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

Still pondering her next target, Pandora wandered near a mall, and briefly considered it as a target. She could remember many deaths in and near the place, it would be soothing to repay them. But before she could even begin to contemplate placement, swarms of people started fleeing through the door, their silence doing little to quell their panic. Looking more closely Pandora could see small numbers of military forces herding them from the mall, but all guns were pointed inwards, so clearly they thought something inside was potentially a threat.
Curious, she made her way toward the building, avoiding any location where she might be spotted, and started climbing, kicking footholds whenever there were none to be found. Eventually she made her way to the roof, where she startled a particularly ill-prepared swat team that was preparing to drop through a sky-light, and, walking through the hail of ineffective gun-fire, dispatched them with ease. A broken neck here, a collapsed throat there, and even one eviseration using her brand new dagger, and the force was done. That accomplished, Pandora walked to the machines they were setting up- rapelling lines. Well, she knew how to use these... and if she didn't, did it really matter? injecting herself once more she grabbed the line and jumped through the window.

Nox sheathed the katana. He walked to a store named FYE. He searched for anything useful. He then saw a case. It said "Dead Space: Downfall." A movie. Cool. He ran over to winter and held up the case. "Will you at least stick around for a movie?"

"Nooot waiting. Save it for when next we meet, mate." Dammit why is this walkway so long.

Winter had had enough of violence, confusion, and above all, Nox and Ragnarok for today. Perhaps once she'd managed to escape - alive, as it would only mildly surprise her if they decided to kill her where she stood - she could set her plan into motion.

Getting to the floor, Pandora found herself in a deserted area of the mall, but, after her arm had set and repaired itself, recognized voices. One triggered nothing but contempt, but the other, a string of emotions. pain. fear. hope. loathing. love. death. anger. happiness.

her decision made for her, Pandora ran in to the voices, staying just barely out of their view while listening to their conversation.

Ragnarok put a hand on Nox's shoulder and whispered nearly silently.

"Lemme take some of your energy.. I want to find the bomber... And I think the military's occupied here again.. Your little stunt with the mayor may have summoned them from base Aurum..."

He looked at bloom and shouted.

"Stop! Don't move yet... Okay..? Winter?"

"Fine. But we're gonna rip them apart." Great. Again with the fucking police. And at dawn now too. Luckily there was a fuse blocks near. He slashed as many wires as he could, protected by the leather of his gloves. Now it was dark again.

Having heard sounds of conflict, Winter quickened her footsteps. "This is your fight, not mine. Good luck!"

She wasn't quite sure if she had meant the parting comment sarcastically, and at the moment had greater concerns. With luck, the police would be too busy fighting the duo to notice her presence or escape. In a matter of moments, she had transgressed the large, dilapidated threshold leading to the ruins outside.

With the lights gone he drew energy from Nox and used his sensory slowly. He sensed a SWAT team and.. The bomber! Swiftly he leaned forward, giving Nox his energy back and whispered.

"The bomber.. Is right.. Behind us..."

He tried keeping as calm as he could and thought of how he could give himself powers. Then he thought of Nox, and the swordsmanship he had shown.. He could attempt to give Nox extra strength.. Right..? And all the meanwhile drain on the bomber..

He took a stupid chance.

"WINTER! IT'S THE BOMBER!"

And with that he drew his pistols, aiming them for the corner where he sensed Pandora.

"Listen, bomber. I have a deal to make." Nox and Pandora only had one thing in common. Tht was hate for the government. A vendetta. It drove them on. It kept them alive. It gave them a reason to keep fighting.

Surprised by the diplomacy Ragnarok lowered his weapons and nodded before saying something calmly.

"Yes, please come out and hear what he has to say.. I think you'll care to hear the pain we've endured..."

He motioned to Nox that he was ready to lend him any assistance he needed.

Pandora chuckled, stepping out when she heard him yelling. "Oh come now, after the impassioned speech you gave me "The Bomber" is all you can think to call me? really? Oh, and put the guns away- they won't do you any good. Besides, I'm here to help- how could I pass up the chance to help in the creation of such delicious" she closed her eyes and hummed momentarily before tuning back into her own speach "Chaos? I mean, surely you've notice by now- this place is almost always filled with scavengers at the very least, never mind dozens of drug dealers and druggies, but your mere presense" she nods to nox "cleared them out. And a good thing, I guess, or they would simply have been rounded up and killed by the military for any arbitrary reason they could think of. A shame really. But I have saved you time- there was a SWAT team on the roof. I DEALT with them." she accentuated the last point by licking the still bloody knife, seeming to revell in the taste and the pain that caused it.

Nox pulled back his sleeve, again showing his tattoo. "They did this to me. They made me. They made me a monster. They tested me, and tried to kill me. We have many things in common. We need to work together. I need you. You may even need me."

Ragnarok twitched and walked over to Pandora slowly, putting his hand on her neck. Suddenly an overflow of energy pushed into her and was removed, showing her the pain he endured as he was slowly and torturously made the 4th subject within the first generation of catalysts. He trusted himself near her and laughed shaking his head.

"She knows you only for your bombing. I would call you something along the lines of Eris, Maniac or even Hell."

"Eris? really? nothing so blunt, I assure you. I am Pandora, I was innocence and virtue until I saw beyond the veil of death and was returned, I do not seek strife I seek SUFFERING. YOU KNOW NOTHING OF WHO I AM, and you WILL NOT tell me who I AM!"

Nox whispered to Ragnarok to move aside. "Do you see this tattoo? I got in Catalyst testing. I was the only survivor. I was in there for three years. They deserve HELL. Don't you agree?" Pandora seemed like she could be a valuable ally. She was near-unkillable. But first he had to break her.

He nodded swiftly.

"Did you see my barcode...? They took me, killed my wife in front of me, then turned me into a monster so that they could have super-soldiers. They don't deserve hell; They deserve MU. Nothingness. Which is where my plan comes in line..."

He looked at Pandora, who had finally revealed herself slightly to him, and smiled weakly.

"Inform us what makes you this 'Pandora' then, please. I see no box."

Pandora absently ignored the one with the Silver Tongue, the dark goodie-goodie was far more interesting. "Three years? Three years being 'tested upon'? Tell me, little shadow, do you think that means you know pain? Do you think that means you have the right to determine who may live and die? Why should I agree with you, foolish, weak, blessed mortal? Why should I care what you believe when you can do what I cannot? WHY SHOULD I GIVE YOU ANYTHING, WHEN YOU CAN DIE?" Pandora's cool, her one constant companion, slipped once again. She silently cursed herself for the burst of uncontrolled anger, but what is said is said and apologising for the explosion would simply make her appear weak.

Ragnarok almost piped up about his potential immortality; his brushes with death brought back by sudden bursts of absorbing life, though he once attempted suicide it failed. But no. He kept silent. He didn't want to pry further on the issue in his mind; he wanted to know WHO she was and WHY she was like this.

"Calm down.. What's all this about 'when you can die' and 'blessed mortal'...?"

He tried asking as calmly and smoothly as he can, to avoid getting the hell beaten out of him with the righteous rage of a maniac.

"BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH IT TOO! Think! You were tested. Treated like a freak. Treated poorly even if you were superior! Don't you get it? We are the new race! Catalysts are the superiors of mankind!" He'd gotten a bit flustered there. He hoped it wasn't in vain.

Pandora barely even noticed the gilded speech, too ingrosed with a desire... no, a need to show the shadow the folly of his ways, that she, for all her hatred, was RIGHT. "Tested? Oh my poor, dear fool, I was not created, I simply am! no matter how I wish it were not so I was born as I am, and I will continue as I am for so long as life is on this world. Tell me, how old are you? 20? 30? I really am no good at guessing ages, such things come with being able to see your own. Come now, guess, how old am I?"

Ragnarok had kept his cool until now. He was listening to her dry, boring monologue and glared at her. Then he started to drain her energy; her average regeneration powers were taken while he did this draining.

"You think you're damned? I'm perpetually immortal, FORCED to take energy and life when I nearly die unless someone can REALLY damage me. I fear death yet know I can't die; when brought to the brink I feel a happy end and its cut off because of what they did to me. You were born with whatever your fucking powers are; I was given mine. I had a life, and now I have to watch anything I care for DIE SLOWLY. Age is the only way for me to die, and by absorbing someone fully I end up back in my twenties if not late teens!"

"That is irrelevant. Now, the military draws near, and I say it's high time we let the bodies hit the floor." He felt confident. The three of them together could surely survive, right? Now, where was he.. At that thought the door fell down and before him stood a tall, powerful man. He was carrying a gun. As he looked at Nox his eyes widened. "Dave? Is that you?" Mother of god. This was his friend Tom. They had made him a perfect shot with the serum. "Tom? You're alive?" Nox shook his head in awe.

Hearing the banging he glared and looked at Nox suddenly. Then he flowed Pandora's energy into Nox, and stopped draining Pandora directly after. This super powered Nox so his damage threshold had been increased along with his pain threshold.

"Nox.. He won't hesitate to kill you... Do not forget this.."

"It's been so long. I thought you were dead. And soon you will be. YOU JOINED THEM! AFTER ALL THEY DID!" With this Nox drew two kunai and slashed Tom's throat. He saw the body fall to the ground. A former friend turned traitor. Welcome to hell, Tom.

Pandora turned, her lips locked in a feral grin. "Oh, poooor baby. it takes "serious" damage to kill you? would you like me to oblidge? I CANNOT BE KILLED, you simpering, idiotic FOOL. you mean a moment of weakness might cost you your being, your sanity, your death? I DO NOT EVEN HAVE THAT CHOICE. My body restores itself automatically! I do not age, my body is unblemished aside from the scars of serious damage, the kind that could kill you. You see this mark upon my-" Pandora was frozen, left hand still clutching her knife as her right reached for her forehead, shocked by the hole suddenly present in her gut. She looked down, examining the wound. .50 caliber, probably hollow point. She coughed up blood, the pain passing by her drugged capacity, and screamed, the feral scream of something seeking death that cannot find it, and fell to the floor, writhing in pain even as the wound stitched closed, the wiggling, squirming feeling of knitting flesh simply enhancing the exuisite pain made worse by the knowledge that death would never greet her for her final release.