Outright rebellion (Open)

It hadn't been a week since Hive had taken things over from Talon. One man in particular wasn't happy with the way things had been handled particularly in his area. Malan'tai Ralin had begun mobilizing his forces. Armed guards walked with him at all times. Guild agents in full battle gear carrying actual assault weapons.

They opened fire on anyone wearing Envy's colors Mal himself blasting bolts of psionic energy into the people. The agents were ruthlessly efficient demanding surrender and if there was hesitation bullets flew for the eyes. Mal's shield was focused only on himself but the agents were coming out like ants. The aim wasn't a simple stand but outright destruction of this branch of their government.

More would come Mal knew. This was after all being broadcast on every news channel. The heroes would come, and they'd see what Envy could do about it.

Jenny had been trying to stay out of sight from jut about everyone since arriving since she seemed to have just been making just about everyone angry at her in this whole city. That and since she would be thrown into slavery she really wanted to stay out of sight. Lately she had been sneaking into the school during school hours and then into their kitchen to 'obtain' some food for herself and then hiding in the gym at night for a safe place to sleep.

Though something was starting to go on to perk her ears up in curiosity. She saw some snazzy looking guy walking around with his guards shooting at the people that ran this place. She crept out from the shadows of an alley way and watched closer. She saw him shooting out bolts of something at people making her attention go even further on the man. She then saw a man that had been hiding aim a gun at mal and narrowed her eyes as she ears lowered.

She then ran over to where mal was as she shot out blats from her feet to speed up. She then held up her hands as she would get in between the mans line of fire and formed an energy shield that blocked a few of the bullets but shattered as the last one hit it but had thankfully missed mal and only grazed Jenny's cheek. Jenny skid to a stop and charged up her energy and punched the air shooting out 2 energy bolts that hit the gun from the mans hands and knocked him to the ground.

Jenny panted having used a large amount of energy as blood trickled from her cut on her cheek and pulled out her sword and spun it in her hand to hold it back handed. She looked to Mal then and gave a friendly smile. "Can I assist you?" She asked hopefully. She didn't know who this guy was but right now he was taking down some pretty bad people so that was all that mattered to her at the moment.... that and this guys powers really make her curiosity perk due to at least one of them seeming to be similar to hers.

"Don't take us wrong.. Riot I think it is. We don't plan to kill the people who will stand down or any civilians. If someone surrenders they live, if they don't they serve that monster and aren't innocent." Malan'tai looked over at Jenny after saying this. "Thank you for the gesture dear girl, stay near me and I'll ensure you are safer."

"Our objective is to take out Envy by pretty much whatever we have to do. There are things I'm not willing to use. Hostages for instance. You three spread out to find him, he's hiding somewhere in this city. No doubt believing he's not good enough to face us." Malan'tai's final comment was less for them and more for Envy if he could hear them.

The man drifted closer to Jenny and she could feel a layer of force applied to her a pressure that spread over her skin rapidly a shield of energy. "Unless I'm in immediate danger bullets won't bother you now."

Jenny wobbled and stumbled from the shaking but regained her balance as she looked to Riot with a blink before her eyes grew wide in aw. A real life knight! In real armor! This was- ! She blinked then as he told her to leave. She then narrowed her eyes as her ears lowered and pointed a finger at him. "No way! I can fight! Im way stronger then you think! I bet I could even take you! Thank and I was here first to help save the day so you cant make me leave!"

She said in a huff then another shake came in and make her nearly fall over as she stumbled around for a few moments. What was with people and being crazy heavy? She looked to the source then looked at it in aw as she saw his armor and his sword. This was so cool! This was- and hes just hacking people up.... Her ears lowered in a bit of disappointment. Why did every cool knight looking person have to go and just kill her hopes and dreams about them with their first action....?

She blinked and her ears perked up then though as the man beside her started to talk to her. She looked up to him and smiled at his statement. "No problem sir! And I'll do the same for you!" She said happily before sticking out her tongue at riot and pulled down the bottom eyelid of her right eye mockingly at him as if to say 'Ha ha I get to stay here!'. She then started to walk off with mal proudly with a skip in her step as she held her sword at the ready.

She blinked though as she felt the layer of force being applied to her. he poked her arm curiously before looking up to mal as he spoke and nodded. "Understood sir! Thank you for the protection." She said smiling happily as she walked with him though she seemed to be avoiding from looking at any of the me's guns.

((OOC: Timeline-wise, this thread will need to be more than a week in. I have things set after.))

The news reached him in the middle of a ceremony. Individuals had been singled out for commendation from Envy himself. Usually that of a tattling nature. The group included the pilot that had turned in an important stowaway not several days ago.

It was amazing the pride people took in gaudy trinkets. Taking a clue from Greed, Envy had made various medals which he'd decided to reward members of the public with. Their value was only as much as the people who possessed them gave them. As long as the regime lasted the medals had worth. A rather cheap form of loyalty born of materialism.

He was preparing his closing remarks when one of his enforcers blundered into the room. The report was made breathlessly and in search of succour. The Protectorate had encountered coordinated resistance on one of the border routes. They were unable to hold. So sudden was the disruption that Envy couldn't fathom who would bother to try. Surely no one of any worth had beef with him over his siblings? Though he'd be damned if they caught him napping.

He'd been on the other side of these military interventions often enough. The first rule of coups was to capture the despot or at least isolate them from their flock. Time was on his side. Envy immediately left. He would not allow himself at be found so easily. Having relocated himself he demanded that a cam-phone be used to record his address. What followed could be found on social networking streams frequented by his people and was played back over the recently established tannoy system that spread throughout his territory. He'd have used a television station had there been one in his backyard.




Having delivered his speech and sent it off to be distributed, Envy turned to an aide in this indistinct office block and chucked him the phone, "Phone around. Ask Lust and the mute to send reinforcements." It was possible that Lust herself was doing this. Kicking him out of the club. But if it wasn't - then the HIVE army would be appreciated. To defend territory it had obtained.

And out in the streets. Motivated either by patriotism, outrage, fear, or spite - the citizens gathered. Many had guns but none had more than one bullet. They would harangue the interlopers with weight of numbers. There was no violence, not at first. But where they could be a nuisance they would. At least none of them offered the stricken members of Envy's Protectorate any help. The public disliked those individuals for their apparent elevated status. They could reap what they sowed.

They may not have been wearing Envy's colours - but they were certainly putting themselves in danger. And safe behind a blanket of elusiveness - the mighty instigator awaited some form of progression.

Spoiler:

(ooc: Yeah man. It’s current day. Unless otherwise stated, it’s normal to assume a thread is taking place on the day it was created. So it’s been around a month. Also there is a point made later in my post from a thread that isn't finished yet. I have permission from the other person involved to use a point from the intended end of that thread as we both agree it will happen and it would have happened by now. We'll be finishing the thread soon.)


Riot rose his shield as a newcomer arrived. He rose an eyebrow at the seismic landing the stranger made. It seemed someone wanted to make a memorable entrance. And they took a page out of his book to do so. Well to be fair, he was probably far from the first person to do so. Though it was still mildly amusing to him that this stranger had done so immediately after him. He was torn from his thoughts as everyone responded around him. The leader of the assault forces seemed to share his view on the situation, while the newcomer simply seemed to relish in the slaughter. The enemy of my enemy is my friend... Riot frowned as he watched Wrath hacking people to pieces. He glanced back to Mal Maybe in some cases... But in others? He looked back to Wrath as the sin finished his slaughter and gestured for them to continue. The enemy of my enemy is just next in line. Riot made a mental note to look into the both of them once this was over. One as a potential ally, and the other as a potential threat.

He looked to Mal once more. "IF SHE GETS HURT, IT'S ON YOU." Though the action was hidden completely by his bulky plate, he chuckled when 14 put on her brave face and made faces at him. If the situation weren’t so dangerous, it would have been rather adorable. “JUST… STAY SAFE. IF THINGS GET TOO BAD, FIND SOMEWHERE TO HIDE OKAY?” Despite the heavy mechanical voice, Riot still managed to sound genuinely concerned for her.

Riot turned to look at one of the many speaker systems in place as Envy delivered his message and people began to gather. He was controlling them with lies, playing to their petty fears and desires. But they seemed to have forgotten that the squalor they lived in now was a major step down from what they’d come from. Riot rose into the air as the crowd looked on, his thrusters keeping him aloft. He spoke, his voice amplified by his suit so that it resounded throughout the streets.

“HE IS LYING TO YOU. THIS IS THE BEST THING TO HAVE HAPPENED HERE. THESE “PROTECTORATE” DESPITE THEIR NAME, AREN’T HERE TO KEEP YOU SAFE – THEY’RE HERE TO KEEP YOU UNDER CONTROL. THIS ARMY IS HERE TO PUT AN END TO YOUR MISERY, TO SET YOU FREE FROM THIS DICTATORSHIP. WE DO NOT WANT TO TAKE, BUT TO GIVE.” He pointed to the wall they’d been forced to build. “YOUR DICTATOR HAS MADE YOU, YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR FAMILIES, AND YOUR NEIGHBORS SLAVES. HE HAS FORCED THEM TO BUILD A WALL TO KEEP THE REST OF YOU TRAPPED HERE. HE HAS CUT OFF YOUR MEDICINE AND FOOD SO THAT YOU WILL FIGHT TO KEEP WHAT LITTLE HE GIVES YOU. WE ARE HERE TO GIVE YOU BACK WHAT HE HAS TAKEN – TO GIVE YOU BACK YOUR LIVES. JUST ONE MONTH AGO, YOU WERE FREE. YOU HAD PLENTY OF FOOD, MEDICINE, AND SHELTER. AND YOUR FRIENDS AND COWORKERS WEREN’T SLAVES. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN YOU COULD FEEL SAFE WITHOUT A DICTATOR. WHEN YOU KNEW THAT THE POLICE AND THE TITANS WERE THERE FOR YOU. WITH YOUR HELP, THAT TIME WILL COME AGAIN!” He swept his arm back to gesture at the signal in the sky – a giant capitol “T” encompassed by a circle. He and Ao had set it up at their base on the island where the tower once stood quite recently. A message to all: The Titans were still there.

“WE’VE BEEN PLANNING TO LIBERATE YOU ALL FOR SOME TIME. THIS ONE-“ He gestured to Mal “SPED UP OUR TIMETABLE. TWO OTHERS HAVE LENT YOU THEIR AID AS WELL, AND SO LONG AS I AM HERE YOU HAVE THE TITANS AT YOUR SIDE. ALL THAT I ASK IS THAT YOU GET YOURSELVES TO SAFETY. WE ARE NOT HERE TO HARM YOU BUT THIS PLACE IS NOT SAFE. WE ARE NOT BETTER THAN YOU, CITIZENS OF JUMP. WE WERE MERELY GIVEN THE ABILITY TO DO GOOD OR EVIL, JUST AS YOU WERE. THOSE OF US WHO CHOSE TO DO GOOD TOOK UP THE RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP OUR FELLOW MAN. I IMPLORE YOU TO DO THE SAME. YOU WERE BORN WITH THE ABILITY TO DO GREAT GOOD OR GREAT EVIL – CHOOSE TO DO GOOD. LET THIS DAY BE REMEMBERED AS THE DAY THE CITIZENS OF JUMP TOOK BACK THEIR CITY!”