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Of Vice & Virtue Act I: Blurred Lines (Skeith & MessedUpRP)

Skeith Takahata II

Skeith Takahata II

Lesbian Anarchist
Joined
Feb 26, 2009
Location
Elsewhere
The continent was locked in a state of permafrost following an attack by a remarkably potent being. The first documented Meta-Human. Since the attack that resulted in what is being considered the next ice age, the Meta-Human phenomena seemed to take hold. Varying powers and gifts gave rise to the classification system by which these beings were measured. Levels 1 through 5. Many average citizens technically clock in as a Level 1 Meta-Human, there powers are simply too weak to make much difference. At Level 2, Meta-Humans become a threat. At Level 3, Meta-Humans approach levels of strength that allow them to hurl vehicles like small stones and cause incredible damage. By the time the power reaches Level 4, these beings can single handedly conquer civilizations. There has not been another documented Level 5 Meta-Human since the attack that began the phenomena.

Norvinovska, the City of Stars. A towering metropolis deep in the New Soviet Union. November 13th, 2174. A family, bundled tight for the cold were making their way home night at the opera. Two adults and two young children. The two small girls held hands as they laughed and joked. The parents watching fondly. The man's smile faded as he noticed to figures standing at the end of the alley. He turned to look back, seeing the other end also blocked. He reached into his coat but before he could withdraw his arm a knife emerged from the shadows beside him and cleanly pierced his ribs. The woman let out a loud shriek as the man collapsed forward. A gun fell from his coat. She hastily moved to grab it, but a gunshot rang out. Her body lifelessly slumped forward.

The two girls stood beside one another, one clinging tightly to the other, who appeared more angry than frightened. The attacks moved to flee as sirens wailed. The more frightened of the two moved to try to wake their parents while the more steadfast, moved to cradle her in her arms. She looked up to see one of the men looking to flee and reached for her father's pistol. She held it aloft, aiming at the fleeing man. Her gaze narrowed bitterly as tears formed at the corners of her eyes. She was about to squeeze the trigger, despite her sister's protest before pain struck her hard. She slumped forward into the snow. She could hear her sister screaming, but could hardly remain conscious. Her last sight being the arrival of emergency services.

As Vera and Dina grew, the process their politician father had fought to prevent came to be. A Meta-Human registry. As it was implemented, many rights were stripped from Meta-Humans based on rank. Dina was added, but Vera was not. It was surmised that the injury sustained the night of the attack had stunted her powers growth. If they manifested at all, it would be much later than her twin.

December 2nd, 2187; Norinovska. A large armored vehicle came to a halt outside of an old warehouse. A group of twelve armed men moved into the building. "Yo, Frankie. Get the lights on." One man said aloud. In response one of the men walked over into the shadows to get the switch. "The rest of you take up positions."

"You sure about this boss? If the knight-Owl shows up..." Another asked, looking over at him nervously.

"Knight-Hawk is already here. You know what they say about birds of a feather. If one of the birds is here, the other will come soon. Ready up." Suddenly a loud bang rang out from the shadows followed by the distinct sound of a body slumping to the floor, then something heavy being dragged. "Frankie? Frankie, quit fucking around!"

"Frankie's hung up at the moment." A disguised, but distinctly feminine Russian voice responded. A shadowy figure quickly crushed one of the men beneath their weight. The men turned to fire, but the figure was gone.

"What the fuck?" He quickly reloaded his weapon as he began backing up. "Where the fuck are you?"

"Up here." A cable hooked his leg, pulling him up towards the rafter at insane speed. As he rose, a shadowy figure flew past him descending into the remaining group. Gunfire lit up the room like a rave as a cloaked figure with red eyes worked their way through the soldiers. Deflecting strikes and redirecting gunfire at their allies. The leader hanging from the ceiling watched in stupefied horror as the figure so quickly disposed of his men. Before he could yell again, the figure was already on top of him, pulling him up to its level. The piercing red eyes causing him to gasp. "Where is she?" The voice roared. The man nervously looked towards another room in the warehouse. The cloaked figure cut the cable letting him fall to the ground with a dull thud.

It landed beside him, stomping his head to knock him out cold. It approached the room, loosening its mask as it entered the room. "Dina? Dina?" She asked the air, looking about the space. She kicked on a light and was horrified by what she beheld. Her sisters armor was cast to the side of the room. She was tied to a chair, defiled, and her torso covered in blood. Her throat having been slit. She looked up as a projector began playing the tortures that her sister endured. She tried to ignore the sights and sounds as she cradled her sister's body. She wept audibly. "Dina... Dina... Don't go... I need you... Dina!" She looked at the wound, a card sticking out from the injury. Her finger's pinched the card pulling it out to examine it. Her eyes narrowed angrily. She knew what killer left these cards. And they would pay.
 
Albina perched on a rooftop, her legs dangling over the side of the building as she looked out at the lights of the city. She had to admit... In one hundred years, they had really nailed communism. From what she had read in the ancient books she could scavenge about the original communism, it was rather crude and quite unhappy. Now here they were. The new Soviet Union sprawled in all directions, electronic lights and holograms lighting up the sky like the Aurora Borealis above.

She took out her lighter and struck a flame, holding it close to her face, after she had gotten herself.As warm as possible, she sighed one last icy breath and pulled her mask back in place. The HUD blinking to life as it calculates her vital signs. While most of the government distributed cold weather gear was of good quality, she absolutely hates the heat masks like this one. It was clunky, hard to get on and unless you had it on just right it would sit uncomfortably on your face. Not to mention she hated how the interface on the HUD was set up. Her own model was better.

She stood up and walked away from the edge, click in gn her lighter shut and slipping it back into her pocket. She slipped back into the building and activated the one god thing about the mask, the built in mp3 player.

She thought for a second about what to choose but opted for something classical today. She switched it to The Metro by Berlin and bobbed her head as she traveled down the lights of stairs, getting friendly smiles and people nodding and saying, "comrade." As she passed them, exchanging the pleasentries in return.

None of them had any idea that she would be meeting the tsar later that night to discuss whether or not she would need to kill a little boy who may Or may ng have been a category four meta. None of them knew that she would be left with the fact that she killed a child, her only bolster To keep her from going mad the simple fact that he was a meta. None of them knew. They just smiled and called her, comrade. On second thought... She really hated communism.
 
After a few moments, the masked vigilante exited the building, the woman's body in her arms. She looked up as a stylized aerial vehicle began to descend into the middle of the street. The cockpit slid open and she rested the body in the back seat. She gave one last look to the woman. She looked back the way she came at the sound of sirens. Police arrived on the scene just in time for the aerial vehicle to lift off from the street. It whirled around in place, armor plating shifting as it moved from hover mode to flight mode. With a loud sound the vehicle rocketed into the air.

She laid the body in the morgue of their... Her... Hidden lair. Her sister's armor was returned to its cabinet, never again to be opened. She looked up at it sadly, her hand resting against the glass. She closed her eyes, remembering the nights they would spend on patrol. Due to her sister's status as a meta-human, the two had taken to being champions of the meta-human population. Striking out against assassins, bigots, and the government. It's why she knew the card. She had crossed paths with the assassin before. She brought up all the information she had on the assassin, eying the different locations she frequently visited. Though one stuck out. Her eyes narrowed on the Tsar's palace.

She rose from the desk, moving to depart the lair. Some hours later, an all black sports car pulled up to the palace. Vera Romanov stepped out of the vehicle, raising her hand to greet the press that was gathered out front. She was a known activist for the meta-human community, as well as a wealthy business woman. Her company frequently employed meta-humans over normal humans, elevating them from poverty. She approached the gate, producing her invitation to the palace. It wouldn't be the first time she'd been there. The Tsar's representatives often trying to buy or threaten her into silence about Meta-humans. She wore an elegant black tuxedo, with a red tie. Her black hair was combed and styled while her dark red eyes popped against her pale skin.

She entered the palace soon after, visiting with different guests as was expected of her in public. She kept her grief and rage disguised behind her expression of forced delight. It would take everything in her power not to pounce the assassin the second she saw her. But Vera Romanov was not a fighter. That was why Knight-Owl existed. She sat down in a large room for entertaining guests, speaking with the Tsar's representatives of about the importance of her and her sister's acts of charity and the importance of taking a similar stance in government. She was on auto-pilot regurgitating what she'd said over and over. Her eyes kept scanning the room for the person she wanted to find the most.
 
In a private office with the tsar, an Albina in a change of clothes spoke about her proposed hit. She had changed into her professional uniform.

Midnight blue plates of armor that hugged her body, they were bulletproof, stab proof and the webbing holding Them together would help stop a lethal shot from afar but it couldn't end a close-range bullet or a knife. She had replaced the government mandated mask for her own, self designed mask..Designed similarly, with two black lenses like that of a gas mask, respirator for oxygen control with air filters to keep her air clean and sustain short trips underwater

It was lightweight, fast but tough and hard to destroy. She donned her midnight blue cloak and hood, the inside limed with red which could be changed remotely to camoflauge. Her armor was covered in holsters for various weapons. So many that even the tsar security couldn't find them all..That was why he discreetly held a gun under his desk.

"The hit is off Tarot... Upon further discovery, we have learned that while the boy seemed a meta-human. He has been tested and proven negative, while the gene is dormant in him, it will not activate within his body."

Albina nodded softly, she needed to keep up appearances in front of the tsar. She couldn't be too happy that she had been pardoned From executing a toddler. "If that is all tsar." She nodded and went towards the door, moving to open it when she heard someone coming.

She dashed across and opened a window, slipping out and dissapearing in to the night. The tsar looed out after her, still looking as the door opened. "Sorry comrade... Pesky birds. I had to chase them away." He slid the window shut and sighed.
 
Working alone was as frustrating as it was lonely. In this situation, she would normally be able to rely on her sister, armored and in position outside to intercept. Alone, she didn't have that luxury. When the office door open, she rose to her feet. Without a doubt the Tsar would be disappointed but not surprised to find that Vera was unwilling to buckle to political or economical pressure. "Don't apologize, sir. I understand." She wasn't an idiot. She knew who was in the room. Unknown to the Tsar, she had bugged his office months ago. "I was invited by some of your staff. They made quite a persuasive argument, but I simply must decline." She held out a manila envelope branded with her company's logo. "Romanov Industries is interested in establishing Meta inclusive orphanages and schools across the country. The folder here carries everything in my proposal. Funding will be handled by my company, I need only your permission to break ground."

Before he would have an opportunity to respond, she pulled back her sleeve to look at a watch. "I really must be going. Dina would never forgive me if I stayed out all night without her." She turned, briskly leaving the building. Every time she came here she worried about being assassinated or imprisoned for speaking out against the Tsar's policies. So, she always made a hasty escape. Once in her car, she began the drive home, until she saw what she thought was a figure running along roof tops. Her gaze narrowed bitterly. She hit a button, darkening the windows of the car. With haste, she changed from the tuxedo into a stowed set of her armor. She parked the car in an ally and baled through the sun roof, grappling to the roof of a building. She kicked on thermal imaging. With the city so cold, it wasn't hard to spot small sources of heat.

"There you are..." She began sprinting across the roofs moving to head her off. As she drew closer, she grappled higher into the air, gliding forward with her cape. Said glide ended as she tucked her cape in again. She went into an angled dive, throwing a set of throwing knives in the assassin's path. "Tarot!" She landed in a kneeling position on the opposite end of the roof. Slowly standing up right, her hands clenching into tight fists.
 
To say that Albina was surprised to see another hooded figure wouod be incorrect. In her years of killing for money, she head learned not to be surprised by things, simply because surprise would be a chance for whatever had surprised her to kill her. Tense would have been a better description.

Her muscles had all tensed up, her eyes and helmet technology sensing for some sort of weakness or tel that an attack was imminent. Obviously whoever this was, wasn't here look to strike up an interesting conversation. Whoever this was had murder in mind and she couldn't let them go through with that.

After a second more of decision, she dropped a black sphere about four inches in diameter on the ground. The moment it made contact, it dissolved, releasing a cloud of black smoke into the air which Albina used to escape. She grabbed a loose brick she had almost fallen from and jumped down, swinging into an open window in the same building while tossing the brick through the window in the opposite.

She didn't check to see if her attacker had fallen for the trick and gone through the other building. Assuming she had broken the glass, but instead she sprinted through the building. Making her way up into the main area of the desolate factory building and hiding, ceouxhsd with in the framework.

Now that she had even a split second to contemplate what was happening, she pondered how this other person could possibly have found her. She had been running a bit brazzenly but what could have caused her enough to throw the daggers. She mentally kicked herself as she realized that she could have used thermal. So Albina did the best things she could, she wrapped herself completely in her cloak and tuened off her inward heater, feeling her own temperature drop to where she couldn't be detected.
 
Knight-Owl was ready for Tarot to act, either to flee or to attack. She was obviously hoping for the latter. When the smoke bomb deployed she was hardly surprised. For a second, she glanced the direction the brick had gone before narrowing her eyes. Tarot was a professional. She wouldn't risk making a noise in her escape. She looked down over the edge of the roof. She stood still and silent for a moment of contemplation.

The inside of the abandoned factory was eerily quiet, save for the occasionally creaking of freezing and warped metal. That silence was disrupted with a loud explosion as a part of the roof caved in. Knight-Owl landed in the center of the dust plume and debris, slowly rising to her feet. She began striding forward, looking around the area. She made no effort to disguise her heavy footfalls. "Tarot! You coward!" She kept walking, the heavy foot falls echoing loudly. "Killing a bound and helpless Meta must be easy for you. No chance of resistance. An easy score."

She stopped, looking around. It was clear that Tarot had caught on to her method of tracking her. She had deactivated her internal heating. She growled lowly as she walked. She slammed her fist into a steel girder, denting it with a powerful blow. The otherwise fitting armor was actually a powered armor designed to reinforce her mobility and strength. "Stop me when this starts sounding familiar to you. Level 3 Meta Human. Age 23. Height: 5'10" Weight: 127 lbs. Hair: Black Eyes: Red. Name..." She paused, choking back her emotion. "Dina Romanov". Her hands clenched tightly as she came to a halt. "She's the last innocent Meta you murder you psychopath."
 
Tarot listened closely, as Knight- Owl spoke she began to notice the anomalies. She turned her internal heating back on, grateful for the heat and na poke briefly, but loud enough for this mysterious entity to hear her. "You'll be waiting for awhile then, I've never heard of your friend. I remember the name of every target. Their face, their patterns... I don't recall a Romanov girl with red eyes and black hair, sorry. You have the wrong assassin."

She dropped another smoke bomb and escapes through the newly made hole in the cieling. Instead of heading toward the city, she went to the tsar's palace again, changing on her way and entering the throngs of tourists. She moved quickly and quietly, making her way back to the city. Nearing her apartment in the heart of the manufacturing district, she checked the time. She was out late, half past eleven.

She cursed herself softly and head inside, smiling as she entered, "Hello Babushka!" She beamed at the old woman sitting at the kitchen table. Babushka smiled back and stood on shaky legs to hug her, "You were late tonight. I did not know you had a hit."

Albina shook her head, "No... Just some complications with a meeting..." She didn't mention the chase, or the knives or the curling exploding Ashe didn't want to worry her grandmother.

The old woman narrowed her eyes but shrugged. She grimaced as she walked back to her seat. Eliciting a frown from Albina.

"We almost have enough Babushka, just a few more kits then we can pay for surgery and I can retire."

The old woman smiled softly and school her head, "Albina... The tsar will never let you stop until you are dead."

Albina did not respond, only smiled and quietly shook her head. She was fooling herself, she knew it too. Her grandmother was right, she would only retire once the tsar saw her in a body bag.
 
Knight-Owl looked up in surprise as Tarot escaped through the roof. She tried to give chase but found that this time, the assassin was simply too fast. She let out a loud scream of anger into the night air. "You lying bitch! I'll break you next time!" She turned to leave the roof, returning to her car. She was seething with rage the entire drive back. She looked up at the rear-view mirror. For a second she thought she saw her sister, looking in the back seat quickly. Confirming she was imagining things she sighed, rubbing her face as she drove. She looked down at the Tarot card she had found with the body, her eyes narrowing bitterly as she stared at it.

As she entered her hidden lair, she began stripping off pieces of armor, leaving them scattered around the floor. She let out an angry shout as she began beating into a wooden post, over and over again until her knuckles began to bleed. She slumped back into the seat her computer, finally allowing herself to break down, sobbing alone. First her parents, and now Dina. She was truly alone now.

A few days would pass, as Vera remained in solitude. In time, she was forced to make a statement, both for her absence from the company and her sister's disappearance from the spot light. After reporting the death to the police, so that they didn't think Dina had ducked her usual check ins regarding her Meta registration, she called for a conference out front of Romanov Industries.

"Thank you all for coming." She began, standing at the podium in her tell tale black suit. She looked to the seat her sister would normally have occupied, now empty. She closed her eyes before facing the crowd. "As some of you may have heard. My sister, Dina Romanov was brutally murdered roughly a week ago. Dina Romanov was a kind woman. She was generous, patient, and selfless. She contributed greatly to charities around the nation and helped shape the policies now held by Romanov Industries. And yes, she was a Meta-Human. She was understanding and patient with anti-meta sentiments and worked to change hearts and minds rather than stew in her anger. She was an infinitely better person than me. The media and the politicians would want you to believe that it was a random act of violence. An innocent woman assaulted by common criminals. My sister was assassinated for her status as a Meta-Human."

She closed her eyes, a few tears slipping as she stared angrily at the camera. "Law enforcement refuses to properly investigate. If I can do nothing else to make sure that her death was not in vain, I have renamed the Meta-Human inclusion Initiative, started by my company, to the "Dina Romanov Foundation"." She looked back to the crowd. "Her funeral will be a small private service for friends of the family. I humbly ask for everyone's privacy on that morning."

As that morning finally came, she stood in the snow, wearing her simple suit. Inside of it, her heating unit kept her temperature level, a mask keeping her lungs from freezing. She watched as her sister's remains were lowered, dropping roses on top of the casket. As the crowd slowly dissipated, she stood alone, staring at the tombstone. "I'll find them, Dina. Our fight isn't over. I'll just have to work harder."
 
Albina did not hear about this affair, she was busy walking with her grandmother to the sonic-train. The cars floating above the tracks on electromagnetism. "Babushka, the doctors in The Republic of America will be able to handle your surgery. I've already arranged everything and then you can live with mama." Her grandmother smiled at her and stopped at her car.

She pulled her in for a hug and smiled, "Your mother will be so proud to hear of the woman you have become." Alvina blushed and nodded, desperately hoping her grandmother ledt out the part about killing for money. As she left the station, she received a message on her pager. She thrlouroughly checked her surroundings and went to her car, sitting inside before opening the message. "Vera Romanov has become a threat. She must be made an example. Public assassination, leave witnesses.

Albina read the message a few times and nodded, as she shifted her car into gear and drove off, she formulated her plan to kill the other Romanov girl, the memory of the previous night, the woman and her insistence on avenging Dina Romanov.
 
The ideal opportunity for a public assassination would come when Vera organized a ball to promote the Dina Romanov Foundation. Sometimes it takes dramatic examples to shake people out of apathy. For the time being, that seemed to be working. Other wealthy individuals, some lower tier politicians, and personal friends were in attendance. Others, simply there to live the luxurious night life of the Soviet Elite. A giant portrait of Dina, Vera's twin sister was sitting near the door next to a guest book and donation box. The portrait reflecting a woman identical to Vera, save gentler features and longer hair. Dina's red gown hanging on a mannequin beside it.

Vera slowly descended the stairs from the upper levels of her manor coming to stop at a podium. How often did she stand at a microphone, saying the same words to try to inspire the same people? She was clearly sleep deprived and perhaps having already spent some time drinking. She tapped the microphone for a moment before greeting the crowd. "Thank you for coming this evening. As you know, this initiative was initially founded in memory of my parents compassion and the many meta-human youth who struggle for equal status." She paused, looking at the written speech on the podium. She crumpled the paper and cast it aside angrily. "Dina would be ashamed of all of you!" She shouted angrily, throwing the podium onto the floor. "You pompous morons who stand there, staring at me, pretending like you give a damn. You drop change in the box and then drink, eat, party, and fuck in my guest rooms to your hearts content. Now, you do so in spite of Dina's memory." She glared bitterly at the stunned crowd. She was about to say more when a friend stopped her. She looked at the older woman who whispered something. She nodded softly before looking back to the crowd. "I... I'm sorry. Enjoy the evening. Thank you for coming..."
 
The friend in question had seen something. Had seen the assassin perched on a window outside, the glowing red lens of her mask scaring down the scope of her rifle. She had a perfect shot of this woman, she could kill Vera Romanov right now if she wanted to, but something made her hesitate. Maybe it was the memory of the masked entity she had encountered the other night, maybe it was the outburst of hurt and rage that she saw her go through. Maybe it was the nagging sense that she had been set up.

Whoever it was that had chased her had thought she was the killer of Dina Romanov. Someone was trying to set her up, do wet-work on the wet-worker. Deapite her better judgment, that made her angry. She had a mole and it needed to be flushed out.

She sat back, lowered her rifle and folded it to fit on her back. As she was walking away, she heard the gasp of another person. Her head snapped around to the witness. As quick as a flash, she was upon her. Pushing her against a wall, dagger to her throat. "I should kill you for seeing me
.. But I won't. I need a message delivered. Directly to Miss Romanov... I did not kill her sister, but I intend to discover who did."

She pushed away from the shocked woman and ran, dissapearing into the night. Tomorrow she would begin her new mission, for now though she was a roughe assassin and every bounty the Tsar could place would be put on her head.
 
The message that Vera received was as shocking as it was enraging. She knew it was only a matter of time before the Tsar decided to have her eliminated. But a public assassination? Then there was the individual the message came from. Her eyes narrowed angrily. Tarot was here. She claimed to not kill her sister, but Vera had the evidence. The bloody tarot card down in her lair. What was her game? Was she trying to gas light her?

The following night, she descended to her lair. A heavy clanging sound as she turned on the lights. Slowly lights flickered to life. Her boots clicking against the stone floor as she approached the center of the space, she drew in a deep breath. It was still strange to come down here alone. She walked over to the computer desk, looking down at a photograph of their family before it fell apart. Slowly, she put the frame upside down so she didn't have to see it. "Okay, time to get to work." She turned on a nearby radio, turning to approach the armor cabinet.

"In recent news, Dina Romanov, Meta-human sister of CEO Vera Romanov, was laid to rest. Amidst the confusion regarding her death, Vera Romanov has been making public appearances, denouncing political stance on Meta-Human issues and condemning law enforcement for lack of action. Representatives of the Tsar have come forward offering their condolences for her loss, insisting that Miss Romanov's anger is misdirected and motivated by grief. A string of riots and protests from Meta-Humans and Meta-Human sympathizers have begun popping up around the nation. Later tonight, we'll be welcoming guests from either side of the debate on the Meta-Human issue to discuss the impact the death of Dina Romanov may have played."

She growled bitterly as she pulled the cabinet open, stripping free of her clothing and dressing again. "In other news, the Tsar has issued a nation-wide bounty on the assassin known as Tarot. A similar bounty has been placed on the terrorist known as Knight-Owl. The following clip comes straight from the Tsar himself." Vera walked back over to the desk, her helmet tucked under her shoulder. "The brutal and extreme methods employed by this self styled vigilante can no longer be overlooked. This violent pursuit of supposed justice breeds only fear and bloodshed among the populace." She clicked off the radio, turning to leave the lair.

Moments later the large tank like ground vehicle roared to life, tearing through the streets of Norvinovska.
 
In a loft in a renovated factory, Tarot was working. She had bought a spread and turned it into a place where she could run her day job, training martial arts. The place had become her sanctuary, as well as where she his her suit. Noe as she laid the Tarot shit down in the case and concealed it beneath the floorboards, she did not plan on removing it.

As she set the last board in place, she saw the note she had written the day before. "Babushka- train 11:30" She was alone in the new Soviet Union, with a city-wide bounty on her alter-ego as well as a proclaimed terrorist looking to kill her, in short the universe was not smiling down upon her.

She took a swig of water and turned her attention to a heavy bag, steadying it while she began wrapping her hands. She needed to release some tension if she was going to be able to think clearly enough to find a killer.
 
The massive armored vehicle tore through the streets of the city. There was no specific mission, mostly a patrol. She liked to use the vehicles to keep her enemies scared. If she happened to run into her actual target, than so be it. She turned the radio scanner to the proper frequency and immediately began picking up law enforcement chatter. "Level 4 Meta-Human has been located. 13 years of age. Female. Target is to be considered very dangerous, approach with caution, kill on sight." She growled lowly as she entered in the address and sped off in the proper direction.


On a roof, over looking the scene, a woman stood with a pair of soldiers. The soldiers watched with binoculars as she waited, smoking a cigarette. "The Knight Owl is on site. Should we report back to command?"

"No... Let us see what unfolds... I like to test my prey before I begin the hunt." A smirk teased her lips as she waited to see what would happen.

It didn't take long for Vera to hear the aerial vehicles passing over head. As the vehicle slid around the corner she caught sight of ground vehicles outside of a large industrial lab. She kicked on external speakers on her vehicle as it continued to accelerate. "This is Knight-Owl... All law enforcement officials in the vicinity have three seconds to begin their evacuation before I engage." As vehicles began to focus on her she smirked. "Three..." Gunfire finally tore through the night air, ricocheting off the vehicle's armor. "Two..." She continued to accelerate, growing faster and closer by the second. As officers quickly tried to dodge out of her way, she kicked on the afterburner, rocketing forward faster. "One!" The vehicle easily crashed through the standard transports. The afterburner cut out, the vehicle spinning around. With a pull of a leaver, armor plates shifted on the front of the vehicle, twin gatling guns raising in the front. "My turn!" She squeezed the triggers, armor piercing rounds ripping through the vehicles and officers on the ground.

"Fascinating..." The strange woman spoke, still watching from afar. "Command, this is Queen. The Knight-Owl has engaged law enforcement officials. I am moving to engage." With that she stepped off of the roof, cloaking as she fell to the ground.

"Auto-pilot engaged. Maximum aggression permitted." Knight-Owl bailed form the vehicle, leaping through a window into the facility. Law enforcement was already inside, searching the building.

Meanwhile, the media had picked up the violence. "Terrorist known as Knight-Owl is confirmed to have engaged law enforcement officials working to detain a level 4 meta-human. No estimate yet on the casualty count. We warn our viewers that the following footage, maybe difficult to watch." In that moment, footage of the vehicle destroying law enforcement transports was shown. Soon after, footage of a brutal and ruthless Knight Owl fighting her way through armed officers inside.
 
Meanwhile, Albina was kicking her bag, releasing her aggression onto the inanimate object. The radio cut out to the newscastersteporting Knight-Owl fighting the authorities. She smiled to herself, "good... Crazy bitch gets what she deserves. She kept up her assault on the bag, pounding it, but her mind seemed to flash back to Knight-Owl, Eben if she had tried killing Tarot twice, she was still human.

Albina growled and walked away from the bag, tearing off the floorboards and removing her old armor. "Why the fuck am I doing this." She suited up and jumped out of her window, dashing across the rooftops toward the sound of gunfire. As the vehicle continued firing, Tarot dropped into the fray, fighting the authorities alongside the person who had tried to kill her.

This may have seemed odd, because it was, but Tarot And Albina had both had so many people try to kill them that it had become a usual event. By now she had learned to let it go and not hold a grudge to those who tried to kill her, but for some reason unknown, she was helping Knight-Owl. Because of some sense of redemption, because she was framed for what she did. Even she didn't know.
 
Knight-Owl was working her way through the crowd of armored law enforcement, some lucky shots had found the gaps in her armor but she fought on regardless. When Tarot joined the fray she looked up at her in shock. At first, she thought she was here to kill her until she saw her attacking the police. She growled lowly before returning to the fight. As much as it begrudged her, she worked to cover Tarot while fighting others. It was too easy to fight like this. It reminded her of fighting with her sister. When the last officer fell to the ground. "I had it under control." She growled lowly. She turned to face Tarot.

She held out her hand, the machinery in her suit quickly assembling a fire arm which she took hold of. "What the hell are you doing here? Finishing the job?" Knight-Owl wasn't a solo act. Knight-Hawk had been her partner. When Vera lost her sister, Knight-Owl lost her partner.
 
Tarot leveled her own gun at Knight-Owl. "I don't know what you're talking about... I'm guessing you were hired by Vera Romanov..." When Knight-Owl didn't answer, Tarot continued. "I want you to deliver a message for me... I didn't kill her sister, someone set me up and I intend to find out who that was." She took a step away, "And you stay out of my way Knight-Owl... I don't want to kill you, but I won't have a choice if you force my hand." She dropped a smoke bomb and disappeared from the screen.

Back in her home, Albina sighed and lit up a cigarette. She hadn't even gone a day and she already broke her promise not to take out the suit. But what was bugging her was why. Why did she try to save Knight-Owl.
 
Knight-Owl grew even angrier as Tarot tried to explain herself. She thought she was hired? She was a vigilante, not an assassin. She didn't work for a paycheck. When she repeated the message that had been delivered before she grew angrier. How long did she think she could fool her like this? When the smokebomb was dropped, Knight-Owl wasn't quick enough to adjust the vision on her goggles to catch her. When it cleared she looked around the building. "Damn..." Hearing a cop begin to gasp for air she walked over, picking him up from the ground. "The Meta-Human you came for. Where is she?" The cop looked at her frightened by her visage. She turned then, holding up over a catwalk to dangle over the long drop below. "Where is she!?"

"She's here with me, love." Knight-Owl looked up at the voice to see a red haired woman standing holding a small girl in a straight jacket. Knight-Owl through the officer aside, looking up at the woman. "The mighty Knight-Owl, sans Knight-Hawk I see. What became of your partner I wonder."

Knight-Owl lowered her weapon as she stared up at her. "The child, let her go. If this was about me, then you have me. You don't need the bait anymore."

"It's more than that, darling. You and yours are a threat to the natural order. Metas will drive humans into extinction. This child is a Level 4, do you realize how dangerous that makes her?"

"She's a child. Not a threat. Let her go. Or else..."

"She's all yours..." She let go of the child letting her go into a freefall. Knight-Owl quickly fired a grappling cable pulling herself towards the child. She caught her in mid air on her way through. Setting her down on the catwalk.

"Wait here." She looked back up to find the woman missing. "Who the hell was that?" She turned then, helping the child to her feet. "You'll stay with me for now. At Level 4 they'll never stop hunting you." Soon after, she left the building, the carnage outside was a mess of wrecked vehicles, her own still running and waiting for her. She climbed inside with the young girl and began the trip home. Between Tarot and this new comer, things were getting complicated.
 
The next day, Albina stood outside the Romanov building, wondering if she was really going to do what she was thinking. She sucked in a breath and walked inside. Going straight to the front desk, "Hi um... I need a job, do you happen to have any work available?"
 
The woman at the front desk looked at as Albina entered, reaching for her keypad on her desk. She adjusted her headset before looking up again. "I'll let Ms. Romanov know you've come in. She prefers to interview potential employees herself." She looked down, entering the number to her office. After a brief pause, she perked up. "Ms. Romanov? I have a woman here who says she's looking for work. Yes, Ma'am. Right away, Ma'am." She hit another key before looking up at Albina. "Ms. Romanov asked me to direct you to her office." She pointed down a hall. "The elevator at the back of the hall will take you all the way to Ms. Romanov's office. She's expecting you."


In Ms. Romanov's office, a young girl was sitting at a table toying with a tablet while Vera sat at her desk, sifting through various digital documents. She looked up as she heard the elevator bell, standing from her desk. She straightened her suit jacket before glancing to the young girl. "Anya, can you wait outside with the receptionist please? I have to conduct business." The small girl nodded and stood up. She placed a pair of ear buds in her ears and affixed a blindfold over her eyes. Both were bizarre behaviors, but she acted as though they were routine. Vera's eyes turned forward again, extending her hand. "I'm Vera Romanov. I understand you're looking for work."
 
Albina knew straight away that the girl was a meta. Nobody did such odd things in a regular basis, but the Romanov buildings were all pro met as so it wasn't too much of a surprise to have them around, however there was something oddly familiar about the young girl. As though Albina had seen her iu very briefly and could not wholely remember her.

She smiled at Vere Romanov, "um yes I am." She gingerly shook Vera's hand. "I-I am... I'm sorry if I seem a bit uncomfortable... My um... My internal heating system was malfunction outside. Still warming up." It was times like these that Albina was glad she was such a talented liar. Her he at in gn was working fine, she was nervous because she was unarmed in the office of a woman who had sent a proclaimed terrorist after her alter-ego for a murder she did not commit. So naturally, Albina was a bit on edge."

"I'm not really looking for anything specific. I just need work to get some extra money... I'm trying to get travel money so I can go move to the US with my family. I'm the only one left in The NUSSR... The homeland has nothing left for me..." She drifted off into her own thoughts for a second before shaking them off and smiling at Vera again.
 
Vera smiled before nodding softly. "I've had the pleasure of visiting the States on occasion. It isn't without it's short comings but certainly a shade better than this place." She sat back down at her desk, motioning for her to take a seat. "Well, we hire people from all walks of life, meta or not, and try to give them a fair shot in the world. What kind of skills would you be bringing with you? It could help with placement." She was a little weary of Albina, but she didn't show it on her face. There was a very real possibility that she was being forthright with her.
 
Albina frowned and looked at her feet, "well I um... I don't really... You see... I-I'm recovering from substance abuse, I've been off the grid for the past several years and... Well I want to get away from here, get clean and I figured a change of scenery would help."

She looked up at Vera, her eyes slicked with tears. "I can do whatever you need me to, just say what you want and I can learn how to do it. I just want to get to see my family again." She wasn't wholly lying, before becoming an assassin, she had been labeled for substance abuse, then gone off the grid only to make a return now.
 
Vera's eyes narrowed for a moment as she spoke. It didn't come from a place of judgment related to substance abuse. Rather, trying to gauge her honesty. "Well, you'll find that your history will have no bearing on your employment here." Vera decided in that moment that she would hire Albina. If she were telling the truth, she wanted to help. If she was lying, then she had to have a reason to come here, and Vera would have to watch her. "I could use a new personal assistant. It pays well. We'll get you state side in no time." She smiled then, pulling an employment contract from her desk. "You mentioned that you've been living off the grid. Do you at least have a proper home?"
 
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