but they buy it on the black market from groups like Hass' Cold Blood cult, or the Killer Bees. We suspect they conduct LOa experiments on humans, but we can't be sure.

"Thhe question is, Roza, do you want to work with us? We'll help you develop your Gift, and reserch your past if you want to. Do you want to dedicate yourself to bettering humanity? If not, whatever. You're free to go do whatever you want."

 

[SwampThing]

Bridges

Komodo nods at Nikki. His unblinking eyes go to the Loa Blood vial at her throat. Mark and Nikki had known they were infiltrating a Loa-faithful cult, so their disguises had included the illegal religious fetishes.

"New disciples are always welcome. If you wished to aid us, however, you should not be breaking into secure areas of the complex, but should have spoken to Hass directly. Come, her guests will be departing for the evening, I will take you to see her. But first if you would allow me to search you for weapons."

Nikki allows Komodo to search her, the big man's strong hands patting her down quickly and professionally. Nikki needs no weapons other than her powerful mind, and he doesn't find the microrecorder sewn into the fabric of her dress.

Komodo leads Nikki to a high balcony overlooking the steaming swamp. Hass is waiting for them with her snake, smoking a long opium cigarette.

"I am pleased to meet you, Serena. We may need your influence and contacts over the next few months. For now, we will run a background check on you, and we will contact you when you can help us. Good night."

Mark is waiting for Nikki in the car, watching everything through her microrecorder.

 

[SwampThing]

the train

Leos is given a sandwich and chips. The three adults introduce themslves, speaking slowly and using lots of gestures.

The black-skinned Argon man is Nathan Dune. He manages Gifted fighters in Bridges for the Cold Blood.

The tan Draconian woman is Tamra Amrast, but Dune calls her Chillwind. She openly hates the idea of te infant Leos being but in the fighting arena, but is along for the ride as Dune's bodyguard.

The blue-skinned man is only called Troll. He doesn't see Leos as a human infant, but is excited about the first Loa-born, the first child of two Gifted parents. It will be Bridgetroll who trains the boy to fight in the ring. For now he tries to entertain Leos with jokes, games and card tricks.

After many long hours on the train, they arrive in Bridges. Leos is brought to a warehouse building with crude living quarters, and a crowd cheering on two men fighting in a ring. One of the fighters has a long, tired face, and toasters for hands, which he swings like square silver maces. The other man hides in the far corner of the ring, and conjures a glowing blue ape-like creautre to fight for him. Toasterhands suffers bites and scratches from the blue energy-goblin, but eventually he slams one of his heavy weapons into the side of the goblin-master's head. The conjurer goes down, and the crowd cheers the sad-looking toasterhanded man.

Tamra tries to hurry Leos past the ring to his bunk, but Troll asks the boy if he would like to challenge Toasterhands to a fight.

 

[LadyRozes]

After listening to what the Doctor said, Roza felt rfilled witha sense of self. Smiling she explained to him, " I would want nothing more than to help better this world. .. Although I am unsure if I want to open a book which I have kept closed.. I believe I would be extremely interested in knowing .. just where i come from.. who .. my people are.. I ran away at a very young age.. if I didnt feel like I was being... constrantly followed. IN fact I dont believe I even remember the Amon place.. but if that is what you believe my accent is from then .. you know more about me than I do..."

She turned and smiled at the Doctor, " I would love to join this Group and Help you help the world.. This .. I feel as though what ever I can do and you wish for me to do .. if it is for the better of society then I assure I will do so... although.. one this is for sure.. I really have no idea what the extent ofmy powers lay... I up until meeting Symphony.. had no idea that I had powers to speak of .. so you might say that I am still... curious and would love to learn the extent of them.."


Feeling so much more confident in herself, and a little nervous about the idea in truding into new territoy .. she looked at everyone in the room and said, "So I would be more than happy to join.. when do I get my first job ?"

 

[Lady_Siren]

Nikki opened the car door and slipped in side. She smiled at Mark "I assume you heard and saw everything? What do you think of our situation. I trust we already have all our paperwork in order for the background check?" She leaned back in the seat finally relaxing.

 

[Morgoth]

Leos stares at the two men, then hides his face. When he finally summons the courage to drop his hands, his eyes are galzed over, dulled, once more. He stares ahead, unseeing, uncomprehending.

 

[DarkThoughts01]

Symphony
Symphony ahd spent about half an hour ding....nothing...nothing at all...it felt sooooooooo goooood .He stretched lazily in a catlike manner,then stood and ehaded itno teh kitchen,bringing the group some drinks and taking a seat next to Roza.He felt bad for her btu glad she was at least here in a safe place for a moment."so you've decided to join to Roza?I'm glad"he smiled thinly and sipped from his glass of a slightly fizzing blue drink,eyes closed,savoring the taste for a moment.
Loki
Loki had wandered aorund for a bit more,then slipepd through the window,looking aorund,lsitening carefully.He heard two people talkign downstairs and looked at the baby.Her eyes opened and stared at him and he was pinned by those eyes.He stood there a moment more almost in shock before he shook hsi head,feeling another migrain and reaching in to teh cradle,picking up teh small baby,unable to believe what he was doing as he grabebd a bag full fo childcare things on top of a small dresser and dissapeared out the window again,eevading teh security systems,holding the small bundle gently to his chest.
An hour or two later he was speeding away on a train,heading towards (wherever you feel like sending me ST lol).The baby started crying and he crooned and bounced ehr a bit,quiewting her and getting a small smile from a Very pretty girl a row ahead and across form him.He smiled slwoly back,feeling a bit drawn as he settleed the baby back into a small seat made for the train seat,strapping the baby and the chair holding her against the train seat gently.

 

[SwampThing]

Dracon Island

The Crusher stands before the Purple Princess at the top of her high crystal tower. Like the unicorn, her "voice" is not spoken out loud, but vibrates through the monster's metal scales.

"Noble sir knight, you honoured us by choosing our great spire as the site for your long rest and latest transformation. Clearly you have recognized our terrible power and crystaline perfection, and humbly begged allegiance to us. We graciously accept your fealty.

"The monsters of the northern cities believe themselves supreme, with their mighty plans, and their pointless, endless battles. But you clearly know that the true power lies here, in the wilderness, in our beautiful tower. You have chosen, as we have, to wait calmly in the forest rather than join the savage conflict for dominance of the northern cities.

"Now you have awaoken to serve us, and we are greatly pleased. You will go, brave sir knight, to these barbarous cities, to learn of these upstart monsters plans for the island, and to impress upon them that it is our imperial majesty the Purple Princess who truly rules Dracon."

 

[SwampThing]

One year passes . . .

Nikki has worked her way deep undercover in Madame Hass' Cold Blood organization, in her cover identity as Serena Jett. She has learned that the theft of the Svetlan noblewoman's jewel is only a part of a great plan to create some sort of long-prophesied super-waepon. Nikki still doesn't know where the gem is held, or the nature of this fabled weapon, but she has noticed several shipments into the city of materials and supplis for ancient occult and religious rituals, mostly coming in from Svetla and Amun, primitive, superstitious cultures.

Meanwhile, Mark and his Killer bee agents have begun establishing their own criminal operations in Bridges, dealing illegal Loa Blood cells, and striking against Hass' agents without compromising Nikki's secrecy.
________________

Roza and Symphony have been working for GAIA, travelling the globe on various humanitarian missions, from playing benefit concerts in wealthy Aralia, to calming angry anti-Gifted mobs in rural Argo, and improving morale in starving Svetlan villages, still waiting for promised GAIA aid. They travel a lot, but frequently work out of the large GAIA bases in Reva, and the antarctic headquarters.
________________

Loki has been on the run with the infant Valous, moving often, always staying just ahead of their unseen pursuers. THe alien artifact in Loki's skull tells him only that they are being followed, not by whom, and never why he had to kidnap this quickly-growing baby. Loki has cared for the little girl over the last year, and she has grown to like and trust him. She has not manifested her Loa Gift again since that snowy day in Argopolis.

Loki's implant has brought them to high-tech Aralia, where it's data-hacking abilities are most useful.
_________________

Leos has spent the year living with the underground Gifted fighters in Bridges. After only a few months of watching fights, the gangster Nathan Dune insisted that the young boy be thrown into the ring and beaten for the crowds' pleasure. Leos is superhumanly tough, and the jaded crowds love watching him get tossed around the ring by older, more experienced Gifted fighters. Dune is careful not to permanently hurt the boy, or let him escape. After every fight, he is cared for by the blue-skinned Troll. Troll is always kind to Leos, and slowly, gradually, over many months, he begins training the child to fight back, to use his strength.

If the crowd loved seeing Leos lose, they go wild the first time he wins. The young boy is fast becoming a fan favorite in the illegal arenas.

 

[Morgoth]

The Crusher cocked an eyebrow at the comment. Still, if he played this right, it could be very beneficial. "Of course, my Lady. Your will be done." Without waiting for what would perhaps be another overly long statement from her, he turned and strode out. As he left the confines of the forest, he was nearly bent in two with laughter, keeling over. After the fit had stopped and his breath returned, he began to walk again. He replayed the short meeting in his mind. "Not much for humility, is she? Still, we'll see who 'begs allegiance' to who. What a bizarre creature. Perhaps it'd be better to just end her? But then again, she may have a way off the island? Hmmmm. We'll see."

 

[cats]

Nia

ooc: unsure of what to say about valous but her is a psot with Nia.

IC: I charged at the young and reckless fighter placing my right leg forward and kicking off with the left. My leg traveled quickly swinging full circle High in the air first moving away from him then towards him and finaly over his back where I landed and struck him three times. Befor I droped down one leg and struck the back of his knee sending him to the ground.

The match was mine from the start. It had taken me a great deal of time, but I finaly udnerstand what the masters where trying to show me. My father trained me in the same style as my brother. A style that relied on waiting for the foe to move and then useing there own powers against them. Then I went to train the monestary where they trained me in the bold and decivie style, that seemed completely difrent. Now I know that both styles are the same, they both control your oponents actions and threw them victory is possible. With this sort of knowledge, this under experinced child had no chance.

'Considering you wish not to be a sensei here, the students to to learn alot from watching you.' "I supose they do but all I am doing is training. I'm just finding the bondries of what I can and can't do." I have a fair idea of what I can do, but I am fiarly certian I stand no chance against a drunken fighter. What do I do when my foe stops responding to me, when that happens both styles seem to fail, so what should I do now?

 

[SwampThing]

Aralia

Loki's implant has rented a tiny room in a huge gleaming tower arcology. Aralian technology is years ahead of the rest of the world, and the high-density urban center of Aki looks like something ot of an Argon sci-fi movie.

Huge solar-powered arcology complexes rise higher that the clouds, their curved sides shining with solar collectors. Each complex contains levels for residence, shopping, entertainment, hospitals, local police forces, everything the citizens need. The arcology is clean, but crowded, thousands of silver-haired Aralians walking the wide boulevards, sitting on the cafe balconies, relaxing in the interior park levels. Many of them have minor cybernetics, at least a neural access port behind one ear.

Outside, walkways and free ways connect the arcology to other, similar structures, dozens of giant buildings leading all the way to the sea in the south, or the mountain farmlands in the north. sleek flying cars and sleek commercial airships float between the arcologies. Beneath them, in the shadows of the countless walkways, freeways and solar panels, thousands more live in tent city slums. The police never venture down there, but the crimminal Killer Bees enforce their own law, dealing black-market cybernetics and Loa cell vials.

 

[SwampThing]

Dracon Island

The Crusher makes his way north, across a hundred miles of monster-ravaged countryside. The landscape is pocked with craters, fires, antman hills, heaps of bones, and pockets of warped matter.

He walks, keeping a low profile from the creatures screeching, soaring and blasting each other in Dracon's skies. Ahead of him, the city of Draco, long since rubble. Miraculously, a few skyscrapers still stand, but most of the city has been smashed, and melted beyound recognition. And there are a few totally new structures. A giant, pulsing fungus tower, pink, green and black. And a gold building - no, a crashed spaceship, laying at an angle across the rubble, smoke rising into the shimmering sky.

Red antmen are everywhere, crawling over the rubble, carrying bodies away underground. Winged dogs with stony skins (gargoyles, the Crusher realizes) perch on the stumps of buildings, and patrol the skies in packs. Everywhere there are the sounds of battle, death, and madness. Lights flicker down alleys of burning debris, and monsters laugh and scream.

 

[SwampThing]

Bridges

Leos enters the bright ring and the crowd cheers his name. The huge wharehouse is dark and smoky, the crowd an indistinct blur of faces, noise and smells. Blue-skinned Troll stands behind Leos, his face kind despite his monstrous assymetrical horns.

Above the ring, the host of the illegal entertainment announces the next fight to the waiting crowd. Mandrilman is dark, agile, with the shaggy white head and painted butt of a baboon. He climbs and swings in the scaffolding above the ring, showing off for his adoring fans.

"Leos, the boy wonder, the indestructible kid . . . reining champion with 6 straight wins against the best and fiercest fighters in the city . . . versus Warp!"

The crowd gasps as the heavy, masked man steps into the ring. WArp has a wrestlers body, heavy boots and a fierce-looking mask. The air around him bends and swirls as if distorted by a heat haze. As Warp enters the ring, the canvas under his feet bubbles and tears, revealing a solid block of concrete. The concrete floor also bubbles, twists, but holds it's basic shape. The energy field around the big man booms like continuous thunder.

"THat's right," Mandrilman continues from above the ring. "We've installed a special floor tonight that can stand up to Warp's destructive energy field. THis man is as tough and deadly as the strongest human wrestler, with the added advantage that just standing near him is like taking a bath in boiling acid, the very air around our challenger tears his foes apart with the force of a huricane. So ladies and gentlemen, all bets are in, so . . . to battle!"

 

[Morgoth]

The Crusher

As he walked, the Crusher mulled over his situation."Now, how the hell am I going to instill order in these psycho bastards?" As he arrived to the ruins of Draco, he decided to start small. So he made his way to the spaceship. Not only would it be a good base of operations, it may also hold something beneficial to him. So as he came to it, he looked over the outside, finally stumbling upon a sealed door, which he tore from the ship, throwing it to the ground outside. He moved inside, and took stock again. He was in a narrow hallway, barely illuminated by faltering green lights built into the ceiling. He began to move through the hall. Sooner or later, he was bound to come to the bridge. And he had all the time in the world.

 

[Morgoth]

Leos

Leos stared at the huge man, dumbfounded. "This may be hard", he whispered to himself. Taking a step forward, he threw a punch... which he pulled back a second later, his knuckles stripped of flesh. He stared up at Warp, just as a heavy boot contacted his stomach, not only knocking him back but ripping away soft skin as well. He rebounded and ran forward, getting ready to tackle, but was instead met by a fist, dropping him to the floor, his hands flying to his face, his nose broken and melted. He leapt up, not letting the pain overtake him. He kicked Warp in the knee, but fell back, holding his foot. All of his toes had been vaporized. Warp ran to him, his heavy arm wrapping around Leos, lifting him up, and dropping him heavily. Leos screamed as the combined pain swept away his mind. His mind, just as his skin, had been vaporized by Warp's attack. His eyes filled with blood, becoming crimson. Unseeing, unfeeling, he rose, his face pointing intently at Warp, who edged back, for the first time in the ring, terrified. Leos leapt forward, grabbing Warp by the throat and pulling him forward, slamming his face int he concrete. He roared, and sunk his fingers through the field and through the flesh of Warp's shoulder. In another moment he had wrapped his hand around Warp's shoulder bone. With a hard jerk, he tore the bone from Warp's body, leaving the man screaming in horror and pain. Leos brought the bone to his mouth, biting it in half, sending splinters of bone flying into his own face and all over the arena. Seconds later, he wrapped his hands around Warp's head, and with a howl, snapped his neck. Lost in his rage, his hands tore into the body, tearing it apart piece by piece. When he finally collapsed, panting, exhausted, blood was splashed across the concrete, even dripping from the celing. Various body parts, many no longer recognizable were scattered over the floor. A few hung from the ceiling. The crowd looked on, stricken, many of them covered with the Wrestler's blood, as Leos curled up on the arena floor, the blood draining from his eyes, and fell asleep, his thumb coming to his mouth so he could suck on it while he slept.

 

[DarkThoughts01]

Loki
Loki sighed and paneled the door open with a thought.He was getting good at this at least...whatever was in his head allowed him to do simple stuff,now he could start or open electrical things wihtout having ot move,a very handy tool for making food and such,whereas before he had rushed back and forth,burning his dinner.
He stepped into the room,carrying two ro three silver bags filelde wiht food and necessities.He smiled and placed trhe bags down in the tiny kitchen,actually humming to himself as he walked into the small room set upf or the baby.He looke dinto teh small crib-like bed and spent a few moments cooing and doing the stupid thigns adults do to baby's.He had grown quite fond of the little baby,though she wasnt as little anymorem,getting a bti older as he picked her up,carrying her into the kitchen to feed her.HE liekd this place,the temperature was always perfect,anythning he wanted to byu could be shipepd to a holding area down the hall,and he only worked as a facade,since whatever it was that allowed him to control things brought him enough money to survive.
Now that was something he was afraid of.This place was a technological marvel,and it alost assuredly must havea wave of ahcker criminality,and he had read the laws and punishmnets against hackers.gulp.
He blinked and came out of his thoughts at a small burble of impatience from the baby and sat held her gnetly,sititng her in a high-chair like device and fed her.
Loki smiled fondly,the baby was one of the msot well behaved he had ever seen.she never just cried or threw things or did anythign dangerous like any other baby,and onyl cried or made a fuss when she needed to be changed or was hungry.The baby mmphed and made a few noises that he had learned that she was full for the moment,and put teh last of the baby';s food away in leftovers,then set her down in ehr crib to sleep,all routine as he walked into teh living room,collapsing on to teh couch wiht his won dinner,the small,built in wall tv blinking on wihtout him having t reach teh remote.He blinked and hte channels flicked across slwoly until he cmae to the news,wondering what was oging on in teh world,safe in his cozy llittle apartment....

 

[LadyRozes]

Roza had learned a lot about herself over the past year. Just finishing up the latest concert in Svetlan Village with Symphony, they were headed back to headquarters.

She still hadnt learned a lot about her abilities, but at least she knew how to trigger it. Over the course of the year, she had tried endlessly to lear of the place where she had come from but to no avil. There really was nothing she could find out that wasnt something that she had learned that night when Symphony had broke them out of Madame Hasses Greenhouse.

Since she didnt learn anything of her past, she decided to immerse herself into the work of helping humanity. It was the one thing that gave her the greatest amount of pleasure after dancing.

It was true that she never really understood, how much it helped when they performed, but she thought the many benifit concerts that they had done all over, had brought in an enormous amount of donations, which had done a lot of good for the people living in areas where there was so much need for the basic things.

When they had arrived at the Headquarters, Roza had cleaned herself up, in her rooms. Now that she was working with GAIA she had a constant place where she could stay. After resting she left for the office and slipped in her usual chair to wait for the next assignment that she was going to be given.

 

[SwampThing]

Bridges (and elsewhere)

Leos curls up the center of the concrete ring, his bloody thumb in his mouth. For a long moment, the stunned crowd stares at the gory spectacle. Warp twitches and bleeds. Then someone in the crowd, one of the displaced Draconian refugees who was there for the fall of Bay City, says "the Crusher".

The fearsome name passes through the crowd as a whisper, then a roar. Mandrilman tries to call down the crowd, but the excited babble continues. The boy's strength, more importantly his ferocity . . . could this be another Crusher?

"Kill him!" cry a few, but Troll, Chillwind, and a few of the other fighters carry the sleeping boy, and the crippled man, out of the ring and away into the dark recesses of the warehouse.

From his acrobatic perch above the croowd, Mandrilman announces that there will be no more fights tonight. Winnings are paid out. Fortunes are made and lost this night.

Someone in the crowd had a hidden, palm-sized Aralian video camera, and the shocking fight was soon broadcast over the internet.
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Nikki and Nia quickly hear the rumors surrounding the young pitfighter. The boy is still in the city, in one of Hass' warehouses down by the harbor. He has not appeared in any fights since.
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In Aralia, Loki sees the digitally recorded fight flash before his eyes. The brutality . . . . He notices the resemblance between the young boy, and the baby girl Valous whom he kidnapped a year ago.
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At GAIA headquarters in Antarctica, Olu sits down next to Roza, and tells her about the fight. "A young boy, maybe 6 years old, made to fight, beaten and forced nearly to kill, just because he's Gifted. And by none other than your old imprisoner, Madame Hass."

The red-skinned Svetlan woman stares Roza in the eye. "If people really believe this child is another Crusher, they'll kill him. We have to go rescue him before that happens. That is, if you're alright with going back to Bridges."
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Leos wakes in a thick-walled iron cell. Troll squats on the other side of a set of heavy bars. The blue man smiles gently at Leos, and passes some food through the bars.

"How you feeling, kiddo?" Troll's unusual senses probe the boy, looking for any sign of anger or impending violence.

 

[SwampThing]

Research

Nikki has learned that the gem Komodo stole at Hass' party is called the "Basilisk's Heart". According to Svetlan legend, the gem really is the petrified heart of an ancient monster created by the Loa. According to current Loa research, the Loa created many monsters to blend in among the dinosaurs, creatures which survived the ice age. All the monsters were eventually killed by prehistoric humans, giving birth to the legends of today.
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Roza has learned a little bit more about Amun over the course of the year. She knows the country is geologically and biolgically isolated, that Amun marsupials are unlike the mammals which dominate the rest of the world. Like the Svetlans, the Amunet have always believed in magic, monsters, and great animal gods. The Amunet mummify their dead in elaborate tombs, and use a pictorial symbol system. Sacred tattoos are common among the Amunet people, and a crescent moon like Roza's own mark means "the past returning to haunt".