Mayhem's Beginning (Everybody Changes)

Chapter 20: Storm the Gates

A light breeze slipped between the cracks of run down houses and decrepit streets. The sun had taken the night off as a full moon took it's place. Twas the night of nothing jolly to come, but perhaps brutal darkness that would reign for the rest of the evening.

Pyra and her scientist had been working on a prototype that could replicate the appearance of anyone. The concept was extremely simple. Point the lenses on the palm of the gloves at person, let it scan, and then a hologram that was identical to the scanned person would surround the wearer of the gloves body.

It was dangerous using these gloves at such an early age of development, for they could malfunction at any moment. When Pyra was in the middle of the Crow's hideout would probably be the worst time to do so. Unfortunately, there is no way to ensure that it won't happen, so Pyra was just going to have to take a risk.

Pyra still had no idea what the Crow's plans were so she had devised one of her own to retrieve the blueprints. With a few tapped phone lines and listening to the word on the streets she discovered that the Crow and some of his top men were having an important meeting tonight. This was her only chance to get intel, and she wasn't going to pass it up.

Her main issue at the moment was getting a body to take the form as. She had a few different options she could choose from including one of the leaders or a guard. They both had their advantages, for the leader would definitely have a seat in the same room as the bird, but the guard would not have to talk much.

Pyra was on the perch of a telephone pole a few blocks away from the Crow's nest. She had been there for the last hour or two observing the building through the lenses of binoculars. She had a plan, but she needed to find the right moment to enforce what she had in mind. Hopping off the telephone pole, she landed on the roof of a home and began making her way to the nest.

Soon she was on a home that was only a few feet away from the warehouse. She placed her bottom on the shingles and pulled out two thick cotton wrappings along with a roll of duct tape. She folded the cotton so that it matched the size of the sole, wrapped duct tape around it, and repeated with the other foot.

After she had finished with that, she leaped off and found herself on the aluminum roof of the warehouse. The cotton on her soles allowed her to walk freely without alarming anybody on the inside. Her muffled steps allowed her to stroll to the edge of the roof, and soon she found herself on her hands and knees eavesdropping on a conversation.

“What are they gonna' talk about at the meeting tonight?” Asked one man with a Russian accent. He was smoking a cigarette with another guy underneath a small light.

“I don't know. It's not our job to know.” The other man replied. “Our job is to keep quiet and make sure no one finds out this is the Crow's hide out. If they do, we kill them. No exceptions.” They were doing one hell of a job. Pyra had some of her best eavesdroppers on the street for months before she could pinpoint the location.

“Sometimes don't you wonder what's going on though? Why we are doing all of this?” The first man asked. The second guy scoffed.

“No. Now finish up your cigarette and come back inside. Remember that curiosity killed the cat.” The second guy stomped on his white stick and left through the entrance. The Russian continued to take drags, and well, it looked like Pyra had a lucky winner.

Pyra threw her arm outwards letting a thin black chord escape a mechanism she wore around her wrist. The chord wrapped around the Russian's neck as Pyra yanked it towards her. Not a peep could have been heard from him.

He was now dangling inches of the ground as he was choking on his last breathes. After a few moments of trying to fight the air, his body went limp and he stopped struggling. Pyra reeled in the body and laid it on the cold metal. She pointed her hands at the man's body, a flash went off, and just in a little under a minute a hologram cloaked her as the man. Pyra hopped down from the roof, examined her new arms and legs, and walked right through the front door.

“Harris...” The other guy that was outside acknowledged Pyra. “...the Crow will be here shortly. Stand against that wall and don't open your mouth.” The man pointed in a direction that was directly outside of the room that the meeting was being held in. Pyra smiled, exactly what she wanted.

A few minutes later the Crow was walking through the building. Three of his leaders were behind him, and they didn't say a word as they passed the arch Pyra and the other guard were protecting. They sat at a large oak table, the Crow sitting at the head, and his men filling up the rest of the seats.

“So what's on your mind, Crow?” A heavy Italian accent said.

“Yeah boss, what's da' plan? Mah' crew is getting' bored waitin' around in da' Bronx widd' nuttin' to do.” Another man spoke, him being African-American.

“Shut up! Stop asking questions. I'll tell you when to talk, okay?” The Crow scolded as everyone went silent. “Now tell me, what is the most powerful force on Earth?”

“The US army?” The Italian answered.

“Fire?” The African-American sounded curious.

“No you idiots! Think harder! Something that no one has ever been able to defeat. A race that still overpowers humans to this day.”

“Mutants.” The third guy that was at the table finally spoke. He was oriental, most likely a Chinese-American. “Well, think about it. The MCP was formed for a reason right? They formed it so that they could create something that was stronger than anything natural. They were going to replace the militia with these mutants, but they never went through with it due to the high cost to produce. So obviously they must be the world's strongest force. It's a no brainer.”

The Crow pursed his lips. “There's a reason why I keep you around, Mr. Hu. I like the way you think.” He leaned back in his chair. “So do you all agree? Mutants are the most powerful force on this Earth?” Everyone nodded.

“What does this have to do with anything, boss?” The African-American asked.

“Well, here's the plan...” The Crow put his claws on the edge of the table and leaned forward. At that moment Pyra's gloves began making noises of static. The hologram around her was malfunctioning, leaving patches that allow someone to see the person underneath the disguise.

Her heart skipped a beat as a trickle of sweat ran down her forehead.

She had to act quick for she knew she wouldn't be safe for much longer. With one swift motion the sheath that was on her back was now empty as the finest katana was wielded in her hands. She came down with the blade into the guard's skull, pulled back, and then turned to the archway to face the Crow and his leaders. Mr. Hu was already on it for he was pointing a gun at Pyra. Only someone with his combat expertise would have the reactions fast enough to do so, but after moments the other two leaders realized what was going on, drawing their weapons as well.

“You're not going to get out of here alive, Pyra.” The Crow's voice was gentle and cool. “You thought you could come into my home and still be able to walk out of here? You've got to be kidding.” He looked around the room at his men. “Waste her, boys.”

“Over my dead body!” Pyra yelled.

She created a barrier of fire in front of her as the sound of bullets firing bounced throughout the room. A single pellet of led made it's way through the flames and flew through her arms. She cried in agony, jumping onto the floor as she applied pressure to her wound. She had to get out, she couldn't survive here by herself much longer. Knowing the Crow, he probably had loads of reenforcement on their way.

She used the entrance as an exit, knowing the the Crow and his men would find some witty way to escape the fiery clutches of the burning warehouse. She almost had their plan, but yet again fate was not on her side.