Seth Moves In

Seth chuckled, realizing that he had misheard Kyte.

Letting the angel join the Titans? How could that stop him from detecting Kyte? Seth wasn't sure, but if the Titans survived their current troubles, then he wouldn't be able to do much to prevent the angel from joining.

Fen...? What was the name of this angel?

"Very well. I shall let him join the Titans. As for you, it will take some time to get your next assignment. Please describe to me how the battle with Cab went."

Seth said he'd let Kyte handle Fenrir.

Thanks.

He then asked what happened with Cab.

I threw two rocks into his upper level to distract him while I broke into the back, and sliced down the door. I waited for him at the bottom of the stairs. When he saw me, he turned out to be smarter than I thought, and waited for me to go to him, not the other way around. So...I cut down the stairs and jumped up to the second level. He, however, did not fall and had jumped back, next jumping at me and turning into a car. I rolled out of the way before he embedded himself into the floor, and tried popping one of his tires by throwing a claw. He shrunk, and ran out the door before it could hit him. I followed him, throwing three more claws, and they hit him, since he had no idea. He turned around and changed into a car to try to run me over; which was exactly what I wanted, so I could jump through his windshield, and tried to take control of him by actually starting the ignition.

However, his transformation was molecular, and he transformed with me inside him, taking control of my body and trying to get back to the house. However, I used my trump card. Long story short, I stabbed myself through the lung to drive him out with pain, and he bled to death.

Kyte decided to leave out the afterward part.

He was trying to get back to the house to get something; I suggest finding what it was. Also, another matter; I lost my katana inside him. It may not be important to you, but it was crafted by an old friend who now does not live. If you could find me a good one using your resources, it would be much appreciated.

Any other questions for me?

Threw a claw? Seth did not know that Kyte could do that. It was usefull information. He had already known about Cab's powers, but he seemed to always be learning more about his Agent.

It seemed that the fight with Cab had gone well. Kyte had triumphed by a large margin, so had he been upset upon entering the office? Was his katana that important to him?

"I'm sorry about your katana. I'm sure I can find you a suitable replacement, but I'm not very knowledgeable about such weapons. I'll have Uranus, whom you've already met, select a fine blade in Japan. I do have one question for you: did Cab seem in a hurry when he was going back to his house for the mysterious item?" By now the police and military would be all over the site of the murder. Any secrets Cab had would be in their hands now. If there was anything important, he would need to send Kyte to collect it.

Kyte nodded at Seth as he said that Uranus would search for a fine Japanese blade. It was always good to have a blade from the heartland. He then asked about Cab. Kyte thought over it a bit, looking unsure to Seth's question.

I couldn't really tell...he was walking. That might have been because he was wounded in the leg, or because he was trying to use my regeneration to his advantage. I honestly don't know. However...it looked like he needed it before he did anything else.

Kyte waited for what Seth would say.

"I'll have someone look into it. For now, take a few days off until your next mission is ready."

OOC: I hope it's okay with you if I do a time skip here.

BIC: A few days later, Agent Jupiter was again in Seth's office.

"I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that your new katana is not here yet. Agent Uranus has been delayed for a few days. The good news is that I have another mission for you."

Seth slid a vanilla folder across his desk. "Previously, I gave you information on all the Teen Titans. You won't be hunting a Titan today, so I have prepared the needed info. As per your request, I have left out anything about powers."

"The target you are going after was a pawn that helped kill one of the Titans. In that way, you might think of her as our friend. The exact opposite is true. The target has is just powerful enough to be noticed, but not powerful or smart enough to survive in the meta-human world for long. There is also reason to believe that if the Titans catch her, which is only a matter of time, they will discover information about our organization. In short, she must be dealt with before she squeals. Still, she could have her uses. I want her brought here, alive. I don't care if she gets hurt, but keep her heart beating."

Seth leaned back in his chair. "The name of your target is Aphrodite. She can be found in Jump City. Due to unfortunate circumstances, we are not able to locate her. You will need to search the old-fashioned way: look for clues, ask around, penetrate the inner-crime circles. She shouldn't be too difficult to find. Due to the nature of this mission, I am going to assign you a partner."

Beneath his mask, Seth smiled. He expected an objection about the partner, but the partner he had in mind really needed something to do.

He was glad that Seth had a new mission for him, but a bit of that glee was taken when he learned that he would have a partner on this mission. He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms in demon form.

Seth...you know I like working alone.

After a few seconds of silence, though, Kyte sighed, letting his arms drop as he closed his eyes briefly before opening them again, his posture straightening.

But so be it. If he or she gets in the way, I won't be very happy.

He crossed his arms, waiting for what else Seth had to say.

Seth was suprised by how well Kyte took to being assigned a partner. "I assure you, Agent Jupiter, your partner will not slow you down. Also, she was not assigned to this case because I doubted your talents. If anything, she is being assigned to help you because you are almost too talented for this mission. To tell you anything else would reveal information you have requested not to hear about, but Agent Neptune may be crucial to the success of this mission."

The door opened, and a 10 year old girl walked in. She stood almost 4 feet tall and had short blonde hair and blue eyes. The clothing she wore was blue jeans and a semi-formal button-up shirt. She carried a black violin case. An innocent smile appeared on her face as she saw Seth.

"Hey, Seth, do you have a job for me?"

"Remember to use work words, Agent Neptune," Seth said gently. He turned back to Kyte. "Agent Neptune is the only agent of mine that I trust to take on Aphrodite, and bring her in alive. However, she will need a handler, or an escort if you prefer."

The girl turned to the stranger who must be her new partner. "Hi, I'm Neptune. What's your name?"

Seth told him that his partner wouldn't slow him down, and that she- Kyte's eyes narrowed, as he crossed his arms at Seth. Women usually weren't the best of partners, but he had met exceptions...- was assigned to the case because Kyte was too skilled. He turned to the door as it opened, and a child walked in, asking Seth if she had an assignment for her. Kyte could hardly believe it, as he reminded her to use work vocabulary, and told Kyte she was the only Agent that he trusted to bring back Aphrodite alive. The child turned to Kyte and asked his name, but Kyte briefly ignored her, turning to Seth to look at him for a bit, before looking back to Neptune.

...I'm Jupiter. Humor me, Neptune...Seth said he has confidence in you. Why would you say he thinks that? And what can you do?

Kyte crossed his arms one more, waiting for what he hoped would be a convincing answer.

The little girl smiled at Jupiter's question. "Jupiter? So you're the new guy. The Boss has confidence in me because I'm useful to him. I know how to kill people. What can I do? Well, I guess you could say I'm a super-soldier."

Neptune walked up to Seth's large, heavy desk and picked it up easily, making sure to keep it level so Seth's pencils didn't roll off. "I'm really strong..." She put the desk down. "And I'm nearly invincible and I'm a trained assassin. I think that just about covers it. Oh yeah, the reason I can do all that stuff is because I'm a cyborg. Pretty cool, huh?" The girl started bouncing on her feet, waiting for praise from her new partner.

He blinked as Neptune told her that Seth had much confidence in her for the fact that she was useful, she knew how to kill people, and that she was a super-soldier. Kyte had heard of them, just enhanced humans, and kept observing her as she picked up the desk easily, saying she was a trained assassin, saying she was a cyborg. So she was a cybernetically enhanced human. Interesting. Kyte looked to Seth.

I see, Seth. I cannot decide whether your will is culpable or admirable. But I promise you I will bring back the woman alive. Neptune, shall we?

Kyte opened up the file and started reading it as he walked into the elevator, waiting for Neptune.

OOC: Like last time, just pm me with the link and I'm there.

Rico grabbed her violin case and ran for the elevator door. The mission had begun!

Continued at:
https://ttrpg.forumotion.com/t1007-hunting-for-aphrodite-open-to-all#18656

Kyte walked into the elevator with his partner Rico, who was carrying Aphrodite. Kyte pressed the button and waited for them to get to the top as he kept in demonic form this time, and walked out of the elevator with Rico to Seth's desk.

Seth. Here is your quarry. It seems she can take control of people, though, of course, you probably already knew that.

He waited for Seth to respond with the usual information he got out of a mission, and also waiting for the next mission he could partake in.

Also, Neptune here...did exemplary. She stopped Aphrodite all by herself, without any of my help. She is the one partner I have ever enjoyed working with.

Seth, his face ever hidden behind his simple mask, couldn't resist a smile. "I had a feeling the two of you would start out well."

He looked directly at Rico. "Rico, I'm proud of you. You've done a good job today. After you deliver Aphrodite to Agent Earth, you are free for the rest of the day."

Rico smiled as Seth praised her. She always needed those words so badly. "Thanks, boss. I hope you let me work with Jupiter again. He's really a nice guy." The small girl walked through the doors to where Agent Earth stood waiting. A high-tech holding cell was now standing in the center of the work room.

As the doors to the work room closed, Seth looked back at Kyte. "You are a curious one, aren't you, Akunin? I send you to kill, and you kill. I send you to kidnap, and you do kidnap. I send you to babysit, and you've made that little girl very happy. You are always full of suprises to me. For example, I'm pleasantly suprised that Rico was not needed to perform her actual duty on this mission."

Seth motioned for Akunin to sit, if he chose to. "You are correct. Aphrodite does indeed hold the power to control people. However, her powers have seemed inconsistent to me. One thing I know for sure, however, is that she is somehow capable of bending men to her will. I do not know by what process she does this, but apparently it wasn't performed during this mission. Had Aphrodite been able to take control of your mind, then Agent Neptune would have needed to subdue you."

Seth leaned back in his chair. "Anyways, do you have any questions about your last mission?"

He watched as Seth commended Rico on a job well done, and said she was off for the rest of the day. He then turned to Kyte and said that he was always surprising him, saying he was glad that Rico did not have to perform her actual duty while on the mission. Kyte raised an eyebrow as he took a seat. Seth explained that Aphrodite did indeed have the power to control people, but that her powers were getting inconsistent. Kyte could see how that could be a complication for further plans. He then actually informed Kyte of Neptune's true purpose of going along with Kyte on the mission: If Aphrodite had been able to take control of Kyte, Neptune was to subdue him. Kyte pondered this lightly as Seth asked if he had any questions.

Besides the usual questions of what purpose the mission served and what the next one is, I'm wondering. Now, Seth, I don't mean to sound arrogant. But I do truly wonder...would Rico really have been able to stop me, had I been taken control of by Aphrodite?

Seth chuckled. "Not arrogant at all, Akunin. We both know that you are an individual of impressive talent. You have always been able to fight your way out of situations. It is only natural to assume that you would be able to defeat someone else in combat. To answer your question...yes. Rico would be capable of subduing, and even killing you. I understand that in the thick of combat, the more powerful fighter doesn't always win, but if a fight were to break out between you two I would bet my money on Rico."

Seth stood up and started walking to a large chest near the window. "I've seen Rico kill people with her bare hands. I've seen her take a bullet to the skull and continue fighting. She was covered in bullet holes when I first found her; some of them went all the way through. Combat-wise, she is the most dangerous, and expensive, asset that I possess." Seth opened the chest and pulled out a brand new katana. It was finely made, and bore japanese markings. Seth did not speak japanese, much less read it, but he had been told by Agent Uranus that it was the finest blade in all of Tokyo. Seth wondered how if anyone had died in the aquisition of this sword.

"Here is your new katana, Akunin. It is my gift to you for completing this mission. The significance of having Aphrodite in custody is that we can study her powers and use them to our own devices. This will make my plans to ready the world for judgement much easier."

"As for your next mission, I have an idea what it is, but the finer details are not in place. Tell me, have you ever heard of L.A.W.?"