Johnathan Bishop's Story

"A place known as Gambit's Bar; This was the last known location of the woman I want you to find. If she's brought to me alive I'll make it worth your while." The Voice on the other end was none other than Shimizu Takayama, and the hulking figure that stepped into Gambit's had the phone with said direct line pressed to his ear.

The man's face was completely hidden by what could be described as a skull, a hardened mask with two eye sockets, the man's eyes visible within them.

"I'll check the bar, and then deepen my search." The figure said in a deep, gravely voice before he disconnected the line and pocketed the phone.

The man's eyes wandered for a moment. The bar itself was sparsely populated, with a few patrons and it's staff. The figure paid little regard to them though.

Slung across his back and holstered at his hip were completely alien weapons, angular and metallic they didn't resemble any known weapons from any of the major nations in the Galaxy.

Two audible and hulking steps forward, the door closed behind the man as his eyes looked forward, and he approached the bar itself. It was then he placed several denominations of currency on the bar, while his eyes turned to the fight currently going on.

He made a low growl, and then he turned back to the currency, The square, colored bills and coins clattered on the wood finish as he waited for someone to tend to him.

Aiya was just starting her shift, wrapping a white apron around her waist as she walked on out. She looked a little funny, mostly because she had masking tape pressed to the back of her neck to hold wires in place, and she couldn't hide it thanks to hair being up in a ponytail, but otherwise she one hundred percent looked the part of waitress. The moment she left the staffroom door, a smile crossed her face, optimistic as she headed out to the bar counter ready to greet and serve.

"How's your day?" she called cheerfully to the arriving Johnathan, freckled face curled upwards on either side from her smile. Still there was a certain roughness to her. Just something about Aiya screamed 'I would fit in better if I had some tattoos'. It was probably because she only had short sleeves, which did very little to hide the fact she had actual toned and defined biceps.

The man wasn't interested in looks it seemed, but the pile of cash on the bar denoted he might have been interested in something else.

"I want a glass of your finest ambrosia, and some information." He said.

"I am willing to pay generously for it." He added, his voice gravely behind his mask as his hand hit the bar with an audible thunk, and he slid a photograph of a young woman forward.

"Have you seen this girl?"

Went to get the ambrosia first, actually moving away before the photo came into play, or before she said anything more. She was still new to this. When she returned with a glass in hand (and a straw because she figured he might need it with that mask) she set it down and peered in. "Um, no sorry, I haven't, but if you've got a spare copy I can hand it around to the other staff or put it up on the notice board for information." She glanced from the photo to Johnathan, then back.

"She's important, isn't she?" Women's intuition.

"In a manner of speaking, she's very important to some very important people, and they want her brought back to them." He said, taking the picture back and pulling it towards his side of the bar.

"She is in great danger and I need to be led to someone who has seen her. Maybe someone who works security, or someone who is..."

"Ah... not quite so new here." He added, not touching his drink.

Aiya felt her brows involuntarily dip as he asked for someone else, planting her hands on her hips, but forcing her smile to stay up on her face. "Sorry, but everyone else is busy. It's just me to help you," she said, keeping her voice cheerful and not letting him get to her. "But I'll honestly keep an eye out for her. Does she have a name? And do you have a number to call in case she shows up?"

Aiya's eyes slid to the side before she lent onto the counter. "And uh, no that its any of my business... But what kind of danger?"

"The less you know, the better off you'll be." He said, his voice low and somewhat threatening. "I can wait until the appropriate people are no longer busy to assist me. But you..." He said, sliding the money forward.

"You are no longer useful to me." He said, bringing the Ambrosia up, but not drinking it, his face still hidden by the skull like mask.

"You don't find me... I find you." He added, slowly standing up from his seat in the bar.

"We'll be in touch."

"Well can you at least give me a name so I know what to call you? Or should I jus' call you bones?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. She raised a hand, pointing at the glass and added, "Uh, hey, those are the bars... You can't take it with you..." But honestly, if he wanted it, he could have it. She wanted nothing to do with him.

When she moved to call him out on the drink, he merely came to a stop, and slowly and rather ominously turned back to look towards Aiya. He said nothing, and simply continued to walk towards the door with heavy, audible footsteps.

He completely ignored her request for a name, and a number. Perhaps it was best she didn't know who he was.

"It's just business." He said, setting a now empty glass on the table besides him. How he managed to down the liquid would be a mystery, as he didn't remove the mask.

Perhaps sleight of hand?

No one would know.

For a moment, Aiya pulled her attention away from the man and scooped his cash into the register, then looked up in time to see the glass placed on the table. Okay, now that was cool. Maybe he was some sort of street magician or maybe he w- Before she got too excited, she realized it was probably something really mundane like actual magic or absorbing it through her hand, and she let out a sigh of disappointment at Wing City in general before she marched on over to scoop up the cup and return it to the kitchen for washing.

The two hulking powered exoskeletons took one step back while the Umibozu consolidated their positions. The Commander, a middle aged officer in a tan uniform turned towards a pair of soldiers immediately following the assault. The pair of Type 303s reloading their Autocannons for another assault. The men checked their weapons, and then checked them again as a cacophony of electronic communications played across their signal ops.

"Targets confirmed neutralized, fall back." An Umibozu Sniper reported, staring into the Bar through a high powered scope, seeing through it's walls and displaying a sensitive thermal image of the Patrons lying in wait, and those wounded or dead.

"The Princess is neutralized, as is the Major and the Officer, prepare the package and fall back."

Two Umibozu near the rear ranks set down a large football shaped device. Keying in a thirty minute timer, and entering two command codes, the timer was set on the 150 Kiloton thermonuclear device.

The plan was quickly unfolding, but given the supernatural nature of the Penance, it was starting to go south. Hit the Undermarket and leave no survivors. That was the Prince's orders.

There was the sound of slicing flesh, and a cry out as the Wraiths worked on the ranks of men. In a fountain of blood, the Soldier's comrades returned fire, trying to hit the scintillating ruby and emerald green lights, and sending 5.56 Silver jacketed depleted uranium slugs towards the flurry of light. Though when the pair attempted to attack the powered suits. Their attacks would be rendered all but ineffective as the magnetically stabilized nanosteel, a metal capable of stopping Aschen disruptor bolts cold, and easily able to withstand something as a high powered laser dissipated their attacks. The Men inside ignored the pair, and bore their weapons back onto the frontal facade of the bar.

All while the Commander's radio clattered in protest.

"We have supernaturals out here, we're not equipped to handle this! We're taking casualties!"

"It doesn't matter, we're going to have company soon, all units fall back! We have thirty minutes to clear this blasted place!" He said in response

Almost with the snap of a finger, the Soldiers were quickly trying to fall back, with the Wraiths in tow and cutting through their ranks

The two Powered Exoskeletons took several steps back, turning back to the bar and loosing another deafening volley of 20mm vulcan rounds into the now trashed facade as they walked back.

Just outside the Chaos, a lone figure adorned in a Skull like mask stood in silence as he watched everything unfold in front of him. He let his senses stretch outwards as the Umibozu quickly tried to fall back. His hand slowly clenched the pistol holstered in his side, and he took a step forward. He nodded somewhat at the soldiers. The prince was if anything thorough.

"In and out." Bishop said to himself, silently observing everything unfolding.

---

Two more sets of narrowed eyes watched the bar from an Adjacent rooftop, as Major Kusanagi pulled the wires from the back of her neck, wires that were hooked to a transmitter that wirelessly controlled a remote gynoid body.

"Shit.." She cursed under her breath, before she vanished in an audible buzz as her therm-optical camouflage engaged.

She broke out into a full run towards Penance, M-5 drawn and firing at the Umibozu, catching them in tight groupings. She had to act quickly, because she didn't trust Randin not to have an inner monologue.

Especially while Aeka was laying on her back, propped against the bar itself with her abdomen sliced clean open, intestines hanging from the gaping maw of her wound, and the poor girl crying hysterically. Cries that, as time progressed grew quieter, as the life slowly began to leave the Princess amid the carnage. Umibozu forces covering their retreat, and firing still into the bar.

No doubt it seemed these newcomers had no idea about subtlety, and the strange figure merely shook their ethereal head in silent amusement as it watched from a plane beyond the multiverse.

Inside the shop the Sergeant had little time to react, but the sonic boom and shattered windows no doubt changed what would have otherwise been a peaceful exchange into a hostile one. Afterall, all the man asked was for the Mechanic to move his car.

The needle impacted the sergeant's personal shield generator with an audible 'twang' And was deflected rather harmlessly as he dove for cover. He wouldn't need to call for reinforcements, as the rest of the men outside heard the boom and saw the windows shatter. They were quickly moving from inside the vehicles, and into various positions of cover in and around the street.

Inside the lead staff car, Lieutenant Ogilvy climbed out, having heard the boom echo through the city, he called into his radio. "Get local law enforcement to cordon off the area. Alert the fleet, we have infiltrating hostile elements in the city!" He called out, as another transmission was sent out to Special Enforcement.

A localized Planck field was quickly erected from an adjacent Deuce-and-a-half. This would prevent teleportation, planes crossing, or escapes into other dimensions and universes. The Planck Field kept it's equally pervasive grasp on gods, planeswalkers, and starships alike, thus escape would need to be done conventionally.

From behind cover, the Sergeant called out.

"All I asked was for you to move your damn car!"

----

Inside a Lynx IFV just down the street, another powerful figure emerged, the infamous John Bishop, mercenary extraordinaire emerged with a reassuring hand on the IFV's commander.

"Another notch in my belt." He huffed, as he started towards the comic shop, snapping his fingers as reality itself began to bend around the mercenary.

The Mechanic turned back to the Sergeant. "Sorry about that, thought you were gonna pull a gun on me, so I decided to act first, besides, my shot was non-lethal, only meant to paralyze." Said The Mechanic. A boy with brown hair and blood-red eyes that looked about 15 or 16 then walked into the store. "Hey, Mechanic, felt a special disruptor thingy and decided to come check things out, what mess did you get into this time?" Asked the boy. "Storm, maybe you can take down the field? I accidentally attacked the Sergeant thinking he was gonna pull a gun on me." Said The Mechanic. Storm nodded and snapped his fingers and the Planck field generator turned off. "There we go, now lets all go our separate ways and forget this ever happened, okay? Besides, I feel a reality warper coming this way." Said Storm. "Chaos magic?" Asked The Mechanic. "Not too sure, but I would not recommend staying to find out." Said Storm.

Meya groaned, "Yes, but I only just realized my flaws...I dont see why you would love me", she said pulling away, and staring Alice in the eyes, "I realize im taking this really calmly, but...I dont see any purpose in showing the emotion I feel", she said.

Cindi pointed at TF, "He wants to use my new robots for strictly pranking purposes! I told him no, we are not using my technology for childish purposes". TF threw his arms up, "Whats so childish about remotely delivering a pie to the face? Never mind, I just realized why its childish...uh...whats going on Mechanic? Should we be worried?", TF asked looking at the vehicles that lined the street.

"Hey, everyone has flaws, besides, I love you for your good points and flaws, sine they are you." Said Alice.

"As Storm said, reality warper coming this way, might wanna head back to the Rift Rider." Said The Mechanic.

Meya grinned, "Thank you. For just accepting me. I guess im just naturally anxious".

TF breathed in sharply, "Yeah...uh, Cindi, lets get back inside", he said taking Cindi's hand. Cindi wrentched, "No. I want to see where this is leading". TF froze, "Thats my line...".

Alice continued hugging Meya. "Hey, I love, you, of course I would accept you." Said Alice.

The Mechanic and Storm sighed. "Ok, but when things get dangerous, lets get back in the Rift Rider." Said The Mechanic.

(OOC You cannot autohit my Planck Generator, I will summon a GM Over this)

As Storm attempted to Snap his fingers to disengage the Planck Generator, nothing would happen as the Planck Generator remained online, the strange entity that had been observing them interceded, and would block future attempts to disable the generator using means that altered the balance of the Universe.

If they wished to take it offline, they would need to do so the old fashioned way.

"Such disregard for your betters." Bishop said as the door to the shop flew open, an unseen force tearing the door from it's hinges as the figure stepped inside.

"Attacking a poor defenseless human soldier..." He said, gesturing his hand as the Disruptor was torn from the Mechanic's hands, the rifle found it's way back into the sergeant's grasp as Bishop helped the Sergeant up.

"All for... being asked to move your car."

Storm looked at his fingers. "Huh, Arashi, did something mess up...a Seraph messing with your powers huh? Welp, old fashioned way it is, Mechanic, you handle the situation here, I'm gonna go smash a machine." Said Storm. Storm then walked past Bishop and out the door to go look for the planck generator. "Look, this is all just a big misunderstanding, I thought he was gonna pull a gun on me, besides, he wasn't defenseless, that is his gun, I snatched it away and shot him with a NONLETHAL needle meant that is similar to what you humans would call a taser." Said The Mechanic.

((If I've learned one thing in my time RPing, you can't always get what you want, another thing is, there's no need to bother a GM for something as small as the RP not going as you want, no need to mention having to bring in a GM, all you have to do is type up a story reason for it to not work))

(I don't autohit your characters/stuff, don't autohit mine. Please be mindful of the Multiverse's Rules.)


----


"Are you okay?" Bishop asked as he turned to the sergeant, the Sergeant nodded, with little more than his pride being tarnished.

Bishop let his eyes move to Storm as he walked past the Mercenary. At that moment Bishop's mind twitched, and a forcefield was stretched across the doors and the windows, aimed at preventing Storm from leaving.

"Misunderstanding..." The Mercenary said, as he took a step forward. "And yet... you continue to resist?" His mind was on the car parked outside for a brief moment.

"I think you're new here, that's all fine and well. Do you understand the concept of authority? The very foundation in which civilization is based upon." He said, holding out his hand and pulling a comic book towards his hand, clenching it as he stared at the mechanic.

"You and your friends come here, disregarding the local customs and regulations. You were asked to move your car, and yet you responded by attacking the symbol of authority on this world. Do they have concepts such as police where you come from?"

Bishop's mind continued to stretch, and wander as his eyes flickered with surreal energies.

"You have two choices, own up to your disregard of authority; or be purged from this reality."

TF motioned to the Rift Rider, "There, see? Situation resolved. Now lets go", he said. Cindi crossed her arms, "Im still not letting you have my robots". Tex face-palmed, "Oh for the love of...Im trying to protect you". Cindi smirked, "Since when do I need protection? Im better at protecting myself then you are. Ten times in fact". TF sat down, "Well, if thats really how you feel, then lets just sit and watch". Cindi sat by TF, "That guy is big". TF nodded, "Woof. Yeah he is".

"Look, we're time-travellers and world-hoppers, and by the way, where I come from is ruled by a dictator that kills just for the fun of it, besides, I had no clue who that guy was and my first reaction to getting a gun pulled on me is to defend myself, ever hear of self defense? Or do they teach people to just stand there and be shot if someone pulls a gun on you?...Sure, I'll own up, just let my friends go and I'll go with you to whatever kind of police station you have here." Said The Mechanic. Storm looked a the forcefield and then looked to the wall and walked over to it and snapped, the wall turned to dust, he then walked outside and started heading to go look for the planck generator. "Storm, just head back into the Rift Rider, I'll be back as soon as I'm able, TF, Cindi, can you go with him?" Asked The Mechanic. Storm nodded and hopped into the Rift Rider.

Bishop looked over to Sergeant Constantine, who shook his head.

"I don't have time to deal with this, We need to get this Convoy to the Rev so we can get into Orbit, and beat back the invaders around Blackrock."

Silently, Bishop was impressed that the wall turned to dust, but, he did not let it detract from his duties. The Aschen Empire was paying him afterall.

"Were this not the middle of an Invasion, your payment would have been your life for your insolence." Bishop said flatly, before he turned back to the Convoy. The car had been moved, and the Convoy was already starting to churn down the road.

The strange entity that had been watching them, seemed to disappear, it's eyes no longer on this reality. Or so it seemed.

New Vira was a fringe world, part of the Isirian Autonomous Administrative division, with no real interest to the Empire. But these strange people intrigued Bishop. Certainly the Empire would want to know more; and it would only serve to fatten the Mercenary's pay check.

"If you know your place, things will go much smoother for you. This world is under the domain of the Aschen Empire. As is this entire region of space. If you respect our laws, we will not become enemies. Understand?" Bishop said calmly.

He keyed his comm channel, and ordered the Planck field be taken down, the order was promptly carried out, and the field disengaged.

"Carry yourself with submission to the Empire whenever you tread on worlds acting under it's interests, and you will not be harmed." Bishop added, stepping aside.

"You are free to leave, trouble the Empire no more."

The Mechanic nodded. "If it was my life then I would have fought to the last breath, because I still need to take my father of the throne of dictator ship and free all the races he's enslaved before I can even consider kicking the bucket, but you an be sure I'll do my best to avoid causing any trouble, but there's no way in Hell that I'd just submit to a government I know nothing about." Said The Mechanic. The Mechanic hopped into the Rift Rider and turned to TF and Cindi. "Hurry up, we don't have all day." Said The Mechanic. "I'm a bit worried, according to Arashi a Seraph was watching us, I seriously don't like it when holy things watch me, it makes me feel like I'm in a church, they always creeped me out, felt like something was staring into my soul." Said Storm. The Mechanic pushed Storm into the hallway. "Enough of your paranoia." Said The Mechanic.

TF and Cindi exchanged glances. "Well that seemed a little anit-climactic", Cindi said crossing her arms. TF shrugged, "Eh. I mean its not like it wouldn't happen at some point in time". Cindi stuck her nose in the air, "IM still not letting you have my robot". TF groaned, "Oh come on! Its a good investment!".