FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

April 2016

Winter had come and gone in Unity Falls, leaving the city fresh with the smells of spring. The snow was all but gone from the roads, clearing the way for the city's usual traffic without fear of losing control. All around, people were going about their daily lives, unaware of what was to come in the streets of their fair city that day...

Early in the hours of the morning, a limousine waited on a street corner. The limo was white and largely featureless, leaving no means of telling apart from any other of its kind. But, one in particular knew it was what he was searching for. Around the corner, staring at a piece of paper in his hand, came an anthropian Husky, with heterochromatic eyes - one blue, one green, and the typical black and white fur of the species, without any sort of stand-out patterns. The figure would seem ordinary to anyone else, though in truth he was anything but.

It was the correct address, and the instructions had said to look for a white limo and to climb into the back seat. The husky narrowed his eyes slightly as he caught sight of the limo, double checking the instructions on the sheet of paper before shrugging and crumpling it up and tossing it into a nearby trash can as he made his approach. Once he was next to it, he gave the window along the rear door a couple of knocks, waiting for a response from within, and grunted as he felt the door pop open and bump his flank.

Taking a moment to make sure he wasn't being followed or watched, the husky stepped back and pulled the door open. Before stepping in, he grasped the hilt of his utterly massive single edged sword and pulled it off of his back, holding it behind him as he ducked low and crawled into the limo.

"You'd think they would make these things bigger..." He muttered out loud as he pulled his sword into the car, resting it next to him before shutting the door. From there, he took a quick gander around the interior of the car, taking in its features before his eyes locked on a middle-aged human male sitting across the cabin from him, a folder resting in his lap with his hands held over it, staring at the husky with curious intent.

"I'm glad to see you've agreed to this meeting, Mr... Korban, was it?" The man said, though his eyes at first took note of the massive sword next to the husky. "Pardon my curiosity, but doesn't that weapon seem a little too unwieldy for a man of your stature?"

"I get by well enough. Besides, this baby ain't my only weapon of choice." The husky answered, gently parting his coat and revealing two pistol holsters along his belt, the left housing a black and blue pistol, the other a black and red one. "But I ain't here to show off my goods. I'm here because someone said they had a job lined up, and I'm going to assume yer the guy calling the shots." He pointed out.

"No. That would be my father. I am merely here as his envoy." The man answered. "You must understand, he's not exactly in his prime anymore, else he would be the one talking with you rather than I."

"Peh. Errand boy..." Korban scoffed, then he smirked when he noticed a twitch in the man's eye. "Oooh, struck a nerve, did I?" He asked in a taunting manner.

The man cleared his throat and adjusted the collar of his suit. "Let's return to the topic at hand, shall we Mr. 'Immortal Bounty Hunter?'" He asked.

"Yea, yea whatever. Wasn't ready to sit through your little sob story anyway." Korban snarkily responded, leaning back against his seat and crossing one leg over the other. "Let's get down to brass tacks. Who do you want taken out?"

"We'll get to that. I'm still waiting for another party to arrive." The man answered, then glanced over to the right of the limo. "Ah, and here he is now."

The door opened, and another figure slid into the car. The figure was wearing a long, padded trench coat, covering him from the head down to the knees, and also had an attached hood. Beneath the coat, Korban could just make out a dense vest - clearly body armour - and multiple objects inside the coat itself though he didn't get the chance to see much else. The figure sat down on the same seat as Korban, saying nothing, and left his hood up even as he made himself comfortable.

In the moment that he shifted, Korban saw a weapon beneath the man's coat - the handle of what appeared to be a revolver, worn on the hip on the left side of his waist where he could reach across his abdomen to grab it with his right. That weapon brought a pang of familiarity, as he knew of at least one contract killer in the world that used such a firearm.

"...Oh you gotta be shitting me." Korban growled, turning his gaze back to the man before him. "Seriously? You really think this is necessary? Whatever job you have lined up, I'm _more_than capable of handling it on my own. I don't need a helping hand in this." He protested.

"I can assure you, my target, or rather _targets_will prove more than what you can handle all by yourself, Mr. Korban." The man returned calmly, followed by a knowing smirk. "Besides... He isn't here to help you. You see, there is a reward for each of the targets, not just for the entire job. For each of them you kill, your reward will be higher. Think of it as motivation - there's nothing more productive for fellow hunters than competition, is there not?"

"We _ain't_fellow hunters..." Korban growled dangerously, casting a sidelong glance at the hooded man sitting next to him. "He's just another guy that I got a bullet with his name on..."

In response, the hooded man turned his head just enough that Korban saw half of his face. He was indeed human, as he suspected - a caucasian male with raven black hair and blue eyes. Eyes that seemed to say 'die' just by looking into them. Yet still the man remained silence, and eventually turned his gaze back to Gabriel, waiting for him to continue.

"Well, now that you both have arrived, we can begin the briefing." The employer said, gently taking hold of the folder resting in his lap. "My name is Gabriel Rex, and I ask of you two is a permanent solution to a series of persons of interest that have been hounding my father's business for quite some time. Simply put, he wants them eliminated and I have called upon you two to complete this task."

With his introduction out of the way, he reached forward and offered the folder he was holding to the two bounty hunters before him. Korban quickly reached out and snatched it from Gabriel's hand before the other could move, shooting him a scowl before he began opening the folder and breezing through its contents. On the front cover was a photograph of a large red and yellow avian. The photo was of him standing on a street corner, a tent pitched behind him where he sat on a stool playing an acoustic guitar.

The avian was tall, based on his surroundings, and muscular. He had sky blue eyes, and overall just by the photograph he looked... Peaceful. Judging by his clothes, Korban could easily guess the fellow was likely homeless, living off clothes picked up from the shelters, and money made by playing guitar for passers on the street.

"...You want me to kill a homeless street musician?" Korban began, lifting his gaze up from the files and raising an eyebrow at Gabriel. "My man, have you ever heard of the phrase 'Time is money?'"

"I assure you, Mr. Korban, appearances can be deceiving." Gabriel responded calmly. "That homeless street musician is no ordinary creature. Rather, he belongs to a race of mythical avians that were thought to be points of fiction. That man is living proof that they do exist, and lately he's been sticking his beak in businesses that do not concern him."

Korban scoffed, shaking his head. "Bullshit." He remarked, taking one long look at the photo and the information that it came with, however limited it was. "Yer telling me that this guy is some kinda... what, _phoenix_or some shit?"

"That is exactly what I'm telling you." Gabriel answered. "His name is Volcan MacAingeal, and he is a Phoenix of the Fire type variety. As the information states, he holds complete control over the element he was born from, on top of incredible physical strength. He was the first of the beings in that file we encountered, the others seeming to come to him. We do not know if he is their ringleader or not, but the reward for him is especially high as he has caused us significant losses."

Korban rolled his eyes and took another look at the file, taking note of the red and yellow avian's age, physical build, his list of powers and abilities and other key points before reluctantly passing it over to the man next to him and moving onto the next profile. This time, his eyes widened when he saw the next picture, whistling and thumping his tail against the seat as it wagged for a bit. This time, the entree was of a female avian with green feathers, a brown beak and brown eyes.

"Hot _dayum,_we got a looker..." He remarked, grinning slightly. "Lemme guess, another Phoenix?"

"Most of them are, yes. I assume you've found one of the female profiles?" Gabriel asked.

"What gave it away, I wonder?" Korban sarcastically answered, reading over the profile closely. "...Tsumé Mondiale... sounds French..." He muttered out loud. "5'2 - tiny gal. Eighteen... Daughter of a business mogul...Earth Phoenix, huh?" He mused, grinning as he finished reading the profile and passing it over to the hooded man once he was finished. "I dunno about you guys, but I'd _happily_plough that garden free of charge, if you catch my drift."

"You may have not have your chance if she protects the fire phoenix," the man across from him remarked, setting down the photo of the fire phoenix after he spoke, accepting the one for Tsumé. "You will have to kill her either way."

"Who asked you, spooky?" Korban shot back as he looked into the folder again.

The next one however, had Korban arching his brow again. The picture wasn't completely clear, as the subject of the photo - a white avian, was in motion, flying over what seemed to be a street. It was a sideways view, and Korban could make out most of the finer details - enough he'd know the guy when he saw him. The photo had also been taken in the dead of winter - snow was everywhere, yet this avian was flying even without a shirt on, completely unbothered by the cold.

There was also a bold warning on the document, stating that this particular subject was considered highly dangerous, and was an acceptable secondary target if he could be eliminated - a bonus was available for him. But Gabriel - or whoever originally drafted these documents, did not know his name. Only that he was apparently an _Ice_Phoenix, something Korban had never even heard of.

"...Wait wait wait. This document states that this one's an Ice Phoenix." Korban pointed out. "Let's say I believe you when you say that these guys _are_Phoenixes, wouldn't there be only like... five different elements? Wind, fire, earth, water and electricity?"

"Very astute of you to notice." Gabriel answered. "Normally you would be right, but in that one's case, he is the result of a hybridization of a Water and Wind Phoenix somewhere along his bloodline." The man explained. "Unfortunately, we don't have much to go on for him. We don't even have a name, but we _do_know that he is a skilled combatant and a brilliant tactician... And that he has a personal vendetta against my father's business."

"Sounds a lot like a knock-off Batman wannabe with Mr. Freeze's powers." Korban pointed out with a shrug of his shoulders, moving onto the last few profiles in the folder. The first was of a female purple Eastern Dragoness going under the name 'Obsidian Kiyoyama,' and that she served with the Unity Falls Police Department - the photo of her even showed her in uniform. She was tall -taller than himself, and fit-figured as was to be expected of a cop. Additional information revealed to Korban that she was not only a skilled hand to hand combatant , but she was a Psionic, capable of telepathy and psychokinesis.

The next was another dragon, but this time it was a Western Dragon, with bat-like wings. He was a deep blue colour, with lighter blue undertones. Again there was no name, but he was often found in the company of the phoenixes, and he possessed strange powers that weren't fully understood. He was capable of creating objects composed of hard light, and seemed to possess an ability to copy or imitate the powers of the phoenixes themselves, as it described one encounter where his colours changed, becoming identical to the fire phoenix, and showed the same pyrokinetic abilities. He also appeared to have some hand to hand combat skill of his own, suggesting military training.

The next was a photo of another avian. This one, they had more information on; Lighris Skilerain, owner of an automotive mechanics shop in Unity Falls. Korban noted that he looked oddly similar to the fire phoenix from before, having similar facial structures and feather crown to the red phoenix. However, this one, aside from being an electric blue colour, commanded the element of lightning. It was also suggested he seemed to have a high pain tolerance, and possessed the ability to magnetize conductive metals by making contact with them. He was also shorter, but by his photograph much stockier - someone who had developed his body through a life of hard labour.

The next file was of a male African human, who was wearing unmarked tactical gear akin to that of a SWAT team. The profile listed his name to be Kyle Darwinson; he was an ex-member of the United States Marine Corps, once holding the rank of 'Specialist' and a traitor to the organization Gabriel represented. There was a fat reward for this one that Korban saw listed on the document - nearly as much as for the phoenixes themselves. He was a skilled marksman and an expert knife-fighter - this one could fight with the best of them, and Korban suspected he'd put up a decent challenge.

Lastly, the document was listed as 'Caution' and 'Unknown'. There were three figures, two of whom were nearly identical in appearance and having the anatomy of avians, but dressed head to toe in shiny armour. The two suits matched, but one had a red colouration, the other blue. Korban recognized them immediately - the infamous Lightnings, who had been making headlines in areas around the world, including London, Hong Kong and, more recently, New York. 'The fuck are they_doing here?'_ He thought to himself.

Included was another photo of what seemed to be a bigger, bulkier Exo-Suit with a draconic head, but no pictures of the pilot were available, with the added message of 'Possibly Autonomous' at the bottom. This one had definitely been in the company of the phoenixes on at least two occasions according to the file.

"...So to recap, we're hunting four Phoenixes of different elemental powers, a telepathic and telekinetic dragon cop lady, a dragon that can make light constructs and copy other people's powers, a former marine, and the fuckin' Lightnings of all people?" Korban asked, then he started to smirk confidently. "Bitch, you shoulda said it was my birthday today."

"I would not take them so lightly, Mr. Korban. They are indeed powerful, and will most likely flatten you if you go in with your 'guns blazing' as the current generation often says." Gabriel warned firmly. "I offer some parting advice before you two begin your hunts. Start by shadowing them, get as much information from them as you can without drawing suspicion, then isolate them from each other. Make it so that they can't call for help once you have them in your sights."

Gabriel then reached next to him and pulled up two briefcases, gently popping the locks off and opening them. Inside each case was a number of bills neatly stacked and lined up within the case, making the husky's eyes widen as he laid eyes on all of that cash.

"Consider this a down payment." Gabriel offered. "Five hundred thousand dollars for each of you. Use these funds to gather whatever tools and ammunition you might need." He explained, then reached into his pocket and pulled out two small discs. "When either of you complete your task, activate this device. It will send a signal directly to our servers, which will in turn wire your pay to you. Please refrain from activating it until you have finished - it can only be used once." He concluded, handing one to Korban first, then the other to the man next to him.

"Half a mil for down payment... You guys have some pretty deep pockets." Korban remarked, reaching over and running his hand along the stacks of bills for a second. He took out handful of bills, checking them for signs of counterfeit, and when he found none he shut the briefcase and set it aside before he lifted up his left arm while reaching for the documents again with his right. He then rolled up his sleeve to reveal a bracer covering his left forearm. He then tapped it once and it hummed to life, followed by two holograms suddenly appearing on top and in front of the bracer, one acting as a keyboard, the other acting as a heads up display.

The husky then started tapping on the holographic keyboard, and a translucent beam of light shot out of the bracer, scanning over each of documents and copying them to the holo screen in front of Korban, shutting off once the process was complete.

"Aaaand done." The husky commented, leaning back in his seat and giving Gabriel a casual salute with his pointer and middle fingers.

"...That is a rather remarkable piece of technology you possess." Gabriel noted. "How did you come across such a device?"

"Bitch please, I can't give away all my secrets." Korban answered abrasively. "I'd share the details with ya, but I'd like to get as much of a headstart as I can, so if you'll excuse me..." He added as he reached for the door handle and pushed the door open. "You'll hear back from me soon, pal. Just sit tight and enjoy the show."

Gabriel nodded once in response. "Just keep in mind my advice. As I've said, these beings are not to be trifled with."

At that, Korban chuckled, shooting a grin back at the man. "Ahaha... see that's the thing." He said as he stepped out of the limo, peeking his head back in and shooting a wink at the man. "I ain't exactly... Mortal." He said before he shut the door.

When the husky was out of earshot, the hooded man spoke up."I suppose you have... Additional instructions for me then?" He asked, raising his head enough to look squarely at Gabriel.

Gabriel nodded after turning his gaze toward the man. "You will carry out the job as per normal." He explained. "The device I gave to that abrasive, arrogant dog will send a _different_signal... one that will ensure that he will never be a problem to either of us again. However, in the event the device fails, or he catches on to the P.A.C.E. Directive, you are to eliminate him with extreme prejudice. No traces. No witnesses."

The man smirked, just slightly, but noticeable. "I didn't imagine P.A.C.E had changed its outlook in the time since I last worked with them," he said, lifting his left arm slightly. The hand was hidden by a thick leather glove, but within the sleeve of his coat, a metallic sheen was noticeable around his wrist. "Would you have any objections if I take his half of the down payment after I kill him?"

"The money was all yours to begin with. Korban is just a distraction; a means to an end." Gabriel answered. "In a way, he's doing the hard work by locating the Phoenixes and their allies for you. Once they've been located and isolated, you can swoop in and take them out however you see fit."

"If he kills a few of them on his own, I get paid either way," the hooded man said dismissively as he reached for the handle of the door beside him, though didn't lift it yet. "Is there anything more?"

"Nothing more. If there are any developments, we will inform you." Gabriel answered. "Good hunting... Devilshade."

"Good day to you, Mr. Rex," the contract killer replied before leaving the limo, and walking up the street.

~~~~~

A few hours later...

An unusually large, unmarked RV trailer sat along the edge of a gravel road far from the limits of Unity Falls and out of sight of the highway. Inside the cabin, a young anthropian male grey cat wearing a long coat lined with several open buckles reclined against the passenger seat, reading a book in one hand with the radio blaring in the background. Occasionally the cat would sing along to the lyrics of the song he was listening to after flipping the pages of the book he was reading.

"Ayy, gettin' old, they doubted us. Makes it that more marvelous. Sign 'em up, 'cause I'm in this vibe and I get synonymous. What's up, danger? Ayy, don't be a stranger!" He spoke along with the lyrics, idly flicking his free paw and creating a small orb of fire in his palm, then flexing his claws and the fire disappeared, only to have his claw crackle with a jolt of electricity before he relaxed and continued with the song. "'Cause I like high chances that I might lose! I like it all on the edge just like you, ayy! I like tall buildings so I can leap off of 'em! I go hard wit' it no matter how dark it is!"

Just as he was about to get to the chorus of the song, his ear twitched as he heard a sound, prompting him to turn down the music to listen. He then put down the book he was reading and looked at the passenger rear view mirror, catching sight of a single headlight approaching from the road behind the trailer.

Knowing that could only be one person, he hastily stood up from the chair and started heading to the back of the trailer, flicking some lights on before turning his attention to a control box that hung from a thick cable bolted to the ceiling. He flicked the red switch and the back of the trailer started to rumble before the back wall slid open like a garage door, allowing the incoming vehicle to drive into the back of the trailer before coming to a stop on the open floor.

"How'd the meeting go?" The cat asked before he flicked the switch a second time, making the door swing shut again.

The rider shut off the motorbike and removed his helmet, revealing the rider to be Korban himself. He shook his head a few times to unbunch his hair before shooting a grin at the cat, waiting for the door to close before he spoke. "We got ourselves some big game this time." He said as he reached for a hidden compartment in his motorcycle, pulling out the briefcase and popping it open for the cat to see. "Quite a down payment too."

"Hot DAYUM!" The cat exclaimed, his eyes lighting up like jewels when he saw the contents of that case. "Dude, that's a lot of dough for a down payment!" He added as Korban closed the case and set it aside. "So who are we hunting then? A Mob boss? A government official? Got to be big for an incentive like that."

"Something worth the expensive down payment." Korban answered, pulling up his wrist terminal and activating it, punching a few keys on the holo-pad and pulling up the files he copied from the folder during his meeting. "The client claims these individuals have been a big problem for his old man's company, and it's our job to eliminate the problem." He then started to chuckle softly. "Best part? He thinks four of 'em are Phoenixes. Actual _living_breathing phoenixes."

The cat, named Kieran, looked at Korban with an inquisitive expression. "Look who's calling the kettle black, boss." He pointed out. "Technically speaking, _your_kind isn't even supposed to exist either, just as the mystical arts are supposed to be a dead, or otherwise fictional, practice. Is it really that hard to believe the dude might be telling the truth about these guys?"

"Kitty, I don't give a flying fuck about what he thinks is real or not. All I know is that he's paying us a HUGE sum of cash to get rid of these guys. That's all the motivation I need to get involved." Korban answered abrasively. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Fer now, we better start moving in on Unity Falls if we're gonna get a headstart on our quarry."

"Headstar-hah?"Kieran tilted his head in confusion. "You saying we got competition on these hits already?"

"Yea. The client also pulled that Devilshade fucker into the mix as well. Said it would be good motivation if we had competition." Korban answered, rolling his eyes as they both headed toward the front of the RV, with Korban taking the wheel and his partner sitting back in the passenger seat. "If we're gonna get the rest of that paydirt, we gotta be one step ahead of him at all times or else he'll just take the killshot before we even blink."

Korban then started up the vehicle and put the gear shift into Drive, slowly accelerating onto the gravel road and punching in a route for Unity Falls on the onboard GPS. Only then did Kieran speak up with mild concern in his tone.

"Boss, look... If the client went so far as to hire Devilshade as well as you, then maybe it stands to reason that there's credence in the intel." He pointed out. "Maybe these guys really _are_phoenixes..."

"Like I said, we'll cross that bridge when we get there." Korban answered quickly, pulling up a hologram of the files for the cat to look over himself. "Just study up on these guys for now. We'll cook up a plan on how to scope 'em out when we arrive, gather as much intel as we can, then move in for the kill once we pin down their movement patterns."

"...I dunno, boss. My gut tells me there's more to this than we're being led to believe." Kieran pondered out loud as he went over the details of their targets, focusing mostly on the phoenixes since he felt they seemed to be the bigger threats and the main focus of the job. Not to say the others were less so - a cop, a former US Marine, and the Lightnings - that last one surprised him. "Never imagined I'd be tangoing with a couple of Iron Man ripoffs," he muttered aloud.

Korban remained silent for the rest of the trip, keeping his mind focused on completing the job and earning their pay. In the back of his mind though, even he couldn't deny that something was a bit fishy about this whole gig...

Alas, there was no point in mulling about it now. He had taken the job, and he was going to see it through to the end regardless of whatever consequences may await them once they began their hunt. He put the pedal to the metal and pushed the RV forward as fast as it could go, eager to reach their destination as quickly as possible.

~~~~~

Unity Falls was the most populated city resting on the border between Canada and the United States, sitting in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. It offered great scenery even as they approached, and the city itself - relatively new compared to the other major cities in the province of Alberta and the state of Montana, its placement had brought it a booming growth as a trade center between the two countries.

The city was home to a well-known police academy attached to its university, which covered an entire hill on the west side of the city. The financial and industrial districts on both sides were vast, and the city had an orderly traffic system - which was good, as aside from cabs and buses it didn't have any sort of mass transit system to speak of. Still, it overall seemed like a nice place.

Unfortunate then, that Korban and his partner weren't there for sight-seeing. According to the documents, most of their targets, if not all, lived on the Canadian side of the city, which they were fortunately already on. They parked their RV at a local campground on the edge of the city where it would go unnoticed, and got to work.

Inside their RV, the two hunters were giving the documents a quick once over, picking up on any details they may have overlooked during their initial read of the documents. They discovered that out of their many targets, three of them had public addresses listed, which gave them three potential targets to shadow and collect more information on during the scouting part of their job.

"Alright, so from the looks of things, Tsumé, Lighris, and their cop friend Obsidian have places we could scope out and tail them from in order to find where the other guys are hiding." Korban pointed out, pulling up a map of Unity Falls on his terminal, showing three points that indicated where each of them lived. "We'll cover more ground if we each pick a house to start our search from. Looks like that Lighris guy has a shop in the Industrial Park - he's probably there now. Tsumé's got an apartment in the downtown area, and Obsidian lives in the neighborhood just north of her."

"If we're splitting up, then I say we avoid the copper." Kieran pointed out. "The file on her said that she's a Psionic, capable of reading minds. We'd give ourselves away the moment she picked up on our thoughts, and I don't know any spells that shield us from mental probing."

"Better get to work on learning one fer the future, Kitty." Korban remarked, looking at the other two locations on the map. "Fine. Cop's a no go, so we'll focus on the birds. I'll scope out Tsumé's spot and you take Lighris'. The second either of 'em step out, we'll tail 'em from the rooftops and plan our next move from there. No one ever thinks to look up, not even birds."

"Good call." The cat nodded in agreement. "We should probably try to keep ourselves inconspicuous while we move. Don't want anyone cluing in on our intentions before we even start."

"You saying we should be going in unarmed?" Korban asked.

"Not really. I can cast a cloaking spell over our weapons to hide them from plain sight." Kieran answered. "Just make sure you don't let anyone bump into you from behind. Physical contact will disperse the spell."

"Better than nothin', I guess." Korban relented, nodding and turning his back to his partner. The cat began cracking his knuckles before he started waving his arms in wide, circular motions, runic constructs taking form around his hands before he touched the flat of Korban's sword. The Runes attached themselves to the sword, and within seconds, the sword started to vanish from plain sight, until it was like it was never there to begin with.

"That should take care of that problem." Korban's partner remarked before he reached behind him and touched the hilt of a black katana he had strapped to his back, casting the same cloaking spell over it so that it was rendered invisible to the naked eye. "Remember, don't let anyone touch you from behind, or the-"

"The spell will disperse. Yea, yea I got it already." Korban interjected abrasively. "Let's just get this show on the road." He stated as he hit the switch to open up the back of the trailer.

"...Yer welcome, boss." Kieran mumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes and following after his partner to the outside world.

Once outside, the two went their separate ways and took off into the city, keeping radio contact with each other as they moved in on their destinations. Korban arrived at his target's location first, as it was closer to their starting point than Lighris' was, and quickly scoped the area around Tsumé's residence for any sort of vantage point he could use to spy on her without getting caught.

During his walk around the block, he found a fire escape along the building across the block from his target's, leading him up to the rooftop of the building; the perfect hiding spot, he thought to himself. He casually crossed the street toward the building and took a quick gander to make sure no one was watching him, then quickly grabbed onto the rungs of the first ladder and began scaling the fire escape as fast as he could climb, often times skipping a few rungs and swinging around the ladder he was on to reach the next ladder on the opposite end of the platform he was on, until he finally reached the roof of the building.

"Easy peasy..." He remarked, brushing his shoulder with his paw a bit as he strode to the side of the building facing Tsumé's apartment, where he lay himself down and pulled out a pair of binoculars from his coat and held them to his face. "Now we play the waiting game..."

Hours passed before Korban saw anyone leave the apartment complex where Tsumé lived. To his satisfaction, it was indeed her, dressed in a knee-length blue skirt and a sleeveless shirt to enjoy the warm sunlight that day. She stepped out the front door, texting someone on her cellular phone before slipping it into the purse she carried in her hand. Seeing her in the photograph had been one thing, but seeing her now...

"God... Damn, she's beautiful..." The husky muttered under his breath as he watched her through his binoculars, his eyes lingering on every subtle movement of the supposed Earth Phoenix. "Kinda wish I didn't have to kill her later... Such a waste to off one hell of a gal."

"Stop gawkin' and follow her already, man." His partner chimed into his radio. "You can look at her photo later at the trailer."

"Nah man, you don't fuckin' understand. She looked good in the photo, but seeing her in the flesh... Nothing compares to it." Korban replied, putting down his binoculars once she began crossing the street. "Body like that, gotta be carved by angels. Either way, she's on the move. How're things on yer end?" He asked as he began tailing his target from the rooftops.

"The blue bird just left his shop. I'm already tailing him as we speak." Kieran responded. "I've also been keeping an eye out for that Devilshade guy, just in case he tries to pull a fast one on us."

"Focus on the target, Kitty. You won't know he's comin' until he's right on top of you." Korban quickly reprimanded his partner. "Keep me posted on his activities."

"Got it."

Korban continued watching Tsumé for a time, but after only a few minutes he lost sight of her as she walked into a cafe further up the street. He grimaced, annoyed he had lost sight of her, when Kieran called him again.

"Boss, heads up."_Korban heard his partner chiming in through his earpiece. _"Blue boy's coming your way in a blue pick-up truck. Old model, by the looks of it."

Korban looked both ways up the street, bringing his binoculars back to his eyes when he spotted the truck matching Kieran's description, coming up the street. "I got eyes on 'im." Korban answered, noticing said truck rounding the corner of the street the bar was on. "Where you at?"

"Right next to you."

Korban jumped and quickly turned to see the grey cat crouching behind him, grinning smugly at him and earning a scowl from the husky. "Fucking _christ,_I told you not to do that!" He scolded.

"Eh, it's worth it to see that look on yer face." Kieran jested back as he crawled next to his partner and watched the events below unfold. "I saw him on the phone as he was entering his truck. I gathered he was calling one of his buddies to meet up somewhere."

"Which means this must be their little base of operations." Korban surmised, studying the bar carefully. "Interesting spot to convene at... Nice play overall, but it's inconspicuous enough to cover their tracks at least."

"Until now, that is." Korban's partner added.

The blue truck that carried the supposed lightning phoenix pulled up alongside the bar, parking on the street and waiting. As Korban and Kieran watched through their binoculars, they saw another avian stepping out of the bar - one with feathers of bright red and yellow.

"Bingo..." Korban whispered, grinning almost from ear to ear. "Target is acquired, baby."

"Hooooly _FUCK,_look at the size of him!" Kieran remarked under his breath, his eyes wide in shock and awe. "Dude's built like a brick shithouse! How're we supposed to contend with that?"

"Bigger they are, the harder they fall." Korban answered plainly. "Besides, if he's as in tune with fire as the file claimed, then we already have a few ways of dealing with him. Just relax. We got this, kitty."

"I _wish_I had your confidence sometimes." The cat replied, rolling his eyes to the side briefly.

As the two were talking, the red avian - Volcan, they remembered he was called, climbed into the passenger seat of the truck, which began to pull away.

"Time to am-scray, kitty." Korban stated, putting his binoculars away and patting his partner on the back before standing up tall, watching where the truck was going before he leapt to the next rooftop to keep tracking his quarry.

"This oughta be fun..." Kieran remarked off-handedly as he stood up and followed Korban once he landed on the opposite rooftop, staying one building behind his partner and keeping watch in case anyone was tailing them, let alone their competition.

~~~~~

"So, how'd the day go, little bro?" Lighris asked as he guided his truck through the city, making their way home.

"Eh, pretty quiet," Volcan replied, shrugging. "The usual clientele today - nobody new. But, I got to practice a few new songs at least."

"That's good," said Lighris. "You're getting better, you think?"

"Still working on learning to sing, so that I can improve the songs even more," Volcan replied. "But yeah... I think I'm getting better. Certainly have had an easier time practicing without worrying about the next time P.A.C.E is going to pop out and go boo!" He exclaimed the last word for emphasis.

"Yeah. They've been pretty quiet all winter," said Lighris. "Now spring is setting in, and there's still no sign of them."

They left the city limits, and Volcan shifted in his seat, hesitating with what he wanted to say next. "Hey, Lighris?" He asked.

"Yeah?"

"I think I may soon head back to my tower," he said. "P.A.C.E seems to have given up on us, and I think I've mooched off you long enough."

"You haven't been mooching, bro - I invited you," said Lighris. "Besides, you paid for your own groceries - you weren't living off my wallet."

"Still, you need your own space too," said Volcan. "So do I."

Lighris rolled his eyes. "Volcan, we've talked about this before. We-"

The music from the radio suddenly stopped, and Lighris' phone began ringing in his pocket, a similar ring coming over the truck's speakers via Bluetooth. Lighris looked at the radio on the dashboard, and saw the caller I.D scrolling past.

"Temple of Tik- It's Ordagova," he said, arching a brow.

"Did I forget something?" Volcan asked, looking into the back of the truck at his guitar case, confirming that he hadn't left it behind.

"One way to find out," said Lighris, shrugging as he tapped the button to accept the call. "Yeee-ello?" He asked.

"Lighrisss? Isss that you?" Ordagova hissed with a concerned tone in his voice.

"Well... Yeah, you called_my_phone. Volcan's isn't-"

He was interrupted when the snake man suddenly spoke up again. "Isss Volcan there? Isss anyone elssse with you?"

"No, just us. We're on our way home," Volcan answered for his brother, the bluetooth device picking up his voice as well. "Orda, what's wrong? You sound worried."

"Don't react to what I'm about to tell you, pleassse keep calm." Ordagova started,"You are both being hunted."

The brothers looked at each other, puzzled and alert. "Hunted? By who?" Lighris asked.

"Is P.A.C.E back again?" Volcan added to the question.

"I'm not sssure..."_The snake admitted, _"It was just after you had left. I read someone's mind - two, in fact. Sssubconsciousss thoughts that were far away but ssstill in reach of my Telepathy. I sssaw in their mindsss that they are looking for you two, and the others." then he paused for a bit, breathing heavily, "I saw in the mind of someone on the roof tops on the opposite street; he was talking to a grey cat with him. They were sssent to kill you and the othersss. I don't know where they are now but they left my vision before I could see more... they were going to follow you"

At that, Volcan turned to look out the back window, squinting his eyes to bring his telescopic vision into focus. He peered back down the road in the direction they had come, but couldn't see anyone right away. "I don't see anyone behind us... But that doesn't mean they won't be coming," he said, looking at his brother.

"Shit, we better call someone," said Lighris. "Let's get to my place and bunker down - my landlady shouldn't be home right now."

"Orda, is Vinge there right now?" Volcan asked into the call.

His question was answered as soon as the Norwegian spoke up, "Yes Volcan, I'm here as well. I'm ready to fly out to assist you but I fear these two will reach you before I can," the ice phoenix answered.

"We'll manage. Just do your best," Volcan assured him.

"Both of you... ssstay sssafe..." Ordagova hissed with worry, "...and Volcan?"

"Yes?"

"_I love you..."_the snake hissed quietly.

Volcan blushed, but answered him. "Love you too... I'll be careful," he promised.

The call ended then, and Lighris arched a brow. "I didn't know you were seeing your boss," he remarked.

"We had a night together," Volcan admitted. "First time he's said those words though... He must really be worried." He shook his head. "But we need to stay focused right now."

"Right," agreed Lighris.

Korban and Kieran had lost sight of the truck leaving the city before they went to retrieve their own transportation to pursue. The back of the RV's doors lowered, and Korban shot out onto the street on his Motorcycle, revving his engine as he took off down the last road they saw the brothers leaving the city from. Kieran had stayed behind in the trailer, monitoring his partner through the truck's GPS as he zoomed along the road in pursuit of their quarry.

"_Any sign of 'em yet, boss?"_He called through his earpiece.

"Nah, they got a healthy head start on us when we lost their trail. They could be miles away by now." Korban shouted back, having to raise his voice over the wind rushing past his helmet and the roar of his bike's engine. "Just gonna have to comb this entire road until I find their ride. If I'm lucky I'll catch up to 'em before they make it back to whatever safe haven they arrive at!"

"Considering how fast your ride can go, I can't imagine it'll take that long fer you to catch up to them." Kieran called back. "What's the play when we find 'em, boss?"

"If they've gone somewhere isolated, I'll draw 'em out into the open and you use your teleport magic stuff to get here and back me up. If I catch 'em still on the road, I'll pop a few shots in their tires and force them to bail out before they crash." Korban answered. "Superpowered beings or not, they still have a survival instinct, and that overrides _any_logic or reason they might have in the heat of the moment."

"Seems as good a plan as any. Anything you want me to bring along?" Kieran asked.

"...Yea. Bring Atlas with you. That should tip the tide in our favour a little bit" Korban answered. "I'll let you know when to move."

The road carried on for many kilometers, and was sparsely inhabited - mostly occupied by farmland. There were multiple range roads where the truck could have gone. Korban had to double back when he was sure he had gone too far - by this point it seemed impractical for someone to live so far from the very city they worked in, as he had almost reached the next town by the time he turned back.

It was on the return trip however he happened to notice the truck parked in front of a house to his right. It was hidden by a thick copse of trees surrounding the property but it was unquestionably the same vehicle model. The turn to access the property - marked by an overarching gate with the name of the ranch - came up suddenly.

"You're kidding me... They live out on a ranch?" Korban thought out loud as he pulled up close to one of the trees in order to remain as hidden as possible. "Fuck. So much for robbing them of their biggest advantage... Gonna hafta plan B this shit..." He muttered as he disembarked his vehicle, pulling both his pistols from their holsters before he began moving closer to the ranch itself.

As he got closer to the house he could see the truck parked by the lower level, with a separate parking area for other vehicles - currently empty, sitting by a staircase to a veranda. It was clear by the mailbox by the stairs that the house belonged to someone else, with another mailbox mounted on the door in front of the truck, reading 'L. Skilerain' on the front. Either a duplex, or a rental.

The husky quickly looked left and right from his hiding spot before he dared to cross the gap between the tree line and the house, coming to a stop at the wall of the complex and waiting a few seconds before he started ascending the stairs to the upper level. He stopped as he neared the top of the stairs, ducking low and quickly peeking his head up to quickly assess his surroundings before ducking low again.

Something was off... it was_far_ too quiet, even for a house located out in the boonies of Alberta. His sharp hearing should have picked up on any idle conversation the two were having, but he heard nothing; not so much as a whisper. His instincts were kicking in, warning him that the whole thing reeked of a trap...

"Well, two can play at that game." He muttered as he raised his partner through his earpiece. "Kitty, change of plans. I found the place, but I think they may be onto us. This whole place stinks of a trap."

"Well, then our next move should be to spring it, right?" Kieran asked.

"While countering with a trap of our own." Korban nodded. "Warp yer way over to my location, see if you can land on the roof of the house I'm at. Sending a visual."

Korban then lifted up his left arm and peeled over the edge of the deck once more, activating his wrist terminal and punching a few keys on the holo-pad to bring up a small camera. He snapped a photo and sent the image to his partner's own cellphone.

"Got it. ETA twenty seconds."

"Make it ten. I wanna be ready to tango before they can find their footing." Korban answered.

"_ Geronimo _!" A deep voice bellowed from above as a shadow fell over the husky.

"Oh FUCK!!" Korban quickly hollered before he suddenly jumped away from the steps, barely avoiding getting smashed through the stairs from his attacker. "Make it five!!" He quickly hollered before cutting his earpiece. He landed in a backward tumble along the ground, skidding to a halt and quickly taking aim with his guns, waiting for the figure to make a move before he opened fire.

The blue figure spun around, not even looking before electricity crackled along his arm. He spun, and from his outstretched hand a lightning bolt shot toward the husky, who quickly jumped to the side in a sideways cartwheel and fired two shots from his guns each while disfigured, then another salvo once his feet were back on the ground. The muscular blue avian let out a yelp of pain and fell back against the stairs in a spray of blood behind him.

The door to the house flew open, and the red avian appeared, a wall of fire erupting from his flapping wings toward the husky, spreading in a wide pattern. Korban grinned and quickly jumped up into the air, higher than any typical person was capable of and arcing over the flames, spinning a couple of times before he managed to straighten out and take aim down at Volcan.

"Aaaaand Checkmate..." He remarked, grinning as he fired one round from each gun, right toward the fire Phoenix's head.

The red avian, who Korban knew was Volcan from his file, dropped low just before the guns fired, the bullets racing over his head, and then made a jump toward Korban that carried him with startling speed. Korban felt the air knocked out of his lungs as Volcan slammed, elbow first, into his stomach, causing him to drop his guns as he was sent flying.

He gagged from the impact, spinning uncontrollably as he arched through the air and back to the ground. He managed to recover just in time to grab the hilt of his large sword, turning and throwing it down to the ground where he was about to impact. The sword dug point first into the soil, and he spun once before he landed on the flat of the blade, then looked up at his opponent and rubbed his stomach a little bit once the adrenaline died down a bit.

"Fucking hell, he hits like a truck..." Korban muttered softly. "Can't afford to take that many hits from him or I'm toast for sure." He added, looking back down at his sword for a second, then to his own paws before sighing slightly. "Good thing I have a _backup_backup plan..."

As he talked to himself though, he heard the avian running at him. He looked up at Volcan, finding him closing in, his wings and arms both ablaze with fire and his eyes glowing like stars as he closed in, his right arm drawn back for a punch. Korban grinned as he watched Volcan approach, seeing that he was very direct in his approach. Perfect, he thought, as he wound his own arm back, looking as if he were about to meet Volcan's charge.

He leapt for Volcan when the phoenix swung his fist, dodging over the enraged bird and landing behind him, letting him run right into his sword and causing him to stumble. "Like I said..." The husky remarked, his clenched arm suddenly becoming shrouded in a cold mist before becoming completely covered in ice. "_Checkmate!!"_He roared as he threw his punch, slamming his fist into the phoenix's back and causing the ice around his arm to melt instantly from the heat, splashing water all over his back.

Volcan threw back his head and let out a scream of agony. The area soaked by the water became immediately bare, as if his feathers had vaporized on contact, leaving a grizzly wound on his back. It looked more akin to someone who had just been splashed with acid, and would have made a lesser man's stomach churn at the sight.

Volcan fell onto his knees, then onto his side as he twitched with pain, his eyes clenched tightly shut. "Aaaaugh!" He groaned, trying not to roll onto his back to aggravate the wound further.

"Hah. Fucking knew it." The bounty hunter remarked as he stepped around Volcan, shaking his wrist a little as he retrieved his sword and pulled it out of the ground, resting it along his shoulders. "Just like actual fire, water's yer kryptonite it seems, and I'm gonna take a wild guess and assume that enough exposure will douse yer flames and leave you as nuthin but a withered husk, amirite?" He asked, grinning smugly down at the injured Phoenix.

Volcan looked up at him, the glow of his eyes having faded to reveal the sky blue eyes he normally had. "Why... Why are you after us?" He asked, rolling onto his hands and trying to push himself up.

Korban quickly swung his leg and kicked Volcan square in the side of his face, sending him onto his side before he crouched low so he was more at his level, holding his sword over the back of Volcan's neck to keep him from getting back up again. "Simple. 'Cause I was paid to do so." He answered. "Long story short. Someone wants you and your friends dead, and they called upon my services to get the job done." He said before he gave a light shrug. "Don't take it personally, bud. I got nothing against you, but a job's a job, and if you gotta kick the bucket, then it is what it is." He added, standing up tall and raising his sword up over his head. "If you got any last words, speak 'em now or forever hold yer peace."

Instead of words though, Volcan was deafened by the thunderous sound of a sonic boom exploding over him. Regaining his senses, he would see that his executioner was gone.

"Wha-?" Volcan asked, confused.

In less than a blink of an eye Korban found an impossible force planted into his side as the world went by him, being pushed deep into the forest before him, before slamming him into the ground. He tumbled about once he was released, smacking into a few trees that further disoriented him until he managed to catch himself on his hands and feet, skidding to a halt and left with several flowering bruises along his body.

Taken a couple of hundred meters away from where he once was, losing his sword along the way in the forest, he saw a battle-ready red and white suit stand before him with glowing cyan eyes.

"Guuuh, you gotta be_fucking_kidding me..." He growled angrily as he rose to his feet, dusting himself off and rolling his head along his shoulders a couple of times. "So what the fuck are you supposed to be, some kind of Iron-Man rip off?" He demanded.

The red metallic figure did not respond with words and just raised his palms to shoot a large bolt of electricity from each just as the lightning hawk tried to before. Korban quickly dodged to the side just as he did when he first faced Lighris, only this time he didn't have his guns to retaliate with. He landed in a crouch and scoffed, reaching out to the side with his hand as if he were trying to prepare another of his Ice attacks.

Instead, a heavy swishing sound was heard coming from behind the mechanized figure, then something quickly whizzed past its head and sliced along its shoulder as it passed by before shooting right for Korban's hand. The husky grinned as he grasped his reclaimed sword once again, quickly flipping it into a reverse grip and holding it behind him, a cold rush forming around the edge of the blade that solidified into a strip of ice.

"Take a chill pill, Iron-freak." He remarked before swinging his blade thrice. With each swing, waves of sharp ice blades composed of ice rushed at his target.

The mechanized creature hastily reached behind itself and between its wings. It took hold of the handle of a katana, dragging it up in one swift motion. He swung three times, each swing shattering the ice blades and sending them falling harmlessly to the ground. Before the last wave was cut, Red Lightning had already leaped forward with his boosters to try and fling himself over Korban's head, swiping at the thicker blade to try and bring its wielder off balance.

Korban grinned wider, instead choosing to lean to the side and let the blade swing right past him. When the mech landed, the husky was already leaping at him, his blade pointed forward and aimed right for the head of the machine, thinking that was where the pilot of the mechanized suit was situated.

"Shoulda gone for my head and not my blade, buddy!"

Again, with no emotion or words, the suit turned around calculated and in one swift motion had raised it's hand off to the side of Korban's blade, matching the velocity of the thrust to plant the palm of it's hand against the side of the weapon and pushing it to his side, allowing Korban to meet the suit's armored shoulder for a blow, before casting him off to follow the path of his blade as Red Lightning continued the turning motion.

Korban grunted as he was smacked to the side like a ragdoll, rolling along the ground and hitting a tree that stopped him dead in his tracks. He groaned as he forced himself back to his feet, looking back at the large mech and wiping a bit of blood off of his jaw.

"Fuck's sake, I can't land a dent on this asshole..." He grumbled. "Damnit, where the hell is Kitty? I told him to be here in five!" He added as he raised his sword again, readying for another round with the Red Lightning.

~~~~

Back at the house, Blue Lightning was assisting the two fallen victims. Racing down to Volcan's side having seen him first laying down on the cold wet grass, kneeling down in front of him, scanning over him to try and understand what is happening to him and how to assist.

"Seems we got here too late." Volcan heard the metal suit synthetically speak, "Are you ok?"

"My... My back," he said, trying to talk through the pain. Indeed the wound on his back was gruesome and was clearly causing him tremendous pain.

"Can you move?" it asked, moving around to observe the back between his wingblades more closely.

"I-I think so," he said, but his gaze turned toward the house. "M-My brother... He was shot... He's on the stairs, below the veranda."

Blue Lightning followed the phoenix's gaze to see his brother slumped on the stairs. She looked back down at Volcan and quickly moved to shove her arms under him, "This may hurt."

With all her and the suit's might, Avelyn slowly managed to lift Volcan upright and onto his feet, before guiding him over to the building to lean against, trying to move as quick as possible to attend the next patient but still trying to be slow enough for Volcan to recover. Volcan leaned back against the wall and caught his breath, trying to summon some energy and let the wound on his back heal.

With Volcan propped up against the building, Blue Lightning leaped to Lighris at the bottom of the stairs, scanning over him for his vitals as he was not visually moving. He had a pulse, at least. Locating the gunshot wound he scanned over the entry wound and an x-ray showed the bullet buried deep inside inside his chest, fortunately missing any vital organs.

She lifted the heavy bird up to sit against the stairs with the entry wound facing up, limiting the amount of blood loss. Pulling a tactical bandage from her thigh, Blue Lightning began over wrapping it from Lighris' shoulder to his opposite underarm to cover the wound, but was not able to finish in time before she would be interrupted...

A light shone atop the roof before forming into a sort of ethereal portal. Within seconds of it materializing, Kieran stepped through and quickly took a gander at his surroundings as the portal behind him dispersed. He saw signs of a battle that had taken place recently, and when he leaned over the edge of the roof, he saw the Blue Lightning tending to both Volcan and Lighris.

"Well shit..." He muttered softly, reaching behind him and pulling his black spiked katana out of its scabbard strapped to his back, and with his left hand he reached behind him and grasped the holster of a heavily customized revolver. "Guess I gotta clean up my boss' mess then." He added as he pulled the hammer back and flicked the safety off, taking aim at Volcan while Blue Lightning was tending to Lighris' wounds.

Before he could pull the trigger an arc of electricity shot up towards him from below, reaching for the feline. He cried out as he took the hit, his body spasming from the current of lightning coursing along his body. When it was finished, he fell to the ground below, landing with a dull thud not far from where he was struck.

"...Oooooow..." He groaned before he started pushing himself back up to his feet once more, glancing at the Blue Lightning out of the corner of his eye. "Now _that_was rude..."

_"Says you,"_the synthetic voice retorted before charging her next shot.

Kieran quickly holstered his revolver as the Blue Lightning charged their next shot, quickly reaching into his coat and pulling out a red coloured tome. "You only get _one_free shot, and you just used yours. Now it's my turn." He shouted as he opened the book. Red runic symbols started appearing around the tome before they gathered in front of Kieran, then they shot forward as a blast of mystical flames toward the ironclad opponent.

The Lightning tried diving out of the way of the mystical attack, lunging into a roll on the grass beside them, jumping back up and discharging one their arm's blasters towards Kieran again. The cat jumped to the side as the blast came his way, smirking as the flames he discharged impacted on the ground next to the Blue Lightning, exploding like a bomb with enough kinetic force to knock most normal beings out just from the shockwave itself.

With his opponent reeling, Kieran put his tome away and pulled out another green coloured tome. He flipped it open and cast another spell at his opponent, this time launching several razor sharp wind blades in rapid succession toward the ironclad opponent before him. Detecting his next attack the blue suit quickly reacted by launching up into the air on its thrusters in a super jump, before directing itself towards Kieran and thrusting back down to minimize the time he could react, taking out a bo staff and holding it across as they ram the cat into he dirt.

Kieran quickly ran forward as the Blue Lightning lunged down at him, barely avoiding getting tackled to the ground as she impacted where he once stood. Turning quickly, he ran the tome across his blade and shrouded it with a green hue before he launched himself at the mechanical fighter, roaring as he brought the sword down on their shoulder as they turned to face him.

The sword connected, the green hue along his blade enhancing its cutting power and managing to slice along the armoured body, but never fully went through. He scoffed in annoyance as he turned his gaze to meet the Blue Lightning's.

"That's some armour..." he remarked. "Even with my blade enchanted, I can't fully cut through. Luck's on your side this time, pal..." He remarked, then grinned deviously as he pulled out another tome from his coat. "...Is what I would have said, if I didn't have an answer for that!"

He opened the sickly green tome and ran it across his sword, replacing its enhanced cutting power with corrosive properties that quickly started to eat away at the portion of armour he still had his blade embedded in.

Blue lightning shifted, trying to pull their staff free from the dirt, giving up on it and leaving it embedded as they turned their attention to the corrosive blade slowly bubbling and seeping deeper into the shoulder. They shifted to try and pry it free; but it was only until their armour was liquefied enough around the blade for it to be able to move.

Inside Blue Lightning, the pilot twisted her body to free herself and turned quickly pushing the blade aside and raised her leg to kick the cat. This time, he had no way to counter or dodge, having been jerked toward the kick. He felt the metallic leg slam into him, making him cry out and get sent skidding along the dirt, the sword becoming dislodged from the Blue Lightning's shoulder in the process.

Growling, he slowly pushed himself back to his feet, rubbing the spot where he was kicked with his paw and glaring back at his opponent. "Alright, _now_I'm starting to get pissed."

Having left one of her other arm blasters to charge further, Blue Lightning simply raised her arm again and let loose another arc of thunder. This time, Kieran brought both his hands in front of him, waving each in a circle once. More runic symbols appeared in front of him and came together in the form of a barrier, shielding him from the lightning attack until it dissipated. He then lowered the barrier and was about to launch a counterattack of his own when he heard someone cry out, followed by the sound of someone skidding along the dirt behind him.

Looking back, he saw Korban popping back to his feet, his clothes and fur stained with dirt and his body riddled with bruises and bloodstains. Despite that, he looked more pissed off than exhausted as he pushed himself back to his feet, snorting some blood out of his right nostril.

"Holy... jeez, you look like-"

"Where the _fuck_have you been?!" Korban interjected when Kieran piped up. "I told you to be here in five!"

"Technically you said ten, and as to why I took so long to get to you, well..." He gestured to the Blue Lightning across from him. "I got held up by one of the twin mechs."

"Fucking hell, this shit keeps getting better and better..." Korban grumbled. "Seems they_both_arrived to save the day..."

"Wait, they're _both_here??" Kieran exclaimed in shock.

"How do ya think I ended up like this??" Korban countered, gesturing to himself. His ears twitched as he heard the heavy thudding of his opponent running up to the tree line. "Aw fuck, here we go again..."

Once the red metallic suit had emerged from the tree, both Lightnings leaped into the air with their thrusters and charged their heavy fists as they came down on each duo with a thunder punch.

"Kitty!" Korban hollered, holding his hand out to his partner.

"I gotcha!" Kieran hollered, quickly snapping his fingers. Runes appeared around Korban's arms and shins, then they changed into the shapes of gauntlets and greaves that fastened onto him just as he was about to get nailed by the Lightnings' combined thunder punch.

The ground under the husky collapsed into a sizable crater from the combined impact, creating billowing clouds of dust and dirt that obscured the four of them. As the dust settled, the two Lightnings saw that, while their fists hit their mark, Korban was crouched with his arms held up, blocking their fists and keeping them at bay, even as lightning surged around his body.

"Round three..." Korban muttered, grinning smugly before he roared and threw his arms out, pushing the two of them back enough for him to stand tall again.

No sooner had Korban pushed the Lightnings back, however, that another newcomer arrived. Out of the corner of his eye, Kieran saw a flash of white, and had to duck as a sphere of solid ice flew toward him. Korban however saw the Ice sphere too late and took the impact of the attack, sending him flying until he hit a tree behind him, slumping once he hit the ground.

"Holy shit, boss!!" Kieran called out as he ran to Korban's aid, gently easing him back to his feet and looking at their newest opponent.

Out of the woods stepped another avian, drawing a sword from his belt as he approached. His eyes glowing a pale blue as he approached. The odds were no longer in their favour...

"Mother fucker, it's the Frozen Batman wannabe..." Korban remarked, quickly glancing between the ice Phoenix and the Lightnings starting to converge on them. Seeing that they were no longer able to turn this fight around, Korban started subtly punching some keys on his wrist terminal, then shrugged Kieran away from him. "We need to pull back. Warp back to the trailer and wait for me to get back."

"Dude, you think I'm just gonna leave you behind like this?" Kieran objected.

"You can only warp one person at a time." Korban countered. "Just go. I won't be far behind."

The cat growled in both annoyance and concern, but he eventually complied. "Alright fine... but if yer not back in an hour, I'm coming to get you." He retorted, just as the Blue Lightning lunged forward throwing a small circular device toward the cat. Kieran saw the glint of the device and reacted by swinging his sword, cutting it clean in two. It bursted into a ball of electricity which gave the two a small shock, but nothing like what they had already endured that evening.

He then quickly cast a spell that created a warp hole behind him, quickly stepping through and shutting behind him, leaving Korban to his own devices on how to escape his predicament.

"Your partner has abandoned you," stated the ice phoenix. "You'd be wise to surrender."

"Who said he abandoned me?" Korban retorted as he straightened up, smirking arrogantly back at his foe. "I _told_him to go. Big difference there, Mr. Freeze."

"Regardless," he pointed at the husky with his sword. "You are outmatched. You cannot defeat all of us on your own."

"Outmatched, for sure. Outnumbered, definitely..." Korban admitted, still grinning. "Out of options? Well... I still have a card or two up my proverbial sleeve."

A squeal of tires and the rev of an engine was then heard coming from the Ice Phoenix's right flank, turning just in time to see a heavily customized motorcycle zooming full till at him, completely autonomously to boot as there was no driver on the handlebars. Immediately the Ice Phoenix dove aside, getting out of the path of the bike.

Red Lightning took the initiative, lunging forward towards the bike and discharging his blasters at the autonomous vehicle in an attempt to short circuit it as he flew through the air to intercept it with his shoulder to barge it off course and bash it off course.

To the lightning's shock, the bike actually swerved out of the way of the bolt of lightning, skidding on its side and dodging the bash attempt all at once. Korban grinned as he deactivated his wrist terminal and ran for his vehicle, quickly pulling it upright and revving the engines once before performing a half doughnut and started racing for the exit back out to the road, leaning down and picking up his dropped pistols as he sped off.

The ice phoenix attempted to intercept him, forming multiple spheres of ice and launching them one after the other, aiming for the bike itself. Korban saw the spheres coming from one of his rear view mirrors, quickly taking aim behind him with one of his pistols and fired off shots at the incoming projectiles.

His accuracy, even while shooting behind him at high speed, was utterly uncanny. Every shot fired hit its mark and shattered the spheres long before they reached him. He then took a few shots at the Phoenix in order to keep him at bay as he made good his escape.

With the threat leaving for now, Blue Lightning quickly turned their attention back to Lighris, still laying on his back out cold at the bottom of the stairs and dashed over to his side to continue to aid. The ice phoenix sheathed his sword and joined her, standing beside her as she attended to the lightning phoenix, then turned to look at Red Lightning who stood still, looking out at where Korban had left them, almost as if he was analyzing something.

"Where is Volcan?" Vinge asked.

"Over here, Vinge," another voice called from the side of the house, where the fire phoenix still stood. He stepped away from the wall, somewhat unsteady on his feet as he approached his fellow avian.

"Are you alright?"

"Thanks to these two I am," said Volcan, gesturing to the Lightning twins. "If they hadn't stepped in, I'd be dead for sure... The husky was able to use ice powers."

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner," said Vinge.

"It couldn't be helped," Volcan assured him, patting his shoulder before turning his attention to his fallen brother. "How is he?" He asked Blue Lightning.

"Alive. Breathing. Knocked out." The synthetic voice listed, "The bleeding has stopped, but a bullet is embedded in his collar."

"We need to get that out, somehow," Volcan said. "But I don't know anyone with surgical experience..."

"I can do that, but I need to exit my suit," Blue Lightning admitted, kneeling down to grab Lighris' shoulders. "We need to take him inside." They announced, gesturing for someone to assist her lift the electric phoenix.

"I can take him," Volcan offered, moving to Lighris' side. He slid his arms under Lighris' knees and shoulders before lifting him.

Lighris wasn't tall, but he was stocky, making it all the more surprising that Volcan could lift him so easily. But he seemed to have no trouble at all picking up the blue avian with Blue Lightning.

"I'll get the door," offered the ice phoenix, hurrying over to the front door to hold it open as Volcan and Blue carried the other avian inside and into the dining room.

"Clear the table, please," Blue Lightning asked Vinge as they brought him alongside it.

Hastily, the ice phoenix removed several dishes left on the table clearing the way for Volcan to set Lighris down upon it, and then stepped aside, moving to stand above his brother's head to let Blue Lightning do what she needed to.

"Please get some rope or belts. Anything to tie him down to the table. I cannot have him move when I do this..." Blue Lightning requested. Concern could be heard in her synthetic voice.

"Where is his bedroom?" the ice phoenix asked.

"Right there," Volcan replied, pointing to the room nearest to the kitchen. "His belts are in the top-left drawer but he only keeps one spare. Tie his feet down - I can hold his arms." As Volcan spoke, he hurried down to remove the belt Lighris currently wore, and got to work tying down his foot while Vinge came back with the other belt to do the same.

"No. You need to leave the room if I am to leave my suit. Besides... you might not like to watch," Blue Lightning insisted.

"I am not squeamish," Volcan stated, moving back to stand at Lighris' head. "And I am not leaving him."

"He will be fine" the synthetic voice assured, "but I can't have you in here."

"Blue Lightning... He is my brother," Volcan stated firmly, looking directly into the eyes of the synthetic suit with a serious expression, one suggesting that his point was not up for negotiation. "Do you have siblings of your own, and would you so readily leave them if they were hurt?"

"I do. But my identity must be kept a secret. I had trusted someone with it before and it almost cost me my life. My partner's life. And my family's life." she paused, "That cannot happen again."

"In case you forgot," Volcan cut in, interrupting them. "I have a secret to keep to keep too. We _all_do." His brow furrowed as he continued. "Right now, my brother's life is in your hands... I can only promise you I won't ever reveal your secret, but you need me. Lighris is strong, and he will likely discharge if he wakes up while you are removing the bullet. I can take a charge from him, you can't."

"I can have my suit absorb the charge like a lightning rod. It will not reach me."

Volcan's expression softened. "Please... I _have_to be here. He and I are all we have..."

The Lightning paused as its Red counterpart entered, having finished analyzing the battlefield outside and gathered his Katana and Blue Lightning's bo staff. He overheard the conversation.

"You cannot be here."_His synthetic voice spoke firmly, _"I will hold him down."

"I'm _not_leaving," Volcan said firmly.

Vinge stepped in. "Let Volcan stay," he stated. "I will step out. But Volcan needs to be with his brother." He looked firmly at Red Lightning. "He is trusting you two with his brother's life. Trust him, that he will not endanger either of you."

With that, Vinge walked up the hallway, stepping out of sight until he heard the front door closing, confirming that he was outside. It was just the two Lightnings and Volcan now, and his comatose brother. The phoenix remained steadfast, watching the two expectantly.

The two Lightnings looked at each other silently before Red Lightning looked back at Volcan and held a finger up to him, "We have done you a favor saving your asses tonight, keeping watch over you and your friends for 5 long months. You betray us and I will treat you the same way I treated Yank I knocked unconscious on Liberty Island."

Volcan stood motionless for a moment, considering the words, before giving a slow nod. "I understand," he said. "If I ever willingly betray you... I will accept whatever punishment you deem necessary."

He sounded so... Honest. Even to the distrusting occupant within Red Lightning, he couldn't sense any lie in the voice of the strange red avian. He watched as Volcan wrapped his arms securely around the shoulders of his brother, locking his arms back where they could not endanger Blue Lightning.

"Not a word about what you are about to see." Red Lightning reiterated as he walked heavily over to the windows to draw the curtains before ending up in front of the door, standing in front of it so Vinge could not enter.

With a visual sigh from the Blue Lightning, the suit hissed and wheezed as it cracked open. The face of the helmet lifted before the head and shoulders lifted off her. The chest opened by a split in the middle which continued all the way down her legs for a smaller black feathered girl to step out in a white crop top and blue denim jeans, dragging her large black feathered wings out from behind her, sporting a brilliant blue pattern.

She glanced over at Volcan, her alluring amber eyes meeting his deep azure pools, but her beak wore a concerned look. Volcan held the gaze for a moment, clearly having not expected who emerged from the suit - although there was no sign of recognition. He did not know who she was, and he voiced no comment as he turned his attention back to his brother and let the young woman do her work.

The girl started undoing the bandage she had begun to apply before the cat's entrance. Although the outside was a pristine white, each layer slowly revealed a splotch of blood that grew with each layer, until it was removed to unveil the entry wound. It was not a pretty sight. She did not flinch, having already seen it, and many others before.

"I bloody hate guns..." she muttered under her breath; Volcan thought he heard a slight British accent in her voice.

She turned around to her suit, reaching to one of the sides of its thigh to pull away a small compartment, inside appeared to be a very compact med kit with very basic tools and other essentials. She began by sterilizing the wound using swabs and alcohol; her delicate grey avian claws making small and precise movements.

Needing to get closer, she pulled her crop top up and latched it over her beak, perhaps revealing too much eye candy, but no one looked considering the sensitive situation. With her beak covered she lent in close making sure to clean the opening as much as possible before moving to the next stage.

Leaning inside to inspect the bullet, she then looked back over at Red Lightning for assistance.

"I need you to show me a live x-ray so I can see the bullet to extract it." She requested.

Red Lightning walked over to the other side of the table and undid the chest piece of his suit, reaching in to pull out what appeared to be a regular mobile phone. Volcan could look over and catch a glimpse of red and white under the suit from whatever clothes the Red Lightning wore beneath before the suit closed again.

Red Lightning punched in a few things onto his phone before holding it next to the wound for the girl to view. The black, blue and white picture moved as the other hand of the suit got into position, placed under Lighris armpit, against his chest with the palm facing towards the bullet inside.

"Thank you..." she cooed as she swapped her cleaning tools for a scalpel and forcep, looking over and inserting them both inside the wound.

Using bare eyes, the live x-ray and the feeling in her hands, the procedure felt like it had gone on forever, but small progress was being made.

Delicately cutting away some of the flesh resting against the embedded bullet to loosen it, and finding the cylindrical shape between the ends of her forceps, she slowly and patiently began extracting the shell out of the wound, taking her time so not to drop it or damage any of the other organs around it.

A long sigh of relief could be heard from all as she held the bullet up between the forceps, studying it for a few second before handing it over to partner, who remove his hand and replace his phone back inside his suit, reaching out to take the bullet away, placing it in a small compartment on his suit.

Volcan watched in silent wonder as the girl worked, his eyes following her hands as she extracted the bullet. He visibly winced when she took it out, but true to his word he remained steadfast, keeping his brother secured in case he were to awaken.

Although the main offender was removed, they still had little more to do as Avelyn placed her blooded tools safely off to the side and picked up some more cleaning equipment, treating the deep wound once again. The whole process seemed to have gone on for almost an hour, finishing with the black bird stitching the skin over the wound back together before dressing it with a new bandage over Lighris' shoulder and under his arm.

"There..." She announced, pulling her crop top down from her beak revealing her face again.

She collected all of her blooded single-use equipment and took it towards the kitchen, finding an old plastic shopping bag and putting it all in, tying it up tightly and handing it to Volcan. "This needs to be destroyed. Preferably burned"

She then went to collect her bloodied surgical tools and disappeared back into the kitchen to clean them under the sink as well as her hands, "He needs lots of rest. He should avoid moving as much as possible. No quick or sudden movement at all. And no electrical discharges; I don't know enough about your physiology to know what exactly would happen but I suspect it could rupture it."

"Thank you," Volcan said, nodding to her before looking down at his brother.

The girl came back back to the dinning table again after cleaning the tools with disinfectant and hot water, now handing them to Volcan, "Hold these and make them super hot. Preferably 85 degrees." she said, turning to her suit, before pausing and turning back to Volcan, "Celcius, that is."

Volcan took the tools in his hands. He stared down at them, channeling heat through his hands into them as the raven had requested. There was a shimmer of warmth above the tools, but he controlled the output enough to keep them from becoming too hot, lest they deform.

The girl walked backward into her suit, sliding her organic avian wings through the back and into the jet plane shaped wings, then her hands and feet before it all closed up around her finishing with the helmet faceplate which came down over her face and beak. Giving Volcan his last few glances at his fellow feathered hero before the suit closed up.

"Are these heated enough?" Volcan asked, not looking up from the tools so that he could be sure he didn't lose focus.

Blue Lightning scanned over the tools to measure their temperature. Before holding out her metal hand to Volcan to pass them over, speaking up again in her synthetic voice, "That is enough for now."

Volcan took another moment to let the tools cool down before placing them in Blue Lightning's hand, and then looked at her masked face. "Thank you again, for saving us," he said, and looked over at Red Lightning still by the door. "The same to you... I don't know how you knew we were in danger but if it wasn't for you, we'd surely have died today."

"We've been keeping an eye on you and your friends since our first meeting." Red Lightning explained, crossing his arms in front of the phoenix. "Your secrets are safe with us and I hope you will return the favor. But we won't be afraid to share it if you discuss anything about Blue's identity to anyone."

"I may have seen her but I don't know her name, and I won't ask," said Volcan, turning his attention back to Lighris. "For now, I need to take my brother somewhere safe. Those bounty hunters will be back, and in his current state, he's powerless against them." He went down to Lighris' feet to begin removing the belts securing them to the table.

The two Lightnings looked between each other. Before Red spoke, "We can take you to your bar you frequent."

"It seems like you guys are very close with the owner," Blue commented.

Volcan blinked, alarmed. "You even know about that? How long-" he paused the question, remembering that question had already been answered. "Nevermind... That might be best for now. I was going to take him to the-" he caught himself. "To _my_home. I don't want to endanger anyone else."

"Are you sure you can look after him and protect him on your own?" Blue Lightning asked.

"From those two? I won't stand a chance on my own," replied Volcan, shaking his head. "That husky alone mopped the floor with me without really trying. I'm not a trained fighter and my powers only take me so far. It's my hope I can at least get Lighris out of danger, until my friends and I can find a way to protect our-" he paused as a thought occurred to him. "Crap, the bar's not safe either! They saw me leaving - who knows how long they've been watching me?! If I go back there They might just rush in with guns blazing and more people could get hurt!"

The avian was descending into a tirade. He was thinking too fast and about too much, playing scenarios in his mind without coming up with solutions. Eventually, Blue Lightning had to step over and get his attention so that he could focus again.

"Calm." She insisted, placing a hand on Volcan's shoulder as Red Lightning walked over to the door he was guarding and pulled it open, gesturing to Vinge to come back in.

"Do you have your own place for these two to say?" Red asked Vinge, straight to the point.

Vinge shook his head. "I own no home here," he said. "However... That will not mean we are without options." He looked at Volcan. "Do you have anywhere you could take Lighris - somewhere the bounty hunters can't know about?"

Thanks to Blue Lightning calming him earlier, and Vinge posing a clear question, Volcan took a moment to gather his thoughts and consider their options. "...They likely have documents on us. Something that told them where we could be found or else they'd never have come here," he said. "P.A.C.E probably gave those to them. So... Somewhere P.A.C.E doesn't know either. My tower, or..." He lifted his head, eyes opening wider as he had an idea. "Ayane."

"Go on?" Vinge pressed, looking sidelong at the two Lightnings, wondering if either of them showed any reaction to the name. When neither one did - not that even he could tell as they didn't move or speak - he looked back at Volcan as he spoke.

"P.A.C.E doesn't know about her. All they've seen is her suit, not the one inside," said Volcan. "We can take Lighris to her place. He'll be safe there, and she can protect him."

"You don't intend to involve her?" Vinge asked, looking again at the Lightnings. "Her technology is on par with theirs - she could be of help."

"She could. But that's a card we shouldn't show yet," said Volcan. "If P.A.C.E doesn't know about her, neither do these bounty hunters."

"A plan of impressive guile," Vinge said, nodding in approval. "Never show the enemy your full capabilities."

"That won't stop them from coming back to the bar, though," said Volcan.

"I may have a thought about that," Vinge offered. "If these bounty hunters don't know about Ayane, they don't know about Ordagova either. That's why they slipped up, otherwise they would not have walked near the pub."

Volcan nodded, understanding. "Right... If they knew he could sense them, they'd have kept their distance," he said. "Which means he can find them again if they approach."

"And this time," added Vinge, "now that we have a better grasp of their capabilities, we can prepare accordingly." Vinge then turned to regard the two Lightnings. "You came to our aid tonight, but where do you stand from here?"

"We protect the innocent, and bring those who harm others to justice," Red Lightning confirmed, "You are being hunted unduly when you just want peace. We will not rest until these people harassing you are brought to justice."

Vinge nodded. "Then you will be our backup. They will be expecting you this time, so they may bring a countermeasure," he suggested. "But their actions tonight suggest they cannot account for _all_of us." He looked at Volcan. "Let's go back to Ordagova's for now. We'll discuss the plan with him - he'll be our first warning, and on the way we'll get Tsumé, Obsidian and Rikyuu if we can."

"_First warning?"_Blue Lightning questioned, trading looks with her partner.

"Oh right... Fair to notify you," said Volcan. "I suspect he may not be happy with me telling you, but, a friend of mine is a telepath. He's the one who warned us those bounty hunters were coming - they were probably scoping us out when Lighris picked me up.

"Telepathy?" Red Lightning questioned, his hand lifting up to meet the chin of his suit, "I theorized such a thing... Detecting and deciphering brainwaves... I thought it was nothing more than science fiction, but you are telling me that this... 'Ordagova' can read minds?"

Volcan nodded. "He can, yes," he answered. "He watches everything in and around his pub. As I mentioned, it's how he knew about those hunters even when we never saw them until they followed us here." He sighed. "I hope I didn't overstep by telling you, but if I hadn't he would have read your minds as well the moment you arrived there. I promised to keep your secret, and I will."

The two Lightnings had fallen silent to their audience, talking to themselves along their closed communications.

"If telepaths are real, how do we hide our identities?" Blue asked.

"I do not know... How do we know we've not already been found out by someone?" Red responded.

"If we go, we will need to ask that the telepaths do not reveal us, if they are the real deal," Blue replied, "Should we go?"

"I don't know... we need to ask." Red replied to Blue, "I've almost cracked that hunter's bike... we may not even need to go"

The two lightings had turned their comms back to their external speakers to further discuss with the phoenixes.

"Can we trust this Ordagova?" Red asked the two.

"He's kept our secret, and he has some of his own to keep," Volcan answered. "I trust him with my life."

"I too have learned to trust him," Vinge added. "He has sheltered, accommodated and treated us well, asking for nothing in return."

"Are you sure he's not benefiting from you, in either way?" Red Lighting asked, still very wary and concerned.

"Red..." Blue Lightning insisted.

"I'll speak with him first," offered Volcan. "He can't get either of your identities from me, as I don't know them."

"But you did see Blue Lightning out of their armour," Vinge added, not having seen the female raven himself. "I will speak to him when we get back."

"Alright," said Volcan. "But we should get going, and soon. I have to take my brother to Ayane's."

"We will head back to base. If you can speak with your telepathic friend and get us his word, then we will come and meet you there." Red Lightning agreed.

Volcan nodded. "Alright," he said. Deep down, he still felt concerned Ordagova might feel like Volcan had betrayed an unspoken trust between them by revealing what the snake was - although, there was still one thing Volcan knew about Orda he had not revealed to anyone else, nor planned to. But nevertheless, communication was key.

He had a thought then. "Wait... How will we let you know?" He asked, realizing the gap in their plan. "How do we contact you?"

"I will be monitoring your calls." Red Lightning stated, speaking directly to Volcan, "Give someone in your little group a call as if you were speaking to me. I will hear."

Volcan and Vinge shared a wary look, and then looked back at Red Lightning again. "You've hacked into our phones?" Vinge asked.

"Volcan asked for our help. So I was keeping tabs on you. I don't monitor everything, but I have heard a few things when I chose to listen in." the red suited individual openly revealed.

"But, I didn't..." Volcan blinked, trying to remember when he might have asked them for help. But then he shook his head. "Whatever - explanations later," he stated before moving to pick up his brother. "Let's get going."

"Do you need any help taking him?" Blue Lightning asked.

"I can manage," Volcan assured her with a nod. "Thank you for everything. We'll see you shortly."

With that, the four - along with the comatose Lighris in Volcan's arms, left the house and took to the air. Volcan and Vinge traveled in one direction, heading away from the city, while the Lightnings traveled north, out of view of the other birds.