predatory ● instincts

Finally Sycom got down to more serious business once everyone calmed themselves. He started passing out a few 'toys' that would help them with their field work. Boomer didn't mind the collars, they were simple and black and reminded her off chokers. She didn't wear them much, and was already wearing two necklaces, but she clipped it on her neck anyway. Her name tag was tied onto her metallic arm, right on the bicep. When he told them to choose a pair of glasses, she chose a pair of goggles that seemed to suit her well. They would also protect her from some nasty explosions. As she pulled them over her face, it activated immediately. She stared at the computerized screens over her eyes and stared around the room as it analyzed each person. She smiled, then moved the goggles to the top of her head. This would be fun.

She watched Sycom leave the room as Dahlia stepped in and ordered him to do so. She slowly started going through the list of people in the room, pointing out everyones best traits and why they were the perfect fit for their positions. A large smile wiped over her face as her name was called and she was complimented by the boss. She crossed her arms, waiting for her position to be given to her. However, she didn't expect at all to be named LEADER OF TEAM A. It was hard to hid Boomer's excitement as she was tossed a pair of Glocks. She smirked even more and shoved them into two empty Holster on her multitude of belts and aprons.

This was more than she could handle. She never really thought of herself as the leader type. More the, 'Yeah, sure, whatever you say, Boss' sort of girl. But now she was the boss. Well, at least the leader of her team. Dahlia here was the boss boss. Boomers excitement seemed to shine through her skin, but she kept her mouth shut. A hard task for the talkative girl to do. She waited until the final speech was made to be blown away when the doors swung open to the cheering crowd. Her eyes widened in surpise as she saw the cheering people. She was not expecting anything like this at all. They were just simple recruits, no? Apparently they were far bigger than she could imagine.

"Well... Too Washington we go, then."

Max took the gun and looked to Luli "Heh...I'll take you on a date when I get to know you better, so...Washington...hope you're up for a long walk" he strapped the gun and holster to his belt and walked down the hall not minding if Luli decided to cling to him, he waited for Xiaolian to follow aswell seeing he didn't want to leave without the entire team.

so I'm the..leader for team C? oh no..does this mean that ill have to give orders and actually..talk? What a drag.. Lerien frowned a little as she put on all the gear that she was given, and wrapped the chains the had been given around her waist. At least they knew her choice of weapon. Babydoll was a master at wielding chains, though if she were given something else, it wouldn't take her long to master that weapon as well.

She sighed and started to walk alongside the very tall man known as duke. Guess he's one of my team mates then..and princess too? She slowed down a bit, god forbid she'd leave someone behind. She folded her arms across her chest as she walked slowly and blew her bangs away from her eyes. She then spoke for the first time that day. What a drag..

"Oh I was just pulling you away, but now that you mention it damn it is a nice wall! And being a wanted man is entertaining to say the least." Gabriel and Princesses conversation was cut short by Sycom running in with a box. Gabriel stood back and listened wondering what items he came to hand out. Ah communicators and AR goggles, aren't we getting fancy!

Gabriel walked up and grabbed the two items and at the same time opened a small hatch on the side of his helmet. He then carefully inserted both items into their respective places and shut the hatch. Inside his helmet his helmets AR software shut down, but quickly it booted back up and installed the new software he just put in. Wow, this stuff is a lot better designed than the software I was using. I'm okay with this!

Soon Daliah entered the room and began her rambling of the rules and her threats. Gabriel laughed remembering the times he had made the same threats to people, though 8 times out of 10 he'd end up having to fulfill his threat. Daliah then began to walk around and hand out different items to each person. Walking up to him Daliah pulled out two very nice looking pistols, and gave them to him. "How many things do you have in that bag? How big is it?"

Upon hearing that he was now the Recon/Spy for Team A he was quite pleased, he had been sneaking around for who knows how long. He also was quite happy with his team With Boomer for a leader, Bili for planning, and myself for Recon we should one hell of a team. Also self five for me for being on a team with two girls

"SO! Shall we get a move on then?"

She smirked back at Boomer and Paladin, slowing her pace to walk alongside them. Thank goodness the agency had put a lot of thought into their teams, and Bili was definitely looking forward to getting to know them. "I guess we shall, it'll be quite a walk, but I can't wait to find my mech. How about you guys?" she said with a smile, looking at both of them with a conspiratorial grin.

"I promise I'm not as bad as I seem, that Luli girl just set me off wrong." She whispered between the three of them. It wouldn't do to have them dislike her. "Want to know something funny Paladin? I was a cop before this gig..." she chuckled lightly "Wouldn't have thought I'd be workin with a legend like you." Staying in step with them, Bili continued to walk alongside her partners, smiling as the cheers filled her with a new desire to succeed.

It was rather exciting, getting to hear the praise from Daliah as well as obtaining her own adorable weapon. With eyes wide open and a grin on her face, she made it her personal agenda to repay Daliah for her kindness. Planting a quick kiss on PB's cheek, she dashed off after the leader shouting for the lady to wait up.

With her sister now gone, Xiaolian gave a silent shiver of relief mixed with a bit of worry. Luli was great at rubbing people the wrong way, but, thankfully, Daliah seemed to have a soft spot for the cheeky Chinese woman. Watching PB's sweet gesture, she waved her farewell to Duke and Baby Doll. "I look forward to our future encounters," she said with a bow.

Now beside PB, Xiaolian shook her head. "You'll have to forgive my sister. She's always been one to be overly friendly. I sometimes wish I were brave as her. But… I am not." Sad pale eyes shifted to the crowd of cheering faces, which caused her to move uneasily. "Think we can hurry up? I'm not really a fan of… this." Fame, it really was something Xiaolian did her best to avoid.

As she swayed down the streets with a hesitant swagger, Xiaolian's eyes marveled over the fact that so many people had, indeed, showed up to wish them well. Eyes scanning the crowd, she saw one very familiar face. Her best friend had come up from their hometown? No way! For the first time in forever, her face showed an expression - a grin to be exact. Waving like an overjoyed child at Christmas, she found a rose tossed at her feet.

"You're the strongest woman I know! If anyone can save the world, it'll be you! You rock, darling!"

Dipping her head, she picked up the gorgeous teal flower. "Thank you," she mouthed. It was hard to say goodbye to the faces of people that were so very kind. It was also hard to march forward into the danger that would confront them outside the city's walls. However, her fear was soon calmed when an all too familiar figure whipped past her. Hand in hand, the sisters walked toward their newfound destiny. Together, they would change the world (along with the other seven).

It was probably odd, but, for once, Luli didn't whine. Instead, that void was filled by a very unenthusiastic Princess. "Whaaa? What about nap time? Or brunch? Or nap time?" His hands folded around his face, tugging down his lower eye lids. "This face, will grow nasty with sloth soon." He wasn't really talking to anyone, since most of his previous conversation partners had already walked off toward the exit. Sighing that sound of defeat, he trudged forward but was met with Sycom's arm before he could even leave the lab.

"Listen, I know you're not really one to give a rat's ass about anything, but you need to be somewhat motivated. Your team is counting on you. The world is, too. Could you at least… not yawn when I'm talking to you." That last part wasn't supposed to come from his lips, but the feminine male just so happened to let loose a few yawns while being spoken to. "We're doomed. We're all doomed."

"Chillax, bro. I got this shit. I'm the 'wild card,' remember?" Folding his arms behind his head, the male made his way out the door. Being the last one to leave, he found it a bit odd that no one cheered him on. Eh, oh well, he thought with a shrug. After all, he didn't sign up for anything with a thousand some odd screaming fans. Rockstar, he was not. Princess, he was.

When he finally adjusted his pace and caught up with his teammates, he poked his head in the gap between the two. "Okay, boss, I just want to make it clear that I, in no way, shape, or form want to be bossed around. I do what I want, when I want. Okay? And you, Mister Duke, I hate you," there was a teasing look on his face. "Blessed with height while I'm cursed with… lack there of. Why don't you spread the wealth? I could use another good foot or two."

Despite the lack of vocal variety, Princess was turning out to be a somewhat decent guy. He would be ten times better if he lost his air of haughtiness and was less bossy. Then again, maybe this was ideal. It didn't appear that Baby Doll wanted to bark out orders and now with Princess' demands on the table, she wouldn't have to. Maybe, just maybe, this dysfunctional team would prove to be quite functional.

"Chain whips. A pole. And my six katana. We're so badass it's not even funny." Yup, that's how his mind thinks. If you could really call that thinking.

Duke looled down at the little man. "You're a bit annoying," he mumbled, picking him up by the back of his shirt. He set Princess down on his shoulder.

"There. You're taller than me now. If you shut up I'll let you stay here, deal? If you bother me I'll flick you off like the bug you are." A nasty grin spread across the man's face, trying to scare some sense into the man.

If he doesn't carry his own weight, thought Duke, I'm tempted to squash him. He continued on, pipe in hand, Princess on shoulder, Babydoll by his side.

Lerien continued to look down at the floor once Princess caught up to her and duke. So he was more of the bossy type, why didn't Deliah just pick Princess to be the leader..? She sighed a little to herself and kept her arms folded over her rather developed chest. She was tiny yes, but she did have curves. She looked around a little, feeling the chains clattering against her waist where she had temporarily tied them.

She glanced up at the two males, not really paying attention to their pointless bickering. She couldn't help but let out the tiniest giggle as she watched Duke pull Princess up onto his shoulder. Are they five? She shook her head a little and continued walking.

One moment he was slouching his way toward D.C. and the next he was flying. Flying?! His eyes widened a bit as he looked at the ground that was slowly moving away from him. Ground, no, come back! Is this my punishment for hating gravity?

When his feet were dangling above the ground, the slender male considered throwing a hissy fit but found the reward of his lack of reaction to prove most useful. Now on the broad, strong shoulders of Duke, the yellow-green eyed male grinned. This was his kind of team! Big guy to baby him. A silent little lass not to bug him. Yes, things were perfect. Well, maybe not. How the hell were they supposed to 'win' this competition? With a bit of a hopeless look in his eyes, the pink-haired lad knew he would have to pull some weight - eventually. But now was not the time to worry about that. It was time for a peaceful cat nap!

Leaning himself forward, he rested his arms on Duke's head, which eventually allowed him to rest his head on his own arms. A bit of a smile on his face, he settled right down. This guy was okay in his book, he decided. Heck, he was even starting to like the busty, purple-haired girl. They were going to be the best team. Team C. Okay, that name needed some spazazz added to it!

Team Cullen. What the fuck. We are not sparkling vampires. Team Catnip. What the? No, just no. Team C-Cup. Well that worked for Baby Doll but Dukey-poo and I don't have boobs. Team Cactus. Yes. We are a prickly bunch of green, people eaters. Okay maybe I need to lay off the Oreos for breakfast. Hmmm, how about something like… Team Catastrophic.

Team Catastrophic! That was the name he eventually decided on. Sooner or later, he would break the news to the team. Would they get 50 points for being the first to form an official name? They better. Princess wanted 100, but would take 75 as a compromise.

He was utterly content right now and decided he needed to express this (which went against his usual character). "I take it all back," he said with a bit of a new deposition to his voice, "you're okay in my book."

"Shhhh," said Duke, putting his hand atop Princess to shut him up-covering his face and torso with his hand. "The deal was you stay silent and you stay up here. If you start to bother me, I see how far I can throw you."

Duke had no intention of being quite that violent, but scaring this man was fun. Heck, it might even be good for him.

"Also I would encourage you to stay awake. If you fall asleep, you might just fall off and then you'd have a hard time catching up. Especially because I bet the fall will bust a rib. You're almost a whole story above the ground, you know."

Duke had made a decision. He was going to try very hard to make things difficult for his teammate.

PB smiled to Xiaolian "Whenever I won a fight I'd have women swarming me...and you do have bravery you just gotta, shall we say...breathe less talk more" not bothered by the kiss at all, when he saw the two sisters walk hand in hand, he followed smiling but still suffered a hang over.Eventually he was stopped by someone who told him "You better win Maxi boy, or I won't be able to reclaim my title" it was one of his old opponents, a champion Kick-boxer known as Jack-Hammer.

"No worries Jack, I'll send them a Kick for ya" he grinned and gave a thumbs up and continued walking, catching up to his team.

"Ah, a face of youth that has eyes of wisdom and hair of purity yet that of a face of a tainted soul." Wind's words were almost song-like as he literally appeared from nowhere. Wings flapping, cutting through the thin air that had a bit of a misty fog to it, his feet finally graced the ground. Stepping lightly, he swept to his sister's side, taking her round face into his own. Hands holding her jaw, he tilted her head some and placed a kiss on her forehead. Releasing his brotherly grip, his yellow eyes flicked toward the lioness that watched over his sister. With a light bow of the head, he took a good step back and rested his hands on the female's shoulders.

"Enyo," he cooed to her lightly, "I worry about you when you're not at my side." Although most would think it creepy and probably some sick, twisted sibling love infatuation, it was actually far from it. Having died once and seeing the damage it did to Sekhmet, Wind never wanted to part from his sister's side again. Her tear-stained face and those hollow eyes - the eyes of a woman who had given up - still taunted him day in and day out. If there was one thing in this world he fought for, it was her. Yes, he was an engaged man, but he knew his beloved Eris could fare well on her own; she didn't need him like Sekhmet did.

His softer side was always out when he was around her. Wind was always the baby brother in her eyes, always so jovial and sincere, nothing the others of Judgement Day would expect. Even Eris rarely saw this kinder side. In a sense, he liked to keep it hidden from all, as most would see him as a weak leader if he were to show his true-self.

Stroking her pure white hair, Wind allowed a little side smirk to form on his face. "You know I called you here because the agency has sent troops to march on toward Washington, the old capitol." Eyes flicking toward the sky, he frowned. "What is the forecast for this week? Are you sensing a… devastating storm with ungodly, whipping winds?" Eyes slowing changing to be a deep yellow and then fading to a paler shade, he watched as the sky twisted and turned above him. Having the power of wind on his side, he was able to manipulate the weather to his liking.

A crack of lightning sent some of the ghosts in the area retreating away. Wicked grin now plastered over his features, his deep, menacing laugh filled the air.

"Make haste my thunderous storm clouds. Slow their journey so that we can await their arrival D.C." His usual yellow eyes came back and flicked toward Sekhmet. "If you please," he said holding out his bleeding left palm that had talon-like cuts in it. Summoning storms wasn't easy and gave Wind some ghastly changes. His white wings were nothing when his other birdlike features kicked in. Feathers replaced the hair on his flesh and his hands became claws like that a hawk. Even his hair takes on a feathery appearance when he's using his godly powers.

Sekhmet, being a healer, was necessary to have on standby. Although he didn't want to admit it, he could deplete strength and power, killing himself. Eris was unaware of this pricey setback and Wind intended to keep it this way. No one needed to know that the powers that gave Wind his strength and godly might were also the powers that would bring about his utter demise.

"Well, how bad is it," he asked as his eyes scanned the horizon. "Can you reverse the effects or negate them so that Eris doesn't see them?" It was of the utmost importance. Like stated, no one could know. Not even the spirits that roamed this area (which just so happened to leave due to Wind's storm creation).

Boomer smirked a bit as she walked with her two teammates. Paladin on her left and Bili on her right. She looked down at Bili as she started talking to the two of them. She hoped she wasn't set off every time something bugged her. Although Boomer had a bit of an anger issue, control was a key issue. Only get angry when fighting the enemy... Just don't get reckless. Her eyes moved to Paladin, he stood a good head taller than both of them. She couldn't tell his age, although she figured he was close to hers. Bili was obviously a few years younger than both of them.

Either way, this team seemed like they could work pretty well. If they learned to get along easily, they'd be one hell of a team. "Well, I'm starting to think that we're going to be one of the best teams here." She said, between them, "I guess that's why we were made Team A!" She threw her arms around the two of them, bringing Paladin down to head height. "We've got the hot headed Genius and ex-cop. We've got the sly ex-criminal, and we've got the crazy explosives expert and mechanic as the leader. We'll be a team no one wants to mess with!" Boomer let out a bit of a laugh and let the two have their heads back.

Bili grinned as Boomer pulled them both to her. Boomers observations were nearly identical to Bili's own opinions. She chuckled as Boomer spoke
"I totally agree I mean look at them..." she whispered, motioning to the whiny Princess, and barely even needing to point out Luli's team. "We can win... I'm glad I got the super criminal and the explosions expert, it sounds like quite a fun trip! And you're right, I don't think anyone could get the best of us 'Cap" she smiled, turning to look up at Boomer and then to Paladin. She couldn't help it, she was excited and couldn't wait to be with just her and her team, she was likely to kill the other six before long.

Gabriel laughed when Bili mentioned she used to be a cop "There may be a small chance I have shot at you and or struck you if I have I apologize for that. But if I haven't fantastic! You probably know what I look like then, I have no doubt my mug shot was in your station somewhere." Before he could continue Gabriel was pulled down to Boomer's level as she went on about their team "I too enjoy explosives...I just want to throw that out there."

Once released from Boomer's hold Gabriel stood straight up again and surveyed the teams, sizing up the competition. "I have to agree that we do look the most formidable, if people mess with us they'll either get exploded, beaten up by an ex cop, or thrown from a building. Also we need a team name, I vote Team Apex." Gabriel turned up the volume on his helmet so that it acted as a megaphone "Team A is now Team Apex!" Turning the volume down he looked at his team "I'm sorry I kind of jumped the gun there...I do that a lot...ANYWAY let's get going!"

"This is going to be a long walk isn't it?"

His shoulders rolled back as his sister gave him a mini lecture. When she informed him of his overuse of powers, he rolled his eyes. He was supposed to be a god. Demi-god. It wasn't fair that he got shafted powers and strength because those that gave him his powers weren't sure of his alliance. Did it really matter, he often thought. No, of course not. Gods, for the most part, didn't kill gods. Besides, Wind didn't care about the other godly positions. He just wanted to be Wind.

"Sucks that I haven't reached the true god status. One day, I will." Planting a light family peck on her cheek, he stepped toward the white lioness. "Thank you, Sekhmet, for always watching over my sister while I am away." His hands reached for her head and scratched just behind the large cat's head. Nose rubbing up against hers, he chuckled. "Why didn't I get a kitty?" he said looking to his sister. "I mean, birds are cool and all, but" his hand continued to pet the lioness. He never finished his sentence for he didn't want to insult the bird within him or the lion beside him.

"Eh, oh well." Feeling the feathers on his neck melt back into flesh, he let out a delightful shrill. Despite being a grown man, Wind still carried his youthful innocence with him. Perhaps his death prevented his mind from fully maturing - but since when do men ever really mature? Still, his youthful antics and childish comments needed to kept at a minimum or else the organization would demand a new leader. Well, maybe they wouldn't. It could really go either way.

Just as soon as his bird-like feathers vanished, he thought her heard a familiar pair of footsteps approach from the fog. When his eyes were finally able to see through the fog, he washed away his playful side. It was time to get serious again. His fiance was approaching.

As she walked through the barrier that seemed to shroud her, he took a few steps toward her. "Thanks," he muttered, taking his objects into his own hands. Against his better judgement, his lips pressed against the side of own pair of pale, pink ones. When he realized his gesture, he immediately cleared his throat and stepped away. A light blush could be made out on his features.

"Shall we march to D.C.?" he said with a flat, dry voice. "With the storm heading their way - the storm I conjured up - it should slow their trip down. They should arrive seven days from now. We can get their in… over thirteen days. But, being blessed with beasts, we can take some of the cheetahs and make it there in about four."

Cocking his head toward the side, he nodded toward three beautiful feline ghosts, each of which had the shape of a cheetah but the speed of a demon. They wouldn't fatigue like a mortal cat, rather they could run for days straight at their top speed. The three could probably get there in less time, but Wind wanted to swing north some and make a barricade of sorts. "We'll hook north lay some traps near Cleveland. Odds are, the agents will take the lake route as it seems to have lesser ghost sightings. From there, we can turn down and set up camp in Washington. We'll be waiting for them and they will be none the wiser."

The women could, obviously, make suggestions, but Wind rarely listened to them. He often had things planned out far more than he led on. Walking toward a cheetah (the girls would probably ride their own cats), he hopped on it. Grin on his face, he smirked. "Iowa to Ohio, if you please."

Lerien took occasional glances up at her new 'team mates'. She had mostly tuned out the conversation that had been going on between the two so she missed most of what they were saying. Well, at least I'm not the only one with colored hair..well mine's natural I'm not sure about his..She took a side glance up at Princess wh had recently proped up on Duke's shoulders. Gee..I wish i was tall but this Duke fellow seems a bit too much..

She quickly turned her face away again, remembering that no one likes to be stared at..well maybe some people but still. Her cheeks turned light pink a little as she sighed and spoke silently. What a drag..

Taking Princess's silence and apparent complacency as a sign he was not terrified of him, Duke leaned sharply forward, feigning a trip. Thinking Princess would either reel back or cling on tightly, the man swooped his free hand back and caught him by the head and shoulders, righting his footing as he swung the body of his teammate around, placing him on the hard earth.

"Sorry," he told him, grinning wide. "Tripped."

Boomer stared at Paladin for a moment, trying to hold back a laugh. She liked this kid. He was entertaining, someone she would probably get along with easily. "Alright, alright. I don't mind Team Apex." She said, not really caring. She was fine with just 'Team A' but if they wanted team names, Team Apex it was. She thought on that for a moment, Why Apex, though? Was that just the first thing that popped into that insanity chamber he calls a mind? Boomer shook her head and nodded as he asked about the walk, "You hear Sycom. 5 days on foot. Though, we should get a lift from the military somewhere along the way."

Boomer suddenly heard a thud behind her. She looked behind her at Duke and Princess. Duke had an ugly smirk planted on his face while Princess's face... was planted in the dirt. She let out a bit of a chorckle before turning back to her team and whispering, "Oh, yeah. We'll be the last ones alive."

As Max stepped on the road he looked to his team mates and asked "So...should we walk or run?" he looked at his watch and threw it away "Remind me to get a working watch".

Gabriel stopped walking and turned to Boomer "5...days...On...FOOT! I am not okay with this" Gabriel resumed walking and turned to PB "Sure Peanut if you want to run for 5 days straight go ahead! We'll all catch up when we find your passed out body, I think we could convince Duke to carry you." Gabriel trudged on dreading the 5 day trip he had ahead of him.

"Well if we're going to be walking for awhile I may as well take off my helmet and get some fresh air." Gabriel pressed a button on his left wrist, his helmet started folding into the armor around his neck revealing his face. His face was battered and scarred, his black hair stood up in an unnatural way. He had the workings of a beard around his face, jolting his head back and forth to each side a loud pop was heard produced by his neck.

"Well we gotta save the world, may as well rush to the starting line" Max said trying not to sound like an idiot, truth was he was feeling a bit scared, being responsible for a team and what they do right and wrong. He shrugged off the feeling and kept walking.

"Liar," Princess hissed as he was rudely awoken from his mini catnap. Still, he couldn't help but like this guy. He had a sneaky side, which was something Princess loved above all else. Duke was going to be the god-send for the group - or at least for Princess. He had just the right amount of balls to pull tricks while having just the right amount of kindness to not go over the edge.

As his eyes slid from Duke to Baby Doll, he smirked. "What a drag is right," he mused. Although, it wasn't really that much of a drag. Sure, walking was a bitch and yes, he was hungry and tired, but it could have been much worse. It could have been raining.

Using his newfound gear - the high-tech eyes they were all given - he pulled up a weather map. Upon first glance, the thing posted clear skies and a tranquil night. "Success," he announced louder than he meant to; loud enough that the others all heard his little escape of enjoyment. "Erm, the weather radar says we have smooth saili- hey, what the?" Taking the glasses from his head, he gave the device a good pounding. Upon sliding them back onto his face, a large scowl appeared. "Fuck. Looks like the forecast just did a three-sixty. We now have rain approaching from the West, and fast. It'll hit us by nightfall."

With an angry growl, he turned his eyes toward the clear, blue sky. "Why do you hate me so much today?"

"Sorry, Princess, but I think it's me that the heavens hate," Xiaolian piped up. "I've never really had that prosperous luck on my side."

"So she speaks," the sister added with a giggle. "Glad to see you're warming up to the idea of traveling with this crazy bunch of misfits. I can totally see why the agency picked us nine to… save the world."

Upon hearing PB's comment, Princess snorted. "I refuse to run anywhere." It came off cold and dry, just the way he wanted. He really wasn't up for making friends with any of the other teams. Duke and Doll (he was just going to call her that) seemed good enough for him.

"I don't think we need to run, per-say, but I do agree what we might want to hustle our pace some. If you check out the map in these goggle things, it shows our ETA - estimated time of arrival. Right now, at our current pace and with Princess' intel of poor weather, it looks like we'll get there in… FIFTEEN DAYS?!" Eyes wide, she looked over at her sister. "That's fifteen days without a shower!"

"It'll be raining…" Princess interjected, "you will get plenty wet."

Giggling, Xiaolian found herself amused by this pink-haired, half-sized man. He was a bite burly and rude, but his obvious statement were very entertaining.

"Ah-ha! I knew it. You've got a crush on Princess. Want me to hook you two up?" Luli jabbed her elbow into the older Chinese woman's ribcage. "Eh? Eh!"

Flustered beyond belief, Xiaolian tried to pull her hair before her eyes in a failed attempt to hide her bright blush. "I-I-I…" was all she could stammer out before hiding her red cheeks behind her hands. "You're so cruel," she muttered.

Things, for the most part, were going rather smooth, save for the foredooming rain. But a little rain wasn't about to break their spirits or ruin their courage. They would just have to rely on one another to pull through this.

voice message from SYCOM to FIELD AGENTS
sent at 10:49AM

Quote:

---

Yo, newbies! Just wanted to let you know that there is a huge ass storming coming your way. I suggest you guys get to Perth Amboy. It'll take about nine hours to get there. So around 7 or 8 o'clock. When you get there, look for a large, red docking station. You won't be able to miss it. On the outside, there's a large door that'll ask for a keycode. It's 49E3R. Type that baby in and you'll be granted access to our naval docks. There, you will be left in the vary capable hands of General Sheridan. Good luck and god speed!

Oh and there's no need to reply back. I know you'll all get this message because, well, I made these things and they work like a charm. Buh-bye no- oh hey Daliah. I was just ummm... uhh... oh, hey don't touch th-

---

MESSAGE TERMINATED at 10:53AM

"If you worries about how long it'll take us to get there, Princess, I could pick up the pace. If you've not noticed, I have a much wider step; if I were to walk at my normal rate, it might take us only half that, but then I'd be leaving you and Babydoll behind."

He said this aloud more to snipe at the other teams for being short than any other reason.

It had taken a bit of time to get used to the spirits that always roamed the lands, but at this point Eris merely only looked at them with the same passing interest with which they looked upon her. It was a deal that they had struck, Judgement Day and the spirits. The spirits were smart, they knew that by enlisting and rewarding a chosen few with as much hate as they had that they would be able to easier own this planet. But those and thoughts were far from Eris's mind, as she had made her choice long ago.

Seeing the two through the smog, Eris sped up her pace to meet with Wind and Sekhmet. "You're welcome" she smiled as Wind took the bag from her and his lips fell against hers momentarily. It took her by surprise, but she didn't allow her surprise to register in her body language. Wind never showed affection in the presence of others. Initially that had caused them many many troubles, as Eris hadn't believed in his affections, but as the time passed he'd proven to her in private moments that he'd meant what he said and Eris had realized that a leader of judgment day had needed to be viewed as serious, and as having no weaknesses, and so Eris accepted his seriousness and held her desires locked away.

Iris, the massive white tiger spirit, plodded next to her as she approached the two of them. Catching Sekhmet's nod, Eris returned it as well. Sekhmet and Eris's relationship was complicated, as was everything else in Judgement Day, but it was a good thing. Sekhmet and Eris didn't talk much, but it was understood that they were the strongest of allies. They didn't need to talk much, as their dedication to Wind was enough to bond them together. Hearing her fiance's plan, Eris nodded in agreement. "That seems like a sound plan to me Wind. Let's go then I suppose." She said, mounting Iris as the tiger trotted up next to Sekhmet and the cheetah Wind was to ride.

As soon as she heard that Paladin was taking his helmet off, Bili turned to look. She'd been curious as to what he looked like all day. Peeking around unabashedly, Bili was quite surprised to see that he was rather handsome. Granted, he'd certainly taken a beating, but there was a good looking man under than. Thank goodness. Not only had they gotten a very adept crew, but they'd gotten a little piece of eye candy too. "Nice to see your face there, Paladin. Though you look a lil' rough." she said with a smile, continuing to walk with them and keep herself away from the other teams.

She hadn't been paying much mind to other crews, other than to bemoan in her mind how lucky she was to be with Boomer and Paladin. But Princess's strange reaction to the weather caught her attention. "Wait so you're saying the weather just changed all of a sudden? Just right before your eyes?" It was suspicious, and she felt the group wasn't paying near enough attention to the strangeness of that.

Boomer raised a brow at the mention of seeing Paladin's face. Sure, she was fine if he wanted to wear that helmet everyday of his ever loving life but it would be nice to see his - She turned her head to look at him, Well... Hot damn. Boomer snapped her head back in front of her and adjusted the goggles on her head. A pleasantly thoughtful smirk was planted on her lips. Not only do we have a competent team, we're all pretty damn sexy. A chuckle came from her throat at her own thoughts before she turned back to Paladin and stepped over to him. She placed her thumb on his chin and a curled up pointer under it and examined the marks on his face. "Damn, kid, you look worse than when I got my arm blown off." She said, "And let me tell you, that was not a pretty sight."

Boomer turned back on her walk, rolling her mechanized shoulder. Sure, losing her limb wasn't fun, but she had a hell of a time building her new arm. It actually had a lot of good functions that she equipped to it. Mostly for her mechanic work, though. Although, she did have a few explosives hidden in those wired muscles. Other than that, her fingers could become screw drivers and such. Boomer glanced back at Princess before getting Sycom's message. She pulled her goggled over her eyes and pulled up the weather forcast. "Sadly, He's right, Bili." She said, "Sycom just sent out a message and I can see the forecast now. There's one hell of a storm comin'. I suggest we all pick up the pace and get to Perth Amboy. Sycom's sayin' there's a dock there we can hunker down in."

"Now that settles it. Pardon me, Princess, Babydoll," the giant said as he took them each, respectively dropping Princess on his head and Babydoll into his overly large satchel (even for him). "It may be a tight fit but we'll get there faster than the rest of these hokeys and this way we won't get seperated. Any objections, captain?"

He was already walking at his full eight and a half foot pace, entering into a jog as he started to pass the other two teams.

"Gangway, gangway, Team C is for Cookie coming through," he alighted.