Protest (Open)

[Tori Jacobs]

Tori was among a large crowd in Kansas City who were protesting the Super Registration Act being proposed by Presidential candidate, Carari Grey, and countless others in politics and throughout the media ever since the arrival of Supers in the city. Tori had even more banked on this since in secret she was one of the Supers that would have to register if the Act got put into law, and that was something she just couldn't afford to do.

The group was outside City Hall making sure their voices were heard. Tori herself was dressed in a "Little Mermaid" T-Shirt and blue jeans because that's how she rolled. Her sign in her hands read 'Supers are people too!' and it was just one of many as they lined up outside of City Hall blocking entry. The police were there to make sure the protests remained peaceful, and that was something she hoped too. But with so many people who strongly opposed what they were fighting for, one can never know how long peace can be maintained.

[Fionnlagh]

Fionnlagh hadn't been in town long, but he'd need to be blind and deaf to miss the current happenings with the influx of super humans. He hadn't bothered to hide his cyborg nature, simply taking up an old guitar case to stash Ukonvasara inside of. It felt rather silly to start now with how long he'd operated without a secret identity in the Rogue Isles. He'd gotten the general scoop from newspapers and occasionally walking by a news TV on display. Along the way he'd seen a protest forming about the super registration act... and a low key scheme came to mind. 

Fionnlagh wandered into the protest with the guitar case strapped to his back wearing his usual biker's leather outfit. He'd cobbled together his own sign with some spare cardboard nailed to a stray fence post. Written in black spray paint upon it was a simple message of 'Stop the modern witch hunt' It was a bit ironic in hindsight. Super Human Registration was such old news and widely accepted in his homeland. For there here and now, Fionnlagh kept an eye out for other more... radical-esque signs and began to approach people. So many ways to start a crime spree in a new city.

Yet there was always a need for someone malleable as a diversion, and possibly profit margin. So he slipped between the crowd with sweet whispers of. "How'd you like a taste of super-powers yourself?" To one person. A little suggestion of. "You look more the super-envying than super-sympathizing type. I can know someone who can help with that." To another. A third receptive looking protester caught a whisper of. "You're looking for some of that mutant action yourself, right? Have you ever heard of... Superadine?" He'd kept his head down and avoided getting too clear a line of sight with the police there to watch the protest. Yet it wouldn't be long until every protester had overheard something about this new 'designer drug' Superadine. A taste of super human power just an injection away, perhaps even a mutant awakening for a lucky few.

Fionnlagh had more than his axe in the guitar case. A few spare syringes of Superadine went a long way. Especially for rounding up a new gang with a hook to keep them dependent on him. Or aid a city's descent into anarchy by giving the people more reasons to turn on each other. It was always useful somehow with the right schmuck...

[Tori Jacobs]

Superadine? What the heck was Superadine? Tori looked around to see where the word would have originated from, and saw a man with green hair and purple eyes. That... wasn't normal. Tori decided to slip from the crowd and found a hiding spot in an alleyway to take off her red backpack and change into her superhero costume. Taking off on a platform of earth and hovering above the crowd to watch the man with green hair and purple eyes in case he tried anything more than just simple suggestions.

[Fionnlagh]

Fionnlagh had been trying to keep an eye on everyone in the crowd to some extent. He noticed someone running off but didn't think much of it... Yet. What were the odds of--- Well, anything was on the table after getting trapped in an alternate universe. A crowd like this probably had an out of costume cape or two.

From her skyward perch, Gaia had a nice view of Fionnlagh pulling someone aside. It almost passed for a normal conversation between a pair of protesters. Fionnlagh wasn't reckless enough to go selling drugs with the cops in attendance. Instead Gaia had a front row seat of him passing notes and arranging a few meetings for later. The usual fare of shady deals transpired. An abandoned address in some dark part of town was provided, whispers to come alone, payment in cash only... No claim of responsibility if the buyer misused the product. 

After the third such exchange Fionnlagh felt this was going too well for landing in a hotbed of supers... His next round of looking around starting with looking *up*. The sight of someone in what looked to be a hero outfit made out of spare parts from their garage... was met with an exasperated eye roll and a muttered. "A cape already? I better not have landed in this 'verse's freakin' Paragon City." So here we had either a psychic or earth powered Super in a city recently hit by a big quake huh... He pointed up at Gaia with his protest sign and called out loud enough for attention. "Heya folks and officers! Any words for an quake capable Super showing up today!?" He wasn't betting too hard on attempting to bait a crowd as deterrence. Collateral damage on the other hand... Fionnlagh ditched the identifiable sign and slipped into the crowd. 

The shell game of attempting to hide in the crowd, and by extension Gaia's chance to nip things in the bud, didn't last long. After a few moments for any potential rabble rousing of his call out... Fionnlagh made a dash for city hall, right for the main door. Fionnlagh's body emitting a soft revving noise from within his chest in the process. Just a little spike of the engine to boost that last push into using his body as a battering ram and entering City Hall. They'd either invested in some heavy reinforcement... or Fionnlagh would be barging in along with a hail of fragments and splinters.

[Jean Vilain]

Ch.48
"Senator Mark Hogan was found dead this morning in an apparent overdose. He was a staunch opponent against the registration act and was facing recall due to the petition. His family has called for...

Ch.49

"The Senate is expected to pass the law later today allowing immigrants of the US to run for president. In affect, Carari Grey's campaign to run will be legitimized. As we discussed earlier, much of the nation has been growing in favor of the registration. Though the vocal minority has begun to protest saying that the registration violates the privacy of US citizens. We go live from sky news as one such protest is taking place outside city hall of Kansas City."

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

The mayor turned off the tv in his office. He was sweating and obviously nervous of the presence that was in the room with him. The stress of his job had only gotten worse and at his age sometimes it was too much. He pulled a handkerchief from his coat to wipe away his sweat from his forehead and ran his hands through his grey hair. The man in black paid no attention to him as he merely looked through the window down at all the protestors. Their signs reflected off of his sunglasses, his face completely emotionless

"I talked to the commissioner. They'll fire on them the second one of them turns violent."

The man in black kept quiet. He was looking for something in the crowd.

"You're one of them aren't you… the things I've heard you can do. You have to be one. Why would you go to such lengths to ensure your kinds demise?"

Vilain smiled at the mayor's remark. His back was still facing him.

"I'm more than they are. Much more."

His hidden eyes followed something in the crowd. Things were about to get more interesting sooner than he expected.

"Well Mr. Mayor... for your sake, I hope you followed through on your part of the deal."

A loud crash could be heard as an impact hit city hall doors. It was showtime. Jean looked up to the building across as several police rifleman began giving hand signals to the men who were most likely stationed on top of city hall. Tear gas began to rain down on the protestors as soon as some super came crashing into the doors. It wasn't long after that bullets started raining down on the protestors thanks to the act of the door crasher. Jean's contacts in the media could twist the headline. "Protest Turns Violent. Police Forced to Act." Meanwhile the police stationed outside the doors of city hall began to move in on the intruder. Vilain and the mayor could hear everything going on downstairs.

"Vilain?! What's going on?"

"Relax Mr Mayor. I'm sure your officers have it all under control."

[Tori Jacobs]

Things went from bad to worst as the man with green hair broke down the City Hall's door and the police began firing at the protesters. Gaia raised her hands and brought up a wall from the ground to block the in-coming bullets from the police to protesters giving them a chance to flee as she landed in front of the cops not able to get to the green hair man who was acting suspicious from the get go.

"What are you doing? This is a peaceful protest! Hold your fire!"

[Fionnlagh]

Fionnlagh ducked away from the open door when he heard gunfire... and blinked a few times in confusion when bullets appeared to be spread everywhere but the broken down door. What were the cops doing out there? Was that the flying woman yelling? Well, thoughts for later, the trio of security officers in the lobby quickly drew his attention. The first was far from any convenient cover... and too slow on the draw as Fionnlagh darted forward and the officer went for his weapon. He barely had his gun drawn when the guitar case slammed into the officer's chest and sent him flying backward. 

The other two were luckier as they had time to get their guns out. Fionnlagh was too busy generating a magnetic field around himself to take the momentum off the bullets to check what kind of handguns they had. They'd almost managed to flank him. Fionnlagh interrupted that as he threw the guitar case hard enough at the officer slipping behind him to deck him. Rather it was the metal case of Superadine needles hitting his head, or his head hitting the floor that did the trick, Fionnlagh couldn't tell. He was too busy charging the third officer. The bullets slowed down before they could hit the cyborg. His palms emitting sparks through the biker gloves hinted at why. Fionnlagh ran low to the ground with one arm flung across his face... The officer barely had time to scream when Fionnlagh made it into range. Fionnlagh leapt forward, grabbing the officer by the face and bringing him violently to the ground headfirst as the cyborg landed. A bloody crunch resounded... but all Fionnlagh cared about was casting a hand behind him to draw back the guitar case. 

"Now, where's someone worth takin' a little walk with..." 

Fionnlagh made his way up toward the mayor's office. He hadn't the first guess about Jean Vilain's involvement... but a normie politician was as good as an easy paycheck where Fionnlagh came from. Along the way he tore security cameras off the walls. Either a careless slap of the guitar case or magnetically pulling the devices from the walls. Every so often another officer met a similar fate to the first three. One in particular getting a security camera violently 'returned' to his chest. It wasn't long till he'd reached the same floor as the mayor. Humming a merry Irish jig under his breath... Though for others in the building it may as well be a combination of a warning siren, and potentially their funeral bells. He hadn't stopped to confirm any kills.

[Jean Vilain]

The mayor had a view of the security cameras. The officers were taken out easily followed by the security guards before even the cameras went inactive. He started hyperventilating unsure of what was going to happen.

"Vilain! He's tearing through everyone like paper! Fuck! He's gonna kill me!"

Vilain turned to look at the panicked politician.

"Everything is proceeding according to plan Mr. Mayor. Now sit down."

Outside, the police's assault was halted by Gaia's interference. From their point of view, one of the protestors charged through the city hall doors and now one of them was assisting them. A few hesitated to fire on Gaia. She had helped some of them before in stopping crimes, but now here she was. The captain radioed his men.

"Open fire on Gaia! She's with the protestors!"

Upon hearing their Captain's orders, the riflemen focused fire on Gaia.

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

"This Roger with Skycam! The protest that started peacefully has turned violent when one of the protestors charged through the doors of city hall. We have received word from the police that they have lost contact with the men they had stationed inside. Police immediately opened fire on the crowd and now Gaia seems to be assisting the violent protestors."

The helicopter continued to circle around before being radioed in to back away.

"We're receiving word that police want us to back up. We'll report as more news comes in."

[Caine]

Gandhi must've been rolling in his grave, this was the worst example of nonviolent protest ever. There was chaos, people were getting hurt and afraid.   This was Vilain's handiwork. It had to be. He was a puppet master, first with Greg Vincent at the bank, and now this mess. At least Caine was already dressed up. The new clothes Beast provided for him made what he used to wear look like rags, more so than they already were. He was wearing a black trench coat with a yellow trim, which across the back took the shape of an "X," Kevlar was woven in for added protection, and there were some extra touches here and there that Caine added to give it a punk-rock look. Underneath was more simple clothing... simple for him anyway. A plain shirt with leather pants and boots. On his face was a classic domino mask, it was either that or shades, and he didn't want to steal Scott's look.


Some of his new friends were on standby, waiting for him to give a signal to enter the fray, hopefully he wouldn't need to bring them in. From what he gathered so far, Vilain wasn't the type to get his hands dirty. He made deals, pulled strings, he'd only fight if cornered. He'd probably just try to play whatever game he had in mind for Daniel. If they met, they wouldn't fight. Just talk.

First things first, he needed to stop the shooting. Easy enough. He took control of the police who were opening fire on the protesters. They were practically drones, easy to take over, Caine sent them into a deep sleep, it would last long enough for the civilians to escape the madness. He approached the girl who brought up the barriers. "Nice work with the rock walls. Might wanna keep those up in case one of the shooters wakes up early. I'm gonna go talk to the maestro behind this. Keep the civvies safe."

He walked towards the city hall, establishing a telepathic link to the mystery man himself. We need to have a chat, Vilain. I'm right outside and I'm not in a patient mood....

[Tori Jacobs]

Gaia shot out her vines and caught the bullets on the vines and then released them to the street as she was ready to fight back to get inside the building to make sure that green hair man didn't cause further damage.

"I'm not going to take that personally."

She was about to actually attack the boys in blue until they fell asleep and a stranger entered the fray and told her to protect the civilians. Okay. That was weird, but what choice did she have?

"I guess we'll do introductions later."

[Fionnlagh]

The carnage in Fionnlagh's wake continued until he was standing right outside the mayor's office. There had been a few survivors as he hadn't cared to check for hiding places. A few pencil pushers in locked offices or cowering beneath overturned desks might see another day yet. Fionnlagh came to a stop outside the mayor's door... Toying with him a bit with a few drawn out moments of silence. Then came two soft knocks, and a discordant third noise as the outer half of the doorknob was torn out. Along with a good chunk of the lock. Fionnlagh casually pushed the door open and walked inside after that. 

"Good afternoon Mr. Mayor~ Or should I say meal tick---" Fionnlagh began speaking while the security camera's for the office tumbled to the floor with a few magnetic hand-gesutres. He trailed off upon noticing Jean Vilain in the room. Something about that guy wasn't right... At least, not if he was another guard. His eyes stayed on the man in black. The office's invader seemed to almost forget the politician was there. "More importantly, what's your deal? Too brave to be another rent-a-cop." and he certainly didn't feel like someone about to play hero either. Another villain maybe? A lot of complications today either way. Fionnlagh thought to himself.

[Jean Vilain]

As the commotion outside the mayor's door was getting closer, he could feel a telepathic link open up between himself and Caine. If he was surprised by his sudden appearance, it didn't show. At this point in his plans though, Caine's arrival could greatly benefit Vilain. He smiled slightly upon hearing the man's frustration. He wanted answers after Jean had unnerved him with his unexpected info.

"Hello Caine… or should I say Daniel. I'll be right down."

As he gave Caine his answer, his visitor that entered city hall finally arrived to the mayor's office. The final security camera dropped to the floor. The mayor had already soiled his pants in fear. He was cornered and Vilain was doing nothing. He just stood there with an aura of confidence and control.

"Jesus Christ Vilain! Do something?!"

"You made quite the entrance. You're no sheep."

"Vilain! I kept my part of the deal now..."

Vilain snapped his fingers and within less than a second before the mayor could realize what was transpiring, the politician's shadow solidified out of the ground and snapped the loudmouth's neck. As his body fell to the ground dead, the shadow returned back under its owner.

"There was never anything in the deal about keeping you alive."

Jean took a seat in the former mayor's chair. He reached into his coat to pull out a pack of Davidoff cigarettes and a lighter. He extended another smoke to his guest. He lit the cigarette and took in the smoke.

"Have a seat. Things are about to get interesting."

The shadow of the desk lifted itself and went flying through the window. Glass, brick, and the desk crashed into the ground below. That had to of gotten Caine's attention.

"Danny are you still with me? My office just opened up. Why don't you come up and see yourself in. Bring Gaia with you. We all have business to discuss."

He focused his attention back to his new guest.

"What's your name warrior?"

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Operator: 911. What's your emergency?

Susan: *whispering* Please help! We're being attacked. I'm in city hall. I think mutants just came in and started killing everybody.

Operator: Can you see them ma'am

Susan: *whispering* No. Me and my coworkers hid when we heard the doors being broken down. There was a an anti registration protest outside. I think there mutants with them. *Silent sobbing*

Operator: Stay on the phone with me ma'am. We have officers in the vicinity ready to help. What's your name.

Susan: It's Susan. Please hurry. I think everyone downstairs might be dead.

[Caine]

How dumb did Vilain think Daniel was? Did he really think the psychic would just waltz on up to the office just because he said so? This wasn't going to be like the bank. Caine knew what to expect this time, Jean wanted to put on a show, and make him and Gaia into the stars of this little tragedy. He broke the telepathic link and shifted his control onto the protesters. In practically no time flat, the civilians began to scatter and flee, the police woke up and fled the scene as well. This was step one, minimize casualties. Both sides fled in opposite directions, with both sides programmed to return to their individual homes once they were far enough away from city hall.

Next was whoever was inside the building. He shifted control again, giving the same orders he issued to the police and the civvies. Once he was certain they were all making their escape, he established a telepathic link to Gaia. He wants to talk to both of us. Don't worry about the civvies and the cops, they're just going home. But uh, just wait there for a sec... The people who survived the chaos inside the building started flooding out the door, still scared out of their minds, but at least they were safe. History wouldn't be repeating itself. Alright, let's go. Word of warning though, this guy's a snake in the grass. Don't let him get to you...

With that, he strode into the city hall and up the stairs. What he saw on the way to his archenemy barely phased him, he'd done far worse in his original profession. Still, he hated to see people like him use their powers this way. But if things went the way Caine hoped they would, he'd get more than answers.

When he got upstairs, he easily spotted Vilain through the ruined door, talking with someone else. Was it the super who burst through the front door? "Nice place you have here, Vilain. Love the decor, very... eh, I'm still working on my witty banter. Here's what's gonna happen. You and I are gonna have a civilized discussion. No fighting, no powers, you're just gonna answer some questions. If you prefer we dance, then that's fine, but, well.... you know me. You know what I can do, and I'm not a kid anymore. I can do a lot more than just push you back a few feet."

[Fionnlagh]

It was that aura of confidence and control that kept Fionnlagh from ending the mayor for the moment. He'd walked in on someone else's scheme by the look of things... and with heroes and cops outside it would be a flawed move to risk ruining that and getting another enemy. When Jean offed the mayor himself, Fionnlagh merely raised an eyebrow.

He answered the stranger's previous comment with a grin. "Truly I've always been a wolf by nature." Fionnlagh shook his head to the offer of a cigarette, but casually took a seat when offered. In the process he dropped the guitar case he was carrying to the ground with a few loud clangs of metal from inside. "I imagine so. We've got at least one would-be Cape out there and whatever else that little riot will attract." He'd slipped back into his natural Irish accent. The invader seemed more amused than threatened by the idea of more attention. With how Jean disposed of the desk, clearly he wanted the heroes here.

Fionnlagh made an introduction to answer Jean's question. "Fionnlagh Gresham, of the Rogue Isles... if you've heard of such a place." In one world it was an archipelago nation off the eastern coast of the United States... but unlikely of any prominence or the same name in this reality. He trailed off from the conversation as Caine entered. With a soft kick to the ground Fionnlagh spun his swivel chair to face the doorway. "Well then~ Don't mind me too much. I'm game for lettin' your lips flap before anything else gets messy." While speaking he magnetically pulled the guitar case along with the chair's rotation. Keeping it on his right side for ease of access when he, in all likelihood inevitably, needed Ukonvasara.

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

The path up to the office showed that little care had been given to Fionnlagh's bloody swath through the building. Anyone that stood in the way lay broken and bleeding on the floor. A few appeared to have bled out after the initial attack. The method of one super-strength blow per officer than leaving them to rot was quite obvious. Doors and other obstructions met the same fate.

[Annalise Thergo]

Gunshots cracked and terrified cries erupted in the distance during Annalise's walk. The woman stopped mid-stride towards a shopping center and shifted herself to face where the alarming sounds came from. So much for a relaxing day of familiarizing herself with the city. She had heard on the news that a peaceful protest was going to take place against a registry for "supers," as they were dubbed. Something had gone wrong, very wrong.

Annalise's brow furrowed with concern. If she were to get involved, she would expose herself to the world as a "super," and in turn, possibly alert any living associates of Dr. Heisenberg. The madman may have been long dead, but that did not mean he did not have followers or colleagues who carried on his work. All these years she had been cautious and took care to ensure her abilities were not traced back to her; would this be the day she broke that silence?

Annalise sighed in resignation. It couldn't hurt to at least check things out and help the wounded. Eliza taught her much as a registered nurse. Annalise broke into a sprint, dashing around pedestrians, and shouting passing apologies in the process. Keep your pace slow, she reminded herself.

Rumblings rocks and the splintering of concrete greeted her ears as she drew closer. Then, abruptly, the gunshots ceased, but the panicked screaming continued. Odd. What was happening now? Annalise had to jump to the side as she rounded a corner to avoid a crowd of fleeing protestors. From there, she weaved through them, until she got a view of the scene.

A man and a woman, donned in what appeared to be a costume, stood alone before the building. Wait, wasn't that Gai--?

Suddenly, from one of the windows, a large wooden desk flew out, shattering the glass, sending glimmering shards to the ground where they became splinters. The desk broke apart upon impact as well, along with debris that became dislodged. 

"What the fuck is going on here?"

This was more than a protest gone wrong. Annalise ducked out of sight, waited a moment, and peered around the corner. As much as she wanted to amplify her hearing to tune in on conversations, she didn't want to run the risk of someone discharging a weapon nearby. Tensions were high, and with it, paranoia and a strong sense of self preservation.

She would wait. For now.