Verdict's Out (Drav)

"Don't you run, Metty! You'll just end up in jail tired!"

Third floor administrative offices. A brace of mahogany doors were flung aside as a sprite flew out from between them. Pix landed on the trot, faltering his next three steps before returning to full tempo. His heart pounded with renewed vigour. An open window was at the centrefold of his vision. Its position at the end of the corridor required a couple dozen footfalls yet. The sound of shoe-leather thundered from behind, accompanied by gruff exhalations and jingling irons. It was a determined pursuit but ultimately inadequate to catch this fleet-footed perp. The HIVE operative had been afford half a room's length head-start and was as jumpy as a jackrabbit. These officers would have to chalk this one up to experience.

Through pixelated eyes the metahuman registered an anomaly. A smear of blue shirts and black handguns flew into sight. A second team of police had blocked off his escape route. He had taken two more steps before his legs had responded to brain. Even then his abrupt halt came from gripping a passing handrail. Pix looked back, he looked forward, then down. He vaulted the handrail's corner and slid down a balustrade. Three flights of stairs saw him at ground level and by then he could practically hear the sirens screeching to a halt outside. They had improved their response time. Typical. The balustrade shuddered with additional weight and Pix shot off in search of a rear exit.

It had been stupid to come alone. The need for dramatic flare, to heighten his own notoriety, had caused him to be careless. Pix could improvise, but he excelled more at anticipating these setbacks. The mayor's sudden police escort should have been a consideration of his. The sprite ran so fast that he literally kicked himself for these failings. Rounding a corner, he now found himself merging with a new throng of bodies. Fortunately a court room had just expelled its participants. Once more, Hugh had found refuge for his criminal activities in law and order. He dropped his pace, sidled into the mass of people, and at length made it out the other side down a corridor of mostly private occupancies.

Seconds later, the cops dashed through this same area. A wall of pixels shattered as they left, having hidden Pix from view. He had stepped into a closed doorway and commanded these pixels to mimic the wall colour in an effort to camouflage himself. It had succeeded. They'd lost him. But Jump City's finest weren't about to give up that easily. There was likely enough cops present, now, to create an adequate cordon around the building. This situation was going to continue to be a headache.

Dravocn had jury duty today and his case had just closed ... he wasn't too happy with the verdict.. however he had no control over it so he just let it go. He was walking out of the courtroom when he heard sirens outside. 'hmm this could be good' he thought 'what could these fools possibly be looking for ?' he wondered as he continued to walk through the courthouse. Strangely he started seeing strange blocky looking things pass by him he blinked twice in surprise and saw that the blocks have moved ... he decided he was going to follow them. He noticed that they had stopped as the blocks couldn't have increased their speed ... so he just decided to talk to himself for a while. "Hello?... My name is Dravocn Hecoro...Is anyone there? Or am i just talking to myself again ... I do it quite often so i'm not embarassed ... however i'd like to know who you are and see if we can have a friendly relationship ... i'm not really good with social activity ... though i like to study it a lot so i can get better. Would you please come out?" Dravocn asked to the air around him

Creeping wasn't Hugh's style, despite being the closet living relative to a Creeper. The trick of his camouflage was most applicable to situations where he was stationary.  Shuffling along the corridors like a crab had been a daft idea. Inevitably someone noticed something was up. One of those court jockies that he had barged through several minutes earlier. This did not put him in any immediate danger, but it kept him on his toes. A parting of pixels revealed the blocky figure known as Pix. (0_0) Colour had been restored. On the balls of his feet he sprang warily backwards.

"A friendly relationship. Excuse me if I'm not in the mood for hospitality." Whizzing around the stranger, Pix peered down the far end of the corridor before resuming eye contact. He made a shushing motion, "No. Don't speak. Listen. You should help me because I'm dangerous. There are a cordon of police officers outside looking for me. But I sincerely doubt they can get to me before I take a life. So, you have plenty of motivation to be useful here." The sprite did not make any threatening movements to back up his claims. Even his emoticons were impassive (=|) and unlikely to inspire much fear. Though he spoke logic. Who else would the police come for but a public enemy? His tendency to mimic a meerkat foretold a sense of alert. And there were few reasons to claim you were a fugitive anyway unless it was so. Especially in a courthouse.

Dravocn smiled "So, we're to screw with the police? ... Sounds like fun ... hold on, I have something that'll do just the trick." He said with genuine eagerness, Dravocn went back into the courtroom... he told three jury members he was going to pay them fifty grand to follow him ... they followed him of course as he was viewed as the most honest man in town as well as wealthy and could easily pay that much, when he went into the closet they all hesitated but the money was too good to resist. When they entered Dravocn immediately stabbed each of them with three different needles full of his serums, he only put a sixteenth of them in each person but the result was fabulous... they mutated. One started growing muscles and became more instinct oriented his senses as well as his reflexes had enhanced over three hundred percent each and his skin turned a deep green color. One started to become more like a metal being increasing his endurance and defense ... his body was able to regenerate at incredible speeds, his skin turned a deep orange color. The last one became a speed demon incarnate reflexes made his evasion increase to the point of being able to dodge machine gun bullets from even sniper range, he would also be able to run a good three hundred mph easily without being tired after four hours, his skin turned a deep blue color.

Dravocn smiled at these mutants and returned to the stranger in need of help. The green one drooling ready for action whenever his master tells him to ... the orange one waiting to be his masters wall, and the blue one ready to assassinate anyone his master wished. "Well what do you think? Are these enough for you?" he asked with a devious grin from ear to ear as well as a deep laugh.

((OOC: Wow. Been longer than I thought.))

Threats weren't Hugh's forte. He was neither imposing nor intimidating. Perhaps that went a ways to the reaction he got. Far from stumbling over themselves to appease him, the gentleman was stumbling over himself to lend willing assistance. Then he left. Pix extended a hand in futile opposition, "Eh? No. Stay. Oi!" Welp. That was the end of things. His captive had escaped him and was probably going to warn the police of his whereabouts. It sure would be idiotic to remain in the same place.

In estimation of his situation, Pix reasoned that his best chance of escape lay on the roof. If he could gather a few more pixels from lounge televisions, then he would have enough to create a camouflage large enough to fool helicopters. After which he would fly clear of the blockade. But he had to move quick.

Coming to rest against the skirting, Hugh crept up to the next corner and glanced around its angle. He saw a geometric lobby leading through into the stairwell. For three paces he would be visible down a whole corridor. If he held his breathe he could hear the sound of the wall clock ticking. On the count of three Pix hurled himself on his hands and knees across the gap. Pressing up against a post, Hugh checked his sight lines again. A vending machine's reflective surface acted as a mirror. Satisfied, the sprite pushed off once more, converging on the steps.

At that exact moment, policemen appeared on the landing. Pix threw himself down on his stomach and squeezed his eyes tight shut, willing himself invisible (>_<). It hadn't worked. A cry of alert was raised. He had to pick himself up and retrace his steps on the double. In no time at all Pix was back where he had started. He pulled up abruptly at the sight that awaited him. The stranger was back, and he had indeed gone to fetch friends.

"Enough for... me?" It seemed the guy was trying to be copasetic in his evil deeds. Hugh wasn't sure what to make of the revelation. But he didn't have much time to think. As his pursuit came up behind he put the yahoo-esque beasts between him and they, "Listen. Do what you're prepared to do."

Dravocn smiled as he grabbed Pix and dragged him in a closet "Shhh, pretend you don't exist ... blend in with the closet or something ... I'll be 'cowering'. Trust me .. you're gonna wanna see this." Dravocn said smiling with a slight chuckle. His pets were awaiting orders "Okay, when the police get here... send them crying... begging for death.. don't let them die ... just make them suffer as much as possible." he ordered them and they all nodded in agreement. When the pursuers got around the corner, Drav nor Pix being anywhere in sight, they froze... there were three hulking beasts standing at attention each drooling with excitement. One officer who was shaking as he rose his walkie talkie "Um, sir, we're gonna need back-up.... um, how much? ... I'd say... military help would be nice." the officer said, the pets grinned from ear to ear when they saw the fear in their eyes. The beast ran towards the officers disregarding the bullets being fired and ravished in the blood cuddling screams that was being ensued while ripping limbs off and eating them whole. The red beast grabbed the nearest coffee table and chucked it a the officers, who grouped themselves to increase firepower. The coffee table sent them all flying out the window. The blue one just evaded the bullets entirely and easily took each gun and blew the owners arms off along with their knee caps while collecting the guns afterward. All through this Drav smiled knowing what's going on based on the groaning of pain. Dravocn looked at where Pix should be "So, what do you think?" he asked while whispering proud that his experiments have led to this aspect of ability.

Mid-way through the carnage. Pix broke cover and peeked at what monstrosities were occurring. He would have been content to stay hidden if the noises weren't fractionally disconcerting. When he saw what made these noises, he almost threw up (o_O). Not that he could in his metahuman form. Perhaps the sole saving grace. He had expected confrontation, but not this butchery. Only the Zydons and Quinn were capable of this.

When the stranger picked his sleeve and sought approval, Pix didn't move. His knees felt weak. The earthy tang of iron scented the air. He responded in a subdued manner, "I think they should be hunting you." Say what you want about Pix's criminal record, but he didn't commit atrocities. These creatures were barbaric. Even though their creator had said not to kill they had blundered over that limitation with untold glee. A man with no limbs would not suffer. They would be dead of trauma if not blood loss in seconds.

A semblance of self-awareness returned to Pix. He was frightened. Best not to displease the man who brought forth minions of dismemberment at a stranger's whim, "Why were we hiding? Those men aren't in a state to communicate. Ever again." It was a strangely trivial gripe. Pix suppressed his more accusatory queries for a safer location. Not stuck in a hallway surrounded by monsters. "No one is gonna believe this wasn't me." HIVE rules forbid senseless killing. He would need explain himself to TIBERIUS.

Dravocn chuckles lightly "Don't worry, they won't die, no one has ever died by my pet's before. It's unlikely that they'll start now." Dravocn said pointing to the beasts as the blue one uses it's tongue to cover the holes of all of the wounds they all had created upon the police at the same time, preventing blood from flowing out. The red beast uses it's fingers upon the wounded to push their skin into the wound creating a human plug for the wound... granted it hurt... but it was the best they could do as they had no other way of healing them. The police won't die, they would only be severely crippled "Is that better?" he asked as if he was disappointed at the lack of death however only screaming. The green beast was however outside and wreaking havoc upon the police cars and policemen who were firing at it.

Pix stood transfixed upon the spectacle. At length his spoke, "B-Better?" Having summoned grotesque savages to violate the sanctity of life, this guy had done something yet more repulsive. Something which lent question to his sanity. Using said savages as band-aids. Technically speaking, and Hugh liked speaking technically, this was to the strangers credit. Drav had indeed prevented the officers from perishing. It should begin to absolve him of the carnage he'd committed. But the method he used to achieve this was as close to barbaric you could get. Truly nightmarish.

"It's... not not better." Options. Pix could consider giving himself up. Asking the police to take out this psychopath. But they'd never believe him. Besides, in all honesty dismemberment wasn't a threat to Pix. However sick this lunatic was, if all he could throw around was brute strength, then the sprite could reassemble. He was worried for nothing. Even if it didn't feel like nothing.

"I need to clear my head. Who are you, what are they, and why haven't I heard of you?" Pix was familiar was all the big players in the city. It was a hobby, "You're attending a court house so you're respectable. Respectable is another word for visible. You didn't bat an eye at my metahuman form so you've encountered metahumans before. You're capable of summoning these minions at a moment's notice, so you're a man of means. And you're a few drinks short of a cabinet, means you're not boring." He found it difficult to believe this man had done nothing outlandish before.

Dravocn was disappointed with how his new friend thought things were going... not better.... not good. Dravocn became noticeably more mundane and listened to his friends questions as well as what he's figured out... impressive, Drav has never met someone who deduces anything before... or at least not like this and not outright. "My name does not matter, what they are are my pets and I'm actually quite known throught the city.... I'm actually smiled upon from what I hear is my generosity... I don't understand why though, I'm just trying to help people... strangely enough, no matter how much I tip anyone I always see them in the same restaurant... odd. But I'm just a man who is trying to help you, you wanted to mess with the cops, I messed with the cops.... and it is unlikely that they'll be chasing you down anymore, they'll be too preoccupied to notice you leaving anyway." he explained. His pets seemed to have been quiet for a while too.... not even gunfire was heard anymore, Drav's green pet was inside and sitting next to him now... like a dog, no, more like a hungry wolf who submitted to the Alpha wolf and is starving because it wasn't allowed to eat. The red and blue pets were going around fixing what the green pet broke, whether it be cops or buildings. "And what do you know, the job is done already.... interesting... they usually bring the swat team over by now." he mused as if there were no consequences to his actions.