The Raven's Basilisk

It had been a few hours since Psyis had returned from her self-designated tracking mission. Returning through the balcony as usual she'd gone debrief quickly before finding a quiet room down a wing far away from Steven's bedroom. Finally coming down into the Dark Cavern after taking a those few hours of rest topside in the Blane Manor proper. Her red eyes roaming over the complex installation that facilitated the switch between Dark Night and Stan Blane. At least the outward switch that was, neither of the two men Stan or Steven ever seemed to turn off their hero mentalities.

Bright spotlights casting deep shadows along the upper walls as they spread into an area wide glow below her. Metal walkways, multiple parked vehicles ranging from a flying assault vehicle to the rolling tank that was the Dark Mobile. There along the far wall were rows of brightly lit suits of alternative designs, some more up armored or designed for alternative environments. On the center platform lit brightly among the deeply contrasting shadows, observing the three massive viewing screens was the man she needed to talk to: Stan Blane.

Rather it was Dark Night as that was how the man refereed to himself in his own mind. Though now out of the cowl and a bit more relaxed in a simple button-up shirt and suit pants. Focused on various angles of camera feeds, sensor readouts, and a soup luncheon Jenkins had delivered at some point earlier. The man never shut off, not when he ate or even slept. Now with this newest issue to sink his teeth into the man had stayed up for hours chewing through any scrap of information he could find.

That driven mentality carrying over to quickly was probably where Steven got his big head and attitude, Psyis rolled her eyes as the lift finally reached the bottom. Steven taking that same approach of never letting this rest until he was satisfied, they were solved, wanting that perfect solution to all his problems, a solution to her. Dropping her ire as the silent movement of the lift she was standing on stopped at the bottom level. The silent ride contrasting sharply with the hard mechanical 'shunk' that came as it stopped at the bottom level locking into place.

"Let's go over the description again." Stan Blane didn't bother turning around, he wouldn't be Dark Night if he didn't already know who was coming down into the Dark Cavern.

"Humanoid, definitely humanoid." Psyis walked over quickly, the slight snap of her furled cape contrasting with the hum of cooling fans and the chit-scratch of massive rows of hard discs and dials at work. Back-ups and semi-mechanical computing for issues that would make a higher end physical chip die from heat alone.

"I'm tracking an after image," Glancing at the several tall tower racks idly Psyis tried to think of a way to describe the issue she was having with following Stan Blane's directions, "I'm trying to be the entire sonar crew on a submarine. The lag between processing and prediction is too long, that or the thing is fast like FazzPazz fast."

"FazzPazz levels of speed and psychic immunity is something we'd have heard of sooner unless this thing's decided to make a show for its first appearance." Stan shook his head as he weighed the options the psychics words had brought to mind, a top tier super with mental defense like that would have been known. Sitting forward and sitting the bowl of soup down Stan clicked a few buttons bringing up some windows supplying some evidence of his own. "That implies confidence, strength which isn't something I'm seeing, take a look at this."

A very poor-quality video of a man walking out of an alley came up before the feed cut to full static. The feed cut to another alley, Psyis realized Dark Night had taken the points of reference she had located last night and watched them for hours. Yea this was where Steven had gotten that dedication, a great trait for a sleuth of a hero but as a partner in life, not so much. Still the actual feed wasn't telling her much considering how little the man's appearance seemed to change in those tiny half-seconds.

Though Dark Night probably saw things much differently, comparing any minor detail and forming his own conclusions. If Stan had actually gained much from some black and white static of a man in a long coat it was impressive. Psyis couldn't really see any real identifiable features visible under the electronic snow. The only similarity between the various feeds was this man and the cameras reactions... they all faded out within a few frames.

"They all cut within a second." Stan leaned back in the chair, the squeak it let out was new. He had lost his patience earlier upon this discover and its even worse counterpart in his own monitoring network. "Every camera has the exact same issue which resolves as soon as it is outside of sight."

"What about your city wide moni-" Psyis began to ask, Stan gripping the chair in his own frustration as he cut her off with an angry response.

"Worse, less than this. Its a ghost on everything even thermal imaging from satellite." Stans knuckles popped, Psyis bringing up the issue that had nearly cost him a chair. Standing he moved the mouse, clicking a few different icons before picking up a small tablet that would make the presentation much easier. Using the touchscreen controls to drag two videos up to compare, Stan overlaid two videos.

One being a repeating scene where the 'man' was leaving an alley, the other a very zoomed in thermal image from orbit. The man was clearly visible in the Voltham's more 'public' camera network, public being the private owners and street cameras Stan had hacked. The multi trillion-dollar satellite he had in space showed jack, not even a shadow of a man.

"So, we need to work on your method." Stan turned his square jaw towards Psyis, giving an upward tilt of his head, "You said you use a ping? Could you use that ping to lock on, like a form of active tracking radar? We need eyes on this thing."

Stan leaned against the console hoping the Thessian had more options besides shaking her head no, this creature had decided to step into Voltham. Had already been in Voltham for years and that was Dark Nights turf, this would come to an end quickly as far as he was concerned. Just as long as the two younger members of the League played their cards accordingly, then they could figure out the hows and the whys. How was it moving, why was it here, those two would let them corner it and find the answers to what. What it was doing and just what this thing was, if it posed a risk Dark Night was already prepared to bring in more help. If it was attracted to action Stan would bring all the action it could handle.

"Radar still uses a signature, a signal. I don't have that; I'm chasing an afterimage where my powers are burnt out. It's a game where its constantly one step ahead." Psyis shook her head, already imagining the many ways she could lose any psychic lock on its area, the only solution she had so far was a higher power ping. "I'm looking for the hole and depending on the range it'd be like chasing a burnt-out pixel on one of your monitors here. The only way to up that resolution is more power which you've been saying no to that so far."

Psyis crossed her arms at that, sure this was Voltham not Centropolis. It wasn't her town to start pulling big moves in but Stan's choice in denying her full powered scan was irritating to say the least. If he'd been worried about her causing an issue with this new creature fine, but she knew he was more worried about the possible damages she'd cause. Just another way Dark Night was doubting her again, Psyis wondering why he'd even voted her into the League of Saviors proper if he was only going to doubt her constantly. She could handle her powers and if nothing else she'd just release the pulse at a higher altitude.

"I tried to do a bit of tracking as well." Stan pressed another button trying to distract the growing frustrations of Miss Psyis, this time thousands of camera feeds from all over the world popping up with that same snowy static before fading to black. Hoping he could bring out the same predator mentality she'd need to share with him to track this thing down. "Russia, China, Brazil, that's a feed from a research station in Antarctica, that's Atlantis, I don't think the Amazonian's use CCTV but I'm willing to bet my business empire its been there too."

"The largest number of blackouts and the longest blackouts on feeds happen in one area." Stan felt a bit of his Dark Night persona take the lead as he prepared the big reveal, the various cities disappearing as one massive map took the screen. "For the last three months it's been in Centropolis."

Psyis heard her knuckles popping knowing full well what Dark Night was implying, taking a shakey breath she tried to confirm. Asking directly just to hear the detective hero say it. "It's following me?"

Her red eyes glancing at all the areas that blotted her home city, the others had a few hot spots but her hometown? It was marred, black scars showing the streets this thing had been stalking while right under her nose. Psyis didn't bother looking down to know her pattern was going a bit wild at the moment. Anger and a tinge of fear buried under her frustration at the inability to even realize it had been right beside her the entire time even now here in Voltham. No wonder Dark Night was treating her like a helper again!

"Not necessarily but the fact it seems to base itself in Centropolis is something we need to consider." Stan didn't want the Psychic trigger happy; he wanted her on edge. Now trying to pull her back a bit worried that he might have pushed a bit far by giving her this information, explaining his alternative idea. "I don't believe in coincidence but there's no real evidence to support you having a tail. Here's another overlay."

Several maps were brought up, the cities marked with their adjacent heroes along with coinciding villains. Middle City and FazzPazz with Thorn, Dark Night and The Quiz here in Voltham even the warry Vietnam war vet Vengeance in N.Y.C. with Street King. All the way to the Magician Magnifique fighting the Tao of Fallen Mystique in Tibet.

"This is a record of most of the big battles between League members and our villains." Pointing at each of the maps as they ran back through the list again, Stan pointed out all to odd little coincidences he had noticed. "These blackouts start happening on average either right before or right after a big bust."

The implications Dark Night was actual considering were not good. Something was here and it was studying every single super-hero on their little blue rock. The League had already dealt with several villains and creations that could copy just their powers, one that could or was developing counters for every hero across the globe. Honestly, he'd never considered the idea just because of the sheer logistics but now? It was something he was reconsidering entirely as obviously this thing had slipped past all of them, until now.

"FearForm and The Quiz." Psyis' head instantly snapped toward Dark Night, drawing similar conclusions as the heroic detective. The more likely reason this thing was here now, instead of following her.

Though Stan did still want the Centropolis based hero to very much consider this thing as a more personal threat the odds were it was studying them for some reason. There could be multiple this unknown had chosen Centropolis to base itself, it had once housed a Zexxian. Now it was home to another alien the Thessian in front of him, perhaps there was another similarity to this new Centropolis resident? Either way it was here for something, and Stan partially blamed himself for bringing it.

"Both foes Squire and I are capable of handling, we just can't provide the safety we need to for civilians, so we called you. I was building our forces without knowing there was a correlation between this thing and a gathering of heroes." Stan nodded now detailing the finer points of his hypothesis, before finishing addressing the newest addition to the room. "My decision may have been what drew our friend in, I made another hot spot of activity. We're aware now and it can't track all of us, so I'll monitor while you two patrol."

Psyis turned to see Dark Squire walking up, well he called himself Steven Blane until that mask was pulled on completely. But it was always the same Dark Squire that had burned her, wasting a touch of youth on an over angry young man. Nodding politely at the man who'd thrown away her innocence to try for a chance to blame her for his well of problems. A dark place Psyis had struggled to escape once she'd realized there was never going to be a real Steven just an alter-ego for Dark Night.

A familiar cocky grin reflecting a confidence she wasn't really feeling as Steven having never felt the entity they were discussing. It was alien even to her own alien. Dark Squire was already full of energy and expectations for a fight, Psyis a bit worried about how their patrol tonight might go if he decided to jump in senselessly. There were already two villains at play with an unknown, she didn't need the junior-league member trying to pull some stunt or causing a scene bringing that thing back in.

"I've told this to Steven but I'm telling you now. Stay alert and if comes you may want to start thinking like you just landed again." Stan crossed his arms the threads in his button up shirt stretching as he postured unintentionally. Looking at Psyis at first before warning Steven directly not to overstep. "If its here because of the activity its going to be drawn in tonight for sure. On who's side we don't know yet and we don't want to make that decision for it. The thing didn't help or hurt us, so it may be trying to figure us out at the same time."

"An alien?" Psyis raised her brows a bit as Dark Night directly implied that it was studying them as well. A stage she had gone through as an actual Thessian, the young psychic alien having taken many years to simply acclimate to the chaotic human world. though she quickly accepted humanity as her own.

Choosing quickly to use her own unique Thessian powers to save the earthlings that she had studied and thus been raised from. Psyis not quite convinced, but then again, she'd hadn't met every alien out there. She wasn't willing to completely ignore Stan's advice either, it was certainly strange, so alien suited it. For all she knew maybe there was a species that was immune to psychic powers, amorphous, and absurdly fast?

"Possibly, you're the one who identified it as non-human so I'm going off of your information." Stan committed only as far as his fellow League member was, detailing further on their limits, "Whatever it is, its curios and capable enough to move around without being detected by technological means or psychic. We need to handle this without bringing in more activity because that could be just what it wants."

"If it shows up, we can handle it." Steven flexed a bit, trying to get his suit just right the Kevlar and alloy inserts sliding a bit as he pulled at the joints. His eyes glancing towards what looked like a beggar, the thing they were supposed to be wary of, "it doesn't look like all that much."

Giving a sideways glance at the woman who was his partner tonight once more, admiring the way the silver scales on her suit clung to her form in profile. Steven felt a bit of a smirk cross his face knowing just how soft the striped skin under that armor was before returning his mind to safer thoughts considering the psychic he was thinking fondly of. Psyis was still being sullen and upset that he wasn't some perky little goody-two-shoes like Radiation Lad. That was her problem, one she'd need to solve once she started missing that little bond thing she'd whined about.

Steven's eyes turning back to himself, focused more on his suit now. The bonded armor feeling a bit tight, the odd tug during a flip or roll could be just the thing to ruin a dodge and leave him taking a hit. Pulling and stretching a bit to get his blood moving and adjust the armor around the other parts of his body he pulled his thoughts away from from his partner as well.

Forming a few plans for what he might do if the thing really was something unexpected as opposed to what might happen after. How each gadget might be the thing needed to save the day for everyone. Different gases, crystals, and devices designed to bring down some of the toughest creatures Voltham had ever seen. Steven stopped warming up both his body and imagination giving Stan a nod, hoping his smirk didn't seem too cocky. Considering it was the old man who'd had trained him though Steven was confident in the abilities he'd been given.

Stan already sensing the eagerness in the Young League member, glancing at the psychic who had once helped blunt that fast temper. A bit worried about putting the two into a possible unknown situation, "I'm not looking for a confrontation. We are not looking for a fight."

Turning Stan decided to do the same thing he'd done for Psyis earlier. Bringing up an information dump that would hopefully get the young hero back into a problem solving mindset and not a problem starting one. Knowing that the information he was about to display was important to not only redirect that energy but to stop the actual villainy afoot. The thing that Psyis had spotted was worry some but not a direct threat, not like the images he was about to display.

"We don't have that option anyway so don't go looking for one." Stan gave Steven a hard look before pressing a button, a feed from one of the local water processing plants was displayed. Stan once again glancing at Psyis, who was the lead for tonight's patrol, handing the stage over to his protege who needed the help. "FearForm and The Quiz decided to move on with stage two of their little plot. If they couldn't make a madhouse out of that apartment complex the only obvious answer for these two? Go bigger, Steven."

"That facility provides all of the eastern districts with water." Steven stopped his posturing, quickly recognizing the important piece of infrastructure. A bit unconcerned about the it now as what the villains were attempting was a truly dire matter, "These freaks are insane that's hundreds of thousands of people at risk. It's me and you tonight Psyis, in a few hours they plan to provide the eastern district with liquid fear, we're going to stop that from happening."

Dark Night uncrossed his arms, flexing his corded muscles in preparation until his knuckles popped. Giving the most senior Young League member and newest junior to the actual League a stern look, "Not to go looking for fights. If things get active..."

"That's when Dark Night shows up and we try and box this thing in." Psyis nodded understanding that Stan wanted her to take the reigns on this mission though she now felt a bit stepped over. Steven taking the briefing by the book somewhat but now Psyis felt like those reigns were on a runaway horse. Steven seemed a bit caught up in the moment, and his mind had been everywhere but on the water plant during his little pep-talk.

If was about keeping the activity down so they could accomplish their task and not have to worry about the unknown factor at all she could handle it. Giving Steven that moment was probably a bad idea on Stan's part. Psyis giving a look at her partner for the night, firmly placing herself in the leader roll mentally and not as Stevens emotion babysitter. She had given up on spending her personal time reigning in Steven's violent attitude and domineering nature, but as a coworker days like this happened.

It was her job as the senior member and leader of the Young League, and it would help solidify her spot on the League in full as its junior most member. Keeping it professional was all she needed to do and not get dragged into some personal debate or rehashing of history. Task oriented and unavailable aside from smacking Steven if he got out of line. After having his little moment handed to him by Stan he likely was...

Task oriented and focused.

Psyis repeated the words to herself as Steven prepared the modified dragster Dark-Bike for the night. The multiple layers of armored windscreens wrapping around the front of the very futuristic looking modified racing bike. Its extended rear wheel spinning with a bit of smoke as Steven revved the motor which seemed to have no red line, only a louder scream. The psychic wrapping herself in a bubble of her own energy so she could go soaring out of the caverns hidden entrance. The throaty roar of the bikes heavily modified engine rattling both her thoughts and the cave around them.

Psyis slowing down a bit as Steven raced by her doing a wheelie, disappearing off into the night along the well-hidden road. Smiling a bit nostalgically as she recalled how attractive she had once found that absurdly misplaced energy. Only lifting the lid on what she had thought was an excitement for life to find a bubbling anger and resentment just waiting to boil over. Either taking to much after Stan or an unfortunate side effect of being taken in to late.

It was sadly comforting to see her friend acting the same as ever, though because of that they'd never change into anything more. That contrast between what he presented and who he was had soured their relationship to its eventual end and it was over now. Placing those thoughts in the back of her mind she flew along, following well above Dark Squire high in the sky. Looking down to see the dim glow of the bikes headlight making its cornering course along the outskirts towards the water processing plant.

It was only a bit over an hour later that Psyis was landing silently on the roof of one of the facilities buildings after scouting the area around the industrial lot. Steven having already subdued the goons who'd been left guarding the gate. Just a few of The Quiz's gang called Students who'd been quickly and silently dispatched by the well-trained sidekick of Dark Night. Of course, Dark Squire had been following her direction from above as she led him through the entrance of the facility through the easiest route, so it had only been those few goons.

Now standing and looking down across filtration tanks and down into the complex Psyis waited on the familiar sound of a grappling hook. The sound arriving as she had expected, Steven arriving and walking up while still detaching the excess cable to reload another grapple. Tossing the detached end aside while holstering the grappling gun, Steven crouched alongside Psyis.

"Those are the Students so The Quiz is already at work providing the security here." Dark Squire felt the slits for his eyes narrow as his cowl adjusted to match his expression. Recalling that there were a few steps he'd skipped in the Cavern, to preoccupied with thinking about what might happen after. Now Steven was looking down at the small gathering of goons down below, unsure about where to move from here.

"And those are full of FearForm's toxin but where's the actual work crew?" Psyis simply nodded finishing Dark Squires useless recap of everything his mentor had expected him to cover in the cavern. Glad Steven was having a bit of a come-to moment so she could explain her plan, "Thats not nearly enough toxin, we need to clear out... hold on get down"

Beginning to point at a few guards before pulling her hand and Steven down, the loud screaming thoughts of terrified human below warning her that something was coming. Psyis quickly waved Dark Squire down as he tried to peek, she sensed absolute fear not the fake kind induced by toxin. This was the kind that meant someones life was truly about to end.

Quickly waving Dark Squire to follow as she crept along the roof to a better area, glancing down towards one of the scaffolds where a goon was soon to face FearForm. The man being dragged by his hair as FearForm stomped along, his exo-skeleton coughing out clouds of thick yellow smoke while various tubes and hoses injected the toxin directly. The connections thankfully concealled under the tattered bits of cloth that were tied about the villains infected and boiled body. With a twisting jerk FearForm brought the man before him releasing him with a toss, sprawled the goon lay trembling across the ground.

"I'm telling you boss, the whole batch! It's just GONE! I swear I've got no clue... oh god-" The tiny figure in front of the disfigured villain tried to plead, utterly terrified, and hopelessly silenced by FearForm who had removed his mask to enjoy this personally. The man's voice stopping as a thick cloud of yellow washed over the two.

The disfigured man turning as his suit vented bits of yellow fumes, the toxins cycling back into the tanks. Psyis getting a clear mental picture of FearForm's actual face for a brief moment under the effects of the toxin. White teeth turning to twisted yellowing fangs and fair skin blistering, burning and bursting with pustules.

FearForm pulled out a pistol, the man's mind gone from the addition of the toxins festering in actual fear for his own life. Now the villain was actually bored, his victim was essentially brain-dead. Just to satisfy his own need for attention FearForm decided to bring a bit of noise to the near silent death. The crisp echo of a gun cut of any other excuses from down below as FearForm turned the twisted remains of the goon's face contorting further under the exo-skeleton's strength as he roared out orders.

"Find my toxin or I will watch your filthy bodies spin cycle in the oxygenation tanks!!" The unstable mans almost sleepy visage snapping just as the dead mans skull did, his contentment at killing the goon instantly warping back to rage all over again.

A few goons ran off as they connected the demand to the threat of drowning helplessly in the dangerous water. The rest still struggling with their failed Voltham educations. FearForm's eyes twisting in rage so deep he could feel the thin I.V. Needles that supplied his own mental drugs working loose.

"NOW!" FearForm screamed at those left, who were practically all his own.. were his own hires that dumb? Drops of yellow joining the infected red that had begun to leak from a face twisted from toxin abuse quickly settling on shooting another goon in the head just to motivate the lot, at least that one was The Quiz's.

Psyis took a few steps back as these new details came in, turning to look at Dark Squire while she stayed crouched. She had tried to look through FearForm's mind quickly but he was still using those chemicals. It should have been impossible to think coherently on them but the man was a villain for a reason. It was like he could experience every emotion but fear now and had chosen to stick to the worst of them.

Instead, she had resorted to checking his workers and had discovered the entire batch of toxin that they had prepared for tonight's attack was gone. Not just the toxin but the entire chemical trailers they had been hauled in. The trucks were still parked where they had been preparing to offload the liquid but their load had just vanished.

"What was that?" Dark Squire looked back towards the scene a bit shaken as he caught the two villains seemingly fall apart, FearForm shooting both his own and The Quiz's goons indiscriminately. His eyes having been drawn to the view of the preoccupied psychic next to him, her crouched form having just the right curves.

"The toxin is missing." Psyis blinked a few times wondering if the death had shocked Steven that much or if he had just missed the conversation entirely because he had been ogling her. Psyis nodded forwards sending Steven first this time, as both crept back towards the edge of the roof more yelling was beginning to take place.

"The pumping units too?!" FearForm threw a walkies-talkie still crackling with bad news at the wall below them, shattering it. Calmly looking up at the sky as he blamed the only person he could think of, "Dark Night I"ll kill you!!"

The Quiz walked over, the prim professor's outfit he'd turned into his villain's attire swishing with the added starch. Reaching out with zero fear and complete confidence that the chemically addled brain of his fellow villain had failed completely. What was in that thick yellow fluid that had made FearForm blame the caped man for tonight's issues. To anyone of above average intellect it was obvious there was some other busy body here who'd cheated them. Ruining their chance to correct the grevious errors of Voltham's misguided populace.

"Call Crusher we've got a problem and it's not punching anyone," The Quiz yanked on FearForm's mask, the metal and I.V.'s creaking in protest as the delicately gloved hand pulled the insane man down to a sensible level, "so it can't be Dark Night you idiot."

Psyis and Dark Squire both looked at one another as they realized what The Quiz said made sense. They hadn't really done a single thing beyond knocking out a couple goons at the gate, the toxin and pumps had been taken away by someone else.

"You don't think?" Dark Squire tensed as both of them thought of their third-party member from the previous night, had they misjudged the situation?

"Give me a sec" Psyis sent a gentle pulse downwards, trying to repeat it quickly several times in a row to get a clearly resolved image. Quickly going over the complicated 3d map that began to render in her mind to see if it had beaten them to the punch. Tracing through the various images that had been brought into her mind looking for that void, the odd thing out. She was just a bit to slow in comparison to the goons who had run down to check, psychic powers apparently no match for the threat of immediate execution.

The sounds of gunfire breaking out as muzzle flashes began to illuminate the gaps between the pipes far below. A brief silence followed before the entire row of water filtration tanks was rocked with a brighter flash and the sound of an explosion.

"Get Crusher here NOW!" FearForm spat at his partner in crime as his walkie-talkie began to scream with sounds of fire and even more excuses, "Its a blank check I'll make all the synth-roids that freakish fuck wants."

Stomping over to the rails FearForm leaned over, glancing around into the brief explosions of gunfire and silencing darkness that broke out down below for a moment before calling out to those below. The answer he'd received apparently not satisfying him as his next bellow echoed around the plant.

"What do you mean, it's a fucking bird!" FearForm was beginning to lose the little grip on sanity he bothered trying to keep as he roared down into the complex. FearFrom smashed his hands on the rails rattling the gangway before turning back and stomping over to The Quiz, demanding to know. "HOW... how the hell does a bird take four entire semi-trucks full of toxin?"

"It's impossible..." The Quiz shoved his glassed further onto his nose as he considered the completely illogical question. Only posing the inquiry out of sheer curiosity with no intention to help those below, "what kind of bird?"

"What kind of bird?!" FearForm's suit billowed out fumes of yellow as he stomped over to the rail yelling down demanding an answer. A muffled yell coming from below within the pipe maze as FearForm stomped back deeply regretting destroying the walkies-talkie, "A raven"

The two Villains stood there dumbly for a moment while their goons attempted to do the henching they'd ever done against an incredibly irritating raven that just didn't seem to care about their guns, or grenades. It had given a second glance at the one rpg the two teams had managed to scrounge up before the whole plan had kicked off. They'd only had the one though, neither villain being much in the way of supplying their hires.

"I'll get Crusher, you flood the entire lower complex with that toxin." The Quiz directed, at least wanting to destabilize whatever plans had snuck under his nose by doing the completely unexpected. Willing to risk any and all down below in his play to punish their goons and catch the thief, "Let them kill each other and the damned thing, If they'd kept the area secure maybe I'd have given them a passing grade, but death is the price of such abject failure."

"Agreed." FearForm slammed the button on his suit, the yellow vapors pouring out as the twin cylinders on his back began fabricating mass amounts of the toxin. The hoses along the arms shaking a bit as the gas sputtered inside and began to condense into a thick sludge. Not nearly as fast acting as synth-roid but with none of its immediate withdraw effects.

FearForm was beginning to ramp up, prepared to fight for the entire night. Flexing his fist as the series of vicious needles jumped out. The serrations designed to keep them embedded while the attached vials emptied their load. FearForm cackled manically as he approached the rail to the lower level.

Slamming a fresh series of four injections of adrenaline fueling terror into his veins, the hoses could wait. Kicking away the metal with ease before leaping down, no care for the still rampant gunfire. The sounds of his heavily armored and modified suit crashing down below, already so enraptured in fear that he felt none in the face of the fall.

"Call Dark Night now." Dark Squire directed the still scanning psychic, already leaping from the side of the building. Steven's mind blank aside from thoughts about doing his duty. The fact the duty Steven was thinking about completing was showing off and catching the interloper didn't slip though.

Psyis almost asking for an explanation, instead there was the flood of white noise coming through. Worries that things were getting out of hand, how Steven intended to do his job, finding out exactly what was going on below. How they couldn't just trust FearForm's word that all the toxin was gone. Psyis glancing down to where the villains had just willingly separated. Now was the prime time to move on at least one before the third showed. Now was the time to move, and get the job done.

If it wasn't down there! Psyis finally clarifying that the void was in-fact the 'raven' FearForm had inquired about. The soft pssh of a grapple being fired to aid Steven's decent the last argument Psyis heard from him as red eyes snapped over to catch the sudden movement. Watching mouth still hanging open while Steven ignored any sense or rationality and decided to just jump down, sneaking off into the plant to see just what was what.

Something she could do from here, had done from here, and 'it' was down there. Steven being too impatient for her to clearly track the fast-moving thing through the mess of pipes, just darting off while she played 7D chess with a void in her mind. Psyis sending out more of her own little scans tracking the situation below, her breath catching when she saw it. Psyis inhaled slowly kicking herself for missing it again and letting Steven run off.

Psyis deciding she'd let Steven go with just as much explanation, she hadn't honestly expected there to be two voids. Looking out across the plant she could almost see it, the nothing looked like a little yellow dot on top of the farthest water storage tank. At least a half mile of the tops of tanks and filters separating her from it. Psyis slowly stood, watching that yellow dot grow just a bit as well mimicking her. It was watching her copying her movements, mirroring her locations. Playing two moves ahead again.

This time she had it in her sights. Tensing her legs a bit she prepared to strike, nearly releasing her gathered power to charge when that yellow just... vanished.

Psyis stumbling forwards for a few steps before she reached down towards the device she'd pocketed on her suit, quickly deciding that Steven's advice was right. While for the wrong reason at the time, now it was definitely the right move now. If it had stayed topside, they could have both handled at least one of the voids, now both of them were down below and might corner Steven in the thick clouds of fear toxin.

Psyis hoping Dark Night arrived before Steven got too banged up, just slow enough that his Squire would learn a lesson. Let alone jumping in ahead of everyone and ruining the plan, he'd left before she could even ask for one of those fancy air filtration mouthpieces. Now she was left uselessly topside while that thing seemed like it could be careless about the toxin.