Heroes: Shadows over Millenium

[LadyTevar]

Argent's eyes open, as she finds both the information they need... and a touch of emotion from the thread connected to Legacies. She decided to stick to the mission first.

"Blackheart... you have the map to the tunnels?" she asked. "They are not in this one, but to the west of us, in a nearly parallel line." That was the mission report... now for the other. "And Blackheart... you may wish to contact Ultima's med-center. Something has Legacies -Very- -Happy-."

The last two words were emphasized for a reason. Those who knew the symbiote would understand why. Hotfoot, on the other hand, would have to wonder why she considered a person's happiness to be something to warn Blackheart over.

Then the squeal of nails-on-chalkboard came echoing down the tunnel and Argent shuddered inside the shadow, chills going down her discorpeal spine at the sound of it. "...... please tell me that was not a Freak....."

[SirNitram]

"Only one way to know." Gravitas replied philosophically. He gestured to Ghost and Blast. "Ghost, you're the invisible upgraded sniper. Make sure anything we're coming up on has a few holes before we need to throw around enough power to collapse a tunnel. Let's move."

The Nova started down the tunnels, remembering his own adventures in near-identical subway tunnels, basements, sewers, and other such things. And trying to figure out where the Legion would be hiding...

[Hotfoot]

Hotfoot listened and nodded. The situation was already going south from getting called in early. The edge was getting closer, and soon he would be running right on it. As the team broke down into two parts, he looked at Blackheart and Argent. The other three most likely knew what they were doing anyway.

The last few words from Argent's mouth caused him to raise an eyebrow. This team was full of some damn strange people. Bad nanities, bad blood, ego problems, and now someone was happy and that was a bad thing? He shook his head and raised his hand, almost out of instinct. "I don't know who this Legacies guy is, but wouldn't that be a good thing?"

He shrugged and continued. "Anyway, since we're all here together, where are we going? More importantly, if we're going to do this without being seen, I either can't flare up or I'll have to be dampened somehow. Even though Argent can't carry me with her like I thought, maybe she could cover me in shadows or something to keep me from being immediately visible and giving away our location?"

[Agent Fisher]

Ghost took point, stalking down the tunnel. He reached into a pocket on his vest and pulled out a suppressor. He screwed it onto his rifle. While it wouldn't make his shots completely silenced, it would eliminate the large flash. Ghost snorted softly at Gravitas' comment. He hadn't been upgraded yet, and he wasn't a sniper, but he still would take care to try and eliminate the enemy before Blast or Gravitas needed to get involved.

[LadyTevar]

Hotfoot shook his head and raised his hand, almost out of instinct. "I don't know who this Legacies guy is, but wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"Legacies is a ... symbiotic partnership. He is no longer quite human, and does not think like a human anymore," Argent explained in brief. "The last time I felt him 'happy', he was ripping holes in his opponents." Yes, give the kids a frightening view of Legacies. Just don't tell him that two of the people Legacies has promised to kill (under certain situations) were herself and Blackheart.

He shrugged and continued. "Anyway, since we're all here together, where are we going? More importantly, if we're going to do this without being seen, I either can't flare up or I'll have to be dampened somehow. Even though Argent can't carry me with her like I thought, maybe she could cover me in shadows or something to keep me from being immediately visible and giving away our location?"

"That is a problem, as I don't create shadows," she admitted, her silver eyes looking over his brightly shining aura critically. "I could shroud you with the shadows cast by your light, but then you would not be able to see around you."

She was almost feeling sorry for Hotfoot, breaking so many of his grand ideals of heroing. "Since Gravitas and his group are going north, I'm assuming we will try to find a crossover point to the south, Blackheart?"

[Cynical Cat]

"Correct," said Blackheart. "If our shadowmancer could scout away?"

[LadyTevar]

"Correct," said Blackheart. "If our shadowmancer could scout away?"

"On my way," Argent answered, and the silver eyes vanished from the shadow with a minute ripple. The eyes did not appear again, but various shadows rippled, nearly too fast for the human eye to catch, as Argent moved to scout the southern tunnel.

[Hotfoot]

Hotfoot raised an eyebrow at Argent, a slight feeling of unease as she described Legacies. "Oh. That's...special." The second point was disappointing, but then he had no idea how everyone else's powers worked. Still, it was good to know what could and couldn't be done, if for no other reason than it let him know when his team mates would be in trouble.

As Argent left, he dived back in to his world, keeping his shield as dim as he could to avoid acting as a signal flare. With even this team splitting up, he wanted to be ready for any surprises, from defending himself to running after Argent if she got into trouble. As he looked around the slow moving world, he noticed the flickers of shadows around the tunnel. At first, he thought it was just the light from his shield causing the shadows to move, but something seemed off, and then he noticed that the movements seemed to be going away from him. He wondered for a moment if Blackheart noticed the movement, but rather than ask another question that would likely be a stupid one, he just watched the shadows moving away. He'd have to remember to make a shadow if he got in trouble...chances are by the way she was moving that even a small one for a brief moment would be enough.

As she disappeared, he idly wondered if the light from his shield hurt her...

[LadyTevar]

Argent moved through the shadows, falling back on tricks she'd employed over countless jobs she pulled with Ember. Every 4-5 yards, the silver eyes would open, gazing around below her from the shadowed ceiling to make sure the area was clear.

The ceiling was the real trick to hiding. Humans as a whole did not ever think to look up, even if they were feeling watched. Security cameras were also all tilted to watch below them, to see what approached by foot, never what came from above. The typical guard was even worse about it: working long boring hours, half-convinced nothing would ever happen on their watch. Argent had followed one guard completely around the building on his watch, and the only time he'd looked up was to wave to each and every security camera. He'd been very helpful that way.

Each time she eyeballed a section, doublechecking the rare areas that might block views from the ceiling, she would send a pulse back to Blackheart and Hotfoot. Again, this was old habit and something she did unthinkingly the first time before realizing that she'd not let Blackheart and Hotfoot in on the 'code'.

But Blackheart was a pro, she told herself. After the pulse repeats a time or two, he'd get the idea. So she moved on, clearing another section, and sent back the all-clear message as a short quick vibe of **HAPPY**.

[Cynical Cat]

Exactly what the pulse code was supposed to signify was something Blackheart could only guess at. The *happy*, on the other hand, was obvious. "Let's move up," he said and began advancing in Argent's wake.

[Hotfoot]

Hotfoot drew a quick "OK" in the air, letting his firey aura burn the letters into the air. It was faster than talking back, and quieter, to say nothing of keeping radio silence. The waves of "Happy" were a little odd, however. As he followed behind Blackheart at a relatively slow pace, he noticed he had trouble avoiding a small spring in his step. Hopefully he was still moving fast enough that Blackheart wouldn't notice, assuming he even bothered looking back.

[B4UTRUST]

The scouts advanced in peace. Other then the odd rodent or bug nothing bothered them as they made their way towards their respective terminals.

That didn't, however, ease their minds. Every flicker of light, every sound echoed a dozen times would eventually stretch their senses and nerves to the breaking point. The drip drip drip of water was always there.

[LadyTevar]

Argent had been a lot of dark places, but this had to be one of the spookiest outside of Between. If she had not been the one in the shadows, she'd have been jumping at them. As it was, when she approached the first terminal station, she was hesitant about going out into the open space alone, even to see if this one held the cross-over point.

She retreated to the last place she'd given the all-clear and waited for Blackheart and Hotfoot. After a moment, she emerged from the shadows in dragonform, thinking that perhaps they would notice her faster if she was more than just silver eyes on a wall. *Happy* she pulsed, so they would know it was ok to come forward.

[Dark Silver]

While the others moved down their respective tunnels, and Argent waited for Hotfoot and Blackheart, Saibot approached the hideout of the Legion.

Or at least the coordinates where the Legion's hideout was. He stopped a small distance away, his helmet's sensors scanning, audio pickups on their most sensitive setting, that could not damage his hearing, as he waited.

[Cynical Cat]

Blackheart lead his team through Argent's wake. He was eager to get to grips with the enemy.

[SirNitram]

Gravitas followed his connection to Saibot, tracking him directly. "Blast. I don't know how good you are at this yet, but if you notice power being diverted from the mains, that's the direction we need to turn.."

[LadyTevar]

Blackheart lead his team through Argent's wake. He was eager to get to grips with the enemy.

The dragon turned to look at him, hearing his footsteps. "Blackheart... there's a train station ahead, but I dont' know if it's one with a place to cross over to the right track."

[Cynical Cat]

"Then poke ahead and let us know," said Blackheart.

[LadyTevar]

"Then poke ahead and let us know," said Blackheart.

Argent's silver slit eyes blink once, then slide over to Hotfoot meaningfully. "It would take time for me to complete a search..."

[Cynical Cat]

"You have another suggestion?" Blackheart asked

[LadyTevar]

"You have another suggestion?" Blackheart asked

"Hotfoot, if he is willing, should be able to complete a search in minimal time." Argent stated the obvious.

[Cynical Cat]

"His plasma sheath also make stealth impossible," said Blackheart.

[LadyTevar]

The dragon lowered her head, accepting that she'd lost this round. At least, if there was trouble here, help was not that far away. "Very well."

She slipped silently away into the shadows, and proceeded to make a sweep of the station.

[B4UTRUST]

Argent's sweep revealed no signs of life.

The station was like most in New York. Graffetti decorated the walls at random intervals. Rubble blocked most of the staircases to the surface, though light continued to trickle in.

The dust on the ground showed signs of recent movement. Footprints of various sizes and shapes had disturbed the dust. Signs of movement by other things was also visible, things not human.

The feeling of dread and ill-ease was stronger here, almost palpable. Paranoia began to set in after a few minutes, the prickling of hair at the back of the neck, the itching between the shoulder blades that people sometimes get when they felt they were being watched.

As the group advanced further, the negative feelings only increased until it was like a wall keeping them out.

[SirNitram]

Gravitas was holding strongest against the waves of paranoia, lifting a hand, fingers splayed open. When he remembered the two with him wouldn't know that hand signal, he murmured. "Stop."

A momentary glance around revealed nothing. "They know we're here. This is either active defense or some kind of aura around the location. You two holding out okay?"