Official RP Thread: The Evolutionist's Stone (11)

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Setting==
Orlando

==Dramatis Personæ==

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Orlando, Florida==

When their group arrived in Orlando, Des couldn’t stop smiling, imagining all the fun that he and his crew would get into. Plenty of clubs to visit, lots of lovely ladies to see, and the occasional party promised to make for fun times. Des, Trick, Snake and David caught the first bus downtown, and would be staying at the Downtown Hilton Hotel. As David handled paying for the rooms, Des and his friends caught sight of some beautiful women. It would have been impolite not to say hello. The three of them walked over to the girls, and the four stopped talking to see what the boys wanted.

“Yes?” One asked, tossing her hair back, rolling her eyes playfully.

Des smiled; he wanted HER, “Well, I just came over to say ‘what’s up’. I’m Des, and these are my boys, Trick and Snake. You know, me an’ my boys are new in town, an’ we was thinkin’…if you got time, maybe you and your girls could show us around…show us a good time.”

The girl’s friends giggled, and she smirked, “Oh, cool. I could do that. The first thing I would show you is my boyfriend. I’m sure he would LOVE to make friends.” She turned around, not losing a beat, and her girls followed her out the lobby.

Des ran his hands through his hair and looked back at his boys, who tried not to look like they were about to laugh. They failed. It was the second time in a few days that he had approached a girl and struck out. If this kept up, he would have to question the merit of his lucky powers…David let the three know that things were paid for, and so they headed upstairs to unpack. The three got their rooms set up, and forty-five minutes later, there came a knock at the door to interrupt the four of them from the game they had ordered.

“Yes?” David answered.

“Hello. Is there a Des here?” replied the tall, pretty blonde.

“Yeah…” David looked back at Des, and Des acknowledged him.

“Well, Des, you and your friend have just received a personal invitation…”, the blonde continued, “to the Overlord’s mansion.”

David, Trick and Snake looked at Des, pleasantly surprised. Perhaps his powers weren’t faltering after all. The supers hurried up to make themselves more presentable, and the blonde servant escorted them back downstairs to the black stretch limo that awaited them. They would meet Florida’s ruler in style. They arrived at his mansion shortly, and were more than amazed. They were envious.

When he had taken the throne, the Overlord didn’t do as many others did, having a new house built for him. He remembered a house he wished he could afford, from his younger days, and immediately set out to buy that one. It was one of the few mansions remaining in Orlando, and he wanted it. And naturally, as befits an Overlord, his taste made it all the more luxurious. Nearly the entire place was white, except for the floors, which would be either tile, wood or carpet, depending on which room you entered. The mansion sat on a slight rise, surrounded by beautiful greenery, and in the background, they could see a skinny white boy failing miserably to keep from getting dragged around by one of the Overlord’s large dogs.

The door creaked open slightly, and the four were called in. They looked around, keeping their hands at their sides, lest the Overlord think they had taken any of the things they were tempted to take. They were led in to his throne room, and the blonde servant asked them to take a seat, before taking the only remaining seat beside them. As they busied themselves waiting for him to arrive, two large, powerful-looking normals stepped forward and posted up at either side of the door. The supers were asked to stand again, and the Overlord entered.

“Presenting…the Overlord of Florida, Cameron Williams.” In walked a tall, handsome, muscular black man, his hair a mane of dreadlocks tied up into a ponytail. His eyes were obscured by shades, but it was easy to see he was not smiling. On one side, the skinny white boy tried to hold the Overlord’s dog still as he could, and not get bitten again. On the other side…Des cursed under his breath.

The beautiful black girl from the hotel clung to the Overlord’s muscular left bicep, with a mischievous smile. Mentally, the supers began questioning Des’ luckiness yet again.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Orlando==

The four supers looked upon Cameron Williams like peasants before a king. And perhaps they weren't far from being correct. He sat down in his chair, and without a word, gestured for them to do the same. David was about to speak a nervous salutation, but Cameron interrupted him with an intimidating calm in his voice.

"So...my girl tell me y'all new to Florida." the girl sat on the left arm of his chair, keeping her eyes amorously on her man.

"Um, yeah, we from Chicago." Des replied, trying to stay calm, "But we like it here so far. Lovely ladies everywhere, plenty clubs and stuff to see; it's real cool..."

"Glad you like it. You plannin' on stayin'?" Cameron snapped his fingers, and the large rottweiler broke free of the dog-walker's grip with ease, trotting up beside him.

"It's...well, we'd stay, but we're kinda here on business." David cleared his throat, trying to not to keep his eye on the dog, while the dog kept his eye on David.

"Oh, that's too bad. Me and my girl coulda showed you around town..." Cameron took off his shades, and slightly loosened the grip he had on the dog's leash.

Des cursed in his head again. Today was just NOT his day. First rejected by a girl, and now about to be killed by her boyfriend and their man-eater of a dog. Worse yet, they didn't even get to visit a single club first. Des leaned forward to explain.

"Look, man, I didn't know she was your girl. I would'na even looked her way if I knew y'all was together! You can't kill us for somethin' we didn't know was wrong, right?"

The Overlord smirked. His grip tightened again on the dog's leash, and he patted it on the head, his demeanor brightening up a bit. The supers were a bit more at ease now, but Des dared not let his guard down.

"Yeah, you right..." The Overlord responded, standing up. "But I still ain't lettin' that sh*t go. I might not be mad about it, but I ain't no pushover. If I'ma let that sh*t slide, you gotta do somethin' for me, ya dig?"

David shot up from his chair, relieved, "Yes, anything! Whatever you want us to do, we can totally do."

Snake and Trick slowly rose from their seats, looking at David with that "What the heck are you getting us into?" look and then reluctantly echoed his same sentiments. With that, the Overlord spoke again.

"Aiight, and I got somethin' in mind, too." He started, "In fact, you got four jobs. One for each of you. I'ma let you know the first one now, and the other ones when I think of 'em."

The boys leaned in expectantly, but still minding the dog in keeping their distance.

"You...yo name Trick, right?" Cameron pointed at Trick, and he hesitated to nod 'yes', "My cousin got his car stole. Inside, it's a receipt he was gonna use to buy his li'l girl a bike. You bring me back his car AND the bike."

He handed Trick two papers; one with the picture of the bike, and one with the picture and tag number of the car. Before Trick could protest, or even accept the job, Cameron called his girl, tugged his dog's leash gently, and the three of them were headed out of the room with the rest of his entourage.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Orlando==

Trick sighed deeply to himself. Normally, it wasn't in his nature to go looking for trouble. Especially nothing dealing with criminals. Why couldn't Williams just be one of those laid-back brothers who didn't care, one way or the other? Those kinds of folks were easy to befriend, and to make true allies of.

He knew because HE was that type of person. But no, this Overlord had "THAT" kind of mentality. The one that stigmatized all good and decent black men. Thug, G, gangsta, he resented all of those words, and those were the words that came to mind when he thought of Cameron Williams. Yet, here he was, following the man's orders like a rube.

Des tapped him on the shoulder. A hunch told him that they had reached where they were supposed to be.

Snake inhaled, "Smellin' a lotta oil and metal. Like a mechanic workstation."

"Or a chop-shop." Des smirked. And the boys knew he was likely right.

David sighed as his three teammates headed over to the building. He hesitated, and then made his way over to the side of the building. With a great earth-assisted thrust, he was propelled up onto the roof, nearly cat-quiet. Meanwhile, Des, Snake and Trick reached the front door. But before Trick got the chance to knock, the slit in the door snapped open, revealing a pair of slit cat-like eyes.

"Yes? Can I help you?" Came a female voice.

Upon introducing themselves, they were let in, and allowed to look around. Perhaps some small attempt on the part of the mechanics to look legitimate in case these fellows were working with law enforcement. Tools whirred and clanged and banged and squealed in the background as the three of them checked out the cars, offering as conversation what they had learned about cars as kids.

They oohed and ahhed as the mechanics brought in new cars, and fixed them up, appraising what they might be worth upon resale. Snake even offered that they might be in the market for a new car soon themselves (conveniently leaving out the small detail of WHOSE car they had their eyes on). But there would have to be some distraction from all this pleasantry. Some lead-in to help along their plan. Otherwise, David would miss his cue, and the entire operation would fail. And so Trick decided that now was the time to resurrect an old habit...

"Hey man", a reflexer caught his hand as he was about to pocket an iPod the female mechanic had left lying on one of the shelves, "You can't be serious. Tryna steal from us? Big mistake."

The mechanics did not take kindly to having their property stolen, and they liked even less the rude response Trick gave when putting it back. No need for powers just yet, but the argument was still not very polite.

And as the lot of them quarreled about Trick and his sticky fingers, David made his way through the air vents. Damn it all, he cursed, if this didn't win them favor with the Overlord, then he'd give up this Overlord business forever. Starting fights with shady mechanics to pick up a stolen car...when did this kind of situation ever end well?

He looked down from where he was, just in time to see the car they came for, in one of the back rooms. Jackpot. Now all he had to do was wedge himself out of this darn narrow vent. He jerked open the vent door hard as he could, and after he tumbled to the ground, he picked himself up weakly, and looked around, only to be met by three “mechanics” stripping down another car to its skivvies. He would have to deal with them quickly.

With deadly precision, stone pillars rose from the ground to uppercut one of them, while another was catapulted into the wall. Only the third one remained standing, encased in earth up to his shins, when the arguing parties out front overheard the fuss, and came to see what was the matter. They were just in time to see the garage back door opening, and David cranking up the car. That was the cue of his three teammates to hurry the hell on out of there.

The mechanics tried to follow, but they would be trapped in the ground up to their shins in earth as well. The four looked back only briefly at the angry mechanics, before heading off to the next destination for their mini scavenger hunt: the toy store, for the Overlord’s niece’s bike.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Orlando==

"Well, dang." Overlord Williams crossed his arms, looking over the boys' shoulders at the car, with a smile, "You even got the bike. I gotta say, I didn't expect you to come back so soon."

"Oh, no doubt." Des chuckled, "You can count on us, Boss-Man."

Williams shook his head with a smirk and gestured for the four to come in. They followed him to the parlor, and again were offered a seat.

"Okay. You got my attention. Saved me a bit o' time and change, so I didn't have to sic my boys on that chop shop. I like that. That's real efficient."

Des and Snake bumped fists. Trick sat back, putting his hands on either hand rest.

David blinked, "Um, wait. You KNEW where that chop shop was?"

Williams leaned forward on his right leg, "Yeah. So? What, you got a problem with me takin' advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself?"

David sat back, his voice squeaking a bit, "No, um, nothing. I was just...wondering."

Williams reclined again. Internally, he chuckled, That's what I thought. Out loud, he spoke, "Anyways, I got some spare rooms, if y'all want 'em. It'll make gettin' in contact with you that much easier."

Snake, Trick, Des and David exchanged glances, "Sounds good..."

"Good, good." He clasped his hands together, and barked over his shoulder, "'Ey, white boy! Get yo pasty a** up here, 'fore I feed yo a** to Dragon!"

The skinny dog-walking kid they saw earlier hurried up, past the disdainful looks of Williams' bodyguards, and greeted the Overlord, "Y-you can call me T-Tyler, sir. Um...did you call me for--?"

"I can call you what?" Williams gripped the chair's arm rest, and his bodyguards snickered.

Tyler gulped, cowering a bit under the distant rumble of thunder that grew steadily closer. Lightning flashes became more and more frequent, and the winds suddenly whipped up, blowing rain harshly about.

"Um...my name. It's Tyler. I know you're probably way too important to remember--or, um, to care--but, in case you did, that's my name. Tyler."

Overlord Williams chuckled, which silenced the chuckling of his goons. This kid couldn't be serious. But...if he wanted to be particular about names...the Overlord was game.

"Oh, for real? Your name is Tyler? You sure?" he started, standing up slowly, "Cause, I think I read on your application somewhere, that your name was Ken. Like the doll. So, that's gon' be your new name for a while. And you better remember it, too. Cause, if I call you KEN, and you don't answer to yo new name, I'ma send yo a** out into the dog kennel with nothin' on but barbecue sauce. You got me, TYLER?"

The boy was shaking; he could only think to blink and respond, "Y-ye-yes, sir. Gotcha."

The Overlord chuckled and turned, before feinting back for a quick jab below the belt, flooring the kid. The four supers jerked back in dismay, Des even wincing in pain. That HAD to hurt.

"Well, dang, I guess you DO got balls after all." Williams chuckled, "But it don't matter. I told you yo damn name was Ken. Yo, Shade, get this fool back to his room. Get him a ice pack or somethin'."

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Orlando==

Florida's Overlord awoke to the warmth of the sun gently beaming on his face, and the sounds of handmaidens preparing his breakfast in bed. Scantily clad beauties of all races and hair colors rushed about his lavish room to prepare eats exactly to his liking, and the liking of his girlfriend, Tamika.

Des, David, Snake and Trick awoke to the frigid cold of buckets of water being poured on each of them. The Overlord's bodyguards got a big kick out of that. Only Tyler (who had been Ken thirteen hours) knew not to remain in bed longer than the Overlord had allotted him. By a seemingly psychic sense, when the bodyguards came to drench him, he was already gone, his room entirely clean, and downstairs to begin walking the dogs. Anything with his name on it had been either hidden, or taped over with a label that said 'Ken'.

When the Overlord had finished eating breakfast, he and his girlfriend lay in bed another hour or so, cuddling and basking in the sun, before he figured it was time to meet up with those rebel knuckleheads. He liked them for their respect of his office as Overlord. They seemed very promising as emissaries, and if they couldn't stay around long after their jobs had been done, they would still make good allies.

As he headed downstairs to the parlor, the four supers were already waiting for him, his bodyguards already at either side of his favorite chair, and out of the window, he could see Tyler/Ken walking his mastiff-pitbull mix, Underworld. Things were looking good. He sat with a smile. He even removed his shades.

"Aiight, I like how quick y'all got me back that car. And my cousin's li'l girl liked the bike. So this next one is gonna be a real challenge. You. Yo name?" Cameron pointed.

"Snake."

"Cool. Snake, I'ma need you to find some people for me. Some dangerous people."

Snake's teammates looked at him. Snake responded, "Um, okay, cool. Who are they?"

"Some rebels." the boys paused, "I know y'all rebels, too, but these folks is different. They ain't fightin' for a better tomorrow or some crap like that. They're gang members. Anarchists. To them, any rule is bad rule. And I need you to tell me where we can find 'em, so we can keep 'em in check."

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Orlando==

Snake exhaled, and looked at his feet. He turned to his cousin Trick, who purposely avoided his gaze. Still, Snake KNEW what his cousin thought of this idea. It was stupid as hell. A risk that they totally wouldn't have taken, if the Overlord would let them get away with it.

But he wouldn't. Overlord Williams already had their information drawn up, so there would be no turning back now. And Snake would be held responsible if anything went wrong with the plan's execution. So the four of them would shortly split up, and go about their separate ways.

David would have to address the white gang. Trick and Snake the black. And Des would be among the Hispanics.

The first to find their target group would be Snake and Trick. Turns out the Black Dragons were pretty stinkin' widespread. Their higher-ups, the Obsidian Dragons, obviously weren't stupid enough to be out and about; nor were their subordinates, the Onyx Dragons. But their initiates, the Coal Dragons, could easily be found, if one went to the right parts of town. That meant near Paramore and Pine Hills. No time to leave Central Florida.

And when they were found, they were far too facile to have any thought of concealing their works. Snake and Trick seemed more than willing to join their ranks as gang members. They, too, hated Overlords and Overladies, they assured. They'd do anything to help get rid of them. And so, they took the gang members' instructions to reach their hideout; they would meet up with the gang members later on that night. They would be hazed a bit, but nothing too rough, and if they made it in, they'd be let in on plans to get rid of the Overlord.

And after him, the kindly Overlord and Overlady of Georgia. And then Overlord Annullin in Alabama. And then the Overlady of Mississippi. And then...Overlady Lisa-Lee Cade. And they'd see from there.

Des would find the Sons of Discord in Pine Hills, bordering between Apopka and Rosemont. And they would not be easy to befriend. Suspicious, and easily ready to do violence, they certainly weren't assured any more by his hitting on one of their girlfriends. But again, his luck saved him from what could have been an ugly situation. A slick comment in Spanish, and the others paused...and burst out in laughter. Turns out, this biracial dude was good people.

He was quickly asked to join their gang. Sure, he wasn't entirely Hispanic, but he was cool; and he seemed like he knew how to have a good time. All they would need to know was the depth of his loyalty. And that wouldn't take long. If he came back when darkness fell, one of their lieutenants, El Oraculo, would be sure to discern his worthiness.

If he was found to be good enough, with enough heart, able to hold his own, but still fiercely loyal to the gang, then they would gladly accept him as their brother. And they'd take down that arrogant idiota, Williams. Des smiled as he walked off, address of their base of operations in hand.

Only David would find trouble with gaining the trust of his...white brothers over in College Park. Turns out that the Cutthroat Brotherhood had other plans in mind than being BFFs with just any old Tom, Dick and Harry that walked up, inquiring in casual conversation about joining their brotherhood.

The leader over the initiates, a burly older Power Negator, about thirty-something, grabbed David and slammed him by the neck into a wall of the restaurant where the crew hung out. He called up his girlfriend's sister to frisk the newcomer; if he had a wire SHE'D find it.

"Clean."

And so the leader decided, reluctantly...he could have a seat. The geokinetic and the power negator began to chat, and before long, the leader was spouting off the same nonsense drivel that had been peddled to him when he was recruited. All Overlords are evil. No good, every one of them. And only rebels could take them down.

Of course, the start was all well and good, but then he began deviating a little more right of the political spectrum. The Overlords were all linked somehow in some presidential conspiracy theory to subvert the masses. Especially Lisa-Lee Cade and Chris Parker, that moron Williams and all those other damn liberals.

The conversation --if one could venture to call a one-sided tirade, about the impending war of the races, conspiracy theories and other pseudo-religious, quasi-coherent fearmongering a conversation-- would last an hour, with his subordinates listening to his every word, praising his wisdom and bravery. David looked at him, seeming eager and intent to receive the leader's knowledge, while really just wondering how the hell a person could manage to pick up on that much crazy in just twenty-something years...

It was only when David could take no more that he finally interjected politely his hope to potentially join their group. He reluctantly voiced that he reciprocated their feelings. Down with those Communist Jews and those scheming atheists, and those insidious gays, and that Cain-marked, Anti-Christ, black figurehead of the Socialist/Marxist/Communist Liberal agenda that dared call himself Overlord of Florida. Some jazz like that.

He walked away with a card, to contact them when he was ready to find out "The Truth About the Way S**t Really Goes Down"...as well as a headache the size of a mobile home, and a nagging urge to take a dip in a pool of brain bleach.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Orlando==

The following day was fast fading, and that was just what Overlord Cameron Williams had in mind for Des' assignment.

Des put a hand behind his head, trying to look calm, even though Williams' bodyguards scared the living daylights outta him, "Yo, um...what you had in mind for me to do, Boss Man?"

The Overlord stood up from his throne, and looked over to the window that overlooked the front yard. He looked out at the moon, and thunderclouds rolled in at his subliminal behest. His emotions changed from calm to serious...and finally to bitter...angry.

"Aiight, Des." Overlord Cameron cleared his throat, "I...I got an idea. And I don't like it."

"Well, uh..." Des was becoming more clearly nervous, "what you had in mind?"

Cameron turned back to his bodyguards, and nodded to them. They took the cue, and headed to close the doors of the throne room. It would be just the two of them.

"Look, D." Cameron sighed, "I know you met my girl Mika at some hotel with her girls. You didn't know her, she didn't know you. But, still...did she look like she was diggin' you?"

Des grinned at the question, "DID she? Oh, well, you know me, Boss Man..." Cameron turned to face him again, and his face fell back to serious, "Um, I mean, I could tell Tamika was a respectable girl from the get-go. You know I was attracted and whatnot, but--"

"Mhm." Cameron eyed Des suspiciously, before regaining his composure, "Okay, it's cool, I get it, you got a thing for my girl. I don't got a problem with that. My thing is how SHE feel about YOU, and other dudes. See, you look like this dude Mika was wit before me and her got together; Niko Perez. Them two broke it off, if you let Mika tell it, but maids came across some stuff over the past couple days, and now they think she might still be talkin' to him on the slick-sly. "

Des crossed his arms and leaned back on a pillar, shaking his head with a mix of empathy and a feeling of 'I knew it'; "Well, damn, Boss-Dude, if you think she creepin' around on you, why not just ask her? And if she is, boot that bi--!"

Cameron turned sharply again, glaring hatefully; clouds rumbled less than a mile away.

"Um...what I meant to say was..." Des corrected himself, watching nervously as the mercurial clouds loomed, shifting and morphing according to Cameron's subconscious will, "if she ain't no good, it won't be easy, but what's wrong with just breakin' it off?"

Cameron sighed, "Well, that's the thing. If I do, it might tip off Perez. See, he ain't just Mika's last man. He was the Overlord before me. He ruled from Miami, before me and my boys came in and booted him. Now, I got reason to think he might be usin' Mika to take me down, and take back his power in Miami. SO, since she say she goin' out wit her girls in a lit' bit, I'ma need y'all to keep an eye on her, now and for the next couple days, to make sure she go where she say she goin'. But, y'all gonna need to stay outta sight, and split up."

Des looked at Overlord Cameron's face and nodded solemnly. He walked up at last, patting the muscular Overlord of Florida on his shoulder as he brooded, "It's cool, Boss-Dude. You betta believe, I ain't takin' my eye off Mika."

Cameron raised an accusatory eyebrow.

"You know," Des quickly back-tracked, "to make sure she ain't up to nothin."

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Orlando==

When Des woke up from the events of the night previous, he saw that the skies were cloudy, and wondered if it was Cameron's doing.

He stepped out his bedroom door, and yelped when Cameron met him, face stern, arms crossed.

"Yo, dude, chill, what the hell--?"

"What you found out about Mika?" Overlord Williams demanded, face unchanging.

Des looked back nervously, and retreated back into his room. He returned with a notepad, which he handed to the Overlord to look at. It turns out Tamika had been out with her friends Daeja, Janae and Rita. All her friends from Miami. Things were not looking good.

And they'd likely look worse when Des followed them again tonight.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Tamika's friends arrived around noon for their shopping trip, looking lovely as expected. On Overlord Williams' dime, they would shop until they dropped. Mika got some last minute things, said goodbye to Cameron with a sweet kiss, then she and her girls were off for the day. And in a minute, the supers would split up to follow her to the Florida Mall.

That trip would be barely eventful. She only looked at clothes with friends. Some very...tight clothes...but only clothes, nonetheless.

And the Mall at Millenia was even less eventful. They just picked up a couple things for a friend who couldn't make it, and left after two hours. And after, a trip to Festival Bay Mall and Olive Garden. Boring.

"UGH..." David rolled his eyes when they arrived outside the Olive Garden, "If they don't do something underhanded or criminal in, like, ten minutes, I'm gonna die."

"I know, man, for real..." Snake sucked his teeth, "I'm startin' to think Cam was just paranoid."

Trick shook his head slowly in agreement, but then Des called their attention to the window. The girls were leaving, so it was almost time for them to follow yet again. And this time would not disappoint. Their latest destination? A strip club. Surely, this would yield some valuable data...and if not, a little fun for their troubles.

Snake and Des would go in first after the girls. The girls made their way into the private VIP section without a hitch, and Des kept an eye out. When the coast was clear, Snake slipped up next to the two bouncers guarding the VIP entrance, and smacked them with the quick-acting venom of some foreign snake with an unpronounceable genus and species name. The patrons of the strip club were too busy being entertained to notice as the two drifted slowly to the ground, paralyzed, and got dragged out by Trick and David.

Des and Snake took guarding post in their place. They slipped on shades, put their ears up to the door of the VIP, and listened intently. And what they found out would be well worth the wait...

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Orlando==

On the night previous, Overlord Williams had elected to sleep in the guest house, out by the pool, claiming to have stomach pains; he didn't want to keep her up all night, he said, or pass whatever sickness he had onto her. Des and his team knew the real reason, though; he couldn't stand to be in the same room as Tamika. Her underhandedness was simply too much to bear. Or rather, his suspicion of her underhandedness.

Clouds growled overhead, angry divine voices murmuring his grudging disbelief for all to hear. There came the occasional lightning strike as Cameron considered and contemplated; his emotions were mixed, a mental state he hated, and that only made the weather more temperamental.

After a night perturbed by weighing options, the thought came at last; a clap of thunder woke the Overlord from his sleep, despite having been caused by his own mind. He burst out of his bed and made his way intently, deliberately back into the manor.

"MIKA!" The Overlord's voice rang out through the house when he pushed the doors aside, marked by an especially-loud crack of thunder outside, which woke everyone in the house. No one could tell what time of day it was, from the dark of the sky, but everyone guessed simultaneously that now was as good a time as any to get up and ready for the day. The Overlord's bellowing rang out again, and this time, everyone made themselves known. At least...most of them did.

Cameron's bodyguards hurried downstairs to see what was the matter, and the team of supers followed them, trailed shortly by Tyler and the rest of the servants. The only one yet to resurface was the one he was actually looking for.

"Anybody know where Tamika is?" Cameron demanded more quietly, now that he saw that nearly everyone was in his presence, "I gotta talk with her."

The servants murmured among themselves. Neither they nor the bodyguards had seen her. Not even Des, Snake, David and Trick could offer any idea about where she was. Cameron was about to head upstairs and look for her himself, when a voice piped up at last.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Tyler was confused, "Sir, I thought you went in last night to be with her."

The bodyguards and the servants and the supers became just as confused. Cameron walked slowly up to the errand-boy, and narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "What would make you think I came up to visit Tamika? I said I wasn't feelin' good last night."

The explanation came that Tyler was a very light sleeper, and so, where others didn't hear anything, he heard a rush of wind in the direction of the room that the Overlord and Tamika shared. There was a low buzz, like conversation. Then silence. Then another rush of wind, and from that point, nothing for the rest of the night, until the Overlord had returned to the main Manor.

Cameron's expression softened, but not by much, despite the fact that he was more confused than angry; someone else was with her last night! He obviously didn't know her nearly as well as he thought he did...Trick stepped up to Cameron, and motioned for the Overlord to follow his gaze upstairs, in the direction of the room he and Tamika shared.

"I don't sense another person in the house, right now. Far as my powers pick up, everybody in the house is right here." He began, "My guess is, whoever was in that room with her was a teleporter or something like that."

David frowned, "So...we're looking at a kidnapping?"

"That or she knew Cam was onto her." Des spoke up, putting the pieces together, "And my guess is, if she did know, she got the hell out of here while the gettin' was good, before she could be questioned and caught."

"Well, far as I can tell, there's only one way to find out, for now." Snake pointed back to the Overlord's room.

When they arrived in the doorway, Cameron caught sight of it first; a small note placed squarely in the center of the bed. He picked it up, and read:

"Haha, guess who?

Look, my ni**a, I know you and me got a beef. But I wanna settle it, like a man. I mean...you do know how real men handle they business, right? Well, in case it didn't get through them rough-a** dreads to your brain, I got a deal for you. Last man standin' gets the b***h. But, I had to make sure you didn't cheat, so I put her away for safekeeping. Now, all you gotta do is meet me in Miami, so we can end this, once and for all. Bring your crew or don't. I'm just ready to get your a**-whoopin' out the way quick as possible.

You know who the hell this is,
Peace"

Cameron read it, and grew angrier at first, but soon realized...this is what he wanted, too. All along, he wanted to way to prove that Tamika would be loyal and pay her love and allegiance to him. And now, he had the chance. All he had to do was fight a dude that he couldn't stand anyway.

So if this was what Niko wanted...he was game.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Trick made his way to the Overlord, "You...not gon' meet up wit this dude, right? Cam, tell me you not gon' meet up wit this dude."

Cameron looked up at him from his brooding, "Man, what I look like? A punk? I'm definitely gon' step to 'im. He ain't gon punk me, Tamika or no Tamika! I ain't nobody's punk, and if he wanna try me, he gon' find it out for his damn self! I ain't one to play wit!"

"But...just think, Cam", David spoke up, "The way he's talking to you...he sounds like he's just trying to bait you! If he really wanted to settle things, do you really think he'd talk to you by insulting you like this? He's trying you, like you said, and if you rush headlong to go after him...you might be giving him what he wants."

"But it's what I want, too." Cameron's brow furrowed, "And what make you think I can't take his skinny a** out, if I want to, anyways? Him and all his boys, if I wanted to, I could wipe 'em all out. I don't even gotta kill 'em. Just round 'em all up and send 'em all to some of them motherf*ckers out west; somebody in Oklahoma, or down in Texas, or somethin'. They don't even LIKE black and brown dudes. If Perez don't end up dead, he'll damn sure make a good servant for some rich white family in Dallas or Little Rock or somethin'."

With that, the Overlord departed, with two male servants in tow. It was time not only to catch up on his daily workout and exercise regiment, but also to get up on his target practice. If the rebels wanted, they could come and train as well, but he was not to be interrupted.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Orlando==

The workout was rigorous and unrelenting; Overlord Williams made sure of it. There was electrokinetic target practice, aerokinetic target practice and flight course, extreme-temperature weight training, the rainy obstacle course, boxing, kickboxing and wrestling. Des and his team grew tired just watching the Overlord, and felt they could go on no longer after just a fraction of the workout the Overlord had done.

So, they would just sit and catch their breath for a while. And when the Overlord had finished, he (and Tyler, who the Overlord ordered to simply sit on the sidelines) would accompany Des' team back inside.

They each had their showers, and got cleaned up, before Des' teams met back up with Cameron in the parlor. By now, they knew the drill; no sitting until Cam sat, and that was okay with them. The Overlord was seated, and so were they, and the Overlord got on with his news.

"Aiight, y'all know I planned on goin' down to Miami to take down Niko, right?" the team nodded, and he continued, "Well, I ain't gonna just run in, and take 'em out. The way I see it, I can drag this out as long as I want, as long as I keep out o' his sight. So before I take 'im down...I thought I might send in some folks to take down a little bit of his empire, first. Just to see the look on his face."

The boys looked at each other, a gleam of mischief in their eyes.

"So, um..." David thought to himself, chuckling, "I'm guessing that this is my assignment, Cam?"

The Overlord grinned, "Sound about right. But actually...I was thinkin' this was a job for two. You lead the operation, and take one team; Des takes the other one. And y'all gon' raise some Hell down in Miami."

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Orlando==

Packing was marked with great excitement for the boys. Finally, they would get to wreak a little havoc. No more of this doing favors foolishness. The mission would be much more fitting to their skills, and the pay-off would be much more than room and board at the lavish house of an Overlord. They would be helping take down a real bad-guy, which made them real superheroes. And after, they would be making a permanent job of it! What could be better?

"Hey, man, whatchyou bringin'?" Trick peeked in to Des' room, "I mean, I maybe should bring some stuff I could summon in a fight, right? Some knives, maybe? Um, I know I can't fit a baseball bat--"

Des put a hand on his shoulder, with a chuckle, "Chill, dude...you not the only one. I'm kinda nervous, too."

The lucky charmer didn't give Trick 'that look', but Trick could tell that Des was serious, "...For real?"

"Yeah." Snake spoke up, as he came into the doorway, "We helped take down Overlady EC. I'm just really gettin' my head around it. And now we about to help this Overlord protect his throne and get rid of some dude down in Miami who think he got right to rule. I know it's a lot to take in."

"It is..." Trick sighed, "Man, y'all think we ready?"

"Hell, if we ain't, we gon' get ready..." Des chuckled, "I'll be damned if I'ma let some yellow brotha make me look like a b***h..."

"N***a, you yellow, too..." Snake laughed, "And anyway, he ain't no Overlord. I'm sure he can't be too powerful."

"But...Cam is takin' everybody." Trick sighed, "He can't be no pushover."

"I'm sure he just want us for backup." Des put up a hand in reassurance, "Now go finish packin' stuff you wanna summon up when we get down to Miami. If David or Tyler make one joke about black people bein' late, I'm drop-kick 'em..."

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Orlando==

The ride to Miami seemed surprisingly long. The supers didn't know if it was their nervousness or their eagerness, but as they thought of what they would do in Miami, it sent chills down their spines. Made them bristle with all kinds of different emotions.

Des, of course, was so ready. It seemed more than obvious to him that his powers would lead him and his team and the Overlord's men to victory. He had been staying up on his exercise, he had worked himself up to the point he was feeling confident (when his powers seemed to work best), and he knew to expect the unexpected. And when he got done with Lopez, the Overlord wannabe would be too busy reeling from all the havoc he'd caused to try any slick stuff.

Snake was feeling pretty good about their chances, too. He was dutiful with his workout and eating choices and sleeping habits, he studied the intel that Williams' spies had gathered on Lopez's outlaw establishment, and his powers would make nearly certain that it would be very hard to catch him off guard. Now, if only he could get Des to study along with him; it might take some convincing, but it would definitely put the lucky charmer at the very top of his game.

Even David was feeling confident about his capabilities now. With practice at his abilities, he felt he could put up much more of a fight. Using his Geokinesis was like flexing a muscle. And with time, he went from pulling up blocky, uncreative rock pillars, to pulling up sharp thorn-like spines, blocks, spheres, pyramids, and more. Not quite the fine detail he'd seen his father do--erecting an Egyptian-style sphinx with a mere gesture-- but this sure was a promising start.

It seemed that only Trick felt that slight twinge of consideration. That bleak little spec of doubt, that stain of uncertainty telling him that perhaps his superhuman abilities, even with careful planning, might not be enough. Knowing the unpredictability of fate firsthand, from watching Des in action, only seemed to show him further. Probability was, in Des' hands, a tame lion, that did tricks when you applied the right force. But, nonetheless, even tame lions remembered their wild instincts, every once in a while.

"Hey..." Tyler looked at Trick with a frown, "Are you okay? You look super-bummed."

"Um...yeah. I'm fine." Trick put up a hand in reassurance, "I'm...I'm fine."

He looked up, and was greeted with a green road sign. Miami, 10 miles ahead. It may as well have said, Welcome to the Lion's Den.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Miami==

A handsome building that previously served as the mayor's mansion, Niko Perez's court in Miami had lost absolutely none of its royal flair, despite the fact that Niko was no longer Overlord of Florida, and had been reduced to barely more than a king of peasants. In all honesty, if one had stumbled upon Miami, knowing nothing of the conflict between  and Perez's regime, and Perez's loss in that conflict, one might think that Perez was still in power. He certainly still carried himself like it. And perhaps with good reason.

For one thing, due to some strange, unhealthy mix of love and creeping mortal dread, most of Niko's servants had remained fiercely loyal to him, even after his most humiliating defeat at Cameron's hands. And those who weren't, had either been ousted and exiled, or outright exterminated. Cameron didn't even have the heart to tax him or charge him for appliances, so Niko's services all went on for free; perhaps Cameron's condescending idea of a  consolation prize. It was alright, though; that made Niko's operations all the easier.

True, very few of Niko's plans had worked well in the past. He befriended gangs, and sent them to destroy and vandalize to their hearts' content in Orlando; Cameron struck them all down, quite literally. He organized jail-breaks and prison-breaks as a foil to Cameron's law-enforcement effort; Cameron rounded them up again, and just upped the security. He even tried to have Cameron's closest servants assassinated, only to discover that he had been given bad tips by incompetent jailhouse snitches. But this time, he knew things would be different.

And things would be different in more ways than the obvious. Of course, he had Tamika as leverage, and he had taken Cameron's forces into better account, but...he also learned to stop overestimating himself. His visit with that strange, nameless power dealer hadn't made him invincible. Given him a strange power he didn't understand, sure. Made him frighteningly powerful, of course. Made foes easier to deal with, definitely. But still...even at this point, it never hurt to get in a little practice.

Niko rose from his throne, with that thought in mind, and headed to fetch his servants from their quarters. It was about time for him to get in some more exercise at the beach.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Miami==

Overlord Williams' caravan arrived in pretty good time. There was no interference from the weather, barely enough traffic to be considered afternoon traffic, and only two bathroom breaks. Now all that was left to do was make it to the contact that Williams had maintained in Miami. He couldn't take a chance with staying in some hotel; they would likely be where Perez looked first, and if anybody would have the element of surprise, they wanted it to be them.

"So, um...how much longer 'til we get there?" David asked, admiring the blue of the sky.

Williams played with a miniature rain cloud, "Not long. Should be a few more minutes."

And he was right. Before long, their truck pulled into the back alley of what they thought was an abandoned building. They filed out as the rest of the trucks pulled up behind them. And when everybody was out (except the drivers, strangely), they walked up to the back door, and parted for the Overlord to knock.

"What's the word?" Came a sharp demand suddenly, as a slit opened in the door.

Overlord Williams grinned, "Son o' Zeus! First brotha on Mount Olympus, YOU KNOW!"

The supers exchanged entertained glances, as the slit in the door closed, and the door opened to reveal a heavy-set black male super.

"My n***a, what it do?" He gave a hearty laugh, "And you brought some new homies, cool! I'm Tiny! What it is, youngbloods?"

He stuck a hand out for shaking, and as David shook, he asked with a smile, "Cool. So, uh, I'm pretty sure you get this all the time, but...why do they call you 'Tiny'? Is it 'cause you're so...not?"

"Nope!" Tiny chuckled, "I'm a size-shifter, a weight-shifter and a mass-shifter. My favorite is gettin' real tiny, so I can ride on animals an' stuff! Now c'mon in! Make yourself right at home! Any friend o' Cam's is a friend o' ours!"

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Miami==

Tamika entered the Dining Room silent. She would ignore the bodyguards' hungry stares. She would only acknowledge the female servants, then train her eyes back on Niko. He would notice if her eyes wandered anywhere else, and he wouldn't like it. A smile too long at Shawn, meeting too-intimate glances with Ricky, laying a finger on Touissant's muscular frame, even in jest, and either or all of them might be headed out to the beach for a bullet to the back of the head.

"You hungry, Mika?" Niko called from the opposite end of the long mahogany dinner table, "Why don't you sit down? Have somethin'."

She eyed the table a second, and then took her seat without a word. She straightened her skirt, placed a napkin on her lap, and linked her fingers on the table. Dinner was Niko's favorite, steak and shrimp, with long grain and wild rice, and a Chicken Caesar Salad. And Niko was smiling. Tamika sighed when she noticed.

"So you think your man is comin' for you?"

Tamika shrugged, played with her food absently, "...I don't know. Maybe. I mean, probably..."

His eyes didn't leave her, "You want him to come, though."

"Well..." Tamika scrambled, "I mean, I don't mind bein' here, if you let me come and go when I want to...But if I'm a prisoner here--"

"Who said you was a prisoner here?" Niko interrupted, not raising his voice, "Why you gotta be a prisoner here? You wasn't a prisoner when you was stayin' wit Cam."

Tamika slowly let down the fork she had almost brought to her mouth, "I didn't mean it like that. I was sayin', since you let me come and go whenever, I ain't got a reason to think you wanna hurt me."

Niko's muscles relaxed. That answer appeased him.

"Okay, then." He snapped his fingers, and the female servant situated next to him reached into his lap for the napkin to wipe his face, "That's good. 'Cause I want you to do me a favor. I figure it's the least you owe me, for me lettin' you stay here."

Tamika cleared her throat, and pushed hair back behind her ear, "What you need?"

"You say Cam got his eye on some of the gangs around his territory, right? Well, my guess is, they ain't gon' like havin' ol' Cam on they tail. So I want you to go out and tell 'em...Niko got they back. If you need to, pick a white chick and a Rican chick to go wit you. But I want a answer. Soon."

The former Overlord snapped his fingers again. The female servant picked up Niko's plate, and headed off to the kitchen, leaving behind a chocolate mint for him. Out of the same double doors the female servant exited, two male servants entered; one with a plate of fresh desserts, and the other with an ice-filled bucket. Three wine choices; Moscato, Pinot Grigio and Bordeaux. Niko and Tamika would remain seated until Tamika finished her plate.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

==Miami==

When the group was safely packed into the dusty, dimly-lit, seemingly-abandoned building, Tiny took one last look around, to see if anyone had followed them, then shut the door. The supers were about to sit on a couple of old-looking couches, but Tiny assured them, they would be much more comfortable sitting down, when they got where they were going.

"And just where is that?" David raised an eyebrow.

Tiny chuckled, "Just hol' up a second, li'l man. I got you."

The heavyset super made his way through the group. Stepped around boxes of plastic snow, over lamp boxes and around curio cases. He reached the book, and put a hand up.

The final warning came, "Y'all might wanna move out the middle of the floor."

There was barely time to react, before the floor began to open away, with a great mechanical groan. The shabby old rug betrayed the circular metal panel that lay beneath it. Gears clinked noisily as the panel curled away, revealing the start of a staircase. Little by little, one step clanked out from beneath the previous one, making a path steadily into darkness. The final step rolled out with a loud clang, causing the supers to jump a little.

They looked over to Tiny, and he had not lost his grin. He clapped his hands together twice, and the stairway illuminated, each bulb descending one step further into the dark.

"Well?" Tiny gestured, "Whatcha waitin' for? Headquarters is down there!"