The Defenders Renewed (Group Thread Open To All)

[SinisterSpiders]

Training Arena

Avery saw the team moving into position and grinned, enjoying the way they were discussing tactics and working with each other. Very good.

"Okay guys; spiders are live in three, two, one!"

Then the sound started. From the distance, way towards the back of the urban setting, came the metallic skittering sound of the spiders. They raced over the buildings and around the parked vehicles, their slick bodies glimmering in the arena lights as the red indicators on them flickered on and off. They came in a wave, a viscous looking wall of critters surging, trying to make it to the sand.

 

[Zagreus_D]

Training Arena

Imogen/Improv POV

As soon as Maya and Romeo had cleared the zone for her web, Improv set to work, focusing hard, not on the machines rushing across the terrain toward her small group, but on her hands. She visualized the spool of thick grade steal cable, and felt the weight of it in her hands. She found a place to root the line against the blown out building to her left, and then ran across the street to find an anchor point on the opposite side. She didn't have super speed, so the work took time, but she moved decisively, trusting the rest of her team to keep the invaders out of her zone until she was set. The first line of her trap was set parallel to the ground at about knee height. Once she had run a good five lines over the ground in a zig-zag pattern she started crossing the zone with cord at uneven diagonals ranging from knee high to shoulder high, using the buildings on either side to root her work. She didn't have to worry about how secure the anchor points were, she knew that so long as the buildings were standing her lines would not budge from where she set them.

Romeo/Kid Crux POV

Romeo followed Maya past the zone for Improv's web and took cover behind one of the cars. He had seen the spiders shoot at the previous team, and he didn't want to make an easy target of himself. It was crazy how many of them were coming!

He reminded himself that this was just a training exercise, and Nibo was with him.

He leveled the laser gun at one of the approaching spiders and took the shot. Its forward progress stopped immediately and it twitched and buckled into itself. He took aim and hit a second, and then a third. They were moving targets, and a good distance away, but they were so big that he didn't seem to have any problems hitting them.

 

[silvertongue217]

Defenders Base

COMMANDER POV

"I dont like this" John murmured looking down at Lynx computer and taking it all in "We have all dealt with tricksters before beings with cosmic level powers there just as liable to help you as they are to turn you into a frog or some shit"

John gave the information another glance through before sighing "I shall get her but fair warning she tends to be.... Anti social at best" John said glancing back over at Gregory.

He rose pressing his hand to his ear and activating the communicator "Tetra Macha please report to OPS station Alpha please"

He waited several seconds for confirmation. He did not however get any and so he tried again glancing over at spiders.

"Looks like there not in their room commander" Gregory said typing away "Actually I am not seeing them any where on the base at the current moment"

"Shit" John said glancing at Lynx "Tetra that is Alenjandra has been known to be anti social she might have decided to leave"

"Macha would have send you an email commander" Gregory said nodding at the computer "I would go ahead and check"

"I will once the Russia group is back" John said glancing at Lynx "For now go ahead and head for some much needed R and R Gregory how is the Russia operation going?"

"Looks like the group is coming back now" Gregory said nodding at him "Should be docking as we speak"

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

SPECTRE POV

"Well team I couldnt have asked for a better mission" David said as the jet smoothly landed in the hanger.

"We got the intel and we survived the eleventh hour" David said smiling and rising out of his seat "You all deserve some R and R and showers!"

The ramp slid down opening for them

"Darius if you want I can go ahead and bring the intel to the commander" David said rising and offering as the others began to disembark.

"Nah I can do it" Darius said pulling his messenger back on "Its still all encrypted I can take it and start working on it with his permission"

"go ahead" David said nodding "I will let him know" He said following the man off of the ramp and down into the hangar.

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

RUNNER POV

"Sounds like a plan beautiful" Maya said before she could stop her self. She moved forward bouncing on the balls of her feet as her eyes tightened and took in the surroundings.

She heard Avery count down the spiders coming on and crouched ready and waiting.

She didnt have to wait long

They came out of the shadows a small army of robotic spiders. Maya heard Improv working behind her but filed it away. She was doing what she was supposed to be doing the same as Romeo was.

"Time to move" Maya murmured grabbing the Eskirma stick and twirling it in her hands. She took off like a bolt pushing her self forward until it felt like she was gliding over the pavement. The first group of spiders were crossing over the cars some even diving below and taking advantage of their small frames.

She targeted those first

She whipped the stick out the angles already calculated in her head. The baton rebounded off of the tire moving under the car and sending them scattering.

"Keep covering me!" Maya called catapulting over the car and kicking the two advancing down. Her hand snapped out grabbing the baton as it came back to her and sending it spinning into another group of spiders. Her other hand scooped up one of the inert ones tossing it like a bowling ball and sending another group scattering.

"Come on Avery!" Maya hollered back flipping over a few spiders taking pot shots at her "Make it a challenge!" She hollered batting the spiders nearest to her with her Eskirma stick.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Defender's Base

Once the ship had taken off, Caro flew from his perch by the captain's seat over to Cloe's shoulder. He chittered away, pecking indignantly at some of the wilted leaved on her suit. Cloe didn't bother shooing him away, as the little critter made her smile despite how tired she was. Her mind was still racing with the events of the day, but it was all worth while knowing that Darius got the information that he needed.

David's words upon landing were just what the team needed, and she knew they did the best they possibly could under the circumstances, even with Lynx disappearing as she did. Cloe was pleased that David suggested some R&R. She had been wanting to check out the greenhouse since the moment she reached the base, and now she finally had a chance. It was her own little corner on the moon, a home away from earth, and right now she felt the need to sink her feet into the warm soil there. She walked up to Peter as he commenced the shut down procedures of the aircraft.

"Good to see you haven't lost your aviator's touch," She said, resting her hand on his shoulder, "I'm heading to the Greenhouse. Please feel free to drop by if you need to use the UV lamps. Or just because..."

Cloe then traced the old route from the hangar to the greenhouse, bypassing the Mess, the dorms and the training room. When she finally got there she stood, hands on the door, and took a deep breath, preparing herself for the worst.

When the door slid open Cloe was pleasantly surprised. The Greenhouse, huge by anyone's standards (though not as sprawling as the training arena), hadn't fared too badly. Most of the plants that survived were the ones that were true troopers, the ones that thrived on 'neglect' (or, as Cloe liked to think of it, more self-sufficient). Most of the crop section had been left to return to the soil, but the rainforest seemed to be thriving. The bright sunlamps overhead warmed her, and Caro chirped happily on her shoulder.

"I feel like we've come back home," Cloe remarked, reaching up and scratching Caro's chest as she stepped into the room and let the door slide shut behind her. Out there, above the heat lamps, were large panes of reinforced glass in the traditional dome shape. When the moon had it's turn in the sun the light from that would give the plants a real added boost. She walked past the rows of furrowed dirt, already planning just what she would plant there to nourish the new Defenders, and then went into the humid shade of her rainforest. She would her way through the trees, running her fingers along their trunks and sending them some of her own life force. They seemed to straighten in response, feeling the presence of the person who had planted and raised them. She walked all the way to the center of her sanctuary, to the hammock that was still strung between the trees, and to the small artificial pond she had created there.

Eager to be free of the dust of Russia, Cloe released the fauna on her body, the bark and leaves and vines receding to reveal her naturally tanned body as she lowered herself into the sparkling, warm water of the pond. She let out a sigh of relief as the water caressed her skin and massaged away the stresses of the day. Caro flew off to flit about in the trees.

 

[such_a_bad_man]

Peter sighed as the transport touched down on the landing platform, releasing a held breath from who knows how long ago. The trickiest parts of any flight are always the take-off and landing. After so many times on this same approach, it still put his heart in his throat to bring in a craft in for a landing. He tried to tell himself that his long layoff had nothing to do with it, but that was impossible. He hadn't quite gotten his touch back; the controls didn't feel like an extension of his brain yet. 'Just give it time...' he told himself. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Cloe smiling at him as he spun the ship back down.

"Good to see you haven't lost your aviator's touch," she told him. Peter smiled back, glad that the others hadn't noticed a change in his skill yet. Peter felt it though. Five years of rust don't shake off that fast. Still, he got them in and out, complete with two off-loads without incident. Nodding to himself, he unbuckled and stood from his seat, listening to Spectre and D talk about what was next for the team and the data they had in hand.

Stomping down the ramp, he saw Cloe turn down the hallway toward the greenhouse. Her offer was enticing, but he couldn't visit her in his current state. Heading for the dorm wing, he found his room again. Once the door closed with a swish and the lights came on, the toll of their mission suddenly hit his body. He felt tired, like he'd ran a few miles hard without stopping. Unzipping the flight suit, he peeled it off and inspected it for damage due to the fight. Frowning at what he saw, the tubing and some of the breathable mesh webbing in it had been damaged by his own heat.

"Hmmm, gonna have to see if Greg can come up with a solution to this..." he muttered to himself as he tossed it in the disposal in his room. Stripping down completely, he stepped under the shower installed in his room. Finding just the right temperature, he began washing the grime and grease from his skin. The extra heat from using his powers activated his skin like a sauna might normal people. Giving himself a good scrub all over, he felt a little better, but his body still felt so tired. Wincing slightly as he raised his arms, he saw that a sizable bruise was growing where Spectrum had kicked him in the side.

"Crap..." he grunted in pain as he placed a hand over his toned abs, rubbing it slightly to work the clenching muscles to loosen up. Breathing the hot steam into his lungs, he tried to get some relief, but eventually gave up and toweled up, wiping as much water toward the drain for recollection. Water was the premium resource up here. Even without the full roster in the base, Peter wasn't comfortable wasting a drop.

The rest evaporated very quickly as Peter dressed again. His utilities were squared away where he left them and his ubiquitous tank top over cargo pants hung on his body within moments again. Once they were on, Peter was hit again by how tired he felt. He didn't want to sleep; it was too early for that. Hoping his heat lamps were still set up, he made for the mess to grab a snack and a soak under his lamps. Sure enough, the lamps had been moved back to the green house as they weren't set up over his spot in the mess.

"Spiders are doing too good a job at straightening up..." he told himself as he found a bowl of snacks and made himself "Flavored powdered drink mix"; the sterility of space foods made him chuckle some times. Not knowing what else to do, he looked down the hall toward the greenhouse. Walking down the hall, he bit his lip slightly as he could already feel the conversation he was going to have when he gets there. Stepping through the doorway, Peter sipped his drink before calling out. "Cleo? You around?"

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Cloe smiled and straightened up upon hearing Peters's voice. After lounging around and getting clean in the pond, the sad state of the furrows had called to her, and she was plagued with a need to tend to them. So she had redressed herself in her moss and leaves, the flora simulating a pair of shorts and a strapless tank top, and she had gotten to work in the dirt. The heat lamps felt good on her bare shoulders, her skin and flora soaking up the UV, leaving her to feel warm and contented.

"Peter, bem vinda!" Cloe called out. "I'm here. Just getting some crops started. It seems we have a few people to feed now. Please, come in."

She saw him then, in his pants and singlet. She felt a tickle of dirt on her cheek and, suddenly self conscious, tried to swipe the smudge away.

 

[KimaniNight]

Operations Center, Defenders' Lunar Base

POV Lynx

Lynx grimaced. She realized that the Commander had quite a bit on his plate, but she felt he was being overly cavalier with her encounter. Perhaps his dismissiveness was due to his inability to comprehend the "puzzle" that Erotisi had left with her. In this, she couldn't blame the Commander. The mathematics was just art the edge of her cognitive abilities.

Lynx was also upset at Alejandra's disappearance, though she knew the girl's history. The fact that Alejandra could make any connections at all was near miraculous. Lynx had been serving as tutor and counselor to Alejanra and Delen since they had come up to the moon. Alejandra had been miserable since the first day, and would not have come up here at all if it weren't for Delen. So if Alejandra were truly that unhappy, it wasn't inconceivable that she would talk her sister in returning to Earth with her.

Well, it wasn't as if Lynx couldn't find assistance elsewhere to help her with this puzzle. True, Alejandra would have allowed her to keep the research "in house", and there was the added bonus of possible getting the girl out of her box. Lynx looked over at Gregory, and felt a tinge of sadness. She knew the boy had a crush on Alejandra, even though Alejandra had done absolutely nothing to encourage it.

Well, for now, Lynx would put the problem on the back burner, as her human comrades would put it. Discuss the aftermath of the missions into Russia and Germany. Then she would decide what she needed to do about this puzzle. Perhaps she might ever return to her own people for awhile.

Time would tell.

 

[silvertongue217]

Moon Base/ Ops Center Alpha

SPECTRE POV

"Commander" David said stepping into the ops center. His eyes swept the room taking in the scene before settling on Lynx.

"Lynx there you are!" David said sighing in relief and coming over "What the hell happened to you!"

"Not now" John said glancing over at Lynx before she could talk "Do you have your report?"

"I do" David said nodding his head "We managed to get what we needed Darius is working on it now in the lab trying to decrypt the information"

"Spider" John said glancing over at Gregory

"I hear ya commander" Gregory said rising and moving to the door looking distant and troubled.

"Lynx do you think you could get in touch with Tetra?" John asked turning "I think she might be more receptive to you since you and her have had previous dealings and our colleagues"

"Tetra?" David asked raising an eyebrow in confusion "Did you need any thing else commander?"

"No not now" John said clapping the man on the back "I am about to head down to see the training as soon as Lynx and I handle this care to join the training?"

"Not now Commander" David said shaking his head "Im actually going to go planet side for a bit I have a doctor to go see in New Orleans I should be back in a few hours"

Before the commander could ask any thing more David turned moving to leave the Ops Center. He doubled over the minute he was in the hall. Even though he was back in human form his body briefly went intangible threatening to sink through the floor. He grunted and with effort pulled himself back even as he felt the spirit world call for him.

"Not yet you impatient bastards" David growled moving over to the teleporter room. He programmed the coordinates and with a flash he was gone.

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

COMMANDER POV

"Okay so if Tetra and Macha went back they would have gone to her parents more than likely" John remarked to Lynx as he went over to his computer and pulled up his email.

"We could go together.... but I think you might have the best chance Tetra never warmed up to me Macha I was okay with. Ah looks like I did get an email from Macha"

John clicked on it his eyes sweeping as he read the information.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Moon Base, Training Arena

Avery watched the training exercise with great interest, impressed by the way that these heroes were working together. They seemed to click very nicely, and it gave her hope for the Defenders. She couldn't help but laugh at Maya's enthusiastic jibe.

"Steady on!" Avery laughed as she shook her head at the girl. She dialed up the spiders' attack nonetheless, deciding to change their aim. Instead of only swarming for the ring, they would now attack anything and anyone that got in their way.

"John? I take it from radio chatter that everyone is back and safe?" Avery asked through comms as she watched the spiders chasing the team.

 

[Zagreus_D]

Romeo/Kid Crux POV

Maya was fast, too fast. Romeo was doing his best to pick off the spiders with the laser gun, but he had to concentrate his fire around the edges of the skirmish, Maya just kept getting in the way. Obviously the laser wouldn't hurt Maya, so Romeo could have ignored her location and shot past her, but the purpose of the exercise wasn't just to show off, it was to train. If Romeo wouldn't take the shot with live ammunition he wasn't going to take the shot here either, but the spiders just kept coming, and now they seemed to be targeting Maya rather than just trying to get past her. She was an amazing fighter but she would be buried under a swarm if she didn't change tactics... unless Romeo could take more of them out faster.

*You shoot. I'm helping.* Nibo spoke insistently in Romeo's mind, but Romeo didn't have time to ask what Nibo was doing, or discourage the lwa's input. He was too slow already. Then without warning Romeo felt a sudden rush, like his mind was being pushed forward through a tunnel. It was an odd experience, and he wasn't quite sure what Nibo had done, but the spiders and Maya both seemed to be moving more slowly than before. The spiders seemed laughably slow, and while Maya was still fast, he could track her movements with ease now. *You see now what Nibo sees. Shoot houngan." At this accelerated processing speed, Romeo's movements felt sluggish but he was able target one spider after another with steady accuracy and keep the swarm from completely overtaking Maya.

-------------

Imogen/Improv POV

Improv finally rooted the loose end of her web and looked up to see how her team was fairing. Maya moved like a blur at the center of a mass of the spiders that seemed to be entirely focused on her, while Romeo was leaned over the hood of a car taking spiders down one at a time with his gun. The mechanical spider bodies were beginning to form a pile along the center of the street, making another barrier for the invaders to cross before getting to the trap she had set for them. She didn't like the way the spiders seemed to be going exclusively for Maya.

She focused on creating a ball in her hands, a volley ball. She had never been the best sportsman, unless you counted fencing, but she had a mean volleyball serve. Even with a real ball she could probably cross the distance to the spider's easily, but with her own ball she was guaranteed to put it exactly where she wanted it. It wasn't a physical feat, but a mental one, she couldn't change the trajectory of an item once she let it go, but she could it a target and she had a couple of other tricks she could do. All she had to do was visualize exactly what she wanted.

She launched her ball into the air, and through a concentration of will she increased the density the ball so that by the time it hit it's mark it had become a bowling ball. It hit the target spider with enough force to cave in its center and send a shower of small mechanical parts raining down on the scene. "Fuck. Sorry." She mumbled the apology to no one in particular. That was too much force. Way too much force, but some of the spiders seemed to have taken note of her and started moving past Maya with a new target in mind.

 

[Wolfias]

Adam/Greywolf in the Training Area

Sitting down exactly where he stood crossing his long legs, watching the training exercise of these three. Noting the way the young sniper surged in accuracy, it's like he shifted gears. Also aptly named Runner out ran the spiders taking them out one by one the more they're attacking her. Impov jumped up with a wicked swing at something Adam couldn't see. It was like her name Improv could she improv objects? -If so that was a incredible power Grey, did you so what she did?!- It crushed a spider. That should obviously wake the big guy up.

Greywolf opens an eye at the crash then raising his head, watching the new ones in the new training exercise. -See that Grey? Now that's what team work looks like big guy. Let's get to the top of our class soon shall we?- *Rumbling quietly in the back of Adam's mind. I would like that very much*

 

[KimaniNight]

Operations Center, Defenders' Lunar Base

POV Lynx

"Alejandra -- Tetra -- never really connected with me, or with anyone else on the base, outside of her sister," Lynx replied softly. She looked over quickly at Gregory before turning her attention back to the Commander. It was no secret that Gregory had a crush on Alejandra, an emotion that wasn't returned.

"I made sure the girls kept up with their lessons, providing tutelage as necessary, but Delen is the only sister who warmed up to me, Commander. Still, maybe if you and I sat down with the girls and their family..."

Lynx picked up her tablet and tapped in a command. Raising an eyebrow, she added, "It seems her parents have moved. No forwarding address. Well, not a problem," she smiled. "We do have some of the top programming experts on the world below us. It should be easy to find them quick enough."

 

[KimaniNight]

The Doctor's Shop of Oddities and Curiosities, New Orleans

POV Doctor Laveau

https://pp.vk.me/c402216/v402216642/adf8/KSeaXYWxwUA.jpg

"That will be forty dollars," Ava said with a soft, Acadian accent, as she placed three short, stout candles and two clear bags of lavender colored powder in a small paper sack and gave them to an older woman. "And I think you'll be very pleased with the affect it will have on the harmony of your home."

The older lady thanked Ava profusely. Ava gave the woman a warm smile, keeping the smile plastered on her face until the woman left the store. At which point Ava rolled her eyes and blew an errant lock of hair out of her eyes.

As Ava put the money in her cash register, she couldn't help but chuckle. Most of the store's inventory was, to put it kindly, crap. Stuff to sell to the tourists and wannabes.

Not that Ava didn't have "real" customers. Like the huntress she had given transportation to earlier that day.

And the portents and signs in the back of her shop told her she had another real customer coming to her shop. A gentleman whom she had a strictly platonic relationship with, though she knew he wanted something more. And she definitely did not.

Still, he was one of her real customers. so she owed him the courtesy of a good shopkeeper.

With that thought in mind, she began making preparations.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Defender's Base, Greenhouse

((This post is a copy of some RPing between myself and such_a_bad_man. Cloe’s replies are in the standard font, and Peter’s are in italics.))


Peter heard Cloe calling out to him. As he walked across the greenhouse to him, he felt his endurance slowly returning to him. Looking up, he closed his eyes and basked for a moment in the light shining down on him. "There they are..." he said to the lamps rejuvenating his body. Running now across the open greenspace, he came to a stop on the walkway by the area marked off for food production. "Ah, there you are..." Cloe's vines had made her clothes again. He'd seen her clothed in her Chlorophyll Company countless times before, but he kept thinking that she was never really dressed in the back of his mind. It always made him feel a little weird around her in their down time.

~

The closer Peter got the more refreshed he looked. Cloe's eyes darted up to the heat lamps and smiled. It seemed she had a lot to learn about this new version of him. She was very pleased that he seemed to need the light though, it meant there would be plenty of opportunity in the future for said exploring.
"Yes, back in my old stomping ground," she replied. "How are you feeling? I can't say I was expecting quite that level of combat."

~

Peter forced a smile and looked at his feet bashfully. "Yeah... I wanted to explain so you wouldn't be quite so surprised... or even scared... by what I can do now." He says, his voice dropping low as he speaks a little more from the heart. Looking up, he saw the deep mahogany of her eyes looking back at him. "Even I'm not 100% sure about what I can do..." Even standing this close, the heat radiating from his body is undeniable. It's gone up a few degrees just with him standing there. "All I know is that my body responds to sunlight now and can do the things you saw." He gestures up at the lights. "It doesn't even need to be natural light; just simulated sunlight makes my body do this."

~

Cloe smiled, reaching out and putting her hand against his arm. She had always had someone there to guide her through her development, well, at least until she was confident in herself. She could only imagine how frightening it would be to not know what you were truly capable of.
"Well, you are in the best place to learn I think," She said, looking into his eyes. "
The leaves on her torso reacted to his closeness and warmth, curling towards him like the little hedonists they were.
"And you can fly now- like, really fly! That was incredible!"

~

Peter looked down at her hand on his arm and then up to her eyes. He always loved how deep brown they looked. It just fit with her abilities and her over all look. Now that he had time to really look at her, he could see that she had gotten a deeper tan since he saw her last. He was barely listening to her and by the time he realized he was just standing there staring, she was excitedly going on about how he can fly now. He chuckled and lay his hand on hers. "Well, not so much flying but... really fast floating?" he said, his voice raising in a question as even he wasn't sure how to describe it.

~

"Well," Cloe said with a shrug, stopping herself from smiling at how distracted he appeared, "I thought it was amazing. I felt safer 'really fast floating' in your arms than I have ever felt in any aeroplane."
Cloe's eyes widened in horror and the little white blooms sprouted across her flora-made bodice.

"I didn't mean that you're a bad pilot. You're great. The only one I trust really. It's just that-" She took a deep breath and shook her head, realising that she would only be digging herself a deeper hole. "Sorry."

~

Peter smiled wide as she fumbled for the right words. "No need to apologize. I've seen how you twitch and tremor in your seat until I get onboard. I know that you trust me." He said, looking down at the small blooms on her "top". Looking back into her eyes, he chuckled. "There is no way I'm going to let you sit in on the poker game, if that's still going on. You have the worst poker face, thanks to these guys." he said, reaching out and softly brushing his fingers along the sprouted blooms.

~

Peter was as gracious as always, brushing off her silly rambling with his wonderful sense of humour. He was right, she was much calmer with him in control. The others who flew were usually good, but he was the best of them. She looked down at her blooms as she spoke, a wry grin on her face as he spoke of her lack of poker face. She would need to work on that. Then, he reached out and stroked the soft petals. They bloomed even further and the flush spread to her cheeks. She looked up at him, eyes catching his. They were so familiar, it was almost as if the last five years didn't happen. But they were also different somehow. More golden than brown? It was odd, she looked away, ignoring the stirring in the pit of her stomach.
"Well, if you keep touching them they will never go away," She joked. "They seem to love your heat."

~

"It seems they aren't the only things that like my heat." He said, gesturing to her reddening face. "But you're right, I'll behave myself to help you keep the Company in line." He said, stepping back, but reluctantly so. "Do you need any help replanting the crops? I feel like I shouldn't waste any waking hour now that I'm back with The Defenders." He said, trying to change the subject and to have an excuse to look anywhere but Cloe's lovely round face.

~

Peter's words turned the stirring in the pit of her stomach into something even more intense, and Cloe let out a tiny breath of combined relief and disappointment as he stepped away. If Peter had been hoping to allow Cloe's blooms to stop giving away her emotions he would be disappointed. At the sudden absence of his warmth they didn't return to normal, instead they sagged in an exaggerated reflection of Cloe's own feelings at the sudden loss of proximity.
"Sometimes I like it when the chlorophyll company is out of line," Cloe mumbled under her breath, then immediately regretted it.
It was odd, Cloe thought, sensing that perhaps there was some interest there on his behalf. In the old days she had desperately searched for any sign of attraction from him but never found it. They were friends, of that she had no doubt, but she had never gotten anything other than a platonic vibe from him. Now though? Surely the way he stroked the blooms... Cloe ignored the shiver that ran down her spine at the way that Peter's fingers had caressed her tiny white flowers. Well, if there was something sprouting between them she would do her best to follow up on it; she knew what it was like to let her feelings wither away, and she didn't intend to let it happen again. Though they had only just reunited, she didn't want to come on too strong. Instead, she turned, looking at the furrows behind her.
"You can help me if you like? I was just digging holes and planting seeds. If you pick one job I can do the other?" She suggested enthusiastically, pleased to have company while she worked. When she finally returned her gaze to him she unable to stop the smile brought forth by the comfort and familiarity of his face (but she did manage to stop the blooms from doing anything more than returning to their fully flowered state).

~

Peter nodded. "Sure, have a seeder or hand trowel? What sorts of tools have you got?" He asked, looking around slowly for the farming tools they had in support of the greenhouse. He debated stripping his tank top off, but that seemed a little inappropriate around Cloe. "How are we for spacing?" he asked while he waited for tools.

~

Cloe cast her eyes around for some tools. She didn't normally use them, preferring to user her hands or her abilities to do the work for her. Though there was a small shed off to the side that should have something in it. She also had to consider the actual measurements for spacing; she usually just did this things without too much though.


"Spacing at around... twelve inches?" She said, gauging the distance between the ones she had already done. "I'll get you a trowel." She turned and jogged off to the shed. When she got there she found it was full of an assortment of neatly stacked tools, so it was an easy matter to pluck a trowel for Peter. She then returned to him and handed it over with a smile. She then bent over, digging her hands into a hessian sack and pulling out some fresh, green little seeds.


"It's been a while since I've done any farming. I must admit I am looking forward to it. It is one thing to be surrounded by nature, but another entirely to plant a seed and watch it grow."

~

Peter took the hand tool gratefully and started digging out seed holes in the furrows. Using the spread of his hand to guess his spacing, he moved down the line, opening holes for Cloe. It felt good to be back to being useful again. Digging in the dirt, sitting under the simulated sunlight, his life was slowly getting back to normal. As he went, he wasn't even really sweating, a side-effect of his alteration.

~

Cloe decided to give Peter a head start. At least, that is what she told herself it was. It certainly wasn't an excuse to watch him crouched over, digging in the soil, preparing it for her seeds. She felt the disruption in the dirt beneath her feet, felt it parting, felt it cleaving to his tools and anticipating the insertion of something new. When he had dug half a dozen she joined him, getting to her knees and slipping a single seed into the hole. She then covered it over, pressing her palm against the soil and giving it an extra little boost of life, using her own energy to do so.


"Crescem bem pequeno," She whispered, before moving on to the next hole. Grow well, little one.


Between each seed Cloe couldn't help but look up at Peter, eyes trailing over the lines of his body, studying them as he worked, filling in the gaps in her memory and making new ones. He seemed to dig with ease, the heat of the greenhouse not even bothering him. But after the exertion of their mission she felt bad. Digging for her would be an easy matter, just a bit of mental concentration. With his wonderful warmth she though, perhaps, she should let him plant the seeds instead. Balance out their tasks a bit more fairly.


"Peter? I can dig if you'd prefer. It isn't fair for you to toil over it when I can do it so easily," She held out her palm, still with several seeds in it, and gave him a sheepish smile. She would miss the opportunity to watch his muscles ripple and shift as he worked, but she had no doubt the opportunity would arise again.

~

Peter turned, a smile on his face. "No, I couldn't stop now if I wanted to. After 5 years of sitting in a cell, I need this activity. I need to feel the space around me and let my body wake up again. So please, don't worry..." He reached out, curling her fingers back over the seeds. "This is what I need right now." He said with a warm smile and even warmer fingers.
He turned back and resumed his pace, digging out seed holes like he was being timed. He'd never felt better, bathed in the lights and finally back in natural surroundings. Even the smell of the earth being turned over spurred him onward. As his energy ramped up, though, the air temperature around him rose even more. He wasn't aware of it, but the plants nearby were withering slightly, losing water in the increased temperature. If not for the protective layer of dirt, the seeds would have been cooked as well by now.

~

Cloe returned Peter's smile, pleased that their task was helping him. His hands were warm on hers as he closed her fingers over the seed, and she was also glad that she wouldn't lose the opportunity to watch him work.
They returned to their work, a content silence settling between them as they did so. Though it wasn't long before something tugged at Cloe. Her fingers curled in the dirt, casting her consciousness out to the life forces around her, a frown tickling her lips. She felt something uncomfortable, a heat, something beyond what it should be. Her eyes widened and she watched Peter, seemingly energized, as he plowed through the task.
"Peter? Time for a break perhaps," Cloe said, straightening up and stretching her limbs as she wiped her hands on her thighs to brush off some dirt.

~

Peter stood up and turned. He looked over at Cloe as she stood, seeing her framed by the window behind her. She wasn't as curvy as before; her time in the jungle had leaned her out and bronzed her skin even more. She still had curves in all the right places as he saw when she bent forward to wipe her thighs from the dirt. Her vines couldn't hide her full bosom or her hourglass waist. Biting his lips, he blinked as he wondered when this happened.
"Uh, sure, a break is good, though we're not very far along." He said, looking at the lanes they had done so far. "Something wrong?" he asked, looking back at her as he slipped the handle of the trowel in his waistband.

~

For a moment, Peter just looked at her. The heat in that gaze it was... well, it was more intense than any heat she had felt from him that day. And that was saying something. It messed with her mind in a way that was intoxicating, and she had to let out a sharp breath before speaking.
"You're hot Peter," Cloe said, voice as gentle as she could make it. She reached a hand out as she took a step towards him. Her eyes flicked to the plants around them, their foliage shrinking away from him as they would a flame.

~

Peter heard her words, thinking she was saying one thing. As her eyes looked about them, however, he saw what she was talking about. "Oh shoot... sorry." He said, taking a slow deep breath. As he did, he visibly calmed down. The air around him cooled as well as he steadied his emotions. It wasn't clear if the two were linked, but so far it seemed to be. "I need to be more mindful of that around you and working in here in the greenhouse, I guess." He said, looking apologetic. "I guess a water wouldn't be out of the question while we're stopping for now."

~

"You needn't worry about me, I am fine," She assured him, a grin on her face, "There are plenty of plants that need a bit of fire to thrive. Perhaps I am like them."
She then led him off to the side, to a sink against one of the walls of the greenhouse. As she did, Cloe reached out with her abilities, summoning some vines from the centre rainforest to grow, to lengthen, to tug at the sprinkler switch, triggering a rain like spray from the grid of pipes running high in the ceiling.
Cloe rifled through the cabinet beneath the sink and retrieved two old tin cups. She gave them both a good rinsing before filling them and offering one to Peter.
"A toast, perhaps? To old friends?"

~

Peter took the cup from Cloe's dainty hand. Smiling, he raised it in a small toast. "To reunions." He clacked the old beat-up cup against hers and sipped from the cup. From just holding it, the water was warm as he sipped it. Something was keeping him from going back down to base temperature and it worried him a bit. Maybe there was a side-effect to his alteration after all. Would he always be warm like this? There was a flash of worry on his face as he considered it, but it swept away as he gulped down the rest of the tepid water. "Ahhhh... that hit the spot. I brought some of the trail mix from the cafeteria on my way in if you were feeling peckish..." He offered, retrieving the now warm snacks from his pocket. "Hmmm, should still be okay if a little toastier than you're used to.

~

Cloe grinned, reaching out to accept some of the snacks Peter offered. Trail mix. Perfect. She wondered if he had remembered her preference for vegan fare, or if it was pure luck. Nevertheless she munched on the seeds.
'Thank you," Cloe said gratefully. "You know, part of me wasn't sure if I should come back or not... To the Defenders... But I'm glad I did." She spoke slowly, looking up into his golden eyes.

~

"I had a lot of time to think about it and I knew I had to come back if I had the chance after I saw what I could do." He said, looking slightly ruefully at his hands. "I had to make something of these new gifts. I couldn't walk away now that I am what I am." He reached over and sunk his finger into her water. In a second, the water was boiling. "I mean, that is so effortless for me. Such a simple thing that I can do now. How could I not use it as a team member?" He asked, looking up into her eyes as he took his finger back.

~

"Hot or not, you have always been an important member of the team Peter. That hasn't changed," Cloe said, keeping eye contact. "This life though, it can be so complicated. Seeing everyone again- seeing you. It is a reminder of all the things I couldn't bear to lose again."

~

"But wouldn't it be better to have something good, even if it's only for a short while? I had everything taken from me for 5 years and I never thought I'd get any of it back again. I'm not missing out on anything I want in my life anymore." Peter said, sounding a little more desperate with each word. "I just... need to know what that is." He said, his face lined with worry a little.

~

Peter's words, the passion, it made sense of course. Cloe reached out, heart aching for him and what he must have suffered through. She pressed her hand against his cheek, stepping closer to him.
"I hope you find out Peter, you deserve good things."

~

Peter blinked. Cloe had never caressed him like this before. He looked down into her eyes and felt himself sinking into her big brown eyes. "Cloe..." he whispered, not moving away from her. His face was a picture of confusion as he was suddenly confronted with a thought he never considered. "But... we..." he said, swallowing, trying to come up with reasons why not.

~

Cloe's nerves were a tempest as she watched Peter processing her touch. She was about to apologize, but she bit it back.
"But?"

~

Peter reached up and took her hand from his face, holding it gently. "But... maybe we should get back to work..." He said, smiling politely. He had to think of something, anything else. He slowly stepped back and turned to the field again, hiding his face from her again.

~

Cloe's heart felt like it might break as Peter back away.
"Perhaps we should... But Peter-" Cloe sighed, unsure of whether she should continue. She took a deep breath, trying to centre herself. She had spent a long time telling herself what she would say to him if she had the opportunity again, yet here she was saying none of what she had wanted to.
"Peter, I just want you to know I am here for you... Whenever you need me," as soon as the words were out she cursed herself for it.

~

Peter squatted down in the dirt, smiling back at Cloe. "I know you are. I've always appreciated that." He said, before resuming his digging pattern in the field. He tried not to look at Cloe as he went. Instead, he focused inward, controlling his heat as best he could. his pace stayed fairly steady if a bit slower than before. Through it all, it had to be a little strange to not see him sweating as he worked. He never thought much about and his face didn't be tray that anything was wrong.

~

Cloe watched Peter go, heading straight back to work. She used her powers to coax the vine to pull back the sprinkler valve, letting the rain like downpour slow to a stop. She then walked back over, scooping up some new seeds and starting the process of setting them up in their new home. Every seed she planted saw a rise in some internal sense of frustration. She tried to calm herself; she had only just returned to base. Surely there would be plenty more time to tell Peter of her feelings.
Though that was what she had told herself before he left and disappeared for five years.

"When you were held there... What did you miss the most?" Cloe asked, needing to speak. Anything to distract herself.

~

Peter had thought that very thing for 5 years. His answer came easily. "The open sky. You have no idea how heart-breaking it is to keep a pilot cooped up underground for that length of time. It is as far from my natural environment as I could imagine." He said, sounding a little angry. "The only thing that would be better than sitting in a cockpit is this view..." He said, gesturing to the darkened view of space they had through the dome of the greenhouse. "I mean, just staring up at infinity like that... wow..." He sighed out, stopping for a moment to just look at the view the dome afforded him. "That, and real food. Not the institutional stuff they fed us to keep us alive. When we get some down time, I'd love to go down to the surface and sit down at a diner in Queens. People watch, sip some endless coffee, and enjoy whatever the short order cook was whipping up that day." He said whistfully, a grin curling his lips at the thought.

~

Cloe listened as she planted, the sound of Peter's voice working well to distract her from herself. She did feel a sense of anger rising at the bastards who had taken him, but what he was saying was bigger than that. She couldn't imagine being kept away from her earth, from her forest, for five long years.

"Perhaps we should do that when we get some down time. Would you mind if I invited myself along?" She asked. The city wasn't really her thing, but she had been away from any large cities for long enough that she knew she would be able to tolerate it.

~

"I'd love the company." He said, smiling at her. It was just so easy to be around her like this. Why did it feel weird to think about it being a date, though? He bit his lip as he looked at her separating the seeds in her hand. Her "top" accentuating her curves so well. Why did it feel weird to look at her like that? He shook his head as he resumed his work, digging seed holes again. It helped clear his mind and give him something else to do while his mind wrestled with very confusing thoughts.

~

Cloe returned Peter's smile as he looked at her, some internal thoughts making his eyes glaze. She felt the blooms covering her bodice start up, and she gritted her teeth beneath her smile, sending reproachful thoughts down to the cheeky things.

"And what sort of things would you like us to plant then? To make real food with? I am sure this - Gregory... I am sure he does a good job. But the best food comes from the freshest ingredients."

~

Peter smiled as he dug. "Ooh... good question. I'm thinking big leafy greens, crisp veggies. I'd love an orchard up here, but they are just too much of a water burden. We have to think about how much water budget we've got. I mean, there's only so much of it in the system." He said, his initial excitement tempering more and more as he thought about the realities of growing foods up here on the moon. "I mean, even the soil is recycled organic matter from what we grew last cycle and our own... wastes put to use." He said, trying not to think about it, but it was the only way a closed system like a moon base could and had worked all this time.

~

Cloe chuckled to herself at Peter's assessment of their soil and fertiliser situation. She took note of his preferences anyway, the greens and veggies were definitely doable.
"That is just the way of life really, everything returns to the earth in the end. Even our own wastes," Cloe joked, watching Peter's body moving under the bright greenhouse lights. Her own body was now warming, skin starting to shimmer with moisture, but he remained as dry as if he was not digging hole after hole.
"Did you see Gregory though? I was so shocked. He is such a mix of his parents..." Cloe trailed off, trying to suppress the memory of what had orphaned the poor boy. "Do you think things like that could ever work out for people like us? Relationships? Families?" She asked, eyebrows furrowing. She knew of not one Defender's based couple who had managed to carve out a simple lives for themselves. She cast her thoughts to John and Avery, a messy relationship if ever there was one, and wondered if they were doomed from the start.

~

"Love is worth it. Especially for people living our life. Otherwise, what the hell are we doing? What are we putting ourselves through this for if not for love and life?" Peter said simply. He finished the row and stood, looking back at Cloe inching along behind him. "What are we doing this for?" he repeated to himself as he looked down at her. Biting both lips, he felt a headache forming behind his eyes; his head was all messed up with conflicting ideas all of a sudden.

~

For a moment Cloe had thought that perhaps her ponderings had been too much. She had spoken to freely. She watched as Peter stood, quickly catching up to him as she planted the last of the seeds in her hands.
"Love is one of those things, then?" Cloe asked as she planted the last seed. She got to her feet, realising that she was standing far too close to him. She could feel the heat radiating off him, hotter than the lamps above.
"One of the things it is better to have had and lost, than never had at all?"

~

"If you had it and lost, you got the best that life has to give you, even for a short while. I wish I had those sorts of memories to cling to when I was alone in my hole. I wish I had someone that could give that to me." He said, his hands balling at his side. He didn't realize that his aura had ticked up a little more. "I hope you don't make my mistakes. Learn that from me, at least," he added finally.

~

Cloe wanted to reach out again, to touch him, to try to comfort him. She tried to subdue her natural desire to think he was speaking about her. That perhaps she could be that person for him.

"I made that mistake five years ago," Cloe said with a bitter laugh, unable to keep eye contact with him. Instead she looked at the small rainforest behind him, her home away from home. "I do not wish to make it again. I spent far too long cursing myself for keeping silent."

~

Peter smiled, folding his arms before him. "I'm glad you have a second chance. Can you give me a hint about who it is before you make up for wasting 5 years?" He asked, clearly oblivious to who she meant. He looked into her eyes, the simulated jungle behind him.

~

"I don't know.." Cloe said, blooms out in full force now. She was so close, yet the words were stuck there. She wanted to tell him. "I'm worried. I was worried. That was what stopped me. What if he doesn't feel the same? What if I ruin things because I couldn't keep my mouth shut?"

~

Peter walked over and deliberately put his hands on her bare shoulders. "Don't... wait... Your life is too short and risky to shy away from risks. I mean, how could you put yourself through the mission we just had and still be squeamish about a little heartache? Don't... wait..." He repeated, looking deep into her eyes.

~

Cloe's heart pounded in her chest, feeling his hands on her shoulders, skin to skin. She was caught in his gaze, trapped, balancing on a high wire with only unknowns beneath her.
She stood there, eyes wide, feeling as though any action would break her heart. She took in his words though, she had always appreciated his advice.
And then she did it.
She leaned forward, the weight of years of regrets pushing her on. She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against his. The kiss was so light it almost wasn't there at all, but there was no denying the feelings behind it now.

~

Peter didn't move right away. In fact, he didn't kiss her back at all. He stood there, eyes wide as her lips alighted on his. After a few seconds that stretched on too long, he slid his hands around her hourglass waist to hold her gently as he kissed her back finally. It didn't last long as Peter gently stepped out of the kiss. He looked into Cloe's eyes, but no words came. He just stood there, his mouth open slightly.

~

It was an eternity before Peter moved. Cloe felt every nanosecond of it with excruciating anticipation. But then, finally, his hands slid around her waist and his lips began to move. It was over almost as quickly as it began, but it had happened.
And it was wonderful.
Cloe looked at Peter's handsome face. The surprise there. She felt the need to say something, anything.
"It's you Peter.... It was always you."

~

Peter stood there, still trying to speak. "I... thank you... I never... I never thought you'd think of me like that. Can we talk about this tomorrow?" he stammered out like a teenager. As he did, he was already turning for the door. "It's not a 'no', but I need to think about some things." he added, hoping he wasn't breaking her heart.

~

Well, it wasn't the worst thing he could say. Still, watching him fumble and reach for excuses made Cloe feel as though a big angry fist had grabbed her heart. As he turned for the door she felt so silly; she had moved too quickly and now she was terrified that she had ruined it.
"Peter- I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-" Cloe gushed, taking a step back, feeling the urge to get lost in the rainforest. To run and climb and jump until her limbs ached and burned away her regret.

~

"No... you absolutely should have. I'd rather have you tell me than never know. I..." He stopped and bit both of his lips. "I just need some patience. I still have 5 years of catching up to do still." He explained, feeling like he was still in an adjustment period compared to everyone else.


~

"Oh- okay..." Cloe stammered. "I - uh- I have to go"
Cloe turned then, dashing towards the rain forest oasis. As she ran she cast her hand out, a long vine whipping out and wrapping around one of the trees. With a tug Cloe was sailing on it, pulling herself towards her hideaway faster than her legs would have carried her.

 

[SinisterSpiders]

Defender's Base, Training Arena

Avery couldn't hold back her smile as she watched the new recruits. Maya, Romeo and Improv were taking this seriously and doing a very good job of it. Maya was a blur, distracting the spiders, adapting to their new directive with ease. Romeo was incredible with that weapon, and treating it like a real gun. Avery didn't miss the fact that he was only taking shots that wouldn't put his team mate at risk. And then Improv... well, Avery couldn't really see what she was doing. Watching her was like watching a mime. So Avery could only guess at what was happening, but from her motions it looked like she was helping Romeo and Maya as well as creating whatever invisible back up she had planned.

Slowly but surely, the heroes were thinning the swarm, and doing well to slow their approach to the centre ring. Avery then looked at the controller for the spiders, trying to decide on the finale. She didn't want to pull the weapons out on them; this was their first session of the day and she didn't want them injured. So she stopped the full out assault on Maya. They were dealing with the engagement well. Instead she decided to throw them towards the ring full force. To have them race forward with every ounce of speed and manoeuvrability they had. They would dodge, dive, jump and dance away from any attack they could, their only focus now was getting to the middle.

 

[silvertongue217]

New Orleans

It was a nice night for a flight

David coasted over the cemeteries and churches that populated the current district of New Orleans he was in. He resisted the urge to cast his eyes down ignoring the spirits calling for him and or trying to get his attention. With a place with as much.... History in the paranormal as New Orleans it was easy to get lost.

And even easier to stay lost

He finally spied the top of the Doctors shop and floated down into the side alleyway. He slipped into the shadows changing back to his human form with a brief flash of light. He pulled his hoodie up casting his face in shadows as he stuck his hands into his pocket and walked towards the shop.

He came in the ringing bell signaling he was in the shop. He felt the pull of the mystic the under cutting of spiritual energy. He felt energized bolstered and ready and able to do any thing and every thing.

"Doctor?" David called stepping further into the shop "I hope I didnt come calling to late"

 

[silvertongue217]

Training Area

RUNNER POV

The spiders suddenly changed

Avery had clearly designated that they were to make one final push. Instead of going after her and the rest of the team they all converged and went en masse to the circle.

"Improv I hope your ready!" Maya called running after the spiders "Kid Crux! You might want to take cover in a house and try to get as many of the bastards as you can!"

Maya was wary to get to close to the circle. Improv had set up her own defenses and she wants looking to get cut into ribbons or become a casualty. She hung back bouncing over cars and taking out as many of them as she could. Her baton was almost like a racquetball bouncing between spiders and coming back into her hands before it was cast out once more.

 

[silvertongue217]

OPs Center Alpha

COMMANDER POV

"I will put the word out to look for them then" John said frowning at the news and rising from his chair "It seems there well and truly in the wind as of now" He said sighing and running a hand through his hair.

"Gregory go ahead and see if you can find them" John told the young man who nodded "Darius and you should be able to crack it down in the lab if you guys need any thing let me know"

"very good commander" Gregory said nodding and leaving the room without another word.

"Lynx I am going to go head down to the training area" John told her going over to the door "would you like to join me? Or at you going down for the night to your base?"

 

[KimaniNight]

The Doctor's Shop of Oddities and Curiosities, New Orleans

POV Doctor Laveau

"It's Ava or Miss Fontenette, mon ami," Ava answered. "You know I don't encourage that ridiculous title, David. And it's never too late for one of my favored clientele. Particularly when I know they're coming."

Ava went to the front door, flipping the Open sign to Closed.

"So what can I do for you, David?" Ava asked as she locked the shop's door.

 

[silvertongue217]

The Doctor's Shop of Oddities and Curiosities, New Orleans

"Your favorite client huh?" David asked unable to stop himself from laughing at that "I dont know about all that Doctor but ill take the compliment in stride!"

He waited for her to flip the sign to close and followed her into the shop

"I came to see if you had any more information for me" David said ducking under some oddities "For the right price of course.... I also wanted you to use your sight to see how much farther I have slipped towards the spirit world fully I have been using my powers more actively than I have the last few years and want to know how its affecting my transition"

 

[KimaniNight]

The Doctor's Shop of Oddities and Curiosities, New Orleans

POV Doctor Laveau

"Perhaps you should listen more carefully to the adjectives I use, David," Ava responded. "Favored, not favorite. As in one of the few customers who actually uses my real services and products."

Ava led David to a small alcove in the back of the store, where a laptop was waiting.
Ava gestured to David to take a seat as she sat down in front of the laptop. "And as I have told you before, it is either Ava or Miss Fontenette. Continue to call me by that moniker, mon ami, and my help will no longer be forthcoming."

Ava opened up her laptop, punched a few keys, and brought up a spreadsheet and an accompanying graph. "What, I'm not allowed to operate in the twenty-first century?" she asked.

"This is a correlation of all the data I've accumulated, including from my Second Sight," Ava told David. Giving him a serious look, she added, "It's accelerating the process, David. Continued use of your abilities at your present rate will result in a total transformation by..." Ava pointed at the screen.

"I'm giving you this service gratis, David," she told him. "And, as the saying goes, numbers do not lie."

 

[silvertongue217]

The Doctor's Shop of Oddities and Curiosities, New Orleans

SPECTRE POV

"I wasnt going to say any thing about it" David said laughing at her comment and sitting down in the seat she pointed out. He glanced around the shop taking it all in and marveling at some of the new exotic items. It was always interesting to come to her shop and see what she managed to pick up. There was a story for every thing in here that he would probably never find out.

Especially at this rate

"We did think it was going to happen" David said sighing and looking at the number taking it in. The time frame was right there in front of him for him to see.

He would go over to the other side in a year

"I suppose I should get use to it" David said leaning back and sighing "at least I know whats coming but still....."

He glanced at her "And what about any information I know you dont wish to give away any thing to sensitive since your shop is neutral but you of all people know I can pay you in supplies you need for your.... shop"

 

[Armphid]

Erotisi tests the Glorious Eye of Ra

"Ah, suburbia," Erotisi murmured to herself, as she floated invisibly across the street from the house of one Lisa Stewart. "Exclusive gated communities, crowded McMansions. The great American dream."

Without further commentary, Erotisi rematerialized just outside Lisa's bedroom. Making herself visible, Erotisi (floating a good two inches above the floor) knocked on Lisa's bedroom door.

"Hey Lisa?" Erotisi called out. "You don't know me, but I'm an old pal of your new boss. Haven't seen him in a while, but the parties we used to go to! Girl! Anyway, I'm Erotisi, and I was wondering if I could talk to you about being the new sunglasses of Ra?"

Lisa sat up on her bed and looked at her door with narrowed eyes. What the actual hell? The nineteen year old soon to be college student slipped off of her bed and pulled the shrunken form of the Staff of Ra from where it had been tucked behind her ear.

She couldn't have heard what she thought she'd heard. Some woman knocking on her door and talking about, well, her. But not the her that anyone knew. No one but Ra himself knew she was the Glorious Eye of Ra. Maybe she'd dozed off and it was one of those dreams where she talked to the old sun god. Maybe another god had contacted her?

She threw open the door and blinked. Nope, there was a woman there all right. Crazy, clingy kind of faerie-y Ren faire dress wearing white girl...who was also floating a few inches off the ground. She stood there for a moment, not sure what to say. And also wishing she'd stopped to put on some shorts since she was currently standing there in a UP tank top that exposed a great deal of her rich brown skin and a pair of royal blue panties that left her long, strong legs exposed.

"Party? That old man? Not sure I can imagine that." Sass, okay, that was good. That would let her catch up with things a little. "He couldn't party his way out of a paper bag, you sure we're talking about the same Ra?"

Lisa looked the woman over; she was gorgeous, didn't see any weapons on her, but she was flying and she'd broken into the house without any noise. Who was she? "So, nice to meet you, I suppose, but you could've knocked on the front door or rang the bell. Breaking and entering doesn't exactly make the best first impression, right?" She cocked her hips to one side and the staff grew to it's full height in her right hand. Thank God Dad and Mom weren't home yet. But they could be any minute. "I'm sorry and I don't mean no offense, but I've never heard of you. Are you a god of Egypt too? Uh, maybe somewhere else? And what do you want with me?"

"Oh, you'd be surprised, Lisa," Erotisi laughed. "Just because there's snow on the roof doesn't mean they don't like a hot poker up the ass. Anywho, nope, I'm not an Egyptian god or any other sect. But I do like how you didn't go the whole god/goddess thing. Very gender nonspecific. I can respect that. What I am...well, it's complicated. I'm...I'm like an onion. Or parfait. You know the whole layer thing."

"But that's not what I'm here for, Lisa. I need you to do me a teensy little favor for me," Erotisi said, settling on the ground. "I need you to get that little Ra staff up to full power, dial it up to eleven, and see if you can't blast me out of this plane of existence. Whaddya think, kiddo, you up for it?

"Well, yeah, I don't want to assume your gender or anything," she said in a bemused tone. Though the way that dress was deformed around her chest sure made her look like a woman. What the hell was happening here?

Erotisi went on however and Lisa's brows shot up. "Say what now?" She blinked. She wanted her to...she couldn't have meant that. "I'm sorry, I had something crazy in my ear. You want me to...like, transport you to another plane or something? I don't know if the staff can do that." She had a feeling that wasn't what the strange woman had meant. But she couldn't mean that. She couldn't want Lisa to...to murder her.

"Oh, no, completely female here," Erotisi responded emphatically. "All the fun parts and the knowledge to get the most out of them. And my apologies, dear child. Euphemisms have a certain literary appeal, but I can understand how the subtle can be confusing. Monosyllabic words then. I want you to kill me. Off me. Gank me. Send me off to the happy hunting grounds. And the only way you have a shot of even thinking about rubbing me out is to take the great pogo stick of Ra and opening it up full bore. So can you a sister a solid, Lisa?"

Holy shit.

She was insane. Batshit fucking loco.

Lisa stared openly for a few moments. She was very rarely at a loss for words but this...this was something she was completely unprepared for.

"Damn, I thought that's what you meant. I guess I speak crazy bitch after all." Lisa shook her head, "Look, I'm all for helping a sister out, but kill you? Girl, I don't know you. You haven't done anything that deserves dying far as I know. Besides, why do you want to die? You talking about your female parts and how great they are, go out and use 'em! Have some fun! It's not that bad, whatever's got you down!"

She stepped forward, "Hey, come on. How about we go out? I'll take you to the hottest spots in Philly, we'll have some drinks, get you laid, things'll look better after that! What do you say, sweetie?"

"We're not going to start hugging and crying and singing kumbaya, are we? No offense, Lisa, but I'm really not the sentimental type." Erotisi's brow furrowed as she tapped her pursed lips. "You know, I could give you a long litany of reasons, but to be honest with you, I really couldn't give ten millennia worth of reasons in five minutes, so maybe I should switch tactics. Okay, let's make a trade, okay? You take out the staff of Ra, turn it high, and microwave me out of existence...your existence anyway, and in return, I won't decorate the eaves of your house with your parents' entrails? So, can we come to an arrangement?"

As if this couldn't get any crazier. But somehow, Lisa knew she meant it. Erotisi would kill her parents with all the emotion of swatting a fly. It sent a chill down her spine but the chill only lasted about half a second before it became something else.

Something hot and golden and blazing.

"Deal, bitch! You want fried, you got it!" Lisa lifted the Staff of Ra and brought it down on the floor hard. There was a deep sound like a golden gong being rang in celebration and warning and brilliant white light burst from the staff and engulfed Lisa and the surrounding area in blinding brightness.

It lasted only a moment and was gone, but then so was Lisa. In her place stood the Glorious Eye of Ra. She was tall for a woman at six feet in height and her arms, legs and taut stomach showed defined muscle. Her skin was the same rich color as Lisa's and her face was similar but as if Lisa were older and her eyes were no longer brown but the brightness of finely polished gold. Her figure was ample and lush, a wrap top cupping her breasts and showing just a hint of under cleavage as it came out from under the gold and lapis lazuli pectoral she wore. A wrap skirt with a belt of gold and sapphire was around her waist and hips, falling just to mid-thigh and showing off an expanse of leg, a pair of flat, thick sandals with golden laces going up her calves on her feet. Her arms were adorned with gold armlets and bracelets and there were rings on her fingers.

When she spoke, her voice was like Lisa's but just a bit deeper, more mature, "We're not doing this in here." She wasn't going to burn down the house for this. "Outside, now."

"So butch! I guess we know who the top is," Erotisi giggled, batting her eyes. "You lead, I'll follow. Just be gentle."

Butch? Well, maybe in attitude. But the crazy bitch was smiling and laughing like they were BFFs. And not even a minute after threatening murder?

Who was this insane woman?

"All right," she answered cautiously. Was this a set up to attack her from behind or something? That didn't make sense. If she wanted Glory vulnerable, she would have attacked when she was Lisa. The divinely powered woman walked down the hall and opened the window there, gesturing, "You can fly or something, right? There's a little park on the corner. We'll do it there."

Then she stepped up and out on the window, falling from the second story and landing as if stepping down from a footstool. She turned in the direction of the park, gathered herself, broke into a run and jumped. Glory sailed above the homes between her and the park, her dark skin starting to emit a faint golden light.

Glory landed hard in the park, cracking the sidewalk she came down on. The light was pouring off of her now, heat along with it, making the area around her bright and hot as a desert summer day. "You better clear out! Everybody here, get your asses moving! Something bad is about to go down!"

There weren't many people here; it was later in the day and the park was small, even for a metro park. "Not fooling around, folks. Go!"

"Do you know what gets people moving?" a voice said from behind Glory. "Rabid honey badgers. Cuz if regular honey badgers don't care, rabid honey badgers really don't give a shit."

About a dozen honey badgers appeared at that moment, foaming at the mouth, and got the attendants at the park running for their lives. As soon as the park was cleared, the honey badgers disappeared.

"All right now," Erotisi said, her fists balled up as she mock boxed Glory," Put 'em up, put 'em up! Which one of you first? I'll fight you both together if you want. I'll fight you with one paw tied behind my back. I'll fight you standing on one foot. I'll fight you with my eyes closed."

Was she serious about this or not? As much as she wanted to be irritated by it, and she was to a certain extent, Glory felt pity for this insane woman. But her apparent lunacy coupled with her power made her dangerous. Those had been real animals she made...or at least she thought so. And she'd gotten here without Glory noticing or seeing her somehow.

But should she really just kill her? Shouldn't she try and get her some help?

Right. So she could break out of Arkham Asylum and shoot Batgirl. Not going to happen, not to her parents.

"I can't tell if you're serious about this or not." Glory stepped back a bit and shifted her grip on the staff so she was holding it in both hands close to the base, "But either way, you're not hurting them!"

She lifted it like a baseball bat and swung for Erotisi's head as hard as she could. She had powers that would do more damage but this would be plenty. Glory could lift loaded railcars; swinging the staff like this should knock the crazy ass white bitch's head clean off.

Erotisi's head went sailing, leaving her decapitated body standing motionless. The head sailed for more than a hundred yards before it stopped, levitated , then sailed back to rejoin the body.

"You know, it always takes a day or so for it to settle in after someone does that," Erotisi said, rolling her head on her neck. "Listen, if I wanted somebody to behead me, I would have looked up that ignorant hack running around trying to start wars. What's her name, Jean, Jill, Jane? Something like that. Whatever."

Erotisi gave Glory an ingratiating smile. "What I want from you sweetheart, is to let the sun shine in. Full blast. Something that'll get through SPF 50000. So why don't you give it another shot? Unless you want me to deck the halls with bowels of Mommy, fa la la la la, la la la la."

Glory gaped openly as the woman's head just flew back to her body. What the actual hell? She didn't even really process for words the madly chattering woman said after her head reattached itself. How could she do that?

But her last sentence cut through her shock. There was that odd certainty in her stomach that this seemingly calm and utterly insane woman would follow through and do exactly what she said.

"Bitch!" The light radiating from her increased in brightness and intensity as Glory stepped forward, again swinging the staff, but this time low and up as if it were a golf club. A golf club that impacted right between Erotisi's legs, "You won't touch my Mom!" She held the staff in one hand upward, "Melt, you poor, crazy ass mother fucker!"

Light does not travel instantly but given the distances involved, it might as well. Erotisi was barely twenty feet up and away when the golden beam of blazing solar power seemed to just spring into being and enveloped her. It sang forth from the sun disk on the staff and widened until it was a round beam ten yards in diameter and at least ten times that in length before it was refracted into normal light by the efforts of the sky and Glory's own wish. She was frying Erotisi, not trying to bring down an airliner or burn the city.

She roared out in wordless fury and the light matched her. The sidewalk under her feet was glossy as it shimmered and started to soften and melt. The grass nearby browned in an instant before igniting in flames. The trees ringing the little park burst into fire like pitch smeared torches and the paint on the swing sets bubbled and ran like water, the rubber seats smoldering and warping, steaming from the hundreds of degrees of heat that billowed off of Ra's earthly agent.

The beam was far hotter; well over a thousand degrees and Glory held it the seemingly airheaded and mercurial woman. The African American beauty snarled, "Hotter!" She felt and somehow knew the temperature of the solar beam grew, probably well over two thousand degrees now. "Hotter, damn it, Ra! Vaporize the damn bitch!" Even hotter now, blazing over three, four thousand degrees, maybe hotter.

She held the beam for a full count of ten and then as swiftly as it appeared, it was gone. Glory's breathing had picked up and she licked her lips; that...that had taken a lot out of her. She drew in lungfuls of dry, crackling air and looked around at the ruined park; anything wood was burning and the metal objects were warped and bare as their paint had melted or boiled off. The sidewalk under her feet was a semi-solid morass of partially liquefied concrete. And that had just been from the heat coming off of her, not from the beam. "Shit. Never...cut loose like that before."

Glory waved her staff and the fires dimmed and then snuffed. She looked around, had Erotisi left a body?

There weren't even ashes left where Erotisi had been standing. Just a burn mark on the ground.

Then from above Glory a voice laughed, "Holy shit, what a rush!"

Erotisi floated down in front of Glory, brushing a lock of hair out of her face.

"Damn kid, you got potential. Real potential. I mean, I was this close from shaking off this mortal coil," Erotisi held her finger and thumb apart by half an inch. "Seriously, if you could up it up just a notch, oh, the places you'd go, the people you'd see! Now, normally I don't give out participation trophies," Erotisi continued. "It's what's wrong with your generation, you know. All that undeserved confidence. But because I like you kid, I'm going to refrain from offing your parents. And I've got some other consolation prizes as well."

"I'm going to give you clues. Not blue clues," Erotisi quickly asserted. "Those are copyrighted. Just some hints and warnings you can give to the Defenders when you join up. And you need to join up, kid. You've got the stuff. First thing you need to let them know is that there are worst things going on then Jack and Jill battling for the hill. Things in the shadows with teeth. And you frozen in a spot so that you can't even turn around to face the shadows. Plus there's something coming in on little cat's feet. Something not quite evil, not even close. But it can't help itself. More things happened in 1952 than was let on. I was there, solving that logic puzzle Doyle gave me. I was so close then. So very, very close. Oh, and tell my sister I'll meet her on those lovely beaches."

Erotisi's brow furrowed for a moment, before a bright smile crossed her face. She then began singing:

"When Irish voices are talking
Sure the Tibetian lass will go mad."

"Good talking to you kid and, if I don't see you again, you'll probably be happier for it."

And then Erotisi wasn't there anymore.

"Well...shit." Glory blinked but shook her head and focused on what the mad woman had just said. It was important. There was an odd tingle at the back of her skull that she'd come to associate with Ra trying to push her, to make his interest in something known. Her parents were both scholars and despite her age, she had a keen and well trained mind. She mouthed the words over to herself, committing them to memory.

She had to get a hold of the Defenders somehow. That would be the easy part, actually. She knew that video of what happened was being uploaded to the Internet right now; everyone had a camera in their pocket, after all.

 

[Wolfias]

As the action was picking up with the techno spiders going all out, Greywolf watches through Adam's eyes more interested now. Wishing he could get at those spiders to protect pack mates, but doesn't as the Pack Leader wouldn't like that. It didn't keep him from pumping his fists and quietly saying get em.

-Atta boy Grey ... you're catching on dude!- *Don't like ugly spiders attacking pack mates still want to crush em* Stands dusting the seat of his tight black leathers free of sand, so he can get a better view. Adam found himself wanting to root his team mates on, but it'll probably be frowned upon. -Ooooh did you see Maya take several spiders out at once? Don't ever piss her off Grey, I'll end up with bruises or broken bones. The big guy chuckles deeply at that.

Grey wished to howl through Adam but that wouldn't fool anyone. It would get his partner in trouble. Adam grins as Grey was thinking like a team player all on his own. The big wolf was pleased with himself as well. -We're going to get another go at training. *Hope it's not too long, I get restless kept inside. I want to run if I can't crush spiders with my pack mates.* -I see the spiders slow the attack on Maya and attacking the others now- *Crush the spiders pack mates. Get em!*

 

[KimaniNight]

The Doctor's Shop of Oddities and Curiosities, New Orleans

POV Doctor Laveau

"Ah, mon ami," Ava responded, "There is never any harm in asking. Well, usually none," she added with a small smile. "And you are, of course, always free to offer what you might think is a fair price for information. Of course, as far as material things are concerned, even the very rare thing, well...I am an unusual thing for my generation, I think. Materialism is not one of my faults. Favors, though..."

Ava paused, then continued, "Well, if a friend does you a favor, then you are almost obligated to do her one in return, n'est-ce pas?"

Ava stood up and walked over to a tea service nearby. She waved her hand over the teapot in the center, muttering a few soft words, then lifted the pot, pouring a steaming liquid into her cup, "May I offer you a cup, David? It's pinyin green. I even have fresh honey to mix in with it."