Children of Earth

[Ciarda]

"Hey, Russ, it's Aly. Look... About earlier... Just... Just meet me tonight at the usual spot, ok? We can talk about it there. I know things have been tense... I'll explain everything then. Anyway, I'm almost to Dr. Helsing's. I'll call you later."

The message cut off and Russell shook his head as he pressed a button and slipped the phone back into his coat pocket. He knew in his heart of hearts that something had happened, no matter what she said in that damn message. It had already been four days, and still no call from her. And she had never shown at their usual spot. Angry or not, Alyson would never leave him hanging like that... She knew how he worried about her- it was just a good thing that he had copied down the address of her most recent "meeting" just in case. And so, when the twins returned with only what appeared to be her PDA, he was prepared, and set off for the Fringe, unsure of what, exactly, he would find there.

One thing was certain, however, and that was the fact that she had gone, against his advice, to see Doctor Helsing. And so that became the starting point of his dogged search, even as the weather took a turn for the worse.

Russell's shoulders hunched against the chill breeze that danced through the abandoned streets, playing childishly with everything it touched. Unfortunately, this stirred up dust and debris in the decimated street, and the young man's grey eyes narrowed as he was forced to pull a scarf above his nose momentarily. Admittedly, he should have had it up anyway, in this rotting edge of civilization, but it was more hassle than help anyway.

As the gust died down again, Russell adjusted his suede trench coat and continued through the ruined remains of suburbia. This far from the thriving city center, the effects of the war were still largely evident- as though the cease-fire were only signed yesterday. As he walked, the young man made it a point to keep himself alert, and turned his head this way and that as he took in the scenery. Mutants and rebels were the only life out on this fringe of the waste, and neither of them were particularly friendly to strangers- especially... gifted ones.

As such, he regarded the world around him with a wary glance as his toned form made its way down the street towards his target. Every burned-out car, every crumbling chimney, every rotting wall seemed to possess a life of its own, and the shadows refused to stand still. The further he traveled, the more tense he became. When he flexed his fingers to crack the knuckles, he made sure that the black, curved claws replaced his own fingernails, and ran his tongue over wolfish fangs. Indeed, even as he walked, something much darker overtook him and despite his ragamuffin appearance, he exuded an air of quiet brutality.

True, the wandering vagabond didn't know exactly what he would do when he reached Helsing's, but he had a fairly good idea in his mind. And so, he was not as surprised at himself as some may have been when he at last found the place- a seemingly bombed-out rotting hill of debris-, rang the bell, and promptly made contact between his fist the owner's face. Indeed, his expression never changed as he shoved the door open and advanced on the man. A quiet fury raged beneath the calm surface as he bent over his quarry.

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

Sitting on his heels Ira Lorcán Helsing nursed his jaw from the powerful blow that Russel had thrown at him. "Ah you would be Russell" Ira says while looking around with narrowed eyes "Is Alyson with you?"

"As if you didn't know..." Russell glared at the heap of human flesh before him before lunging forward. With one hand, he grabbed the good doctor's lab coat and pulled him into a standing position, his claws leaving holes in the fabric. "You get one shot at this." He allowed a single claw to nick a button off of the lapel to emphasize his point.

Looking down at his lab coat Ira said quietly "That was my favorite lab coat."

The calm voice turned into a snarl as he yanked the poor man closer so that there were only inches between them. "And Alyson's my favorite person. So unless you want to lose more than your stupid coat, I suggest you tell me what happened to her."

Ira brought his hand up and clasped it around the hand holding his shirt drawing blood from the claws. Apparently not noticing the sharp claws Ira pulled the hand from his shirt and looked up at Russell and said coldly "Do you know how much that shirt meant to me?"

A single hand hit his chest hard and he was thrown back into the wall momentarily as his attacker's expression clouded in anger. He stared incredulously at the smaller man and his lips set in a hard line as he regarded him with an equal dislike. "I'm talking about a human being here, Helsing- a hell of a lot more important than your damn shirt!"

Ira dusts what remains of his precious lab coat and launches himself at Russell and pressing him against the wall Ira says through gnashed teeth his canines showing prominent. "And I'm talking about a gift from a very good friend of mine."

Growling Russell pushed Ira off of him and swung a clawed fist at him, jumping backwards to avoid Russell, Ira tripped over a coffee table with a clash. Enraged Russell rushed forward, he barely registered that there were claw marks scattered across the walls and floors. His own face twitching as he was stooping over Ira he noticed that Ira's eyes had taken on a golden hue which seemed wolf-like in their resemblance. Too far gone to stop it he shuddered as Russell's change mirrored that of Ira's. Ira began to grow thick and his face elongated. Glancing down Russell saw Ira's hands become clawed paws. Finally the last painful shift concluded and there stood a werewolf poised over another. Shoving off the floor Ira-wolf swung his claws at Russell who threw his own arm out to block the blow. Snarling the two werewolves began to fight with a fury that was unearthly both seeming to be equally matched in prowess.

[Ersska]

Two shadowy figures silently stalked the lone man as he walked down the street. They skirted around piles of rusted metal, bricks, and other debris, hopping from one dark place to the next. If the man had any idea someone was following him, he didn't let on.

The twins knew something was amissed when they found Her PDA discarded in a pile of rubble. They looked the area over but could find no other sign of Her. They instantly decided that the best course of action would be to let Russell know. Russell Stormcrowe was Her closest friend and followed Her around like a faithful dog. The twins affectionately called him Stormy due to his less than chipper personality. They knew if anybody had any idea what happened to Her, it would be Russell. So, they set off to find him. In no time, the twins had located Russell and told him of their discovery. He had brooded over this information, then had set off to a destination unknown to the twins. Curiously, they had followed, staying out of sight in case he turned them away.
The twins watched, crouched in an alley beside a shell of a building as Russell rang the bell of another bombed out shack. When the resident answered the door, his face was greeted by a fist. The twins watched in silence as the two men before them argued then began to fight. They were in just the right position to be able to see the two men through the door that had been left opened. One of the twins gasped as one man then the other began to shift, changing into something more canine than man.
"Oh, great! Both of them?!," she whispered harshly in surprised. After a pause, she rolled her eyes and groaned. "Is there anybody else besides me that hasn't been turned into a freak?! . . . No offense, Shel." She turned to her sister and winked.
"None taken," her sister, Shel, answered almost automatically. Her two-toned eyes stayed forward, taking in the scene before her.
"Werewolves . . . I don't think I've ever seen one shift that far. Much less would I have thought that Stormy would be one." Shel's voice was low and even. Her sister might not have even heard her speak had they not been crouched so close together.
"Definitely not what I expected!" her sister agreed. "Stormy might need some help on this one. Looks too equal for comfort. Let's go!" The girl sprang to her feet and started to exit the alley only to have Shel stop her.
"Ridley, no." Shel grabbed the waist of her sister's baggy shorts and pulled her back into the alley. "We can't just barge in there! There might be more of them. We need a plan. We need stealth." Ridley plopped down once again on the dusty ground, mocking her sister silently. She watched the fight continue across the road as Shel went over various ideas of how to handle the situation. Something was poking Ridley uncomfortably in the back. She reached around to rid herself of the nuisance and her hand came in contact with the compound bow she kept strapped there. A little lightbulb went off in her head.
Without a word to her sister, Ridley stood up, pulled the bow in front of her, and started to notch an arrow. Taking note of her sister, Shel halted her ramblings.
"What are you doing?"
Ridley smiled as she drew the bow back and aimed. "Stealth," she chirped as she let the arrow fly. The arrow sliced through the air and found it's target in a second, firmly lodging itself into the right shoulder socket of the resident werewolf.

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

Pain exploded in Ira's shoulder at the impact of the arrow. Howling in pain Ira lifted up his left arm and tore the arrow out. His right arm hanging limply Ira sniffed the air for the scent he had smelt on the arrow, and smelled his quarry outside the doorway.

Before he could act on that information Russell lunged at Ira forcing him to back away and turn back toward his original opponent. Blood flowing freely down his right arm he back himself in a corner out of sight of the doorway all the while fending off Russell as best as he could with his left arm.

With his back to the wall Ira could better protect himself from Russell's blows and even managed to rake him with blows of his own. With rage fueling Ira he fought back with a ferocity unknown to mankind.

Soon both werewolves were bleeding in equal amounts and the floor began to pool with their mixed blood. Now both parties seemed to be slowing down considerably due to the loss of blood dulling their movements. Shakily standing both combatants launched their opponent only to fall short of their marks and instead collapse towards the other.

Too weary to continue to sustain their shifted forms the two began to revert back into a human semblance. Their wounds closed as the painful transformation occurred stopping the flow of blood and repairing any damage that they had inflicted on the other, although tiring them even further. After the change was all said and done with the two wearily slumped in the pool of blood below them tired beyond description.

Shakily Ira stood up and stumbled to a dresser and pulled out a couple towels one of which he threw at Russell as the change had left both of them without any clothes still fully intact as the shredded remains lay desolately across the floor and partial tatters still clung to their forms.

After wrapping the towel around his own form Ira then wearily stumbled across the room to a fridge in the corner and pulled out a couple packages of raw meat.

With a weary shove he launched one of them across the floor to rest a foot from Russell's face. "I had planned on cooking these for dinner but right now I'm too tired to think about cooking it." Ira said as he began to slump against the refrigerator door. He then tore off the packaging and began to eat the meat as it was with a dreadful hunger.

[Wardonis]

Else where…

Rin’s eyes jerked open and a tormented angry scream exploded from him driven by nearly ten thousand volts of electricity coursing through his body. His wrists were bleeding has he pulled on the bindings with all his might.

“Increase the current.”

As the electricity was increased foam began to form on his lips and his skin began to literally ripple. However he remained conscious and managed to regain enough control of his own body to spit at the figure standing in the light before him.

“Impressive, the subject is able to retain a remarkable amount of control even under ordinarily lethal conditions. Turn it off.”

Rin’s body collapsed onto the metallic bed he was strapped to and spots danced in front of his eyes as his bare chest heaved. “I’m not going to just kill you, no, I’m going to make sure it lasts a long time.” He closed his eyes as a smile spread across his face.

“Is that so?” the man said bemused. “And just how do you plan on doing that? “”That’s my secret.“ “Humph, prep the Pressure Tank. I want to see if he can handle the same thing in a deep water environment.” Rin’s smile faded as the man began making notations and recording his vitals. When the man leaned over and used his finger to open Rin’s eyes the smile returned. After a split second a burst of charged electricity shot up the mans arm and his body shook violently as he collapsed to the floor. Rin could just barely lift his head high enough to see the scientists convulsing body. The smile broadened as the mans seizures began to slow. Finally the man stilled in death.

“I’m sorry Doc, I broke my promise, It wasn’t long enough.” Rin’s head fell back against the bed. “That’s one less~” A sound caught his attention. Looking over his jaw drooped as the dead man rose to his feet.

“Thank you for showing me that.” the man said as he brushed himself off. “I wont make the same mistake again. You should have told me you can retain the energy and release it at will. Now, onto your next test.” The figure smiled as he lowered a mask attached to a small gas canister to Rin’s face and soon the whole world went black…

[Ciarda]

Within the desolate remains of the shack, Russell had quickly ducked behind what was left of a wall and changed into a spare set of clothing. He didn't think he was the most intelligent man by any stretch of the imagination, but he was also no fool. That arrow had come from Ridley's crossbow, though he wouldn't have needed that to alert him to the twins' presence. Despite all their play at stealth, the girls could not hide their scent, and he had smelled them all the way from the burned-out factory that he called home. In retrospect, that had played a role in his violent reaction to Ira's shift.

Now free of his second form, however, Russell stepped from his hiding place, fully clothed and tilted his head from one side to the other. A series of grotesque cracks echoed as he continued with his knuckles. With a slightly disgusted expression, he ran a hand through his tossled brown hair as he meandered by the good Doctor. "No point hiding," the wolf-man calmly called as he sat down and reached into his bag.

"Spare shoes?" The scientist's incredulous chuckle shattered the silence as he watched Russell, still munching on his dinner.

This was interrupted when a tattered shoe struck his hand, knocking the remaining bit of meat from Ira's hand and into the dirt. When he looked up, Russell was smirking ever-so-slightly, but the mirth stopped short of his eyes. "Sneakers," he said simply. "Most important necessity a man can carry with him."

"Sneakers..."

"Yeah. Never know when you'll have to run. And those were my favorite pair. You might want to warn a guy next time you decide to shift... Ira." At the name, his voice went cold, and when the man in question turned his gaze to him, the expression that he received in turn was a dark shadow of familiarity.

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

Ira picked up the fallen piece of meat and dusted it off, shrugging he finished his raw meal. Upon finishing Ira looked into Russell's cold eyes and absently licked the blood off of his fingers. "I see that you don't forgive me for what I did to you. I still don't understand why you want to return to normal... but I'll honor your choice." Turning around Ira rummaged around in the dresser standing there and pulled out a fresh pair of clothes and changed right there causing Russell to avert his eyes.

"Did you really have to do that?" Russell asks disgustedly.

"Oh I didn't have much choice, it was either work for them or retire under guard and I'm much too young to retire." Ira said dismissively.

"I meant changing in the open." Russell said tiredly.

"Why?" Ira asked confusedly.

Sighing Russell said "Never mind." Barely turning around Russell signaled the twins to come inside. As they walked into the door Ira noticed the compound bow in one of the twins hands. Reaching down Ira picked up the arrow that had been previously lodged in his shoulder. Walking briskly up to the one twin he held the bolt out to her and said "I didn't much appreciate it at the time but it provided an excellent test of the shifting process. My shoulder is all fine now so no grudges held against you." Looking up into her eyes he noted the dual colors and he glanced between the two twins and noted that they were opposite eyes. "Interesting you both have heterochromia of the eyes... " he paused as he studied them absently using the bolt to point out the various similarities and oddities of the twins all the while muttering to himself.

[Ciarda]

Russell sighed and picked up his bag, tearing the zipper across the top roughly as he shook his head and muttered something to himself. He looked around the ground at his feet to make sure that nothing had been missed and quickly located the tattered remains of his trench-coat. The werewolf's shoulder's visibly slumped as he sifted through the shreds of cloth. There was no point really. The only thing it was good for now was bandages. A heavy sigh and Russell opened a pocket in the bag and stuffed what he could find of his coat inside. "One more thing to scavenge," he muttered to himself, thankful that for the moment the weather was holding. No sooner were the rags safely stowed, however, than a cold gust ripped through the remains of the house, eliciting a shudder from the young man. "Great..." he muttered as he caught a whiff of moisture in the air. "Just my luck."

He turned his full attention now to the twins and their new friend and his eyes narrowed as Ira continued his assessment. In truth, Russell had no worries about the twins, but the fact that the doctor seemed to be studying them so closely made him nervous and he finally stepped in.

"God Almighty, Helsing, they're twins! What's to study? They look the same- same hair, same height, same weight. Would you quit looking at them like they're test subjects? They're getting quite enough attention from me anyway, considering I told them to stay put at Darden St." he pointedly added, peering at the two of them. However, they noted with relief that his anger with Ira did not seem to transfer to them. The storm about his person died down to a cloudy haze as he awaited their response, arms folded across his chest, clawed fingers tapping.

[Ersska]

The fight had ended soon after Ridley had let go her arrow. There hadn't been much time for them to do anything else. Both canines had sustained equal injuries, and now, had seemingly called a truce.

No point hiding.

"How did he. . .?"
"Your arrow, Ridley," Shel spat at her sister. "He's seen them plenty of times to know. Jeez, you can be ditzy sometimes. Guess we better head over there."
"I've got five bucks that say he's not happy that we followed him." Ridley grinned as she and her sister crossed the road and entered the building.
The grin was quickly replaced by a scowl as the doctor crowded them the moment the twins walked in. His scrutiny uneased Shel, who moved closer to her sister and took hold of her arm. Ridley straightened at Shel's touch, quickly reading into her worry. Just as she opened her mouth, ready to tell the strange man off, Russel beat her to it. A smug grin crossed her face, and she snatched her arrow from the doctor as Russell told him to back off.
But, once again, the grin quickly faded as Russell turned his attention to the twins, wanting to know why they hadn't stayed put.
"You owe me five," Ridley mumbled to her sister. Shel let go of Ridley's arm and punched her in the side, hard. Ridley let out a violent gasp as the breath was knocked out of her. She took a swing at her twin only to have her hand connect with the metal sheath on Shel's forearm.
"Cheater," she whimpered as she shook the pain from her hand. Shel ignored her and turned to Russell.
"Would you have stayed put?" she asked pointedley. "You obviously knew something. We wanted in on it. We want to find Her, too, you know. Besides, when has Ridley ever listened? She would have come without me. Would you really want that sneaking around by itself?!" She indicated her sister with her thumb.

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

Pouting slightly at being told off by Russell, Ira Lorcán Helsing busied himself cleaning up what he could of the blood spattered all over the floor. Stopping occasionally to pull a seemingly endless supply of vials from his trench coat he took frequent samples. "These will make wonderful specimens for my experiments." He exclaimed with obvious pleasure all traces of his anger over his lab coat forgotten in his excitement for research. With a dozen or more samples bulging in his pockets Ira hadn't even completed a third of the cleaning, and seemingly forgot about the notion of cleaning. Walking over to a cupboard he pulled down a microscope and applied some blood to a slide. "Oh yes these will do perfectly." Ira almost purred.

[Ciarda]

Russell sighed and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. What had started out as a fairly straightforward mission of beating the daylights out of Ira had very quickly deteriorated into a more complex situation. While finding Alyson was still his top priority, he now had the twins to think about. The fact that Ira was grating on his nerves did not make that situation any better. While he was sure that he could maintain some semblance of control, he did not want to risk shifting around them. A month ago it wouldn't have been an issue, but lately, he wasn't so sure. Indeed, he could already feel the irritation getting to him as he listened to Ira's and considered their circumstances.

He had to actively make the effort to clear his head before things soured. "Alright," he finally said with a small sigh. "While I would have preferred you to stay in the city, not much I can do about that now. It's a miracle we didn't run into any mutants on our way out here as it is and I'm not risking sending you back alone. So for the moment, you two are gonna stay with me. However, I need to go interrogate the good doctor first..."

As he turned on his heel, the two noted that Russell's expression was a mixture of sarcastic mirth and cynical determination. The half smile that crossed his chiseled features didn't reach his clouded gaze. They could see him make a concentrated effort to suppress something within himself as he approached Ira, and somehow, they knew from the months that they had spent with him that a storm raged in those grey eyes now. Something about that strange man bothered him, and though he wouldn't say anything out loud, they knew it had something to do with Russell's recently demonstrated abilities.

As he made his way towards Ira, Russell found himself faced with a difficult dilemma. Here was a man who had unscrupulously carried out hundreds of tests on dozens of subjects- many of them human. Russell had been one such subject, and indeed, his life had been altered for the worse for knowing Dr. Helsing. Although he remembered little of his previous life, the young man was sure that however he had lived before, he had not deserved the pain of completely losing himself to the creature that they had injected into his veins. No one did.

And yet, they had tested him again and again, taking biopsies, vial after vial of blood, injecting him with God-only-knew what, performing numerous surgeries... And then there was the testing, to ensure that the modifications had worked. He could still feel the current run through him from time to time, and each and every time he shifted, he still remembered the agony of that first time... And through it all, this man had been there, calmly taking notes, deaf to his screams.

It would be so easy to kill him, and be rid of him. True, he too apparently was now afflicted with the same sickness, but who said that they would have to shift? His hand slowly slid to the holster at his side and he fingered the Judge- a .45 caliber revolver that he had lifted from a dead police officer during a stint with Alyson. One shot in the right place and it could be over before the good doctor could say "full moon"...

Then, just below that gun, his hand hit something else- a small, 9mm pistol that remained for the time being permanently strapped to his thigh. Alyson. As much as he hated to admit it, Ira was possibly his best lead right now on her whereabouts. He was the last appointment in her PDS and the last of her notes concerned his "research". If nothing else, he could save them precious time and point them in the right direction; he also knew how Nova Corps worked, and that knowledge would be invaluable later on.

Pragmatism won out, and slowly, his hand slid from the handgun as he came to rest at the counter, leaning against it with crossed arms. If anything happened, he could surely rely on his other... abilities to help him out- or the various knives that hung about his person.

"So," he began. "About Alyson. You're the last one listed in her PDA." The comment was half-inquiring and half-damning.

[Drakel]

delete post plz

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

Satisfied with the blood samples Ira looked up from his microscope into Russell's eyes. "Yes, because she made an appointment to see me on the 11th of August to discuss my research on Project Lýkos...

Irritation flaring Russell replied "Yes... and today is the 15th so where is she."

Shock crossing his features Ira inquired "Really? Honestly I must have lost track of the days... I really do need to pay more attention to timetables." Bringing his hand to his chin thoughtfully Ira continued "When you knocked on the door I thought it was Alyson for the appointment. This isn't good... where was the last place you know where she was?"

[Ciarda]

Russell's eyes clouded as he thought back to the last time he had really seen Alyson. It was the day before her meeting with the doctor, and it was not one that he wanted to remember. He hadn't even told the twins about it... Flashes stole through his memory like angry flashes of lightning. He had met the detective at her small flat where she had asked him if he cared to accompany her to Ira's home. That, of course, had started a firestorm when he realized who she was talking about visiting. And try as he might to convince her to reconsider, she had stayed fast in her decision. Russell could still see the spark in her eyes, warning him not to fan it into a flame, even as the timbre of her voice changed and the pitch rose. It had all ended in a screaming match... and a hole in her wall.

The young man shook his head and sighed. He was not about to tell any of that to Helsing, of course. And so, lieu of this, he said simply, "I talked to her the night before she headed here... The last time I saw her was at her house... She mentioned coming to see you, but on the way, she was going to be stopping off to see one of her other contacts..." The werewolf didn't mention that, while he didn't exactly trust her other contact either, he had made no argument about her arrangements to see him- despite the fact that he too had worked for Nova Corp...

Before Ira could respond, a bright light suddenly shone down on them from above, accompanied by a loud, garbled voice spouting instructions through a bullhorn. "Shit!" Russell spat, his grey eyes quickly scanning the area for Shel and Riley. In a flash, he had located them and placed himself between the girls and the approaching figures outside the ruinous building. A low growl escaped the werewolf as he felt a surge within his chest, a painful, gnawing ache that burned and spread like acid through his limbs. It was a strange feeling that he had felt only a few times within the recent months, and he fought it down to the best of his ability.

As the figures drew nearer, he drew closer to the twins and even as his growls became more threatening, unholstered what appeared to be a revolver. Imagine the surprise of the first armored Sentinel that broke through the remains of the door, when his sneer collided with a shellful of buckshot!

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

Calmly Ira walked in front of Russell to a cabinet momentarily after he had blown the guts out of the first soldier through the door. Once at the cabinet he pulled a decanter of Scotch out and poured a glass and almost subconsciously knocked out the next soldier that walked in the door with a elbow to the mans gut followed by a backhanded punch the mans head. Taking the glass of Scotch with him Ira walked back towards the back of the room and slid aside a panel behind which was a steel enforced door. Pulling out a key he pressed it inside the lock and there was a faint click as it opened, Motioning to the others he continued into the darkness.

[Wardonis]

The sensation of falling brought Rin to consciousness. Just as his eyes flickered open his entire body splashed into a tank of water, its chill encompassing him. “Now Mr. Muramas, You will give me the information I am after. Last time we played this game you won it seems. Your luck will not aid you this time.”

Looking around Rin took note of everything. His tank was a mere 8ft by 4ft by 4ft. He was laying down and his hands were bound together with simple cord. The tank wasn’t the strongest thing for sure, it appeared very old and was made from cast iron. He was only wearing an air mask and a loincloth of sorts. The same man as before was the one addressing him. Three exits from the room-

“Mr. Muramas, I grow impatient. Tell me what you did with Alyson’s PDA.” The doc waited a moment and received nothing but a baleful glare. “Set the current on low.” Immediately electricity surged through the tank and Rin screamed in pain. As it continued he began to feel a pressure building in his ears and he suddenly remembered what the man had said last time; ‘Humph, prep the Pressure Tank. I want to see if he can handle the same thing in a deep water environment.’ This was a pressure tank! An idea came to him now all he would need to do is be patient.

[Ciarda]

Russell took the moment afforded him by the Sentinel's shock to grab the girls and head with them towards the door, following closely behind Helsing. Their protests fell on deaf ears as he held each by either her shoulders or her waist, and promptly shoved them ahead of him and into the encompassing darkness of the tunnel that would take them to safety. The girls stumbled in, but quickly turned back when they heard shots ring out, echoing off the walls of the tunnel. As he struggled with the door, Russell managed to hold the Corp. forces at bay, this time with the shotgun that had been slung across his back. When he saw a window of opportunity, he finally turned fully into the tunnel and headed after them, his expression tinged with concern and worry.

Indeed, for a moment, he barely registered anything else but their figures ahead. So when his bicep was hit a second later, it was a proper surprise, and he had to fight to keep the Beast down as he dropped the gun to his side- there was little he could do with the limb at this point.

Clutching his bleeding arm, he did manage to get the door shut behind them, thanks to the cover that the twins provided him. As he locked it, he knew that it would only be a matter of time before the Sentinels found a way through the massive hunk of metal, but for the moment, they were safe and he could take a second to breath. The wolf's grey eyes stared blankly at the ceiling as he held his blood-stained limb. He could clearly see where the bullet had entered, but saw no exit-wound, and judging from the searing pain in his muscle, the damned thing was still in there!

At the twins' shocked cries, the good doctor finally seemed to take notice that something was amiss and turned to see what it was. When he saw the wound in Russell's arm, he strode back towards him and when he was close to the young man, Russell seemingly forgot his pain for a moment as he grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and shook him twice with his good arm. "We're attacked by a Nova Corp hit-squad and you think that's a good time to get your drink on?! he demanded. The Hell were you thinking?!

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

"I was drinking?" Ira glances down to the scotch glass in his hand... pauses "Oh I guess I was." Ira turns back around and then immediately spin back with a surprised look on his face "We were being attacked?" Ira then takes a good look at his surroundings and asks "When did we get here?... I swore I was in my house a second ago." Crouching down he picks up a small piece of dirt and tastes it... quickly spitting it out. "Well that definitely isn't my floor... but it does taste like the dirt outside the escape tunnel.... How did you manage to find it? I was pretty sure I was the only one who knew about it."

[Ersska]

The twins listened intently as the two werewolves discussed Alyson.
"I don't trust the doc. He's seems a bit loopy," Ridley whispered to her sister. Shel shushed her but gave a quick nod of agreement. There was definitely something off about this guy.
The guys' conversation didn't last much longer. A bright light shone down on the group, halting everything. Figures began approaching from outside. Ridley stepped in front of her sister and drew her bow. Before she could let it go, Russell had placed himself between the twins and the door, taking out Ridley's target with his gun.
"Hey! That was -" Ridley's complaint was cut short by Russell, who grabbed the twins and headed for a door they had not noticed before. He shoved them into what appeared to be a tunnel. Hearing more gunshots, the twins turned their attention toward the entrance to find Russell struggling to close the door. Ridley still had an arrow notched in her bow. She drew back and let it fly, hitting a sentinal square in the eye.
"HA!" Shel called out beside her as Ridley nailed another sentinal with an arrow just as Russell closed the door. But as the werewolf stumbled towards them, the twins noticed something was wrong.
"You're hurt! Shel gasped. Blood was trickling down Russell's arm. After a second, the crazy doctor seemed to notice and came over. But instead of helping, he ended up being shaken by Russell. Only then did the twins notice the glass in the doctor's hand, as apparantly did the doctor.
As he began to ramble, Ridley turned to Russell. "What the h*ll, Stormy?! You're expecting to get information from this loon?!"

[Forgotten Dragon's Ire]

Casting a hurt glance at Ridley, Ira pulls out a set of tools from his pocket. "Well If we are under attack by Nova Corp then we won't have much time but before we move on we need to get that bullet out of you. Trust me that bullet was likely one of the types developed to control our breed by inhibiting our regenerative powers as well as keeping you from shifting form as easily and I for one don't want to see those bastards kill one of us in my own house no less. I'm sorry for my crudity but when we get that bullet out your body will heal quickly so you will have to bear with my harsh method of retrieving it." Rambling he pulls out some pliers and a precision knife and prepares to take out the bullet.

[Ciarda]

Russell only nodded as he leaned against the rock wall of the tunnel, taking the glass from Ira as he did so. He made sure to put distance between himself and the girls, however. Despite what the good doctor had said about the bullet inhibiting his... tendencies, he preferred the safe option, and told them such. "If you start to see anything odd... Run as far as this tunnel will take you, and keep going." he instructed, his tone as stern as he could possibly muster. After that initial statement, he refused to answer the thousands of questions they sent his way, and merely held up his hand to silence them. "If you trust me at all, just follow those instructions. There'll be plenty of time to explain later.

"You mean you're gonna let this loon-"

"Shel, there's no other option right now if we're gonna get distance between Nova Corp and ourselves."

With that, he quickly drained the glass and nodded in Ira's direction. As the knife maneuvered into the wound, he uttered a guttural groan and clenched his teeth hard, his grey eyes trained on the ground before him. Each motion sent a renewed fire through his limb, and as damning as he knew it would inevitably be, he considered just letting the bullet stay where it was. After all, it would inhibit his abilities... Maybe this could be a good thing. He wouldn't be as much of a danger to the twins or indeed, Alyson- if they ever found her. Another painful motion and he nearly jerked his arm away, until he remembered that with the loss of the Beast, he would also lose the regenerative abilities Ira had mentioned. And for all his skill with firearms, even he had to admit that there were times that he was more useful as the monster that he was- for the moment. Reluctantly, he kept his arm still and allowed Helsing to continue his work.

When Ira finally reached the bullet, the scientist reacted with a slight "Aha!" of delight. Russell, however, reached out with his good hand and gripped a rock outcropping in the wall, leaving deep, ugly claw-marks in its surface shortly before it erupted into a thousand tiny little pieces.

As Ira removed the piece of metal, Russell relaxed and his breathing regulated again while the doctor bagged the bullet. Even as they watched, the wound slowly began to close itself.

After a few more minutes, the werewolf flexed his arm a few times before standing and grabbing his pack and shotgun. Well, they're bound to get through that door soon, he said, We may as well get a head start on them. Helsing, you're leading. Shel, Ridley, stay with me. Indeed, though a loner, now that he was properly healing himself, Russell seemed ready to step up into the position of pack leader. And judging from the confident tone in his voice, he would do so quite effectively- at least until they found someone more capable of it.

"Where are we going?"

"There was one other contact in Alyson's files... I think we'd best start with paying him a visit- no beat-downs intended." he added the last part to the chuckles of the twins and even smiled a bit himself, despite the danger that lay behind and before them.

[Drakel]

The city ruins most mutants and gangs now live in was once a beautiful and common place, but after riots, the government (Nova crop) and constant bombings that happened more than a hundred years ago turned it into nothing but ruins and wastelands, and part of it became the perfect place for Drakel’s HQ... everything within a quarter of a square mile that surrounds Drakel’s usual home was nothing but broken ruins of houses, towers, and buildings; Any and every one knows about the ruins, miles upon miles upon miles of nothing but ruins and destruction. Even After the ruins of the city there is still ruins of what’s left of the country side, now almost everything has become a barren wasteland full of constant gang wars and such. A place that would normally be called and considered as hell for outsiders or people who live in the normal cities in luxury, but home to the mutants and gangs that have nowhere else to go.

Even before Alyson disappeared, Drakel was to somewhat always a gun for hire in secret here, but only because he needed money for food and clean water. He was always able to get those two things from Ann but he hated asking for things while knowing that he’ll never be able to pay her back. Plus every time he tried to grow something in the ruins it would always die. So buying food in the actual city was his only choice, and the gangs all know that when he's gone, he can't kill them for fighting on "his land" But that was a risk very few would ever dare to do.

Drakel was in the building, a three stories with a small tower... it was all brick and stone and obviously was once a beautiful building, but now the roof on half of it was gone, the stair cases are completely broken in several areas, making it impossible to get up stairs, a lot of areas on the upper floors have broken off as well, and all the windows were broken... only the tower seemed perfectly intact except for the badly repaired wooden roof. The other three towers have all been destroyed and became completely useless.

Inside the building Drakel was walking up the spiral stairs into the tower, which was just one big empty room for storage but is now Drakel's personal bed room, his bed was hidden under the best part of the roof to keep him from getting wet should it rain. It all seemed like a normal room if it wasn't for a few extra touches... a dresser, a bed, a table to eat... The extra touches was the telescope in front of the round window to see below, a sniper rifle next to the telescope for protection, and a few warning notes inside soup cans to throw out the window to tell people to leave. There were a lot of other things he had that he was able to steal easily in the room.

It was almost midnight… And if not, midnight passed a long time ago, Drakel was always terrible when it came to keeping track of time, either way it was a long day. Placing his pistol on the table Drakel started to walk towards his bed and picked up a small, simple book from his library of twenty books. Instantly Drakel lay down on the bed and started to read his book, things seemed peaceful lately in his area… maybe people finally learned what it means by “do not disturbed” or “trespassers will be shot at, survivors will be shot again.” Either way didn’t matter to him, if they disturb him they wouldn’t last long if he decided to appear behind them with a gun on the back of their head, and all the gangs, mutant or human, all knows that there is only one area that they are not allowed to pass unless they have a death wish.

When Drakel finished reading the chapter of the book he placed it back on the shelf that was near the window only to see a small group of people walking by. All of them were easy to identify as Alyson’s friends, but that still didn’t mean they weren’t enemies of his. So yet again, like he did so many times before Drakel opened the window silently and grabbed one of the cans and threw it out of it. The note was easy to spot from the can seeing that it was halfway in it. Drakel could see one of them pick it up and start to read it. And so the note said in red ink, “Leave this place or stay and die. Make your choice before I make it for you.”

[Ciarda]

Russell's eyes narrowed at the not-so-veiled threat, and he motioned to Ridley and Shel using the S.W.A.T. signals that he and Alyson had taught them. Without saying a word, he instructed them to flank him on either side of the impressive structure. And when he was sure that they understood what he expected of them, he turned to Ira. For a moment he considered trying to signal him, lest the owner of the note hear him, but that idea quickly dissipated in lieu of what they had recently seen from the good doctor. Stealth did not seem to be his forte- admittedly, neither did common sense.

It was on that note that he closed the distance between himself and Ira and simply whispered, "Get my back or get down."

And he turned back to the building and quietly strode forward. As he walked, it may have been a trick of the moonlight, but he seemed to grow a bit. His muscles became less lean, and in the place of his fingernails, they saw the glint of long, garish claws. His eyes, however steeled, remained the same dark grey- no hint of yellow... yet.

"If you wanna kill me, Drakel, then let's go!" he called to the night air. "But before you do, I want you to think about your life up to this point, and more importantly, I want you to think about who's been helping you out the past... what? Six months? Year?" Russell was sure that he had his adversary's attention now, and he exchanged anxious glances with Ridley and Shel, hoping that they could handle whatever came out of that building. He had heard about Drakel through Alyson, and was not about to underestimate him by any stretch.

[Drakel]

Drakel remembered Russell hanging with Alyson and knew Russell by watching the Alyson and Russell being with one another, and most of the time Drakel was invisible and right next to them as he made sure the man wouldn’t try something and harm Alyson and listened to their conversations just because he always listened. Alyson usually would tell Russell that Drakel was next to them even though Drakel was right next to them, but each time she said such Drakel would just stay there by her side. Though because Drakel was always invisible and such Alyson was unable to prove that Drakel even existed and usually became upset about such and in a second person view it would seem as though she was making Drakel up. Even when Alyson was holding Drakel’s arm to make sure he was right next to her so she could prove his existence, Drakel would just blink away when she said something about Drakel still being there. Drakel Remembered Ira the doctor and the two girls, in fact he remembered seeing all of them and felt as though he might have met them personally even though he was more like a ghost and seemed as though he was some imaginary friend Alyson made up to keep her company. Even so, it was now obvious that Drakel did actually exist even though he made sure it wouldn’t seem as such.

Drakel walked away from the window and grabbed a few things to prepare for the fight to come. Every time he warns someone to leave they always seemed to stay and die. When Drakel reached the dresser that had multiple things he needed and thought personal Drakel grabbed them, First being his book , that he chained up to his trench coat. The second was a locket, which had a picture of him with a woman and two children and the last was both his pistols and his daggers. Walking back to the Sniper Rifle Drakel watched Russell's expression towards the warning was telling the group to move out through S.W.A.T. signals. As the others started to run towards the left side of the building Drakel Aimed the Sniper Rifle at the head of what seems to be Ira. Drakel ignored Russell’s first comment on them fighting but the second one didn’t sit so well with the Assassin. “… and more importantly, I want you to think about who's been helping you out the past... what? Six months? Year?" Drakel’s eyes widened and instantly turned the Sniper Rifle towards Russell and tried to shoot him blindly, not knowing if he got the man or not seeing he shot the sniper as soon as the gun pointed towards the man without even aiming it. Drakel assumed he hit the target because Russell either fell or jumped backwards and hit the ground lying on his stomach afterwards.

Drakel always distrusted Ira, the two girls, and especially Russell and because of what he has just heard it seemed as though Russell might have done something to Alyson. Feeling as though his old and possibly only friend has just disappeared and Russell seems to know too much Drakel was only able to assume that Russell did something and Alyson might be dead or harmed or something because of Russell. Drakel felt as though it was now his job to kill Russell for this reason.

With a small frown to see Russell getting back on his feet, Drakel grabbed a thin, lightweight chain that was overly long in his room and connected it to his daggers. Placing the two daggers back in their places after being connected, Drakel took out his two Glock 36 pistols and took six more steps away from the window before charging out of it with full speed. In the Air Drakel’s facial expression changed to a twisted smile, and right before his body even touched the ground Drakel disappeared. Russell looked hastily around to find the Assassin but there wasn’t much need for it. Drakel pointed the pistol on the back of Russell’s head and a second on his back. I warned you, now matters became personal; so here you’ll die. Said Drakel as darkly and coldly as possible, but before he was able to shoot he sensed Russell’s finger moved in such a way that it became clear that Russell was ready for Drakel and also had a gun pointed at him. Right when Russell pulled the trigger of his gun Drakel instantly disappeared before he would be hit by the gun shot; only to appear a short distance in front of Russell.

[Ersska]

The twins followed Russell's instructions and moved to the opposite sides of the building. Ridley headed left, while Shel went right. Once she reached the side of the building, Ridley continued running towards the rear of the building. She did a quick scan and whistled, letting her sister know the rear was cleared. Shel nodded the affirmation to Russell as Ridley doubled back to the front.
The girls stood pressed against either side of the building while Russell confronted the man inside. They stood tensed, ready for their opponent to come bursting out of the building. But no one came.
A single shot rang out from above, and the girls watched wide-eyed as Russell fell to the ground. Shel resisted her urge to run his aid, and she held up her hand to stay Ridley. Ridley relunctantly stopped. They had been taught to never expose themselves to help a fallen comrade, but sometimes, it was hard to stop your feet from going forward.
Ridley drew her bow, turned to her sister, and mouthed, "Smoke 'em?"
"Smoke 'em," Shel agreed. The twins began to creep towards the front door of the building. Halfway to the door, Shel sensed movement to her left. Glancing to that side, she stopped in her tracks. Russell was getting up! He hadn't been hit! She breathed a sigh of relief as Ridley noticed Russell as well. Their relief was shortlived, however, as something (someone?) fell from the building towards Russell. Ridley readied her bow to fire, but whatever it was disappeared before it hit the ground.
"What the hey?! It's go-." A man appeared behind Russell before Ridley could ever finish her sentence. A gun fired. Before the twins could figure out what happened, the man was in front of Russell.
"He's fast. How does he do it?" Shel mused. "I have to get closer. Stormy's not going to like this."
"Wha-?"
Shel took off at a sprint, headed straight for the newcomer. Aiming for his back, Shel jumped. The leap was faster than the eye could follow and carried her easily over the last few feet. While in the air, she swung, bringing her hand towards the man's back in an equally swift motion. A blade extended from the sheath on her wrist, mid-swing. Even if the man managed to dodge her fist, the blade would make contact.