2.1 Sophia
I kept my eye on Taylor over the next few months, watching her warily. I mean, it wasn't like one day she came to school and started trying to kill me or anything; hell, she didn't even try to get back at me for the bullying. Any other person, I'd think I was wrong about thinking she was strong. But I knew I was right, because every now and then I'd see her staring at me from across the room and a shiver would run down my spine. Fuck me, it felt good, getting that feeling and knowing there was another predator at the school.
Emma kept trying to be friends with Taylor - she was smart enough not to be too overt about it, but I knew what she was trying to do. She wouldn't ever sit down at lunch with Taylor, but she'd always make sure there was an empty spot at the table she was sitting at, and stuff like that. Occasionally she'd even try talking to Taylor if Taylor was alone and it was just me and Clements with her, but every time she did that Taylor just stared at her blankly until Emma gave up again. It was like she wasn't trying to be hostile or rude, but she just didn't care enough to actually pretend.
"Morning, Sophia."
I turned around. "Hey, Emma."
"Did you finish that art project we had to do? It was soooo lame..." Emma sighed.
I shrugged. "I got it done, but I had to cut corners. I was busy last night."
"I heard," Emma grinned. "Anyway, I think - oh, Taylor!" I glanced over my shoulder to see her waving at Taylor, and I sighed. Damn it, Emma, again with the lady-boner?
"Yo, Hebert," I gave a half-hearted wave. As usual, Taylor didn't -
"Good morning." Holy shit, she talked? Wait, fuck, was she smiling at us?
Emma was over the fucking moon. "It is, isn't it? Did you do the art project?"
Taylor calmly patted her backpack. "I have it here." No way this is going down so nicely. There's gotta be some sort of catch. She can't just randomly start being nice. While she and Emma chatted more or less cordially, I watched Taylor with narrowed eyes, trying to figure out what was going on. She might have been walking a little differently? I think her personality's been changing a little bit since she came out of the locker, but I can't tell if that's just her going back to how she used to act or not. I'd have to ask Emma later. "Is something wrong, Sophia?" she asked me suddenly, and I jerked. "You're, um... staring."
"Are you feelin' okay, Hebert?" I asked her bluntly. Subtlety wasn't exactly my strong suit. "You're acting weird."
"I feel -" Just as she was in the middle of dismissing my question, she trailed off and her eyes widened. "Excuse me," she mumbled. "I need to go to the bathroom." She hurried off, ignoring Emma's brief offer to go with her. Weird.
"I hope she's okay," Emma sighed.
I looked at her. "Yo, Emma, question. Was she always like..." I nodded in the direction Taylor had disappeared to. "Like that? Y'know, before."
Emma placed a well-manicured fingernail to her lips and looked up in thought. "I don't think so. She was always bouncing from idea to idea, never settling on one thing for long. Now, she seems a little more... stable? Grown up, maybe?"
"Whatever," I sighed.
"Why did you want to know?"
I shrugged. "Just wondering." The bell rang, and I swore. "If I'm late for class any more times, they'll tell my minder."
"Do you even care?"
"If I want to keep going out and being useful, then yeah," I snapped. 'Cause that bitch would tell Piggy, and then Piggy would happily throw me into juvie, like she'd said so often before. "Hey, where's Clements? Isn't she usually here by now?"
Emma just shrugged. "Not like she's my problem to deal with. Anyway, didn't she say she had to talk to one of her-"
"Listen to me when I'm asking you a question, bitch! Or are you too dumb to understand? Maybe we were right about you!"
"Fuuuck," I swore, drawing it out. "That's one of her toadies, isn't it." Emma nodded. "She's picking on Taylor, isn't she." Again with the nod. "Fuck, this is bad."
"You keep saying it's bad to pick on Taylor," Emma said slowly. "I mean, I'm very mad right now, but is it really so bad as you're making it out to seem?"
I was going to answer when the screaming started. "That answer your question?" I spat. I ran toward the shouting and screaming, my stride clearing the ground with ease. Hey, I wasn't the star of the track for nothing. "Move it!" I growled when a pair of girls was in my way from getting to Taylor and whoever was dumb enough to push her. I pushed my way through the crowd of curious students to see what was going on. "Ohhh, shit."
Taylor was holding a girl. In the air. With one hand.
Shit, she really was a parahuman. She... what was that word Halbeard used? 'Triggered'? But she couldn't have been one for long, or she'd have been smart enough not to show off in public. Had the idiot really pissed her off that much?
"You didn't tell me she was a cape!" Clements hissed, and I glanced over and down to see her standing there, eyes wide.
"Didn't you tell them to stop picking on Hebert?" I growled.
"I thought you meant, like, stop being obvious about it!"
"Dumbass," I grumbled. Then I stepped forward. "Hey, Hebert, calm down, okay?"
"Sophia, what -" Clements shouted.
I glanced back at her and rolled my eyes, then looked back over at Taylor. "Just put the girl down and we'll be fine, got it? I'm pretty sure you're not thinking straight right now."
"Oh, I'm thinking very clearly," she growled, looking at me, and I swallowed. She was pissed - and her eyes were blood-red. "Because of what you three did, I've never thought more clearly in my life. I feel like I should thank you."
I grimaced. Great, was she actually holding a grudge? "Shit, Hebert, if you're pissed at us you're pissed at us. Don't take it out on that stupid bitch, okay? She ain't worth it."
"Fuck...you..." the dumb blonde bitch gasped out, still struggling to breathe around Taylor's tight grip.
Taylor frowned in confusion. "Take it out on..." Slowly, she turned to look at her arm, then up it to see that she was holding a girl several inches off the ground. Her eyes widened, no longer red, and she dropped the girl. "Wh-what was I..." She turned and ran through the crowd and out the entrance of the school.
"Hebert, wait!" I shouted, but it was too late; she was gone. "Fuck!" I kicked the girl on the ground, getting tired of her pitiful gasps for air. "Get up, you're not gonna die."
"Bitch," the girl rasped, rubbing her throat.
"Yeah, yeah, bite me." I turned and walked through the crowd, pulling out my working cell phone and dialing.
"Console," a bored-sounding voice replied once it went through.
I sighed before looking around; it was the morning and nobody was walking the streets, so it was safe. "It's Shadow Stalker. A girl at my school just revealed that she was a parahuman. Some girl was bitching her out and she picked her up with one hand."
There was a pause. "Shadow Stalker, this is Assault," a new voice said, and I sighed. At least it wasn't Piggy or that uptight bitch Miss Militia. I swear, half the time those two just tried to piss me off. "Where is the new parahuman?"
"Fucked if I know," I told him. "She took off running. I'm not entirely sure she knew what she was doing."
"Alright. I'm sending Vista your way. Are you in costume?"
"I'm looking for a place to change right now, I have it with me."
"Roger. Once you're in costume, meet up with Vista. We'll try to find the girl before then and direct you to her location." The line went dead.
I sighed and slipped the phone back into my pocket. Well, at least I didn't have to go to class. Silver linings and all that bullshit. Glancing around, I ducked into a nearby alley and quickly and efficiently switched clothes into my costume. I stopped getting squeamish about that a while ago. After I was suited up and masked, I jumped into the air, turning to shadow halfway to float to the roof. Mover ratings are fucking awesome.
I landed on the roof without a sound and stretched, working out the kinks in my spine. I'd had a late night last night - three bodies only, since a lot of people were staying off the streets thanks to the rumor that there's this cannibal going around and eating people. I'd been looking for this 'Carnage' the past few weeks, but I could never find them. I put my earpiece in and tapped it twice. "Shadow Stalker in position," I announced.
"Roger, Shadow Stalker, approaching you now." That was Vista; a second after she said that, space warped to my right and she appeared by my side.
I glanced at her. "Hey, runt." Her lips twisted, but she didn't say anything. She didn't like me and I didn't give two shits, so whatever. "Right, Control, where's the girl?"
"And hello to you too, Shadow Stalker," quipped Assault. "No polite greeting?"
"You can take your polite greeting and shove it up your ass," I grumbled. Assault didn't give a damn about language, unlike all those other pansies in the Protectorate, so I could get away with it. "Where is she?"
Assault laughed. "Okay, okay. Calm down. We've got a tentative lock on her location, pretty sure she's in the Boardwalk. Going at a fairy good pace, too, so maybe jogging?"
Vista nodded. "Roger. We're on our way." The runt always tried to act so grown up, it's laughable.
"Remember," Assault said as I launched myself toward the Boardwalk with long power-assisted leaps and Vista warped space, compressing it so that she could try to keep up with me, "we're trying to convince her to calm down and join the Wards. That means no threats and no fighting. Shadow Stalker, this goes double for you. From your report she's a Brute, which means she can take you two apart with her bare hands." Meh, I can take her. If she grabs for me, I'll just turn to shadow and back off before shooting her with those stupid tranq darts they make me carry around.
"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled. "She's in sight." I landed on a nearby rooftop and waited for the pipsqueak to catch up; after a few seconds, the space twisted and Vista stepped forward, next to me. "The girl goes to the same school as me," I told her. "You take point."
"Roger." With a small grunt, she jumped off the rooftop, immediately flashing to the ground. I followed her a second later, floating to the ground in my shadow state before turning solid again. "Excuse me!" she called out, and Taylor twitched, coming to a halt and whirling around. "Hi there."
"Vista and Shadow Stalker," she said, not moving. "What do two Wards want with me?"
Vista smiled. "We got a call this morning, saying you used a parahuman power against a civilian."
"I didn't mean to," Taylor mumbled, shrinking into herself.
"We know," Vista soothed her. "New triggers are often unused to their powers and we don't hold it against them. Instead, we usually try to approach them and help them get trained. That's why we're here, actually," she continued, the two of us approaching Taylor. "Nobody was hurt today, but if you don't know the limits of your own strength accidents can happen."
Taylor glanced at her uncertainly. "What are you saying?"
Vista beamed at her. "The Wards are where Shadow Stalker and I learned how to use our powers safely!" Pfft, yeah, right. Like I needed to learn anything from those idiots - they just tell me what I can and can't do. Like these fucking stupid bolts. At least I have a few of the good ones stashed away under my bunk. "From what we heard, you've got a Brute rating at least, but there might be aspects of your power you don't know, and the Protectorate can help you learn all about it."
I had to give grudging credit to the runt, she knew how to spin things good. The wind shifted and blew in from behind me, and I felt a small shiver run down my spine at the sudden cold air. "I don't k-know," Taylor stammered hesitantly. "I just got -" She froze suddenly and sniffed at the air. "That smell... Sophia..." Her eyes narrowed and she stared at the two of us, suddenly stiff. "You. Shadow Stalker. You're..."
Uh-oh. "Hey, Hebert, calm down, okay?" I said, raising my hands. "No need for giving away my -"
"You're a hero?" she growled, and I stepped back. Okay, shit was going downhill fast. "I can't believe... No. Everything makes sense, now. How you got away with everything. How you got away with shoving me into that locker." Her eyes were a brilliant crimson now, and I slowly reached for my crossbow.
"Locker? What is she talking about?" Vista asked me, looking back and forth between the two of us.
"Oh, hasn't she told you?" Taylor asked, still staring at me. "I'd have thought she'd be bragging all about how she shoved a girl into a locker full of blood and insects."
I narrowed my eyes. That's what showed she was strong, so why is she bitching? I made her better. "Bite me, Hebert."
"With pleasure!" She lunged forward, far faster than I expected, and slammed a fist toward my gut. An instant before it hit me, the space between my stomach and her fist expanded; it wasn't enough time for me to shift to shadow state, but it was enough to let me avoid having a new hole through my body. Still, Taylor hit like a fucking truck and I was sent flying backwards until I slammed into a popcorn cart.
"Shadow Stalker, report," Assault snapped. "What's going on?"
I shook my head to clear it and tried to push myself to my feet, ignoring the massive vise that seemed to be clamped around my midsection. "The girl and I know each other from school. We might - ah! - have a bit of history. She figured out who I was, I think from sniffing the air or some shit, and then punched me across the boardwalk."
There was silence across the comms. "Shadow Stalker, this is Armsmaster," came the voice of ol' Halbeard himself. How nice of him to grace us with his presence. "We'll discuss this matter at later. For now, back off - the girl hasn't moved after her initial attack and isn't threatening Vista. Your presence disturbs her."
I snarled under my breath. They were making me back down and pretend like I lost. I don't lose. I never lose. "Fine," I snapped after a second. "Whatever." Pricks. Bastards. Fuck them.
2.2 Rune
Christ, how long can it take for a bunch of Tinkers to just drop off their shit and leave?
"...And included in this box is..." The Mover kept droning on and on, completely oblivious of the way I'd stopped paying attention about ten minutes ago. The Toybox had a good reputation; I trusted that they wouldn't jeopardize it by shortchanging us or attempting to rip us off. If we'd been dealing with the ABB? I'd be demanding to search through the boxes inch by inch to make sure those savages hadn't skimped on the materials.
A few seconds of blessed silence passed before I realized he'd stopped talking and was holding something in front of me; I took the proffered clipboard and pen and scribbled a quick signature before handing it back. The Mover - I probably should have recognized him, but he was one of the Toybox's Movers and so wasn't important to the Empire - nodded, glanced over the shipment one last time to make sure everything was in order, and then disappeared into thin air with a small crack.
"Alright," I shouted, rising into the air on my chunk of concrete and spinning to face the assembled members of the E88 that had been waiting patiently. This was my first solo mission where I had command over any of our non-cape members, and even though it was just picking up the Tinker-made guns Kaiser had ordered and guarding them while the men loaded them into the truck, I was determined not to let him or my uncle down. "We've got the goods, load them up into the truck and we can get out of this dank hellhole." It smelled like Merchants. Eugh.
The four men cheered at the announcement that we'd be done soon and swarmed the two crates, picking them up with ease. I could have just floated them under my power, and it would honestly have been faster, but Kaiser insisted that we keep this as quiet as possible. I guess since we were picking up super powerful weapons, he wanted us to keep it under wraps as long as possible, which made sense, and two fairly large crates floating through the air weren't exactly subtle. So, while the men carried the two crates, I floated through the air beside them and occupied myself by reading the manuals that the Mover had dropped off.
Let's see here... 'Thank you for purchasing your new weapons from the Toybox. Your purchase includes one year of maintenance and ammunition resupply at a discount; all further maintenance and resupply is at full price.' Okay, yeah, that's great, I'm not the one buying this stuff. Let's get to the fun parts. Nope, nope, not it, nada... Here we go, combat specs. 'The ARMS .454 Casull Auto is a semi-automatic handgun. Weight, unloaded, is approximately 6 kg. Barrel is ten inches long and finished with titanium nitride. Ammunition is custom-made explosive rounds, steel bullets with a core made from melted silver. One magazine is included with the order; due to design and good old-fashioned Tinker ingenuity courtesy of our own Dodge, the magazine holds exactly one million bullets.' Wait, shit, seriously? Fuckin' Tinkers. 'Please note that this gun is extremely heavy and as such should only be used by Brutes. In addition, this gun is intended for use against Brutes, specifically those with regenerative abilities or enhanced durability. The bullets are extremely powerful. Cleaning and assembly are as follows.' Putting down the manual, I whistled lightly. Damn, that's kinda impressive. A gun that could blow apart a Brute? I wonder how it'd work on that Aegis asshole in the Wards.
What about the other one? 'The ARMS 13 mm Auto Anti-Brute Combat Pistol: Jackal' - Yeah, okay, calling it the Jackal because fuck that - 'is a specialized pistol designed for eliminating Brutes with a high-rated regenerative ability. Weight, unloaded, is approximately 16 kg. Barrel is sixteen inches and finished with a specially-made compound. Ammunition is custom-made explosive rounds, thirteen-millimeter bullets jacketed with silver and tipped with a hollow point containing an explosive charge of mercury. One magazine is included with the order; due to design and good old-fashioned Tinker ingenuity courtesy of our own Dodge, the magazine holds exactly one million bullets. Please note that this gun is designed for use with the left hand; the ejection slide faces to the left to avoid obscuring the user's view. The bullets are extremely powerful in their own right, and the mercury charge is designed to slow and/or eliminate regeneration entirely. Please note that this gun is extremely heavy and as such should only be used by Brutes.' The rest of it was the same junk as the Casull - all about basic maintenance and cleaning.
The truck was just inside our territory, and we were still deep in Merchant-stink, so I went back and read over all the stuff I skipped. Twice.
When I finally got tired of reading the manuals, I set them down and sighed. Damn. That's some serious firepower in those crates. Wonder why Kaiser wants them? Oh, maybe they're for Ness and Jess. That would be pretty cool to see, though I'm not sure if the twins will give up their weapons right now. ...But wait, wouldn't it just grow with them? Would they be able to use the weapons, or would the growing screw with the pocket dimensions Dodge installed in the magazines? That would -
"Shit!"
I blinked, head snapping up. I began to demand that the guy explain what exactly he swore about when the words died in my throat, giving me a sick feeling in my stomach. Red coat... All alone... Shit, was this Carnage? "Who the fuck are you?" I snapped, feeling around with my power. I'd touched plenty of objects on my way here, just in case, and I was glad I did. "You that freak we've been hearin' about? The one that eats people?"
"Don't mind me," the girl said. "I'm just out, taking a walk."
"Then turn around and walk away," I told her, starting to rip signs out of the ground and bring to bear, hovering around me. It wasn't even hard. "Or things will get messy."
The girl in the red coat grinned, white teeth gleaming in the shadows. "Can I see what's in the box? I'm very curious."
"Get lost!" I shouted, flinging one of the dumpsters at her. It was slow enough that anyone could dodge it, but if she didn't dodge well then that's too bad.
The dumpster crashed into the ground and bounced, tumbling towards her, and the girl didn't try to get out of its path. Instead, she just drew back her fist and punched forward; she smashed the dumpster with the sound of screaming and tearing metal and it came to a halt. Startled, I used my power to force it to the side, and the girl flew with it, slamming into the wall with the sound of crunching bones. Shit, I didn't mean to actually kill her. Still, serves her right for being - I swore loudly as she threw the dumpster aside with one hand, looking perfectly unharmed. She lifted her head and I grimaced; red eyes and pointed teeth. Shit, this is Carnage. With a shout she lunged forward, only to jerk to the side when one of the men opened fire with the rifle slung on his back. The bullets tore into her body with sprays of blood and she jerked and twisted like a demented puppet. When her body was just shreds of meat, slumped on the ground, the men stopped firing. Just for good measure, I sent a few street signs streaking toward her, spearing her to the ground. I wasn't like Brad, I didn't enjoy killing, but I knew when I needed to end a fight.
I gestured for the men to pick up the boxes again and keep moving. They complied, occasionally glancing at Carnage's ruined body. I snorted and turned, keeping lower to the ground. Carnage wasn't so tough after all, was she? And all these people were weeping about her on PHO. Pfft.
Suddenly, one of the men let out a shriek and I whirled to see Carnage standing there, her fingers through his throat. "Really? Is that all?" she giggled. "Rune of the Empire, you'll have to do better than that to entertain me." With another demented giggle, she opened her mouth and sank her teeth into the man's neck. He screamed in pain and fear, but his voice died soon enough as he did.
"Shit!" I swore. "Get the boxes back to the truck, I'll hold her off." She's just a regenerating Brute, I can take her down! I'd kill to use the guns, but they were in several pieces and I didn't have the time to put them together.
Carnage smiled, her pointed teeth stained red as she tore free from the dead man and let him flop to the ground. "See, that's adorable, really, that you think you can stop me." She took a step, then froze, her eyes flickering in color. For a second, they seemed to be almost glowing a dull red, then hidden in the shadows, then glowing again. "N-no... This isn't..." she whispered. "I'm not... I... Dad said..." What the fuck is her problem? I wasn't going to miss out on an opportunity, and I sent two heavy chunks of concrete flying toward from either side with a thought. They slammed together over and over again until they crumbled to pieces, and I let my hold on the little bits that remained drop. Carnage was pulverized.
As I watched, though, flying backwards slowly, her battered and broken body shuddered and pushed itself upright. She started moving towards me, slowly at first while her body was still damaged but as it healed rapidly her speed increased until she was running at me full-tilt. I jerked my concrete riding slab into the air and sent more of the street signs down, but she was ready for them this time. She dodged to the left, then right, the street signs crashing into the ground behind her. Fuck, of course she's a Mover as well as a Brute. I snarled silently and lifted them into the air again, bringing them up to circle me even as I threw more chunks of rubble at her.
I launched a larger chunk of rubble at her and gaped in astonishment as she literally jumped onto the concrete slab and then pushed off again, soaring towards me. I hastily brought a shield of objects in front of me but her Brute strength shone again as she punched through them like they were just tissue paper, slamming her fist into my stomach. I was airborne - and not in the controlled way - for a second until I struck the ground, rolling and tumbling. It wasn't too - a breath sent a spike of agony through me and my vision went white as I shuddered, unable to move. Fuck... broken rib, probably. I laid there limply, focusing on my powers as Carnage slowly approached me. One... two... three... I realized I was counting the steps and forced myself to stop. As soon as I felt my power take hold I ripped the chunk of street I was lying on free and forced it to fly through the air. I felt so dizzy I could barely fly straight. I needed to get to the truck. Had to get to the truck. Had to get away...
I looked up cautiously and once the spots in my vision went away I could barely see the truck in the distance. Aw... shit.
I struggled to hang on to my fading consciousness; the buzzing was getting louder and I could only see in front of me. Tunnel vision, or something like that, I think I wasn't getting enough air or I'd hit my head or something. Something felt warm and sticky on my lip and I licked at it cautiously to taste blood. "This...sucks..." I breathed. "Gotta get...to the truck..." My vision swam and I tried to breathe a little more. I couldn't fail Kaiser, he'd kill me. Had to get the guns...
I looked up and the truck had gotten closer. When had that... oh, right, riding on the concrete. I tried to land on the roof of the truck, but my control wasn't fantastic and I almost fell off. I heard the men shouting and I took more shallow breaths, trying to get oxygen back into my system before I passed out entirely.
Suddenly, there was a crunching sound and I was flung forward, losing what little control over my power I had left and tumbling to the ground. I was treated to the sight of Carnage ripping through the front of the truck to the screams of the men inside. My vision faded and the screams went silent, and I blinked my eyes open to see that the truck was a gory ruin. Had I passed out? Carnage stepped around in front of me and crouched down, lifting my head by the hood of my robes. "That was fun," she said, smiling broadly. Blood had trickled down her chin. "Now, Rune, scream for me."
I tried to spit in her face. I tried to laugh. I didn't have the breath to do either. I didn't have the breath to scream.
She started.
I screamed anyway.
2.3 PHO
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Topic: Alley Cannibal?
In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Bay Discussion
Ekul (Original Poster)
Posted On Jan 19th 2011:
So, there's been been these rumors going around that apparently there's some person going around and attacking people more or less at random.
Nobody's managed to see them, but it's always the same result in the end - an alley soaked in blood and a body (or bodies) that's been torn to shreds, usually in several pieces. Rumor has it that the bodies are missing huge chunks of flesh, like someone's been eating the kill.
I haven't managed to find any pictures of one of the crime scenes, though. Anyone else know anything?
(EDIT): Holy shit! Someone posted a [VIDEO] of Carnage throwing down with Rune! This is the first confirmed sighting of Carnage. (NSFW, like... holy shit. NSF humanity)
(Showing page 74 of 74)
►Ekul (Original Poster)
Replied On April 8th 2011:
Re:Grapejoint
Added the video to the OP.
Holy shit. I just... holy shit.
►Ne1 (Veteran Member)
Replied on April 9th, 2011
...WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST WATCH.
►Krieg (Verified Cape) (Empire 88)
Replied On April 9th, 2011
Carnage will pay for this. The Empire will not take this lying down.
-User has received an infraction for this post.
-Threats aren't tolerated in this subforum. -Tin_Mother
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied On April 13th, 2011
[REDACTED]
-Speculation about cape identities is forbidden under the Terms of Service.
-Enjoy your seven days off. -Tin_Mother
►GleamEyes808 (Verified Awesome)
Replied On April 16th, 2011
Um... I think that video might have sparked an all-out gang war, guys. I'm afraid to leave my house :(
►Alicornication (Verified Awesome)
Replied On April 16th, 2011
Re:GleamEyes
'Sup, Verified Awesome buddy? *hi-fives*
On topic (-ish), I think that all the gangs are fighting among themselves now. I don't think Carnage meant to start this.
►All_Seeing_Eye
Replied On April 17th, 2011
...Am I the only one wondering what's in the boxes?
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 72, 73, 74
Topic: Empire 88
In: Boards ► Gangs ► America ► Brockton Bay
Bagrat (The Guy In The Know)
Posted On May 17th 2006:
Right, so this thread's gonna be the 'All about the E88' megathread, because this way we don't have a thousand individual threads.
Things we know:
These guys are white supremacists. Think Nazis, only with super powers. Yeah.
They're the gang with the most cape muscle - 15 capes. Holy shit.
Cape breakdown (I'll add the PRT classifications when I find the time!):
Kaiser - Can control metal
Purity - Flies and shoots lasers.
Fenja/Menja - The twins can grow to become giants. One uses a spear, one has a shield. I'm not sure which :P
Hookwolf - Replaces his body with metal. Usually takes the shape of a giant wolf.
Stormtiger - Controls wind
Cricket - Enhanced reflexes and echolocation
Krieg - Kinetic manipulator within a certain radius
Fog - Changes into a living mist. Don't breathe in!
Night - When unobserved, turns into a monster
Victor - Steals skills from people he spends time with. Prolonged exposure renders loss of skill permanent
Othala - Grants any one of several temporary superpowers to people she touches. Among the powers she is known to be able to grant are pyrokinesis, invincibility, regeneration, and super-speed. She can't grant any of these to herself.
Crusader - Creates ghostly duplicates of himself and his possessions. They can pass through non-living stuff but not living things. He uses them to mimic flight.
Alabaster - His body resets states every 4.3 seconds
Rune - Can telekinetically control anything she touches. Upper weight limit is in the tons.
Edit - Dec. 13, 2008: Added Rune to the list.
The gang tag looks like three Es. If you see a tattoo like that, or if the person is a skinhead, chances are they're with the Empire.
(Showing page 284 of 302)
►All_Seeing_Eye
Replied On April 12th, 2011
It's a madhouse out there - gang members left and right shooting at each other. I heard that the Undersiders had a clash with the ABB recently.
►Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)
Replied On April 12th, 2011
This all started when Carnage fought and consumed Rune, right? So why is the rest of Brockton Bay going insane?
►Bagrat (The Guy In The Know)
Replied On April 12th, 2011
Re:Brocktonite03
They're smelling the blood in the water. Carnage took out Rune, who by all accounts is a very heavy hitter. Even though she was young, she was powerful. Basically, the ABB took their chances and attacked Kaiser and his people, and the Merchants just started nibbling away at territory here and there. It just got a lot out of hand since the non-powered members are getting in on the action too.
►Stalking_Tanuki (Awesomest Writing-tan)
Replied On April 12th, 2011
Auuuu~ The streets are making bang bang noises and scaring tanuki~
►Armsmaster (Verified Cape) (Protectorate ENE)
Replied On April 12th, 2011
This is an emergency situation. All citizens should spend as little time on the streets as possible. Do not go out alone if possible.
►Victory3114 (Verified Writer)
Replied On April 12th, 2011
This is all kinds of messed up. I saw a cape fight go down between the Merchants and the E88, and Krieg was rampaging. Why is he so mad?
►All_Seeing_Eye
Replied On April 12th, 2011
Re:Victory3114
Rumor has it that Rune was his niece. And since she got eaten by Carnage, he's taking things personally. And I saw that fight too, looked like the Undersiders got away clean.
►Victory3114 (Verified Writer)
Replied On April 12th, 2011
Re:ASE
That's why they call them the 'Masters of Escape', after all! Or something like that, anyway.
►Clockblocker (Verified Cape) (Wards ENE)
Replied On April 12th, 2011
I just saw that video of Rune and Carnage. Ergh... I might not have liked her, but nobody deserved that.
Also, that regeneration is bullshit. And trust me, Aegis said the same thing when he saw.
►o RealisticFantasy o (Verified Awesome)
Replied On April 12th, 2011
Um... I live on the edge of E88 territory (Merchants is the other part) and I keep getting woken up by gunshots. Should I be worried?
End of Page. 1, 2, 3 ... 283, 284, 285, ... 300, 301, 302
Topic: Carnage Discussion Thread
In: Boards ► Capes ► America ► Brockton Bay
Ekul (Original Poster)
Posted On April 14th, 2011
Just gonna shift this over here since the Alley Cannibal is most likely Carnage.
Carnage is a new, unknown cape. Costume is a red coat (an old style, like a college professor would wear) and no observable mask. Carnage is most likely female - the only real images of Carnage come from her fighting Rune from the E88.
I say fighting, but... um... yeah. (NSFW 'cause holy shit that blood)
Observed powers: Brute (regeneration, super strength) and Mover (super speed and enhanced reflexes, could be because of the super strength from Brute)
(Showing page 13 of 13)
►TheCrimsonFckr
Replied On April 23rd, 2011
Fucking called it! She's a fuck-mothering vampire! And she saves kids from asshole kidnappers.
►Triumph (Verified Cape)
Replied On April 23rd, 2011
The child is back home with her family, thanks to Carnage. The family wishes to thank her for rescuing their child.
►IscAAriot
Replied On April 24th, 2011
Lies! The whore of Babylon has spread her brethren among us and is rotting us from the inside out! Repent and convert, heathens!
►TheCrimsonFckr
Replied On April 24th, 2011
Re:IscAAriot
Oh, go shove your dick in a turkey. Carnage saved the girl from the mercs and you're ranting? Weren't you saying she was our sins made manifest or some other religious bullshit like that earlier? Nice to see you changing your tune.
Edit: And aren't you named after the Betrayer, anyway? Probably shouldn't b e casting stones where the fuck-mothering vampire can throw them right back.
►All_Seeing_Eye
Replied On April 24th, 2011
My best guess is that the mercs belong to Coil. None of the other supervillains hire people like that, and I think we all know that only a supervillain would try to kidnap a small child ;)
Edit: VV Oh, and apparently Coil was there in costume. Didn't mention that bit.
►Pint-sized_ghost
Replied On April 24th, 2011
We know that arleady, remember? The person that shot the video saw Carnage saying something to a guy in a black and white costume after trashing all the mercs.
End of page. 1, 2, 3, ... 11, 12, 13
2.4 Miss Militia
I double-checked the address that Armsmaster had given me and then approached the house. The lowest step on the porch squeaked, and I winced at the reminder. This had been a nice neighborhood, once, back before the gangs started moving in. The paint was faded and the lawn hadn't been mowed for a while; the owners had just stopped trying at some point. The father was... a union leader, if I'm recalling the briefing correctly. His daughter went to Winslow, and that's where she encountered Sophia.
My gut churned as I recalled the image I'd been shown. How could anyone, Ward or no, shove that filth into a locker, much less shove someone into it? That was appalling, and I hoped that the only reason Sophia wasn't locked in juvie right now was because we needed her to fight the villains currently running amok in this city. I was powerful, but I could only be so many places at once; and right now, I needed to be here and talking to Taylor Hebert. Armsmaster had offered to go in my place, but... he wasn't fantastic with kids. I gave my flag-patterned scarf one last tug, making sure it was snugly in place, and knocked on the door.
"Coming!" I heard someone call. Taylor? Well, it was in the middle of the day; I suppose her father was at work. The door opened a crack and I saw someone peek through. "Oh! You're... Miss Militia!"
"I am," I said with a smile. "You're Taylor Hebert, right?"
"Y-yeah. Um... come in," she said, opening the door fully. As I stepped in, she closed the door behind me and bolted it shut; good to see her taking the correct precautions. "Th-this is about what happened on the Boardwalk, right? Am I in trouble?"
I smiled behind my mask and shook my head. "You're not in any trouble," I said soothingly. "If we'd known that you and Shadow Stalker were on... less-than-pleasant terms, let's say, we'd have made sure she was nowhere near you."
Taylor sighed, and a small amount of tension went out of her shoulders. "Oh, okay..." she said quietly. "Um, I'd offer you some coffee or tea, but my dad doesn't drink things like that anymore and I don't have any prepared." She looked around and picked up a few papers, trying to tidy the house up. "I guess we can sit in the living room, if that's okay."
"That's fine," I assured her. We sat down and I studied the girl. She was fidgeting slightly, and I crossed my legs and smiled again. "So how are you, Taylor?"
"Uh... It's a little dangerous out there," she said, "but I'm doing okay." She grinned weakly. "I don't have to go to school, so that's kinda... nice, I guess." She sighed and looked at me cautiously. "You're here about me joining the Wards, aren't you?"
That was an abrupt topic shift, but I'd had worse; I worked with Armsmaster, after all. "I am," I told her. "Is your father here? He should at least be present."
"He's... not available."
I nodded. "Alright. As for joining the Wards, the streets aren't safe for new capes, and this is especially true now, with the gangs in all-out war. The Wards is the safest place for you - you can learn how to use your powers safely, and help make the city a safer place at the same time."
"I..." she whispered. "But... you let Sophia be a Ward. I can't -"
"Shadow Stalker has been dealt with," I said firmly. "We weren't aware of her actions, and now that we are she's been... moved."
Taylor's eyes narrowed. "Meaning you sent her to jail, but you're not going to admit to a Ward doing anything wrong because of your precious PR," she grumbled. I blinked, trying to avoid letting my surprise show. She'd seemed like a completely different person for a second there - more politically astute, almost. "She locked me in that... that locker and nobody cared."
"Taylor, do you know what a trigger event is?" She shook her head; it wasn't surprising, since most people didn't talk about it. "A trigger event is, more or less, the worst day of your life. It's when you get your powers."
She gasped. "Then... Then every cape -"
"The trigger events are unique," I told her. "What makes one person trigger might not make another trigger, and even if it does there's no guarantee they'll get the same power." I've read up on it. Since I normally don't sleep, there's eight extra hours in the day to fill, and I'd gone through my collection of paperbacks too many times to count. "Every cape is... well, to gain powers you have to experience the worst day of your life. And that breaks people."
"Doesn't mean she can just... do that," Taylor muttered quietly.
"No, it doesn't," I said. "And when I found out I was appalled. Both that the school had failed to report the incident and that the incident happened in the first place. Anything we can do to make things right, we will."
Taylor laughed bitterly. "So noble, brave hero," she said, and I focused on her again. Another shift in her personality? "But where were you when I was being bullied? Where were you when I was experiencing the last day of my life?"
I felt my stomach clench. I hated that feeling - and my power reacted, my omnipresent weapon shifting shape into a small pistol that found its way into my hand. I grimaced again and reholstered the weapon, not even bothering to look to see what pistol it was. "Taylor, there's nothing I can say that -"
"You're right. There isn't." Her eyes hardened. "Even the Empire is doing more to help clean up this city than the PRT dogs are. You're slaves to your public appearances and can't do a single thing." I narrowed my eyes. Again? Something was wrong. "You're only driving this city deeper into -"
A noise caught my attention; I held up my hand and she stopped talking, watching me cautiously. It was... an engine? My eyes widened and I shot to my feet, my pulse racing as I realized what was coming. "Get down!" I shouted to Taylor, my power twisting the pistol into a SCAR-L as I backed away from the wall closest to the sound.
"What's -" Taylor started to ask, rising to her feet.
That's when the wall exploded.
2.5 Skidmark
WOO!
I'm on top of the fucking world! Heroin in my veins, my woman by my side, and our kickass ride rollin' through the town, what could be better?
Oh, I know. Knockin' down some fuckers' houses! "Punch it, bitch!" I shouted at Squealer.
"Fuck yeah!" she shouted back at me. "Let's wreck some shit! Woo!" The engine that she'd super-overcharged roared like a mother-fucking bull on steroids and slammed toward the house straight ahead of us. We laughed madly because god fucking DAMN that was fun. Merchants for life, BITCHES!
Squealer revved the engine and peeled to the side, letting us both see how we'd wrecked the joint. Stuck-up middle-class shit-hogs, living life in the lap of luxury like a bunch of spoiled little shits. See what that gets you? A fuckin' DOOM TRUCK through the wall, fuckers, that's what!
Then some asshat started firing a gun at us. I yelped as one of the bullets struck the window I had been looking through and swore loudly. "It's that gun bitch!" Squealer shouted after a look of horror at the damage to her baby disappeared. "Gonna fucking kill her! Nobody scratches my baby!"
"Squealer, baby, I love you for the bullet-proof glass," I told her. "Now let's go hit that bitch so hard and so fast she won't know which way is up!" As Squealer slammed the accelerator down, I drew on my power to layer a few strips down. One facing away from the car around the windshields so that bitch couldn't shoot at them no more, and one on the ground to make the car go faster to flatten that uptight bitch. "Let's shove that gun up her rancid cu-"
The DOOM TRUCK slammed to a halt, both Squealer and me gettin' rattled like my balls when I'm getting some me time. "The fuck?!" she snapped. "My baby!" Steam was rising from the hood.
"Get out!" a girl shouted. "Get out of the truck now!"
I looked over - it was just some scrawny twig of a bitch, glaring at us. "Fuckin' make us!" I shouted back after rolling the window. "Not like you can do anything! We're Merchants, cum-turkey!"
She snarled something and threw a rock. It rocketed forward like she'd shot it from a cannon and slammed into the windshield, but it didn't leave a crack. Bitch was a cape? "No way in hell she can get through this glass," Squealer told me. "Little bitch got lucky with her first throw and popped the radiator grill, probably. I knew I should have sprung for the extra plating!" She started ranting about her work, only to stop when another rock struck the windshield.
I grabbed the megaphone mouthpiece and hit the button to start talking. "Attention all bitches," I called gleefully, listening to my voice ring out. "You can toss those rocks all you want, but it ain't gonna do shit for dick against armor and glass this thick! How thick is it? Well, ass-blenders, it's half as thick as my dick! So in other words, so thick you'd need a god-damn cannon to get through it!" I tossed the speaker to the dashboard and howled with laughter.
A loud explosion boomed out and the glass shattered. "What the fucking fuck?!" Squealer screamed as shards of glass rained down on us. "No fucking way that scarf bitch could break through this! I fucking know what she can do!"
I stared at the girl wearing a flapping red coat and holding a fucking hand cannon. "Oh fuck, that's a hand cannon," I said numbly as I stared at it, too fucked up to actually realize what'd just happened. Then it clicked. "Oh fuck, that's a hand cannon!" I shouted. It barked again and I hastily threw up as many strips as I could trying to deflect the bullet. That thing moved like a motherfucker though and it still ripped into the roof of the car, tearing a long strip through the metal before the bullet went flying through the sky.
I couldn't even get out of the car before the scrawny bitch had jumped up onto the hood, leaving huge dents in it, and smashed aside some shards of glass still in the frame. "You almost killed him!" she screamed. "You could have killed my father!"
"The fuck you talkin' 'bout, bitch!" I shouted right back, spitting in her face. "You tripping or something?" Without warning, I created several strips under her feet, layered together. At the same time, I made more strips under the glass on our car, pointed up towards her face. She tripped and fell face-first into the waiting glass spikes. "Yeah, get fucking fucked! Squealer, we're getting the hell out of here!"
"The engine's fucked," she told me after trying the pedals. "Little miss shit-licker here must have busted it when she hit the radiator."
"Fucking cock-sniffer," I swore. "Are the guns working? We can probably take out that hero bitch easy."
Squealer smiled widely. "Skiddy, I'd kiss you so fucking hard right now if we weren't about to fill a bitch with lead." She fiddled with the controls on the dashboard for a second and then giggled. "We can keep her pinned down, at least. They're still working."
"Okay, do that while I go get our men," I told her. "Teach her a lesson about our foot up her ass!"
"You got it!" Squealer hit a button on the dashboard and a turrent on top of our DOOM TRUCK swiveled and started firing.
I laughed crazily and tried to hop out of the truck, but the door was stuck. Swearing loudly, I used a strip to force it open and it ripped off the hinges. "Fucking dick-whistle, wrecking the truck," I muttered as I stumbled forward. "See if I don't cut a bitch."
"You almost killed my father."
I whirled around to see the girl in the red coat standing to the side. The autoturret on top of the truck was still firing at Miss Whatever-the-shit and keeping her pinned, so I had to deal with her myself. "So what, bitch?" I slurred. "Like I give a shit about your father."
The girl's eyes blazed and she took a deep shuddering breath before bowing her head. "Dad said I should restrain myself," she murmured. "I listened to him and placed restrictions on my power."
"The fuck you whispering about?"
Her head snapped up. "You deserve to disappear. You could have hurt him. He's resting." She brought her hands up and made a rectangle with her thumb and first finger of each hand. "Release restrictions level one."
"Level what?" Her cloak started billowing. There wasn't any fucking wind, so how was she doing that? Then the eyes started appearing. "What the fuck?" I was tripping, that was it. I was just tripping. Another explosion rang out and I howled in pain as my left leg disappeared below the kneecap and fell over. "Fucking bitch!"
"What happened, Skidmark?" she asked, standing in front of me with a gigantic black gun in her hand. What the fuck was wrong with her? It was like her body wasn't human anymore. Was she one of those twisted motherfuckers, what'd they call 'em, Case Something or whatever? Something twisted in the shadows and I realized there were insects crawling in the shadows of her coat where the inside should have been. "You were raring to go a second earlier. And then I escalated."
"Skiddy!" Squealer shouted, hopping out of the car and coming toward me. Without looking, the shadow bitch reached out an arm and it stretched, warping into a huge dog's head that opened its maw and bit my woman in half effortlessly. The lower half of her body collapsed to the ground, just lying there.
"Squealer..." I snarled. "Gonna kill you...!"
The girl smiled coldly. "Good luck. Nobody's managed it yet." She reached for me and I called on my power to get the bitch, knock her on her ass, anything. She blinked, not giving a single fuck about the physics or some shit, before shaking her head. "It's a shame, really." She grabbed me by the neck and stared into my eyes. "You could do so much with that power, couldn't you. Perpetual motion, or the next best thing to it... But no. Instead, you struggle for power, striving to be the top power in a city that despises you. You're nothing but a bully, Skidmark.
"And I hate bullies."
2.6 PHO
Topic: Leviathan Attack
In: Boards ► News
Temp_MOD (Original Poster) (Moderator)
Posted On May 23rd, 2011
This is the thread for discussing the recent Leviathan attack.
The Endbringer attacked a town on the east coast. Due to the magnificent work of two Tinkers (Armsmaster and Dragon) there was approx. a thirty minute warning before Leviathan arrived, leading to a death toll that is lower than previous Leviathan attacks.
Discuss, but please remember that this is an Endbringer attack and many members may have lost friends, family or loved ones.
(Showing page 14 of 17)
►d'Arven
Replied On May 25th, 2011
I don't believe any cape would go one-on-one with Leviathan without being totally nuts. You're telling bullshit.
►XxVoid_CowboyxX
Replied On May 25th, 2011
Re:d'Arven
Are you calling me a liar, asshole? I heard it from my uncle who works in the PRT
-User has received a warning for this post.
-Personal attacks aren't acceptable despite the circumstances. -Temp_MOD
►Reave (Verified PRT Agent)
Replied On May 25th, 2011
I can't say much because it involves some information that is related to an ongoing investigation, but the cape is supposedly a high-level Brute with very powerful regeneration.
Edit: To avoid anybody saying anything, I'm not Void Cowboy's 'uncle in the PRT'. Thankfully.
►Parian (Verified Cape)
Replied On May 25th, 2011
High-level Brute with regeneration? Red coat?
I think that's Carnage, a new cape in Brockton Bay. She showed up near the end of the fight (after Leviathan smashed open the shelter, for reference) and went at him. I think she had a Tinker-gun or something. Nothing else would do that kind of damage to his skin.
►Whitecollar (Cape Wife)
Replied On May 26th, 2011
Does anyone know if the list of casualties has been released? I've been trying to get hold of my wife, but the phone lines are all busy.
►Brocktonite03 (Veteran Member)
Replied On May 26th, 2011
Re:Whitecollar
The monument was put up on the 20th... if you send me a PM I can go look for you.
►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy In The Know)
Replied On May 27th, 2011
I've been searching, but I can't seem to figure out how exactly Armsmaster managed to cut off Leviathan's tail like that (referring to the play-by-play posted here, for those wondering). Anyone happen to know?
►TinkerTailor (Verified Cape)
Replied On May 27th, 2011
Re:Bagrat
Aparently he used some sort of enhancement on his halberd. I think he called it nano-thorns or something like that. Anyway, I don't know how it works (I'm not Dragon :P) but it did the trick.
►SonOfArtemis (Veteran Member)
Replied On May 28th, 2011
Those time-stop bombs... those were interesting, to say the least. Is that the work of a new Tinker?
►Magery (Verified Awesome)
Replied On May 28th, 2011
Re:SonOfArtemis
I think those are from some bomb Tinker in Brockton Bay. I could be wrong, but wasn't her name Balmung or something like that?
End of page. 1, 2, 3 ... 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
Topic: Who'd you lose?
In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Bay Discussion
Brocktonite03 (Original Poster) (Veteran Member)
Posted On May 26th, 2011
See topic. Friends? Family?
On topic posts only, please. No commentary. Nc = no condolences via. private message.
(Showing page 2 of 2)
►Darkblue
Replied On May 27th, 2011
My father was in the shelter that got flooded when Leviathan's tail smashed it open. Like the rest, they haven't found his body.
Nc.
►Ultimania5
Replied On May 28th, 2011
My dog Lila. It's stupid I know but I keep looking over where she sat and thinking she'll be there.
►Armsmaster (Verified Cape)
Replied On May 28th, 2011
Many valiant heroes lost their lives on May 15th in the fight against Leviathan. Velocity and Assault of the Protectorate ENE. Aegis and Kid Win of the Wards.
Nc.
►Purity (Verified Cape)
Replied On May 28th, 2011
I lost my friends to that monster. We can't even find their bodies in all the wreckage and flood water.
Nc.
►LionsMane
Replied On May 28th, 2011
My cousin disappeared somewhere between her home and the shelter. Dinah, wherever you are, I hope you're safe.
Nc.
►KincaidVines (Verified PRT agent)
Replied On May 28th, 2011
I lost my little girl. Ivy, I'll miss you.
End of page. 1, 2
Author's note in final chapter