Joss delicately wrenched free from her grip. "Hold on.. Just let me concentrate a moment."

His face took on the expression of one in deep thought, his mesmerizing eyes half closed, like a snake waiting patiently for its prey. He was reaching out through the crowd, searching for Wasp mentally. No...no...n-wait! Yes! He found the familiar mind of his fellow project, causing a sudden calm to envelop over her, like a drug.

Wasp, he spoke calmly into her mind, creating the words out of his mind, though his lips moves silently. It's us. Over here. Come quickly. He sent her a picture of the dim street corner.

_________________


~*~ I am the Patron Saint of Lost Causes. ~*~

Wasp turned around sharply at the sound of the voice in her head, the scarf in her hand twirled about her as she twisted and completely ignored the complaints of the owner of the vending stand. She recognized that voice, but it still unnerved her to hear it in her mind, the nervousness was held at bay just barely edging through the calm Joss had enveloped her with.

"Hello?" She asked looking around for the man. Her tongue stuck out in distaste as she saw the dim lit and not at all attractive corner they had chosen for the meeting place. "Ewwwww....that looks gross," she complained to the air.

With an annoyed sigh she picked up her feet and in a flash disappeared into the crowd the scarf now about her neck. She stopped a little ways off and finally saw Joss and Kanai. Her face split in childish joy and in a flash she was between the two, an arm around each squeezing them in a psuedo-hug. She let her arms drop and looked to Joss.

"So, we have a plan?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest having decided that if they broke her away from so many interesting things then they must have some idea of what to do next.

_________________
Heavens no. Hell Yeah.


Set 1: Nurr | Set 2: Me

Joss gave a full, rare smile. Same old Wasp; at least someone was enjoying freedom. It was tempting, but his practical side had a grip on him at the moment. They had to get out of danger first.

"Plan?" Joss bit his bottom lip and frowned a little to himself. "Not... Well, haven't really got one. Other then we need to get off the streets. They're bound to come after us..." He could feel a nervousness tugging at his sub-conscience. Something in the atmosphere was shifting, it made him uncharacteristically uneasy.

He looked down at his bleach-white, Eden-assigned clothes, looking more like an escaped psych-ward patient then a face in the crowd. "Hardly inconspicuous," he muttered.

_________________


~*~ I am the Patron Saint of Lost Causes. ~*~

Kae watched as Gregg went racing off towards the weapons cache eagerly. No doubt heading towards the knife section. Kae herself preferred guns, more specifically hand guns. It didn't matter the make or model, though Janus' Military Division always stocked the very best, top of the range hardware.

She began to stride forward, a few paces ahead of Jonah and Cassie, the other Operatives assigned to the mission. Both were good agents, though Cass had what Kae considered a major flaw. Empathy.
It will be your undoing Cassandra Kae mused to herself.
Finally reaching the cache, Kae walked inside and headed straight for the gun section. The room itself wasn't so much one room as about ten rooms with the walls knocked in.

"Hey Fixer" came the cheery voice of Henry, the Supervisor and general overseer of the weapons facility. Everything had to be checked and signed off by him before anyone could leave.

"Hello Henry" Kae replied as cordially as she could, she knew Henry was very fond of her. But she could never return the favour thanks to her alterations.

"I got something special just for you babe" he stated with a huge grin, "Just let me go get it for ya"

As Henry walked towards the back of his office, Kae looked around and picked up a few handguns and placed them on his desk. She looked around to see the others going about there business and deciding on there weapons of choice.

"Here y'go" Henry said walking back to his desk, placing two guns in matching metallic holsters on the desk and grinned again. "I had 'em made especially for ya. I know how you like the quick easy kills"

Kae examined the devices silently, looking over every detail. Henry gave off an air of joviality. But he was a genius craftsmen and deadly serious about his work. "They are perfect, thank you" Kae took off her long black trenchoat and attatched the holsters to her forearms and flicked them forward, the guns jutting out in perfect symmetry.
"Absolutely perfect"

Kae let out a smirk and put her coat back on. "Sign these out for me please."

Henry smiled, gracious at Kae's appreciation of his work.
"Happy huntin' babe"

Kae turned on her boot heel and made her way out of the cache and towards the elevator. Her mind now firmly on her mission.

_________________

"And you'll see that this crossbow is made from a recently developed alloy, resisting shatter at higher pressure than the previous models," ranted Sigmund to Gregg who held the crossbow in question in his hand. "However it is remarkably light, weighing only six pounds. The string is a polymer cable, strong and durable yet light. Bolts are made out of a different kind of alloy. They are at the optimum weight, balancing speed and strength. Maximum speed of these things are at 127 mph. Reload rate is seven bolts per minute. Range..I'll give it 500 yards. For accuracy. More, you might miss once in a while."

Gregg nodded as he was shown to the many different blades available to them. He looked through the racks, examining each knife carefully. Almost lovingly. He felt the hilt much like one would to a lover, enjoying the speed and strength of each individual. However he was searching for a certain connection between him and the blade. Only a few from the hundreds in here would ever spill blood for Mercury. It wasn't long until one, then two, then six knives found favour in Gregg's eyes. Three of them were suited for slicing and dicing, one for stabbing, and two for an all-around purpose.

Gregg brought his entire arsenal to Henry, who began to sign off his weapons.

"A bit ol'-fashioned, dontcha think?" he asked as he typed in the serial number of a knife.

"Suits me fine," replied Gregg. "Plus, I am carrying a handgun."

"Yeah, whatever," he said dismissively. He finished checking out the crossbow to Gregg and asked, "Any bolts to go with that?"

"Yes," Gregg said. "Thirty armour-piercing ones and twelve electric ones."

Within a few minutes, Henry returned with a polymer quarrel containing forty two bolts. Gregg examined one of them closely but returning it with his companions.

"Thanks, mate," he said. Henry simply nodded as Gregg began strapping his weapons on.

_________________

I was cured all right.

Kae stepped inside the elevator and pushed the button for the ground floor. Within seconds she had reached her level and the doors slid open silently and she strode outside. The basement level was essentially a garage. Cars, vans and motorcycles of all makes and models lined the concrete and steel vastness. Kae headed off with a purpose and within less than a minute she found exactly what she was looking for. She mounted the hulking machine and gunned the engine. As it revved into life, Kae let the unmarked jet black motorcycle twist and turn it's way out the basement level and onto the city streets.

No helmet on for protection, Kae wasn't concerned. She was an expert rider and could weave in and out of traffic with considerable ease and poise. Her long scarlet braid fish tailed behind her as she scanned the area for any signs of the fugitives.

"There's been police reports of a disturbance Fixer. You're the closest to the scene. Sending coordinates to you now" the familiar voice of Stephanie Jones spoke into Kae's earpiece.

Kae tapped the earpiece, "Heading that way now. Get the cleaners on stand by. Fixer out." she checked the small display on the body of the bike and turned her bike to a swift left and made her way towards the destination.

_________________

She pursed her lips and raised a brow unhappily, "You don't have a plan? Well, that is disappointing."

Wasp looked over her own shoddy white clothes and frowned, fiddling with her ill gotten scarf. She had never realized how dull these clothes were, especially in contrast to the city about them. They would stick out like a sore thumb. That's when an idea struck.

"We should get new clothes!" She exclaimed excitedly, jumping up and down her long hair hitting them both in the face as she twisted her neck from side to side to see their reactions. "It'd help us blend in! Perfect."

_________________
Heavens no. Hell Yeah.


Set 1: Nurr | Set 2: Me

"Where do you get clothes?" Joss asked curiously. It would've normally sounded like a stupid question to anyone else, but for those who'd lived out their lives in a cold, sterile box, it was an honest dilemma. He stepped out from the alleyway and glanced around at the thrall of people and bright lights and gleaming store fronts.

"That room has clothes in it," he noted, pointing to what would appear to be, to a more informed eye, a very chiche little store on the corner. Joss smirked a little curiously at the sight of the strange plastic figures in the window. They reminded him of the models they used in their combat training.

_________________


~*~ I am the Patron Saint of Lost Causes. ~*~

Kae pressed the brakes gently, easing the motorbike down to an slower speed. Fast enough not to lose time, but slow enough to scan the streets easier. Turning the bike down towards a darkened alleyway that sat directly behind a popular nightclub. Slowing the bike to a complete halt, she waited in the quiet of the alleyway. Only quiet echos of traffic and the dulled thump of the music within the club broke the silence. Kae was able to close both out and focus on her objective.

Remaining perfecly still, Kae waited for any signs of the first fugitive. She wasn't kept waiting. An ear piercing scream split through the air and a young man came bundling down the alleyway. Obviously in some kind of torment and agony, but this didn't deter Kae in any way. This was one of the fugitives and he appeared to be going through some sort of transformation. She watched carefully as he fell behind a large mountain of trash and cardboard boxes. His agonizing screams stopped as suddenly as they started. Still Kae waited patiently on her bike.

Everything seemed to fall still, as if everyone simultaneously held there breath. Kae gripped the handles of her bike a little tighter. Then without warning, a low growl eminated from where the young man fell. The roar sharply turned into an angry roar as he rose up sharply from the spot. Bags of trash and boxes flying around him. He spotted Kae at the end of the alleway watching him. Never taking her eyes of him. This appeared to make him angrier and he let out a roar not unlike a lion's and made his way towards Kae.

Kae immediately hit the accelerator and revved the engine up and let the bike tear off towards the monstrous fugitive. Seconds before impact, Kae hit the brakes and turned a sharp right sending the bike skidding towards the hulking figure. Kae leaping off the bike frame deftly, flipping in mid air and landing behind the beast. With a flick of her wrists her two pistols found there way into her hands and she pointed them at the fugitive, who was now picking himself up slowly from the force of the bike attack.

"You have two choices. Come with me freely" she paused for breath "Or die here, now."

_________________

Hurried steps echoed on the rooftops, heralding a running Gregg. He jumped into a fence and quickly scaled it like a creeping insect. He vaulted the fence and continued to run. Somewhere near him, a helicopter was flying, keeping him in their sights. Just in case he needed backup, which he never did, anyway.

"Target located one click away, north northwest," the voice in Gregg's earpiece crackled.

"Copy that," he replied as he tore off across the roof. Soon, he was leaping across alleyways, landing on the other side softly. However, one such leap was hindered by a small, unpredictable slip, resulting in Gregg leaping short of his targeted landing area. Instead, he found himself gripping on the roof for dear life, one hand dangling uselessly at his side and the other holding on the roof. After much strenuous efforts, he managed to land his other hand on the roof and pulled himself upward. Acting as nothing had happened, he continued to run.

_________________

I was cured all right.

Well... she hasn't changed any, now has she. Kanai raised a hand to shield her face from Wasp's flying hair.

"Clothes... new clothes?" Kanai spoke slowly and thoughtfully, the thought almost foreign to her. She looked down at her own tattered white garments, and the same hate and rage that she had been feeling a few minutes before came back, boiling inside her. Kanai's hands lowered and she clenched the folds of the thin, white clothes she wore, a strange strength born of her anger running through her like an electric current.

When she came back to her senses, she realized that that the others were heading back toward the main street. Crazy... they might get seen! But I suppose everything has its risks. Shaking her head, she followed after. How different everything was from the life that she had always lived! She stared distrustfully at the brightly colored clothing in the windows of the small shop up ahead. "Clothes."

_________________

Banner from Nellie

Wasp turned to Kanai and repeated the sentiment with more enthusiasm. "Clothes!" She exclaimed with another jump and clap of her hands.

"Ohhh! I like that!" She said brightly pointing to a long red jacket. Wasp was quite cold natured - something her experimenters could not quite figure out - and often went for longer and warmer clothing. To her the city was a bit to chilly for her tastes and a coat would be perfect for her. "Jeans..." she said as the moved forward, she had heard they were comfortable and had always thought a pair would be nice.

"Let's go in there," she pleaded, tugging Joss inside the clothing store.

_________________
Heavens no. Hell Yeah.


Set 1: Nurr | Set 2: Me

Joss grinned lopsidedly and nodded. "Alright, come on then." He followed them inside, murmuring quietly, "Just try not to make a scene."

He wandered around the store with them, still remaining alert to the possibility of anyone coming after them.

_________________


~*~ I am the Patron Saint of Lost Causes. ~*~

Kae and the large fugitive, who minutes before was an average looking human male, stood in a Mexican stand off type scenario. The tall, muscular shape of the fugitive stood. Breathing heavy and letting out a low growl from the back of his throat. Kae stood firm and calm, her guns still pointed at his head.

"I can't go back..." came the gravelly reply, "I won't." his distorted voice seemed to cause him pain as he grimaced with each syllable.

"Then I have no choice. Orders are..." Kae began to speak her mission like a mantra the fugitive made a lightning quick move and had her pinned up against the back wall of the alleyway. His oversized hands around her throat, squeezing tighter with each passing second.

"I can't let you do that" he roared and howled as he lifted Kae up to his eye level, letting her feet dangle.

Kae returned her calmness and looked the fugitive straight in his eyes, his fear and anger and hatred was welling up inside him. She had to take advantage and take it soon. She could only hold her breath for so long.

A gunshot echoed all the way through the alleyway, barely masked by the general street noise and music from the club. Blood sprayed and splattered across Kae's emotionless face as she dropped back to the concrete. She tapped her earpiece and began to speak.

"Fixer reporting. Cleaners needed stat." she looked down and the large carcass and raised an eyebrow "make it a large bodybag"

_________________

Wasp huffed childishly. Technically she was the youngest of the Eden projects, and had therefore not quite grown up in her mental faculties. She was just as bright as far as book learning went, but she often failed to grasp things that involved common sense as there was not a lot of 'life experience' integrated into her training.

"I do not make scenes...umm...what are you going by?" She asked, furrowing her brows in confusion, it had just dawned on her that numbers were not normal in human names.

Her confusion died quickly and was replaced with a happy grin once more as they stepped inside the store. There were so many colors! It excited her, in the Eden compound she was only allowed to change her hair, but now she could change everything!

Wasp quickly ran over to the coat rack and then stopped. What size did she need? Did they have sizes?

She rocked back and forth on her heels and as if on cue a store worker came up behind her.

"Hello, I am Jenny. Do you need assistance Miss?" She asked personably.


Wasp nodded and her face turned a bit red in embarrassment. "I do not know what size to get," she admitted.

The woman laughed and said: "Well, we can fix that real fast. Just hang on a second, I'll pull some things for you."

_________________
Heavens no. Hell Yeah.


Set 1: Nurr | Set 2: Me

Kanai was the last to enter the store, and the most skeptical of it. I really don't know about this... she thought, doing a nervous dance as she watched the other two enter. Oh what does it matter... it's better not to be alone... I... I'll just follow after, she finally decided. She stepped forward, pushed open the door, and bravely set foot inside the store. Look at all the training I've had: and I'm still afraid to go into a place like this. Maybe I'll just have to tell myself that I've got a mission here. This thought comforted her a little, and she smiled to herself. Next mission: find some clothes.

She saw Joss wandering around, and Wasp was over by a colorful rack of coats. But... she was talking to someone! Oh Wasp... she thought, I only hope that the person is friend and not foe.

Wandering over to a rack of shirts, Kanai was intrigued. She'd never seen a place with so many clothes, let alone clothes that looked like this! She picked a dark red one out and held it up against her.

_________________

Banner from Nellie