Mutants & Masterminds: The Indigo Children - [Prologue 2]Jordan & Isaac & Ross

Tharra of the Katjaa · June 20, 2010

Jaime snapped her phone closed, staring at it for a moment with a queasy grimace, silently cursing the spike-heeled, corseted boots with neon-pink laces. With the one too many drinks she had - maybe two, certainly not more than three - balance was becoming a severe issue. Her head beginning to pound to the techno music she could no longer hear didn't help. I just had to show Jordan up, huh? She was wearing four-inch heels, so I had to go five. Why that was concerning her after having to call her sister to pick her up after her and Isabella were ditched by their dates when the rave got busted, she did not know.

She looked over at her friend Isabella, who was spinning around the pole of the street light they were huddled under, a dreamy smile on her face, pupils dilated wide. "I can't believe the guys took off without us, the bastards!" Her tongue felt funny, making it hard to form the words properly. "God! Jordan is gonna kill me!"

"No way, Jaime, you sister is so cool, so beautiful, like a movie star, but real you know? Not stand-offish or anything... Those lips! I bet she's an awesome kisser- I can't believe she's going out with my Dad! He owns a strip club, y'know," Isabella rambled, skipping a step with a stoned lack of concern for gravity and placing her hands on Jaime's shoulders, unable to stop caressing the skin. Despite her more modest heels, the slender Isabella was still a few inches taller than Jaime. She babbled on disjointedly about several other subjects, before coming to her point. "But what I was trying to say was Jaime might get a little pissed, but at least you didn't take any E. Dad'll know, he always does. I'm probably gonna be grounded 'til I'm thirty!"

Jaime was privately glad she hadn't taken any Ecstasy, though she envied Isabella her ability to move without feeling like she was in a centrifuge. Isabella hardly seemed aware that they were in the middle of nowhere - well, a run down, warehouse section of Bowery, anyway - and just how much trouble they could get in.

The Rave had seemed like such a good idea. Chip and Chuck Diller were both hot, Seniors and on the rugby team. Plus, not one girl at the school had ever said anything bad about them. Now she was wondering if they bought the girls off or something.

The Rave had been exciting and fun, even the gunshots supposedly heard earlier had only raised the intensity, while scaring off the faint-hearts. That had ended when the cry of 'cops' went up. Before she could blink - though admittedly, blinking seemed to be taking too much effort at the moment - the Dillers were gone and the tight-packed mass of barely clothed flesh bolted. Jaime and Isabella found themselves carried along on a wave of fleeing patrons and shortly later, were alone several long blocks away from the appropriated warehouse and the flashing lights of the white-and-blues that had converged there.

In addition to not knowing the way back to the rave and the police, being outside without the press of flesh and only wearing mesh and scraps of pvc that only technically let them call themselves decent, Jaime was feeling very exposed, as well as feeling the chill of the night air. She shakily turned her head, feeling eyes all over her. She swore she saw someone staring at them before they darted back into a dark alley.

"C'mon, Izzy, we gotta keep moving until Jordan and your father find us," Jordan insisted, grabbing Isabella's wrist and pulling her down the street, becoming acutely aware of how much like jailbait they looked. Her other hand reached in the tiny pack on her back and pulled out her wildcat keychain. If anyone tried to lay a hand on them, Jaime intended to fight back.

Their heels striking the pavement, seemingly as loud as gunshots, the two teen girls began heading deeper into Bowery, moving from street light to street light, the space between them getting further and further apart. Jaime, unsteady, twisted her head from side to side, trying to stay aware of any potential danger, while Isabella flitted waveringly at her side in a stoned haze.

Neither of them noticed the predators following them, eyes lingering on their displayed, nubile forms, radiating a sense of 'prey'. The tall one, willowy and slight, long black hair streaked with blue and green and purple, as wary as a newborn kitten, wearing a tight and short dress of shiny, blue pvc. And the other, shorter, curvier, pretty with the potential to be gorgeous one day, hair in pigtails and dressed in something that vaguely resembled a Catholic School Girl's outfit as designed by Tim Burton - she would fight, but was hindered by drink and unwieldy footwear.

Raves were always a great place to hunt. The prey never knew better. The Alpha followed, a silent motion gathering his pack for the chase, letting the anxious anticipation build.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

With barely a second to spare, Jordan followed Nico on the ferry in her Rav4, heart beating almost painfully beneath her breasts. If any happened to Jaime, she'd never forgive herself. It would have been her fault, spending a night indulging herself instead of looking after her sister. She had accepted this responsibility, not wanting her sister to be put back into the foster care system, she couldn't slack off.

She had shifted her heeled boots into a pair of comfortable cross-trainers, which she could claim she had in the car, silently cursing that she couldn't bring herself to be more open about her capabilities. Waiting with-ill concealed impatience for the ferry to cross, Jordan looked inside, shifting several attributes. Agility was slightly downgraded for some hidden muscle, if needed, and the painful acuity of her eyesight was altered to pick more UV light to pierce the darkness. The biggest change was the heightening of her olfactory sense, smells, good and bad assaulting her nose through the rolled-down windows. It was intense, almost too much so, but she knew her sister's scent and it would be something else to find her.

"No worry sis, I'm coming. And God help them, if anyone has hurt you," Jordan whispered fiercely as the ferry docked and she and Nico sped away towards the Bowery. "They will see just how nasty I can get, and so will I."

z-Isaac Ward · June 20, 2010

Isaac was walking home, take two. He’d gone back to the store and delivered two more forty-pound bags of food to the rats. That should fulfill his obligation to them. Another bag – his fourth tonight – was slung over his shoulder and a second bag of groceries hung from his injured arm. As near as he could tell, the wound was high in the meat of his back, in a spot that he could barely touch with his fingertips. He was definitely going to need some help with it, but at least the bleeding had stopped.

Raucous was walking next to him, keeping close to Isaac ever since the fiasco at the warehouse with the rats. The dog had been unnerved by all the shooting and strange women and crashing cars, and had clung to Isaac. His unshakeable faith in Isaac in pack leader was all that had gotten him through the night, and the dog needed his alpha’s presence. Isaac was just as happy to have the dog close to him.

The Akita-mix’s head went up suddenly and Isaac followed his gaze. In the road ahead, two slight human forms walked unsteadily, one pulling the other. Isaac felt his hackles rise. More intruders? Next to him, Raucous growled as he sensed Isaac’s mood.

These were not like the others. First, they were young females and barely dressed. Second, they moved under obvious influences. Third, if they had a gun, they didn’t have it anywhere easily accessible unless they were way more talented with using body cavities than their youth implied. Isaac felt some of his agitation ease; they were no immediate threat. He’d keep his eyes on them, in case they did something.

He saw them spot him; the one leading them tugged her friend to the side so that they wouldn’t be close to him when he passed them. It was smart of them, and Isaac let them have the space. As they drew even to each other, something odd happened. Raucous darted toward the girls, his tail going up and tongue lolling. Even as the girls jerked from him, Isaac saw one had something in her hand. Quickly, he shouted, “Raucous! C’mere.” He glared at the girls. “He won’t hurt you. So don’t hurt my dog or I’ll pound you into hamburger.”

They smell interesting, Raucous sulked as he stopped his rush. He didn’t return to Isaac, instead, standing between the three people, his tail waving hopefully as he stared at the girls.

Evo · June 20, 2010

Ross had been on his way back to his apartment in southern Manhattan, with his chosen flying path taking him through the general direction of the Bowery. He was making good progress, not hard when air traffic was practically nil and nothing really impeded an average speed of 250 MPH.

Of course, he had to pause when he noticed the assortment of police cars below. A very, very quick swoop and look showed the nearby establishment was a club, leading Ross to conclude that it was one of those raves of flowering youth, where young men and women got oversexed, over-stoned (wasn't stoned back enough), and over the toilet come tomorrow morning.

And as usual, the police came about 2 millenniums too late to prevent the law-breaking and dangerous habits they came to stop.

Ross didn't care for the ideals in these blowouts... But scattered teens were likely targets for any like of criminal. So Ross resolved to change plans and start building-hopping again to keep an eye out for any possible attacks.

He landed on a suitable starting top of a building and began his patrol.

Tharra of the Katjaa · June 21, 2010

Jordan and Nico found the site of the Rave easy enough, cordoned off by several police cars. They might have been annoyed at having to break up another party of kids, but the police had no problems answering a few questions put to them by such a gorgeous woman or letting her get a look at the ravers they had picked up. Dressed the way she was, she was obviously not one of them anyway.

The cops had found too many kids, too many underage. But none of them were Jaime or Isabella.

Jordan growled in frustration and shared a look with Nico. He hadn't had anymore luck than she had. She had caught a whiff of her sister, but the idling cop cars had destroyed any chance of picking up a trail.

"Split up?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah. I'll go North, you go South, call immediately if you catch site of them."

"Of course." Jordan climbed back into her bright red Rav4 SUV, ignoring the whistle from one cop who had no clue he was heard, then turned south, windows wide open to catch Jaime's scent. Nico's Viper headed North, going only a fraction of its top speed.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Jaime tried to keep an eye on both the dog and the guy, fingers tight in her WildCat Keychain, the prongs pointed forward, but it was somewhat difficult - the ground kept dipping and rising for some reason. Oh, right! I'm drunk.

"You... you just walk on by, you and your dogs, and no one will get hurt." Isaac supposed she was trying to sound confident, but the effect was somewhat lessened by the unsteady weaving of her upper body and her slurred words.

It was further lessened by her friend slipping from her grasp, giggling as she used a hopping-lurch motion to approach the large dog, who shuffled a step back from the unusual movement. Isabella crouched in front of him, holding out her hand, which Raucous dutifully sniffed, then submitted to her vigorous petting.

"Doggy! Rocky, you said his name was, mister?" Isabella exclaimed, stroking his fur, then rubbing her cheek against his shoulder, somehow avoiding falling on her side. "Oh my God! Oh my God! He's so soft! You should call him Jello or- or Pillow!"

"Izzy! Get away from them," Jaime hissed, finished with a hiccup, then amended at her vision resolved, "it. You don't know where it's been or what this guy wants."

"Pillow doesn't know where I've been either." Isabella squealed in delight as she rolled onto her back and Raucous began licking her face. "But I think he likes the taste of it."

"You stupid-" Jaime growled under her breath. Despite wanting to keep her distance, she couldn't just leave Isabella there. With extreme care, spike-heeled boots crossing one in front of the other in a wavering line, Jaime approached her friend, her weaponized keychain held high and in plain view.

Jaime's eyes kept going to the dog. All they had was a cat who seemed to simply tolerate their presence in his house and kept them around for their opposable thumbs. She had always wanted a dog, but Mom had always said no. She thought she might have been wearing Jordan down, but she was pretty sure this night had killed any progress she had been making.

Unsuccessfully trying to get Isabella to her feet, Jaime pulled her eyes from the dog to the guy, who mostly just looked like one guy at the moment, though he kept moving without moving his legs somehow. He wasn't that tall, but his arms were really big and his whatever-coloured eyes were hard. She swallowed, licked her lips, but held her ground. If he wanted to cause trouble, there wouldn't be anything she could do about it, but she would try.

"Izzy! Get-up, for fuck's sake," she whispered, too loud. Jaime let go of Isabella again, looking around, an arm going across her stomach, though she kept her hand with the pink prongs up. "Look, mister, can you just tell us where the nearest major road-"

Suddenly, Jaime bent over, her request interrupted by the stream of vomit pouring from her mouth. Luckily for her, she missed the dog.

z-Isaac Ward · June 22, 2010

Isaac was inclined to call Raucous back to his side and leave them. They weren’t any of his concern. But there was a whisper in him, one that noted that these girls were about the same age as Becky would be. It wasn’t like he hadn’t adopted injured and orphaned animals before. The second his mind connected that they were like Becky and needed someone, he adopted them. He had never adopted a human animal before, so he missed the obvious flaws in this concept – like they had a family to go back to.

Frowning, Isaac set down his bag of cat food and dug a bottle of water out of his bag. “Here,” he grunted, holding out the water for her. Izzy was still giggling on the ground, Raucous having not yet tired of his bathing.

Jaime gasped and pulled back from him, choking with her eyes wide with fear. He knew how to handle timid creatures, though. Isaac smiled at her gently and crouched down, holding at the bottle at arm’s length. “It’s alright,” he said, his voice a soothing murmur. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Oh wow!” Izzy said, climbing to her knees and slumping over Isaac’s back. He hissed in pain, which she missed. “You’re so nice! You need a hug!” She giggled and looped her arms around his neck. Isaac smiled, like a big brother watching a younger sibling do something cute; it didn’t have a trace of sexual desire mixed into his expression. Despite the weight she was putting on him, he barely faltered, holding very still as the high girl draped herself over him.

“Wash out your mouth,” Isaac told Jaime softly, still holding out the bottle. Those flinty eyes had gone soft and the smile promised gentleness. “Then I’m going to take you somewhere safe.”

“Hey!” Izzy exclaimed, pressing her hand against his back and making Isaac hiss again. “You’re all wet!”

“Yeah,” he said softly looking back at her. “Someone shot me earlier. I haven’t had a chance to take care of it.”

“You were shot?!” Izzy said, trying to sound alarmed and mostly just being hyper. “Wow! You need to go to a hospital.”

“Later,” Isaac said softly as his attention returned to Jaime. “Come on, take the water and let’s get out of here.”

Tharra of the Katjaa · June 24, 2010

Jaime stared at the muscular, young man, her eyes bloodshot from smoke and alcohol then glanced at the buildings surrounding, almost gagging on the lingering taste of puke. The night was dark and growing chill, the warehouses looming and the lights further apart then she was used to. The sounds of Bowery weren't the same as Sunnyside, and seemed more ominous. She was sure there were eyes on her and the attention didn't thrill her as it had at the Rave. The man and his dog suddenly seemed a lot less threatening.

"Okay, we'll go with you..." Jaime declared, more loudly than she intended, then trailing off when she didn't have a name to put to the broad-shouldered man.

"Isaac," he offered, giving the bottle a little shake in her direction. His gentle smile turned a touch wry.

"Isaac," Jaime nodded, stopping when she almost fell down, "but you walk ahead of us." The young teen in the spike-heels shuffled forward with all the grace of a newborn giraffe and snatched the bottle of water while holding up her spike-knuckled key-chain to show she still had teeth if he tried anything funny.

Isaac watched her take several sips and swish them around in her mouth before spitting the out. Then she drained the rest of the bottle. Not having anywhere else to put it, Jaime stuffed the empty bottle into the undersized pack on her back. He gave her a nod, then slowly stood up, supporting Isabella's slender weight quite easily.

"This way," Isaac said, shrugging in the direction they had come and he had been heading. He kept his pace to one that Jaime could endure, though his strides challenged her a bit to keep up.

"Whee!" Izzy giggled so hard she started snorting, then hiccuping, as she wrapped her long, skinny legs around his waist. "Damn! You're strong! Like, really strong! As strong as... as... uh... um..."

While Izzy tried to find something that Isaac was as strong as through her stoned haze, Jaime followed along behind them, closer than she meant to. Her wobbly gait was steadied by the large dog pressing close to her legs, her hand resting to his bunched shoulders and giving him a scratch. When she thought Isaac wasn't looking, she pulled out her cellphone and glanced at the last, blinking bar of power.

Jordan, I'm sorry. Please find us soon.

"...Strong as a bis-alo!" Izzy affirmed. Her glazed eyes stared at the red bloom on Isaac's back. "Hey! Does it hurt?" she asked as she poked a finger at the bullet wound.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

From concealing shadows and four different point of views, the predatory pack watched and listened. The man and his beast was taking the prey to his den, his very bearing declaring him a loner. The Alpha smiled - the lone wolf was a creature of myth, without a pack, the lone wolf did not thrive. And this one's beast was poor substitute. The pack will follow this lone wolf, and take his prey and his den for its own.

Another gesture that the pack felt more than saw and they began to stalk the trio in a well practice formation, unseen, yet their prey could feel the tension rising.

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Jordan snarled. She had managed to catch whispers of Jaime's scent, but the rave had been pungent, and the scent of the fleeing crowd was causing her to lose. At every cross-street, she slowed her car to a crawl, her sharp eyes looking every way for sign of her sister, the night no impediment to her sight.

She parked, and looked down at her phone, willing it to ring, either her sister calling or Nico, having found the girls. With Jaime's phone nearly out of juice, Jordan wanted to make sure any call was a last resort, since any call might be the last.

A rank smell assaulted her nose just as a man leaned against her SUV, thrusting a knife threateningly through the open. His leering eyes couldn't decide between staring at her breasts or legs.

"Get out of the car bitch! Don't make a prot-" he began to demand, but Jordan didn't let him finish. His knife nicked her forearm, but her fist met his face with the force of a man three times her size. Knocked sprawling on his back five feet away, Jordan stepped on the gas before his even thought of getting up.

Five minutes, ten tops, and I'll call again and pray her phone has enough juice for her to tell me where she is.

z-Isaac Ward · June 24, 2010

"Yesithurtsalot," Isaac ground out, his arms tensing with the effort of not dropping the girl. He'd had animals hurt him before; this was the same principle. She wasn't acting with malice, but ignorance of what she was doing. Suddenly, he stopped. "You need to walk," he told Izzy softly. "I have to carry the cat food." It took some maneuvering, but Izzy was soon on her feet, half-skipping along, while Isaac picked up the cat food - for the last time tonight he hoped.

He led them through the night to a warehouse. It looked like all the others, right down to the boarded up windows on the lower level. Isaac produced a key and unsnapped the padlock on the outer door. Immediately, several dogs began to bark. Isaac said, "Hang on, guys," and pushed it open with a protest of squeaking hinges. "Go on," he said to the girls softly, his voice encouraging.

"I can't see," Jaime said, peering unsteadily into the dark.

Isaac reached around the doorway and hit the light switch. The interior was one large room, most of which was occupied by doggie beds and home-made cat trees. A small corner, near where they were, held a couple of comfortable chairs, a single counter and counter top raided from someone's kitchen demo, a table, a small fridge, a hot plate and a mattress on the floor. It wasn't exactly clean; there wasn't trash or debris lying around, but with all the furry inhabitants, it was impossible to keep clean.

The barks had been from a dozen dogs, ranging in size from a tiny Yorkie to something that looked like an over-sized pitbull - if pitbulls came to the top of Jaime's waist. Cats were draped over everything; the bed, the chairs, the cat trees and even a couple of industrious beasts in the rafters. Several birds fluttered around, careful to keep away from the cats, while a bevy of rodents of all types peeked from dens and hidey-holes. It was the ninth circle of hell for someone allergic to animal dander.

The animals were all moving forward to greet Isaac, who grinned like he'd just come home to a houseful of happy children. It was chaos, with him greeting each animal, laughing and joking with them like they could understand him. He even started to introduce each one to the girls - a blur of names to the drugged young ladies. After they met Isaac, each of them wandered over to the girls and sniffed them. Izzy was dizzy with the choice of which soft animal to touch next; Jaime just tried not to get clawed or bit, or accidentally step on a paw.

Only one animal didn't approach them; a long-haired dog with brilliant blue eyes hung back after sniffing Isaac. "That's Ghandi," Isaac said, pointing him out. The dog's tail wagged a little as Isaac said his name, but he still hung back. "He's a wolf-husky hybrid, and he's shy."

When the meet and greet was done and the animals settled back down, Isaac opened the cat food and dumped it into a trash can, then began to dish the food out into the dozen or so bowls around the room, all of them high enough off the ground that the dogs couldn't get to them. The cats watched with extreme interest.

"There," Isaac said, turning to the girls. "We should get some food in you, too. I have chips, I brought a whole chicken and I think I have some Chinese from a couple of days ago. Anything sound good?"

jameson (ST) · June 24, 2010

The four had been at the rave, looking for easy prey. When the shit hit the fan and the party had disintegrated the four had moved as one to escape and then to track and trail. The prey were two girls, obviously intoxicated, obviously weak. The four would take what they wanted, the strong from the weak, the way of nature. They hunted, they stalked, the girls as they moved away from the rave, and away from the protection of the police. Deeper into the urban wasteland instead of away from it; the prey was foolish.

One of the four saw the flash of white as something shaped like predator landed atop a roof. The four responded by adjusting their positions. The darkness of the unlit alleys and streets, the empty warehouses, the striped frames of cars, concealed them as the maneuvered to watch the newcomer let it try to poach their prey.

The prey found a predator and its animal in the streets. The four watched and hissed in aggravation. Poachers. The new predator acted as prey however. The prey were obviously weak, the predator should have struck, and yet inexplicably the four watched as the predator led the prey away. Eyes narrowed in the darkness as they continued to stalk their prey. The four saw, and understood, the predator was clever, it led the lambs to the slaughter of its own den. The four saw, smelled, heard the other predator's animals within. They hissed again, Poacher, and the Alpha silenced them.

Evo · June 24, 2010

Ross had the same thought, for though he didn't see the predators, he saw the trio heading into the city, and he had become very convinced that the young man was going to take advantage of the doped-out girls.

So he followed, moving quietly with steady leaps and bounds in a slow trailing progression. As they neared the warehouse, Ross heard the animals, and he scowled. No more stealth in all likelihood.

So he dropped to the ground and casually waited a bit outside the warehouse. He also let his mind do some knocking.

Inside, everyone could hear the sound of knocking on the door. Pounding, more like.

z-Isaac Ward · June 25, 2010

Isaac's eyes narrowed at the pounding and his attitude changed in a moment. "Den, protect," he snarled. In a second, the friendly atmosphere of the animals in the room changed. Dogs snarled, cats growled and the prey animals hid. "Ghandi, hide them," Isaac told the half-wolf, who darted to the side and stood before a opening in the tangle of cat trees. "Follow Ghandi," Issac told them.

Turning, he moved a box and opened a panel. Before they could say anything, he'd slipped through the hole and was pulling it shut behind him.

Tharra of the Katjaa · June 25, 2010

Originally Posted By: Isaac

"We should get some food in you, too. I have chips, I brought a whole chicken and I think I have some Chinese from a couple of days ago. Anything sound good?"

Jaime's face paled, just a tad green about the gills, at the thought of food and swallowed quickly before speaking. "Uh, no, no, I'm good. But another bottle of wa-"

Then someone knocked at the door - Isaac bristled, Jaime could practically see his hackles rising, and his horde and a half of animals followed his lead. Jaime chewed on her lip, then nodded and stumbled her way over to Ghandi and the jungle of cat-trees.

Isabella stood rigid among the cats she had been stroking, tears sliding down her cheeks, as their backs arched and they began to hiss. "Their fur is pointy like knives and cuts my hands."

"Holy fuck, Izzy! How much E did you take? Nevermind, c'mon!" Jaime pushed the taller girl towards the wolfish dog and the cat trees, tugging her down, then ducking herself as she followed Izzy into the concealing bowels of cat territory. Ghandi followed them in, spinning around and awkwardly shuffling backward so he could keep an eye on the way they came.

Jaime did the same thing, keeping her wildcat keychain up. Shaking slightly, she pulled out her phone, hitting speed dial. It didn't even finish ringing once before it was answered.

"Jaime! Where are you?" Jordan's sultry voice was worried and relieved at the same time and Jaime was desperately glad to hear it.

"Sis, we're in a warehouse on Delancy street - a man brought us here," Jaime whispered, then quickly continued when she heard Jordan begin to protest, "No, no, he seems nice enough - he has a dog, lots of them, really - and... and we couldn't stay out there- there were... we had to go somewhere."

Jordan tramped down on her fear and anger, forcing her voice calm. "Okay, hon, I'm almost on Delancy now, did you get an address?"

"I didn't see a street number and all the warehouses look the same," Jaime admitted, then lowered her voice even more, "but if you do your thing, you'll be able to hear or smell it. Isaac has, like, a hundred animals here. Someone just banged on his door and Isaac went out to deal with whoever it is."

"Hang tight, I'll be there in a minute. Keep your phone on."

"Okay, Jordan. I'm... I'm so sorry about this. I lov-" With a small beep, Jaime's phone died, the screen going black. "-e you."

~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~

Jordan cursed, then quickly called Nico. "The girls are in a warehouse on Delancy. Don't have a street number, but I'll park right in front of it, so look for my car."

"Are they alright?" Nico asked, voice cold with the effort of maintaining his composure.

"They're with a man, an 'Isaac', but they seem well enough - Okay, I'm on Delancy, looking for this warehouse now."

Driving slowly down the street, she hoped her enhanced olfactory sense would be able to distinguish a large mass of cats and dogs far easier than a pair of girls, keen ears listening for the tell-tale sounds of cats and dogs. She was close, she could feel it.

jameson (ST) · June 26, 2010

The Alpha took stock of the situation. The other predator, the one with the poor camouflage, was empowered. The four considered. Four on one were sure odds, four on two were less certain. The four would have to act quickly, take out the first predator, then dead with the second. The Alpha nodded, with teamwork the four could ensure the numbers were on their side.

Yards away at the corner of the building a panel slide aside. The bricks in this space were long gone, Isaac knew not why or wear, only that it provided an excellent secondary exit for times such as these. He slipped out, crawling on his belly through the low breach in the wall, and then replaced the panel before padding around to the corner of the building. At his door a man in a ludicrous white body suit with black boots, hair, and mask, stood unmoving. The door banged again despite no visible movement from his guest.

The Four moved as one, taking position, preparing to launch their attack on the White One. Wordlessly the stepped out of the darkness, their black clothing, black gloves, boots, masked hats, making them very nearly invisible in the darkness. Three moved to attack the man at Isaac's door, the fourth saw Isaac as he cam to the corner and redirected his movement to attack the other predator, the one who had the prey within his den.

Click to reveal.. (Order of Battle)

Isaac is up next/first, you have 48hrs.

z-Isaac Ward · June 27, 2010

Isaac changed intentions as well. The man in white - while an Indigo - didn't feel as dangerous as Isaac as the pack moving to encroach on his pack. Two on four were not odds Isaac liked but that didn't stop him from meeting the one already looking to attack him.

Silently, Isaac rushed in, his mouth set in a silent snarl. He moved with startling speed for a man his size, lunging low to grab a knee and wrench it to the sky. His opponent was startled at the unorthodox but brutally effective maneuver.

Click to reveal..

Attempting a trip, possesses the feat Improved Trip.

Isaac's attack roll to see if he starts a trip: 19, after HP and attack bonus

1d20=4

Spending a Hero Point.

Reroll: Becomes a 13

1d20=3

Trip check: 16+8 = 24

1d20=16

jameson (ST) · June 28, 2010

Isaac heaved the man's leg out from under him sending the man to the ground. Even before he hit the ground the man swept his leg up in a vicious kick that hit Isaac low in the abdomen. Not waiting to see if the impact would have any lasting effect he rolled away his feet coming up under him smoothly he he moved into a combat stance. A few yards away the first of the Four lunged at Ross, his fist clad in a heavy knuckled weighted attack glove. He drove his fist into Ross' stomach, the blow hard and direct.

Click to reveal.. (Da Numbahs)

Next Up Ross, you have 48 hrs.

Evo · June 28, 2010

The brief, but sudden sound of Issac knocking over the black-clad goon alerted Ross, and he turned around just fast enough to see his own attacker. He was unable to get up good telekinetic defenses in time, but avoided the worst with a lucky twist.

Still, he would have a bruise for tonight, certainly.

Reflexively, he back flipped and launched into the air, taking a higher angled-view of the situation. Noticing the oncoming black-favoring men made him wonder if he had missed the real predators in this instance.

Then he responded with his own tricks. The attacker felt a pressure and intangible grip on his lower body and legs, trying to yank him up and hurl him like a softball.

Click to reveal..

jameson (ST) · June 28, 2010

Ross lifted off into the air and out of reach before lashing out with his psionic telekinesis. Unseen force tried to wrap itself around the attacker but he wriggled like a worm slipping free of Ross' grasp easily. The remaining two Four immediately seized items at hand from the ground, a brick, mortar still clinging to it, from the side of the building, and a trash can lid for a trashcan long since gone. The random items were hurled at Ross even as the two black clad men moved in near unison down the alley to the target still on the ground.

The Alpha hissed as the second predator came to the aid of the first even before the Four's attack was launched. The Alpha hissed again as the albino fled into the air and out of their reach. The Four reassessed and redeployed, their priority was the second predator now and then they would drive off the albino.

Click to reveal.. (Da Numbahs)

Click to reveal.. (Order of Battle)

Round 2

Isaac is up next, you have 48hrs. PS: Don't forget your Toughness roll, pls.

z-Isaac Ward · June 28, 2010

The kick to his gut would have stopped a lesser man, or at least slowed a man. But Isaac wasn't just a man; he was something more. The changes wrought on him as an explosion in the sky while he grew in his mother's womb had granted him the ability to ignore the kick and keep going.

He was aware he was being surrounded; he'd deal with it when it happened. Right now, he tried to take this one down, as fast as he could.

As the predator stood up from his roll to his feet, Isaac was there again, teeth bared in a silent snarl. The predator dodged a feint, thinking himself lucky - only to have Isaac wrap bear-like arms around his shoulders and drag him forward and down. The predator met Isaac's rising knee with a thump that sounded like someone punching a side of beef.

Click to reveal..

The IC roller hates Isaac.

Toughness check: spending that Hero point again for a total of 24, success.

1d20=5

Whew!

1d20=18

I take it back; IC didn't hate him; she was just teasing him.

Isaac's attack on Four #1: 23 to hit

1d20=17

Damage DC is 18

jameson (ST) · June 28, 2010

Isaac's knee hit like a pile driver and the black clad man whuffed out his breath. Gasping he swung at Isaac but missed as Isaac danced backwards easily. The last of the Four pried another loose section of brick and masonry from the warehouse and hurled it at Ross as he moved to join the others as they ganged up on Isaac.

Click to reveal.. (Da Numbahs)

Click to reveal.. (Damage)

Click to reveal.. (Order of Battle)

Round 2

Ross is up next, you have 48hrs.

Evo · June 28, 2010

Ross forced aside the first brick with contemptuous ease, but distracted by the melee below, the second brick hurtled into him. Ross fell downward, but he managed to regain his senses with a force of will, and landed safely.

Immediately, his mind snapped a gut slam intended to send the thrower of that ill-fated bolt down. Then, he flipped back up into the air, and retreated to the top of the warehouse, a few feet back from the edge, two inches above the roof.

He had to shown these bastards, that he meant business.

Click to reveal..

jameson (ST) · June 28, 2010

The brick hit Ross hard and he tumbled from the air before righting himself and rocketing upwards to the roof. As he flew he lashed out at his attacker and gained a sliver of satisfaction as the thug stumbled from the impact. Now completely surrounded by the Four Isaac did his best just to hold his ground and fend of the flurry of multiple attacks from the predators. Fists clad in weighted gloves and feet protected by steel toed boots lashed out at him.

Click to reveal.. (Da Numbahs)

Click to reveal.. (Damage)

Click to reveal.. (Order of Battle)

Round 3

Isaac is up next, you have 48hrs.

z-Isaac Ward · June 29, 2010

Isaac dodged most of the blows; it was an impressive amount of dancing and weaving. But all it took was one lucky strike. That strike came from behind; the sharp-eyed opponent had spotted the hole in the shirt and saw it as the weakness it was. A well-placed jab from the weighted glove sent a spasm through Isaac and he roared in agony, blinded by pain.

Click to reveal..

Toughness roll: 10 total, fail by more than 5, Stunned and Bruised

1d20=4

Injury status: Bruised x2, Injured x1

jameson (ST) · June 29, 2010

The Four fell on the other predator with hands and feet. Outnumbered and bereft of aid Isaac was quickly stunned and knocked to his knees as the Four continued to brutally beat him. Now clearly having trouble defending himself the Four relied on more more powerful attacks driving heavy body blows into his floating ribs and kidneys, and hard jabs to the face, head, and neck.

Click to reveal.. (Da Numbahs)

Click to reveal.. (Damage)

Click to reveal.. (Order of Battle)

Round 3

Ross is up next, you have 48hrs.

z-Isaac Ward · June 29, 2010

Isaac snarled as he went down under a rain of blows. He could feel rage rising in him - rage that he was failing and rage at the pain. He struggled to retain his senses and continue fighting - to continue keeping them away from his pack.

Click to reveal..

2 Toughness saves: 1d20=11, 1d20=19

Save #1: 16 - Stunned and Bruised (x3)

Save #2: 23 - Success

Spending a Hero Point to shake off the Stun effect

Health status: Bruised x3, Injured x1

Evo · June 29, 2010

Ross gritted his teeth as the fallen man was pummeled, and so leaped down to land near the black-wearing four. "Pick on someone else." he snapped to gain their attention, then focused.

A force carefully restrained to the four men pushed up from beneath their feet, launching them into the air.

Click to reveal..

jameson (ST) · June 29, 2010

The Four shot up into the night sky. Above the meager light in the alley the black clad men all but vanished against the sky. The Alpha hissed in frustration and anger the albino's power was beyond what the Four knew. For the moment the Four were helpless, buoyed into the air by some invisible force. They waited, their captor could not hold them so indefinitely and when he faltered they would crush him, the other was no longer a priority.

OOC: Dropping out of combat rounds for the time being. Post freely.

z-Isaac Ward · June 29, 2010

Isaac became aware that the predators weren't beating on him anymore. Snarling, he looked up, thinking they were gone. Instead, he saw another, the one in white. Perhaps had Isaac not been well into a pain-driven battle-rage, things would have gone differently. But tonight, he looked up and saw the enemy right before him. Shove saw pitiless gray eyes staring at him with no intellect or comprehension; then the man moved.

Strength filled him as he surged to his feet, far faster than it seemed possible for him to move. With a roar and a single long step, Isaac brought his fist up into Shove's chin. He felt a momentary resistance, but he tore through that like paper; then he felt a stronger force coming from the man that tried to divert his attack. Isaac would not be denied though, and the blow landed true. It was like taking a baseball bat to the face; the shock of it reverbrated through Shove's body. His teeth rattled together as his head snapped back - and he felt lucky that it just hadn't snapped off.

Click to reveal..

Will Save to not attack: 9 (-3 due to injuries)

1d20=11

Attack vs DC 13: 24 total on the attack

1d20=18

Ross's Deflect: 18 total - fail

1d20+3=18

Attack - Success

Damage DC is 23

Evo · June 29, 2010

Ross' eyes widened as the other man lunged at him, caught off guard entirely. The blow snapped into him, and the lights went out. He fell to the ground.

Click to reveal..

Tharra of the Katjaa · June 29, 2010

Jordan drove slowly down Delancy, her head half out the window, vibrant auburn hair blowing in the wind, as she tried to catch the scent of a concentration of cats and dogs, rather than single wanderers. Her turquoise eyes, almost too vivid to be natural, pierced the night, searching for a man doing... something. It was little enough to go on, but it was all she had.

Jordan's breathing deepened with rising anticipation as the scent of animal hair and dander grew thicker, until it filled her nose. It has to be the next warehouse after this one or the next after that, I'm positive. She was about to step on the gas, when suddenly, appearing above the low, long roof of the next warehouse, she saw four black-clad figures tumble up into the night sky.

Staring up in shocked surprise, her red Rav4 coasted to a stop in front of the next warehouse, recessed from the road, hunched between two neighbors. She caught Jaime's scent clearly, mingled with another girl's - Isabelle's she presumed - and a man's. She pulled her eyes from the sky and looked down, seeing a man in white standing over another man, broad and well muscled, if not overly tall, down on his knees.

What the hell have gotten yourself involved in, Jaime? Not sure what was going on, just knowing that she'd have go get her sister from a possibly very dangerous man, Jordan gripped the wheel tighter, looking inward as she took deep, steady breaths. Her acute senses receded to human levels, save for her ability to pick up ambient light, letting her to see clearly in the night-time gloom. Her muscles twitched, fibers splitting, growing finer and stronger, anchoring to bones growing harder than mere bone.

There, that should help with blunt trauma and reduce gunshot wounds - God, I hope there's no guns - and add that much more power to any punches and kicks, not even counting the hidden muscle. Glancing at the rear-view mirror, Jordan hastily studied her changes. Other than being a few inches taller - a little bit more reach, and more surface area to anchor longer muscles - she still looked like the stunningly glamorous woman that had accompanied Nico tonight. She noted distantly that she was now wearing fingerless gloves and her running shoes were now a pair of tightly laced combat boots.

Jordan opened the car door, leaving the engine running, one long, exquisitely formed leg exiting the vehicle, followed by another. As she began to stand up, her eyes shied away from the men dangling in the sky to glance at the man in white once more.

"Are yo-"

The statuesque, gorgeous woman, unusual for the rundown neighborhood, and incongruously dressed in a very flattering Little Black Dress, didn't even get a second word out before the man on his knees surged to his feet and decked the man in white across the jaw, knocking him from his feet and from consciousness.

Click to reveal..

Full Round Action: Shifting

Shifting - Disguise Check Required: 1d20+15 = 20 (DC 14, success)

Description: Exactly as she's been so far tonight, a devastatingly beautiful, auburn-haired woman (Attractive 3 and Distracting Looks 3), except for being a few inches taller (6'2'', same height she was when wearing heels, earlier).

jameson (ST) · June 30, 2010

WHAM!

Isaac's fist hit Ross like a pile driver and lifted the other man from the ground. Ross was unconscious before he reached the apex of his short flight and crashed bonelessly to the ground in a splayed out heap of person. Isaac stood over the white clad man, his chest heaving and his body sore from all kinds of impacts. He had just enough time to look up at one of the more stunningly beautiful women he would ever see in his life when something rather forceful drove him to the ground.

The Four bobbed in the air some eighty feet above the alley for the span of perhaps five seconds before suddenly plummeting to the ground. Two were able to land on the two predators below but that did little to mitigate the damage as they slammed into the pavement in a tangle of bodies and limbs. The Alpha was furious as one of the Four was barely holding to consciousness and a second was stunned.

Seeing that the Albino was unconscious the Four directed their focus to the other predator, unaware of the wolf in sheep's clothing at the end of the alley. The two to react first instantly levied a kick and a punch at Isaac still seeking to defeat both predators and gain the prey for themselves. Both attacks land true on the muscular man as he gets to his feet, weight gloves and boots thwacking into hard muscle like somebody hitting a steak with a meat tenderizer.

Click to reveal.. (It's kinda like a meteor, except its meatier!)

Click to reveal.. (Da' Numbahs)

Click to reveal.. (Damage)

Click to reveal.. (Order of Battle)

Round 1

Isaac is up next, you have 48hrs.

z-Isaac Ward · July 1, 2010

Isaac's intention was to attack the weakest of the enemies and brutally take him down. He even thought that he might be able to use the momentum from attacking that guy on the other guy and maybe take him out of the fight, too. Then it would be two on one.

These were not conscious thoughts. These were deeply seated instincts that Isaac reacted to on a level he wasn't aware existed. The part of him that was commonly thought of as others as 'Isaac' wasn't there anymore. That veneer of civilization was gone, leaving only the alpha protecting the pack.

But this alpha was beaten and damaged, and when he lunged at the faltering man, his body faltered on him. It wasn't hard to see why he stumbled and missed his mark; his face was starting to swell and his muscles shook with weakness. Isaac was hurt and he knew it. He knew he was going to lose.

All he had left to him was to take as many of them with him as he could.

Click to reveal..

Isaac's toughness save #1: 11, failed by 8

1d20=8

Spending a HP to shake off the stun

Isaac's toughness save #2: 10, failed by 9

1d20=8

Spending a HP to shake off the stun

Isaac's attack on the Staggered villain: 8, Failure.

1d20=2

Isaac's status - Bruised x6, Injured x1

Click to reveal.. (Positional Play)

(08:56:47) ChatBot: (Jameson) rolls 2d4 and gets 2,1.

The Four #s 1 & 2 are between Isaac and Jordan. #s 3 & 4 are behind Isaac.

OOC ST: No need for a ST Post: Jordan is up next. 48 hours.

Tharra of the Katjaa · July 1, 2010

Okay... Think about this. Even drunk or stoned, Jaime wouldn't have gone off with one guy dressed all in black, let alone four of them. The guy the white costume - an Indigo, it has to be - maybe, but he hardly looks like he belongs here - unless he has a 'secret lair'. Besides, wearing white and with a fuck-load of animals? Please, he'd never keep it clean. That leaves the guy who looks like hamburger getting pounded into road-pizza.

With no choice but to act - her sister was here! - Jordan made her decision and hoped she and her sister wouldn't be made to regret it. She loped down the broad alley with surprising swiftness, long legs flashing in the dark, combat boots crunching on the gravel. Her heart beat thunderously beneath bones hard as iron and dense muscle, luscious lips peeled back in a rictus of fear and fury. Oh, God!

She might not have been a trained fighter, other than a few classes she took for appearances sake, but she did have something just as good. Explicit knowledge of the true limits of her body, since she had purposefully designed nearly every facet of it. Just as she came into range of her forty-three and a half inch long legs, she snapped out a straight kick, planting her combat boot into the spine of the black-clad figure who had just punched 'Isaac'.

Then she let her momentum carry her one-hundred and ninety two pounds closer and with a feminine grunt that would do any tennis player proud, lashed out at a second figure weaving on his feet with the edge of her hand, considerably harder than its delicate elegance would suggest.

"You better fucking be Isaac," Jordan told the man with the swollen... well, everything, in a husky growl.

Click to reveal.. (Jordan is tagged in!)

Move Action: moved down the alley (more movement than meets the eye)

Standard Action: Attack (Kick in the Back!)

Kick on Four #1: 1d20+6 = 22 (Damage DC 23)

Extra Effort: Surge (extra Standard Action)

-Spending a Hero Point to negate the Fatigue

Standard Action, the Second: Attack (Karate Chop!)

Chop on Four #2 (Stunned): 1d20+6 = 26 Holy Fuck! A crit! (Damage DC 28)

jameson (ST) · July 1, 2010

There was a cough of air forced out of the one man as he went down face first to the pavement and didn't move. The second of the Four received the edge of Jordan's hand, a classic knife-hand strike, to the side of his neck and crumpled like a sack of potatoes. The Four were reduced by two in as many seconds. Now on even numbers but with one of their members injured the Four acted to once more bring the numbers to a move favorable ratio. Planting himself squarely the Four delivered a haymaker to the already battered Isaac. The heavy lead weighted glove landed squarely on his jaw but at the last moment Isaac spun away and what should have sent him int a boneless heap to the alley floor become the barest glance. Isaac wobbled on his feet for a moment but quickly set his jaw, My turn!

Click to reveal.. (Da' Numbahs)

Click to reveal.. (Damage)

Click to reveal.. (Order of Battle)

Round 2

Isaac is up next, you have 48hrs.

z-Isaac Ward · July 1, 2010

Isaac was aware that someone else had arrived; he was even aware that she somehow knew his name. That wasn't important. All he knew was that he had another intruder, though this one seemed to be finishing off the predators first. He'd let her do that, and when she was done, he'd drive her off, too.

Protect the Pack. It was his strength and his mantra; it was what was keeping him on his feet right now. He stood as a wall between the predators and the Pack, and he would not fall.

He should have fallen. He should be down now, bleeding into the ground, his Pack vulnerable. Yet somehow, the brute was still on his feet. Gray eyes glittered through swollen slits of flesh. Blood leaked from splits in his skin, giving him a streaked mask. Arms and legs shook with the effort of staying in the fight. But he wasn't defeated; his spirit was still strong. Had Isaac had the power to kill with a glance, entire blocks of the city would die right now. Thankfully, he didn't and so New York lived. This fearsome gaze was leveled at the Four who looked dazed and momentarily out of the fight. "My turn." Isaac's voice sounded like it was coming straight from Hell.

But Isaac had pushed himself too far and taken too much damage; there wasn't enough reserve left for anything other than a feeble strike. The extent of his injuries were revealed even in the shuffle of his feet as he attempted to move forward - a shuffle caught his feet and jarred him to a stop. His fist was still swinging, but he passed only through the air.

Click to reveal..

Isaac's attack - 7 total

1d20=1

Tharra of the Katjaa · July 1, 2010

If that was Isaac, he was one scary motherfucker. He looks worse than I did when I was shot between the tits and dumped into the Hudson. She couldn't believe he was only doing this to protect her sister and Isabella, but it was still admirable, in a train-wreck sort of way.

Jordan stepped up next to Road-Pizza-Isaac (presumably), driving the heel of her palm, backed by steel-like bones, at the assailant that had just tried to knock his head off.

"If I get my sister back - and her friend - back all safe and sound, I'll owe you one, big time. Isabella's father too," Jordan told the man barely standing beside her. With his eyes swollen to slits, she wasn't even sure he could make her out.

Click to reveal.. ( Round 2, Fight!)

Palm Strike on Four #4: 1d20+6 = 25 (Damage DC 23)

jameson (ST) · July 1, 2010

Jordan's palm strike rebounded off a lightly armored vest concealed beneath the assailant's black sweatshirt. The force of it drove him back a step but he kept to his feet and stayed in motion. The Alpha was becoming concerned about the Four, or rather the Two. The prey had a predator's bearing and power. If they could not remove the other predator from the fight the Four would need to flee. The remaining pair struck out once more at the battered and bruised Isaac. Take him down or flee, that was their directive. One made a wide swing that lacked both accuracy and force, he was simply too hurt from the fall to be at full combat power. The second drove hard into Isaac's chest, a blunt impact with the man's near full force behind it.

Click to reveal.. (Da' Numbahs)

Click to reveal.. (Damage)

Click to reveal.. (Order of Battle)

Round 3

Isaac is up next, you have 48hrs.

z-Isaac Ward · July 1, 2010

One of the Four struck Isaac like a boulder. And for all that he was driven to stay up, to continue to fight, he couldn't stop the breath that rushed out of him. He struggled to stay up, but the gray that had been ringing his vision now enclosed it. Winded and battered beyond recognition, the man collapsed bonelessly to the ground.

Click to reveal..

Isaac's Toughness save: 6, failed by 15, Unconscious! The beast goes DOWN!

1d20=6

Round 3

Jordan is up, 48 hours

Tharra of the Katjaa · July 2, 2010

"Shit! Oh, fuck!"

Though the statuesque woman was obviously distressed at seeing the man drop, she still shifted, interposing herself between his prone form and the attackers. She waited, hands held up in an uncertain defense, then when the attacker who had fallen Isaac came just a bit to close, she brought one of her astonishingly long legs up in an arcing kick that she wouldn't have attempted with a Y-chromosome.

Click to reveal.. (One Woman Alone)

Crescent Kick on Four #4: 1d20+6 = 10 Crud. Spending a Hero Point.

Reroll: 1d20+6 = 21

jameson (ST) · July 2, 2010

Jordan's boot caught the man beneath the chin and snapped his neck back hard. He was out like a light leaving only one of the four to face off against the Prey that wasn't. The Alpha grimaced, this night was a great loss, time to recuperate what could be. The pack could hunt them down again and exact vengeance. The One that was Four turned from Jordan and fled, rounding the corner and dashing at best speed down the adjacent alley on the back of the warehouse. The Alpha, retreated from his perch across the street and above. The Albino and the Feral would be the first targets but the Amazon would be the most enjoyed.

Click to reveal.. (Da' Numbahs)

Click to reveal.. (Damage)

Click to reveal.. (Wake Up Call)

Combat over, post freely.

Tharra of the Katjaa · July 2, 2010

Jordan's breasts rose and fell with her heavy breaths, not from exertion - shifting had provided her with a tremendously hardy physiology - but from the abundance of adrenaline coursing through her veins. With the footsteps of the last assailant fading in the distance, the remaining silence was deafening, her breathing seemingly too loud.

Beginning to calm down, Jordan looked around, noticing the unlocked padlock hanging from the door. She considered all the men laying unconscious at her feet, then walked over to the door, easing it open.

In the large, open room, a plethora of low growls and barely audible hisses answered her. Jordan saw she was right concerning the state of cleanliness and the smell was... abundant, even without an enhanced olfactory sense.

"Jaime? You here, hon? It's Jordan," she called out in a sharp whisper meant to carry without agitating the animals already on edge.

"Jordan? Jordan!" A wolf-like dog with startlingly blue eyes reluctantly crawled out of a tangle of cat-trees, followed by Jaime, dressed in some of the clothing she kept for her website, Jordan was displeased to see. But she was more than pleased to have found her younger sister.

Jaime ran drunkenly across the room in high-heeled boots, her sister meeting her halfway and pulling her in a tight hug. Beneath her silky skin, Jordan was oddly hard, like wood covered in velvet, but she didn't care. "I'm so, so sorry, sis."

"Shhh, it's alright, you're safe now, and we'll be going home real soon." Jordan lead Jaime to a chair and sat her down. "Where's Isabelle, is she okay, too."

Jaime sniffled, wiped her red eyes, then nodded. "She's high as a kite - I'm not, just drunk, I swear! She passed out after a whole bunch of cats climbed across her."

"The guy who brought you here, he's so high, big arms, wearing a black shirt?" Jordan asked.

"Uh... yeah. Why? What happened out there, we couldn't hear much."

"That was Isaac taking a beating. Wait here, I'm bringing him in." Jordan walked outside, then knelt down by Isaac and gently picked him up with deceptively strong arms. She came back inside, giving Jaime a steady look when her sister gasped at the sight of him, then softly laid Isaac down in the mattress.

Jordan checked the fridge, found a bottle of water and brought back to Isaac. To her amazement, he was already beginning to stir. "Jaime, you owe this man a lot. He was probably protecting his... home as much as you, but he took one hell of a beating, doing it."

"I... I can... see that," Jaime said in a very small voice.

Jordan unscrewed the top off of the bottle of water and begin tilting it towards the savagely beaten, young man. "Buddy, Isaac, can you hear me? I'm Jaime's sister. I can't thank you enough for what you did." She purse her full lips in a frown as she studied him. "You're in a really rough shape - I should drive you to the hospital."

z-Isaac Ward · July 2, 2010

Every part of his body hurt, and Isaac wanted nothing more than to curl up and go to sleep. But something was wrong; he could hear Ghandi whimpering. The soft noise of his scaredy-cat half-wolf dragged him out of the cloying darkness.

A strange woman was bending over him, holding something in her hand. With a weak snarl, Isaac grabbed her wrist and water splashed on them. He felt the steel in her body and knew he was in deep shit. But the pack needed defending; she was in the den and he had to get up and-

“Isaac, wait! This is my sister!” The new voice was still familiar to him, though only recently so. Blearily, Isaac turned his head, trying to see her. For one moment, he was very confused; it looked like his mom was bending over him. He had a vague memory of her, and it looked a lot like the blurry face that was hovering before him now. But his mother was fifteen years dead. She couldn’t be here. It didn’t stop his lips from moving, asking the question Mom? But he didn’t voice it aloud; he didn’t give into that little boy who wanted his mother back.

“Jaime.” That was the girl’s name. “Where’s Izzy?”

“She passed out,” Jaime told him, biting a lip. “So did you.”

Isaac struggled to remember. “Actually, I was knocked out. She needs a doctor, if she’s passing out.” She was sick; human doctors were expensive. Isaac knew he’d have to work a few extra fights to pay for that.

His brain was slowly pulling itself back into place. Another memory from the fight surged forth: a man in white. It was hazy, but he remembered striking him and taking him down. And there were men in black, bad men. “The intruders?”

“The men outside?” the red-headed sister asked. Isaac nodded and she reported, “One’s gone. The other four are still out there. Unconscious.”

“Won’t be that way for long.” Isaac pushed himself to his feet despite their protests. He shambled to a box and dug out the cord he kept there. “Tie ‘em up,” he said, more explanation than order, and started for the door. His first few steps were crooked, but he slowly straightened them out.

The tall woman was right there, helping him. “You should get to a hospital.”

“No.” The snarled word was empathic. “No hospitals. I’d have to explain the bullet wound.” Before she could address that, he was out the door, taking measure. Three men dressed in black were sprawled on the ground; the fourth man, the one in white, was just starting to stir. “Here,” Isaac said, handing her the rope. “Tie those up.”

Isaac considered tying this one, the one in white up, too. But he half-remembered this one fighting the others. He also remembered that he’d been pounding on Isaac’s door using some kind of power. Those two facts balanced each other out and so Isaac approached the man in white with Isaac’s version of neutrality. He stalked over to the man in white and loomed over him as only a man used to throwing around his superior weight and build can. “Who are you?” he rasped peering down at the man through a gruesome mask of blood and bruising. “And what are you doing on my pack’s territory, banging on our door?”

Mutants & Masterminds: The Indigo Children - [Prologue 2]Jordan & Isaac & Ross

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