1x1?

[pudding]

((There's a limit of 2 powers so you'll have to pick between the powers you have. Hand to Hand Combat does not count as one of them since it's an ability.))

[RavenWolf1010]

((Ok, I get it now. Eh. If I switched her weather powers the name Storm wouldn't really make sense. If I switched telepathy that would mess up the story line.

 

I guess I'll just stick with that then. Going back to edit.))

[shadow_claw]

((Made a new form. You guys can check to see if it's okay.))

 

"Wait. Wait. Could each of you please talk one at a time?" When Derek finally spoke, his first thought was to sort out the chaos. He couldn't handle this all at once. Red eyes flitting across the crowd, he gestured for someone to speak. A blonde woman with a microphone started first.

"Mister Redcastle, is it true that you are the tenth discovered super-human?"

"I...uh...I guess. If you could consider Scandal and I human."

"Do you know exactly what you can do? And what side will you choose?"

"Side? I never said anything about picking a side. I'm just...me. A photographer. Nothing more. No affiliations will take place for the time being."

It went on like this for a while, unsurprisingly. Derek patiently answered questions until everyone got their fill, which was when he was finally able to close his door and relax. There. That should quiet things down for a while.

 

As her phone rang, the woman dropped the welding torch in her hand. The blue-green flame automatically vanished as her fingers slipped from the torch. Answering the call with a casual 'what's up', she was pleased to find that it was indeed Carlos who had called. "Hey! What'cha callin' me for little man?" The tone in her voice changing automatically at the sound of her brother's voice, the woman smiled. "Got somethin' big to share?" Although they lived half an hour away from each other, most of the Waltz family kept distant. "Did'ya find onna those supers ya keep talkin' about?"

 

((What do you say Pudding, can Carlos have a twin? :3 ))

[pudding]

((Yeah, sure!))

 

Carlos placed the phone on his shoulder so his hands were free to move about the kitchen. "I found two, actually," He replied with a smile. "Wouldn't you know that photographer that's always kidnapped was one of them? I threw the media over to him to keep him busy while I'm entertaining a guest, though." He glanced behind him then began to pull out a few eggs from his fridge. "I was wondering if you wanted to come over. Have some coffee, chat, that kind of thing."

[shadow_claw]

"Can't wait. Keep a seat warm for me." A wide grin stretching across her lips, she hung up the phone. She usually kept her conversations over the phone brief and snappy. She had time for other things, after all. As soon as she finished welding two sheets of metal together, Namina high-tailed it to her brother's house. After all, it wasn't often that her brother wanted her over. They both had different interests. She was the mechanic of the family, while he was the writer. It drove them apart to have such different interests.

 

---

 

"Hey! Open up little man!" A fist pounding against the solid wood of the door was Namina's classic entrance. She was a little more than excited to see her brother. They hadn't really spoken since...high school. God, had it been that long? Twins usually stayed connected, but not them. It was a usual thing in the family to go distant after officially growing up. Receiving gifts as children was equivalent of quality time with parents, so it was a general pattern. Absentmindedly did Namina wonder who else was over. It wasn't like Carlos to entertain a guest. It must be someone good, if he felt happy enough to invite her over.

[pudding]

Carlos smiled as he hung the phone up and finished making himself breakfast. He wasn't too sorry for what he had done to Derek because it had been required. He needed to keep him out of the way for now. As soon as his eggs were done, he began to eat them as he waited for his sister to arrive.

 

It didn't take too long for Carlos to bolt over to the door and open it to stop his sister from pounding a dent into it. Good lord, she was excited to see him. He looked up at his sister, trying not be insulted by the fact she was taller than him and liked to make it known every second. "Come in," He said, standing aside so she could enter the main living space. "I've made coffee and then I can introduce you to who I brought over."

[RavenWolf1010]

Zeke looked down at his phone, then picked it up. "Hello?"

 

 

Roxanne came back downstairs a shirt while later, her hand patched up and in working order. The food had burned. She sighed and tossed it out.

 

((Ehh, short. >.< ))

[shadow_claw]

Tucking some papers under her arm, Namina ducked inside the house. As soon as she had, she threw her arms around her brother. "It's been so long, 'Los! And you've gotten bigger!" Although it was all warm fuzzies for the time being, it would only be a matter of time until the one-upping contest began. Surely the only reason Carlos had invited her over was to rub something in her face. The rest was all formalities. This was exactly why she had brought as many patents she could find. The whole family was naturally hostile to one another, and she expected it no different. As soon as Namina released her brother, she shifted the weight of her bag. There was the distinctive clinking of metal as soon as she did. "Man, it's been ages since I've seen you! You've gotten yourself a job and a house and...it felt like yesterday we were in high school!"

[pudding]

"And I dropped out," Carlos pointed out as soon as Namina released him from her bear-hug. In the past, those hugs were something to be feared. "The house is new, actually. I've been traveling around ever since then before settling here not too long ago." He scratched the back of his head then looked down at her bag. "What did you bring with you? More of your trinkets?"

 

 

It's me, the core responded immediately, still probing the cameras of the city. I haven't been able to find Scandal anywhere. Have you seen her? She left last night and I haven't seen a trace of her.

[shadow_claw]

Oh, right. Sometimes she forgot some important things. Like the fact that her twin brother had dropped out. "Yeah...But hey, look at you now!" Quickly wanting to change the subject, the woman smiled. "Not just 'trinkets', 'Los. Registered inventions. The government hired me to make high-tech weapons and it's super awesome! God, I wish I could travel like you, though. I'm stuck in a garage all day!" Other than skin tone, the two didn't have much in common. Other than their abrasive personalities, that is. If Derek thought Carlos taking advantage of him was bad, the twins could get downright vicious if pushed far enough. "I brought you a couple to try out for me. It might make your life a bit easier."

 

((Funny how we make the two normal ones have the saddest back story when compared to the amount of emotional damage. Oh, you lost your parents? AT LEAST THEY CARED ENOUGH TO SAVE YOU.))

[pudding]

"Really?" Carlos asked, rather surprised. The government had contracted his sister? Whoever would have thought that would happen? "Well, let's see them!" He replied with a smile. "Unless you want coffee first. It's up to you what you want." The guest could wait until later to be introduced. He wanted to hear more about these inventions his sister had made. In the past, it hadn't been nearly so interesting. They had been children's toys, really. He wanted to see how much she had grown in her inventions.

[RavenWolf1010]

Zeke went to his window, scanning the city. "No, but I could probably hunt her down. Have you checked any security camera feeds?" He headed back to his computer and logged on. He clacked away, rerouting and resetting encryptions. "Isn't it kind of hard to loose a green-skinned woman? With... Did I see red hair last time? Or was the camera jacked up?"

 

Jake jumped up as he saw Zeke on the phone. He quickly went to hacking the signal, and began listening in. There was a barely audible buzz from the feedback.

 

[shadow_claw]

Flashing her white teeth in a grin, the woman shook her head. "Nah. I practically live on coffee these days, any more will make me flip." With a few quick strides into the living room, she promptly slid the backpack from her shoulders and dumped its contents onto the table. The tall, nerdy girl Carlos had seen seven years previously was in the past. Turns out, she was a bit of a late bloomer. A stick-like figure had given way to curves and a "dumb" hobby of tinkering landed her a real job. "Oops. I think I grabbed a few confidential things.." She was still pretty scatterbrained, however. Picking up a flat piece of metal about the size of a playing card, Namina tapped it lightly. Instantly was a holographic screen float a few millimeters above the sheet of metal. "Ta da. 'S a phone. But a lot cooler. A little housewarming gift." She set it back down on the table in favor of a metal ring. This was proved to be much cooler as soon as it was slipped around her wrist. Metal covered her arm and hand entirely in smooth, perfect sheets. As soon as it calibrated properly, multiple weapons seemed to magically appear from the rivets in the arm. "This is a personal favorite o' mine. There's a lot more too. Go ahead n' poke around." As the metal arm resumed the form of a bracelet, Namina looked about. "I thought you said somebody else was over?"

[pudding]

Of course, The core responded. He had checked everything. But the cameras seemed to all not be pointing wherever Scandal had gone. He was starting to really worry. But she's no where. And her hair is purple. There's nothing wrong with my cameras so it must be your computer.

 

Carlos watched the metal, utterly fascinated by its purpose. His sister was all grown up, as was he. Honestly, it was very interesting how she had managed such a thing. "It's no wonder the government wanted to buy these from you," He declared as he looked around inside her backpack. Well, they both had their stories. It wasn't just one of them who was interesting today. Maybe genius ran in the family. He straightened up and moved to a nearby room, pausing in front of the door before turning to face his sister. "Actually, I wanted to call you here for business. You can meet my guest in a moment but I have to ask; how interested are you in expanding your research?"

[shadow_claw]

Business? Oh ho ho! So Carlos was audacious enough to find her a business partner? Of course he didn't just want to see her. The Waltz way of life was to use people and play them for personal gain. Emerald eyes narrowing significantly, Namina instantly dropped the 'family reunion' act. She didn't play nice for long. It wasn't her style. "Who'd you make a deal with, Carlos? That sorta isn't safe to mess with!" She demanded. Corporations weren't exactly something one was safe to trifle with. She had dealt with several on the topic of patented material. Long story short, she wasn't selling her patents. Especially when some of her inventions could be devastating when put in the wrong hands. She couldn't handle being responsible for innocents dying.

 

((AAAAANNNNDD ENTER SCANDAL))

[pudding]

"No, no, no!" Carlos declared with a smile. "You've got it all wrong. You may be the older twin but I can still manage for myself." His finders held the doorknob, though he didn't push it open immediately. "We've both done our share of growing. So I need to be sure you want to get involved first before I open your door." He gave his sister a warning look then leaned against the door. "It took me a lot to get here so you can't mess it up. But if you do agree to help me, it will change your research forever. You'll get incredible technology humans haven't even achieved yet."

[shadow_claw]

Obviously not convinced, Namina's eyes only narrowed further. What in God's name was he talking about? She felt as if he was holding some important information from her, if the look on her face didn't prove it. With a heavy sigh, she relented to her brother's wishes. "Fine, I'll bite. You've got me interested. But if the idea's similar to you dropping out of school, you know what's going to happen." Sadly, this was no threat. Mina didn't threaten people.

 

Namina and Carlos had basically grown up alone. Naturally, the lady of the group took on the parental role. Namina had been furious when her brother had dropped out of high school, and, after beating on her twin both literally and emotionally, she didn't do a thing for him for weeks. That meant she only cooked meals and washed clothes for herself. If Carlos wanted to be treated like a adult, she would treat him like an adult. Granted, Carlos didn't eat much that month unless he ordered food. Namina had a history of holding grudges over bad moves.

 

"You had me drive all the way out here for something other than pleasantries. Now, I want to meet who it is." Carlos had to have done some sort of research to figure out his sister was a moderately well-known inventor. Or this "great being" possessing "inhuman quality" technology already knew about her. Either one Namina disliked.

[pudding]

Carlos nodded and pushed the door wide open. It was enough for him and, honestly, what could she do if she disagreed? Nothing, really Light poured into the dark room while cold air flowed out of it. The light that poured in fell on green skin, revealing the so-called guest. Though, to be frank, she was hardly a guest of her own free will. It had taken Carlos a lot of time, effort and contacts to land Scandal in the situation she was currently in. All information ever recorded about her from various videos of her fights was recorded and processed by Carlos before he was finally given the opportunity.

 

Ropes did the deed as well as anything to keep Scandal tied down. Her frail body had suffered several injuries to keep her held down and prevent escape. Carlos didn't seem at all bothered by this fact as, after all, she wasn't human. She didn't count under any laws. "You remember my stories, right?" He asked, looking back at his sister. "This is Scandal, super genius and inventor of amazing gadgets. I thought you might be interested in what's in her brain and in her hideout. Unfortunately, I need to figure out where that is. Only problem is she hasn't woken up yet."

[shadow_claw]

"What. The. Actual. . CARLOS." What Namina was referring to was unclear. After all, there was a plethora of things for her to be both angry and confused about. Had he honestly kidnapped a woman (green or not) out of an obsession? She might've been a rude, abrasive person, but this... This was enough to make even her apalled. "YOU KIDNAPPED SOMEBODY. LIKE. A LIVING, BREATHING WHATEVER-THE-HELL." Good God, what had she raised? Instantly darting into the room, she began to untie the ropes. Who in his/her right mind would kidnap somebody and tie him/her up? "HOW DID YOU-You know what? I'm just going leave. I'm going to leave and pretend I never showed up here." Focusing her blazing green gaze on her twin, she glared at him in silence. How on Earth did he even get a freaking alien in the first place?!

[pudding]

Carlos hadn't really expected Namina's response. But when she began to untie Scandal, he quickly darted in and shooed her away. "Why are you freaking out?" He asked, butting between the unconscious alien and his sister. "I've been contracted, same as you." He kicked the chair back a few inches so he could keep the distance between her and the alien. Honestly, what right did she have? None, actually, since the alien wasn't human and not protected by any such laws. That was why everything he had done was perfectly legal. "I'm working for the government! You've got no right to be angry with me. I thought you'd be happy. Imagine the kind of things you could get your hands on!"

[RavenWolf1010]

"Hm, must need a new one." It was actually a monitor from the 90's, way outdated. But, it had upgrades and hacks that had taken a long time to do. "Alright, where could she have gone?" He thought for another few minutes. "What about the other guy? The one Storm saved?" Of course he knew about that. He was Storm's best friend. But, he didn't know too many details.

[shadow_claw]

"You? You work for the news. The government avoids the media like the plague!" Namina had drawn the line. How could she have even bothered to come over? Her brother had clearly lost it and she was just making it worse! With a flick of her wrist, the metal bracelet that she had kept around her hand became a weapon yet again. "Back off, 'Los, or I will taze-"

A knocking at the door. Softer than hers had been, but still firm.

"Carlos! Open up!" The voice was familiar. It was one she had heard on the news that morning. What was the guy's name...Dirk? Derek? Something like that. Now was her chance to bolt. Namina suddenly turned and ran for the door, throwing it open. She was halted in her tracks by the armored man standing before her. "You're...you're not Carlos."

"Damn right I'm not. He's insid-" A shove to the side, and Derek was inside. "Hey!" Balling her fists, the dark-haired woman ran after the intruder. What nerve!

"Carlos! What the Hell, man? You put my story on the freaking news? What's-" As soon as Derek was in the same room as Carlos, things went from bad to worse. All he needed was a glimpse of green skin to connect the dots. "You...you used me. For her! For my mother!" Wine red eyes beginning to glow from his rising fury, the young man stalked forward. Carlos wasn't worming his way out of this one.

[pudding]

"Relax," Carlos replied, gesturing with his hands for her to calm down. This had gone the opposite of how he had wanted. Oh well, that was fine. Or was, until there was a knocking at the door. Great. He didn't move very much as his sister bolted and she was quickly replaced by Derek. His friend obviously wasn't too happy with his guest but Carlos didn't initially respond until his life was threatened by Derek advancing forward.

"Wait, friend," Carlos replied, taking a step backwards so he was beside Scandal. Instantly, his hand reached around from behind his back and with a small click, the gun he had been hiding in case something like this happened was trained on Scandal's head. "The average bullet travels at 2,500 feet per second. Scandal is terribly frail as well. One flick of my finger and her brains are across the wall. I'd rather not do this but I can't have you ruining things for me. Back off and I won't shoot."

[shadow_claw]

Back off? BACK OFF?! How was he supposed to back off? Derek (and the air around him) trembled with the sheer amount of fury he radiated. As he stopped aburptly, he exhaled from his nose and closed his eyes. Fine. If he wanted to play dirty, Derek would too. As his eyes opened again, whatever form of sanity he had retained was gone. A slight shudder, and the once-tense man had relaxed. The tense silence of the room was broken by a blood-curdling shriek from the main room. The black-clad man turned and stalked into the living room, his cape billowing behind himself menacingly. There, on the floor, lay a dazed and bleeding Namina. Derek had lost it the moment he was pushed. His reaction was the first violent thing that came to mind. Namina had been thrown into a decorative display of sorts, and hadn't been thrown lightly. A gash in her head was hardly visible through her dark hair. "Don't threaten me, Carlos. Because, unlike Scandal, she here is expendable." It had taken hardly a thought to will the darkness in the house to throw her against the display.

 

((It was bound to happen. He was going to lose it eventually.))