Heroes: Shadows over Millenium

[Cynical Cat]

"Level up," said Blackheart. He munched down some olives. "Reinforced gymnasiums for super folk to strut their stuff."

[LadyTevar]

((I tried to post this last night, but my cable connection died.)

"We are still weak and require rest. Leave us." With that the head turned again and did not respond to stimuli.

"Be well." Argent said quietly as she left the hospital room the same way she had entered, allowing the older meta his rest. She paused, looking around for one of Blackheart's doctors, but it seemed her message was either delayed, or they were ignoring it. It was their own choice. Even if they had overheard her conversation with Legacies, there was little to stop it, other than attempting to warn Blackheart.

She slipped into the shadows, using the threads in her mind to find where the rest of her team were currently. She was unsurprised to find Blast in the messhall, but Blackheart as well was a surprise. She did not show herself at once, but stayed in the shadow under their table listening as they spoke.

"Most people don't take it too well," said Blackheart. "I guess that's how it should be. Taking a life is a big thing. I would advise trying not to do it unless you have to. And if you think you have to, not second guessing yourself after. Easier said than done though. Full time head shrinkers are part of the package if you sign on and even if you don't sign on, you might want to think about seeing one if things get rough."

Only once Hotfoot had left did she emerge, a black shadow emerging from under the table to reform sitting in the seat he'd vacated. "Interesting advice," she said simply. She did not mention that Blackheart could have given her that advice the night before. Argent had been forced to find her own way to cope.

"Legacies will not be joining us, he is still trying to heal from last night," Argent said casually, watching Blackheart continue eating. "He is ... concerned by what I told him."

[Cynical Cat]

Blackheart took a big swig of juice. "Which was?"

[Agent Fisher]

Ghost walked into the mess and passed Hotfoot. He put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll find you in a bit to make sure you can put that thing on right."

He grabbed some food on a tray and then joined the table with the rest of the team. Just as he sat down, Argent appeared.

[Hotfoot]

He waved to Blast and Blackheart as he left the mess hall, nodding to Ghost as the older man came by. "Sure thing, I'm heading up to the gym to make sure I don't break it. See you in a bit." He climbed the stairs, feeling more than a little like he shouldn't be doing this, like he was trespassing and that at any moment, guards would show up and throw him in a cell for not wearing an ID badge or something. He opened a door to one of the gymnasiums and slunk in, looking around to see if anyone was still there. The answer, thankfully, was no.

He tossed his gear down on a bench and opened it up, rummaging around inside. He pulled out the gloves, shoe covers, and the gas mask. If anything was going to be abused, it was that gear. The mask was the first thing he tried on. It was a little tricky to adjust, but he managed to get it on so it wasn't bouncing around too much when he looked around. It probably wasn't perfect, but that didn't matter right now. Now, he just needed to focus. Thousands of disparate thoughts raced around in his head, he kept them bottled up most of the time, when he had to be more normal. Nothing here was normal, least of all him. The thoughts broke loose into a torrent, filling every aspect of his body. A moment of chaos, followed by a wave of calm.

Things always felt more normal here, though it was always strange to come here with nobody else around, with no reference to the rest of the world to see how things were going. It was those times when he felt faster than ever, even though he knew it wasn't the case. Idly, he looked as his hands and feet through the mask. The shield neatly went around them, and a quick check of the mask in a nearby mirror showed it didn't seem to be melting. He smiled as he eyed a nearby bodybag. It was time for the real test. He did some stretches and a short warmup kata, then walked over to the bodybag. He punched and kicked the bag over and over again. It was clearly reinforced for someone much stronger, but he made it wiggle now and again. Satisfied that the gear wouldn't breach right away in a melee, Hotfoot decided to have a little fun. He broke into a run around the gym, building up speed before coming at the bodybag over and over again with a series of superspeed body blocks, dropkicks, and haymakers

He stopped for a moment, admiring his handiwork. The bodybag was hot to the touch now, he hadn't bothered pulling back the strength of his shield, figuring the equipment could take it. He took a deep breath and doused the fire, coming back to the normal world, a serene smile on his face, like all the troubles of tonight had simply melted away. He stood there for a moment, basking in the thermal glow of the bodybag as it tried to shed the excess heat he had just pumped into it.

[LadyTevar]

Blackheart took a big swig of juice. "Which was?"

"The raid on Freak Legion, mainly," Argent said off-handedly. "He did say to tell you he recalls the promise you asked of him."

[Cynical Cat]

"That's not what I asked you Argent," said Blackheart. "You said he was concerned by what you told him. What did you tell him?"

[Hotfoot]

All told, the workout hadn't lasted all that long. He didn't want to wear himself out before the mission, still, it felt good. His katas were always relaxing, even if he wasn't some super black belt master. Ever since he got his powers, doing them at super-speed seemed even more relaxing. He packed up the gear and started back downstairs to the cafeteria. He didn't want to get too far from the others, even with his new radio.

There was a certain aura of calmness around him as he walked into the cafeteria, a small smile on his lips. Things seemed slightly clearer now, less like a dream. He walked up to the table, seeing Argent in the seat he had just occupied a few minutes earlier. "Hey, I wasn't gone that long. You been taking lessons from my cat?" He chuckled and slid the bag to the side of the table. "Good news, I didn't destroy the gym, and it looks like the suit won't get wrecked right away. Anything else that I should know before we get on our way?"

[LadyTevar]

"That's not what I asked you Argent," said Blackheart. "You said he was concerned by what you told him. What did you tell him?"

"That the seperation he and I saw between you and the demon was breached." Argent answered truthfully, feeling Blackheart's annoyance spiking. "Demon to demon, you will always be stronger," she added, her eyes and empathy reaching inside to where man and demon met. "But I am not as weak as you think, either."

Argent's head jerked as Hotfoot sat down, and it was clear something had been interrupted. "Ahh... the spedster. Good... I was going to find you later. I need to link with you, so I can keep tabs on you."

[Cynical Cat]

"It's wired into my nervous and endocrine system," said Blackheart. "It's compromised my lungs and several arteries. We are linked and have been so for a long damn time."

[Hotfoot]

Hotfoot's head tilts to the side as he looks quizzically at Argent. "Link? Uh...okay. So, what do I have to do? Is this more of a mind-meld thing or do you put a tag in my ear and release me out into the wild?"

[Cynical Cat]

Blackheart stopped eating for a moment to think. "Don't shoot our guys. No macho hero stuff, call for help if you need it. Running away is sometimes the best move and hitting them from behind makes it easier on the rest of us. Argent, can you think of anything else?"

[LadyTevar]

Argent threw a look to Blackheart, wondering how far to push it now.... No. Later, in private. Hotfoot did not need to be in the middle of this. "Not much more, Blackheart, no."

She turned back to Hotfoot, a slight smile on her exotic face. "Not quite a mindmeld as you're thinking," she said, her hand reaching out to touch his arm. "You have no reason to be nervous, this is merely anchoring a thread to you... like a spider spining a thread to follow later. Unlike telepathy, I will not hear your thoughts, just your emotions."

Unbeknownst to him, the touch had already initated the connection. She just needed to strengthen it. "Unlike the rest of the team, I don't have time to form the connection slowly. I'm going to have to force it open," she explained, the smile widening, almost a smirk. "It will not hurt... I just want you to Look Into My Eyessss."
The last comment was delievered in such a dramatic, over-the-top, Hollywood B-movie vamp voice, it was the funniest thing Hotfoot had ever heard....

[Hotfoot]

Hotfoot, Collin was perplexed as Argent reached across the table to touch his arm. The thoughts were beginning to race through his mind again, wondering how this would go. He had heard stories of lots of different things with empathic and telepathic metas and his mind started going through the list. As she mentioned forcing it, his eyes widened slightly. This wouldn't hurt or blow his brain out, would it? No, no, of course not...right?

And then she started hamming it up, and one thought came through louder than all the rest. Are you kidding me? He looked at her eyes, trying to keep a straight face, until finally he snerked, then cackled, then erupted into a full-out belly laugh which lasted for nearly a minute. Finally he started to let out the long, labored breaths of a man hit by a laughing fit.

"Hehe..dude, serious..hahaha, oh man, that was great. Look into my-hahaha, whooo..." A few final snickers and he was done...until he looked at Argent again, starting the whole process over...

[LadyTevar]

Argent's smile was a true smirk, as she looked over to Blackheart with half-hooded eyes. "Link complete," she said softly, feeding Hotfoot's own mirth back into him in a empathic feedback loop. "But I think you need cheering up as well, Blackheart...."

Her other hand darted for Blackheart's arm ... but it was a feint in case he pulled away. She did not need contact to reach through the link that her mind saw as a braided cord running from her to him. She bounced Hotfoot's gigglefit down the link, sharing the laughter literally.

[Cynical Cat]

Blackheart burst out laughing, almost falling backwards. He rocked back and forth for a few moments, giggling. He gasped in breath. "No fair," he said. "That's not fair." He took another moment. "Must be great at parties."

[Agent Fisher]

When Ghost heard about the Link she formed with everyone, his mood immediately darkened. He didn't like the idea of a criminal, even one pardoned, being able to keep taps on him without his permission. He finished his sandwich and stood from the table, picking up his tray. "I need to restock my ammo and gear before we go." He said. He kept his face neutral and walked away from the table, heading out the door.

[LadyTevar]

"You seemed to enjoy my company at the last one..." Argent said, withdrawing from both men to allow them to recover. It would take a few moments, as giggle-fits were notoriously hard to overcome even when they weren't being given an Empathic boost.

Instead, she gave Ghost a taste of it, pushed down the like she'd forged with him earlier. If he thought he was being high and mighty, or that he had not already been tagged, he was mistaken. A giggle fit for the Ghost.

[Agent Fisher]

Ghost felt the amusement being pushed down the Link. He suspected he had a link already, this confirmed it. He let out a laugh and then clamped down on his amusement, schooling his features into the mask he always wore at attention. He walked out of the mess hall with the corners of his mouth twitching, but after that first laugh, not a sound escaped. He concentrated on giving off a feeling of 'leave me alone' combined with pissed off.

[LadyTevar]

Argent left Ghost alone for now... her point was made.

[Agent Fisher]

By the time Ghost reached his desk, his laughter was gone. He sat down and picked up the phone, dialing a number. "This is Agent Dan Ryan, I'd like to pass a message onto Agent Bowman. Tell him, I accept his offer." He placed the phone down, hanging up and started putting cartridges into his magazines, refilling the rounds he had used earlier. After topping off the magazines, he made sure his rifle was clean and then loaded into shotgun slug shells into the small shotgun attached to his rifle.

[Cynical Cat]

Blackheart finished his meal. He turned on his com speaker. "Okay folks. Finish what you're doing and suit up. Let's kick Freakshow's ass into next week."

[Hotfoot]

Hotfoot chuckled and grabbed his bag. "Right, sounds good. Of course I want to make sure I don't miss a seal on this thing." He lifted the MOPP gear and looks around. "Hey, didn't that Ghost guy say he'd help out with that?"

[Cynical Cat]

"I'll give you a hand with that," said Blackheart. "If the suit gets torn up, move to Saibot or another guy with a power ring. They have a fancy lifesupport force field thing that keeps the gas out. Tried and tested."

[Agent Fisher]

Ryan was the first to walk into the meeting room. He set the bag down and pulled out the MOPP suit. He laid his vest with attached hydration pack, belt with the holster for his pistol and gas mask bag, and rifle on the table. He pulled the suit on and made sure it was set.

Ryan reached for his belt and put it on, then his vest. He sat down and turned on his comm. "This is Ghost, I'm in the conference room, I figure we should meet here and get all our gear squared away."