Rising Phoenix Gaming

The Chaos Zone. A realm outside of our own, existing in its own dimension or plane, beyond the reaches of the known universe. It was a place where worlds and galaxies collided and spiraled together, creating a dazzling display of colors and shapes. Streams of energy and matter, some familiar and others beyond comprehension, flowed through this chaotic space, intertwining with the various worlds and galaxies within it. This ever-shifting landscape seemed to be in a constant state of flux, never staying the same for long. It was a place unlike any other, full of mystery and wonder. Trapped in the vast expanse of this shifting cosmos, Tess Merrill was a single speck within a massive Bubble. Her small human form trembled with fear and confusion, feeling utterly out of place in this strange realm. She had been swapped with an alien being known as ARC, who now roamed freely in her body while she was forced to exist in this confined space. "ARC!" she screamed, her voice echoing into emptiness as she pounded on the walls of her Bubble prison. "Let me out! I can't bear another moment in here!" But there was no response, only the haunting silence of the void. "ARC!" Her voice became hoarse as she shouted again, tears streaming down her face. The Bubble continued its erratic movements, sometimes thrusting forward violently and other times drifting aimlessly through the chaos of the cosmos. Each jarring motion only amplified Tess's distress, the unknown scents and sights adding to her disorientation and driving her closer to madness. Tess dropped to her knees, her heart heavy with despair as she sobbed into her hands. The bubble, which had been carrying her on its spinning journey, suddenly caught her attention. She noticed that it was shrinking, its movements becoming more erratic and desperate. As the bubble spun faster and straighter ahead, Tess's eyes widened in horror as she saw a distant star in its path. It was hurtling towards it at an alarming speed, seemingly caught in the star's powerful grip. "ARC!" she screamed, her voice trembling with fear. "I'm falling towards a star! Help me!" The bubble seemed to pick up even more speed, hurtling towards the star with no signs of slowing down. As they drew closer, Tess could see that the star was not just any ordinary star - it was collapsing in on itself, transforming into a black hole. The walls of the shrinking bubble were now so small that she could reach out her arms and touch them, feeling the intense heat radiating from the deadly gravity well of the black hole. Panic rising within her, Tess braced herself for what would come next. Tess jolted awake, gasping for air as she sat up in bed. Her body was drenched with sweat, and the covers had been kicked off during her restless sleep. She shivered, feeling a chill run down her spine. < Tess, are you alright?> The voice inside her head spoke softly, almost soothingly. It wasn't telepathy, but it felt like her own thoughts translated into a different voice. < I am registering elevated autonomic reactions in your bio system>. Tess heard the robotic tone of ARC, the energy being that was her alter ego. She glanced at the digital alarm clock on her nightstand - 3:57 AM. "I'm okay," she replied unconvincingly. "Just a nightmare." < The Bubble again?> There was a hint of curiosity in ARC's neutral voice, though Tess had grown used to it over time. "Yes." <Show us> Tess closed her eyes and shuddered as she remembered the dream. It was already fading from her memory, losing its sharpness and becoming hazy. But for ARC, it would be enough to enter her subconscious and experience the dream alongside her. As Tess stayed in the real world, ARC occupied her place in the Chaos Zone - a dimension filled with unpredictable and chaotic energy. The main difference was that while Tess was trapped in a protective bubble within the zone, ARC existed as a being of pure energy that could move freely. It had no species or gender, having been created by an unknown organization to serve as interdimensional law enforcement. However, when it crossed into Tess's dimension, it sustained damage when it had bonded with her to save her life. Now they shared the same physical space, but only one could manifest at a time - when one was in the real world, the other remained in the Chaos Zone. ARC relived Tess's nightmare, trying to make sense of it. It was a reflection of what ARC had been observing - a star in the process of transforming into a singularity. The AI had paused their journey to watch this rare and fascinating phenomena, but at that time, it hadn't been communicating with Tess. It rarely did unless she called for it. < You should not have been able to dream about that Tess, Your dream was what we were observing, yet we were not communicating.> “Yeah, well I guess you have a leak or something. I need coffee.” Tess got up from her bed and went into the kitchen. ARC remained silent. As Tess finished her daily household tasks and headed to her self defense class, she couldn't help but let her mind wander. She resisted the urge to call on ARC, the alien presence was always there but never reacted unless she called on it or she witnessed something happening that he found actionable, in other words ARC saw what she saw. However, it remained silent. In class, she pushed herself extra hard, determined to exhaust herself physically. After showering and changing, she had a couple of hours before she needed to go to work at the restaurant. During this time, she finally made a decision. Tess looked at the weird phone, then with shaky determination hit the call button. “ARC?” The voice belonged to Dynames, Tess almost hung up but instead, “No, my name is Tess and we need to talk.”

Alecto and Big time took the communicators, but shook their heads. "I can't." Alecto said, "But I will be around, so if am able, I'll help." Then she left. Big Time shrugged. "Much the same here. with you being registered, I can't see them letting us work together without registering, and that's just something I can't do right now. Still, like she said, if i'm able, I'll help. At least this way you can reach me." She left to get on her bike and leave as well. Dynames stood there looking at Arc, and letting out an almost defeated sigh. "This won't end well." He looked to Arc, and nodded. "Keep the communicator, as I said, it works regardless. Call if you need help. We'll just have to wing it from here I guess." With that Arc was left alone as Dynames vanished.

outside the motel... As RJ waited in her car during the stakeout, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. The night air felt heavy with an unspoken tension, and even the usual sounds of the city seemed to hush in anticipation of something unseen. She checked the time on her phone, calculating how much longer she needed to wait before she could catch the man leaving the motel with his mistress. Just as she was about to reach for her camera to get ready for some shots, a shadow passed by her car. Startled, RJ looked up and saw a figure standing just a few feet away. It was a woman, dressed in some sort of costume, dark green, with a mask covering the lower half of her face. The woman either hadn’t noticed her in the car or she had and didn’t care. RJ's heart raced as she watched the mysterious woman. She quickly assessed the situation, realizing that this could either be a stroke of luck or a disastrous turn of events. The woman seemed to be scanning the area, her body tense and ready for action. Feeling a surge of adrenaline, RJ made a split-second decision. She grabbed her camera and quietly opened the car door, stepping out onto the pavement with caution. The woman turned her head in RJ's direction, and for a moment, they locked eyes. Without breaking eye contact, the woman raised a finger to her covered lips in a gesture for silence. RJ nodded in understanding, her curiosity piqued. Who was this woman, and what was she doing here? Before RJ could make a move or say anything, the motel room door opened and the man and his mistress stepped out. The woman in green swiftly moved into the shadows, blending in seamlessly with the darkness. The man looked at his watch and up and down the street. He looked annoyed. RJ's instincts kicked in as she raised her camera. As RJ snapped some pictures of the couple when three small cars with garrish paint jobs pulled up at angles blocking the man from retreating in any direction except back into his room. The mistress gasped as three men jumped from each car and made a circle further blocking the man and his mistress. RJ could see that the newcomers were all asian and all of them wore the same black suit with white shirts and thin black ties… a uniform of sorts. Each of them also wore a domino mask with pointed, instead of the more normal rounded, ends. “Cherry get back in the room.” The man said. “No, “ said one of the asians, “she stays, you stay. The Boss wants a word.” With that a fourth car pulls up and parks. This one is an old Cadillac from the middle of the last century, in pristine condition, black of course. A black suited, domino masked man leaps from the front passenger side and opens the rear passenger side door and a man gets out. This man is also asian but not masked and not wearing a suit. he is dressed like he was going out to a nineteen seventies disco. Flared blue velvet pants, and pink silk shirt tucked into the pants but open to this waist revealing a smooth muscular chest and enough gold chains to make Fort Knox run an inventory. Rj continues to snap pictures especial of faces. She realizes that something more than a cheating husband case is happening. She knew who these people were, soldiers of the Sai Sin Tong, one of Chicago’s criminal organizations. And that man must from the way he dressed, Wen Joon, one of officers in the Tong. But Rj thought that they only operated in Chinatown? RJ’s mind raced as she tried to make sense of the unfolding scene before her. The presence of the Sai Sin Tong outside of their usual territory was concerning, to say the least. She adjusted her focus, capturing images of each member present with precision. The tension in the air was palpable as Wen Joon approached the man and his mistress with an air of authority. “You’ve been playing a dangerous game, my friend,” Wen Joon said, his voice smooth yet laced with a subtle threat. “You should know better than to cross us.” With her enhanced hearing RJ could hear them clearly The man stammered, clearly caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the Tong members. RJ could see fear flicker in his eyes as he struggled to come up with a response. “I-I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” he managed to say, his words shaky. Wen Joon raised an eyebrow, showing his lack of interest. "Words won't save you this time. You possess something that belongs to us, and we demand its return." He gestured with his right hand, and two soldiers swiftly moved forward and grabbed the girl, dragging her away. She began to scream, but one of the men silenced her with a harsh slap and a gag shoved into her mouth. Suddenly, a green figure dropped in front of the two soldiers holding the girl. With incredible speed and agility, the woman in green spun, leapt, and kicked, sending both men flying backwards. She landed gracefully, snatched the girl, and pressed her against the wall of the motel, daring anyone to approach. “Wen Joon you should take your soldiers and go. You are about to start a war.” Wen Joon gave the green woman a contemptuous look. “You have no authority over what we do outside of Chinatown Jade Dragon, it is you who should go.” Jade Dragon shook her head “Do you think the Gwailo will respect the boundaries? No. You will bring this war to Chinatown and that makes this my business.” Wen Joon chuckled. “We are not hatchetmen, little girl.” The Sai Sin Soldiers drew guns. The Jade Dragon

Elsewhere... Contacting Odette would have to wait for another time. If it wasn't already hard enough to track something by smell through the air, it didn't help that RJ hadn't actually gotten a sniff of Odette's scent itself, just the scent of her suit. It if wasn't as well sealed as a hazmat suit, it was close. Oh well. In the meantime, she bought a Amazon gift card with cash, set up a PO box, made a burner account, and ordered a blank black 2nd skin mask - three of them, she was sure damages were inevitable. She probably should have looked for something with a little more... pizzazz for her vigilante persona, but she really couldn't be bothered. She was resenting having to hide her identity in the first place. RJ snorted to herself. Her sister was in marketing. Sabrina could probably come up with something stylish and eye-catching in short order. But then RJ would have to explain, at least a little bit, and she was far from ready to do that. Time to pay the bills. She had a man looking for her wife who had ditched him and their 2 year old son. He was looking to serve her divorce papers and requiring child support. That required some online research with what paperwork the husband could provide. It wasn't much, but it was a start, and really, most people didn't know how to disappear. A few hours and RJ at least had a place to start, but it looked like she'd have to take a trip out of town to track Becky Wellington down. With evening coming on, she got dressed for clubbing, not that she wasn't planning on actually hitting a dance floor. It was just in case. She wanted to catch a man with his mistress. His wife seemed rather vindictive - she hadn't looked at RJ too kindly when she angrily hired her - and wanted to take him to the cleaner. RJ had gotten an idea of the man's routine and thought tonight she'd get the moneyshot. Unfortunately, RJ did have to enter a club to get some shots of the man, a lawyer, cozying up to his side piece, a blonde with plenty of plastic enhancement. She had to fend off too many men while trying to snap some surreptitious pics. One guy, honestly quite good looking, nearly got his hand broken when he gave her ass a squeeze. Well, tried to squeeze her ass. He was barely stronger than average, and her ass could bounce a hell of a lot more than just quarters. She followed the man and his cliché personal assistant to their motel room and got pics of them going in together. She grumbled to herself. She had had to get a bit closer than she would have preferred. Her eyesight was better than the zoom on her camera. She'd have to get a better lens. She settled in for a tedious stakeout. She wanted to catch some pics of them leaving and wasn't sure if they would be staying the entire night or not. A little follow up and research on the mistress, then she'd have a full file to turn in to her client. She didn't particularly enjoy this aspect of investigative work, but affairs and cheaters unfortunately ended up being the majority of PI work, at least when you started out.

Cassandra gave Gwen a sharp look. "Well seems I am going to get a much closer look at superheroes now." Both Marc and Gwen looked at their fellow student. Cassie slid a envelope over to Gwen. "I leave at the end of the week." Gwen picked up the envelope and saw the return address. Julliard, 60 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023 Inside was a midterm acceptance letter inviting Cassandra to attend for the remainder of the year.

"That spider guy? Uh..." Gwen took her phone out and tapped on the virtual keyboard. "Silver Spider." With a shrug she added, "Not really super into superhero culture, hah hah, but it's still kind of interesting to have them around campus. I wonder if I could have gotten him to answer a few questions." "Maybe next time. Hell, he might even be a student."

"It works regardless of form Arc." those words were spoken low, and without inflection, but it made it very clear that Dynames and his partner knew the truth of the matter. That they both knew about Arc's alter ego. After all, he had mentioned she had visions of various timelines. It wasn't a stretch to think that that particular secret had been revealed in one of them." The words held a similar meaning for everyone there.

If ARC could frown he would have. "We thought the cellular phone device was to be used for communication. However, If this is the only device we can use to communicate we will need one which does not attune to my energy signature." It/They/Them holds the communicator out to hand it back to Dynames.

Dynames nodded. With that he produced a communicator, specially made by Codex, and passed it to Arc. "Thanks. It's been made so that your unique energy signature won't interfere with its operation, and should attune to you so that it works properly." He looked at the others, awaiting their answers.

The urgency and disappointment registered to ARCs senses and interpretations but it/they/them did not seem to react. After a brief moment the glowing figure spoke again "I am not at liberty to explain my reasons. However I will retain the cellular communication device, if my assistance is needed and I am available I will render aid."

Downtown... Mr. Invincible cut a fine figure in his custom tailored Sharkskin suit. He lounged in the comfortable chair in the Mayors private office. He didn’t like being summoned like a lowly clerk, but after all that was what he had been before the incident, and by god he did like the view from the office window. “If you can’t fucking leash her then fucking get rid of her.” The mayor’s harsh voice snapped him back to the here and now. Mr. Invincible straightened in his chair, the Sharkskin suit stretching across his broad shoulders as he leaned forward. "I assure you, Mayor, I am doing everything in my power to keep her in check. She's a loose cannon, I won't deny that. But she is…" His jaw clenched as he spoke, a vein pulsing in his temple as he switched course, “good at what she does.” He couldn’t help but grin as the though of the two of them in bed earlier and how insatiable RJ was after her little adventure. He imagined that if he could bruise he would have been black and blue all over. The mayor leaned back in his seat, studying Mr. Invincible with a shrewd gaze. "What she does is going to keep coming back to haunt us. Do you have any idea the kind of scrutiny we are under? The last thing we need is a vigilante running amok. And on top of that she wasn’t alone." Mr. Invincible's jaw tightened further, his grip on the armrests of the chair nearly splintering the wood. "She's a necessary evil. But I will do what I can to curb her activities." The mayor scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. “I’ll believe that when I see it. In the mean time, find out what you can from her about this other hero.” Elsewhere... Rj pushed back from the desk and her computer. Odette was mystery. A few grainy images on some barely registering superhero blogs and no real information.

on campus... Marc looked at Gwen and nodded. "You're right, that would have been cool, but at least no one was hurt. Which Superhero are they saying showed up?" he sat across from Gwen.

RJ's fine-featured face flushed a fiery fuchsia as she fumed with embarrassment. Captain Murphy was covering for her and she shouldn't have too. The comradery of the badge was a powerful thing, but too many abused it to provide cover for their more questionable actions. Now that she was out, RJ believed her questionable actions should be her own. She did have a mask, an improvised thing, but she didn't always keep it with her. If she was going to continue this way, she'd have to be more serious about having it with her, and more serious about the mask itself. RJ flowed up to her feet, lips tightened as she felt another surge of fury at being talked down to by someone so much weaker, slower, more fragile than her. It was another thing she had to deal with after her change and recovery. If she was getting more than used to the superhuman strength and speed and senses, the rest was something she had to make sure she controlled. It was making her reckless. And while physically, so far she was able to handle the repercussions, non-physical ones wouldn't be so easily blown off. Could she accept going to prison? "Captain," RJ said cooly. Murphy's shoulders stiffened as she waved a dismissive hand without turning around. RJ gave her back a stiff nod, then left, closing the door behind her with barely a whisper. Callen, arms folded across his broad chest, glance over, giving her a laconic look. "Need to do anything else here?" "Nah. If you can give me a ride back home, I'd appreciate it, Callen." "What they bring you in for, Riley?" the officer who'd been trying to pump Callen for info asked her, or more often, her breasts. Morelli, several years younger than her, but more would thing the deficit went they other way. He'd flirted with her several times, even when she'd been married. RJ gave him a brittle smile. "Just updating my case, such as it is. You know how it goes, brass gotta cover their asses." She turned away from the admittedly rather handsome Italian to face Callen directly, tilting her head towards the front door of the precinct. "Can I get that ride? Still got things to get around to today." Callen grunted and lead her towards his squad without really acknowledging Morelli. RJ could smell Morelli's interest and feel his eyes on her ass all the way out the door. The ride back to her place was done in silence and RJ thought she and Callen weren't going to exchange a word, when she got out of the patrol car and closed the door behind. She was sauntering towards her front door when Callen spoke. "Don't become what you're fighting," Callen muttered. RJ spun around, but Callen was already driving away. He hadn't spoken loudly, but she could've heard him whispering from more than a block away. "I don't know what I'm becoming," RJ murmured to herself as she turned the keys in the lock to her bungalow. She cleaned up a bit, put on a Chicago Bulls cap and a pair of aviator glasses, then poked her head out the back door. She tilted her head and took a deep breath, but didn't catch any hint of Bastard loitering about. He'd be fine until she got back. She wasn't sure about any wildlife - or domestic, for that matter - in the Dan Ryan woods. Then she locked up and walked over to her car. She'd swing by her small office in the Loop to see if anything needed her immediate attention, and plan out what she'd have to do latter. There was the Fielder's File, to see if her husband was indeed cheating and if so, catch some pics with him and any potential mistress. Then she'd pick up a pair of burner phones with cash and start doing some research. She wasn't a computer expert by any means, but people didn't understand how much paperwork and internet sleuthing Policemen and Detectives did as a routine part of their jobs. She knew how to look for things with reasonable anonymity. Time for find a proper mask, something to conceal her identity without impairing her senses. Something durable, yet easy to put and easy to stash on her. Maybe if she ran into that Odette woman again, she'd ask her wear she got her fancy suit.

Gwen rolled her eyes, smiling, and shook Cassandra's hand as well. "Hey Cassie. Have a seat, don't mind Marc. And Marc, you don't have to go. I was just about to tell Cass all about the excitement the other day." She glances around and lowers her voice. "I heard a superhero showed up after we left though. Don't get me wrong, I think keeping out of it was still the smart choice, but...it would have been really cool to see a crime stopped by an actual superhero."

Murphy made a twisted frown at RJ's flippant reply reached onto the desk and flipped over several sheets of paper and tossed them to the side of the desk where RJ could see them. They were printouts of images of a woman running through the dark streets in a little tight black dress. RJ's face was very clear in these pictures. "Vigilantism is against the law. They can't ID you from the Video, but everyone who saw it knows who it is. I'm the only one who had the sense to check the other street cameras, I think i got all of them but who knows there's fucking cameras everywhere these days. I know you got issues and shit Vergas, hell we all got shit. But I thought you knew better. Chicago isn't the place to play this superhero crap, If you intend to keep it up... get a fucking mask." Murphy stood up and turned away from RJ and looked out the window. "Go one get the fuck out of here, Callen will drive you back. If anyone asks tell them I was updating you on your case."

CPD Precinct #13 RJ leaned forward, watching the video with avid interest. She'd gotten used to seeing her younger, more symmetrical, sharper cheek-boned face in the mirror, but this was the first time she'd seen herself in action. The only reason she recognized herself was because she'd been there. The improbably fit and gorgeous young woman in the little black dress moved too fast, hit too hard. Bending the shotgun in half with her hands might have been a little too... ostentatious, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of fierce satisfaction at how easily she and Odette had dominated the erstwhile robbers. Murphy reclaimed the laptop and RJ sat back in the chair, watching her former captain with a bland expression. RJ could hear someone outside the office question Callen about her outside, and Callen responding with noncommittal grunts, someone cursing in the drunk tank. The smell of old coffee was sunk deep into the open pen. A subtle sniff, but RJ couldn't get anything off Murphy, no fear, no anticipation. She had to bite back a challenging smirk as an instinctual aggression rose up in her. She could be on the other side of the desk before Murphy blinked, one hand around her throat and the other crushing her jaw before she could make a sound. RJ let out a long breath, suppressing the urge. This wasn't the first time she had considered what she would do if she was caught in her extra-curricular activities, and it wouldn't be the last. That said, unless there was another angle Murphy hadn't shown her, the video didn't positively identify her. Further, even if it did, there was the argument that it was self-defence and/or possibly a citizen's arrest. No need to admit anything. Yet. Hope Michael disposed of the remains of my dress... "Looks like the first on scene had an easy cleanup," RJ drawled. "Guess Mr. Invincible might not be the only Meta in Chicago, nowadays."

Dynames expected resistance, but outright refusal, that wasn't something he'd expected. In turn he asked a simple question. "Why not, Arc?" He literally just finished telling them they died unless the worked together, and they were refusing. It was annoying, but it wasn't like Dynames wanted to force any of them into this. He looked at Alecto, and nodded. "What about you?" Big Time looked at the other supers, and nodded. "I am not sure about this either. You say in some of the futures we all die, but I take it some of them we don't. How exactly do you see this team-up working anyway?" Dyanmes looked at her "We keep in contact through the communicators, patrol in pairs, and when something happens, nobody is facing it alone. I'm not asking for your regular identities, though there may come a time where we trust each other that much. For now, I just want us to work together, to be able to easily call on each other when the need arises, so we minimize our risks to ourselves, and to the people we're here to protect."

After setting his food down he smiled and shook the proffered hand. "Hi Cassandra, I'm Marc." he chuckled looking at Gwen. "To answer that question, no, Gwen and I are just friends and sometimes lab partners when we have classes together."

Baker Dining Commons Cassandra cut her gaze back and forth between Gwen and Marc, curiosity driving her, “Maybe I’m the one who should be going,” she smiled and held her hand out toward Marc, “I’m Cassandra.”

The drive to the precinct was uncomfortable,Callen didn’t talk he just drove and RJ kept quiet and just watched the city slide by outside the car window. The patrol car pulled up in front of the precinct and Callen parked in a space marked “P1.” RJ took a deep breath, feeling a sense of nostalgia mixed with apprehension as she stepped out of the vehicle. The familiar buzz of the precinct surrounded her, the sound of ringing phones and shuffling paperwork filling the air. Callen led the way, his gait purposeful as he headed towards the captain's office. They passed by desks where officers were focused on their work, some shooting curious glances at RJ as she walked by. She kept her chin up, refusing to let the stares unsettle her. Captain Murphy’s office door was closed when they arrived, but Callen knocked twice before opening it without waiting for a response. The captain was seated behind her desk, engrossed in a file laid out before her. She looked up as they entered, her expression unreadable. “Sergeant Callen, thank you,” she said,”I will call you when it’s time to take her back.” Callen nodded gave RJ a look then left the office shutting hte door behind him. Murphy studied RJ for a few seconds then gestured to a chair, “Sit down Vergas, I want to show you something.” RJ sat and Murphy slid a laptop toward her across the desk and turned it where she could se the screen. On the screen a paused video could be seen. RJ recognized it as the intersection where the fight took place last night. Murphy stood and leaned acros and unpaused the video. “Watch it.” The video played there was no sound but it showed pretty much the whole fight. Both her and Odette were clearly seen in the video although the picture was not close enough to id RJ’s face and hopefully the forensics lab wouldn’t be able to make it much clearer. Murphy paused the video, closed the lid of the laptop and sat back down. “Well? Anything you want to tell me?” Murphy

On the Southside... RJ knew when a request wasn't a request. She liked Callen, he was one of the few who hadn't treated any differently from before the incident to after her recovery and dismissal from the force. But he wouldn't meet her eyes now. If this was more than serious though, he'd have opened the door to the back of the patrol car and told her to call her lawyer. Could this be about my extracurricular activities? Would Michael cover for me, if it was? She didn't need to worry yet, but this wasn't the first time she had considered what she would do if she was found out. "I'll be right with you, Callen," RJ said, looking up at the big man, then tilted her head towards her front door. "But I've been out all night. You mind if I get a few minutes to feed my cat then let him out?" Callen frowned, then nodded, closing the passenger door with a sharp click. One couldn't leave a patrol car unsecured, and especially not in a neighborhood like Ashburn. "That's fine," he reluctantly agreed. "Just make it quick." "I will." RJ could smell something coming off Callen. It wasn't quite anxiety or caution, but he was clearly uncomfortable. RJ walked briskly to her front door, Callen following in her wake, thumbs looped in his belt. She opened the door, and left it open as she went in, Callen taking station to the side. RJ chatted to her cat, loud enough to let Callen know where she was in the small bungalow, at she changed Bastard's litter, then opened a can of wet food for him. He obligingly bit her wrist hard enough to draw blood from anyone else, batted his dish over, then started chomping down on the food. She gave him a glare, then made sure his water and kibble was full, cooing brightly for Callen's benefit. Going to the back of the house, she glanced at her bedroom door, for a moment considering getting her handgun and shoulder rig from the gun safe before shaking her head. It would be a statement and an escalation, and for all that she was licensed, she was a civilian now. "Okay, be good baby. Might be a while before mama is back," RJ said as she opened the backdoor for the thirty pound monster. Bastard ignored her as he sauntered pass, floofing his tail with a flick as he passed her. She locked the door with a sharp click of the deadbolt, then walked back to Callen and locked the front door. She gave him a nod. "Let's go see Captain Murphy." "Don't know how long it'll be," Callen admitted, meeting her eyes for the first time, if only briefly. "Might be you shouldn't let your cat out." RJ smirked. "Bastard is thirty pounds of mean Maine Coon and assorted other breeds. He'll be fine." Callen gave her a sidelong glance and nodded again. "Alright then." He opened the passenger door to the patrol car for her again, but she waited to sit down at the same time Callen was sitting down behind to wheel to cover how much the vehicle shifted under their combined weight. As the patrol car quickly got up to speed, RJ wondered just why Captain Murphy wanted to see her.

Marc looked at Gwen, thinking she was waving at him he decided to go sit with her, and quickly realized he probably wasn't who she'd been waving at as Cassandra sat down there first. "Didn't expect to see you here, Gwen. I hope I'm not intruding, I'll go if I need to. " He shrugged and smiled. "I should have known you weren't waving at me."

The next day... On the Southside RJ parked in her reserved spot and made her way out of the parking garage. It was a short walk and she was glad she kept spare clothes at Michaels. Parked in front of the entrance to her bungalow was a patrol car and leaning on its hood with a cup of coffee was Sgt Steve Callen, one of the patrol officers who she had worked with before the incident. Callen was a twenty year vet who had somehow managed to stay on the street instead of ‘graduating’ to a desk position. He was a big bear of a man who looked like he was overweight but most of what people thought was fat as actually hard muscle. He saw RJ when she made the corner and looked directly at her and raised his coffee cup in a salute. She she knew she had been spotted so she decided to continue on instead of sneaking around the back. “Hello Sergeant,” RJ said as she approached. Callen straightened off of the car, “Good morning Detective.” “Not a detective anymore Sergeant, I’m a civilian now.” “Yeah, yeah. You know once a detective always and all that. Beside calling you a private dick would just be weird.” RJ chuckled, “You waiting for me?” Callen nodded while not meeting RJ’s eye instead looking up and down the street. “Yeah. Captain Murphy would like to see you down at Division.” Captain Francis Ann Murphy was the only female Captain in the Division RJ had worked out of. When RJ had been there Murphy had been her lieutenant but had been promoted after the then captain, J Vickers, had been reassigned after the shooting, to the harbor district. A demotion if ever there was one. Murphy was hard as nails, fair but strict, and didn’t care whether you were a man or a woman, just that you bled blue. Callen poured the rest of his coffee onto the ground and crushed the paper cup and shoved it in his pocket. He stepped to the front passenger side of his patrol car and opened the door. “I’ll give you a ride and bring you back.” At University... Baker Dining Commons was the busiest of the four dining commons on campus, thanks to its central location. Despite its classification as a cafe, it set itself apart with high standards for service and food quality. The spacious dining area offered both privacy and conversation options with its tables and booths. The staff were attentive and the prices were much more affordable than fine dining restaurants in the city. Gwen sat at her regular table, eagerly waiting for Cassandra to arrive. She had already texted her friend to meet her here so she could tell her about everything that had happened last night- meeting the Silver Spider, encountering a strange Chinese gang, and all the other details. As she reached for her phone to send another message, Gwen spotted Cassandra walking in from the far entrance. She waved excitedly, but then gasped in shock as she saw Marc Holt following closely behind her friend. Unaware that Cassandra was heading towards Gwen's table, Marc waved back at her before he headed the same way.

With familiarity with the city and the deepening night, RJ was able run through Chicago without drawing too much undue attention. But it was mostly due to the nature of people. All cops knew that while having eyewitnesses helped with investigations, they were notoriously unreliable. People generally only saw what they wanted to see. Surely that woman in the little black dress wasn't moving that fast? No shoes? No, she definitely has shoes, just a white pair of flats. RJ made it to the Gold Coast without issue, save for a bit of a detour when she was skirting through one of Chicago's many parks. A pair of dogs out for a evening stroll with their owners caught her scent and decided to chase after her with wild barking. It wasn't their fault, with her metamorphosis, it seemed many animals objected to her scent, especially predators. It had been a disaster one time she had to follow a cheating husband to the zoo to catch him with his second family. Not wanting to punt the yapping little dogs half the size of her cat over the Magnificent Mile, RJ took the effort to avoid them and their equally yapping owners. From the shadows, RJ checked to make sure the coast was clear, then leapt the short wall and screen of trimmed hedges surrounding Michael's discrete mansion. She slipped around the pool she and Mr. Invincible had had fun in more than one time and with another effortless exertion, jumped up to the terrace extending around the master bedroom on the second floor and knocked on the glass double doors. Looking up from his phone, Michael glanced around to find RJ standing on his balcony, hair disheveled, the ripping seams of her dress revealing even more of her strong thighs, and nips looking ready to rip through the silk. Her pupils were widely dilated, the thin rings of her neon blue irises especially bright. He smirked and waggled his phone at her as he sauntered over to the double doors and unlocked them. "I was about to call up some company," he drawled. "That would have been unfortunately for her," RJ growled, voice thick with need, as she reached up and pulled Michael down for a hungry kiss, her tongue forcing its way between his lips. She could smell the other women that had been in Michael's room and it was good than none of them were here. "I don't feel like sharing." When she let him go, Michael stepped back, smile widening as he appraised her. He typically dallied with models and socialites. RJ was easily as beautiful as any of them, if far more athletic, and though she looked barely old enough to legally drink, he knew she had at least a few years on him. And while he might be invincible, RJ had to be ten times stronger than he was. It was oddly intriguing being so easily... manhandled. "You're feet are dirty, y'know. And there's speckles of blood on your face and hands and dress. If you're already tired playing with your other boytoys..." He waggled his phone again and his smirk grew even wider as her lips tightened with barely suppressed fury and frustration. "Then I'll take a fucking shower!" she snarled, peeling off her leather coat as tossing it across the room and with a casual tug, ripped off her dress as though it had been made of tissue paper. True to her earlier claim, she wasn't wearing anything underneath except for her taut and toned self. "You better get your clothes off, because you're coming with me." Michael barely had time to shed himself of shirt and pants before RJ jumped at him. He grunted as he caught her deceptively solid mass, more than that of two average women, her thighs about his waist tight enough to crush the spine of a lesser man, her lips back on his as she urged him to the bathroom. He went to make another snide comment, but she caught him off with a demanding, "Stop. Talking." He had her hooked. There wasn't another man in Chicago who could survive her lust. ~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~ Dawn was just a threat on the horizon. Dressed in a spare pair of jeans and a band shirt she kept at Michaels, wearing a pair of cross-trainiers and her reclaimed heels in hand, RJ strutted back to her car parked discretely a block away from Michael's place. She'd stop for breakfast someplace along the way, to go home to take care of Bastard before checking to see about any investigations that needed tending to, and then maybe stop by the office later, and... "Fuck." Michael was a great lay, no doubt, and he knew it. And there wasn't another man in Chicago who could survive her lust, and Michael knew that too. And, thanks to her ex-husband and his biological machinations, her needs were... exacerbated. Damnably fun, to be sure, but also irritating... Although, flying girl, Odette, playing vigilante, seemed stronger than human. Might be Mr. Invincible wasn't the only super in Chicago, but the only public one. Might be I have other options in Chicago... Whistling a jaunty tune despite the early hour, RJ climbed into her battered Corolla, slipped on her aviators, turned up the music on the local rock station, and started driving West and South.

ARC had been the last to arrive, Tess had been heavily opposed to it/them even showing up. Tess had been at work when the phone had gone off it was in her left pocket (her's was in the right), her first thought was why the hell didn't i throw this in the river. But, she knew why, ARC had insisted they keep it and that she carry it. She had stepped back from the line and told the suisse chef she had to go to the restroom. Once locked into the small bathroom she took the phone out and stared at it. She hadn't answered it and she wasn't going to call back either. <Tess, we discussed this, you have to reply> ARC's thought voice was as clear as if he were standing beside her and not in some crazy chaos dimension. "Alright... alright already." She sent a text message back *what?* The replying text came almost immediately ask for ARC to meet at a certain warehouse the following night. The Alien and her had a pretty good argument following that, bu tin the end ARC won out and Tess agreed to at least go to the meeting. ARC floated a few inches off the surface of the rooftop, silent, listening. In the chaos zone Tess was listening as well through ARC. The zone was different as it was everytime she was trapped here while ARC occupied her space on Earth. Today the zones as lit by a purple light which made everything glow negatively as if it were under a black light. her bubble floated freely in a void surrounded by thin spirals of spinning matter which rose and fell all around as her prison meander between them. At least it wasn't nauseating. <NO!> Tess injected before ARC said anything at all, <We are not going to join the freaking superfriends, not today not tomorrow. You tell captain dinahead thanks but no thanks> ARC cocked it's head sidways like a puppy, looking at Dynames. "My Apologies but I must decline the invitation." ARc was used to being part of an organization and saw the merits, but Tess was adamant.