Three days ago Meld had gotten a call from one of her criminal contacts stating that someone was looking for her. In the last year and a half she hadn't been as involved in her previous criminal lifestyle as she used to be, but she kept her network together as best she could and still did the occasional job when the pay was right and so long as no mutants were to be harmed in doing so. It was rare, however, for her to get a call regarding anything other than a potential job that was uniquely suited to her abilities and more rare still to discover that someone was looking for her. Usually when someone was looking for her it meant that whoever that someone was wanted her dead. Given the amount of enemies she had both from the present and the past, it was therefore not a fact that made her particularly happy.

After paying her contact off for the piece of information, Meld began an investigation of her own. It was always good to keep one's network well paid and happy and, especially recently, Meld happened to have the funds to do just that. It was surprising just how far bribery could take a person and when bribery didn't work, there was always the threat of violence. But in Meld's experience it was bribery that worked far better because it ensured a greater sense of loyalty than did fear. Still, the fear was there in the background, just in case.

Meld employed her share of both fear and greed to track down just who was searching for her and why, although doing so took time. The name she got in short order, a man by the name of Andriy Bogdanovich Chaplinski, who apparently had ties to the Ukrainian mafia. She also discovered the fact that he was, apparently, a mutant but no amount of money could uncover exactly what his mutation was. Or, for that matter, why he might be interested in her. It was only a couple of hours ago that Meld had finally uncovered the location of the hotel the man was staying at, although she had to cut someone more than a few times to get that particular nugget of information. People really should learn to value coin more, it was rather a shame when she had to resort to more bloody means of information gathering. Nevertheless, she had what she wanted and fully intended on paying her stalker a little visit.

The hotel itself was located in the middle of Hell's Kitchen, an area that Meld was passably familiar with. The room in question was located on the first floor of the building and a little investigation allowed her to discover exactly which window corresponded to which room. Once located Meld touched the nearest street lamp, turning it off and causing the area to go dark. That finished, it was a simple matter of striking the window with her tail and causing the glass to shatter, the dark night hiding her actions from any overly curious eyes.

Immediately upon entering Meld realized that her stalking wasn't there currently, giving her ample opportunity to look through his belongings, an opportunity she intended to take full advantage of. Beginning her investigation of the room, she made sure to train her tail eye on the door, blinking it every few seconds to avoid any unforeseen surprises.

Italians. So damn annoying. One goes missing, and suddenly all his family, all his friends, even the janitor of his apartment complex goes dog-crap crazy. Worms didn't mind taking extra time in covering his tracks, but still...one lousy Italian bookie!

Worms had spend the entire day talking to almost half of his contacts in the area, getting it straight that he did NOT kill Eddie Tolletti. Besides, it was half-true. His worms had eaten him alive, not Worms. The best lies are always based on the truth, and Worms always had the best lies.

He always had luck on his side as well, but only when he didn't see it coming. For weeks now he had been trying to track down members of this so-called "Order." One of them caught his eye: Meld. He had heard of her before, a mutant terrorist of sorts, but it had taken half his pay from the Bogdanovich Family last month to find out she was part of the Order. It was worth it, however. Meld sounded very promising for his plans.

Worms turned the corner, when his luck slapped him in the face. There, not half a block from him, was Meld trying...no, succeeding... to break into his apartment.

"Holy..." Worms muttered as he hastily turned his back to the wall, peering around the corner of a building to watch the woman turn off the lamp post. He couldn't see anything, but a faint shattering of glass told him she'd broken into his place via the window.

"Damn, I guess she found out I was looking for her. Oh well, I guess that saves some time." Worms didn't want to go to any extra effort right now. Italians. So damn annoying.

Worms waited a few minutes, then crossed the street and entered the hotel. Nodding to the man at the front desk, he casually walk into his room, taking loud footsteps, jingling his keys. He even yawned as he approached his door. Worms wanted Meld to hear him. As he stopped in front of Room #19, his mind reached out and spoke to the five worms inside of him.

>>Get ready my friends. Be ready for anything.<<

Worms inserted the key into the lock, twisted it, and opened the door.

Meld was hoping that the rooms might provide some information on the man who was so very interested in her. Unfortunately her contacts hadn't provided her a lot outside of his name and location and any extra bit of knowledge on her potential enemy would be useful. Technically, she didn't even know if he was her enemy or not, but experience had taught her that it was best to expect the worse until proven otherwise.

The room itself, while disappointing in its lack of personal details on the man, was still rather unusual. The first thing she noticed was a strange green slime coating a wooden chair that appeared to be missing chunks out of it. A hint, at least, to what his mutation might be. Beyond that, a glimpse into the fridge showed no food whatsoever, just bottles upon bottles of water. It could be that the man simply ate out all the time, but more likely it was another hint at what his mutation might be. Finally there was black book upon a desk filled with names and numbers, though none of the numbers appeared to be immediately familiar.

Meld didn't have a chance to further her investigation as a wiggling of the door lock alerted her to the fact that, apparently, the resident of the rooms she was currently occupying had returned. Straightening, she took a deceptively casual stance, mentally preparing herself just in case he should try to attack her immediately upon entering. She had come to the recent conclusion that she needed to deal with her addiction to killing and the causing of suffering in others, but that didn't mean she was about to become a pacifist. This should prove to be a most interesting meeting.

Worms opened the door, and saw Meld standing in the middle of the room, almost casually. Although he was quite surprised that she hadn't hid, or left, he covered it up and simply played along.

>>Huh...I like her style so far.<<

Without saying a word, Worms turned, closed the door, locked it, and walked over to the fridge. Without even looking again at Meld, he opened the fridge, took out a bottle of water, took a long drink from it, and sighed. Finally looking at Meld, he smiled.

"So, you're Meld. Please, make yourself at home." He motioned to the unslimed chair at the desk next to the fridge, and say down on the bed, his gut wiggling slightly as he sank into the mattress.

Meld was rather surprised At Andriy's lack of reaction to her presence, though she didn't let her surprise show in her expression. She watched him as he wandered past her and grabbed a bottle of water, taking a drink. She came to two conclusions at his actions. First, he obviously knew she was there before he had entered, meaning he had probably spotted her breaking in. Second, he probably wasn't an enemy given that he didn't' attack her on sight or make any hostile actions towards her. Still, it wasn't quite the time to let her guard down just yet.

"And you would be Andriy. I hear you've been looking for me." Meld didn't take the offered seat until the other man had, himself, sat down. He may not be an enemy but he wasn't a friend either. In fact, she still wasn't certain what he was.

Meld noticed the odd movement in the man's stomach and arched an eyebrow at him. "So, I suppose the first question of the night is, why were you so interested in finding me?" Subtlety had never been her strong suite.

Worms sighed and finished the bottle of water, tossing it casually into the trash can next to the door. Recycling was for sissies.

"Blunt are we? Very well. First off, don't call me Andriy, please. Call me Worms. Just a nickname." Worms leaned back, putting his hands behind his shaved (NOT bald!) head.

>>Straight to the point, known mutant terrorist, and that rumor is true...she DOES have a tail...we DO know how to pick them don't we<<

"I guess some people just need to learn how to keep their mouths shut. Oh well, doesn't matter. I was bound to find you. Heck that's the point isn't it." Worms grinned. "Why do...did... I want to find you? Let -me- be blunt. I have a proposition for you."

Meld arched an eyebrow at the 'nickname' of Worms. Given that she knew he was a mutant and adding that to the hints the had found around the room, including the green slime and the bite marks on the chair, she had to assume that his mutation had something to do with worms. Of course, that still left a lot of room for questions, given the wide variety of mutations out there. Did he summon worms? Control them? Turn into a giant worm? Impossible to tell just by looking at him.

"Pleasure to meet you Worms." The meeting might have been a little unusual, even for Meld who was becoming rather accustomed to the unusual, but the more certain she became that he meant her no ill will the more intrigued she also became. "Don't blame your contacts for being too free with your information. I have a way of persuading people that no many are able to resist." She didn't feel the need to elaborate as her very body said everything that needed to be said.

"As for having a proposition for me, I must admit to some curiosity." It didn't reveal too much of a weakness to admit as much. "However, having spent all that effort tracking me down, I can't help but wonder why you didn't just call." Her number wasn't exactly hard to come by. After all, she literally had it on posters dotted throughout the city.

Worms smirked from ear to ear.

"Irresistable eh? That means your either scary as hell or kinky as...well, not going to go there, but it's a win-win for what I had in mind. Also, I didn't call you because that's just not my style. I like to see people face-to-face, look into their eyes and see if they're exactly what I'm looking for." Worms stared at Meld, his gray eyes locking with hers briefly. He then pointe to the desk again. "Open the right drawer, you'll find a file labeled Vincent De Luca. Name ring a bell?"

Meld and the Order wasn't the only thing Worms had been keeping tabs on, tracking down. Vincent De Luca was another Italian. This one was far more interesting then the late Eddie Tolletti; he was involved with several underground operations, but more importantly, recently acquitted for murdering his brother Francis, known for being a mutant.

Meld was pretty sure she had never been called kinky before. Not in recent memory anyway, although recent memory wasn't much now days. Still, her deadly and visible blades tended to dissuade people from cracking jokes about her. Worms was either a little off his rocker or his mutation, whatever it was, was strong enough that he felt relatively safe in her presence. Not that she was in the habit of harming mutants anyway.

"I'm afraid I don't know the name," Meld answered. Maybe she would have had most of the last three years of her memory been wiped almost completely clean, save a few tattered threads. "Should I?"

Meld kept a close eye on her new possible ally. Hopefully his little proposition paid well. She was starting to run out of money, which was especially unfortunate given her desire to fashion a new flesh meld.

Worms sat up straight, tossing his pillow back against the bed-rest.

"Maybe you're contacts aren't just in the right circles. Either that or you're just playing dumb, to see what I know. Understandable. I'll play along then, if the latter is the case."

Walking over to the fridge, Worms got out another bottle of water.

"Vincent De Luca is a gangster, if you will. Not one of those drug dealer low-life types though, a real gangster. Lives in a suite ten bagillion stories high, makes charitable donations to the children's hospitals, plays golf with the mayor, and runs a diamond smuggling operation with his partner Tejan Soalla. Soalla is from Sierra Leone, made his name as an enforcer within the diamond mines from his home country. He's the main man when it comes to the smuggling ring, but honestly, isn't to bright. That's where De Luca comes in. De Luca is the brains behind it all."

Worms looked at Meld, then took a long drink from the bottle. After wiping his mouth, he continued.

"De Luca also had a brother, Francis. Key word is had. Francis was a nice guy, generally. Kept his head clean and away from the criminal side of things. Was a doctor at previously mentioned children's hospital as a matter of fact. However, he was also a mutant. A late bloomer, his powers didn't manifest until he was in his 20s. De Luca, well he's a bit of a fanatic. Believes that the De Luca bloodline is one of the best. When he heard of Francis suddenly growing wings like a bird, well he didn't take to kindly to that. Didn't want Soalla, who ironically is a racist bastard who supplies the terrorist groups in Sierra Leone with weapons, to cut him off from the diamond smuggling because his brother was a mutie. So, like the good brother Vinny is, he had Francis killed."

Worms opened the desk drawer next to Meld, and took out a file. He handed it to the woman with the blades.

"I want Vincent De Luca to go down. Hard. Take his diamonds, take his reputation, and then take his life, in that order. I know when a shipment of diamonds is scheduled to arrive at the port, and that will be the first stepping stone. All the info is in the file. Take it, read it, and let me know if you're in."

Worms took a sidestep and beckoned to the door. "I think you can use the door this time, yes?" He grinned, waiting for Meld's reaction.

Meld listened with interest as Worms explained the situation. Crime families she had experience with, both working for and against. She never had any loyalty to any particular family, working for whoever happened to need her services, although there were certain groups she ran with more than others. In the dog eat dog world of organized crime, working for one family automatically meant she wouldn't be able to work for two others which were its enemies, but that was the way of things.

Vincent De Luca, apparently, was a rather high rolling, mutant hating gangster with proud and pure human blood. He was a fool, clearly, for thinking that having a mutant in the family diluted his blood. Quite the contrary, it strengthened it and, instead of killing his brother, if he was smart he would have thought up ways to utilize his brother's talents. Not only was it extreme idiocy on his part, it was also an unforgivable crime, one that he should be made to suffer for.

Meld took the offered information and scanned through the details. "Two questions for you, before I make my decision. First, what's the pay." Not that it really mattered at this point. A mutant killer had to be made to die regardless of what was in it for her, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to ask. After all, she needed the money, and in the world of organized crime pay was expected.

"And second, if we're going to be working together I think I need to know what you're mutation is. If we're going to be working side by side I need to know that I can count on you and in what way I can count on you." A simple matter of survival, if nothing else.

Worms sighed. He figured she'd ask those two questions, but was hoping in vain that she wouldn't.

"Well, the pay is whatever those diamonds fetch cut into equal parts. My guess? $100,000 each, if we get lucky enough to sell them quickly. It isn't really about the money though now is it..."

Patting his gut, Worms looked down at it, saying. "As for my mutation? I don't have to eat. Ever. I just live off this." It was again only a half-truth. Worms did in fact not need to eat. In fact, he couldn't eat. He just happened to not mention his friends.

"Not that impressive, I know. But a mutation is a mutation, and I'm more dangerous then I look." Worms tried to stress this a lot. To Meld, he looked like a 5' 5" barrel chested man with a bald head and a large gut. He liked the way he looked, gave him the element of surprise when he unleashed his friends into the wild.

"The pay is acceptable Meld agreed." Of course, Worms was exactly right when he mention that it wasn't about the money. It wasn't but the money sure would be nice. One might be surprised at just how expensive titanium was, not to mention the bribes she needed to employ to ensure that she retained access to her forge on any night she desired it. That, and the promise of silence from the owner of said forge. Still, not like he could complain with what she paid him.

"Your mutation is more than that," Meld stated, a dangerous edge coming into her voice. "Now, I value secrecy as much as the next person and I give you my word I won't divulge whatever your secret might be." If he had done his research he would know what her word was worth. Despite everything she had done, she was not a lier and once her word was given she stuck to it. "But if we're to work together and go into a potentially dangerous situation as allies, trust is what's needed and trust includes you telling me whatever it is you can do. Its not a matter of curiosity, its a matter or survival."

If the other man refused to tell Meld what he could do, that would be a deal breaker, reluctant though she was to admit it. She needed to be able to trust those at her back and while she had no desire to delve into the secrets of his past, this one secret she needed because this one secret could, potentially, mean the difference of success or failure, life or death.

Worms stared at Meld, unblinking. She wanted to know his mutation, about his friends. This was something Worms did not like divulging.

>>I know she's apparently true to her word. But a word is just a word, not an action my friends. Actions speak louder then words. They also hurt more as well. <<

Meld had that look in her eyes that told Worms she was close to not taking the deal. This also was something Worms did not what to happen. Meld was in all probability Worms' ticket towards getting into the Order. He couldn't let all of his work fall into shambles. He'd have to show her.

"You want to know my mutation? Fine. I trust you to keep it silent." Worms took off the simple black shirt he wore, revealing the five puncture-holes in his abdomen. As the folded the shirt up neatly, he winced in pain as his worms detached themselves from his Hive Gland and crawled out of his stomach. Wrapped around his arms, legs, and torso, the worms clicked as their host's body shrank, turning back into the slim yet slightly muscular frame. The skin on his stomach and chest was slightly wrinkled, having been grown to stretch over a larger frame. The green slime from the worms dripped down from Worms' arms, covered the jeans he wore. He set the folded shirt down on the bed and held out his arms.

"Meet my friends, Meld. Together, we are Worms. Now, are you satisfied, are must you see any more?" Worms stared at Meld, taking slightly deeper breaths as he recovered from the pain of his worms exiting his stomach.

Meld had rarely seen a more disturbing or unusual mutation as the one Worms displayed to her. She had seen spider mutants and roach mutants, but nothing quite like having giant worms living inside of someone and then forcing their way out of that individual's stomach. It was as fascinating, however, as it was disturbing and yet another sign that mutants were the superior species to humans. She paled a little but let no other hint of her reaction or inner thoughts reach her expression.

"Thank you for trusting me enough to show me that," Meld answered once the worms had disappeared back into the other mutant's stomach. "No one will learn of this from myself. As for your proposition, you have yourself a deal." She extended a metal hand in order to solidify the agreement with a handshake. It was the long accepted way of finalizing an agreement, after all.

"Together we shall make the human scum pay and make ourselves some money in the process." Meld grinned darkly. Aura must be rubbing off on her to speak in such a manner. She felt a pang at the back of her mind, reminding her that she wasn't supposed to be killing any longer. Well, there was still plenty she could do without killing and she got the distinct impression that Worms himself was fairly capable, should it come down to it.