Surprise!

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Illustra - Outside

Outside the main entrance to Ilustra, a white stretch limousine sits idling. In the back seat, a blonde woman with porcelain skin and long legs sits watching, her sapphire eyes glowing with anticipation. She cuts an imposing picture in a white skirt suit and white heels, her legs crossed at the knee.

It was time for her to take her revenge – by plucking the very jewel Delilah Trelaven and Karen Victoria held so dear right out from their very noses.

A smile played on the White Queen’s lips.

She had been working on Karen since the night before, gaining access to a mind fractured by concern and mourning. It had been too easy to slip into her dreams, even easier to slip past her psi screen and target her emotions.

Diana was anything but subtle – but on occasion the subtle approach was best. She had been slowly agitating Karen with a low level yet steady empathic attack – and was reveling in the results.

Alycia Barnett had been even easier to manipulate than the so called “agents” of Clandestine, Inc. The telepathic hologram she had projected had played out nicely – only the best for Karen Victoria and her daughter’s nearest and dearest.

Malice’s hand went to the door of the car – not waiting for the driver to open it for her. To the man seated directly across from her she said simply,

“Give the order,”

then alighted from the car.

She strode to the front doors and telepathically threw them open before her, stopping just inside the Crystalline Lobby as Karen Victoria was coming off the elevator facing her.

“Karen, darling.”

Malice touched a finger to her temple in a salute, manifesting a psi javelin.

“You’ve lost your touch, dear – I’m actually surprised you’re even still alive. How HAVE you been sleeping?”

She hurls the psi javelin at Karen, while meaning her minion has given the signal for her people to move in on their prey.
 
Under attack!

Malice’s minion in the car speaks into a walkie, and MyTech SHOCK TROOPS descend on Illustra from their places of concealment, easily overpowering the Clandestine forces fighting amongst themselves and bringing with them various forms of B.O.W.s.

Malice’s forces cut the power: darkness gives way to low level lighting as the generator kicks on fueling essential systems in the War Room itself but the elevators are out of service. Arsenal, Ruby and Bishop see it happening before them – they have no choice but to defend the War Room and its wealth of information from the MysTech forces who have come to claim it. Bishop goes after Alycia while Mike and Cass head down the stairs to find Karen.

Some of the larger B.O.W.s have successfully ripped the doors to the private stairwells OFF, and shock troops flood them heading straight to their target. As Cass and Mike enter the stairwell, they are almost immediately met by a force of no less than two dozen highly trained and heavily armed MysTech soldiers.

And so, we watch...
 
Illustra - War Room

Bishop made a noise somewhere between a growl and a curse.

“You two get down to the Lobby and make sure Karen is okay…I’ll take care of Alycia.”

He put in the security codes to lock the War Room’s systems and the room itself behind them, checked his weapons, and started to haul ass for the doorway.

“GO! Get to Karen.”

Knowing the three of them would be safest together. He couldn’t leave Alycia to deal with her fate, especially in her present condition. Before the power was cut he had caught a glimpse of a woman he had seen before entering the building: Malice. She was clearly attacking Alycia and there was no telling what would happen if he left her to defend herself.

He moved down the hall, looking back over his shoulder to make sure the other two were heading downstairs and hopefully out with Karen. Convinced they weren’t going to follow him, he ducked into the special staircase between the War Room on the secret floor of Illustra and the 99th floor where Alycia’s office was.

She was still fighting her nonexistent enemy as he arrived in the doorway.
 
Illustra - Stairwell

:: As soon as Bishop said the word "go", Cass was off like a shot, running to the stairwell. By the time she got to the stairs, she was in her presence of mind for war. She knew that she had to approach this differently. After all, she cared for Mike and Karen...and, yes, even Bishop. There was no room to get personal feelings and emotions in the way. She had to put her 'game face' on, but not necessarily her GAME FACE. She ripped open the door...and came face to face with a bunch of MYSTECH SOLDIERS. She took a step back in horror and shock. ::

*shock*: "Oh, HELL NO!"

:: Immediately, Cass dropped into a fighting stance. ::
 
Mike moved as quickly as he could, barely keeping up with the revved up Nosferata. As they opened the door he covered her as she faced a shitton of Mystech Soldiers.

*shock*: "Oh, HELL NO!"

:: Immediately, Cass dropped into a fighting stance. ::

Mike immediately kicked the one in front and placed a concussive grenade on him as he fell back , closing the perfectly adequate metal door and...

BOOM!!

...he re-opened it to find a pile of staggered soldiers, the first guy was done for. Sizing up their armor, he quickly rattled off a few shots, aiming for the space between faceplate and chestplate. Three guys fall as he rotates out of the doorway, winking to Cass to signal her turn with a grim smirk.
 
Illustra - Satellite Office

Zacchara managed to throw her off, but he was hurting. Then, out of nowhere, BISHOP arrived in the doorway. He must have been watching her on the security cameras. She would have a talk with him about that later but for now:

“Shoot him!! He’s trying to kill me! Take him down, now!”

But he didn’t pull his guns, didn’t make a move towards Zacchara. Instead, he came slowly forward towards her. He reached for her.

“No! You’re working with HIM?! How COULD you? I knew you were a liability, but Delilah couldn’t see it. I’ll take your HEAD you bastard.”

Now she had TWO enemies coming at her, but Bishop had gotten too close. He had her by the arms. She kicked at him, BIT at him – anything, but he had a good grip on her and she couldn’t get away.

Zacchara was laughing at her.

Anthony Zacchara: "See? No matter what you do it makes no difference. Money and power control EVERYTHING in this world. I can buy anyone I choose. You've lost, little girl."
 
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Illustra - Satellite Office

Alycia looked crazed. He had to play this right or she might pick up that Desert Eagle of hers and blow his ass to kingdom come. He moved towards her slowly, his hands out.

Alycia said:
“Shoot him!! He’s trying to kill me! Take him down, now!”

“Alycia…”

Then he saw fear, then anger in her eyes.

Alycia said:
“No! You’re working with HIM?! How COULD you? I knew you were a liability, but Delilah couldn’t see it. I’ll take your HEAD you bastard.”

“Alycia, no –“

He grabbed hold of her arms – firmly, but not so much as to hurt her. She was under Malice’s influence, that was for sure.

“It’s not real. Listen to me! He’s not real. There’s no one here but you and me.”

She was shaking her head no and looking off to where he supposed she saw her fiend standing, so he shook her, trying to snap her out of it.

“ALYCIA. Malice is attacking your mind. You’re seeing an enemy that’s not there. Snap out of it! It’s just an illusion – but Illustra is under attack for real and I need your help. Come on!”
 
Illustra - Satellite Office

He was shaking her hard, the bastard.

Bishop said:
Malice is attacking your mind. You’re seeing an enemy that’s not there. Snap out of it!

Something clicked in her head. She looked around the room, but there was no Anthony Zacchara there. Breathing heavily, she stopped struggling with Bishop. Malice. Delilah had told her about their encounter with the White Queen of MysTech. But what could she want here, with them? The mutants weren’t even here. And why attack Alycia? She may be proud of her fighting skills, but she was still just a lawyer. Was she getting too close to WilPharma?

“What did you say about Illustra being under attack?”
 
Illustra - Stairwell

:: Cass stood up quickly and flawlessly executed a front handspring into the stairwell. She then dropped down quickly and kicked out towards a couple of soldiers moving forward. They fell down. Hard. But more were still coming! She quickly jumped to her feet and grabbed the nearest soldier, twisting his head and snapping his neck. ::

There's too many of THEM and only TWO of us! We won't be able to fight them all! Unless...

"Mike! Put some earplugs in your ears or something like that! I'm going to try something."

:: With that heads up to Mike, she started to sing the song of...THE SIRENS. The soldiers who were unfortunate enough to not have their ears covered were instantly gripped with longing and passion as they headed for Cass. While singing, Cass turned to Mike and nodded at him to act... ::
 
Cassie went nuts, kicking ass all over. But there were reinforcements coming, and the way they were going was not gonna work. She turned as spoke quickly to him.

"Mike! Put some earplugs in your ears or something like that! I'm going to try something."

He did not need to be told twice. His uniform had earplugs (for muffling the sounds of live fire) attached to the collar and he put them in as he watched her start to...was she SINGING?!

:: With that heads up to Mike, she started to sing the song of...THE SIRENS. The soldiers who were unfortunate enough to not have their ears covered were instantly gripped with longing and passion as they headed for Cass. While singing, Cass turned to Mike and nodded at him to act... ::

He looked and targeted quickly, The first to go were the two lieutenants who had some protection due to their headsets they used to coordinate. He noted those two as they fell and then proceeded to pick off the rest. He nodded back when done as a clue for her to stop before removing his earpieces. He began to quickly check the troops for any gear or other things that might help them, pocketing the headset from one of the commanders and what seemed to be an electric baton on steroids. He turned back to Cass and nodded and they made their way wordlessly down the stairs..
 
Illustra - Stairwell

:: When Cass seen the nod from Mike, she stopped singing. It was quiet, almost peaceful. She bent down and picked up a pistol. Why a MysTech soldier would carry a dinky little gun, Cass did not know, but it worked for her. So she carried it as she followed Mike down the stairs. ::
 
Illustra - Private Stairwell

Michael and Cass' combination of lethal force and siren's song does much to clear out their immediate vicinity. As they start to move forward again, it's clear Ruby's song reached more than just the troops near them.

The next wave in hearing distance have now turned irrational and ultraviolent: cries of, "If I can't have you, no one can!" can be heard from more than one and they all are all targeting Cass.

Arsenal and Ruby now have a dilemma: they need to get past this newest group of shock troops but ALSO prevent any of them or any coming after from gaining entrance to the floor housing the War Room.

And so, we watch...
 
Illustra - Private Stairwell

"If I can't have her, nobody can!"

"Fuck off, man, she's mine!"

"I WANT her!"

"I NEED her!"

:: Before Mike came into within earshot, Cass could already hear the melee awaiting them down below...and it did NOT sound good. ::

Uh oh...

:: Cass froze when she heard what they were saying about...HER. ::

Now what?!

:: They sounded irrational, almost to the point of...violence? Cass immediately was cautious. She mewled softly. She did NOT appreciate nor like the sounds below. They still headed down though, close enough to hear fully. ::

"If I can't have her, nobody can!"

:: They needed to weigh their options, but that would take time; time they did not have. Also weighing on her was the War Room. She didn't like leaving it for too long with nobody there to watch it. ::

:: She followed Mike down the stairs until suddenly… ::

“THERE SHE IS!”

“MY LOVE!”

”She’s MINE!”

:: One of them even gestured to the throng. ::

"I'll kill them all for you, my sweet!"

:: Cass watched in horror as they all started clamouring towards her with extreme passion and longing in their eyes. It may have sounded like fun, but to Cass, they looked like they were out for blood. ::

:: She began to head back up when three of them started advancing on her, separating her from Mike… ::

:: The three began crowding her more, invading her comfort zone. She started to kick at them, but that just sent them into a passionate tizzy, making them grab at her legs… ::

*panicked*: "MIKE?!"

:: She had to hold on the stairs railing to keep her from falling. She could have used her powers on one of them, but the way they were behaving was unpredictable and she knew she had to keep her focus on EVERYONE. ::
 
*panicked*: "MIKE?!"

:: She had to hold on the stairs railing to keep her from falling. She could have used her powers on one of them, but the way they were behaving was unpredictable and she knew she had to keep her focus on EVERYONE. ::

She heard a voice in her heard...more to the point, in her ear. Mike, amazingly, was nowhere to be seen. But a communicator was b her ear, and he spoke in a hard and even tone.

I am covering you, but this many is a challenge. I need you to say what I tell you. It is apparent to me that you have them enthralled. First, throw the three on you to the wall by the doorway.

As the three closest hit the wall and staggered, they were each immediately felled by a muzzled shot to the spine. In the din of voices the guys did not even notice the shots, just that they fell.

NOW, in your loudest sexy voice, say this:

SURELY one of you is worthy to be my love? But ONLY one. GO back to the room preceding and fight for my love. The man who opens that door ALONE will have my love. Gentlemen!! I am waiting. FIGHT for my love!!!
 
Illustra - Private Stairwell

:: When Cass heard Mike’s voice in her ear, she almost screamed. Especially since he was nowhere to be seen. ::

Mike said:
I am covering you, but this many is a challenge. I need you to say what I tell you. It is apparent to me that you have them enthralled. First, throw the three on you to the wall by the doorway.

:: Cass held on tightly to the railing, pulling her upper body close to it and gave a sharp kick, managing to loosen her legs from their grips as well as throwing them onto the wall. She was stunned to see them fall. Again, she looked around, and again, Mike was well hidden. But she knew he was there…and she knew he shot them. ::

Mike said:
NOW, in your loudest sexy voice, say this:

‘SURELY one of you is worthy to be my love? But ONLY one. GO back to the room preceding and fight for my love. The man who opens that door ALONE will have my love. Gentlemen!! I am waiting. FIGHT for my love!!!’

:: Cass almost giggled when she heard Mike. THAT was the corniest thing she had ever heard in her life. She spoke softly, unsure if he could hear HER. Laughter was in her voice. ::

*teasingly*: “I love it when you talk all romantic…”

:: Then she straigtened up and walked down a couple of stairs. The men all stopped their threats and curses in order to gape at Cass. All of them had passionate longing in their eyes. Cass smiled sweetly at them. She clasped her hands in front of her. ::

Showtime…

*sexily*: “SURELY one of you is worthy to be my love? But ONLY one. GO back to the room preceding and fight for my love. The man who opens that door ALONE will have my love. Gentlemen!! I am waiting. FIGHT for my love!!!”

:: She smiled at their rapturous expressions…and then all hell broke loose as they all turned and went back, hollering and fighting, and making declarations of love. ::

:: Cass stood back and gaped as they all left. ::

Wow...
 
:: She smiled at their rapturous expressions…and then all hell broke loose as they all turned and went back, hollering and fighting, and making declarations of love. ::

:: Cass stood back and gaped as they all left. ::

Amazing right?


Mike was standing behind her. He stepped forward and rolled three balls into the room, each of them set to deliver powerful long-term sedative gas. He closed the door and boobytrapped it then nodded to the young lady.

Time to go my dear.

He made his way down the stair towards the lobby.
 
:: Cass slowly followed behind. THAT had NEVER happened to her before. She would be keeping her ears and eyes open from now on. With that, she hurried in front of Mike. She had better hearing than him; she could hear ugliness even before he could. She twisted around and stuck out her tongue at him. Even though the situation was dire, she figured she could still have a sense of humour about things...as long as her people were safe. ::
 
Illustra - Crystalline Lobby

Malice said:
“You’ve lost your touch, dear – I’m actually surprised you’re even still alive. How HAVE you been sleeping?”

“You bitch.”

Not that Karen was surprised that Diana would stoop so low – she was so low Karen wasn’t sure how the Earth’s core hadn’t melted all that plastic surgery.

Malice – PREDICTABLY – fired one of her psi javelin’s at her. But the sleepless night and weeks – months! – of worry had taken its toll. Karen waved her hand and fired a force bolt directly at the javelin – but a second too late. As it collided with the javelin, there is the expected explosion, but lightning radiates from the point of impact and grazes Karen’s arm.

Karen grimaced in obvious extreme pain, collapsing to one knee as she fought to keep her psi screen in place against the psychic attack.

Karen struggles to stand.

“You’re getting sloppy in your extreme OLD AGE, Diana. I would have thought you would have chosen the Parthenon as your battleground – you’ve spent so much TIME there over the years flat on your back!”

With that Karen raises up to her full height, regaining her feet. She raises a hand in the air and ignites a spell:

The hold that roots bring,
Let mother nature sing.
As your legs root and swell
May this be your eternal Hell.


Malice would find herself truly ROOTED to the ground, unable to move her feet.
 
Finally at the bottom...

The end of the descent is in sight for Cass and Mike - they would breathe a sigh of relief as they saw the light from the Lobby flooding the stairwell. But that relief would turn to apprehension as they saw that the door to the stairwell had been RIPPED off its hinges! By what, the two would have no idea.

Coming down those final flights of stairs, Cass first and then Mike would pick up a buzzing sound. As they reach the bottom they see a swarm of giant WASPS flooding the stairwell. These were not just large, but ultra aggressive - and who knew what sort of lethal bio-organic poison their stingers held.

How would they get to Karen?

And so, we watch...
 
Illustra - Private Stairwell - Ground Floor

:: Cass moved cautiously, expecting company any moment. She could see the lights from the lobby filling the stairwell and her face broke into a relieved smile. Karen was only a few steps away. The relief died as quickly as it came as Cass heard a faint buzzing sound. ::

<<Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz>>

:: She held up her left hand to Mike and looked at him, shaking her head to stay put. He couldn't hear it yet, but SHE could. It sounded like white noise but she was instantly on guard. Slowly, she crept down the stairs, looking at Mike and holding her left index finger to her mouth. She nodded for him to continue. The buzzing got louder and it was clear that it was no white noise. ::

<<BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ>>

:: The buzzing noise was caused by a group of large, angry, WASPS. Cass knew that she could not be hurt by wasps, they don't like vampires, but these CLEARLY weren't your AVERAGE wasps. She knew, and Mike would too, that these guys were from MYSTECH. Therefore, there would be POISON, and enough poison to wreak havoc, in those stingers. She looked back at Mike, terrified. Anybody could deal with wasps, but these wasps were DIFFERENT. She knew she had to protect Mike. But how? ::

*mouths*: "What do we do?"

:: She crept up the stairs to Mike. She didn't think they sensed her and Mike yet but it was only a matter of time. ::
 
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