The Defenders Renewed (Group Thread Open To All)

[Zagreus_D]

Romeo/Kid Crux POV

Romeo managed to join up with the group, just before they headed out for the training area. The only people he had really had a chance to talk to so far were all involved in the missions, so he lingered near the back and didn't say anything.

He took a seat by himself in the arena, looking around wide eyed at everything he could see from there. Avery asked who wanted to go first and Romeo was a bit grateful to hear two volunteers. One of them was Maya, the girl that had thrown Nibo into the air the night before. He was curious to see what she could do, especially from his safe place here on the sidelines... it was much harder to appreciate her skills while he was flying through the air fearful of a broken neck.

He wanted to see what the nature of the challenge was before he got up there himself. He needed to know which lwa was best suited to the challenge. From there he could only hope that they were in the mood to play, and would show themselves willing to play by whatever rules they were given.

Imogen/Improv POV

Maya had volunteered quickly, but Imogen would have been happy to be up first too. She had plenty of opportunity to show off in life, but she had always been careful to keep her powers hidden from others.

She wasn't sure how her powers would compare to the powers of these others, but she was very excited to find out. This round though she would sit and watch.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Avery was pleased that there were volunteers. It usually took a bit of time training together before people decided that they were confident enough to volunteer for a new challenge.

"Okay, first to speak up gets to go first. Black Ant and Maya, you're up. Pick an environment to defend and keep the spiders from reaching the central arena! And make sure you work together!" Avery said, gesturing around them at the different environments available and smiling.

 

[Wolfias]

Adam/Greywolf.

Adam genuinely smiles as Avery steps right up and took the time to speak to him, she was also encouraging which boosts his confidence.

While Avery was just about to continue Gregory's message came through the com. Adam took a quick moment to remove his Jacket, Ozzie's Bark at the Moon Tee and boots. Trots over to place his things in a safe place and returns to the line up. "Thanks Spiders. I'll take good care of them," She said, putting her fingers over her earpiece.

"Right," Avery said, voice raised as she nodded and smiled at Adam, then to the others. "Let's go." Adam doesn't bring up the rear this time but takes the lead of the Newbies. Not far behind the grey armored Heroine as she led the team through the halls of the base. Reaching the training area his jaw went slack as the others have their own stunned looks.

The training arena was one hell of a big place, it was a huge space he had no idea it was here. Big enough for the Defenders that have the power of flight to easily do aerobatics if they so desired. Seeing several different sections to it, many types of terrain a mixture of city, urban, rural and environmental scenery. In the midst of it was a large arena with this gritty, sanded floor, perfect for sparring with some seating and weapon racks. We're to be taken by her right to that space, into the arena and begin to be turned into a unit, a Team.

Adam watches Avery take the electric controller out of her back and turned it on, finding the application for the earphones as well as the spiders available. She looked like a little kid at Christmas as she set the little mechanical critters to work. He could not believe his eyes but mechanical Spiders came from all over the place, scrambling in chittering over the buildings, streets and dirt as they made their way to them. "Holy Shit! ... Here they come!" My my inner Wolf let out a loud howl so I let him loose his nature best suits a team.

"So, who wants to go first?" Avery asked with a grin, eyeing the assembled newbies.[/QUOTE]

Every muscle in his body tensed adrenal nervous and skeletal system on fire his heart was racing. Grey fur grew from every inch of his body, the popping of bones, stretching of his tendons and skin, barely audible over the Spiders noises as he's shifting into the shape of a Humanoid Wolf. Adam's brown eyes glow to dim to golden hued eyes, face elongates to the muzzle of a Lupine, nails turn to claws as his hands and feet become paw like. Rapid pops of his vertebrate in succession, as he grew from 6'0" to 8'0" with a 5'0" tail and the weight of 500 lbs. He's fully shifted throwing his head back letting out a deep roaring howl that will echo inside of the huge space. Looking to his Pack Mates it's simply instinct from a wolves perspective, to see who's in as he's willing to go right into a multitude of Spiders.

With rumbling growl of a voice he says with a feral look in his eyes, with what could only be thought of as a wolfish grin. "Greywolf can go into the Forest?" He asks almost pleading just to get into a representation of a forest, his wild nature was a little to much for Adam to continually control. Having not received permission sprints into the environmental area to grab up a Spider in one clawed hand, clamping his jaws onto it as sparks fly, smoke rolls out and it blew up. Spitting the twitching remains of the Spider onto the dirt, another two jumped at him ones batted left and right for the Pack to take on. A bigger Spider runs up his furry shin and he hops in a 180 to kick it almost to the top of the Dome for Avery. He bellows to her he's easily heard. ''Flushed prey fly for Bird Lady?!"

Another Spider was faster than the others, skitters left as Greywolf stomps his right foot and right as he stomps his left foot. It scoots between his clawed feet the huge wolf jumps straight up, it spins around hunting for it's target. Coming down from a height of 15 feet to drive his fist through the spider, a cloud of sand erupts about him that he's momentarily obscured by it. As the cloud of sound disperses he shakes from head to tail, ridding the dust from his thick grey fur. To find himself surrounded in spiders opening his eyes to this sight, turns his big furry head to look back for a little help. But before assistance came for Greywolf he would just bite, swat stomp and take as many spiders out as he possible could have.

 

[Armphid]

Working together on area defense? An actual smirk slipped across Makoto's pink lips and she nodded, walking forward with a bit more swish to her hips than usual. She could do this. Though she was unaware of what the other girl could do, her own abilities would allow for control of the field and if enough time were bought, plenty of automated defense.

The Japanese woman looked over her shoulder at Maya, "Before we choose, what can..." Her voice trailed off however and her eyes went wide as the young man who'd introduced himself as Adam Stone rippled and changed into a beast man. His skin swelled and bulged with new muscle mass before fur sprouted and washed over it, his face distorting and lengthening as it formed heavy jaws and a long muzzle, his limbs elongating and working into new lengths and configurations. Her first thought was, where did all that extra mass come from? It must be more magic. Why was there so much damn magic around?

Her second was to think that such a change must hurt. It looked like it would be agonizing.

It didn't seem to slow him down though. After an ear throbbing howl, he called out that he would go with them and then raced forward and began to tear into the spiders. "Matte, I mean, wait! We haven't-ahh, kuso!"

Makoto rushed after him. Part of her felt she should have waited to see if Avery would halt the training or change its terms. But no, of course not. The unexpected was a part of any fight. And the forest was a good choice; there was a lot there for the nanites to use.

She stopped at the edge of the forest area. This was the crux here; their goal wasn't to destroy the spiders but to deny the arena to them. Makoto stood there a few moments, seemingly doing nothing. But for one who could see on a small enough level, millions of nanites poured from her feet and scattered over the forest floor, making more of themselves and spreading further as they went. "I"ll leave a door for you, Maya," she called out, "but hurry!". Then she raised her hands. On either side of her a wall of a glossy black substance rose; building itself seeming out of nowhere and nothing as the nanites used the air in the dome itself and the nearby greenery for the material. The undergrowth and a few nearby trees dissolved as the nanites consumed them, transported their molecules to the wall, and restructured them into the slick and hard composite she had chosen to construct the structure from. The wall went straight up for five feet and then took a seventy degree turn to jut in towards the forest for four more; that would force any spiders climbing it to have to cross the distance once to reach the edge, leaving them exposed, and then again to actually get to the walls other side, giving a chance to catch them. She left a hole in the wall directly behind her for Maya to get through. "Closing it in five seconds!"

The nanites could handle that without her direct guidance. Which was good as Greywolf had gotten himself surrounded. Running in so recklessly! Black Ant's right hand flicked to her left side as if expecting a sword to be there but none were...until she swung her hand back out as through drawing a weapon and the nanites built it from the air in the time it took to blink twice. "Greywolf, this way!"

The spiders had noticed her approach and some had turned to face her as she drew near. The glossy black katana in her right hand lashed out and struck two of them, the molecule thin edge slicing them apart as if they were made of stiff paper. Makoto had to be very, very careful with this blade; the mono-molecular edge was lethally sharp. Even a casual touch to herself or one of her allies could cut them apart. Makoto struck at a few more of the rear spiders to draw their attention from her ally and started to dance back to avoid their lunges and rearing grab attempts.

AHHH! They were enough like spiders she'd have a nightmare tonight, she just knew it! Keep it together, Makoto!

She gestured to the transformed man with her left hand, "Come on, back to the wall, we can hold them there and destroy them as they come!" A pair of them leaped at her and she gestured with the empty hand and a black plinth shot up from the ground to block the attack, the metal arachnids bouncing off it. Makoto flexed her fingers and the obstacle puffed back into air again. "Hurry!"

 

[such_a_bad_man]

SPECTRE POV

David leaned back looking at Peter and Lynx. He had a good point, Peter was stronger now even he could see that. He had no idea what happened to the young man during his captivity or what the extent of his upgraded powers.

"I appreciate that Peter" David remarked "But for now your acting as backup we dont have the time to have the demonstration so your the guy that comes in if shit gets rough I have no idea who is going to be guarding the target it may be a quick in and out if it becomes any thing else though I will call you in and trust me this is just the beginning of our operations"

David smiled at him and then turned to every one "If were good to go strap in Gregory already uploaded the coordinates to our target"

Peter nodded. If they really had a small window, they did have to get underway soon. "Alright, I'll keep her parked somewhere safe." Walking back to the pilot's seat, Peter raised his voice to the crew on board.

"Everyone strap in; I got 5 years of yoke rust to shake off on my way out! I might need to take this old bird through it's paces for a minute," he warned as he sat back down and cinched his straps in a little tighter once he was secured. The engines whined as they spun up to speed and the whole craft shook slightly as the VTOL engines lifted them off the platform. Heading out the airlock to space outside, the boosters took over as the ship pushed to break-away speed.

With a grin, Peter torqued the stick to the right and took the craft through a wide roll once they broke the moon's gravity. Laughing to himself he righted the ship with the horizon of the Earth below. "Sorry, everyone, but that needed to be done," he explained once he slipped into a cruising approach.

Peter flicked a few switches and closed the on board radio system to just him and David. "Dave, I'll follow your lead. You need me with the ship, I'll stay with the ship. I still need a code name if you're gonna call me in. For purposes of a code name...." Peter leaned his head back and thought over all the names he remembered from the old days. Then, a memory from more recent times worked its way into his head. "Use Infra-sapien. It's what I heard over and over from the scientists when they would talk about me in The Lab. There were all sorts of other scientific words, but that was one that stood out. Might as well make use of it." He let go of the button to listen for his reply.

 

[silvertongue217]

COMANDER POV

"Touching down now guys"

John angled the ship down ghosting over rolling planes and tree dotted hills. He pushed the throttle back activating the landing gears as he spotted a place to set down.

The ship landed with a slight jolt and rock. John made sure every thing checked out then rose his armor forming over him as he became the very publicly known hero Commander.

"From here on out code names only" John said speaking into the COM system they were all wearing "Lets move out guys!"

John activated the ramp and stepped out taking point. There was no reason to believe there was any threat but Caliban however John wanted to play it safe. If the syndicate knew Caliban was around Jane might send a team to try and convince him to join.

Which would be a cluster fuck of a situation

"Wind Hunter" John said turning to Alya "Get a birds eye view tell me if you see any thing or any one in danger of Caliban the rest of us will fan out I will go in to talk to him and you guys are back up if things go tits up"

.............................

SPECTRE POV

"Infrasapien it is" David spoke opening a private COM channel between the two "And I promise you will get a chance for action and to show off if any thing your the backup just in case things go south"

David opened the channel to every one as the entered the earths atmosphere "Okay D- Man and I are up first Infra-Sapien if you can do a fly by D-man and I will do a drop I can fly us in on the top floor"

"Then Lynx and Natura you will take the front running the distraction so D-man can do his thing if D-man is secure ill come down and join you for some fun! If things go south then Infra-sapien will be close by to run back up"

................................

SPIDER POV

"Shit!" Gregory growled his fingers flying over the display.

It was supposed to have been a simple training excerise one he did NOT need to be involved with.

Then a certain hot headed wolf began tearing up his toys

"Fuck" Gregory growled swearing and watching the training events happen in real time "well if you all want to play" Gregory growled taking back manual control of the spiders.

"lets play"

...........................

RUNNER POV

Things exploded into action

Maya didnt even bother to process the events happening before her. Sure she could spend some time marveling at the wolf man, or admire the black ant at work. Now that her adrenaline was flowing every thing moved slowly for her and her hyper awareness gave her an almost out of body viewpoint of the battlefield.

But the window was closing for her to move into the wall. Maya noted more spiders coming out of the woods and moved pushing her self almost effortlessly as she formed her plan of attack.

She reached the nearest spider and jumped on it, her hands tore open the casing plunging in and ripped out the CPU. It was as close to non lethal as she could get as she assumed the kid who made these. What was his name? Gregory! Would want minimum harm done to them.

The spider began to fall inert and Maya jumped off of it. She kicked it with her leg sending it careening into another spider and knock them off course and into a tree. Her flight took her to the wall and she landed turning to the Black Ant.

"Give me a baton!" Maya shouted flipping her body and kicking another spider back "And lets try not to break to many of Spiders pretty toys!"

She didnt bother to see if Avery was looking at her. Instead she did what she did during a big event pushing every thing else away until their was the objective her friends and how she can complete it.

More spiders began to crawl out of the forest, the bulk of them continued to fly at the wall shooting out tazer like energy bolts. A few hung back however mortars popping out of their back as they began to lay down suppressing fire.

 

[KimaniNight]

POV Lynx

"Dav--sorry, Spectre, wait," Lynx said, reaching into her bag. When she pulled her fist out, she opened it up, revealing what looked to be a metallic scarab that fit easily into her small palm. The scarab scooted around, balled up, and then broke into six miniature versions of itself. The miniature scarabs scooted around, then made a ball and formed into the original metallic scarab.

Handing it over to David, Lynx said with a grin, "I missed your last birthday. I hope this will make up for it. I call it the Sapper. It'll make it easier for you and D-man to sneak in. Just drop it right before you make your own jump." Lynx flashed a smile at D-man. "Part of its coding I 'borrowed' from your Watch Dog group. Very elegant work," she added.

POV Wind Hunter

"On it, Commander," Alya responded, trying to keep her language as precise as possible. Though Alya wasn't as "green" as a lot of the new Defenders (she had spent part of the last two years fighting at her newly found sister's side, after all), she suspected that of the four member of this team, she had seen the least "action." Without any premise, Alya launched herself into the air. Once she was high enough, she signaled to the Commander that everything looked calm.

Keep moving, she told herself. No reason to make yourself an easy target for this Caliban.

POV Zuya Wagner

"Mountie will do for my call sign then, Commander," Zuya responded, dutifully following John as she watched the dark haired beauty launch herself into the air.

As they approached the coffee house, Zuya split off, finding a point to cover the entrance. She gave the local LEOs credit for getting the local populace out of the area but, considering the situation, there was nothing they could do for the people in the coffee house. She could only hope that the Commander could negotiate them all out safely.

 

[ADmiral3]

Introduction of Nurse Honey

Jessica woke up slowly. Light streaming in through an unseen set of blind, she stretched her arms out above her in the bed, her red lipped mouth opening in a cavernous yawn. Rolling over onto her side, she closes her eyes blissfully, pulling one hand under her pillow, the soft fabric and... paper?

She opened her eyes again, focusingon the handful of stiff cloth in her hands. Dollar bills. Letting out a light groan, she sits up, noticing that she is in an unafamiliar room.
A couch in the corner, flat screen t.v. mounted in front of her, she was in a hotel room. Again. She actually recognized this one, she had been here a few times before. But usually she could remember who it was she had been with.

Sliding her legs to the side of the heavilly blanket ridden bed, she noticed a few crusty patches on the inside of her thighs. "Well at least they had fun..." she thought to herself, before heading off to the bathroom to take a shower and get herself cleaned up.

After her shower she sat at the edge of her bed, drying her blonde hair and flicking through channels until one caught her eye. Apparently a dangerous man had been spotted outside of a Cafe, in a small town... the very one she was currently in. Eyes opening in shock, she saw the camera pan to the policemen outside. There was going to be some kind of confrontation, and people were going to get hurt.

Going over to the side of her bed she found her bag, and reached into it to pull out a small trinket she had been holding onto. Her old Defenders badge. It was time to help people again, and with someone dangerous in the nearby area, she knew she could help those in need. She left the money on the nightstand for the clean up crew for the room, and left the room in a loose fitting strapless dress, ready for the worst as she made her way to the Cafe.

 

[KimaniNight]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pQotLMQlRfU/T3kTaNH32bI/AAAAAAAAFVg/JBzQDjzpLcI/s640/6d48a3b97a.jpg

POV Shinar

(Somewhere in Patagonia)

It had taken some time to boil the flesh off the skull, but Shinar considered the effort worth it. The Spetsnaz team she was hunting down had come dangerously close to making her miss a deadline. That in turn would have made her look unprofessional, and if there was anything that Shinar deplored, was to have anyone question her professionalism. It was, in her opinion, the cornerstone of her reputation. Her professional reputation.

So after she had completed her job in Armyansk, she had captured the Spetsnaz team that had tried to besmirch her professional reputation and transported them to her "private reserve" in Patagonia for a little sport. Which would now include "baiting" a trap with the skull of one of their dead team members.

And then her satellite phone rang.

Shinar grimaced, not wanting to interrupt her sport, but there was nothing to be done about it. Only a handful of people had the number to her satellite phone, and most of those paid a heavy contingency fee to be able to contact her through it. Putting aside her personal recreation, she answered it with a gruff "Speak!"

"We want you to prepare for a possibility," the voice from the phone said.

Shinar silently waited for the voice to continue.

"You may have heard the Defenders have been reestablished," the voice told her.

Indeed she had. She personally approved of the reinstatement of that organization. They simply added to the chaotic conditions the world had sunken into, which made it easier for people like her to move around undetected.

Usually undetected, she thought sourly, thinking about the Russian special forces unit that had interfered with her last job.

"One of the original members who returned was the Lynx," the voice added.

Now Shinar's attention did perk up. Some might call Shinar's interest in the Lynx as approaching obsessive. Shinar was probably one of the few people in the world, and possibly the only non-Defender, who knew that Lynx was a member of a species that secretly shared the planet with the human race (though Shinar had as of yet found the race's homeland), and knew quite a few other details besides.

"So?" Shinar answered, sounding more nonchalant than she actually felt. "I doubt the Defenders will last long. The Syndicate has their days numbered." Shinar was no fan of the Syndicate, but reality was reality. "Let them take care of Lynx and the rest of the Defenders. They'll do it for free."

"The world is not as bipolar as some might believe," the voice answered. "There are other parties, other interests who, though not enthusiasts of the Defenders, do not care to see the Syndicate achieve its goals. Parties who might even assist the Defenders in their conflict with the Syndicate. But when the dust settles, if the Defenders are the ones left standing, our interests will no longer be aligned. At that point, we will want certain individuals eliminated. Starting with the Lynx. Her interference with the proper political process in the past cannot be allowed to happen again."

"If that happens," Shinar said neutrally, "You can contact me."

"It may not be that simple. There may be other individuals that you will need to...neutralize in order to get to her," the voice explained.

Shinar clinched her jaw but remained silent. She didn't need others telling her how to do her job. She had already considered what would be necessary to eliminate any potential target that she might be contracted to take care of.

"If necessary, you should be prepared to contact other parties to assist you," the voice instructed.

"If necessary, I will," Shinar answered, a hint of irritation starting to creep into her voice.

"We will be in touch," the voice replied before ending the call.

Shinar stared at the phone for a moment before placing it back on her belt. It was probably time to locate one of her 'other parties.' But that could wait, she thought with a dark smile. For now, she had a hunt to finish.

 

[Obuzeti]

As the Defenders spread out and cover the exterior of Viele Dinge in a defensive net, Danior, sitting within at the counter, merely sighs. The sight of the iconic transport had thrown the local clintele into a fracas, and his frappacino remained, sadly, empty as the charming bartender instead chose to gape at the aerial woman who was even now flying overhead.

"I've no doubt they'll be inside soon enough," Danior assures him, tapping the counter in the meantime for attention. "They're here on business, not a publicity tour. Might I inquire as to my beverage in the interim?"

The bartender - the name tag clipped onto his polo shirt says Max - gives Danior an incredulous look. "There are literal superheroes out there and you want me to be pouring you a coffee?"

"Yes," Danior replies, quite even.

"You have such a boring life," Max says, giving him a look of pity. "Superheroes, man! I can see John out there, for crying out loud! Live a little - want to go see if we can get an autograph or something?"

Danior's smile stays perfectly the same. His expression doesn't change at all. And yet, some animal instinct in the back of Max's hindbrain squeals and backpedals, as he holds both hands up in apology. "Alright, alright. Standard frap, right?"

"Quite so," Danior replies, and turns from the bar to nod at the approaching 'superheroes'. "I may as well cover their bill as well, all things considered."

"What?" Max says, confused, but Danior has ceased to consider him worthy of attention.

The glass doors swing open, and the Englishman inclines his head. "Welcome. I apologize for the furor, such as it is - I thought the response would be - more subtle."

 

[silvertongue217]

COMMANDER POV

"Well there new" John remarked keeping his tone light as he stepped into the coffee house "Plus you know at our present time we can use the positive publicity"

John stepped in the helment morphing to expose his face. He nodded at the bartender trying to convey every thing would be alright as John pulled out a chair and slowly sat down.

"So" John said lightly placing his hand on the table "Danior what brings you out on tour?" He asked.

His eyes shifted back slightly glancing at the bartender and trying to convey to him he should go out the back.

.....................................

THUNDERESS POV

"I want you nowhere near the front sister" Orror reminded her moving to the door "I mean wind hunter"

She was situated at the book and luckily there was a power box charging the hotel next door. Orror pushed her hand out sucking in and feeding off of the electricity. She let it super charge her body exiting every last nerve ending and causing her body to shudder in delight.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

"Infrasapien it is" David spoke opening a private COM channel between the two "And I promise you will get a chance for action and to show off if any thing your the backup just in case things go south"

David opened the channel to every one as the entered the earths atmosphere "Okay D- Man and I are up first Infra-Sapien if you can do a fly by D-man and I will do a drop I can fly us in on the top floor"

"Then Lynx and Natura you will take the front running the distraction so D-man can do his thing if D-man is secure ill come down and join you for some fun! If things go south then Infra-sapien will be close by to run back up"

Peter flicked his comm switch on as David finished speaking. "We are 15 minutes out from the coordinates. Prep for hot insertion and off-load. Group 1 will offload during a 5-second hover. Group 2 will offload during a touch and go landing. I will not wait for you. You jump when I call it or you'll wind up staying with me on the craft. We are likely in a hot zone and I will not risk our means of exit anymore than we already are. Sound off your receipt of this directive."

He flicked the channel back open for each team member to respond. He knew they didn't come up through the military like he did so he knew the old guard may chafe to hear Peter's "Captain No-Fun" tone again. He knew for a fact that the counter-culture hacker Darius would probably say something about it. Peter didn't care; he'd learn how tight they keep things when they are on mission.

Looking down as the ship slipped into the upper atmosphere, Peter felt the ship shaking as the sound returned all around the ship. He just hoped this flight path didn't make them stick out like a sore thumb on approach.

 

[KimaniNight]

POV Wind Hunter

Alya heard her sister's order, but said nothing. For now, she maintained her position high above the coffee house, hoping everything would remain as quiet as it was now.

POV Zuya Wagner

Given her druthers, Zuya would have preferred to be up on a rooftop somewhere, preferably a long way away somewhere, looking at this whole scene through cross hairs, while making adjustments for wind and humidity.

Instead, she was standing in a doorway, with a custom, single shot handgun, that would theoretically take out anything from up to and including five hundred yards away.

And if that didn't work, if things got up close and personal, her Governor would take care of anything else.

Of course, that was dealing with run-of-the-mill bad guys, and even high caliber bad guys. But this was Caliban. Even the once and future leader of the Defenders was handling this guy with kid gloves. The best Zuya was hoping to do was create a distraction so that everybody could get the hell out of Dodge if things went south.

Taking a deep breath, Zuya made herself remain calm as the situation developed.

 

[Armphid]

"Baton? What kind of-shimatta!" As she ducked a bolt of electricity that would have hit her right in the head otherwise, Makoto grimaced. The spiders were growing more aggressive and more coordinated. Someone was controlling them. Likely the "Spiders" person the Avery had spoken to on her comm unit. And who was supposed to be coordinating the mission teams, not bothering with them.

So why had he gotten involved? No matter.

The nanites constructed a three foot long escrima stick; hopefully that would suffice for Maya, and Makoto tossed it to the other woman. "Catch, Maya-san!"

The lovely and lithe Latina was impressive as she moved around with such speed and grace. Magnificent! She didn't spend any time ogling however, particularly as some of the drones were now lobbing mortars at them. This was getting, no, it was out of hand. "Kuso," she swore again.

Then a mortar hit near her and she was lifted up into the air by the force of its' explosion. The buxom Japanese woman was thrown a good five feet away and struck a tree trunk hard, "UfffhH!" She tumbled to the base of it, sprawling a moment, the air blasted out of her body.

Makoto let out a feeble growl. She wasn't sure who she was more mad at now; Graywolf for starting this mess or Spiders for making it worse. Either way, she was going to end it. The Black Ant rolled behind the tree to try and avoid another volley of blasts from the spiders. There were so many of them! "Enough!" She pressed her hands to the forest floor and sent out all the nanites she could; pushing her body's production of them to its' limit. Billions of the microscopic machines rolled out through the area, a barely visible eddy that looked almost like a thin fog.

The spiders were machines which meant they had to have a power source and without that, they were harmless. The nanites swarmed the much larger spiders, sliding into cracks and the gaps between molecules. They sought out all of the connectors to the internal batteries of the spiders and went to work, turning them into non-conductive glass. Could she reach enough or all of them before she got zapped or mortared? Kuroari shook her head, she couldn't worry about that now.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Cloe buckled herself in and prepared for flight. Unlike some, this was her least favourite part of a mission. In the old days the only thing that had brightened the stomach churning gravitational forces was Peter's singing or amusing in-flight announcements. Today, though, hearing his voice over the comms was quickly tempered by the roll he performed as they left the station. As Cloe's stomach flip flopped, her bark armour clung tighter to her, knowing she was feeling unwell but unsure as to what the threat was. She made herself take a deep breath and closed her eyes. The trip would be short, they would be safe, there was no better pilot than Peter.

Soon Peter gave her something better to concentrate on than her nausea. He announced their estimated drop times in his most serious voice, and David's words that she and Lynx were to be the distractions were encouraging. Of course all matter of things could happen if the mission were to go south; but one thing Natura could do well was provide distractions.

"Roger that," Natura chimed in as the ship entered orbit. It shook and she clung to the side of her seat, wishing that she was back in the calm (and non-shakey) Amazon jungle.

"So Lynx, I'm thinking I might send a spirit rhino barrelling into their front door, what do you say?" Natura asked, pushing the words through her gritted teeth, trying to distract her roiling stomach.

 

[Obuzeti]

Max glances between the two of them, the black-eyed man before him and the Defender at the door, staring cautiously at his new acquaintance, and then the bells ring for him. He turns a ghastly pale and stumbles backwards from the counter.

"Go," Danior sighs, flapping a hand resignedly without looking over.

Max sprints through the Employees Only door behind the counter, leaving it flapping in his wake. Ignoring this, the other man turns in his seat and nods cordially to John. "I heard about the new group," he says, and smiles. It's a porcelain expression, and there's real warmth in the crinkles, but the ink-black orbs and something about the curve of the mouth turn it sour, uneasy to watch. "Congratulations - it was a shame to see them all go. You put together a deeply impressive team, and I remain certain you will again."

Danior makes as if to sip from his coffee, remembers that it's empty, and looks at it with disgust. He flicks it away, sending it rolling down the counter from the two of them instead. It falls off at the end and crashes to the floor, the tinkle of ceramic eerily loud in the quietening room.

A muscle flexes in his jaw, and then he glances back at John, face smoothing out to glass again. Pleasant smile, black eyes. "I apologize for the interruption - I'm certain you've been busy of late - but I wanted to notify you of a few things in advance before you find them reason to panic."

The man folds his hands on the counter. His fingers lace like spider legs, long and delicate in their fineness. "I will be moving about much more obviously in the months to come. Previously I had been content in my anonymity, but events have accelerated lately, and I will need to take a - more active hand in affairs."

 

[ADmiral3]

Max glances between the two of them, the black-eyed man before him and the Defender at the door, staring cautiously at his new acquaintance, and then the bells ring for him. He turns a ghastly pale and stumbles backwards from the counter.

"Go," Danior sighs, flapping a hand resignedly without looking over.

Max sprints through the Employees Only door behind the counter, leaving it flapping in his wake. Ignoring this, the other man turns in his seat and nods cordially to John. "I heard about the new group," he says, and smiles. It's a porcelain expression, and there's real warmth in the crinkles, but the ink-black orbs and something about the curve of the mouth turn it sour, uneasy to watch. "Congratulations - it was a shame to see them all go. You put together a deeply impressive team, and I remain certain you will again."

Danior makes as if to sip from his coffee, remembers that it's empty, and looks at it with disgust. He flicks it away, sending it rolling down the counter from the two of them instead. It falls off at the end and crashes to the floor, the tinkle of ceramic eerily loud in the quietening room.

A muscle flexes in his jaw, and then he glances back at John, face smoothing out to glass again. Pleasant smile, black eyes. "I apologize for the interruption - I'm certain you've been busy of late - but I wanted to notify you of a few things in advance before you find them reason to panic."

The man folds his hands on the counter. His fingers lace like spider legs, long and delicate in their fineness. "I will be moving about much more obviously in the months to come. Previously I had been content in my anonymity, but events have accelerated lately, and I will need to take a - more active hand in affairs."

Jessica knew where to go, she had been to this exact cafe many times in her short stay here. It was a small place, everyone knew each other, and her local hangouts were all very cozy. She knew one of the guys who worked at the cafe, rather intimately, she recalled with a smile. She hoped Max was okay.

Upon her arrival to the scene she saw nothing. The cops were gone, and it appeared to be deserted. The streets weren't usually bustling, but there were always at least a few friendly faces to wave hello to. Focusing more on the scene, she could make out the shape of several Defenders, and one in the sky. She knew better than to intervene in such a situation, but nevertheless made her way in a long circle, around to the back of the building, eyes peeled for any possible civilian stragglers to keep safe. She'd approach the Defenders after the confrontation was settled.

 

[ADmiral3]

"Baton? What kind of-shimatta!" As she ducked a bolt of electricity that would have hit her right in the head otherwise, Makoto grimaced. The spiders were growing more aggressive and more coordinated. Someone was controlling them. Likely the "Spiders" person the Avery had spoken to on her comm unit. And who was supposed to be coordinating the mission teams, not bothering with them.

So why had he gotten involved? No matter.

The nanites constructed a three foot long escrima stick; hopefully that would suffice for Maya, and Makoto tossed it to the other woman. "Catch, Maya-san!"

The lovely and lithe Latina was impressive as she moved around with such speed and grace. Magnificent! She didn't spend any time ogling however, particularly as some of the drones were now lobbing mortars at them. This was getting, no, it was out of hand. "Kuso," she swore again.

Then a mortar hit near her and she was lifted up into the air by the force of its' explosion. The buxom Japanese woman was thrown a good five feet away and struck a tree trunk hard, "UfffhH!" She tumbled to the base of it, sprawling a moment, the air blasted out of her body.

Makoto let out a feeble growl. She wasn't sure who she was more mad at now; Graywolf for starting this mess or Spiders for making it worse. Either way, she was going to end it. The Black Ant rolled behind the tree to try and avoid another volley of blasts from the spiders. There were so many of them! "Enough!" She pressed her hands to the forest floor and sent out all the nanites she could; pushing her body's production of them to its' limit. Billions of the microscopic machines rolled out through the area, a barely visible eddy that looked almost like a thin fog.

The spiders were machines which meant they had to have a power source and without that, they were harmless. The nanites swarmed the much larger spiders, sliding into cracks and the gaps between molecules. They sought out all of the connectors to the internal batteries of the spiders and went to work, turning them into non-conductive glass. Could she reach enough or all of them before she got zapped or mortared? Kuroari shook her head, she couldn't worry about that now.

Spark's reemergence

Spark blinked. At least, that's what it seemed like. One second he was walking with the new recruits, back on the moon base after his first successful mission on the Defenders, and then, everyone was gone. He was in the same spot at least, this time. He looked around him. This had happened before, it was never more than a month of time in between his vanishing act and when he reappeared. Listening closely, he could hear the sound of combat in the distance. Heavy combat. He could hear the sounds of metal being smashed, and shouting? Something was going down.

Looking down the hallways frantically, he moved as fast as he could, blinking down the passage ways that the sound was coming from. A lot could happen in a month, especially in a super hero run moon base. As he got closer he heard the distinct sounds of Gregory's spiders, whirring and clinking, and a roaring sound? It sounded like a bear, only angrier. Images of Gregory trying to shield himself from some mutant grizzly using his nano machine gizmos flashed through Jordan's head as he desperately tried to locate the apex of the sound. Finally he turned a corner, the sounds coming hard and fast, and he saw the combat happening, with a terrifying creature and several nimble girls destroying the spiders... While Siren and more new faces watched passively from the side.

He let out a sigh of relief Ashe realized what was happening. Chest heaving, he walked into the room, taking a long path around the combat over to the other new supers, looking down and realizing his clothes were pockmarked again. He really had to find himself a uniform that could handle the stress of his teleportation powers.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Avery watched as Black Ant and Runner stepped up, and Black Ant opened the discussion on which zone to take. She ran her fingers over the screen of the controller and tried to get finer control of them.

Then- a skin tingling roar from behind- and some deep rumbling words. Avery whiped around, body tensed and ready for action, and she spotted a large, humanoid wolf man where Adam was. So, this was Greywolf. Avery's shock lasted long enough for Greywolf to dash off into the forest and start fighting off the spiders. The spiders' default programming caused them to rush right at him, swarming towards the most direct threat. At the metallic crunch of one of the spiders, Avery winced, recalling her (now broken) promise to Gregory. She tapped at the screen furiously, trying to regain control and to adjust their attack to better suit Greywolf when Black Ant and and Runner jumped in.

Avery shook her head as she watched the new recruits. She was pleased with the team work they were now displaying, but knew she would have to pull Greywolf up on the fact that he jumped the gun. She was just about to get the spiders to retreat when the screen on her remote flashed and then displayed a message.

Locked out.

"Spider!" Avery groaned through the comms, shaking the screen and then glaring at one of the nearby security cameras. "I know you want to protect your pets but the Commander and Spectre need you more! Pass me control back and I'll get better. I just need practice!"

Avery watched as the three new Defenders took on the spiders (now a dozen times more tricksy and lethal under Gregory's guidance).

"Gregory- that's enough!" She reinforced. "Team! Back to the center now!" She called out.

Then another sound. A panting from behind her. Avery whipped around and her eyes widened when she saw Jordan.

"Spark! Just in time for training," She said with a grin, motioning for him to come over. Her eyes raked his form, taking in his hole-ridden clothing. "We really need to get you something more suitable to wear." She walked over to him, gaze returning to the team as they battled. She lowered her voice. "I'm sorry I didn't wake you. I just figured that after yesterday, if you could sleep through that damn revelry... Well, I figured you needed the rest."

 

[silvertongue217]

COMMANDER POV

John listened to Caliban words. He shifted his weight his eyes already scanning the area and figuring out the best point of attack. He and Caliban had gone toe to toe before but the last time they had it leveled a town.......

And seriously hurt him

He cleared his throat trying to figure out how best to approach Caliban and his words.

"As much as i appreciate the heads up" John finally said watching him carefully "I want to be clear as well..... If you decide you want to join up with the syndicate and that your going to work with Jane I will take you down"

"I wont fight you now" John said glancing at the outside of the cafe "And neither will my team unless you decide to attack civilians you have safe passage out of her Caliban please go and continue to be the lone wolf you are"

...............................

SPECTRE POV

"Understood Infra-Sapien" David said rising up "D-man your on me"

"Got it dawg" Darius said rising up and taking the equipment from Lynx "Thank you darling I shall be sure to put it to good use!"

"We both will" David remarked as the jet pitched and tugged "Come on D-man this is going to feel a little weird"

David grabbed the man and with a flash of blue he was in his ghost form. He phased them out of the jet and soon they were flying to the top of the large office building. It was cold in Russia but the wind cut through them both and didnt bother either of them.

"Looks like a light contingent of guards" David said speaking into the COMS "Infra-Sapien I see a landing pad for you that I will mark"

David floated to the top and in seconds they were phased through. David landed in the middle of the server room phasing them back as he turned and looked around.

"Start it up D-man" David whispered his hands glowing green as he looked around.

"I got it" Darius said pulling his laptop out and the equipment that Lynx had given him. He sat down and slipped his headphones on getting lost in hip hop as he began to hack into the servers.

..................................

RUNNER POV

Maya watched the eskirma stick tossed to him, god was it slow! The girl had plenty of time to kick a few more spiders back. The Eskimra stick was finally in her reach and so she plucked it up spinning it before she turned her sights on the mortar spiders.

She calculated and judged the distance in real time (well real time for HER). With a flick of his wrist the Eskirma stick was flying out. It slammed into the first spider rebounding on the other two and finally knocking them out. She jumped grabbing it as it came back to her and sliding to a stop.

Before she could find more targets Black Ant was finishing it. She couldnt see it of course but one by one the spiders began to go inert.

"Are we done then?" Maya asked her breathing heavy as she looked back at every one "Im just getting started! And what about big furry beast over there?"

......................................

SPIDER POV

"Argh fine" Gregory said transferring back control and shaking his head "But those are my toys that fucking wolf is tearing into!"

"Oh just so you know the commander has made contact with Caliban" Gregory said tapping and checking the latest Sat Photos "So far nothing bad has happened"

 

[KimaniNight]

POV Lynx

"So Lynx, I'm thinking I might send a spirit rhino barrelling into their front door, what do you say?" Natura asked, pushing the words through her gritted teeth, trying to distract her roiling stomach.

"I say that sounds like a marvelous start," Lynx replied, trying to send the woman a sympathetic look. She reached out a hand to Natura as she added reassuringly, "And we'll be on the ground soon enough. Myself, while you're attacking their front gate, I have some devices in mind to send their motion detectors, heat sensors and surveillance cameras into overload. From what their real eyes show them, and with their electronic eyes no longer reliable, I believe we should send them into a proper panic.

As Pe --- Infra-Sapiens, she reminded herself --- as Infra-Sapiens maneuvered the jet, assumedly where Spectre had suggested, Lynx found her pulse quickening. She might like to think of herself as first an adviser, researcher, diplomat, tinkerer...but it was on a mission that she felt most alive.

 

[Obuzeti]

Danior's lower jaw shifted straight left until it popped, an ugly, abrupt noise. Then it slid back. The black stare "Mother's goals do not align with my own," he said, eventually. "And while I have no objection to your counterpart's peculiar psychosis, it remains irritating. I have extended the same notification to them as you and yours - I merely wish to reduce unintended accidents."

He smiles, teeth flickering behind pale lips like film reel. "Enjoyable as our engagements might be, they should be scheduled and not improvised."

Here, Danior pauses to extract a map from the pocket of his jacket, slung carefully over the back of his chair. He unfolds it with careful fingers and points to a location: Socotra Isle, in the Indian Ocean."

"I will be having a - disagreement - with one of my peers on Socotra four days hence," Danior says, marking the spot with a pen. "I warn you now as a courtesy - our differences are rarely settled with discussion, and I know you have some care for the indigenous life. You may wish to ask for an evacuation before that time."

The pen taps against the counter, blotting the map with each clicking bounce. Danior's eye roil in their sockets, night clad in night. "It will be violent."

 

[silvertongue217]

COMMANDER POV

John took the map raising an eyebrow at his words and trying to resist the urge to sigh. On the one hand he preferred this to just random wanton destruction. On the other hand however he felt in his own way that he was helping the man or at least abetting him.

Of course the last time he tried to take him down it hadnt ended well....... He survived and so do Caliban but it was one of the hardest heals he ever exerpienced. He wasnt really interested in going through that again.

Not if he could help it at least

"We will evacuate the area then" John said taking the map and letting his suit morph it into a pocket "Now can we leave here with no blood shed? I would prefer it Caliban if at all possible"

 

[SinisterSpiders]

~Avery~

"Finally!" Avery grumbled, quickly changing the command for the spiders to one for retreat. In a moment those creatures that were swarming the team receded in a scuttling wave into the forest. "Team! Back to me!" Avery repeated, knowing that now their path was clear.

"Spiders, thanks for the update on the teams. Keep them coming. Just remember, they are your focus now. Not this training," Avery added.

~Cloe~

Natura forced a smile for Lynx's benefit. She was grateful the feline woman was chatting to her, helping to distract her. She took in her words and nodded.

"Sounds like we have a plan then," Natura said, a tiny hint of excitement bursting through her nausea at the prospect of getting to play with her powers properly again. In the five years since the Defenders were disbanded , Cloe has been refining and enhancing her skills. She was looking forward to showing them off.

 

[Armphid]

Makoto felt deeply relieved when the remaining spiders relaxed and then retreated. She waved her right hand absently and the nanites went to work on those that were deactivated, damaged or destroyed. They could repair them, even rebuild those Greywolf and Maya had smashed to pieces. It would take a few minutes for the more damaged ones, but she'd fix all of them. It was only fair, since she suspected that they weren't supposed to be fighting them in the first place.

The looked over at Maya; a bravo, it seemed. "You may continue if you wish, Maya-san, but Siren is calling us back. As for him..." Kuroari shrugged and turned to walk out of the forest and back into the arena area, "He's on our side. Technically," she added, a bit tartly.

Behind her the nanites continued their work not only on the spiders but also on the forest. The greenery and trees that she had disassembled for raw material were being reconstructed before the microscopic machines slagged themselves and went inert upon completion of their assigned tasks.

When she reached the others who had been watching, as well as someone new! She hadn't seen him at breakfast or the meeting. Had he slept through them? John would be unhappy with that. But more so with how disastrous this training had done. Makoto pushed her hair back over her shoulders and then bowed to Avery, "On behalf of Maya-san, and myself...and the wolf, I apologize. We did not do as your ordered and have caused a disruption to you and our ally. I'm sorry."

She straightened up, "I hope we managed to give something of a good performance, despite all that."