Catalysts: IC (Oh the thread is slowly dying...)

Ragnarok returned to his room to sleep and let his eyes wash over into their pure sclera state. He planned before he slept then fell, deeper and deeper into the quietness hoping to search for other Catalysts for his final plan.
(Request granted!)

Winter, having gotten as close to the scene as the police line would allow, studied the firemen's efforts to combat the dying flame. She shuddered as she recalled its consciousness, and quickly removed herself from the scene once it became clear that no one had recalled seeing anything unusual take place, and if they had, they'd labelled it as a heat-induced hallucination.

A few minutes found her walking briskly away from the scene in the direction of the woods.

[[Seconded, skip when ready.]]

Nox opened his eyes. It felt like night. The air was cool and damp. Now was the time to go out. He climbed back down to the platform areas, and then up to the stairwell up to the outside world. His suspicions were confirmed when he say the moon beginning to rise. He contemplated where to go. But then it hit him: he would strike the police at the top: he was going after the mayor. He began to walk towards the woods.

Ragnarok had been prepared and out the subway swiftly by 5:00 PM to go in search, though in a flawed matter, for the bomber Pandora. He needed his ultimate operation completed, and some chaos was required for that along with the vigilantism that Nox could provide. He started his search in a train station, after a long and altogether dull walk.

Nox finally reached the mayor's house. He looked all around, looking for unguarded vantage points. He needed a way of entry. The mayor had his house locked up well, however. There was little else to do but break a window. That would alert guards. He would have to come back later.

((I'll grant that, just gimme a sec to set up Pandora's 5 hour torture marathon.))

Pandora had found the house. She knew because they had a ramp out front, they would likely have pain killers and narcotics. she flitted inside, and quickly knocked out the woman and man- who had a heavy cast on his leg and was sitting in a wheel chair- at which point she set about the first step of her plan, fashoning effective gags from rags, and waking them up.

"Now, stay quiet. It'll be easier on all of us if you do. Now, I suppose you are wondering 3 things- 1, who I am. 2, why this is happening to you. 3, if you're going to die. well, lets get the most important one out of the way. Yes. You are going to die. No, no, don't struggle, you'll only make things worse for youself. From there, this is happening for NO reason. There need not BE a reason for anything in the world. Especially the horrible. Now, as for who I am, I'm sure you already know me by atleast 2 names. I was once a force of good in this town, you know. I fought for innocence, and those afflicted with that curse. And I beat my body against the ill in this town, to the point of death on multiple occasions. I lost myself, and I stood proud. And one day I died. I accepted, and embraced, my death. But do you know what happened? I was rejected. Death would not take me. I had taken too many that were rightfully his, and so he would not accept me. So I returned. A shadow of myself, with no memory but that of pain, and the cause therof. And do you know what I did? I LOST MY MIND. Some would question if I had ever owned such a thing, but I know that, once, I did. So I became what I am now, what stands before you. A paragon of chaos, servant of death, and soldier of misfortune. Now, I believe I must get to work. Tell me, which of you is stronger? You, sir? Then your wife is first. Come, my dear. Tell, me, left or right handed. right? well then. Give me your right hand. A little snip... and another... now the left. A snip... and another... Ah, I do so love my fingers."

((By far excellent character development. I find her a very wonderful character))

He waited patiently for hours on end to no avail before checking out the suburbs in New Suffolk for the woman, expecting her madness to force her into a need to kill and destroy. He had to deal carefully, placing a hand to his head as he waited patiently. He attempted to sense her out, killing some of the nearby ferns. Locating her he walked off in an attempt to find her, preparing himself to smooth talk or, if necessary, fight his way into getting what he wanted before realizing he had forgotten about Nox.

Winter awoke from a mostly-restless night. She had perused the forest to find a host of empty traps, and once had heard a hunter's shout and been forced to run for it. Luckily, she'd lost the man and was able to sneak back to her hovel in the abandoned city, where she'd lain down and dreamt of glorious fire and joyful immolation.

They were her first pleasant dreams in months.

She stretched, and, still exhausted, elected to loiter around the city and collect information from a few stolen newspapers on the events of last night.

Nox circled the mayor's house once more before finding his salvation. A single window was open to allow in the cool air. He snuck in. Now it was a matter of getting things done. He found the mayor fast asleep in his room. He gagged the mayor, who awoke to see a dark figure standing over him. Nox then flipped the mayor over, and used a zip-tie to bind his hands. He hoisted the mayor onto his back. He snuck out to the mayor's limousine and laid the mayor down on the carpet. He climbed into the driver's seat and drove off in the darkness of the night.

Finally, he had discovered Pandora. Along with a mangled husband and wife. The wife had three or four of her fingers removed and placed into her mouth, which was half sewn shut. Her torso had been ripped open and some organs apparently been removed. Looking for Pandora he smiled at her, hoping the pleasantry would be returned with ease.

"Hello ma'am.. I am uh.. Ragnarok.. A catalyst. I'll be quaint with you, I need a massive distraction to get to the science facility. Once I find out how to make a catalyst, I intend to replace humans slowly. Humanity has become ruined. You see, the only thing we all can disagree on is how to deal with humans, which humans are proper. I know some of them are good, some of them are bad. So I will make an equal number of good and evil Catalysts, to let them solve the issue that humans are too scared to solve. Which side is more powerful. Or rather, to keep balance perfect. I only hope you can comply with my plans, madame."

Nox drove the limo to the outskirts of the city. He then burned it as the mayor watched. He then took the mayor to an abandoned emergency broadcast network station. He set up the cameras and broadcasting tools. He finally interrupted the programming on all channels. "Hello, New Suffolk. I am here to tell you a little something. I have captured your beloved mayor from his own damned house. Your guards are powerless. Step down, government. You're next. I am Nox. Vivis perpetua." He left the room, leaving the mayor tied up. He poured gasoline everywhere on the ground floor of the tower. He lit a cigarette, took a puff, and threw it on the carpet. Semper vivis.

Pandora laughed, and licked her blade. "Really, you claim to be some sort of prophet, then? Enlightened? That you know something I don't, something no one else knows? Fool. There is no good, no evil, it just IS. Do you think these people" she flicked her knife at her most recent victims, letting go at the last second so that it carefully nestled itself into the man's breast, "died wondering what I am? Or do you think they died wondering why I was doing this to them? Balance is as pointless as "good" and "evil", and you, my foolish friend, seem to think that your belief in "balance" places you above both. Why, if you weren't so amusing" she continued with a smile, "I do believe I'd gut you right here. And perhaps I still will, but come, tell me how you intend to pursue your idiotic goal. Come now, CONVINCE ME."

Ragnarok laughed calmly and spoke slowly so as to tailor her to his plan.

"It's quite simple. Surely these people are too easy, too swiftly dying. But catalysts.. Now they are the true difficult prey. Some of them, like a recent friend of mine with an aversion to light and an equal desire for symmetry, are difficult to kill. Others could possibly kill you, but you can always outrank them and become top of the foodchain. Now are you willing to give up such a thrilling challenge for your adversion to my beliefs in morality? Truly you'd enjoy the chance to possibly die, and put yourself in the strength to overcome them or die trying.."

Ragnarok could feel his smile poking the angelbite piercings into his lips and hoped that he had gained the Catalyst's help for his plan.

"Besides.." he continued "You'd get to slaughter plenty, doing a lot of murder as New Suffolk fell..."

Winter had perused the headlines and found nothing of interest. There were no reports of any strange fire-elementals, not even rumors or speculations. The terrorist was being investigated, but not a word was mentioned on the police's success, suggesting that the trail had gone cold.

She discarded the paper and sighed. Suddenly, a small voice inside of her awoke. It did not like what she was. It told her to change, to become what she was meant to be.

Whatever that meant.

Winter backtracked and picked up the paper. Her eyes rested on the death toll of yesterday's holocaust: 47 people, and 23 injured.

This filled her with a rage that she could not explain. Never before had she been so angry at the pointless loss of human life. Frustrated, she tore the vile thing into shreds and stormed off, knowing not her destination.

Rodney had not been so lucky as to have an immediate defense for getting hit with napalm from basically all directions. As such, he was summarily burned mostly to a crisp.

Mostly, but not always.

He awoke later in a hospital the next day, mostly encased in bandages. A nurse filled him in on what happened: namely, that someone had the audacity to first bomb the train station, then napalm most of the area. Twice. Rodney had been lucky to make it out alive; a lot of others hadn't been so fortunate.

He asked for some of his art supplies and his laptop to be brought to his room as soon as he was able to use them. The nurse agreed, then sedated him again.

Winter walked for several hours, mentally ranting about whatever she pleased. When she bumped into a man on the street, she proceeded to yell in his face and stalk away in a huff, the apologetic figure gazing after in confusion.

It was another hour more before Winter realized her hunger. Cursing aloud, she stopped to examine her surroundings, having payed little attention to them on her journey.

She was standing at an intersection in the city, void of pedestrians and vehicles alike. What appeared to be a grocery store lie just across the street, and Winter briefly considered entering to swipe a bite to eat.

No. It's not right.

What was the hold up? Why was she hesitating? She had done this sort of thing before, dozens of times. All she had to do was distract the store owner and run out with a sandwich or piece of raw meat while his back was turned.

She sighed - it was hopeless. Turning to walk in the direction of the forest, Winter's anger melted away and was replaced with a sort of depressed resignation.

I best run and let her decide on her own terms..

Ragnarok turned and walked out of the house swiftly to avoid his death, breaking into a full sprint to allow Pandora to decide on her own. He walked towards the forest then bolted, deciding to get somewhere where he could plot alone. Plot in the silence, to gain his great idea and throw away those who don't work. New Suffolk would be his test. He would find out how to make more catalysts, turn the city into a city of Catalysts and see the reaction. Then, he'd move on to New York and other great cities.

Panting, he stopped in the middle of a small clearing, leaning against a boulder before attempting to sense out anyone. He caught a glimmer of energy, after absorbing the life forces of a few plants.

Oh god. He had just killed the fucking mayor. And broadcasted it. Not only did the police now know what he looked like, they now had a smoking gun- well, tower- leading them right to the abandoned city. But let them come. He wha justified. This was his proving ground. Live or die, honor or defeat. He could hear the sirens now.

She had almost walked into the man before she realized he was there, as deep in thought as Winter was. Or, rather, he was resting in the center of a clearing that she had blundered into. Both startled and snapped from her state of introspection, Winter resumed her usual gruff self. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He sensed her before and had already drawn his twin pistols, aiming them straightforward at her with a wide grin on his face as his eyes opened widely, his heterochromia obvious with the lighting.

"I am here to judge you. Good, Bad, Neutrality... It's all subject to my judgement, and unless there is a balance in Chaos and Order, I must be there to fix damages dealt by the more heavy party. I am a god, after all."

This was a pun on his alias, Ragnarok being an apocalyptic event related to Norse Gods.

Quite taken aback now, Winter forgot her anger in the face of two very real, very threatening pistols. It had been quite some time since she had had guns pointed at her; usually it was all lead pipes and shivs. This was clearly someone of high stature; she decided it would be best to humor him.

"Hey, hey, whatever you say. Just calm down." She held her hands up at neck-level and halted, uncertain, wishing she knew more of this curious man.

Nox looked upon the sun, setting in the west. This was good. If he was to have any chance against these police it would have to be nighttime. Just then, the cavalry of police and SWAT cars arrived. Troops and riot cops emerged. The troops carried M-16s and MOLLE tactical ammo pouches. The riot cops carried riot shields and clubs. They formed into a line, riot cops crouching in front. A voice boomed over the bullhorn: "We have you now, terrorist!" God, what an insolent mongoloid. Nox shouted back: "God is my guardian, nothing shall I fear!" Inside, however, he was indeed very scared. The sun sank lower.

He read her mind by glaring into her eyes. Anger, fear, a strange desire for the revenge over the bombing.

"If you kill her, are you any different? You have the same fear she has. All I could read from her was fear, but.. A strange feeling of death. And another thing, if you are this good souled person, why kill another person? Don't worry. You won't die right away."

But then he panicked. He could hear the sounds from the abandoned city. He worried for Nox, who still had limited power from his blessing. He could only hope he wouldn't be late in saving his only true friend.

What the ACTUAL fuck.

Is this another of those damn metas? The irony of that query failed to register on Winter, who was too busy being confused, frightened, and irritated to be anything other than confused, frightened, or irritated.

"Just... How...? What the hell IS this, anyway. Who ARE you!?!?" Winter did the best to hold back tears, staring as intimidatingly as she could at the man, though she was shaking quite badly.

Like that he let a bullet fly past her face. Then he looked at her with his heterochromic eyes, filled with worry and pity.

"Don't get angry. Don't get scared either, and don't let my questions confuse you. I told you, I am here to judge you. So answer the question yourself, before I must sentence you to death... If you are to go off and kill her, are you any better than her? Innocents dead, so surely punishment is to be determined by others and not yourself over a fit of rage. What reason is that?"

He twitched feeling Nox's powers activate as the sun fell down completely under the horizon. And then the fear began to set in. He had no clue of this woman's powers, unlike his own and Nox's. He had challenged a catalyst without knowing their powers.

I'm fucked.. he thought.