???: *still a bit insecure* I guess. I mean, I hope I can be of any help…

Cole:well…that's one.*they then continue to search for awhile no luck finding the others*
ok…so far at least 87 scrolls have gone missing.
Nene:where did they all go?
Cole:*shrugs* I wish I knew. Imean there are scrolls being recovered from the second floor, however I don't know which ones they are or how many of them they'll find. Till then let's keep looking.

*Station Square*
Joseph:You'll do fine…*he then turns to his men*ok let's go.*the group start off heading through the city it wasn't raining too bad however they still got soaked they got to each place Joseph said. About half of them were standing and only a quarter of them had anything that could be preserved. Still they took what they could and moved on through the jagged concrete remains. Eventually 2 hours later they were close to the outside of the city*
Rick: Oliver and I will see if we can find a car to drive out in.
Joseph: an excellent idea we're close o geting out of here so there should be less blocking the roads.*he watches them take off then turns to the survivor , she now carrys a bag filled with dry meats and water over her shoulder. its not really heavy although one can get tired from holding onto it for a good while* How are you holding up? You feeling ok?

*they searched through of what was left and only found a few more*
Pico:well….this is concearning

Cole: Indeed…witnisses say that there were 5 people in here. Subtract our intruders and we got 3 members of Zot…hmm this might be a good time to conduct some interviews with those who saw the intruders and those who fought them.

*Dimension S*
Man in White:*finished weaving the darkness into what appears to be several snakes*(Finally, its done. and they make it look so easy to do…note to self learn to construct things made of darkness…or take up knitting. either skill will do.)
*he then opens a hole in the darkness motioning them through into the world he had his eyes set on to help aid his the first of many. he then begins to motion his hands began his work from the shadows. having them search for the gate*

Pico:an interview? hmm ok if you say so(i wonder if we,ll get some answers) you want me to do the interviewing or are we doing this in a group?

Cole:group would be best as we could bounce questions around and get better answers. The question is who do we start with? Those who saw them or those that fought the creature here?

Pico:lets start with the people that saw them atleast then we,ll get some idea

Cole: Alright then*he then pulls out an orb and radios up to the comm room*Brian do be kind and ask around if anyone saw the intruders and erspond back as soon as you can.
Brian: understood.
Cole: While that's happening, let's be on our way to the the 7th floor. There's said to be a key witness of someone who at least saw one of the intruders in their care.

Pico:right.
*later at the 7th floor*
Cole:here we are are you 2 ready?
Pco:are you kidding? detective Pico is on the case*Pico then grin widely*
Nene:ok calm down Sherlocke Stone we gotta do this carefully.
Pico:i know that but that dosnt mean this wont be anyless fun.

{its cool man take your time and do what you got you do.}
______________________________________________________
Cole: alright then. Let's go.*the 3 enter the room. The First thing they note is the Yellow Caution tape placed at a section of the ward with a huge hole going down and up. likely from the 12th floor*
Greg: Pico buddy how are you doing? You recover any memories?*he then turns to the hedgehog*Um, who's this guy?

Pico:uh im getting a few at a time*cough*and this ismy dad.. dad this is Greg our new doctor Greg this is Cole his a teacher.
Greg:nice to meet you
Cole:like wise
Pico:now enough introductions we got some questions that need answering.

Greg: (So his dad is a hedgehog? wow I did not see that coming. I wonder how he's going to feel when he rediscovers his mom? Time will tell I guess.) Of course I take it your here for the warlock who was poisoned?
Cole: correct.
Greg:Alright just give me a moment to wake him he seems to be doing better after the medicine we gave him from Doc's labs.*he then walks away and comes back minutes later* ok he's up. Now just because he's up doesn't mean he's fully over the events.
Nene: don't worry we'll take it easy on him.
Greg: right this way then.*he leads them to the room and opens the door*

Pico:*Pico raises a eyebrow*uh..whos Doc?
Nene:uh…his uh…a bit of a quirky scientest
Pico:quirky?
Nene:uh yeah his methods are strange but effective
Pico:oh ok
*Greg thenwoke up the warlock*
Pico:hi my name is Pico this is Nene and Cole we have some questions about what happened to you.

Chris: please call me Chris…
Nene: A warlock Named Chris? don't you guys usualy have a title that goes with your name?
Chris: I have yet to earn one…anyway your here for my story are you not?
Cole: yes, please tell us about the encounter.
Chris: very well…*flash back* it was several hours ago and I was checking on the order under the tower. All my superiors were weakened except for the fiends, Dave the Bass player, and Steven. Anyway I went down the hall to see if anyone else was ok and that's when it came out of nowhere.
Cole:what was it?
Chris: I don't know really. It seemed like it wasn't whole and was borrowing parts from other people. I tried casting slow on it to give me an edge in escaping however it grabbed me and injected me with something…that's when I started to trip and freak out.

Pico:*Pico was surprised* whoever did this drugged you? now thats just low…
Cole:it seems our“friend” was desperat hmmm do you remember anything in perticular like whatit looked like?

Chris:Desperate? no he was looking for an easy target *he then shows the mark left by the needle* Anyway let's see…*he takes a moment to try to remember* he was big and so were his hands one of them was enough to wrap around my head. His voice before the drug sounded low…I think. His hand had some sort of makings in the palm and he had…*he moans as he holds his head* something both hot and cold at the same time
Nene:…poptar-
Chris:*he springs up*Its wasn't Poptarts!*he then lies back down* sorry. Anyway he spoke to me its sounded like stuff that bane would say from that batman movie. I couldn't make any of it out though as I was to busy listening to my own screams and fighting off nauesa. but at one point it seemed like he was asking something. I couldn't make any of it out. Anyway seconds later the Lich saved me and teleported me here.

Pico:*Pico smiles at Chris" thanks for the information Chris you been great help *Chris then walked away not wanting to think about anymore that happened* great we got a lead but if we want to track this guy downn we better keep investigateing.
Nene:(i never seen Pico so calm about this if a fellow Zot member was hurt he would usually attack that person spells blazeing*Nene then smiles* maybe its a good thing he hurt his head after all)

Nene: where to next?
Cole: well the Lich might know something. However I really don't want head down and talk to that monster. Perhaps we should go to the Comm room to look at the records of those that saw the intruders and and the units that fired at them.

Pico:sounds good lets go.*the 3 mobians head to the comm room* ok lets do this

*The 3 then enter and Cole turns to one of the comm guys*
Brian: yes?
Cole: do you have the list?
Brian: we do. here's the list.
Cole:*takes it* hmm…(second floor reported noise hearing noise from the barracks and waited till they were sure it was clear… 4th unit tried to blast the two however claim nothing worked then there are those who are cleaning up the summoning system's monsters off the stairs…no help there seeing how they are post invasion then there's Zack Rob and Steven's encounter.) Well it seems we have a lot on our plate here. I reccomend we spend time with the 4th unit on this floor now, and work our way down to the second floor.

Pico:(great…) uh sure lets go!

*so the group heads out and finds the 4th unit*
Cole: hello there friends how are we?
Shane: well, we're fine. however we're still looking trying to find traces of anything to trail them.
Cole: I see… can you tell us about the intruders?
Shane: let's see the first one was definitly a mobian. A female wolf to be precise. she had an odd getup on and looked wounded. We fired at her as she ran however the bullets went around her. I would say she had a device that allowed this.
Nene:what was it?
Shane:*shakes his head* I do not know. I'm sure someone in the lab could tell you if you gave them a discription. as for the other he was huge and fast. might be human, but I doubt it. what I find odd about the big man was his movement.

???: *is indeed starting to look a bit tired; she smiles gratefully* That's so nice of you, thanks! You're a real gentleman. *she stops and takes her bag off to give it to him, blushing a bit from feeling guilty that he now has to carry two bags because of her* How far is our destination away still? *she asks in order to play over her embarrassment*


- Zot, 9th floor, training room -

Snow: *is sitting in the middle of the room cross legged; the ball of ice before him he concentrates on to keep it airborne, progressively sinks and melts; the puddle on the ground proves evidence that while the ball must've had the size of a medicine ball to start, now it's merely measuring up to a softball* (This is preposterous! It's no use!) *the ball drops to the ground and shatters - it takes not one minute until all the tiny fragments have completely melted; he punches with his fist against the ground - what used to leave behind a dozen cracks in the special stress concrete now only causes his hand to hurt* (If the traces of the drainage wave really lead back to Damion, I hope he dies a thousand deaths. If his decapitation even killed him.) *he stands up and after another try to summon Agony - no success - he continues to just stand there; missing his hammer, he feels weaker and lonelier than ever*

Pico:this is good thank you for your information *the 3 then headed towards the lab they were about to knock on the door until..* ugh!*Pico felt a familiar stinging sensation on the back of his head and as he closed his eyes he saw a familiar face it looked like him but demonic and evil lookin this "Demonic Pico charged at Mia but then was attacked by Shadowblade*….ugh what was that about?

Cole: notices hos son's pause* you ok son?
Nene:what's up Pico did you gain a new memory or something?

*Doc's lab*
Anita:*comes in quietly moments later doc still on the table and people moving in and out of his lab for the newly made pills soon to be shipped everywhere to stationed Zot camps*…um Doc?
Doc:…yes Anita?
Anita:Val fell asleep in your room. how are you feeling?
Doc:…still a tad upset over being hit on the head.
Anita:what's wrong with your friend? Do you 2 argue often?
Doc:*he puses for a moment*…no this isn't an argument. more of a disagreement on a decision. as for the reason you know the people who invaded us?
Anita:*she tuens her head slightly* I know of the situation.
Doc:well to make a long story short these 2 work for someone that hurt Snow in more ways than one awihle ago. The fact that this person returned upsets him as right now he doesn't want that happening again to anyone. The problem is he's kinda having issues with his powers. I don't know all the details but I presume he'll come to me at some point hoping I can restore them. its also possible for some reason he'll still be in his mood.
Anita: oooh…so your waiting for him?
Doc:well that and thinking what our intruders wanted.
Anita:well, you'll figure it out. your one of the smartest guys here.
Doc:*he sits up and smiles smiles*thank you Anita. now if its not much trouble do you think you can bring your mother here? I need to ask her some questions.
Anita: will do, Doc!*she then runs out the door*
Doc:* he puts on another batch for the pills and lies back down and stares at the ceiling trying to predict their foe's next move and what to say to Snow when he comes in*

*Station Square*
Joseph: its not too long once we leave the city we its a short drive out and then a trip through the forest. *he then hears something come from his radio*
Mick: Attention all troops! New supplies are going to be arriving soon at the camp. please return at once to recieve them. that is all.
Joseph:…well it seems we're going to be making a pitstop at the camp.*he then hears a horn and turns to see Rick and Oliver in a beat up convertable its dented and side windows gone, but it works and has at less than a third of a tank of gas which would be more than enough to get them at least to the camp and part of the way there if it didn't break down* …I take it one of you hotwired that?
Oliver: Well, I didn't learn about auto repair and engineering for nothing.
Rick:they teach you how to hotwire a car in those classes?
Oliver: No, I looked that part up on my phone.
Rick:*shrugs and turns to his boss* Anyway I take it you heard the word?
Joseph: I did. and we'll be heading there first to get whatever these supplies are. then we head to the “off grid”.
Oliver: well then get in you 2 we got stuff to pick up.
Joseph: in a moment.*he heads over and puts the bags by where he'll sit and opens the door for the wolf in front of him*

Pico:*Pico a scared look*(did..i do that? i looked like a monster and i attacked Shadowblade? why would i do that? am i a monster?)
Nene:pico…Pico!!
Pico:huh? what?

Nene:your father was talking to you but you zoned out…are you ok?
Pico:yeah..im fine lets just do this

*the 3 enter the lab on the 3rd floor upon entering they notice that the wires are being done and lights are replaced. Cole look among the scientists and clears his throat making a couple of them head over*
Leon: welcome folks what's going on?
Cole:we need to talk about something.
Andy: does it involve the intruders?
Nene: one of them, yes. Specifically their weaponry
Leon:Well we don't know much ourselves as we haven't seen it, but we'll try our best to help you out. *he then notices Pico* oh, Pico. Its good seeing you again. Your wife and her friend are in the other room would you like me to let them know your here?

Pico:*Picos eyes grew big* no!..er i mean no thank you id rather if we get this over with*even though he was trying to hide it his facial expression showed worry and concearn. but not for himself but for the people around him*

- Station Square, abandoned subway. The two make their way cautiously down the tunnel. Though the way is now lit with the sparse surviving light bulbs, there is still enough remaining shadow to make it an uneasy trip. After some time in silence, they reach the next landing and expected problems. It appears that the train jumped its tracks when it got down here and crashed into the station's stairs and exit, collapsing that entire area and throwing thick hovering dust into the air. -

Rust: What's this, the third time our exit's been shot? I think that's one more time than can be called coincidence.
Claire: Coincidence or not, I'd suggest we better make our way up again. We're down on third level now, and I bet the deeper we get the likelier we're gonna make acquaintance with whatever wants us dead. Dunno boutcha but I don't really want that. Also, not sure how's it lookin' like today, but fifteen years ago ya did not wanna go to the fourth level. That was literally the dump for the city's worst scum. Bums, strays, invalids, thieves, crack addicts, madmen, murderers even… Eh, we'll be fine. Surely, there's none of'em left. Not with these low budget predators around.
Rust: *slaps his forehead with his gloved hand* Have you ever heard of Murphy's Law? Why don't you ask what's the worst thing that can happen while you're at it? *his tone is not antagonistic but it is somewhat disappointed and sardonic*
Claire: *cocky little smile* Superstitious little pussy. Why not tell me yer still believin' in the tooth fairy too, while yer at it?
Rust: It's not superstition, it's being genre savvy. *he says with unnerving calm* Since we've come down here three consecutive exits have been recently blocked including our way out, we've been attacked by giant rats, and nearly run over by a train. You saw the shadows earlier; you've heard the noises too. Tell me, if this was one of your movies what type would it be?
Claire: *crosses her arms and taps her foot thinking for a moment* … I'd say either Mr. or Abominable. If it's the latter, well fuck. Personally, I'd go for the first one. Badass, smokin' hot couple shootin' their way through life to get over their relationship problems. Ey, all the points are true, ‘cept maybe one. Anyway, I ain’t gonna change yer diapers, so let's get a move on. *she turns to head further down the railroad, but stops in the move and hisses all of a sudden, clutching a hand on her right side below the ribs with a grimace* Geghh… What… the fuckin'- *she takes her hand off to see a bit of blood staining her gloves; as she attempts to crook her torso in order to be able looking at what's giving her the sudden pain in her side, it stings horribly, and she aches hastily retreating to her former position* Hey Rust, wouldcha mind takin' a short look at about here? I really don't wanna complain, but somethin' doesn't really feel right.
Rust: *rolls his eyes* (Of course there's going to be more problems. What did you expect after that question?) *he walks further into the station, his cupped ears working overtime and his keen nose trying to notice anything above the feted smell of rat refuse* (Nothing to hear nothing to smell Can't shake the feeling of eyes on me though. Great; easiest way to play this is to just walk into it.) *he gives Claire an odd glance and sighs; he then unslings his gun, puts the safety on the immense thing, and leans it against a column almost casually* Gee, it looks like nobody's here. I may as well drop my guard and relax. *his inflection is rather fake and he doesn't seem to take his words too seriously; he takes off his white gloves and black scar tissue can be glimpsed on the back of his hands before he quickly shoves them into his pockets. Finally he braces as he asks the most dangerous words in the English language* What could possibly go wrong?
Claire: I meant this, you fucking idiot! I toldcha to lookit me! *she points at the side she's holding; there seems something red stained to be stuck there*
Rust: *looks at her side; there seems to be an inch and a half of something thin and black sticking into her skin* ( Looks like some kind of dart or stinger.) *in that moment a rough piece of the ceiling breaks away and falls on Rust, its colour and texture changing in midair so that it seems to transform from concrete to some kind of transparent and rubbery skinned creature in less than a second; as it flails away at Rust's unprepared form in savage assault it's tough to make it out more clearly than something that may have once been like a human; from other hiding places and corners of the station emerge other stranger beasts, they all are vaguely humanoid in shape but distorted and twisted, many possessing vermin or insect anatomy*

Cole:*notices his son's reaction* agreed. Now then, we need to know if there are any sheilds that can block bullets.
Leon: there are. However, that's maybe like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Nene: can we narrow it down to ones that aren't visable?
Leon: again more specific.
Cole:…what about sheilds that make bullets go around the target shot at?
Leon: Ah, now we're getting somewhere. what your talking about is electromagnetic sheilding. it veers away almost anything. Missles, bullets, knives coming in at a distance, and renders grenades inert. clever hardware however its expensive. Shadowblade wants to put it into the newer armor models however we don't have time or the materials to make it.
Nene: so your saying that this sheild is what one of them wore?
Andy: or had installed. from what we heard the smaller one seemed to have cybernetic implants.
Cole:can it be removed or shut down?
Leon: it can with a certain device, or if it was in her you could try and cut it out. though its hard to say where it be located inside her.

*Doc's lab*
Doc:*Lying on the table and hears the sound of his door opening and Anita wheeling in her mother.* Thank you Anita. Now before you go and come back I need you to deliver something up to the comm room upstairs.*hands her a letter*
Anita:*takes it and runs off*
Rose:what was that about?
Doc: Something I just thought of recently. My guess is Shadowblade did too, but never got around for those kind of instructions. Tell me, before we begin am I right to presume there being tunnels under Station Square?
Rose:well I've heard there were when I was stationed there, however I never used them if your asking that. Why?
Doc:(Thought so…seems my hunch could be right.) Just making sure to prevent something horrible that's all.
Rose: oh…*she then sighs and looks down* then I suppose-
Doc: yes but not in that way. Rose I'm going to need to ask you to go down memory lane for me and recall what happened “that day”.
Rose:*her eyes widened slightly and she rolled back some* That's a very senstive subject Doc. I still don't know if I'm ready for that.*her body starts to quiver and shake* I
Doc: I know,your body that day said it all, but there may be some clues that will bring this closer to an end. That's why I want to ask you.
Rose:*tears start to form her voice now filled with sorrow* at least give me some time before I begin to tell you everything.
Doc:I understand. take all the time you need.