A little anarchy can be a Royal Pain

Masquerade had gone everywhere, contacted friends, enemies and friend's enemies to try and pass along the information down the grape vine. A couple "renegades" were scheduled to meet him. They knew how to find him apparently. Reliable sources, Agency hadn't touched shit on his means of getting into contact with people. They were looking for a young man with black hair and tan skin, a thick Irish accent and piercing green eyes. The kid would look a little odd, dressed in a trench coat of sorts and with a rapier on his hip in it's appropriate sheath. His eyes scanned about. Zell had apparently sent him some girl. A real full of herself girl who was good cannon fodder. Then again, replace girl with guy and you had the exact same thing he said about Masquerade. Fuck that Zell guy. What's the point of being all smart when you can't even make up your damn mind about being a hero or villain? Oh wait, it was more than just Neon too...it was someone else. Oh man thy had to hurry, if they didn't get here soon...

"Yo! WHERE ARE THE PEOPLE I'M WAITING ON!?" He called out in his heavy Irish accent. Hopefully getting mad and screaming at the sky wouldn't draw too much attention.

******************

"Dispatch "Subject: Sleet" to Pittsburgh. Deploy Gizmo as well, I want to ensure we capture Royal Pain as soon as possible." The director said as he turned the corner, looking over the file before hoding the file out to the side. As if rehearsed the oncoming agent obliged and took the folder. At the directors heels were none other than Archon himself. Of course, he was known as Zell Atterrius around the base. "With his natural ability he should be an effective match against Royal Pain's power set. Then Gizmo can take him down." The director added.

"I still say A.P.E.X can-" Zell began, but he was interrupted.
"I know what you say, and saying it again won't make me thing the idea is any less stupid the tenth time around. A.P.E.X is being assigned elsewhere, this discussion is over, please and thank you." The director said with an irked sigh looking into the pod they were going to deploy. Gizmo entered the one, and the second one was inhabited by a familiar face. In his original realm Zell would have said it was like looking in a mirror of sorts, when he saw none other than the water boy. "I almost wanted to send Subject: Lucifer, however it turns out he and Subject: Sleet are rather...close one could say. Regardless, this will be good for us. Faith in me Zell as I have had faith in you. I know you're eager to prove your innovations and in due time you will. You will."
**********

The pods landed on a rooftop. The UPMC building looking out to the stadium that was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates was within sight from their location. Gizmo emerged from the pod taking the view in for the moment before stepping over and pushing a button on the side of the shackle pod. The power-negative field inside faded and the pod would open. Gizmo analyzed Ryan a moment before turning and looking out over the city from the tall building.

Target information: Royal Pain He thought as he contemplated the data he was given. The hunt had begun.

Life had changed pretty quickly for Ryan, though if it were for the best he could not tell really. One minute things seemed to be going pretty well for him, and then the next he had been attacked by some weird tall guy, and this other guy with a gun, there was burning rain and next thing he knew he was...somewhere. Honestly, the metahuman had no idea what had happened, except that for some reason he was attacked and then taken in. When he thought about it for a few minutes, that meant that he had been kidnapped, meaning that these were probably some kind of bad guys or whatever. They had put some kind of weird collar thing on him, though it was small he could still feel it against his skin, not cold but the pressure was there anyway.

There was one thing that he did notice among other things, his power had been growing stronger, turning almost everything he touched into ice. It wasn't supposed to be doing that, but that had been how things were progressing, and that meant he only had to be even more careful. Strangely enough the collar was immune to the freezing effect of his power. Now however he was being lead into one of those pods, having grown only more withdrawn,  hands buried deeply into his pockets and looking around almost nervously, as if expecting something to go wrong. Still, soon enough he would be moved into the pod, resting against the back and closing his eyes tightly, though he felt something cold around his right front pocket. Like it always did, the amulet would return to him, no matter what anyone tried to do to keep it away from him.

The pods would land on a rooftop, fronts opening as they would let Ryan out, alongside..the tall guy who had attacked him before. This was not a guy he would want to mess with, or even deal with at the moment. It was upon arriving that the rain would start, almost as if the cloud had followed them, small droplets of water falling down upon them. First him having to go through this whole thing, and now the rain, this could only get worse. He would turn to the giant almost hesitantly, before turning away. ”This is not gonna be good.”

What was the deal with people today, he was enjoying his vacation when he got a disturbing email. It said that a group was taking down the metahumans, they were a threat and had to be tamed. Could things get any stranger, but the job was legit for now and it was to meet up with some guy named royal pain.

He sounded like a jackass to get that name, it didn't matter as of now. He was riding his motorcycle at eighty-five miles an hour to the meeting point, he didn't want to give himself away to anyone else. He was regular motorcycle driver going pass the speed limit, until he would reach the location wherever it was.

Following the GPS coordinates, he would reach the meet up spot in a few moments now. What will this adventure bring him? Joy or danger? This better be worth his time, everything about him was for personal gain than to save his own race of Metahumans.

Gizmo, be sure to communicate with Subject: Sleet. Be sure to utilize him in any way you seem fit.Gizmo looked to Ryan and his scanners went over him. The shackling on him was surprisingly low for someone whom had refused to submit, though Gizmo would not question the director in any case.  Acknowledged Gizmo replied within the confines of his mind. He then turned to Ryan, towering over him. He would use intimidation to remind the metahuman of what exactly awaited him if he should attempt to somehow circumvent his shackling. He stepped up and glared down at the younger inhuman.

 "Remember to do exactly as I instruct you. If you do this, then we shall not have a repeat of last time. Am I clear?" He asked with eyebrows furrowed and a rather mean looking scowl on. "Pittsburgh Metahuman Penitentiary. We meet there at nightfall. What you do with the time until then is yours. Three hours I will see you again." Gizmo said before turning to move himself to the meeting location. They would wait for the cover of night to attack. That was when Royal Pain would be least likely to detect their movements throughout the facility.

*****
*****

   Mr.Star was meeting Royal Pain inside his "palace" or rather the old rundown metahuman penitentiary. The exterior looked rather unimpressive, though the doors were covered with Royal Pain's insignia, which was just the Anarchy symbol turned sideways to look like a P rather than an A. Outside the doors was a man in camo pants and a grey wife-beater shirt and a cigarette in his hands. He waited for Mr.Star to arrive, so that he could properly welcome him.

Ryan took an almost shaky breath, taking another look at the large male as if expecting them to suddenly attack him much like their last meeting. Honestly, he didn't need any encouragement beyond the wilting glare of the thing to keep him from trying anything stupid. The taller male spoke, saying something about doing as he instructed and there would not be a repeat of last time. Okay, this guy was pretty scary, that much Ryan could recognize. His heart was beating a little faster, and his brain was screaming at him to run away, but his feet kept him there. His breath hitched within his throat, mouth half open as he nodded, unconsciously unzipping his thick jacket and removing it. ”Y..yeah, really clear.” His jacket was off before he even knew what he was doing, holding the bit of clothing under his arm, now only in his black band tee and khaki cargo shorts.

He had three hours to do whatever it was he was supposed to do, but Ryan was too nervous to even wander off, shuddering not out of cold but something else. So what he would do was look at his phone, making sure to use the jacket as a shield between him and his phone, keeping an eye upon the time, and it would pass. It was when night had fallen across the city that he made his way to the meeting point, jacket now tied around his waist by the sleeves, leaving him bare armed. He would do what this Gizmo guy told him to do, if only because he did not want to get hurt by them.

When he reached the "palace", it was a dump....the guard was a man in a wife-beater and Como pants. It didn't really seem to be a high class type of boss, or was it the ghetto image of one? Stopping at the entrance of the penitentiary, he jumped off his motorcycle starring at the man waiting outside.

What he would see coming up was a man wearing entirely black motorcycle clothing that looked very average. He wanted a better welcome than this, but he needed to see this royal pain guy. He was the only one had mattered right now, going on into the building was the next step.

"I'm here to see royal pain." That was all he said, expecting to get through without a problem.

His motorcycle had detached a little orb onto the ground, before it would move to hide from sight on it's own without it's rider.

Gizmo had been out and about, doing his job as he anticipated. Primarily at the moment he was watching the complex where he knew that Royal Pain would be sitting behind. Old building, though highly fortified as to keep metahumans in, and powerful metahumans out even. Couldn't have just anyone trying to get in to spring a buddy. Gizmo was at a good distance, monitoring the man whom stood at the doorway. They were none the wiser to his existence, but Gizmo began to run scenarios in his head, every which one could potentially be true. The man in the wife-beater identified as Subject: Sharps, an individual that appeared several times in Agency databanks. The Psychological profile wasn't a long one. It was a guy who liked to cut things and cause pain. No wonder he worked for someone like his boss. Gizmo sat down and with a thought the comm-link opened from within his head.

The plan has been altered. Meet me on the roof of the supermarket three miles away from our destination. Gizmo's voice would carry into Ryan's shackle, making it seem as if the disembodied voice of Gizmo had suddenly appeared from nowhere to haunt Ryan.

****

"Right, so you're the guy he's expecting or you're incredibly stupid. I'm gonna taka guess and say it's the first, am I right?" The man asked with a snicker. The motorcycle did it's little trick and it left Sharps to look at the stranger. "Cool trick. By the way, name's Sharps. " He said as he turned around and opened the door. Sharps would let the man in but once they got in he'd notice that this place looked even worse on the inside. At the moment, anyway. They would walk down a long hallway, Sharps being silent unless asked something or spoken to. He's then take him to what looked like a very old, out of date elevator. Sharps would lead by example and grab the elevator cord with his hand and slide down it for a good four floors before landing on the top of the actual elevator itself, jammed there after so many years of inoperative sitting.

After exiting the elevator shaft it was quite clear that the "base" was much, much more impressive that an initial appraisal. It was plated in heavy armoring, cells on either side each one with torture racks and bloody stones beneath them. The screams and calls of men and women came echoing as the crack of whips and the slow cranking of torture devices were in the works. Every method of known torture was here, even some methods that were so unique and original that it was actually gut-wrenching. "Now we're in the palace. Welcome to the Entry Hall. Head straight back, ignore all the other doors until you find a BIG guy that looks like he stepped out of a WWE episode. He'll let you into the Throne Room."

Ryan had gone to the meeting place, but there was no tall creepy guy waiting for him. Honestly, Ryan felt somewhat happy about that small change, if only because that meant less time being around that weird guy. It might have been the continual discomfort with the thing around his neck, but something about that guy rubbed him the wrong way. Sadly the poor water boy was not expecting the disembodied voice to transmit through his shackle, leading to an almost shocked yelp escaping from his throat. Were they invisible? No, that was stupid, the guy wasn't a ghost or anything like that. Something had been said about the plan being changed, so he would have to find some super market and meet him on the roof of it. Was he supposed to like climb onto the roof or something, because Ryan was never that good at climbing. He was too afraid he would fall off and break his legs, which did not sound good.

Regardless, he had somehow managed to like the guy less than he already did, not that Ryan would disobey the order. Likely the shackle thing would not let him, even if he wanted to. How far was three miles anyway? Okay, now there was another problem, he had no idea where he was supposed to be going. ”So...tall dude. I don't wanna sound rude, but.....your instructions are bad.” Was Ryan talking to himself? It was very likely, but now he was on the search for a super market, not the best thing for him to be doing really. He just wanted to go back to the Prodigy base and play video games with his friends, this was all lame. Either way, Ryan went on the search for this mythical super market, shouldn't take too long for him to find. Luckily it only took a half hour to find it, yay for dumb luck. The getting on the roof part required teleporting, but he got there.

He didn't respond back to the man, when he called him stupid. Maybe it was a joke, but he still didn't like to be called such a word. The man named Sharps had let him into the compound without a hitch, he only nodded to him. "The name is Black Star." That was all he said, before he followed the man through the building. Than to a elevator that looked like crap, hopefully it wouldn't break down from here.

When they reached the real base, he was told to keep going down the hall. A large man that came out of the WWE, what was wrong with metahuman's henchmen now a days. The screams of the men and women were strange to say the least. Why was this place like this and royal pain must be something else. Grabbing another metal orb from his pocket, he would toss it into the air hitting the ceiling midway of the hall, until he found this big guy.

Subject:Sleet had finally arrived. Gizmo looked to the little hydro/cryo metahuman and stepped forward, bending over slightly to say a very simple statement.

   "My instructions were clear. It is your grasp on the concept of distance which is bad." Gizmo said simply before looking towards their destination. "There was an unexpected visitor. Metahuman. We're going in now to confront Royal Pain. Prepare yourself on the walk there." Gizmo said calmly as he stepped over the edge of the building and fell to the ground below. Gizmo continued walking as he began to calculate and formulate a plan. He would need to be sure that he informed his little lackey of the plans he formulated.

  "A question for you." Gizmo said to Ryan, seemingly out of the blue. "When I flooded the puddle you had become with caesium. Did you feel it?" Gizmo asked, his voice almost sounding worried or concerned. He could think of the little child he had as Daniel, wondering what if must be like for a child to experience such pain.

*****

  The large man with folded arms eyes Black Star before scoffing and turning around, pushing his full mass into two large metallic doors that hissed and steamed as the hulking giants flesh touched it. The red and slowly decaying skin signified that this door was perhaps drenched or laced with some form of poison that ate at the skin and caused pain. The room he entered in now was a slate crey room, there were stairs on either side that lead up to a higher elevated area, where a throne sat and within was a rather interesting individual in a set of rather unusual armor.

Ryan softly rolled his eyes, not in the line of sight of the giant mind you, that might get him burnt by the evil rain or whatever. Maybe those guys in the suits knew what three miles meant, but Ryan was sort of just a guy, shouldn't have been expected to know what the hell he was talking about, but here he was. Following the question, the strange roboman would step over the edge, falling to the ground without taking any damage, before walking onward. While he could probably do that, he would take a simpler approach, forming a small construct in the form of a slide and going down that. Once that was done, the whole mission thing could continue as planned. All that was know was that he had to prepare himself, for whatever a Royal Pain was anyway.

Before he could ask what this Royal Pain could do, this Gizmo person sort of interrupted him, asking....if he felt the caesium while he was in his water form. ”N...no, I didn't. I felt it when I turned solid again though.” He added in the last part, then noticing that the guy almost sounded...worried? That was not something he was expecting at all, though the question's suddenness was enough to make him feel less comfortable around the guy, if that was possible.