Heroes: Eve of Destiny

[LadyTevar]

Argent reappeared in the hallway, behind Seven, reforming as herself, with only a faint inky aura of wings around her. "I'm back," she spoke into the radio she'd been given. "The Senator's at HQ, in the medbay.... we're down the hall and to the left of where we came in."

"Ok, go see if you can get some of the others out of here," Seven replied he swore if he lived to be 1000 and saw the second coming of christ he would never get used to teleporters.

"I didn't get a good 'fix' on where they were..." Argent lied, and hated herself for doing so. She could feel the room they'd been in from here. To her Empathy, it was a black hole of pain, horror, fear, and immense gleeful satisfaction. Going in there would be like walking between two jets at full roar without hearing protection... or standing in a crowded room where everyone was screaming thru bullhorns in your face.

Then Camie teleported back. "YOU! What are you doing back here! I left you somewhere safe!" Argent shouted, unintentionally slapping the girl with a wave of shock/anger/concern.

[Dark Silver]

His sudden stop was made possible by the fact he came across a room no one should have had to see.

The alter was sitting in the middle, blood smeared and stained, made of black rock, arcane runes carved into it, and the floor. The sense of dread, and the smell of death pervaded every inch and every molecule of air. If it wasn't for the filter in his helmet, he would have gagged.

As it stood, he wanted to almost throw up. But he steeled himself.

He had found what looked to be a ritual room, and from his guess, it was the Astronomers.

"Come out come out wherever you are" he said softly...his sword ready for a quick slice, jab, or block. Whatever he needed, he was tense, but loose at the same time, his movements seemed to fluid, outlined by the glow of his life support field.

[Cynical Cat]

"Every moment of my life," Blackheart answered. "If the Astronomer wants to kill me, he's going to have to work hard for it."

[Agent Fisher]

Niner tapped his radio on.

"Blackheart, Avatar is out, Senator is out. Request instructions."

[B4UTRUST]

"Boo." came the soft whisper in Saibot's ear as the Astronomer materialized behind him. His hand came up as a blur and slammed hard into Saibot's spine, infusing the strike with another burst of his illgotten power.
"I want to thank you for volunteering to be my next sacrifice..."

[Dark Silver]

Saibot was pushed forward, not so much from the blow, but by the power infused into the hit by the old man.

Luckily, his field took most of the energy, but he was thrown to the alter, his back burning from the hit, as he groaned.

He regained his feet quickly, years of fighting enabling him to power the pain out, and he spun quickly, swinging his sword at the Astronomer, but he was already to far away and hit air.

"Lucky move old timer...let's see how well you do in a real fight."

Saibot charged the man, sword ready to make a downward strike across the Astronomer's left thigh.

[LadyTevar]

"Boo." came the soft whisper in Saibot's ear as the Astronomer materialized behind him. His hand came up as a blur and slammed hard into Saibot's spine, infusing the strike with another burst of his illgotten power.
"I want to thank you for volunteering to be my next sacrifice..."

Argent screamed in pain, her back arching before she collapsed on her knees. "Nooo... Garth." She lurched to her feet, her black-on-black eyes so wide a strip of white showed around the edges and hit her radio. "Saibot's found him... I have to go to him..."

"Lucky move old timer...let's see how well you do in a real fight."

"He's fighting him, alone!" she exclaimed, sensing Garth on some level she'd never felt before. She burst into Dragonshadow form, her wings touching all within the hallway with her: Blackheart, Legacies, Seven, Camie... and took them with her to the room where she'd felt Garth get hurt.

[Charon]

Legacies heard Astronomer talking. There was something else too, that feeling of something familiar. There was a point where it was strongest. Legacies looked to Blackheart. "Perhaps we had misjudged you upon our first meeting. Best of luck commander." With that Legacies launched forward at breakneck speeds. Easily outpacing Blackheart as he followed the feeling and the words, it led him on a different path than the one Seven and Argent would be on. Suddenly the world turned black, Argent. No, this was what they'd been afraid of. She was throwing people into a dangerous situation.

Legacies came out of the darkness and came to an immediate halt. He didn't say anything. The aura of calmness still surrounded the silver figure.

[Cynical Cat]

Comforting wings of darkness enfolded Blackheart and dropped him into the room near the Astronomer. He lashed out with his flash vision and followed up with his fist.

[Shark Bait]

"He's fighting him, alone!" she exclaimed, sensing Garth on some level she'd never felt before. She burst into Dragonshadow form, her wings touching all within the hallway with her: Blackheart, Legacies, Seven, Camie... and took them with her to the room where she'd felt Garth get hurt.

Seven was teleported into the room where Sabot and The Astronomer were fighting, being teleported something else he would probably never get used to. Sabot was charging at the Astronomer with a huge freaking sword, Seven moved, fast. He was much faster than any normal human, he used this speed to position himself so he could take a shot or two at the Astronomer without putting Sabot in the line of fire. He raised his gun as he moved and fired twice as soon as he was in position, the sound was defining as it reverberated off the walls of the small room.

[B4UTRUST]

OoC: Suggested background music: Trance Kuja battle - FF9 soundtrack

IC:
"Lucky move old timer...let's see how well you do in a real fight."

He chuckled as the young fool rushed at him. Then the rest showed up. That was about what he expected to happen.
"Glad you could join us Argent!" he shouted as he phased out again, the attacks flying into his body from all directions.

He stepped aside as both Saibot and Blackheart passed through his immaterial body. He phased in, spun on the ball of his foot and slammed an elbow into the back of Blackheart's skull as the agent passed.

He phased out again, continuing the spin as he lashed out his hand, reaching into Saibot and grabbing one of the man's kidneys, squeezing it hard. He released it after squeezing hard enough to ensure the man would be pissing blood for a week.

"Now my dear, you brought all these lovely sacrifices here for me to kill. Thank you. I'll see to it that you are handsomely rewarded...your eternal reward..."

He phased fully back in before leaping off the ground into the air, hovering well above their heads. He held out his hands, glowing, and unleashed a blast of energy into the massed heros below.

[SirNitram]

The Astronomer's room shook as the battle raged. The altar, in the centre of an occulty-signifigant circle, was the epicentre. A moment later, the floor in that circle began to break up, drawn downwards.. Not into the lower floor, but into absolute blackness.

The altar floated for a moment before breaking up and being drawn across as well. The room stopped shaking. The blackness was that of a night sky.. But bereft of stars.

What rose up in the place of the shattered sacrificial instruments was a shape, defined by a distortion in the air. It would be wrong to say anyone could see it, but it was like staring through a warped peice of glass.

It stood tall, a distortion shaped like a towering demon, wings of shaped timespace unfurling. It apparently sought the attention of the man phasing in and out of existance as he fought.

Where is the Senator? Came the voice. But the Ultimas team couldn't help but realize it was.. at least somewhat.. Familiar.

[Shark Bait]

Seven watched as his opponent phased in and out of reality over and over till finally he popped back in and leapt into the air. Seven tracked him taking careful aim when the man finally stopped and hovered seven opened fire, 4 shots in quick succession in a tight pattern. Seven didn’t know what else he could do but hope that bullets would at least keep this nut from becoming fully solid again should he phase out once more.

[LadyTevar]

Argent watched in shock as the Astronomer avoided all the punches, trying hard not to give into the urge to be sick from the horrific emanations that haunted this room where countless metas had died.

When Saibot was attacked, she screamed in shared pain and fell to her knees, shaking from the emotional backlash, hearing none of the Astronomer's taunts, only feeling his glee at having them where he wanted them. "nonononononoooo."

It stood tall, a distortion shaped like a towering demon, wings of shaped timespace unfurling. It apparently sought the attention of the man phasing in and out of existance as he fought.

Where is the Senator? Came the voice. But the Ultimas team couldn't help but realize it was.. at least somewhat.. Familiar.

Arrogance. Confidence. Power. And above all, Compassion. Those emotions rained from the figure into Argent's brain, washing it clean of the flith.

[Dark Silver]

Saibot screamed and stumbled as his kidney was squeezed and twisted roughly with his movement.

He collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath, when he heard the Astronomer cackle, and the hackles on his neck stood on end.

It was then he turned around, aiming his ring into the air, and a energy field was raised up, meeting the Astronomer's blast in mid air.

Thankfully, he wouldn't have to keep it up for long, running on pure adrenaline, with his Life Support field keeping him from feeling the worst effects, as Gravitas appeared, through in the pain ridden depths of his brain, Saibot didn't know who it was.

[Cynical Cat]

Blackheart fell, rolled, and came to his feet. Super tumor was pumping him full of adrenaline, endorphins, and nasty shit they had found during his last medical test. He got up in time to see the Astronomer ready to unleash his big blast. He managed to only catch the edge of the blast, which knocked him right back down on his ass. Fuck this shit was getting annoying and he was going to really hurt once super tumor cut off his supply. He unleashed his flash vision full force against the Astronomer.

[Charon]

Legacies stood still as the battle raged around him. He glanced to his side at another wall of the small room, and then a tendril lashed out and smashed a good portion of it down, revealing a larger room, more space was good. Legacies did not look up as the blast was stopped by Saibot. He calmly walked over to Argent and picked her up, the aura of calmness helping sooth her. "Argent. You have made a mistake, but it is not too late to make up for it. You must remain focused or all of us will perish. Do you think you can affect this creature's mind? If only for a second it will give us the chance we need to hit him while he is disoriented."

Parts of the floor gave way as the dark figure came up. Legacies looked from it to the Astronomer. "Gravitas, the senator has been evacuated, though your help would be appreciated once again." Spikes grew from Legacies body, all of the tips seeming to be following Astronomer's every move.

[B4UTRUST]

Another barrage of attacks were launched in his direction after the Astronomer launched his own attack. Damned if these Ultima goons weren't persistant. And a new comer. Interesting.

He began to phase out again when one of the bullets slammed into his shoulder, spinning him roughly. Though phased he fell to the floor. Drops of blood splattered to the roughly hewn stone floor. Pain was etched in his face. He was a powerful meta to be sure but he was approaching almost a century in age. His body couldn't take being injured as it once could.
"I believe that the Senator has been dealt with."

Physical assaults were too easily countered with this group. He reached out with his mind and tried to take control of Blackheart, throwing a barrage of mental assaults and ego attacks to batter down whatever defenses that could be mustered.

[Agent Fisher]

Niner heard the sounds of battle coming from the room. He stepped in, standing at his full height. He raised a hand and sent a large TK pulse straight at the Astronomer. As soon as the pulse left his fingertips he began firing energy balls as fast as he could, aimed right for th meta.

[LadyTevar]

Legacies stood still as the battle raged around him. He glanced to his side at another wall of the small room, and then a tendril lashed out and smashed a good portion of it down, revealing a larger room, more space was good. Legacies did not look up as the blast was stopped by Saibot. He calmly walked over to Argent and picked her up, the aura of calmness helping sooth her. "Argent. You have made a mistake, but it is not too late to make up for it. You must remain focused or all of us will perish. Do you think you can affect this creature's mind? If only for a second it will give us the chance we need to hit him while he is disoriented."

Calm, control. And yet more Compassion. Argent bathed in it, using these clean emotions to buffer her resistance against those within the ritual room. When she answered, her eyes were ringed with silver. "Yes. I can hurt him."

She slid out of Legacies' embrace, turning towards the Astronomer in time to see him hit by the bullet. "He doesn't enjoy his own pain...." she stated calmly.

And with Legacies' calm heart at her back, she opened herself to the pain filling not just this room, but the torture room as well. Concentrating it, shaping it into a weapon, she channeled it straight at the Astronomer... just as he opened himself up to attack Blackheart's mind. Every haunting wisp of pain, including the fresh memory of Avatar's skin being peeled off his back in strips, driving into the old man's mind just as she had struck Avatar himself with Ember's deaththrows.

Mind over body. Physical pain, terror, helplessness, hopelessness. She fed him all of it.

[SirNitram]

If you cannot give me the Senator, your usefulness has ended. Spoke the behemoth.

Gravitas hadn't donned this armour of living gravity since the War. He strode forward, hidden by the distorted images moving through his shape. Indeed, to aim at the demonic form wouldn't guarantee a hit; he was in there, but a much smaller target. Nonetheless, he was attacking.

As Argent assaulted him mentally, the dark 'god' thrust a taloned hand into the Astronomer. It did not do damage via impact or tearing. It was pure tidal forces, yanking to and fro on what was within the man. Gravitas thrust and twisted, brutal and unforgiving as he sought to bring down the being that had savaged the Ultimas team before any fatalities resulted.

[Charon]

Legacies watched as Argent turned her powers on the old man. He watched as Gravitas, clad in the very force of gravity reached into the old man, letting the gravity waves tear him apart. He watched, and he waited. Dozens of spikes that covered Legacies were all waiting for the old man to become corporeal again, then they would fire, aiming to pierce his flesh and bring his reign to an end.

[Shark Bait]

Seven tracked the now incorporeal target as he fell, he had hit him with just one bullet, which forced Seven to wonder why the hell his aim seemed to go to shit when fighting these folks. Seven kept his gun trained on the target as two other metas proceeded to launch their attacks, he figured it was best to avoid firing into a crowd considering the immense possibility for fuck ups.

[Rukia]

Cam just stared as the battle raged. She had nothing to contribute. Every now and then she would get hit with a blast of energy gone astray. She kept her back to the wall to keep from being slammed into it again. He head was splitting from all the psychic energy that The Astronomer was sending out. She looked at Argent who was being 'comforted' by Legacies. She caught "I can hurt him." Come from her mouth. She looked back at the man as a bullet caught his shoulder as he was getting ready to phase out again. He fell to the floor, sending out another wave of psychic energy. Camie closed her eyes and yelped in pain. She opened them and stared at the Astronomer laying one the ground. He was looking right at Blackheart, his next prime target. She ran over to Argent. "I think we can double team him. But we have to work quick while he's down, he won't stay that way for long. Please let me help." Camie pleaded with Argent and Legacies.

[Comrade Tortoise]

The doctors swarmed over avatar. The biggest thing on their mind was "how the fuck is this guy still alive" The other thing on their mind, which they were verbalizing, was how the fuck they were going to do a proper skin graft.

It was at the mention of the word "skin graft' that the painkillers they pumped in him of finally took effect and he was able to come out of his unconciousness.

"How about you just pup me full of anti-biotics to combat the infection that I know is going to happen, and set me on the roof where the sun will heal me? Of course, it was then that the painkillers secondary effects, the drugged-out state that he would probably be in for some time, kicked in. ANd he slipped into unconciousness agaain, this time muttering something about pink fluffy bunnies destroying the known universe.