The Platform of Surrender [SHOWDOWN]

[Dr. Sean Neville]

The unbearable sound continued for another long moment, and then there was a blinding flash of light and the telepath turned his head. The music had stopped, because the man with the violin had fallen over. Sean could think again.

That was the only good news. Because Morgan hit the ground screaming in pain before stopping abruptly. The telepath could tell the difference between a conscious mind and an unconscious one, which was how he knew that Morgan had stopped because he fainted, not because the pain had stopped.

An instant after that, he felt a psychic signature go nova – Yulia’s powers – and the man with the violin, already on the ground screaming, was silenced. His mental signature ceased to exist, and Sean knew he had died. Military training, for better or worse, had that effect.

This was already worse than the telepath had hoped – although not than he expected in that pessimistic part of him. Particularly in light of the fact that they hadn’t reached the mansion yet. Absent a memory purge, this would haunt him forever. Rightly so, but he couldn’t focus on that now; there would be time for his guilt after they rescued James and Niko.

The telepath turned his head to see that Anya, and now Yulia, were by Morgan’s side. Fortunately he had cover, since there was little that could be done for him. They needed to get him off the grounds and into what safety they had available, and fortunately Mason volunteered for the job before the telepath could make requests. He turned back around and continued his trek while responding to the other man, Thank you. There’s a bag of medical supplies in the trunk, and some blankets. If you know how to do sterile injections, there’s a vial of morphine in there. Try to make him comfortable until we can get him to the hospital. Mason couldn’t take the van to the hospital now, because that would separate them and severely reduce the number of available vehicles for an escape. The other cars weren’t big enough for all of them.

He heard Kateri’s thought, assuring him that she would cover Chase, for which he was grateful. He projected to her, Thank you for that. He knew she was armed, and that cover was all the more necessary, since Chase had marched up to the mansion and was calling them out, albeit mentally. Perhaps Sean was the only one who actually heard him, although his intentions were clear.

Vincent had gotten ahead of him and had broken into a run, as was expected; his powers were such that he was a powerhouse, a force to be reckoned with on the offensive, and they needed him. Particularly given the stakes of the conflict. Hopefully Vincent would be able to immobilize a fair number of their opponents.

When the door is clear, we need to move. Watch out for any other tricks, and Anya, we’ll need you soon.

[Willow Kovacs]

It came to no surprise that many things happened at once - it was to be expected from a majour battled, from life, even. She heard the violin distantly, her enhanced hearing suddenly zeroing in on the misplaced music. Then came the screams. The forward group had stopped, turning to look back at the van where there was a flurry of people. Willow's eyes, now shining a bright gold, an inhuman pupil expanded and zeroed in on the brawl. There was shouting, the violin abruptly stopping and then just the murmurs of her coworkers. Turning back to the offensive group, their silent agreement and mutual regaining of their trek toward the loaming base that held unknown numbers of metahumans with varying degrees of power.

The tenseness in the air increased tenfold, and the raven tasted a presence before she saw it. A far off figure, standing strongly closer to the house. She glanced over to her teammates, offering a raise eyebrow. Her tongue lulled in the night air, flicking lightly. She was alone... Vincent noticed. He took off, speed increasing with every step as he vaulted toward the lone figure. Her eyes caught Sean's, their walk still in silence, but the noises rising around them. Her forked tongue snaked back into her mouth and she said in an even tone, "Gunpowder." Glancing back at her superior, a warning. "Be on guard." The heavy, smoky taste of weaponry hung in her mouth as they drew ever closer to the battle. They were armed, though she was unsure of their numbers, guns were never a good opponent for mostly unarmed metahumans. Her jaw tensed again, the bones pushing outward as she tilted her head slightly and let out a hiss.

Her inner animal was becoming restless, and Willow decided she would be best suited toward the front lines. Following Vincent's lead, Willow shifted into her alternate form, growing into a lizard well over six feet tall. A low rumble escaped from her chest as she shot forward, her tongue flicking slightly, explosions of senses in her mind. She quickly became aware of the other presences among the lone figure Vincent had taken off toward, and let out a growl, lurching forward, claws poised and teeth baring.

[Lala & Reese Degreas]

A casualty that wasn’t even theirs and they were on this offensive like this was their fight. Reese’s face, contorted in disgust, turned over her head. “Move out!” She shouted, her instructions reaching the operatives in the house. She didn’t have long to react to the sudden offensive careening in her direction.

There would be no avoiding the man. It was the woman behind him she was more worried about. With speed just above human, she made a double shot: one aimed at Yulia, the other at Vincent. Vincent was already in close range when she squeezed the trigger against him, and she wasn’t sure with what success she’d have shot him.

It didn’t matter now.

The force of his weight hit her like a Mac truck, but her strength was surprisingly. As they went tumbling through the dirt, Reese threw punches aimed to his stomach and face—anything to get him off guard and out of breath, utilizing the butt of her gun against him as best she could.

When she could get her hands safely around his neck…

She would break it.

Lala, locked away safely in the house, heard her sister’s command before she shouted it from the ground.

“Find Kilbourne!”

But the gears continued to turn.

Paulo would already know that Kilbourne was stalking around the house like a vulture after its own kill, and Jesse with him. Could they take care of him?

They could.

Lala hissed slightly, turning her scoped gaze on a scaled abomination charging across the property. She was far, and moving fast…Her first goal would need to be to change the lizard’s direction.

Lala took the shot, aiming at the lizard’s legs and torso. She didn’t know how to deal with it. Would the bullets pierce the scales? Would the lizard even care? The test shot would have to do for now, and it would hopefully deter the eldritch horror from its attack…divert its attention to a new enemy.

After all, Reese’s ass was just as much hers as anyone else’s. And she needed to cover her ass.

[Vincent Romanov]

Vincent saw the gun Reese drew, smiling a bit as he thought about the surprised look the woman would have when the bullets rolled off him harmlessly. Two shots rang out, quickly, and Vincent saw a glimpse of the challenge which he was about to tackle. He didn't know who was behind him. No doubt the others were already on the offensive as well. He just hoped that Reese hadn't had time to properly take aim when she fired the gun. One shot hit Vincent at almost point blank range, the bullet pressing against his body, but losing its kinetic energy almost instantly. The force was stored almost without thought, energy Vincent would no doubt need to handle Reese and her cohorts.

Vincent hit Reese, hard and fast but with skill and grace, Reese used Vincent's own momentum against him. She was able to topple them both over, sending them rolling across the ground. Like some wild animal, Reese scrambled on top of Vincent, proving to be almost too much to handle for him. She was fierce and determined, a force to be reckoned with. Several quick punches were aimed at Vincent's stomach, but the force behind each blow only fueled Vincent more and more. He was sort of surprised by Reese's strength and speed, clearly he had underestimated the ability Reese and her sister shared and possessed. Vincent hadn't really understood the concept behind gestalt pairs, but he was getting a clearer picture now. He wasn't fighting one woman, but two and while that was a crude explanation of the ability, it worked for him. It was lucky Vincent had his ability as he doubted he could beat Reese any other way. As far as strength went, Vincent could take Reese any day of the week and while he could augment his reflexes and speed to some degree, Reese was already proving to be the faster of the two.

Vincent tried to put his arms up and protect his face, as if he really needed to protect himself in such a manner. It was all for show, luring Reese into a false sense of victory. Reese used the but of her pistol to hit Vincent, each blow landing with more and more force with each hit. Vincent knew he would have to strike back at Reese eventually and while he hated the idea of hurting a woman, this wasn't the time nor place for chivalry. Reese was a bad apple, plain and simple and while Vincent could understand her hatred for Chase, he simply couldn't allow her to kill the man. Chase mad a bad call and a really stupid move. Gabriel needed to be stopped and of course, the local police weren't going to to anything about him, but just outright killing him didn't seem the right solution either. Vincent didn't fault Chase though, Chase had killed Gabriel to protect the one's he loved, a just cause on Vincent's eyes.

Finally, with the sound of another shot ringing out through the air, Vincent came to his senses and decided to act. There was someone else stationed in the house with a gun and that same person was taking shots at Vincent's team mates. Vincent reached out and attempted to grab Reese by the throat. If he could get a hold on Reese, then Vincent could at least throw her to the side so he could get to his feet again. However, if Reese had any training in fighting, she could easily avoid his attempts to grapple her. Vincent's ability would protect him from any hits or cuts, but if Reese managed to avoid his grab, she might be able to apply one of her own, one such as a strangle hold.

[Clarisse Prideaux]

Things were not good, Clarisse was barely up the drive with Willow and the rest of the offensive line when people around her began to cripple down on themselves. She looked around, confused, but before she could ask what was going on, it hit her. A terrible, terrible noise. She was far enough back that it didn’t last long, and she was still looking when Morgan crumpled into a broken heap near Anya.

Bursting into a run, her heat beating heavily against her chest, she managed to catch up with Mason just as he was hustling Morgan away. “Mason! These are second and third degree burns on him, from what I can see.” She said loudly, her voice just below a shout. “Be very careful not to jostle him too badly!”

It was then that Clarisse heard the ricocheting pops of gunfire. She whipped around, looking up to the house. She could see the glint of the gun from the blown out window, the bullets peppering the grass. She took a deep breath and reminded her that the house was a target.

They needed to get inside. And she was sure that was where Chase was going.

With one last fleeting look towards the men hustling towards the car, ignoring her nursing instincts, Clarisse bolted back to the house, thinking as clearly as she could through blurry thoughts of terror: I’m going to break inside. We need someone to find James and Nikolai…Sean I need someone to come with me.She couldn’t wait for her partner to catch up. Vincent was already taking out their biggest threat, and she was sure that Anya would take them out sooner.

Now their biggest obstacle was the door. When she reached the top of the hill her blood was rushing so quickly she could feel it in her scalp, rushing over her like a cool wind. Her fingertips hummed and she paused for a moment. She was frightened, and she was sure the main numbers of MSAD were stationed inside the building…

But Chase’s boy was inside. A young, helpless boy.

Gui came to mind and without hesitation, Clarisse took hold of the door knob and turned. To her dismay it was locked. Taking a deep breath, she pulled roughly, ripping the knob straight out of the door. She pressed herself against the side of the house, inching open the door with her foot and waiting for a threat.

When she felt the courage to do so, Clarisse peeked inside, using the door as a shield.
“Let the hostages go.” She said, her breath still coming heavier than usual. “Please. This can end.” Clarisse didn’t know who she was talking to, but she continued to pray that they would have some sense.

[Anya Vasiliev]

Anya, now slightly stung by Morgan's collapse, headed toward the doorway with a steely determination she had been lacking before. Her eyes darted for further threats, and she moved her shotgun to the crook of her arm, waiting for a reason to strike. It didn't take long before she realised Chase, Vincent and indeed, Clarisse had all made a move inside, and she spotted Lala's shots towards Willow. Squeezing one eye shut, she aimed for the window, then let out one single piercing shot towards the offensive woman.

Somewhere, she could hear Vincent grappling with the other twin, and it was in that moment that Anya finally applied herself as she had been wanted. Imagining a thick invisible rope tying the two women together, she cut it sharply with her mind, and let out a shuddering sigh as her power took effect. Reese and Lala were no longer a pair, for now at least.

Tapping her hand to her chest to catch her breath, her mind still working on keeping the two's bond severed, Anya slunk behind Clarisse and peered in as well. "I need to get to Jesse." She explained in a hushed voice, before taking a deep breath and pushing her way inside, slipping stealthily between walls and large objects for cover. Thinking aloud, she pushed her thoughts towards Sean. I'm going after Mr. Adams. He's out for blood and will do far more damage angry than we'll do afraid.

"Chase?" She ventured, peering round another corridor to find it alarmingly empty. Just how big was this place anyway? "Chase. It's Anya. Let me cover you?" Her voice was tentative as she spotted a young man loitering in the corridors. Hushing herself instantly, she rubbed her temples to stop a headache from brewing, then eyed this strange man. If he'd just move, then she could get to Chase, get to Jesse and stop any disasters before they happened.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

The warning from Willow was greatly appreciated, and while meeting her eyes, the telepath passed the information on to the others. Willow smells gunpowder, so be alert. They’d expected firearms, of course, which was why some of them had come armed; but it was useful having confirmation and knowing what to expect. Given how few advantages they had in this fight – they weren’t willing to risk their numbers, they had the lowland, this wasn’t their territory, few of them had even the slightest bit of military training and their organizer used to go to global disarmament rallies – they needed every bit of help they could get.

The sound of one of the twins’ voice shouting orders to find Chase was at once both troubling and helpful. Because M.S.A.D. had no telepaths, they couldn’t communicate in secret and instead had to announce their plans. Between Vincent’s barrage and the order, he felt that he had a better notion of what to expect now. Moreover, they were fixating on the wrong person; as powerful as Chase was, he wasn’t the only one here, and that would distract them while the rest of their group got inside and rescued James and Niko. Assuming that Chase stuck with the plan and didn’t take up his mantle of avenger.

That was a large assumption.

As the telepath reached the mansion, he mentally checked off who they might find. Then Anya mentioned Jesse and he briefly mourned for the boy’s decision to come here and his own inability to stop him. He was a liability, given that he was a teenager, with no sense of mental ethics and a temper. Yes...minimizing his ability to hurt others was a high priority. Please do. And thank you, dearly. Hopefully she would get to the boy before someone got hurt.

He was nearly at the door, behind Clarisse, when he heard her request for help. Rather than broadcast that out, he replied to her, I’m your cover, and I’m right behind you. While he was unarmed and older than everyone else here, and undoubtedly not anyone’s first choice for traditional backup, he was useful. Between her strength and his ability to distract and conceal, they would make a formidable team. Moreover, he was large enough to cradle Niko close to his body before they ran.

[Chase Campbell]

Though he had been here before, nothing was the same. Chase knew that. His family was at stake, and he couldn’t just hang back and wait. That was what had drawn him up close to the house, and once Clarisse had the door open, he slipped in behind her. He had to find James and Nikki, before something terrible happened. His own safety be damned.

Apparently, Anya and Kateri had their own ideas. He glanced back as he heard Anya’s voice behind him. She was going after Jesse? That kid was dangerous. He could only imagine the kind of refinement his powers had gotten under Underwood’s influence, not the mention the weaponry he likely had at his disposal. If what Sean had said was true, he knew the kid would be running blind, too angry to focus. Maybe that would have to be their advantage over him.

He was flat against the wall when he heard Anya’s voice again, closer this time. He glanced her way, smiling weakly when she came into sight. “Okay,” he agreed. If anyone was going to cover him, it might as well be her. She could shut down any powers that endangered her. “But if I tell you to run, you run.” He had dragged them all into this. Morgan had already been injured. The last thing he wanted was another casualty.

“I know this place,” he admitted quietly. “Up the stairs leads to the bedrooms and the study.” And quite likely, to where James and Nikki were being held captive. “I’m going up there.” Technically, this was sticking to the plan. He was going to find his family, and anyone that got in his way could be dealt with.

[Jesse Adams]

Reese’s orders caused a slight rise in temper in the teenager. He didn’t need cover, least of all from Paulo. He wanted to do this on his own, but he knew that wasn’t an option. He was in no position to argue, because he knew the consequences of that kind of action. They needed to work together, or their chances of winning would sink lower and lower.

Besides, Paulo could keep tabs on Kilbourne’s movements. He could tell him exactly where his former trainer was at any given time, and he could take him down. That was the whole idea of this battle. Kilbourne was their primary target. Everyone else that fell from Hammel was just icing on the cake.

The little blond snorted at the news that Mordecai was dead. “Good riddance,” he hissed. He’d never liked the musician. If he was dispatched so easily, he’d deserved to die. With that in mind, he made doubly sure his gun was ready to go before padding out of the room.

It didn’t matter what heroics the trainer was trying to pull. He was going to die, and soon, his husband and son would join him. It was only a matter of time, Paulo was right. How good would that be? Kill Kilbourne, drag his son and husband out to see him, then kill them. So many options to maximize the terror, but they could all deal with that later.

He had a job to do.

He knew the twins wanted this. But he wanted it more. Kilbourne had killed Gabriel, a man who had meant everything to him. Just thinking about it sparked his anger, and he cocked his gun. Safety off. Someone was going to die as went to head down the hall.

Reese had taught him well in the ways of firearms. He knew how to shoot from a distance with deadly accuracy. As much as he wanted this to be close, personal, he also knew the dangers of that. Kilbourne had his power, and he would use it. The teenager paused near the stairs, fingers curled around his gun. His eyes closed. Up close and personal, torment the man before he put the bullet in his skull, or slink like a cat and fire from a distance. Both had advantages and drawbacks.

He opened his eyes, raising his gun and stepping away from the wall and moved to the top of the stairs. Even without Paulo’s cover, he wouldn’t have been afraid. His finger curled around the trigger. “Die, you miserable sonofabitch.”

[Anya Vasiliev]

Anya was almost relieved when Chase accepted her help, moving up the stairs to keep her colleague safe. Edging onwards and upwards, Anya felt another throb from her powers as the twins fought their forceful separation. She halted a moment and raised her hand to her temple, then stared over at Chase questioningly. "I'm armed, I can handle myself." She retorted with a slight smile, trying to lighten the steadily thickening atmosphere.

"I'll be right behind you." Anya said, locking her gun into position against her arm. She'd nearly reached the top when she saw Jesse, and her eyes widened, then narrowed. "Adams." She hissed coldly, staring at the end of the gun with slight malice. This boy had threatened lives, captured a young boy and threatened the lives of so many.

She aimed for his hand, raising the gun and closing one eye. "Surrender, and I wont have to shoot." She said simply, leaning against the stairwell with her teeth gritted. She could smell the gentle sting of gunpowder in the air, and she pressed her finger lightly to the trigger. "I'm not messing around." She added sharply, scowling as the boy continued to threaten Chase. She knew she'd have to fire, and she prepared herself, taking a deep breath in preparation.

But something happened.

Suddenly hot molten fire stung through her leg and made her flinch, leg nearly falling out from underneath her. She shot out quickly, more instinct than anything else, only to let out a soft, dismayed gasp as the bullet aimed for Jesse's hand instead slugged deep into his gut. "говно." Anya growled, leaning against the wall and clamping her hand to the wound that appeared in her thigh. "Chase." She managed. "Are you okay?"

She was vaguely aware that her concentration lapse may have given the twins a moment of power once more, and leant against the doorway, staring down the stairs to the retreating odd blonde man. She'd been shot, she'd been careless. Resting her head against the wall, she gradually sunk down it, and looked over to Jesse. "говно." She repeated. "Check Adams is alive, then we'll go in to get James and Niko together." She sent out another wave of messages.

I've been shot. Leg wound. Adams has been shot as well, a pellet to the gut. Chase is near the bedroom where he thinks James and Niko are. We might need further cover. Be aware there is another blonde male on the property who is armed. My concentration went so the twins may well have gained their powers back for a few moments. The voice in her head sounded a little tired, and she wrinkled her nose at the blood dripping down her leg in thick globules.

She looked over her clothes a moment, then silently tore the sleeve off her top, tying it tightly around her leg to stop the bleeding. "Chase." Anya said, using her gun to sit her back up again. "I think I can go with you now." Using the shotgun as a sort of makeshift crutch, she limped over to Chase with a smile. "The others know where we are." She ignored any fuss her colleague made as she finished up the stairs.

"No. Really, I'm fine."

[Jesse Adams]

It happened fast. Too fast. One moment Jesse’s finger was curled around the trigger, ready to exact his revenge. It was going to be so good, watching the life leave Kilbourne’s body. Watch him fade to nothing. It was going to be so sweet, so perfect, so –

Why was he so warm?

And where was his gun now?

He sank to his knees, realizing that his gun was out of his hands now, lying innocently on the stairs. He was getting confused. Why was it on the ground? A quick, fuzzy glance at his trainer revealed him to still be standing. What…? He wasn’t dead? He’d failed?

Why was he warm?

And why were his hands so cold?

He started to shake, though he didn’t know why. Not until he felt the wave of pain. It felt like it hit his midsection and spread throughout his body. Looking down, he saw a mess of blood all over his shirt. His hands trembled as he clutched at the wound. He didn’t know who had shot him. One of his own, one of Hammel’s team. For all he knew, he’d turned the gun on himself, thanks to Kilbourne’s mind tricks.

Everything was blurry. The carpet was wet and bloody. He couldn’t keep himself upright anymore. He let his body slide sideways, his cheek hitting the floor. Listening to gunshots sound like they were ripping through a tunnel, he sighed. Maybe dying wouldn’t be so bad.

Gabriel, he thought in a contented manner before letting his eyes slip closed. He was going to be with Gabriel. That was all that mattered anymore.

[Lala & Reese Degreas]

Something was wrong. Fueled by rage, Reese didn’t sense it at first, but something was definitely wrong. The man underneath her was brimming with strength, landing blows that ached deeply with sudden bruising. Even as she fought him like a wild beast, she couldn’t see it. It wasn’t until her muscles tensed, arrested by the sound of shots fired, that she realized what it was:

Her opponent was not bleeding.

No gunshot wound. And her punches seemed not to take effect. She needed to change her strategy, as he was clearly invulnerable.

She didn’t have time before she was suddenly still. Now she knew something was wrong. She couldn’t breath, couldn’t feel…she felt broken and off. What was happening? It didn’t even register to her that Vincent had closed his hand around her throat, she only stared in a wide-eyed blindness at him.

Reese was alone.

She couldn’t see through Lala’s scope anymore, couldn’t sense the warmth on the inside of the house or feel her other self’s blood rushing through her other body. She was completely alone.

Inside, Lala was taking things just as poorly. Though moments before hand she’d heard the breach into the house and the shots fired, having instructed Padmaja to prepare to shoot should the hostage room be breached, her rifle clattered the floor. As she lurched forward, thrown off balance by the sudden severance from her sister, she forced the heels of her palms into her eyes, trying to rub out the blindness. She could see, but she couldn’t see; the world in singular perception wasn’t something she’d felt in a long time.

Breathing so quickly she was nearly hyperventilating, she barely had to reach for her hand gun when the monstrosity she’d been sniping beforehand burst into the door. The wood splintered, showering the front of the room with debris. The lizard’s huge tail whipped out immediately, catching Padmaja in the stomach and flinging her out of the window, leaving the hostages unguarded.

Without thinking or understand, Lala raised her gun and shot wildly, emptying the clip into the Lizard…but only barely. Her shots weren’t aimed correctly, her hands shaking. She was alone. So alone. She didn’t understand why the bullets glanced off, pock-marking the wall behind the monster with shell holes.

Why was she so weak so suddenly? Where was she? Who was she?



[OoC: please refrain from posting until Mira/Willow has posted. This is crucial to the flow of this thread. Apologies for inconvenience.]

[Willow Kovacs]

The air hissed by as the lizard whisked toward the looming compound, the golden eyes narrowed, a low growl erupting from her chest every few moments, with every exhale. Shots fired, the taste of gunpowder and bullets suddenly filling her senses. A bullet struck the ground next to her foot, and the lizard veered, profanities stringing from between the sharp teeth. Two more bullets zinged through the air, pain suddenly splashing in her vision. One bullet had simply skimmed her scales, leaving a long, red line across her thigh. Another had punctured the dark green scales, causing the large lizard to drop to all fours and tense her muscles. Though the scales were strong against blades, they were no match to fast moving projectiles. Two more bullets struck the ground around her, and Willow listened as a brawl broke out between Vincent and the lone woman standing in the shadows. Glancing to the side, the lizard took note to Clarisse and Anya rushing past her.

The mission. The goal was to get to the house, to get the hostages. To protect their own. Adrenaline shot through the system of the large reptile and she was off again, bounding on all fours to make up for the lessened activity of her right leg. She bound up to the house, claws digging at the door frame, leaving huge crevices in the splintering wood. She listened, her forked tongue slipping between the rows of gleaming fangs, yellow eyes twisting as the sliver of her pupil expanded. People were moving, there was a ruckus - chaos.

Where was her team? Clarisse? Anya? Even Chase had run in to the compound while she was down. Her tongue twisted in the air, familiarity reaching her senses. She could taste them. The lizard scrabbled on the wood floors, slamming harshly into the wall before gaining her footing and propelling herself up the stairs. Pictures, books, paintings, trinkets. They all fell as the large lizard slammed her tremendous weight around. Just shy of seven feet tall, the monster was large and fearsome, but also hard to steer in enclosed spaces. The stairs led to another floor, then another. The railing splintered under her touch as she landed gracelessly on the next floor, letting out a horrible hissing sound. Gunshots.

Sweat. Steel. Fear. Blood. It stung her heightened senses as she, at last, located a single member of her team. Anya, gun in hand, holding her weight against the wall. Blood stained her leg from an apparent gunshot wound, but it seemed to have not hit any arteries. Her eyes looked up to the top of the stairs laid a body, a sharp scent creating flashing memories. Chase glanced at her, then back at the body. Willow was more careful up the stairs, aware of the body on the ground. Jesse Adams. He had been present when Gabriel and her had their spar. The lizard looked down at the boy, his eyes bleary, but still moving. He was alive, barely.

She jerked suddenly, the reptile's neck bending backward to take note of the corridor that twisted in a turn. A low hiss left the mouth of the monster as the tongue snaked out, twisting in the air, flickering. Someone... no... two... The lizard drew back suddenly, eyes wide, before she propelled herself forward once more. She knew that smell. It was present in the office, the staff lounge. Her boss. Twisting around the corner, she paused at a closed down. Voices reached her ear, Willow growled suddenly. The door splintered under the power of her claws, smashing into the opposing wall. A woman with dark skin turned and looked at her, raising a firearm to shot the offending lizard. She twisted, tail catching the unfamiliar woman and propelling her across the room, where a window shattered under her weight with a disturbing crack, and she fell outside the walls of the compound.

Before she could think, bullets came flying. Willow twisted, attempting to avoid the barrage of hot lead. She growled in discomfort as a bullet struck her abdomen, another grazing past her ribcage, and another slicing through the thick scales on her neck, leaving a dreadful stinging sensation. The monster slammed over with a tremendous noise, unable to avoid the bullets that came flying chaotically at her. And though she was struck, none of the wounds were incredibly fatal. The shooter was disorientated. Afraid. Confused. She couldn't make a kill shot. The bullets stopped, and after a few dead clicks, the shooter realised her lack of ammo and fumbled to reload. Willow's vision focused and she stared at the woman, who suddenly stopped.

Chase's voice. Muffling slightly by the distance, but still clear enough for to make out some of the words. Willow caught part of the sentence, hardly focusing on what he was saying, more worried about the gun shaking in the woman's hands. The woman let out a noise and suddenly rushed through the door, disregarding the lizard, crouched with an incredulous expression on her face. Twisting, Willow's eyes met the fear filled ones of Niko, huddled, miraculously unharmed by the barrage of stray bullets, with an unconscious James. Taking in a deep, shaky breath, the lizard's skin pulled, her bones twisted in uncomfortable positions, snapping into place to reveal an exasperated woman with dark hair. The woman's head hit the wall she leaned against heavily, where her eyes remained closed for a moment. When she opened them, they took a moment to focus on the boy's expression. The woman, standing on shaky feet, continually glanced behind her at the doorless frame, aware of her lack of protection now that she was in her human form. She limped, clutching at the wound on her leg, before dropping heavily in front of the two.

Offering a small smile to the boy, she rested her hands on his shoulders. "Niko? Do you remember me? My name is Willow, I was at Hammel when you first came to the school, remember? I won't hurt you, I'm here to help." Her reassuring smile widening as she gently pulling the small boys into her arms. "It's going to be alright. I've got you." She said with a reassurance and confidence that sincerity offered.

"I found them!" She shouted, as loud as her raspy voice would allow. The adrenaline still buzzing in her system would slow soon, and the pain would come afterward. But she wasn't thinking of that, no. They were alive. And unharmed. "I found them," repeated quietly, taking comfort in her own words.

[Delilah Pryce]

When it all happened, when this battle finally started, it quickly began to run its course. Delilah first heard the sound of Mordecai playing his violin, an odd sound to say the least to hear on a battlefield, but it was expected. Delilah had first met Mordecai after a small little bar fight in town and despite her natural instincts to hate all men on sight, he was a bit different with her. Sure, he had those so called smooth lines, but he offered her genuine help. With her power came sever migraines and disorientation and while Mordecai didn't know her from Adam, he offered her help back to her hotel. The interaction between Mordecai and Delilah had been little since then, but she had spoken to him a few times since then, only when coming to Gabriel's residence to discuss this and that. He wasn't a friend by any means, but he had been granted tolerance by Delilah and that was saying a lot.

Delilah watched Mordecai from the corner of the house where she was taking up post and then let her eyes drift to the intruders. The group from Hammel were falling one by one, clamping their hands over their ears and screaming in pain. It was clear Mordecai was very talented with his powers, a mental note Delilah made in case she might find herself squaring off against him in the future. This mental note soon proved itself worthless as one of the Hammel intruders launched some sort of attack at him and then Mordecai's body lurched and fell to the ground, but after the initial attack. Delilah knew it was someone else who took out Mordecai and from a distance which meant a very dangerous opponent. This too was also pointless at the moment as Vincent Romanov came rushing up the toward the house. Reese was clearly Vincent's target and fell quickly under his attack. None of these needed Delilah's interference, she had eyes on someone else.

A large lizard was quickly scampering across the lawn, and Delilah knew who it was, one Willow Kovacs. Willow and Delilah had known each other briefly, but things never quite went the direction Delilah had wanted. Delilah thought about moving against the beast for a moment, but shrugged her shoulders and decided to move onto the next target on her list. A dark haired beauty had moved into the fray and this alone was enough to intrigue Delilah. However, before she could move into position to strike, others began to pour into the house. One notable person was Sean Neville, a man Delilah did not want to cross. Neville could poke around in your head, muck with your memories and dig up all sorts of memories you wanted to bury forever.

Taking a deep breath, Delilah pondered her options but perhaps too long as gunfire soon erupted in the house. So far Delilah had been useless and at that thought, she decided to act. Moving from her spot at the side of the house, Delilah was soon at the front door, standing there, watching Sean and Clarisse as they stood there, doing nothing. Both were unarmed, foolish but expected. It would be easy to end Neville, just draw her gun, point and shoot. From this distance it would be a kill shot for sure, but something in her mind wouldn't allow her to do it. Sean had helped Delilah work through some of her mental problems in her youth and in some way, she felt obliged to repay that debt. So, drawing her gun, Delilah pulled the hammer back and cleared her throat, putting her thoughts out there for Sean to pick up on. All her hate and rage, it would be something familiar to him once he picked up on them.

[Clarisse Prideaux]

Clarisse was shocked by the earsplitting loudness of gunfire. She’d never heard shots fired in her life until this day, and it frightened her to a standstill, even as Willow bounded up the stairs. Somehow the concrete, terrifying form of the lizard woman was less frightening to Clarisse than the sounds of firearms battering the house. She looked to Sean behind her and pointed after Willow. Follow her. I’ll cover the exit for when you bring down Chase’s family. It sounds like she needs you more than I do. Clarisse explained.

If there were guns involved, Clarisse couldn’t be of help, but Sean could probably come up with something. She wouldn’t be surprised if he had the ability to make everyone simply forget why they were here in the first place. Perhaps he could keep Willow from whatever fire she was coming under up there. When her shouts came down the stairs, Clarisse whipped around to look over her shoulder excitedly at Sean.

That was when she came into view. The woman the doorway. She did not hesitate, but barreled past Sean and into the woman’s line of sight, swiping at her hands to knock the gun away. With no military training, and non-violent nature, it would have been easy for Delilah to simply shoot her and dodge her attacks completely. It only occurred to her after she’d started moving that she could very easily die in the next twenty second. Fear gripped her, but she swung all the same. It was too late to go back at this point, and Sean was more essential than she at this point.

[OoC D: Short! Sorry]