The Awakened - First Pillar (IC Thread)

[Flux]

Stratos

"I've had a run in with these Utopia Terrorist myself; The bastards kidnapped my family and threatened to kill them unless I eliminated the Bar Tender at the party tonight, though I abandoned the mission when I was actually faced with the opportunity to pull the trigger. From what I understand, he happens to be a crucial agent of yours..."

Cedric nodded.

"That he is... Though I consider all of our members to be crucial. The Bartender just happens to be one of the most experienced." He waved a hand dismissively. "But enough on that. I'm sure you're here for another reasons." He glanced at Lux. "If Lux trusts you enough to bring you here, I suppose I'll here you out." He walked over to his desk, taking a seat in the chair behind it. He motioned for Anver to sit in one of the seats on the other end of the desk. "I assume you're here for your family. You believe them to be alive?"

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

Hukuna

Lydia Archer nodded crisply.

"I see. That will be all then. Thank you for your time."

With that said, she returned her gaze to the papers on the desk, allowing Viktor to make his own way out.

(((You can wrap up whatever you'd like to. This chapter is nearing its end. As soon as I finish with Ark and Stratos, we'll be done.)))

[Sutoratosu]

"For the time being, yes," Anver nodded, surprisingly collected about the whole matter. "But likely not for much longer, which brings us down to business; I hear you have possible intelligence on the location of Utopia's command center and are contemplating sending an infiltration party, and for obvious reasons, if this is true, I'd like to be personally accompanying the force you dispatch for the job... and if it isn't, well, I'd like to propose to you that you do consider an operation against them. Of course, my request doesn't come without something being given by myself to you in return," He looked Cedric in the eyes, face completely unreadable as he offered up what help he could be worth, "I was once CEO of a very notable corporation in New York, spent five years in the position, and over those five years I gained a considerable number of friends and allies all over the country, and a few overseas as well. When all this... business with the pillar started, well as you and everyone else in this room knows, things got less than picture perfect for a lot of people's lives, especially with their own government condemning them as criminals for no other reason than them having been affected by whatever the massive piece of stone in NYC is... a sizable amount of my contacts from over the years cut off all ties to me and wanted nothing to do with me or my family after they found out about my fugitive status... but the vast majority, those who were truly friends of mine and knew who I really am as a person, didn't care about what the government called me, still don't care, they were, and still are, willing to lend me any assistance they can, be it intelligence, supplies, a little money in tight spots, or a bail out in certain situations even, And I have various ways to get in touch with any and all of them when needed, as well as contingency methods." To prove his point he pulled out the same high end, sleek burner smart phone he'd used to call Alan earlier in the evening, placing it on the desk with the screen on; open to the contacts book... which had quite the small scroll bar to the right side, name after name listed like some sort of roster of confidants... which is precisely what it was.

"My proposal is simple," Anver continued. "Please, help me get my family back from these monsters calling themselves messiahs, and you'll have full use of my network, you'll have eyes and ears in high places, relatively easy access to supplies, materials, weapons even, so long as the requested items aren't anything too illegal... smuggling in an AK47 from Russia is about as far as my friends are willing to go in terms of playing with the US Law outright, but drugs and nuclear materials or any CBRNs for that matter are completely out of the question. Though, I'm sure such a fine organization as yours would have no use for those anyway... or, at least , I honestly hope you wouldn't."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"Good day Miss Archer. You ask too many questions you already know the answer to." he said as he got up from the chair he was seated in. He took draw from his cigar and puffed it into the air. He turned on his heels and began to march towards the door. However, he turned around as he reached the doorway and popped his head back in. "And I know since no one else has the balls to tell you for fear of offending you somehow, don't overwork yourself. Your mortal too you know. Also Paperwork has to get boring sometimes, no?" and with that he closed the door and went on his way.

[Flux]

"And I know since no one else has the balls to tell you for fear of offending you somehow, don't overwork yourself. You're mortal too you know. Also, paperwork has to get boring sometimes, no?"

Ms. Archer waited until he had left the room again to let the smile slip to her lips. She was indeed mortal, but sometimes that was the worst of it. In a world surrounded by these special "Awakened," here she was, Lydia Archer, a regular person stuck right at the heart of things. She turned back to the paperwork and lifted up the top sheet, stopping herself as she raised her pen. Perhaps Viktor was right. It was getting late, and she was tired of paperwork. The same smile slipped back to her face as she stood from her chair. She grabbed her coat as she left the office, slipping an arm through the sleeve and flicking the lights off on her way out. Perhaps she'd go out tonight. It'd been a while since she'd done anything fun for herself.

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

Stratos

Cedric's eyebrows raised as Anver listed off what he supposedly had access to. Of course, he would have no way of knowing if the man was telling the truth without calling these contacts right now, but that could wait. He paused as the man finished, closing his eyes as he thought. He spoke after a moment.

"I was not necessarily planning any sort of infiltration on Utopia before you arrived. Perhaps at some point, but now? No." He sighed. "I do believe I have reliable intel on their headquarters location, but even reaching it is a problem of its own. They're likely to have guards, and if my intel on the location is correct, it isn't the easiest place to find." He glanced at the people in the room. "This would be a dangerous undertaking for the Organization. Utopia is strong, and they are led by a strong man. Zweiss is his name. He's determined, strong-willed. He's got something driving him to do what he does, something I don't think any of us can hope to understand at this point. His motives are foreign to us, but regardless, he needs to be stopped. But to undertake such an expedition now... I was hoping I'd have more time, more resources..." He trailed off the end of the sentence. After a short time of silence, he waved a hand dismissively. "Lux, Beverly," he started looking them in the eye as he spoke their names, "Ace, Kenny. What do each of you think? Is this man's story believable enough to you to risk your lives and the lives of others in our Organization? Of course, it is my decision in the end, but I'd like your thoughts."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

I wonder if she will do so? Would be nice. Don't want her to be so stuck up all the time. Maybe if she does I will show her around town and I can see just who she is. Viktor thought to himself as he sat in the lobby. He had wondered what kind of woman Miss Archer was, and he was very curious to see it. He did this to a lot of his employers. He liked to know who they were so he could fight for their cause. He didn't like fighting for faceless figurehead's or names that had no base in reality. He wanted to know he fought for people. Every time he fought for an organization... bad things happened. And while it was his fault his Men did die, the organization took zero responsibility for it. They didn't see they were at fault at all, and treated them like disposable tools. And they treated him as if he destroyed propriety, not lives. He wanted to know this place wasn't like that too. Maybe he had other reasons too. He was married, but his wife kicked him out of his home, and told him to never come back. He missed her for awhile, but she could only see him as a demon. She lost sight of the man she loved and only judged him for the wrong he did. It wasn't fair. Every good deed, gone and didn't matter.

He put his feet up, on a low coffee table as he waited to see if this Miss Archer would leave work early for once.

[Jory]

Lux looked over at Anver, his eyes lingering on the man for quite some time. He replayed the events of the evening in his head and finally arrived at a decision. He nodded in Cedric's direction. "I think Anver will be a valuable asset if we're planning on taking down Utopia at any point. He's experienced in avoiding the authorities and knows how to infiltrate hard-to-reach areas," he said firmly. "And having seen him in action, I can safely say that I think he'll be valuable should we run into any resistance along the way." He then looked to the rest of his teammates, awaiting a response.

[Ragnar]

"Zweiss? Zeus? Zweiss now where did I heard that name before?" Ace said to Sterling as repeatedly snaps his fingers as he tries to recall the name. "Oh right! one of his guys tries to recruit me back then at the prison, I thought he was crazy with the whole 'the Awakened's true purpose' speech so i decline it, I never thought they were a legitimate terrorist group." Ace said as he briefly glance at Anver.

"Eh, why_not I'm fine with inflitrating this bastards, besides it sounds fun." Ace shrugs in a carefree manner waiting for the other's option about this.

[Flux]

Hukuna

Ms. Archer exited the elevator in the lobby. She zipped her coat as she walked, her head tilted down. The hood was lined in a thick fur, while the coat itself was a deep blue. She glanced up, stopping mid-zip as she saw Viktor. "O-oh," she said, clearly a bit startled. She quickly collected herself. "Sorry, I didn't expect that you'd still be here. You caught me by surprise." Her lip twitched into a small smile. "I decided to take your advice, as you can see. I figured it was about time I got out of that office."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"So, you did huh? Thought I would wait and see. I didn't really have much to do or really anywhere to go." He said as he leaned back in the chair he was seated in. "Anywhere you plan on going? There is a lot of city to see out there you know. I know a few good places. You tend to find a few when you are on the run for awhile. But, I lived here most of my life too, so that helps also."

[Flux]

Hukuna

"I didn't have anywhere in particular in mind, no," she started. She was still relatively new to New York, after all. She wondered if he somehow knew that. It certainly could have been so, based on his choice of words... but she dismissed the thought. "I suppose I could spare some time to see the highlights of the city, if you'd be so kind." The idea seemed... strange to her, going through the city with a member of Olympus, an Awakened. But still... she couldn't say that it was a bad feeling.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"I'll show you around then, all the big sights, the ones most know, and then perhaps some of the holes in the wall." Viktor said a smile on his face. "My personal favourite places. Ya know, small places, nothing to fancy, but not ratholes either. a family owned restaurant or 2, and some places I just like to go to think. I am glad you know how to live a little Miss Archer, I look forward to the night ahead of us."

[Flux]

Ms. Archer smiled. "In that case, lead the way."

She was excited to finally see some of the grand sights of New York City, but it was Viktor's "holes in the wall," as he had called them, that intrigued her the most. What sorts of places did a man like this enjoy? Perhaps she would be able to get a better understanding of Viktor by visiting these places.

[K_H]

Kenny looked intrigued when Infiltrating Utopia was mentioned.

"Sounds like a good plan to me."

Kenny then looked like he just realized something.

"You know... Utopia seems very reminiscent of the Nazis from WWII, what with their plan to try to 'Create a world where the Awakened are no longer Persecuted'. What I think that means is that they're going to try to kill everyone who isn't Awakened, but that's just what I think. If I'm right, then we should try to stop a Second Holocaust from happening before it starts by dealing them a crippling blow at their weak point."

Kenny then started listing things, counting them off on his fingers as he did so.

"In order to do that, though, we need to prepare for it by finding out more about what they're trying to do, what their HQ is like, what their tactics are, and how they're organized, as well as doing training for the Infiltration."

[rustytengo]

After her mind finally caught up with what was going on Beverly sighed

"By all means infiltrate the base of the crazy world domination or whatever they are group. It should be all fun and games for those of you who actually are useful in a fight. Its not like they would have others with powers that are great for hurting people. Also Kenny unlike the Nazi's the Awakened are actually the side who are most likely to be killed of since normal people out number us and with all our power guns still kill us. But if your what to attack them all means do its not like I could stop you guys if I wanted to anyway."

she said rubbing the side of her head trying to get rid of the headache she had.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Viktor took Miss Archer to all the standard places, the big sights to see in new York, the things everyone came to see. And while they were wonderful and grand, everyone came to see them in the end. They lost a bit of that charm, knowing that thousands shared the same view everyday. But, this is why Viktor had a few places in mind where to go.

After the tour they stopped a small family owned restaurant. A place called Morning Dove. It was a rather small restaurant, and while it wasn't a suit and tie attire place, it was no trash dump either. It was that middle of the road kind of deal, that was fancy enough to be better than fast food, but wasn't high flutin' fine dining either. Just simple food for people that wanted to enjoy a meal. It smelled wonderful. All sorts of smells lingered from the day, it was late at night, but the place was still open. They might have been winding down the kitchen for the day as they was almost nobody there anymore. "We are closing for the day, nobody else." a big looking italian man said from behind the counter. That was until his face lit up. "Oh Viktor! Never mind we always got food for you. And who is this? She your date?" he said eyeing Miss Archer.

Viktor flushed red all of a sudden. He looked a bit embarrassed by the comment '"N-N-no, she is just a friend Giuseppe.."

"Whatever you say Vik." he said with a little smile. "I will get busy on your usual buddy. But, you and the lady take a seat, Luigi will be out to get her order in a bit." He promptly trudged off to the kitchen.

"After you Miss Archer." Viktor said with a small bow, allowing her to pick where to they would be seated.

[Ragnar]

"It seems this is our biggest task yet.." Ace interrupted Kenny and Beverly. "I don't know about the similarities between the Nazis and the Utopia are. But all I can say is, I think we should still do our jobs and stick to what this group is good at, that is: retrieving and rescuing people...even if we're up against some terrorist group. " Ace said to the group

[K_H]

Kenny looked at Ace, then back at the group, and then spoke.

"I thought about it a little, and it appears that I didn't make what I said clear enough. Therefore, I'll clarify: If we destroy Utopia ASAP, we stop the Genocide that they're planning."

Kenny looked at Beverly next, and spoke.

"Bev, you do realize that there are some Awakened out there that are partially immune to Physical Attacks, right? Ace and I actually encountered one on our Mission. He was able to phase through the Walls, and he had already aligned himself with Utopia."

[Flux]

Hukuna

(((Hopefully you're still around)))

Lydia stood cooly at the Italian man's implications. She was a bit embarrassed, but she wasn't about to show it in front of Viktor. She gave a small smile at Viktor's bow before making her way to a booth on the side wall. It was positioned right next to the windows, giving a view of the street outside. She glanced out the window, taking a look at the street, the streetlights casting a humbling glow upon the entire area. She wondered if the people in the buildings beyond were sharing the same view, having similar thoughts. She turned her gaze to Viktor after a moment, an expression of genuine curiosity upon her face.

"So you come here often then?" she asked. "You seemed to know that man well."

(((I'll let you take the reigns on whatever you had planned for this whole thing. Viktor's the one leading the way after all. As for Cedric's crew, I'll wait for Beverly's response before moving things.)))

[Flux]

Zerron

Cedric was silent as each member gave their opinion. He simply sat with his hands clasped, his brows set in a serious gaze as he listened to what these people had to say. When all had finished, he was silent for a while more, closing his eyes as he weighed his options. After a time, he stood with a sigh, leaning forward and placing his hands on the desk as he looked Anver in the eye.

"My final questions are for you, Anver. You claim to be a good person. I'd like you to answer these questions with complete honesty, removing as much bias towards your family as possible in your answers. There are other lives that would be in just as much risk as theirs in an operation like this. Now... Do you believe that if I authorize an infiltration of Utopia that we can actually be successful? Do you believe you can survive to the end, and do you believe your family really is with Utopia? Do you think their lives are worth the risk our members will be taking to save them? Could you live knowing some men gave their own lives to save those of your family?"

He paused, leaning back and sinking into his chair once more. He looked completely wiped.

"I don't mean to come off as harsh, but these are serious things to consider. I need to know that you realize just what it is you ask of me."

[Sutoratosu]

"Doesn't sound harsh at all," Anver said simply. "You've got something to protect here, just like I've got my family to protect, you've got this cause to defend and preserve, I can completely understand that..." He paused, considering the first question as memories of the past few days floated by in his mind. "As for whether an assault on Utopia would be successful... I'm afraid there's no way I could accurately give you a concrete answer for that- but from what I've seen over the past few days, they're obviously an association with a considerable reach, probably supported by a just as considerable intelligence force, and if tonight is any indication, a somewhat sizable fighting force at their disposle, assuming there's much more where what I saw came from... but nothing is impossible, I think the pillar proves that. It's all simply a matter of how outside the box you have to think."

He paused yet again, looking at every person in the room in turn, clearly in his old element from his calm demeanor. "As for the question of my own survival... I've been pursued by countless police, trained US Federal Marshals, and bounty hunters among other things, just as I'm sure every person in this room has also been. I've had to become someone and do things I never thought I would be or do, but I did them regardless and I survived to see another day because of that simple fact, just as I'm sure everyone in this room also has had to." He returned his attention to Cedric. "Yes, I do believe that, given the things I've had to learn and do in the past and the changes they've forced me to make as a person, I could very well survive to see such a mission through. And I truly do believe Utopia has my family- solely because of the fact of the protections I went to lengths to procure for our home and the fact that everysingle one of them had to have been bypassed with quite obvious force and destruction in order for an intruder to get inside... and yet there was no damage or signs of struggle whatsoever in the entire place, no frayed wires, no broken down doors or tripped alarms... just a man who greeted me in my own kitchen and told me that my cooperation was the key to their survival. Whoever abducted them... wasn't law enforcement. Wasn't regular individuals at all, not if the could just waltz in as if it were nothing... with no sign of any struggle at all. And Utopia is my first and only lead, and so I have no choice but to take them at their word about it."

He turned away from Cedric, facing the young operatives themselves as he answered the final set of questions "All I can say for the final two however is this: as a father and a husband, it was my duty to protect my family... circumstance forced me to leave their sides in the hopes of avoiding capture, but it is still no excuse for my having left them- and they suffered as a direct consequence of my decision. The responsibility and the fault for this situation lie with none other than myself, had I simply surrendered, perhaps this would have all played out differently and they'd still be safe... but no man, given these powers or not, can alter the course what has already been done, and so I must focus myself on trying to correct the consequences of my mistake rather than wishing I could have prevented it in the first place. I'm the only one whose obligated to take action here... I am the only one whose life in this should be forfeit if need be, as a penance for my failure..." He finally turned back to Cedric.

"but that at the same time is the very beauty of the gift of life- It is something that can be given as well as taken. I once had... I have a dear friend who was once a man in the service, special forces for ten years. He always told me that in combat, soldiers, real, true soldiers, do not fight for their national lands or their governments... they fight for their people- fight to defend their fellow Americans, fight to defend millions upon millions of faces whom they'll most likely never meet nor know, but yet are still willing to die for if needed. It takes a certain kind of person to brave bullets in war torn countries to defend total strangers- it takes people of a higher caliber, of greater virtue and valor. And to those who pay the ultimate sacrifice for that valor, we as the people are left with a debt which we can not repay over than acknowledging that sacrifice and ensuring it was not made in vain.

We live every single day in this country, knowing that in order for us to be able to even draw breath at dawn, men have fought and died and will continue to fight and die in foreign lands in order to ensure we are able to do so without a knife awaiting our tracheas. We, all of us, every single day, live in the debt of millions upon millions of warriors who one day, took up their arms and fought for us though they did not know us nor ever did know us, and it is a debt that can never be repaid because the price of the interest itself is none other than the ultimate price. But though we know we can not repay that debt, we do not push it from out minds. We do not forget why that debt came to be. And that is my answer to your final question, my good man. I morally can damn no man who would refuse to assist me in my endeavor to right a father's wrong, but for all those who are willing to lay their lives on the line of their own free choosing in the aid of such a task- there is no thanks I can give them that will ever truly suffice. But for all those who are willing to lend themselves and all those among them who may happen to fall,The question to ask is not whether I can live with their sacrifices should they occur, for in the end, that is what every last one of us is already doing everyday, living with the fact that men died and are dying and are going to someday die defend us.

No...rather, the question to ask is whether or not I would honor those sacrifices and ensure they were not in vain. and I can ensure you of one thing- I will not stand by and allow the gift of life to be donated for my family in vain. I will carry on their fight and their cause, just as they would've, and I will not rest until there comes the day that their mission has become my mission, and has finally been accomplished I will take it upon myself to ensure that their memory and their deeds do not fade from the earth, even if I must spend the rest of my own mortal life doing so..."

[Flux]

Cedric nodded as Anver finished. The man's face betrayed nothing of his thoughts on the matter. When he spoke, it was in a steady and firm voice.

"You're definitely determined -- Just as any good father would be in your situation, I'm sure." Cedric paced towards the door, hands behind his back as a silence settled over the room. He stopped with his back to the group, head bowed in thought. After a time, he returned his gaze to the group.

"My decision is made. Tomorrow, we begin preparations for the infiltration."

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

Meanwhile...

Zweiss stood in the dark room, the only light coming from the moon outside the window. He was on the third story of the mansion, in Mr. Taylor's private office. The events outside had been more than enough to tie up any authorities still on the premise. They were still busy identifying bodies and trying to gather from the remaining witnesses what exactly had happened. Thus, Zweiss was left to his own devices for the time being, and came to Mr. Taylor's office. The office had been locked, of course, but when you controlled a power such as Zweiss's, a few locks were no real obstacle.

He closed the drawer of the desk he had just finished looking through. There was a sound of metal on metal and an almost indistinguishable hum in the air as Zweiss activated his power, and the drawer's lock clicked back into place. A frown spread across his lips for a moment. He still had not found what he was searching for, and there was only one drawer left in the desk. He gave the final drawer a tug, finding without surprise that it too was locked. It took him only a moment to open it. He thumbed through the papers on top, making his way towards the bottom of the drawer. Just as he passed the final papers, he found what he was looking for. It was a keycard that read:

John Taylor - Vice President of B.O.A.

Unrestricted access

Zweiss smiled as he pulled the keycard from the drawer, placing it in his pocket. This would be Taylor's spare, based on Zweiss's prior intel as well as how deeply it was buried. He could have a duplicate made and planted before John Taylor suspected a thing. He walked out of the office, closing and locking the door behind him.

"I've got what we need," Zweiss said to empty halls of the mansion. "It's time for our infiltration to begin."

There was the tap of slow footsteps as a figure walked around the corner. It was a man dressed in a blue suit, his hair dyed the same baby blue as his eyes. He placed a hand on Zweiss's shoulder, and the two of them disappeared in a flash of blue light.

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End of Chapter 1

Thank you all for participating even through all the delays we've had! Please head over to the OOC thread to fill out a short form of questions I made up for you. It's important to me as aa host to get some feedback, and it will help make the experience better for all of you as well. Thanks again, and stay tuned for...

The Awakened:

Chapter 2: Infiltration