Voidhunter released Jack.  He was quicker to his feet than last time, that had got his friend kidnapped.  He quickly pushed himself the adrenaline only feeding his healing factor.  All bones were being mended.  He quickly pulled out some of his sidearms firing simultaneously at Oni, who was still dazed, and Voidhunter.  Void was in visible pain but honestly Jack wasn't sure if he was hitting Void or not.  Jack stowed his guns and pulled out his dai-katana and in one fluid motion slashed at Voidhunter.

Haze felt a twinge through her body. She couldn’t exactly explain it but it was almost as if Flame was hurt. That was odd, but perhaps their linking of minds had created some sort of bond. Haze had never been able to feel someone else’s thoughts from such a distance.

“What’s wrong?” Tanis asked.

“I don’t know, it’s weird but it’s almost like I have a connection to Flame and can feel that he’s hurt.” Haze said wondering if she made any sense.

“Why is that strange?” Tanis queried.

“I’m a telekinetic, I can feel objects with my mind and that’s how I move them. A telepath can feel emotions with their mind and influence those. I don’t really have much ability as a telepath, I can only do what I’ve learned via my telekinesis.” Haze said as she stood up.

“Perhaps something is wrong at Oni’s place.” Tanis said as he also stood.

Haze nodded, “I think we need to get over there, the meeting might have started early.”

((Adeptus, if you’re meaning Starbright go ahead, I didn’t actually create her, she’s Ph34r’s character. As for Vandal, I created her but she’s comatose.))

As Haze neared the bar Tanis pulled her up. "I'm going to do the belt thing again."

Haze nodded and waited for him to transform into Chromium and then the belt, once he was around her waist she made her way in. To her surprise Flame's presence wasn't near. However Oni had his hands full. Haze let out a sigh and held all parties in the air away from each other. "Geez can none of you play nicely?"

Haze shook her head, "Always running away from me, geez. You still owe me for dinner."

Oni sniggered, "Oh man, don't you know the first rule of dating. You pay for the girl's meal. Haze you're lucky that I'm available."

Haze let out a sigh, "Oh brother."

Haze shook her head. "The desire for love always seems to lead to pain." She moved Jack and his flaming buddy towards the door. "Go find Darklight or my cousin will be ticked off."

Oni looked annoyed, "I thought you were on my side."

"You can't choose your family members," Haze pointed out.

"Ah, you're not wrong there." Oni replied.

"Oh just the usual carnage between good guys and bad guys." Haze stated dryly.

"Damn it," Jericho cursed.

"So what did you end up doing with Vandal?" Haze asked.

Haze cringed, "Doesn't sound pleasant."

"She doesn't deserve pleasant," Jericho snarled as he rubbed his temple in emphasis.

Haze nodded, her features turning dark. "There's some truth in that. For a hero she doesn't pull her punches."

Oni grinned like a crocodile, "See the heroes aren't what they seem to be."

"No one is ever who they seem to be." Haze countered.

Oni's grin changed, "You have an answer for everything."

Haze tilted her head slightly, "Perhaps." She could see that she was getting off side with Oni slightly and decided to give him a reminder of her power. She reached out with her mind and ran a caress from his feet to his head.

Oni looked surprised but not unpleased. "I like that sort of behaviour from you."

"That doesn't surprise me," Haze replied looking bored. "So when does this meeting start?"

"In a few hours. You're welcome to stay until then." Oni suggested.

Haze pretended to consider it, "Where's Flame?"

Oni let out a sigh, "I don't know, he went out."

A chill went through Haze, "I'll see if I can find him. Can't have him missing the meeting."

Haze walked out, somewhat disgusted with her behaviour, she shouldn't have done that. She felt angry and stupid. Oni would surely think she was a bit of fluff now. It took her a moment to realise that Chromium had detached himself from her and had returned to his humanoid form.

"You seem angry," he said stopped behind her.

Haze turned, "I did something stupid."

"What exactly?" Chromium asked.

"I flirted with danger a little too much," Haze admitted.

"I didn't notice much in the way of flirting on your part, Oni is another kettle of fish all together." Chromium said.

"I played on his flirtations." Haze said running a hand through her hair while gritting her teeth.

"How exactly?" Chromium asked not understanding.

Haze looked at him. "Can you feel anything through that... stuff?" she said looking at his metal skin.

"Yes, why?" Chromium said taking a step forward.

Haze mimicked the move she pulled on Oni. She ran a caress with her mind from Chromium's feet to the top of his head. He looked as surprised as Oni. "Now do you understand?"

((Here's what I imagine Haze to look like: http://prisonbreakfan.free.fr/galerie/a … _holly.jpg ))

((Wait...What?))

The Elder Assassin was still staring with a menacing smile on his face. "Oh that's right, you're not that old yet, I must be confusing you with another. All I remember in my old brain is chasing down some caped-weirdo a while ago. Still, you're lucky my apprentice got to you before others could."

"Others?"

"Competition. Other "Assassin" groups. They're so pitiful, they don't deserve the name. Our Order is the only one completely shrouded in mystery. You should be thankful for this. Had another group caught you, you'd most likely be caught by some local authority force. Now while you're here, enjoy the light."

With those words, Altair and the Elder left the room while the light grew stronger.

((Here we go people.  Retribution))
Void quickened his pace.  The presence in his mind was in pain; Darklight was being hurt.  Not fair.  Only he was allowed to hurt Darklight.  Void shadowstepped, flitting from one shadow to another, as fast as he could.  The presence in his mind grew stronger, and he shifted direction until the tingling turned into an all out thumping.  He followed the feelings of pain until he came to the outskirts of the city, and a cement mixing facility.  It was coming from below him.  He liquefied, and seeped through the cracks in the pavement, sliding like a memory through the chinks in the armour of the earth.  As always, the sensation was slightly uncomfortable, and disorienting, but he lived through it.  He found himself in an underground complex.
He blended in with the shadows around him, shadowstepping from one end of the corridor to another.  He passed silently by a pre-occupied man, and barely resisted the urge to tear him to ribbons.  Darklight felt like he was close by.  And in pain.  The only thing that could cause pain of that magnitude for that length of time was immense quantities of light.  Which wouldn’t be good for Void.  So he set about finding and disabling the power generator.

Darklight writhed in pain.  The light was everywhere, and in such quantities, that it actually physically hurt him.  Normally it would just weaken him.  He tried to free himself from the metal bonds, but to no avail.  Suddenly, he heard a thud, and the lights, mercifully, flickered once…twice…three times.  And then they went out, plunging the room into black nothingness.  He felt his power returning to him, but slowly; too slowly for his liking.  He felt suspicious; if the man was a master assassin, then why would he allow a simple power generator to fail?  He heard the hiss of a door opening, silently, but could see nothing.  Suddenly, he felt cold, and afraid, for the first time in years he felt afraid of the dark.  He knew this feeling.  He knew what caused it.  A voice whispered into his ear.

“Are you afraid of the dark, Nick?”

He felt tendrils of a cold substance flowing around his limbs, snapping the metal bonds into tiny pieces.  He was lifted off of the table gently, and hung suspended in the air, unable to see his mysterious rescuer.  He knew he didn’t want to see who it was.

“What are you doing here, Void?”  His voice was weak.

“Why ask a question to which you already know the answer?”

The tendrils constricted, sending jolts of pain throughout Darklight’s body.  He winced beneath his mask, gritting his teeth against the burning pain.

“You can’t kill me Void.  If you could have, I would be dead right here, right now.  I know you too well.”

“You live only upon my pleasure, Nick.”

He threw Darklight against the wall, slamming the breath from his body.  Before the hero could react, a hammer-headed tentacle slammed into him, again, and again, bashing him mercilessly.  Another joined that tendril, and then another, and another, tendrils lashing out at him from every direction, ruthlessly hammering away at him.  The wall cracked, and the tendrils looped around his limp form, and threw him with all of Void’s considerable power through the ceiling.  A series of subsequent blows and strikes forced him up higher, and higher, until he broke through the roof, and fell to the pavement of the complex above him.  He tried to stand, but fell once more to his knees.  A cloud of shadow erupted fro the newly made hole in the ground, and coalesced into the form of a man, coloured as black as space, with tendrils waving in the air behind him.
Void took Darklight’s jaw in his hand, and seemed to chuckle, before flinging him aside, into the wall of the cement mixing plant.  Darklight felt some bones breaking, and crumpled to the ground below him.

“Let that be a lesson to you, hero.”  Void’s whispering voice held a note of derision and mockery, as if he disdained the title.  Multiple tendrils shot from his shadowy body, and wrapped around Darklight, securing the hero to his back.

“Come on now, we’re going to make a house call.  I hope you live long enough to see every little detail of it…”

As he walked through the shadows, appearing in other shadows farther along every time, he decided to allow himself a reward.  A razor tipped tendril shot from his shadowy body, and stabbed right through the body of a man walking on the sidewalk, killing him in an instant.  He laughed quietly, and continued on, ignoring the crowd that gathered around the fresh corpse.

“What do you want with me?”  Darklight’s weak voice finally piped up again.

“Everything, Nick.  I want you to give me everything…”

And then he constricted his tendrils, crushing Darklight beneath their power.  He heard a satisfying snap of a bone breaking, probably the neck.  His mission was accomplished; he was free at last.  He laughed again, and speared another innocent bystander in his glee.  He blended into a nearby shadow, the body of Darkligth still held within his grasp.  And then, in the blink of an eye, he vanished, but not before he opened a portal to a place of darkness, from whence his power flowed.  He took forh the only solid item in that land, and shove it into the sidewalk.  There; he had left a calling card for the poor sucker who would find it.  He tore of a piece of his essence, and bound it to the evil sword that he had called forth.  And then, and only then, did he finally leave, Darklight's corpse in tow.

A huge crowd stood around Darklight's corpse, as the backup generator was being powered on.

"Damn, I wanted to be the one to do it."

"Look, sir, a sword."

"You, touch that sword."

"Me? Sir, I'm not so sure that's a good idea."

"You dare disobey an Elder?"
The lights flickered back on.
"No, Your Honor Altair. I dare not disobey."

"Then do it."

Everyone crowded around the soldier and the sword. Three corpses in total were found. Sweating, the soldier made way to the sword. Closer, closer he reached for the hilt. It couldn't be all too bad, it's only a sword. A sword right next to the cadaver of the Assassin's Order's PE#1. Oh, what the Hell.

It was the soldier's last mistake.