You can't go home again

[MorningStar]

The Citadel

Delilah watched Jasmine carefully as the two of them arrived at the Citadel. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like for her to return here. It held bad enough memories for Delilah, who had only been held captive here a short time. She shivered.

“Are you sure you want to do this? I don’t mind if you want to wait out here.”

The OUTSIDE of the building was foreboding. There was no telling what they would find inside – she wouldn’t hold it against Frost if this was a place she didn’t want to return to.

 

[Frost]

The Citadel

Arriving at the citadel, it had been the first time she had been back since being tortured and experimented on by her father. Her heard fluttered with anxiety as she took slow calming breaths in. She was scared....but her vengeance outweighed her fear.

Delilah: “Are you sure you want to do this? I don’t mind if you want to wait out here.”

Shaking her head no, Jasmine finally looked at Delilah.

"No...if Christopher is here, i'm going to tear him apart and make him regret ever coming back."

Jasmine needed to do this, not only for herself but for her sister and Karen. The man had been a bane on their existence for far too long. It was time to shut him up for good.

"You didn't have to come with me."

Both Jasmine and Delilah started to walk now, making their way through the citadel.

"I know the others [Cameron and Haleigh] would much rather see me die than you. [cynical laugh] But I do appreciate the company."

 

[MorningStar]

The Citadel

"No...if Christopher is here, i'm going to tear him apart and make him regret ever coming back."

Delilah smiled genuinely.

“I can get behind that.”

"You didn't have to come with me."

“Yes, I did. I wasn’t about to send you here alone. Plus, Karen is important to me and I want to resolve this as much as anyone.”

Delilah and Jasmine entered the decrepit building and began walking.

"I know the others [Cameron and Haleigh] would much rather see me die than you. [cynical laugh] But I do appreciate the company."

“I’m sorry about…them. I honestly don’t know what to say about it. You were our team mate, before you decided to go through the Siege. I don’t see what about that should equal a death sentence.”

She stopped for a second.

“However, if you do end up to be involved in this somehow, and you hurt Karen? I will do horrible things to you before I kill you. Just sayin’.”

Her smile and tone said that she didn’t really believe that was the case, BUT it was the truth.

 

[Seer]

And So

<< Zoom Away from the Hellfire Club, The Clock Tower, and the Parthenon, and from each path, zooming through the dark streets of the city, all roads lead to that abandonned Medical Office building that served as the facade from the Citadle.>>

<< MorningStar and Frost have CAREFULLY made their way through the abandoned medical clinic and office. The further back into building they moved, the place became LESS of a small sized "practice" and more like an ambulatory surgical center (ASC)! But the the hardware and technology that was present was so bizarre! Even now, after all this time, there was an air of fear in this part of the building.>>

<< The two women knew where they had to go...the MORGUE. >>

<< Each place they passed, each dark hall or abandonned room posed the threat of an unpleasant reminder of the past, or some kind of holdover in the present.>>

<< Indeed...they were accosted by a few devil dogs, and even a couple zombies- individuals who had climbed into this place against all sense and advice to explore. Only one baseline mortal in recent member had managed to enter this place and BARELY escape with her life- Lauren Danvers. Many before and AFTER her were not so lucky. Some of THEM were consumed by other creatures, and the few who remained were now "greeting" Delilah and Jasmine. Still, the two women were reasonably hardened against these "run of the mill" threats, these....leftovers of the mystech nightmare. They'd both been here before, and unfrotunately, they knew this place like the back of their hand, so it made their journey to the morgue a bit less time consuming. >>

<< They pressed on, moving carefully and as quietly as possible, with MorningStar lighting the way, until they they finally found the morgue. >>

<< The night of the meltdown, this place was a hotbed of biohazards, creatures both bizarre and grotesque, closing in on the Six from all sides; and for Frost- when she escaped, running the gauntlet to get OUT of this place was just as harrowing. NOW, the morgue is relatively quiet, with only faint sounds and echoes of what was once happening here.>>

<< The two women drew further into the morgue, to the wall where the refrigiration unit was. >>

<< It seemed liked they'd have to open one of the doors and crawl into the space where a body would be kept. A TERRIFYING thought for anyone, but in reality, there was a section of this wall that was a facade and hid an express elevator.>>

<< Delilah remembered from her time here before, and, scanning the wall with her light, found the faintest impression of the line between what was real and what was false, and from there, pulled back the facade to reveal the elevator. >>

<< But it was just a shaft now. The car that once operated was rendered inoperable long ago, and so, Frost creates a thick platform of ice for her and Delilah to stand on, and then, displaying more of her telekinetic control over ice, she LOWERS them down the shift until they reach the underground passage way!>>

<< this was ANOTHER infamous part of the descent into the citadle. A rocky cave like structure that was once crawling with ANTLIONS >>

<< there was evidence of their previous existence, large cobwebs on the jagged ceiling and walls, remnants of egg cases on the uneven rocky floor, and for the paranoid, one might even think they could hear their haunting growling in the air that dared to flow through this dark passage. MorningStar once again lights the way.>>

Frost: Something's not right. We've encountered very little resistance...but it feels...I can sense that there's activity down here.

MorningStar: I don't like it either. My hearing is as sharp as Silver Swan's...and up ahead...beyond the mouth of the cave and in the hangar, I'm registering a heart beat, respiration. The zombies in the ASC didn't have those functions..but something...someONE down HERE does!

<< They were BOTH thinking that Christopher was in fact down here afterall!>>

<< The two women have no choice but to go forward, and soon, they come to the large hangar area. This place was where Shadow Weaver faced down the Super Soldier, and WON. She would eventually be rescued by Rampage, after being accidently left behind by the escaping Six during the climax of the Blackout caper.>>

<< Straight ahead, but a fair distance away, were the double doors that lead to the citadle itself!>>

<< But there was QUITE a ways from where they were to those doors, and the answers and danger that lay within, and they found the source of the heartbeat and respiration that MorningStar respiration. DOMINO.>>

<<FLASH!>>

<< MorningStar and Frost stand side by side, looking at Domino.>>

Frost: And who the HELL are you?

MorningStar: Somebody who missed her audition for the Rocky Horror Picture Show, apparently.

 

[Domino]

The Citadle - Entrance

:: Maxine was definitely excited to finally have a partner in crime with which to do her patrolling with. It was an added bonus that she had just seen how capable her new business associate was. As they made their way towards The Citadle, Maxine watched as Jasmine and Delilah made their way towards where Domino and Fathom were. This was the moment she had been waiting for. For so long she had heard tales of The Six from Malice. About how dangerous and deadly they were and how she had to tread lightly around them. They had made her clinically curious and unfortunately for them, she was somebody who could withstand an incredible amount of damange, just about as much as she could ditch out. ::

"They are definitely well versed in the standard bio-tech fare. They've made quick work of the hell hounds and zombies that linger in the halls. They are making rather good time on their way here...Guess that means I should be moving."

:: Standing up from the control room, she made her way out of the double doors and into the halls where Morningstar and Frost were quickly approaching. She knew that she would be detected. Domino was not a person that hid and attacked in the shadow. She faced her opponents head on and she made them remember who she was. ::

Frost: "And who the HELL are you?"

MorningStar: "Somebody who missed her audition for the Rocky Horror Picture Show, apparently."

"The name is Domino. I'm in charge of making sure that people like you don't get through these doors."

[looking at Delilah]

"And I actually...I made the audition. I got a call back for Columbia, but the director worried I didn't have the moxy to perform a believable tap dance number. Can you believe it?"

:: She was on them in an instant. It wouldn't take EITHER of them long to know that this was a woman who was as fast as she was STRONG. ::

"That's show business I guess!"

<< BAM! >>

:: With half of her full effort she BASHED MorningStar upside her head with brutal force. ::

"The Citadle is closed for rennovations. I can take your reservations now for it's re-opening Summer 2017..but I'll tell you now...the waitlist is rather long!"

<< BOOM! >>

:: Domino clapped her hands together as she began to CHARGE Jasmine with GREAT speed, hoping to knock her head CLEAR off, and as MorningStar had just gotten a brutal punch to the head, she KNEW that Maxine would be CAPABLE of such a feat. ::

 

[MorningStar]

Medical Offices to The Hangar

It was a different experience moving deeper into the offices above the Citadel than the last time she had been here, but it was no less eerie. Moreso, for the LACK of creatures, because it always seemed like something horrible was just around the next corner. The anticipation of what they would find gnawed at MorningStar’s stomach. As she looked around her, it felt as if it had just been yesterday that she had last been here. She remembered everything.

She pulled the façade off the refrigeration unit, and Frost lowered them both into the shaft. Delilah had to admit, she controlled her powers well. Lighting the way down the passageway, Frost expressed her unease, and Delilah registered a heartbeat and breathing up ahead.

“Christopher…that bastard IS alive.”

They continued on into the hangar, and Delilah pointed to the double doors.

“There – that’s the way in to the Citadel.”

But there was someone in the hangar – someone who was decidedly NOT Christopher Victory. She looked like a hot mess – piercings, tattoos, shaved head. What the hell was this?

And who the HELL are you?

“Somebody who missed her audition for the Rocky Horror Picture Show, apparently.”

" I actually...I made the audition. I got a call back for Columbia, but the director worried I didn't have the moxy to perform a believable tap dance number. Can you believe it?"

“Touché.”

Then Domino was ON her, bashing her in the head. She staggered, shaking the cobwebs clear. And now the girl had set her sights on Frost, whom she was BARRELING towards.

Luckily able to move at the speed of light, MorningStar created a steel wall composed of hard white light between Frost and Domino, blocking her attack.

MorningStar raised her hands in front of her, fingers splayed, and directed a sequence of bright flashes of light in front of Domino, seeking to blind her so that Frost could take her off the board.

“Get her, Jas!”

 

[Frost]

Bother Frost and Morningstar had made their way to the morgue with almost little to no resistance. Delilah uncovered the secret entrance through the morgue wall while Jasmine created an ice platform to take them down the shaft of the elevator. Again....nothing, no monsters, no guards, no Christopher. It didn't sit well with the mutant....if Christopher WAS alive he would have stock loaded this place with failed MysTech experiments.

"Something's not right. We've encountered very little resistance...but it feels...I can sense that there's activity down here."

MorningStar: I don't like it either. My hearing is as sharp as Silver Swan's...and up ahead...beyond the mouth of the cave and in the hangar, I'm registering a heart beat, respiration. The zombies in the ASC didn't have those functions..but something...someONE down HERE does!

So they WERE on the right track. This was just the dull previews before the spectacular show.

"Common, lets go."

They both continued until finally reaching a vast hanger with a set of double doors on the far side of it. THAT was the entrance to the citadel. But between them and the doors was a woman...or was it a man. Jasmine squinted her eyes trying to get a better look. Shit, she STILL couldn't tell. Damn MysTech was still pumping out some gnarly experiments.

"And who the HELL are you?"

Deilah: “Somebody who missed her audition for the Rocky Horror Picture Show, apparently.”

"HA!"

Jasmine choked out a laugh.

Domino: "The name is Domino. I'm in charge of making sure that people like you don't get through these doors."

Rolling her eyes.

[deadpan] "Here we go."

Domino: "And I actually...I made the audition. I got a call back for Columbia, but the director worried I didn't have the moxy to perform a believable tap dance number. Can you believe it?"

"I can actually."

Delilah: "Touche."

The 'pleasantries' were over as Domino moved forward with great speed clocking Delilah in the head with extreme force. Before Frost could even react, Domino was running at her now. Delilah had enough moxie to put up a light wall between them causing Domino to slam into it before creating a light show to confuse her senses.

Delilah: "Get her, Jas!"

A cloud of blue and white frost began to swirl around Jasmine's hands, building in intensity.

[to Delilah] "Drop it!"

Delilah's light wall immediately disappeared just as Jasmine thrusted her hands forward sending the massive cloud directly at Domino. The cloud 'exploded' sending hundreds of shards of thick and extremely sharp ice directly at Domino with great speed.

 

[Domino]

The Citadle - Entrance

:: She was in the midst of her full speed charge towards Jasmine and she felt alive. Locking her fists together, she flew up and OVER Jasmine prepared to SMASH her fists down on the top of the elemental's head. ::

<< VOOM! >>

:: As her fists came CRASHING down, they were met with the cold hard steel wall made of hard white light and she winced for a moment, before tumbling down and hitting the ground with a thud. ::

"Nice move, Bright Light..."

:: Her eyes were ASSAULTED with bright flashes of strobe lights as her field of vision narrowed. The strobes were PAINFUL and almost searing to her as she stumbled back for a few moments, blinking quickly. Thankfully her enhancements made her a lot stronger than your average bear, and while this attack would have completely blinded a lesser opponent, Maxine was able to FORCE her sight to come together. Though it was no longer what it WOULD have been, she was still able to see. ::

Jasmine: "Drop it!"

"Round Two.."

:: The icy swirling cloud hovered in the air before BLASTING directly at Domino with shards of thick and extremely sharp ice barrelling into Maxine with great speed. Maxine posessed a high level of invulnerability and durability which allowed her a thick layer of protection against energy projection and temperature extremes. STILL, this attack had not come from a novice and the sheer volume of projectiles flying at her caused her to stagger back. Her skin began shift before it was composed of techno organic STEEL. In the HAZE of the cloud, Domino took action. ::

"Surprise, Altoid!"

:: Cold steel CHAINS composed of techno organic steel WRAPPED around Jasmine's neck as Domino APPEARED from the frost cloud, her eyes growing red for a moment. Part of her exposure to the TO Virus was her ability to warp her body in a number of different ways while in her steel form. It would ALSO be clear to somebody like Delilah that Maxine might be part of the select view that had survived expsoure to the virus. Delilah would ALSO feels these chains around her ankles, as Domino was using one arm to "chain" Jasmine and the other to "chain" Delilah. ::

"Trust me...you don't want to go behind these doors..."

[smirking]

"Well not AGAIN. If anything, I'm trying to help you...you should THANK me!"

<< TING! >>

:: Domino PULLED on the chains with a brutal snap as Delilah and Jasmine were CATAPULTED into each other, smashing their bodies HARD as they tumbled in together on the floor. Maxine began to walk towards them, her form shifted back to it's normal human looking side as her hands emanated a beautiful red glow. ::

"The two of you are quiet beautiful. Why don't you drop this citadle business, and we can reconvene in my chambers. I promise it will be fun...PAINFUL...but fun."

:: In an INSTANT she was on them again with a haunting smile. ::

"Why don't we warm up to each other and see where things take us..."

:: She GRABBED both of them by the neck, her hands covered in glowing red energy. Her mutant ability to decay organic matter caused her to be able to generate a LARGE amount of heat with her hands. She wasn't attempting to dissolve them into dust...at least not yet. Diana had told her that messing with these people was something to be savored, something that Maxine was not good at. She killed and moved on. She wasn't one to "play" with things like a cat plays with a mouse. She was trying to show restraint. The heat was INCREDIBLE and if the two of them didn't move FAST, they would begin to feel their necks crackle and blister as the heat worked it's way through their bodies. ::

 

[MorningStar]

The Hangar

"Nice move, Bright Light..."

Frost sent thousands of shards of ice at Domino, who blocked the attack with Techno Organic Steel. Obviously she was a science experiment gone wrong. They had probably flushed her down a toilet somewhere and she came out here. Delilah felt steel chains wrapping around her feet, pulling her towards Frost. MorningStar transformed herself into a ray of light, escaping her bonds and moving behind Domino.

“It’s Lite Brite, bitch.”

Putting her hands near Domino’s ears, Delilah unleashed a highly focused burst of sonic energy from each of her hands.

"Why don't we warm up to each other and see where things take us..."

Domino was able to grab Delilah by the neck, the temperature of her hand raising until it was scalding. It was unbearable, the heat burning her while she was being CHOKED by the emo girl.

“Thanks, but I’m hot enough.”

She choked out the words, barely able to get them out. Clenching her fists, then throwing her hands open again, she released a photon blast which radiated from her body – powerful enough to blast a hole through a mountain, it would at least carry enough force to move Domino away from her and Frost.

 

[Artemis]

Citadle- Hangar area

“Thanks, but I’m hot enough.”

She choked out the words, barely able to get them out. Clenching her fists, then throwing her hands open again, she released a photon blast which radiated from her body – powerful enough to blast a hole through a mountain, it would at least carry enough force to move Domino away from her and Frost.

:: The amazon moves into position, with the silent and applied skill of Artemis, and she takes AIM, manifesting her silver bow, and a shaft of Zeus' divine lightning::

We'll just SEE how durable she is NOW.

::With the form, grace and prescision of an amazon, Alycia FIRES upon Domino, Sooting her dead center in the back of her neck with that shaft of divine lightning- the energy, force and power of one of nature's most ANGRY weapons. One shot would be enough to KILL or BRING DOWN most but it was obvious that this woman would be able to survive one shot. But it would ALSO stop her in her tracks and get her attention!::

MorningStar and Frost don't fight ALONE!

:: As Domino recovers, and retorts, and now focuses her attention and attempt at retaliation on Charope, there's an odd "gravity defying" sound, as Alycia takes to the air, LEAPING a full twelve feet, from a STANDING position and vaulting over Domino, WELL out of her physical/arm's reach.::

:: She lands with the grace of a cat on top of a high stack of large bulk cargo, crouching down. It wouldn't take Domino too long to find her way up there, but the woman was going to be HARD PRESSED to keep up with an amazon who was FASTER than a cheetah. Alycia keep's Domino's path toward her BUSY by KICKING DOWN ONE, TWO of the large cargo bins, sending them tumbling at the woman. It was obvious she'd be able to handle even a burden of this size, but subduing her wasn't the point. DISTRACTING her was. ::

:: She was giving MorningStar and Frost time to recover, AND she was setting her up. As Alycia was kicking down the cargo bins, she was ALSO telepathically SUMMONING her Lansinarian Morphing Crystal known as DOME. BEYOND any substance OR technology on earth, Alycia frequently uses this as a POWERFUL form of transportation but it can do...and BE so much more!::

:: It's most basic attribute is the ability to transform into a VARIETY of objects- all of which are undetectable by radar or any earthbound technology or mutant/metahuman detection. Because this object can shift from its shimmering crystaline appearence to completely invisible, This crystal is BARELY detectable to the human eye- not at all registered with baseline humans, and ONLY discernable to a limited degree by high order technopaths, or individuals with sensory abilities rooted in spatial awareness and perception.::

:: It is controled telepathically by Alycia, and can be there for her whenever, whereever she needs it! Case in point...NOW!::

:: As Domino closes in on Alycia and is about to REACH her, the Amazon stands at full height on the cargo bin she is on::

SAVE IT, you walking CAN OPENER. I've been to Mystech's DEAD FACTORY before, and you look like the WASTE of a dead bio hazard! HAVE A SEAT!

:: And at that moment, DOME, now in the form of a LARGE HYDRAULIC PILE DRIVER CRASHES DOWN on TOP of Domino JUST before she can get to Alycia, and SLAMS her all the way back down to the metal floor. The force the morphing crystal in this form is such that it DENTS the the thick steel floor, leaving an IMPRINT and Domino within the "crater"::

AGAIN!

:: The hydraulic pile driver SLAMS down on again. Increasing it's pressure/ton force from 50 to 75.::

AGAIN!

:: from 75 to 100 PLUS::

:: No mere human or even most METAHUMANS would be alive, much less physically intact by now, but it was CLEAR that Domino was FLAUNTING her high degree of durability and physical constitution, so why not put it to the TEST?::

:: A THIRD time, only this time, Domino was already on her knees and struggling to PUSH up/BACK against the pile driver, which was now INCREASING its pressure by a GEOMETRIC rate, forcing the woman to commit ALL of her concentration and strength to keeping it from SMASHING/DRILLING her down THROUGH the floor::

:: The morphing crystal would be BEYOND Domino's ability to control OR decay, but her effort to resist/push it BACK/UP was....magnificent. Even Alycia quietly marveled at her strength and determination, but that would NOT stop her from protecting her friends::

 

[Silver Swan]

Citadle- Hangar

:: MorningStar and Frost would hear, and FEEL a high wind, and the sound of adamantium SLICING through the air. A silver FORM zooms past them::

:: Silver Swan flies at high speeds, closing in on Domino, who is totally committed to not being CRUSHED by Charope's crystaline DOME::

:: THIS was the ultimate set up that Alycia was creating, and MorningStar couldn't help but smirk::

::Contact was IMINENT and the IMPACT was HARSH as Silver Swan SLAMMED into Domino like a runaway COMET and bowled her out from under the pile driver which SLAMMED DOWN and then DISAPPEARED. Silver Swan SNATCHES Domino from the ground, like an eagle removing a snake from it's area of strength::

GET READY!

:: At the moment of impact, Silver Swan ATTACKS. (9:25 mark to 9:31 mark)::

:: And as she BATTERS Domino in the air, she COMPLETES the assault by gripping Domino's face/head and (instead of a KISS) and delivering a "SONIC LANCE" attack! This FOCUSED attack is a projection of sonic CONCUSSIVE force that is narrowed into a focused beam. It can cause immediate pain, nausea/vomiting, and unconsciousness.::


:: Sharon lets the force of the sonic lance blow Domino AWAY from her send her crashing into the wall then down to the floor. The mutate flies away, swooping down and landing in front of MorningStar and Frost, with Charope now standing beside MorningStar::

Delilah, we got your call.

::FLASH!::

<< A communicator that Recall had passed Delilah before she left the Parthenon can be seen on Delilah's costume>>

Charope: while you two were coming in from above ground, we tunneled our way underground and arrived in the hangar. THEY :: referring to Domino and whoever else was inside the Citadle:: CAN'T detect DOME, so once we reached the RAILWAY of the hangar, I had DOME transform into an express car, and we rode the railway into the hangar and posted up, waiting for you.


Silver Swan: She is NOT the only one here. But by her own admission she's the gate keeper. She's a time waster. We'll subdue her and move on.

 

[Oracle]

The Hangar

We'll subdue her and move on.

Valkyrie: “I think we can help with that.”

The shield maiden smirked as she, Steel, Mina, Recall and finally Oracle emerged from the passageway, all now in battle attire.

“MorningStar and Frost are injured. Birds: form up around them.”

Broadsword strapped to her back but not yet sheathed, Valkyrie took her place to Silver Swan’s right, sizing up Domino at the far wall.

Valkyrie: “What the hell is she supposed to be? Is it Halloween again? Is she…some sort of streetwalker? Or circus folk?”

Steel grinned and his body melted into his namesake organic steel; he followed Valkyrie, taking up position on Silver Swan’s left. He clenched and unclenched his fists, staring Domino down.

Steel: “Consider your blind side protected, Silver Swan.”

Mina’s eyes narrowed, and she glared at Domino, GROWLING as she moved into position on Frost’s right, her claws glistening in the light.

<< FLASH! >>

The team arrives outside the entrance to the medical building. Mina’s hand rests lightly on Steel’s arm.

Oracle: [a hint of sadness in her voice] “It’s about that time, Mina.”

Mina nodded, already removing the long black gloves she wore to protect her hands. Reaching into the pocket of her jacket, she pulled out a vial of dark red liquid. Removing the stopper, she drank long and deep. She threw the empty vial to the ground and it shattered.

Her transformation was over in a few seconds: her body convulsed, her eyes closed, her head snapped backwards. Her mouth opened, and her canine teeth elongated as the others watched. Her eyes flew open, seeming to glow unnaturally. She blinked with her now sighted eyes and looked around her, a sneer on her lips…

<< FLASH! >>

Mina: “I bet she still BLEEDS.”

Recall took her place next to Charope, and Oracle positioned herself behind MorningStar. Reaching her hand straight out to her side, the foot long metal rod she held elongated into a staff.

“Still interested in guarding that door?”

 

[MorningStar]

The Hangar

MorningStar and Frost don't fight ALONE!

Delilah’s head snapped up as Alycia arrived, just in time! Charope engaged Domino, distracting her and finally using DOME to beat on her with a pile driver. It smashed into her again and again, and MorningStar couldn’t help be take smug satisfaction from watching it happen.

She then heard a metallic slicing sound as Silver Swan sped into view and then barreled into Domino, picking her up into the air and pummeling her before unleashing a brutal sonic attack!

Delilah, we got your call.

MorningStar smiled at Silver Swan.

“And not a moment too soon.”

She broke down into a fit of coughing, the burns on her throat and the damage from Domino’s choke hold incredibly painful.

While you two were coming in from above ground, we tunneled our way underground and arrived in the hangar. THEY :: referring to Domino and whoever else was inside the Citadle:: CAN'T detect DOME, so once we reached the RAILWAY of the hangar, I had DOME transform into an express car, and we rode the railway into the hangar and posted up, waiting for you.

Delilah nodded.

“I definitely owe you one.”

She is NOT the only one here. But by her own admission she's the gate keeper. She's a time waster. We'll subdue her and move on.

“No complaints from me.”

MorningStar looked across the room at Domino, ready for the next round, when she was surprised by a voice behind her.

“I think we can help with that.”

Oracle and her team entered the hangar, moving in around her and Frost in a protective formation. When Sharon had said the Birds of Prey would assist, she had assumed that meant Alycia and Sharon, maybe Vivica and Zach. But the whole kit and caboodle had shown up, and they were acting as one.

“When you guys act as a team you really act as a team.”

“What the hell is she supposed to be? Is it Halloween again? Is she…some sort of streetwalker? Or circus folk?”

“I went with Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

“Still interested in guarding that door?”

MorningStar crossed her arms.

“I strongly advise against it, Emily Strange.”

 

[Domino]

The Citadle Entrance

:: The Photon Blast hit Maxine HARD as it blasted her back. Placing one foot in front of her she let go of the two women and braced for impact as she slid backwards on the floor as the blast hurled her back, gritting her teeth against it's strength. She hissed for a moment. ::

"Fine...I guess we'll just settle for PAIN!"

:: These women were capable foes, far more refined and tactical than many she had faced in her day. But Domino had been raised, trained and mutated at a young age to be a killing machine and she was VERY effective in that regard. Gripping her fists she was about to BLAST the two women with a Crimson Shroud Blast - an ability she stole from The Red Queen of the European Hellfire Club, who channeled the BLACK-seque energy source from a gauntlet she acquired years ago. Domino was now in possession of that gauntlet, absorbing it into after killing The Red Queen and she had been ITCHING to use it. But then! ::

<< ZARK! >>

:: A BLAST of lightning propelled from Charope's bow hitting her RIGHT in the neck. She recoiled in pain, though immediately spun around to catch the tail end of the Amazon's JUMP over her and the two others and onto a large stack of cargo. ::

Charope: "Morningstar and Frost don't fight alone!"

[rolling her eyes]

"Ca va, belle femme...I'm always up for a bit of group play!"

:: She cleared Frost and Morningstar in an instant, clothes lining them both as she made her way towards the Amazon. Domino could dodge a bullet at point blank range, and as such she tore through the boxes being thrown at her, dodging some with great ease as she tore through the others with a set of furiously fast spinning kicks and striking moves with a deadly refinement and accuracy. ::

:: She reaches Alycia and LEAPS into the air with a mechanical like precision, a contrast to Charope's graceful cat like moves. She is about to STRIKE and tear into the Amazon with great rage! ::

Charope: "SAVE IT you walking CAN OPENER. I've been to MysTech's DEAD FACTORY before, and you look like the WASTE of a dead bio hazard. HAVE A SEAT!"

"Been to...or escaped from yourself. And trust me when I tell you...I am not the property of MysTech or ANYONE for that matter!"

<< CRUNCH >>

:: Dome CRASHES down on top of her and she feels it, something not usually possible for a woman of her power. ::

:: Immediately she manifests her techno organic form before throwing her hands out, attempting to turn the piece of machinery into DUST with her power, but she realized that she could NOT. This thing was not of Earth! This meant one thing. ::

"I'm going to have bash the shit out of it."

:: BAM! It smashed into her again but she threw her whole weight into it. And then AGAIN. And then AGAIN! She was using the highest levels of her strength and while she was not making much progress in breaking it down, it was a marvelous display, her punching, striking and KICKING at Dome with all her might. Few people would be ALIVE at this point. ::

"This..[Kick] is...[Punch] pissing...[SLAM] me off!!!" [BAM!]

:: and then it was over or was it? She was SLAMMED from behind before being HURLED into the air by a zooming silver force. ::

"What the bloody hell! Let go of me!!!"

:: The woman in silver delivered a BRUTAL physical assault and Maxine FELT it. Again, not normal. This angered Maxine but it also excited her. ::

:: She screamed out a low and guttural growl as she was hit with the Sonic Lance! She FLEW into the wall at great speed, crashing into it, leaving a DENT in the metal walls as she fell to the floor. For a second there was only silence..but soon, Maxine rose to her feet slowly, brushing herself off, her nose bloody and her eye black. She touched her nose and tasted her own blood as she smiled deviously. ::

"VERY nice...but buy a girl dinner first."

:: There were more now and they appeared to be a unified front. She HAD been there to slow them down, not kill them, and beneath her, using her connection to the very VIRUS that coursed through her own body she could sense that the next distraction was traveling RIGHT beneath where they were standing now, tripping over each other's dicks. She listened to their retorts. ::

"Looks like my shift is over, Superfriends. But instead of standing there wondering what's behind that door, perhaps you should be more concerned with what's BENEATH you!"

:: The ground beneath them began to rumble throwing them ALL off balance as a blood curling WAR CRY was heard. ::

:: Beneath then, with an INCREDIBLE force, the ground TORE open as a horrifying creature, a TYRANTburst through the floor with ease sending ALL of them in the air. It was clear where the second heartbeat had come from now. Domino took a chance. ::

:: As Silver Swan was BLASTED back, Domino charged GRABBING the woman by the air, spinning her around and SLAMMING her into a wall with strength that paralleled her OWN. Each of their unique and beautiful eyes met for a moment amidst the chaos. ::

"You and I...we'll tangle again..and next time, I hope you let me take the lead!"

:: Leaning in, she KISSED Sharon with a GREAT passion for several seconds, her ruby red lip stick against Sharon's alabaster skin. Silver Swan was THOROUGHLY shocked (and maybe even a little excited) and in that moment, she KNEED Sharon in the stomach before disappearing in the flying debris as the Tyrant began to RAMPAGE through the halls. The strong hulking creature was much like the one she had faced in London, which meant he would NOT be easy to dispatch. ::

:: The loud SLAMMING of the doors to the citadel can be heard as Domino vanishes from sight and the group prepares for the next round of attacks! ::

 

[MorningStar]

The Hangar

The ground started to shake and rumble, throwing her off balance as a gigantic creature BURST through the floor.

“Oh hell no.”

Delilah HATED all the MysTech-Arklay-James Marcus zombie T Virus creepy crawlies that they always SOMEHOW ended up fighting. Just once, she’d like to be fighting a bear or something. Something normal.

In the moment, she noticed that Domino was now gone, running with her tail between her legs. But they would find her and Christopher and whoever else was here and wipe the smug smiles and bad quips off their faces. But right now, they had this monstrosity to deal with.

MorningStar threw her hands out in front of her, the fingers of her hands spread. A white laser beam fired from each of her fingers, and she used them like claws against the massive body, sharp as knives and more precise.

 

[Steel]

The Hangar

He heard a rumble from beneath them.

What in the bloody hell?

The floor BLEW upwards as a humungous THING came through it. Domino took this opportunity to GRAB Sharon and slam her into the wall. Steel charged at Domino, but pieces of the floor and the room itself were flying around, and he lost her.

“DAMNIT!”

He punched the wall, smashing into the stone. How could they have let her slip through their fingers – even with the hulking figure before them? He bent down beside Silver Swan.

“Alright, pretty bird?”

He helped her regain her footing, then turned to face the new threat.

Running towards the thing, Steel dove for its knees, leading with his shoulder, hoping to knock it over and give the team the time to attack.

 

[Valkyrie]

The Hangar

Valkyrie had already had enough of this Domino bitch. She drew the broadsword from her back, knowing for a FACT that it’s blade could cut through steel. But then all hell broke loose in the hangar as a giant creature came through the floor. Domino was temporarily put out of her mind.

She held her blade with both hands, weaving it in an x pattern in front of her as she moved forward. Nearing the creature, she brought the sword around in a circular motion above her head and letting go with her left hand brought the blade down in a cutting motion with her right. Simultaneously, she placed her left hand on the thing’s chest, creating an energy field that would give the creature a heart attack…if it had a heart.

Bending her knee, she stuck her foot into the thing’s stomach and kicked, pushing it backwards and putting space between them once again, giving her room to manouevre.

"Nobody told me there would be monsters. Is it my birthday?"

 

[Mina Harker]

The Hangar

Mina could smell the decay off the creature – it was NOT something she wanted to sink her teeth into. It was an abomination, some test subject, grown in a lab – a perversion of life.

The others attacked it: slicing, trying to put it off balance. She was not so reserved with her attack. While Valkyrie occupied the creature from the front, Mina attacked from behind, LEAPING onto its back, holding on with one hand while reaching around its head with the other to slash at his face with her claws.

After all, most soulless fiends were not as good at fighting blind as she was.

 

[Seer]

Citadle- SPOTLIGHT - ORACLE!

Reaching her hand straight out to her side, the foot long metal rod she held elongated into a staff.

“Still interested in guarding that door?”

<< Sometimes the person with the sweetest smile can deliver the deadliest blows.>>

<<FLASH!>>

<< The sound of energy and data crawling can be heard as we see a downward VERTICLE flow of a binary code>>

<< Elizabeth "Zizi" York, a.k.a. Oracle!>>

<< The rapid "tick tock" of a clock can be heard, as we see the ghostly impression of clock face of the clock tower behind the image of Oracle.>>

<< The passage of time has brought many changes for the woman called Oracle.>>

<< From gifted computer prodigy and police commissioner's daughter, to academic star at MIT, to aspiring crime fighter, the Birds of Prey was NOT Zizi's FIRST "rodeo".>>

<<FLASH!>>

<< Years ago. LONDON. Valiant Tower.>>

Volt: You sure SHE's the one??

<< images of tall, leggy, BLONDE, VIOLET EYED woman strutting a runway in Milan on one screen; images of that SAME blonde haired, violet eyed woman, now seen sitting meditation style, and FLOATING over a silvery, flaming pentagram, and gesturing, flooding the area with magick and enchantments. it's the same woman, but the image on the right shows her looking noticeably darker, more vengeful, and demonstrating magickal power!>>

Zizi: POSITIVE! This is your woman. Morgan Victoria, a.k.a. Spellbinder. She's a witch, a POWERFUL one. Scans show her to be the mystical equivalent of an A-BOMB! If you want a magick user for your team, THIS is who you need to recruit!

Volt: << scoffing.>> She's a SUPER MODEL!?

Zizi: C'mon Volt! Don't judge a book by it's cover. She manages to conceal her identity from the general populace. That alone should tell you she's not just another "dumb blonde."

<< Volt studies the images a bit longer, before finally relenting.>>

Volt: Alright Zizi, your intel hasn't been wrong so far, so I'll go ahead and initial contact. You BETTER be right about her!

<< From one of the best and brightest and MIT, Zizi was contacted by Volt, the leader of London based superhero team, VALIANT! This was her first foray into the world of super heroes, and a chance for her to start living her dream of being a crime fighter!>>

<< Like Vivica Lennox, Zizi's orbit around one of the founding members of the Six began LONG before any member of the Six, had an indication of their true destiny. This was one of many things Zizi had in common with Vivica and Zach. But any proximity to the Six would bring it's own unique set of challenges, dangers and PAIN for the person.>>

<< FLASH!>>

<< London. Valiant Tower. Months after the formation of Valiant, Zizi had been tracking VAST amount of communication and data flow on "dark networks" all around the city. She traced some of it back to the Hellfire Club's London Branch, and other parts she traced back to Cassadine Industries, a subsidiary of MYSTECH.>>

<< But She wasn't the only one doing tracing and HUNTING. The fearsome, malevolent creature known as BLACK had invaded the Valiant Tower, hunting for SPELLBINDER. >>

Black: WHERE IS SPELLBINDER!

Zizi: How...how did you get in here!?

Black: I will NOT ASK YOU AGAIN. WHERE IS SPELLBINDER?

Zizi: If you know about us, which clearly you did in order to FIND and INVADE our tower, then you should know I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT!

<< without wasting time, Zizi activates a KILL SWITCH to shut down her control center and deny Black access to any information housed there. She dashes past him, attempting to get a warning to Spellbinder and press the panic button to summon the team, but Black GRABS her by the hair>>


Black: FOOLISH, PITIFUL FEMALE! PAY THE PRICE FOR DEFYING ME!

<< and then hoists her up in the air over his head, unleashing his Nega-Energy into her body, wracking her with such PAIN. Her SCREAM is painful to WATCH and HEAR.>>

<< he forcibly brings her down, SLAMMING his knee into her back, her SPINE, with SUCH force that he SEVERED her spinal cord! He then flings her near lifeless body on the floor>>

<< Zizi was cut down before she ever got to truly live out her dream. Later that same night, Black would attack Spellbinder and nearly KILL her, were it not for the intervention of her newly discovered sister Foxfire, and Valiant team member, Dolph. >>

<< This COULD have been the END of Zizi's story. A beautiful, young, GIFTED GENIUS, who was cut down by a horrible monster.>>

<< But just like Alycia, and Vivica, the sister fates were NOT finished writing the story of Zizi just then.>>

<< For many individuals in the world of the Six, their identity and very image of self is rooted in their powers, their physical prowess. Only a PRECIOUS FEW allies of the Six or those connected to their world were baseline humans and a few of them, through wild, improbable twists, had gone on to become something MORE than "Only Human.">>

<< Zizi York SURVIVED Black's attack, and managed to recover in nearly every way, but she LOST the use of her legs.>>

<< But what she lacked in PHYSICAL mobility she MORE than makes up for with her mental skill and prowess. The power of her MIND was just as formidable as any spell, or physical ability we've seen.>>

<< But with Valiant disbanded, and nothing for her to return back to, the young woman went through a dark period of bitterness as she struggled to face her new reality. For a time, she used her TREMENDOUS skills with computers, programs, data and information systems to HACK into various private systems and strongholds, including local, state and federal servers. She wanted ANSWERS about Black and who he worked with, and with Valiant no longer operational, she LACKED the government granted security clearance to do the things she was doing. Her actions soon earned her the attention, the SCRUTINY of NYC ADA Alycia Barnett.>>


<<FLASH!>>

<< NYPD. Interrogation Room. Alycia Barnett confronts Zizi>>

Alycia: So you think you're so SMART? I've read your dossier, and on paper, you ARE. VERY Smart, and VERY capable. << slaming down a THICK file in front of Zizi>> But NOT so bright! You're a SPOILED little girl, who thinks the rules don't apply to her. You're BITTER because of what happened to you, and you think you're entitled to break into servers, files and systems you have no business being in. Well GUESS WHAT?! YOU GOT CAUGHT! And NOW You're going to ANSWER for it....ALL OF THIS!

<< The hard exterior that Zizi had developed in the aftermath of her accident began to crack, as she realized that she was becoming everything her father had worked so hard to fight against, she was becoming the very thing SHE had hoped to work with Valiant to guard against. Alycia was ready to NAIL her but GOOD, but the ADA saw that change in her facial expression. Saw the PAIN behind the exterior, and saw a glimpse of the girl in the DOSSIER she read. >>

<< Zizi didn't know it, but ALYCIA was connected to Spellbinder and others like her. She was working with people who were trying to do the same things SHE had hoped to do. Alycia looked at her dossier once again, and noted her association with Valiant...SPELLBINDER.>>

Alycia: << sitting down in front of Zizi, and taking a much softer tone with her>> Zizi...you are a truly GIFTED woman. You have the potential be something SPECIAL. You could bridge the gap between local, state and perhaps even federal law enforcement, and the metahuman community. Think how PROUD your father would be! And honestly? There are not enough of US... << WOMEN>> in positions of POWER in this game. I would like to see that change. YOU could help me with that.

<< The ADA stands up and begins to walk around the room slowly before turning to face Zizi>>

Alycia: I have an offer for you. These charges? dismissed, your record? CLEARED...IF you become MY information broker, and use your considerable computer, technical, and scientific skills to assist ME in my endeavors.

Zizi: You...You'VE GOT it, Alycia. THANK YOU.

Alycia: You can thank me with RESULTS.

<< And to see that deal, the two women shake hands.>>

<< And just like that, Zizi's path was straightened, and she began moving in the RIGHT direction again. Her orbit around members of the Six had grown tighter as she moved toward her ultimate destiny. her physical state, and her chair were no longer a chain or a roadblock to her!>>

<< She finished college, with honors, and then became a professor at NYU teaching forensic technology. She already knew that a BOOM in this field was coming, and she was ahead of that trend. During this period, her alter ego of ORACLE was born, and the dawn of her ultimate destiny was at hand. >>

<< And as Alycia saw the GOOD in her, she began to see the GOOD in OTHERS. She began to use her considerable talents and abilities to assist those in need, not just in her deal with Alycia, but also in her immediate community. From building gadgets and devices to provide mobility assistance and boost quality of life for those with physical disabilities, along with enhancing security, protection and defense for those individuals, to helping to close the digital gap for the poor in areas where internet service and access to online resources was hard to come by, to broadening the reach of non profits and grass roots organizations trying to help individuals who's lives had been blighted by mystech through technology and developing communication applications, Zizi was showing that HER power did not lie in magick, super strength, or energy projection. her power did not lie in an X-gene or a VIRUS.>>

<< Her power was in her MIND. Her vast scientific and computer skills, her genius and aptitude. All of this, and she was STILL..."Only Human.">>

<< Images of Alycia connecting Zizi to the FINEST physical therapists available through various federal programs, allowing Zizi to train her body to it's utmost ability despite her current condition. Zizi, in turn, used her own conections to work the finest martial artists and physical trainers, even developing and enhancing her martial arts skills!>>

<< When Alycia became a Special Federal Agent, she remained true to her philosophies that she'd shared with the likes of Zizi and Lauren Danvers. She reached BACK. To Zizi, she funneled tech and weaponry that was otherwise CLASSIFIED to civilians. This allowed Zizi to design and fashion herself a state of the art chair that provided her mobility, remote access to her command center in the clock tower and a VARIETY of defenses and anti-personnel devices. She also came to possess a carbonadium staff. This metal is 2nd only to adamantium. It is FAR stronger than steel, yet more malleable and with modifications, Oracle has fashioned this staff to be able to fire powerful stun beams and bolts. It can also be modified to project other types of energy and conventional weapons. It can also be used in tandem with her hand to hand combat skills to increase her reach and types of attacks. >>

<< She would go on to purchase and house her command center within a prime piece of real estate in the Gotham area of NYC known as the Clock Tower. It is not only her command center, which is one of the most powerful data hubs on the planet at this point, but also her home.>>

<< As she found herself living her true dream, and destiny, like Alycia, she reached back, REACHED OUT, to help others in need. Just like Alycia gave HER a chance to put her life back together, She did the same for others- one in particular, was Vivica Lennox a.k.a. Recall. With Zizi's assistance, Recall was not only able to recover from a severe, life threatening injury, but ALSO able to see her power restored AND additional potential of it unlocked! >>

<< This lead to a special friendship and bond between the two women. Recall is, in many ways, Oracle's PROXY, both literally and figuratively, and it's a partnership that has gone on to be a VERY important cornerstone of the Birds of Prey!>>

<< Zizi is respected, almost legendary now, in law enforcement circles. She has become a POWERFUL figure in the metahuman community, as well as intelligence circles domestic and foreign. and now, years after her one-time status as team member of Valiant, she now leads her own TEAM of mutants and metahumans called, "The Birds of Prey!" >>

<< Zizi has the gift of personality, and is able to bridge gaps and divides between individuals who would otherwise not give one another the time of day. This gift is especially handy in helping to maintain harmony among her diverse team.>>

<< In true full circle fashion, one of her teammates is none other than, Alycia Barnett- a woman who went from being the ADA, to a special federal agent, to a super powered amazon. >>

<< Zizi York is Oracle, Information Broker, computer genius, forensic science expert, talented crime fighter, personal bridge builder....oh and she'd give Martha Stewart one HELL of a fight in the kitchen with her baking skills too!>>

<< If there were a goddess of information technology, Zizi York would be the personification. And one it it comes to her baking skills???

<< Images of Valkyrie, Steel, and Vivica ALL looking starry eyed at a spread of confectionery delights created by Zizi; Cut to a scene of Richard Martin DEVOURING an entire table of food baked by Zizi, as she and Valkyrie look on- Zizi with a smile on her face , Valkyrie with a lifted eyebrow and a smirk on her's>>

<< One might wonder if Hestia herself hadn't bestowed the gift of hearth and domestic talent upon the young woman >>

<< Oracle is a woman who's power and destiny can't be confined or bound by a mere chair, and to watch her is to see proof of that time and time again.>>

<< FLASH!>>

<< In the PRESENT moment, Oracle has lead the rest of her team into the citadle, and they have formed around Frost and MorningStar to face off against the mysterious and ball busting Domino! >>

<< But the rogue mutant opted to leave them with a parting gift instead, in the form of a rampaging TYRANT, while she herself slipped away! >>

<< The Birds of Prey, along with MorningStar and Frost hadn't seen the LAST of her, but for now, their problem was this TYRANT!>>

 

[Seer]

Hangar- The Birds of Prey vs Titan

Valkyrie: “I think we can help with that.”

The shield maiden smirked as she, Steel, Mina, Recall and finally Oracle emerged from the passageway, all now in battle attire.

Oracle: “MorningStar and Frost are injured. Birds: form up around them.”

Broadsword strapped to her back but not yet sheathed, Valkyrie took her place to Silver Swan’s right, sizing up Domino at the far wall.

Valkyrie: “What the hell is she supposed to be? Is it Halloween again? Is she…some sort of streetwalker? Or circus folk?”

Steel grinned and his body melted into his namesake organic steel; he followed Valkyrie, taking up position on Silver Swan’s left. He clenched and unclenched his fists, staring Domino down.

Steel: “Consider your blind side protected, Silver Swan.”

Mina’s eyes narrowed, and she glared at Domino, GROWLING as she moved into position on Frost’s right, her claws glistening in the light.

Oracle and her team entered the hangar, moving in around her and Frost in a protective formation. When Sharon had said the Birds of Prey would assist, she had assumed that meant Alycia and Sharon, maybe Vivica and Zach. But the whole kit and caboodle had shown up, and they were acting as one.

“When you guys act as a team you really act as a team.”

"Looks like my shift is over, Superfriends. But instead of standing there wondering what's behind that door, perhaps you should be more concerned with what's BENEATH you!"

:: The ground beneath them began to rumble throwing them ALL off balance as a blood curling WAR CRY was heard. ::

:: Beneath then, with an INCREDIBLE force, the ground TORE open as a horrifying creature, a TYRANT burst through the floor with ease sending ALL of them in the air. It was clear where the second heartbeat had come from now. Domino took a chance....before disappearing in the flying debris as the Tyrant began to RAMPAGE through the halls. The strong hulking creature was much like the one she had faced in London, which meant he would NOT be easy to dispatch. ::

:: The loud SLAMMING of the doors to the citadel can be heard as Domino vanishes from sight and the group prepares for the next round of attacks! ::

<< This creature was MASSIVE, DWARFING ALL of the group in attendance. IMMUNE to any medium & low powered conventional weapons and artillery, as well as temperature extremes. It possessed a higher level of intelligence than any other bio hazard they had encountered thus far and was fully capable of pursuing/hunting its prey with ruthless focus and his strength? Well let's just say that Silver Swan, Valkyrie or Steel would get one HELL of a workout. This creature could very well dislodge the citadle from it's foundation, given enough time!>>

<< This creature was a brute, but not a mindless or reptillian one. It would hunt, pursue and ADAPT to the tactics of it's prey, and it would take an INCREDIBLE amount of damage to bring it down! TEAM WORK was going to be needed, the success and LIVES of the Birds of Prey depended on it!>>

<< As the Birds of Prey, MorningStar and Frost managed to recover from being completely upended by the monster's explosive arrive, Valkyrie immediately advanced on the creature, relishing the chance to fight a monster.>>

<< In the sudden CHAOS and confusion, MorningStar and Frost were thrown away from the others, with Frost being CLOSEST to the double doors leading into the citadle proper! The mutant was GRATEFUL to Alycia and Sharon for helping her and MorningStar against Domino, but she was DRAWN to her place of birth and what...WHOM she was sure was inside waiting for her. She had the chance to get through the doors, and she TOOK it, slipping away from MorningStar and the others. She wasn't abandonning them, she was simply forging a path for them to follow for they knew that the Tyrant wasn't the final monster they'd face tonight, and FROST knew that in order to stop more monsters, she'd have to get to the SOURCE.>>

Mina could smell the decay off the creature – it was NOT something she wanted to sink her teeth into. It was an abomination, some test subject, grown in a lab – a perversion of life.

The others attacked it: slicing, trying to put it off balance. She was not so reserved with her attack. While Valkyrie occupied the creature from the front, Mina attacked from behind, LEAPING onto its back, holding on with one hand while reaching around its head with the other to slash at his face with her claws.

After all, most souless fiends were not as good at fighting blind as she was.

<< The creature's first signs of agitation came from Mina's unbridled assault on it! She attacked and clawed the creature about its head and face! At the same time it was STABBED by Valkyrie. On EARLIER versions of the Tyrant, the HEART was a large, EXTERNAL, VISIBLE mutation and an obvious vulnerability. Attacking it was a way to wound, incapacitate or KILL the earlier versions of the tyrants. But THIS one was a far more advanced design and so...despite the well placed attack, there was NO HEART to wound! The attack DID cause a deep wound, and provoke a reaction though. >>

<< It moved, struggled, BRIEFLY as it sustained harsh injuries to its face, and chest area, before SNATCHING Mina by her hair and holding her up before him, ROARING with annoyance and tossing her away with force, and STOMPING DOWN to creat a shockwave that rocked Valkyrie and forced her away.>>

<< He roared once more as he CHARGED forward, intending to run them BOTH over with the force of a juggernaut!>>