Ascendence of the Incarnates

[The Painted Lady]

---Charity---

Noa felt Lily lean over to look at her pocket as a monophonic tune started playing.
"Sorry Lil, looks like you're going to have to walk with me."
She laughed as the little girl pouted, setting her down and retrieving the basic cellphone from her jeans pocket. She smiled as she saw the caller ID.

"Mary? I didn't expect to hear from you so soon!"

It was reassuring to hear a friend's voice after a rather nerve-wracking morning. Mary had always been a kind and sympathetic soul, and was always generous to lend a hand. Even if it was only the moral support she needed.

"I think..." she looked down to Lily, seeing her beaming up to her, "I think we did alright."
"At least, I didn't end up passing out in front of the camera," she laughed.
"I suppose we just have to see if the report generates any interest tonight. Fingers crossed!"
She paused as Lily ran forward when they rounded a corner to a large warehouse, where an adolescent boy stood at the vast entrance, watching.
"How was Sunday School? Is Luke still trying to pull the moves on you?" she teased.

[Sparkles]

It was later in the afternoon now. Kyra could tell because of the increase in haze over her vision. She'd woken up not long ago and as of yet hadn't gotten off of the couch. The workers were back. They wouldn't come near her; Moses felt her apprehension and rumbled low in his throat when they did get too close. They were finishing up in the hallway, and in the room she was in now, so she was blocked off from going back to her room. The only exit from the horrible feelings she was getting in her stomach was the front door.
If it was any other neighbourhood, someone would probably have stopped the young, petite blind girl from leaving the house. As it was, no one stopped her as she got up and, as quick as she could without going in front of Moses and inadvertently finding something to trip on, she went to where she knew the door to be. Lifting her hand in front of her, she felt out the doorknob, twisted, and left the house.

Barefoot, Kyra knew when they'd reached the path. It was hard and gritty, and when she reached it, she let out a soft sigh of relief. "It's okay boy," she whispered, habitually looking back towards the house even though at this distance she couldn't make out anything but a slight faint tinge where she knew it to be, "We'll just stay on the street and when Mum comes home she can pick us up and get the men out of the house. Okay boy?"
With a lick to her elbow, Moses leaned into Kyra and began walking her forward. At the street end, they sat to wait out the rest of the late afternoon.
--
It wasn't long before Kyra decided that it probably hadn't been the smartest move to leave the house.
At first all had been fine. She could both hear and smell the cars as they passed her by, and see the blur of a person and their dog as they passed her. The dog had barked at Moses, but her friend hadn't reacted but to crawl between the path and Kyra, sitting on the curb with ehr back to the path. From there, Moses had stayed where he was and let her use him to rest backwards.
Now, he stood beside her, his hackles raised and his growl reverberating down his neck to where Kyra held onto him.
The sky had darkened and her Mum hadn't pulled around the corner and picked them up. Someone else had found them first. Or someones. At first they'd just been trying to scare her. They they'd realised she was blind and it'd turned into a whole new game.
Kyra knew that laugh; it went right through her. It was how her father sounded when he came home and wasn't angry. Slightly slurred; stinking of alcohol. It squeezed at her stomach and made her feel ill. By that point she'd normally have put Moses outside to make sure he didn't attack her father and get hurt, but she was ever grateful for his presence right now.
Knowing she only had a little time before their amusement died down, she made a split decision. Tugging on the fur on the back of his neck, she started away from them. Understanding the need to run and not fight, Moses stuck himself to her side as she tried to keep pace; making sure to pay attention to the cues from Moses that told her when to step up or down. But she still stumbled.
After a moment of disorientation, the thugs took chase.
She didn't get far before they caught up to her. Feeling along the wall with her free hand, she ducked into a side alley, hoping the broken street light would mask her presence. For a moment, it worked, until the thug bringing up the rear of the group of when Kyra had worked out to be four, noticed her retreating figure.
Calling forward to the others, he advanced toward her into the alley. Backing up, she focused in on their voices, trying to distinguish them out from one another so that, once they closed in, she'd know if there were any gaps to run though.
"Look 'ere Dave, we has a live one 'ere"
"-not even worth it. It's like putting out a sick dog. There's not even no bite left"
"Right now I couldn't care less. I'm itching for it."

Fear. She could taste it as Moses pulled her back, further into the alleyway, until they came to a dead end.

[Yuna Braska]

~~~ Prudence ~~~

" Thats wonderful! I'll be watching it tonight" She said excited for her friend as she pressed the phone between her ear and shoulder so she could type on her laptop. She sighed heavily with a agitated groan when Noa mentioned Luke.
"He brought a ridiculous beast of a machine to pick me up today, it was a very nervous ride home i will say that. " Mary shook her head even though she knew Noa couldn't see, she hoped that her friend could hear it in her voice instead. " I don't like being a party pooper, but sometimes that boy just doesn't know how much it frightens me when he does something so reckless. " She brightened up slightly to try and change the subject after that. " If i finish this speech before dinner do you want to go out? "

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

((woops, I forget to get rid of the "unfinished" thingy it's done guys))

Nyx found her mind wandering as the time began to pass her by, but just as she was beginning to drift into more interesting trains of thought than was was happening at the present time, the bell on the door sounded and everyone simultaneously looked up to see who was entering. They all assumed she must have been a customer, which was right of course, since who else would come looking for someone in a tattoo shop? She was tall, thin and dark-haired with piercingly beautiful dark eyes, Nyx immediately felt a searing anger boil somewhere in the back of her mind, but as she always did with work, she put on the false hospitality for the sake of business...she much preferred it when they had men come for tattoos. She had nothing to be jealous OF with them. She stood and walked to the front of the shop, not offering a smile but that wasn't her way with ANY customers. "hello, welcome, how can we help you today?" she greeted, blandly, the woman offering a sickly sweet smile to Nyx in response, which only made her feel even more angry, though she hid it well.
"Oh, I'm looking to get a tattoo of an angel on my arm, I have a picture for you to reference" the dark-haired woman replied, reaching into her ridiculously expensive-looking designer bag and passing a picture to Nyx: it was a work of art, to put it mildly, and silently Stephen and Daniel both decided it was not their problem, which Nyx expected they would and oh would she make this woman ENVY her. Despite how beautifully detailed the picture was, Nyx knew it was a cake-walk for her, she knew she'd make it PERFECT. It had crossed her mind to purposefully make it hideous, but she didn't like that idea...no, that would make her seem even less special. Even more 'miss mediocre'. No, she'd make it FLAWLESS. Scratch that, she'd make it BETTER than flawless, so that this bitch would envy her talent, so that she'd want to have that natural ability. Nyx would just keep telling herself that she didn't need that woman's useless beauty. Who needed beauty when you could do anything and get it exactly right without even needing to try? even if beauty was the one thing she couldn't copy perfectly, she could do EVERYTHING else, and she lived to see people scowl with envy at her talent. It made her feel good, it made her feel like she was better than everyone else.
The doctors had called her an attention-seeker, but that wasn't it, it was this unshakable inferiority she felt, and with every year of her life -every minute- she felt the jealousy of the world around her grow. And when she'd discovered in her childhood that she had a strange knack for being able to reproduce exactly what she saw with minimal effort, she'd decided to hone that talent and spent her time copying others, soon learning that the possibilities for this 'talent' were near endless. How she'd ended up stuck in a low-down rung of society and not in the spotlight as the greatest artist or magician or actress ever, she didn't understand and it had made her MAD. REALLY MAD. She wanted out. She wanted better than this, but she knew she'd never completely leave the shop, she had friends here...people who understood and cared for her. They respected her and that's all she wanted from anyone.
So she nodded politely and told the woman to return in half an hour, when she'd have her design ready. With that, she set to work recreating the piece, adding little tidbits here and there until she'd created a masterpiece of tattoos, and by the time the half hour was up, she was ready to watch the awe and jealousy on that damn woman's face with the utmost glee. It didn't take long for the woman to return, with that smile that made Nyx feel ill still on her face. Nyx contained her satisfied smirk as she passed the sketch to the woman, watching the awe spread on her face. It was concealed well, but there it was: ENVY. She wanted this masterpiece. She wanted Nyx's skills, and Nyx was LOVING it.

Nyx took great pleasure in completing the first part of the tattoo, giving the woman the rundown on how to care for it and telling her to come back in 2 days for the rest to be done once the initial swelling and irritation had gone down. She couldn't restrain a broad grin as the woman left the shop, practically radiating the sweet jealousy that Nyx loved to feel from people who thought they were better than her.

With that Nyx turned, ready to get back to work and yet...she felt strangely tired. It was only the tiniest twinge that made her want something with large amounts of caffeine, or some sleep, but it was noticeable. It wasn't enough to make her want to go home and crash just yet, but it puzzled her.

[Nyala Zibetkatze]

Avariella was running to the classroom, map in one hand books in the other feeling slightly flustered. How could I be late today of all days? she murmured to herself. Avariella, known as Ava by her friends and colleagues was on her way to the first lecture of emotional science as part of her 3 year degree in behavioural science. It wasn’t her intention to be late, the classroom had changed locations and she just had to stop and help a first year student who seemed to be overwhelmed by the vastness of the campus. This of course turned into a deep and meaningful conversation.
Walking into the classroom, Ava saw that there was an empty seat in the front row, as quiet as she could she sat in the chair feeling as if everyone was watching her. “…As I was saying emotions can be distinguished by many factors…” Ava took out her notebook and started writing notes on what the teacher, Mr Linglewood was saying. As the lecture continued Ava started to think about her own experiences of seeing twinges of emotion on peoples faces in the last few years, such as the look of pain on her mums face when she had to admit that dad wasn’t coming back. Ava was so deep in thought that she was abruptly bought out of thought by the scrapping of chairs and Mr Linglewood standing over her. As she looked at Mr Linglewood she saw that he was upset but she couldn’t put her finger on why he would be after such a great lecture. “Ms Berline, I would ask you come to class on time next please and be noted that there is low tolerance for day dreaming in my classroom”. With that Mr Linglewood walked out of the classroom.

Feeling in a bit of a daze Ava headed home for the day. Why am I feeling like this? I seem so tired and there seems to be a buzz in my brain. I think I just need to go get some sleep, Ava thought to herself.

[epsilon]

----- Justice -----

Chris sighed heavily as the automatic garage door closed with a dull thud. It had been three days since he had returned the ruby to the museum and he had only just been informed that his payment had been transferred to his account. That meant at least another week before he could even touch it with his luck.

“ARGH! I’m nigh on broke and I’ve still got to repair my MP5. On top of that I haven’t had any job offers aside from the museum for weeks,” he cried out, throwing his hands over his face and falling back onto his couch. He lifted one hand and reached for the remote on the nearby coffee table, unfortunately it was just out of reach. Letting out a moan he got back onto his feet, quickly giving his living space a once over.

It was fairly open, though not exactly large, kind of like a ground floor loft. All bar one wall was entirely brickwork, being the middle unit of a larger building. The front wall boasted large, slightly rust stained, windows, the roller-door, and a smaller steel door. The space inside wasn’t much to look at either. One on side of the room was his living quarters, consisting of a sofa-bed, coffee table, a flatscreen TV (a gift from his family that was probably worth more than his car), and a desk with what would have been an impressive computer system set up… if only the monitor wasn’t almost as old as he was.

Chris scratched his leg as he walked over to his makeshift kitchen, a small space made up of a few benches, a fridge, and a microwave, with a nearby sink. Sometimes he wondered how much it would cost to renovate this place so he would have a real kitchen, but considering how slowly work was coming in he guessed too much. He poured himself some coffee, the really strong stuff, and stared at his car. It was in need of a tune up soon, though the shelves of parts and equipment beside it were probably in need of replacing themselves. Damn he hated being poor.

“Though I guess these things don’t pay for themselves,” he joked to himself as he kicked open the trunk to reveal his small arsenal of weapons. Back in the day he had rooms full of ammo and guns but now it was wiser to keep his collection small and nearby at all times. Sets of ammo lined the sides of the trunk while the weapons were clipped into the roof and floor. He was going to need to replace a few of these too, in time.

“Best get back to searching for jobs then eh?” the question hung in the air for a bit before he closed the trunk and moved back over to his computer.

----------

It was almost midnight when the email alert message flashed across the monitor, it's bright blue light disturbing the freelancers sleep. He grumbled to himself as he got off the sofa and stumbled over to the beeping machinery. He blinked at the screen a few times before going to make himself more coffee. If he was getting a job he was going to jump into it as soon as possible.

[Lykaios]

(( Before you start; be warned of two things:
1) This post is ten word pages long, so it's huge. It's only 5,000 words...nothing major. >.> :/
2) There has been the smallest amount of character directing (not controlling, to clarify) that I could manage to get this post done, as it needed to be to finish it where I needed to finish it, for story's sake.
Now...enjoy, and I pray your eyes don't bleed from reading it. '^^ ))

--------------------------Hope & Wrath--------------------------

Miss Langford appreciated Miss Bowman’s understanding in this matter, and returned her attentions to the agent who had come up, but hung far enough back to not intrude, as he awaited a moment of her time. He was a man in his late twenties, and doing his utmost to remain unnoticed for anything except what he needed to be doing. Hope had a sense of urgency and trouble from him, as she took the sheet of paper from him. Her expression turning slightly glum, she took his hand into her own and forced him to look into her eyes.
“Go home, Michael. Sharon needs you by her side.”
“But--“
“No buts, Michael. Go home till she has this child. It’s been a rough pregnancy? She’ll need your touch, Michael. I expect you to stay at home with her till your child is born, Mr Roberts.”
“Y-yes, of course, Miss Langford…” he responded hesitantly.
“Think of this as paid leave of absence, Michael.” Godiva smiled at him, warmly.
Parting company with his commanding officer, Godiva watched as Michael collected up his belongings, to return home to his wife; clearly feeling a bit disturbed and uncomfortable with leaving in the midst of an on-going investigation.
In this brief moment of clarity, Godiva sensed into the minds of her officers locally positioned unwillingly, and sensed their unease, their doubts and their grudging respect of her decision. Many of the officers here, had never once met an Incarnate until they met Hope. It was in their hands to change their minds from what they had been taught about the Incarnates, for all the world’s sake.

Simultaneously noting her intern, Michelle’s discordant emotions, she understood that it would take her a while to fully accept and come to terms with Godiva’s truthfulness; and also that the concept of possibly being one of the Incarnates, as being difficult to acclimatise to, if it was in fact true. It had not been an easy decision for Hope at first, but Godiva had considered what to tell Michelle the moment she had offered the girl the internship. Eventually; she had decided that being honest with her could have a multitude of effects; including giving her a sooner opportunity to come to terms with her role in this game.

Godiva read the status report Michael had given her, she smiled in satisfaction with a slight nod of appreciation, before passing the report along to Michelle. It read that Sean Michaelis had been taken into custody after a brief scuffle (not participated in by her officers) and was in part due to the exertion of his Awakening, that he collapsed with the added assistance of Lust’s scent power; as it lulled him into a further sense of security. It proceeded to state that the new Wrath Incarnate was five minutes out from base. Things around the base were soon to get very interesting with a new Incarnate arriving. Motioning for Michelle to follow, Godiva led the young woman to an observation room.
In this room, was a desk, a chair, computer, some monitors and a few filing cabinets. Moving over to the desktop; Hope quickly logged onto the system and accessed the files on Sean Dane Michaelis, and showed it to Michelle.
“In a few short minutes, this man will be in the adjacent room.” She explained, “As mentioned in the status report, he is heavily sedated, so he shouldn’t wake immediately, or for a while, I hope. Unfortunately, he is the new Wrath Incarnate, so of this; I cannot be certain.”

Finishing her brief, the adjacent room lit up. The observation room was behind a two-way mirror, so those in the room would not know unless privy to the rooms presence. In short accord, several doctors entered the white room that resembled a mix between a lab and operating room. As they prepared the room for its imminent occupant; they made sure to test the restraints – of steel, mind you – and that any tools that he could use if he came free, were hidden away and secured. They weren’t willing to risk arming a Wrath on the off chance he got free.

Their preparations completed, the facility’s comm sounded around them.
”Wrath Incarnate in custody. All personnel make free the Incarnate Track, and clear corridors A through F.” Captain Edwards announced. Before Michelle could ask, Hope began to explain what he meant.
“The Incarnate Track, is our code-name for the path from the rear entrance, to this emergency room. So far, it has only been referred to and used once, when we first brought Lust in for her post-Awakening medical. Wrath, shall make it twice.”

A few minutes passed, and the door opened into the emergency room again; Captain Edwards leading a pair of officers in with Wrath on a stretcher. They placed him on the table, and locked him into the restraints at his wrists and ankles, and the three left the room, so that the doctors could begin his post-Awakening examination.
The door to the observation room opened, and Captain Edwards walked in with a snarl, with Lust trailing him. Hope knew instantly that the captain did not appreciate the need of bringing the Incarnates into the fold, and did not choose to understand the importance of reaching them, before evil takes ahold of their hearts. She sighed, ready for the forth-coming uproar, that the captain seemed ready to unleash.
“Langford, this is revolting!”
“I’m aware of your feelings towards the Incarnates, Captain Edwards.”
“Yes, and I know; ‘It is not your decision to make’. Well, to my understanding; my position entitles me to at the least, a voice of my opinion.”
Sighing, Godiva responded, ready for what she knew was coming. “Yes, unfortunately, it does. So, out with it.”
“This man; Sean Michaelis, the new Wrath, needs to be put down. Permanently. Now. It’s not something I think there needs to be a vote on. He’s a menace; a liability. He could destroy us all, and what’s more: he can’t control himself, nor his powers!”
“Killing him would be pointless, Mr Edwards; as since the second generation of Incarnates has begun to surface, he would simply be replaced by the next candidate. And for the record; the next candidate for a Wrath Incarnate: she is a lot worse than Sean is, and a whole lot more undisciplined than he is. So, no; Captain. There needs be no vote, as there is no room for error. Sean dies; Emma Kirk will replace him, and who knows what that could cause.” Godiva remarked, clearly aware of the dangers Sean’s death would pose.

Miss Langford could understand the Captain’s hostility, however she only wished he would focus more on the bigger picture, than simply what he thought was the best immediate solution. Stifling and with a snarl, Captain Edwards left the observation room and slammed the door behind him. He could be a real problem sometimes, but he had been specifically assigned to her command when she came to the arrangement with the CIA upon the formation of the Incarnate Taskforce. She only wished he hadn’t been, most of the time.
“He really is uncivilised towards the Incarnates. But as I understand it; he was like that to standard humans, before he was assigned to the Taskforce.” Godiva sighed, and then remembered something. “His girlfriend at the time of the war became the Incarnate of Envy. They were just teenagers, but I don’t think he ever really came to terms with that.”
She turned her attention back to the medical in progress, and watched as the doctor checked his eyes. The monitors in the observation room all showed various vital signs and bits of what each doctor was checking on Sean: heart, eyes, reactions, physical condition, etc.
Everything about his examination came up solid: he was in peak form, and strong, even without any of the enhancements of his incarnation. Each doctor took their turns indicating to the three behind the mirror that Sean was perfect, in the regards of their medical expertise. They each filed out of the room in turn, one leaving after the other. Once they were all gone; Hope watched Michaelis’ vitals for a moment. They reached a critical point that was not in the negatives, and Hope’s eyebrow arched in expectance.

Wrath awoke with a roar in the next room, and Hope looked through the mirror at him. He was furious, but looked around with clarity. A thin growl and curse escaped his taut lips as he groaned and struggled against his restraints. Miss Langford briefly felt concerned for what he could do to himself, and began to speak.
“We should--” she started, only to finish abruptly, as her attention returned to the room, as he loosed a mighty roar and tore through the wrist restraints as if they were ribbon. Her eyebrows shot up as her eyes widened in surprise: she hadn’t anticipated his strength to be amplified by his powers so soon after recovery from being drugged. The girls in the observation room with her had reactions of their own, but Godiva was – amazingly enough – too caught up in the shock of his escape to notice them. With his bare hands, he ripped apart the restraints on his heels and stood up; taking a moment to study himself in the mirror. His shirt was cut and ripped; but the wounds he had sustained earlier in his morning brawl had closed up: his incarnation healing his wounds upon his Awakening. Studying himself closely, he turned and looked over his shoulders in turn, a look of surprise crossing his expression as he noticed a rune tattoo on his left shoulder-blade: it was the rune that transcribed his incarnation as Wrath. He clearly had no recollection of ever getting it tattooed on his widely used canvas of body, and Hope knew it was as her own. Lust had one too.

Godiva watched as he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, and then proceeded to crack each finger individually by simply moving them in a way that gave them an escape from lethargy. He was clearly a man of action…
As he kicked open the door to the examination room. He was lucky to have not had any drips or needles inserted in his body, or he could have torn them out when he first got off the table. There were two officers stationed in the hallway who looked in, only to have him attack them in turn, and knock them unconscious as he stepped out of the room.

“My. Perhaps we should step out and say hello.” Miss Langford said; despite her instincts telling her just the opposite. The Captain was correct about one thing; he was dangerous. But she only hoped that that was true in situations that deserved danger. Inhaling and exhaling; Godiva opened the door to the hallway, and was immediately met with Sean standing in the doorway with a look of irritation stretched across his already violent expression. Immediately expecting to meet the same fate as the guard, she stood her ground, as she looked up the few inches into his face.

“Where am I?” Sean asked. His voice was laden with irritation, and yet; a guarded anxiety. This gave the woman some small hope.
“It’s okay; you’re in a secure facility.”
“Where?” he repeated.
“This is a CIA agency. We had to bring you in while you were unconscious to check your vitals were in order.” She explained. He seemed less than pleased with that however, until he saw Lust behind her.
“I remember you.” He said, though his expression said it was muddled: he couldn’t figure out what it was she had to do with it.
“Yes, I sent her to your dojo, in order to convince you to come of your own will; but with your Awakening, the fight and the use of your powers, she never--”
“My what?” he interrupted. He was an impatient one, but that went without saying.
“Your Awakening: the awakening of your abilities akin to the Sin or Virtue you represent as an Incarnate.”
“An Incarnate?”
“Yes. From the war. You are the new generations Wrath Incarnate. And that rune on your back guarantees it, as it represents ‘wrath’ in that script.”

He gave her a baffled look, and then spoke.
“Look lady, I’ve had enough craziness for one morning. First; I have some tripped out dream about disembowelling and encasing an old friend in stone, then I wake in some hospital, to be told it’s a government facility, and that I’m something that disappeared 24 years ago. Sorry; but I wanna return to the real world and train my students. So, where’s the door?”
Godiva could only sigh in response; it was only natural for him to find it just a crazy dream. But it was necessary to make him believe.
“Can we take you around the facility, so you can see for yourself? A pair of my staff is stationed at your dojo, to let your students know that classes for the morning at least, are cancelled. I would appreciate it if you heard me out.” She said.
Sighing in exasperation, Sean had to do something. “Fine. Show me what you want, and then I’m leaving.”

Well, it was a start. Godiva looked at him with a smile, and he faltered. Clearly he was a bit off-put by sincerity and generosity. Sean stepped aside, and let the ladies exit the room. Three women, and no one else. Sean looked into the room, and saw the mirror from the medical room was two-way, and he realised they must have seen everything. That was an uncomfortable thought for him. But he was a lot more reserved now that he had calmed down a great deal, so he didn’t automatically fly off the walls like he would have done just a few minutes beforehand. Once the four stood in the hall, he looked at each girl in turn: one looked just out of highschool, the one he recognised was about his age; though he considered the possibility of her being younger, and the one who had spoken with him immediately was probably older than she looked.

“Anja, Michelle; Sean.” She said pointing to each girl in turn, and then; indicating herself, “I am Godiva Elizabeth Langford; and I head the Incarnate Taskforce within the CIA.” She said curtly, with a brief glance at Michelle, that said she had done this once already today. “We had Anja sent to your dojo to persuade you to come in and see us; but you Awakened sooner than I hoped you would. However, that is no problem…it only meant we had to collect you in a more urgent fashion…”
“You mean ‘against my will’, right?”
“Well, you could say that. I really wish it weren’t applicable; but alas, it is. We wanted you here to alert you to the chance that you were one of the selected for the next generation of Incarnates. As it is; your powers awoke, and now it is more than simply a ‘chance’ of it.”
“I’m no Incarnate. As I recall; they all died or disappeared at the end of their war.”
“And you really believe there could be no more?” she asked.
“I…well…I dunno.”
“Well, there are. And you’re the new Wrath.”
“I don’t feel particularly vengeful.”
“It doesn’t necessarily work like that.” She responded, slightly amused that he was so quick with his retort. “Being Wrath, makes you more attune to violence, and war. Vengeful is a part of it, but what made you Wrath was your life being constant fighting.”
“Well, that’s true I guess.” He responded coolly. He was taking this fairly well, so far.
“So, are you…alright with this?”
“With being a dangerous monster capable of destruction on par with the powers of what should only be that of Gods?” he asked, if a little acidly, “Sure; why not. If that crack-dream of this morning wasn’t a dream, then I really tore those guys apart, and instinctively trapped an old friend in rock. On instinct, that I didn’t even realise I had, or had any control over, I might add.” He finished with a lilt of anger.

Well, he took most of it calmly…for being the new Wrath; it was impressive. Godiva had led the four of them back into the main control room of the Taskforce as they spoke, and now she looked at Michelle and Anja for the first time since beginning her explanation to Sean. Miss Bowman would be given a duty which Hope was sure she might find disconcerting at first, but it would give her a bit of first-hand experience of what an Incarnate could be capable of. Her attentions then drawn to Anja, she moved to a folder that had been left on her desk while they were away; it was a surveillance report on one of the candidates that her field agents were surveilling undercover. Moving back to Lust, she handed the folder to her; not checking the contents herself, as she knew by the coloured tag that indicated it was signs of Awakening under a person on surveillance.

“Anja; would you take a team as support, and go to this person, and attempt to convince them to come here for a chat? Take Commander Markus’ team. I assume you’ll prefer him to Captain Edwards?” she asked, a look at Sean, and she continued, “Though, through no fault of your own; preferably conscious this time. I don’t feel up to explaining that a second time today.” She finished with a sigh, but with a friendly smile to her second-in-command.

When Anja had made to move on with her new assignment, Hope returned her focus to Sean and Michelle. These were her two newest, and while one had yet to show signs of the incarnation that Godiva was certain of; she was not without chances. Godiva had planned it, so that she could bring this girl in before she Awakened, and hoped to speed the process; as she knew proximity to other active Incarnates had that effect. It was a risky play, but it wasn’t going to harm her in any way. But, she faced risks if she were to do as she had planned, but Miss Langford had deemed these necessary risks to ascertain and prove her certainty. For more people than simply Michelle and herself.

“Miss Bowman, Mr Michaelis; I hope that I can have you both work together for at least a few hours today.” She stated simply. “You are the two newest here, and while one of you is simply human,” she said that with a hint back to Michelle’s own words earlier this morning, “one of you is an Incarnate, who will need a bit of guidance.”
“Hey, hold up. I’ve got students to teach.” Sean said, with a frown. “Besides, I haven’t joined you.”
“Sean, would you consider doing one assignment with Michelle for me? Just to learn what we’re trying to achieve here?” Godiva asked.
He took a moment to consider, a frown deepening his features, as he thought it over.
“Is there any way I can say no?”
“There is, but you’ll only leave us disappointed.” She replied, a strange note to her tone.
Again, Sean frowned, and looked between her and Michelle.
“What are we doing?” he sighed in resignation.
“I have a candidate for an Incarnate I wish for you to track down. We have an address, however; he is a slippery young man. He’s a professional thief, with ties to the local mafia, and it appears he is inclined to be the new Greed. You have skills uniquely suited to the job of collecting him, should he flee. With your martial arts training, and lifestyle, you might be the only person capable of collecting him.”
“Oh joy. A thief? Will I be paid for this?” he asked, clearly irked that he was ignoring his students for this.
“Generously. And you and your students will be compensated for your and their time, until you can return to teaching classes.” Godiva smiled. The thought of compensation for his time was enough to make him accept the job: he didn’t want to close his dojo down.
“Alright. Let’s go.” He stated, ready to get started.
“Not so fast, I’m afraid.” Godiva stopped him. “You’ll need to undergo an induction, which will give you an idea of how to act in the field, without breaking any regulations.”
“Must I? I don’t work as an agent, so regulations aren’t my problem.”
“But they are mine, and Michelle’s.” Godiva said firmly.
Sean looked to the girl, and deflated. Hope had a point he couldn’t refute.
“How long for?”
“Fifteen, twenty minutes.”
“Let’s get it over with.” He sighed.

---Fifteen Minutes Later---

Sean and Michelle had watched the induction video without complaint, with Hope in the room to keep them focused on the matter at hand. Sean now had a firm grasp of what he could, and couldn’t do in the field, but Hope had reminded him that due to his earlier point; the finer side didn’t apply to him. Due to him being unaffiliated at the moment, he could act more naturally about obstructions in the field, without red tape tying him down. Though, Michelle would have to keep him from over-stepping those boundaries too far.

Sean rose and stretched; as he faced Hope. His look was determined, and ready to go to work. Godiva smiled at both he and Miss Bowman, as she handed them the file on Greed: AKA; Clayton Locke. Sean opened it and scanned the important pieces of information. As he read and got an idea of what he was after, he came to a conclusion.
“Why do you need the Incarnates?” he asked, suddenly.
“Partly, to prevent war. But mostly; I want to reach all the new generation so they can learn who and what they are without danger. It would also be of great benefit if the new generation didn’t repeat what happened in my generation.” She responded calmly.

Her response surprised him in more ways than one. He suspected she was older than she appeared, but this meant she had to be in her forties. And he was impressed about the nobility of her plan; but she was the Incarnate of Hope, wasn’t she? It was meant to be part and parcel. He had to admit, she looked good for her age, and it was impressive that she was alive. He understood that they all died or disappeared after the war. Apparently; Hope went into hiding, and must have resurfaced fairly recently. It only went to prove that this woman had some kind of blessing, to be able to last this long. Respecting that, Sean got the fresh shirt he was provided on, and – with Michelle and Godiva – walked outside to the waiting vehicle, being driven by Brent again, and smiled as he made his introductions to the driver.
“Brent will drive you to the destination, so you I wish you luck Sean.” Miss Langford said to him, shaking his hand. After he got in the car, she took Miss Bowman aside for a moment to speak with her privately.
“Miss Bowman,” she said as she looked at the girl. “I am praying for you to return unharmed once this assignment concludes your involvement. But, I have to ask. Will you please keep him from doing anything too drastic? For both of your sakes? He’ll heal, apparently. But if you are just human…I won’t forgive him or myself for returning you hurt or injured.” Miss Langford said sternly; her expression sincere, and concerned. Without a second thought; Godiva hugged her, and whispered a prayer for her, before she released her. Realising what she’d done, she actually paused as her face reddened slightly. She hadn’t intended to get personal, but she felt some affection for the young lady, and almost felt like she would be as close to a daughter as she would ever have. Having held them for long enough already; Godiva ushered Michelle into the vehicle, and shut the door.

Things were weird enough, as Brent got into the vehicle and began to drive away, Sean looked out the back window and watched Godiva stand there, while they drove out of sight. Razor kept his thoughts to himself, and decided not to voice his opinions while they drove through the city. A bit of time passed uneventfully, before the car stopped suddenly. Frowning, Sean looked around.
“What’s happening?” he asked.
“Some undesireables are threatening someone over there.” Brent responded, pointing to an alley where a group of four were advancing on a person Sean couldn’t see. Growling, he unbuckled and opened the door.
“Sir?”
“No worries. I’m gonna deal with those Elemental thugs, and we can continue. Clayton can wait a few more minutes, I think.” He said, getting out and closing the door.

He approached the alley, knowing they were definitely Elemental gang members, because he could see the gangs tattoo on one guys arm, and the back of another’s head. This gang really was sickening: picking on the defenceless, and recruiting idiots. Growling; he called out to them, spitting as they faced him.
“Hey nimrods, leave ‘em alone. Try me. Seems like you’re after a fight.” He taunted.
“Oh, lookie ‘ere. ‘Nuther idjot.” One said, and immediately Sean burst out laughing.
“Wasso funny?”
“You, moron!” Sean continued laughing. “Are you the brains? This op could use a woman’s touch.” He laughed. He continued to laugh as they came towards him.
“You insultin’ us, punk??” the biggest said, grinding his knuckles.
“I dunno. Can meat think? If so, then yes.” He said, then punched the big guy in the face, hard enough to drop him out cold, in an instant.
“Who’s next?” he asked, a vicious smirk curling his lip.

The three remaining looked infuriated and stupefied. Continuously looking between Sean, and their biggest guy; out cold on the floor; the three seemed to be deciding on what to do. None seemed too keen on being dropped like their friend, so Sean looked at his wrist.
“Oh wait; I don’t wear a watch.” He said, as he looked back at them. “I don’t have time for you fools. So drag your friend out of here, and I’ll pretend I never saw any of you.” He said, still wearing that dangerous smirk. Realising that everything was stacked against them, the three nodded in compliance; beginning to drag their friend off the street and towards safety. Satisfied they weren’t coming back, Sean headed to the alley that they had been closing in on, and frowned when he saw a kid: a little girl, no less. Those monsters.
Maybe I should have let them have it… he thought in anger.
“You okay, little girl?” he called down the alley, as he slowly moved to her. “It’s okay; you’re safe now. I got rid of those big bad guys.” He supplied, hoping to help her ease her way out.

Eventually coaxing her out, he went to touch her; and found himself fainting from some rush of energy. When he awoke, he was seated in the back of the car, with Michelle…and the little girl. Brent was in the driver seat, and driving. Something felt wrong.
“What did I miss? What happened?” he asked Michelle. Gritting his teeth in pain as she responded, he found her response unnerving.
“She what?” he responded in pain. Oh yeah, I think she’s right about that. he thought as it was obvious that his head was still a bit messed up.
He then remembered what he felt when he touched the girl: he felt his powers drain.
“What did Miss Langford say about this?” he asked her, rubbing his throbbing temple. Her response made his jaw drop. They had a new recruit, and a mascot? Only then he saw the dog at her feet, and realised he was her guide dog.
This day got better and better as it went; and while he was unconscious, it had become night. He was just about to say something, when Brent announced.
“We’re here.”
“Oh, thank God.” Sean said exhaling, “Finally; I can handle something I’m good at.” He said with a wince.

Exiting the vehicle, he looked at Michelle, the girl, the dog and Brent in turn; trying to sum up what to do. It was not a hard choice.
“I’m gonna go see if he’s home.” He said, and went towards the apartment, his head still throbbing. Once inside the complex, he made his way to the correct room and knocked. Soon joined by the girl, her dog and Michelle, he frowned; not wanting to subject them to any undue danger. He waited for a few moments, with his ear to the door, ignoring any outside sounds, as he listened into the house. He heard something. He knocked again, and he still heard something within. No longer in the mood for games, he stepped back and with all his might; kicked the door completely off it’s hinges. Out of nowhere, smoke came, and blocked his vision till he entered the room and cleared the smoke. Now fuming, Sean saw an open window and bolted to it; looking out, he spotted a guy making a getaway.
“Oh, son of a--” he started, catching himself before cursing in the girls presence. “Michelle, can you take the girl and the dog back to the Taskforce? I gotta handle this guy on foot.” He asked, and started to climb out of the window.