The drive had been uneventful, just as Hunter had intended when he noticed something odd. He had a flat. Four flats to be precise. He had noticed the change fairly soon after the tires began to lose air and pulled over. “All the tyres are flat,” he explained to Jazz and Zephyr, “I suspect foul play. If we see anyone following us, kill them.”

He went to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. It felt like it had been welded shut. Hunter was now pissed off, some mutant was attacking them, only subtle things at the moment, but the mutant seemed to be able to manipulate matter. Just how much the mutant could manipulate they would soon find out.

In no mood to simple break the window and climb out Hunter slammed the door once, twice, three times. On the third hit the door, along with a chunk of the side of the van, was knocked off and Hunter stepped out. He turned to look at the boy approaching on a skateboard.

“Zephyr, Jazz, deal with him,” he said calmly as he pulled out his phone. Dialling he put it to his ear and said, “Van damaged, send in alternative transport.” Replacing the phone he waited. This was Jazz and Zephyr’s battle, he would let them fight it. It would do no good for him to help, only to pull out when the helicopter arrived. He would be heading on to the labs with Paragon and her stuff.

Jazz looked from her boss to Zephyr and then out the van. She hadn't been in a fight recently, particularly not one with another mutant, but she wasn't exactly worried. She could handle this, particularly with someone as talented as Zephyr standing next to her. She nodded to Hunter as she started to take in a certain amount of electricity from the surrounding areas (nothing big enough to knock out power anywhere or to make her too giddy, just a little laughey) and allowed it to stay within her. Electricity always made a fight end much sooner than normal.

Precariously balanced as he was atop the column of cardboard containers it didn’t take long for Zephyr to notice the vans sudden loss of momentum. Swiftly raising his feet the elemental dug the soles of his shoes into the back of the front passenger seat; in effect wedging himself between the stack of cardboard boxes and the seat in front of him. While it was obviously not the most efficient method to secure himself Simon was confident that it would do for the moment. It wasn’t as though the van was going to do perform a flip anytime soon, not without his help anyway, most likely they had just reached a series of stop lights or something similar and would be on their way again soon enough, his actions here were just to avoid the possibility of him becoming destabilized and landing face first on the floor like some absurd cartoon character.

However it was quickly revealed that the cause for their abrupt lack of acceleration was due to something somewhat more problematic than a run of the mill traffic light. When Hunter informed that the van had lost all four of its tires the young man let out an exasperated sigh, things just weren’t working out for him today; first he’d had to cancel/postpone his minor excursion to the Grand Canyon, then he had been delegated the task of moving man and now it seemed his journey would be delayed even further. He didn’t question the vampire’s orders that they were to kill whoever was stalling them; the merc had enough experience to realize that he had only been denied the use of lethal force earlier because they had been on the mansion grounds, a place where Hunter had little influence. However now that they had placed a fair amount of distance between the crippled mansion and themselves well… how did the saying go? Ah yes, “the gloves were off”, after all it would take the blood sucker almost no effort to bribe whatever authority to either ignore any death that took place or simply make it look like an accident.

‘What did I do wrong in a past life?’ the merc wondered bemusedly as he casually observed his employer struggle with the vehicles door, “We appear to be sealed in” he announced blandly as his senses failed to detect any openings within their metallic shell, he was still aware of, and could manipulate the air both inside and outside the van but there was no clear path for the air molecules to travel from one to the other. This problem was quickly resolved though as Zephyrs employer first dented, and then completely removed a section of the vehicles side as he vented his frustration and once more demonstrated his super human strength to give them a new opening from which to exit. ‘crude, but I suppose it will do’’ the merc thought critically as he evaluated his employers work. The elemental himself would have opted to make his departure via the tinted windows in the front of the vehicle, they were less durable than whatever alloy had been used to construct the van and would therefore require less effort to remove. Still what was done was done and merc had the sneaking suspicion that the vampire would be less than thrilled if he chose to voice his own thoughts on the matter and so he kept silent as he strode past Jazz and followed his employer out into the cold night air.


The individual before him something of a surprise for the British mercenary, he had been expecting an opponent around their twenties or maybe even thirties perhaps armed with some type of firearm and maybe even sporting an exaggerated hair style that was intended to make its wearer appear more “unique”. Instead what Simon faced was a lavender haired youth around the same age as himself who was armed with a single wooden staff and a cocky smirk. All in all the elemental was not impressed; however there were very few things that did impress him as a rule, so this did not amount to much. However that didn’t mean he wasn’t wary of his adversary; age was no indicator of an enemy’s skill after all, he himself was an example of that.

Even before Hunter had given the order to “deal with” the annoyance before them Zephyr had already begun to move, swiftly departing the pool of light which displayed his “teammates” and their van the elemental casually strode into the sea of darkness which covered the majority of this desolate back road. He wasn’t completely invisible though; light had this annoying habit of reflecting off every surface it came into contact with, but his form would now hopefully appear as nothing more than a vague outline to their inconvenient pursuer. “I don’t suppose I can persuade you to simply abandon your current course of action?” he inquired in a surprisingly polite, albeit bland tone. In truth Zephyr wasn’t really in the mood for any kind of mutant powered battle, he just wanted to get back to his apartment, maybe get a few hours sleep and then be on his way the moment the sun rose over the horizon.

Despite his words and current disposition though Zephyr wasn’t going to allow the stranger to simply walk away, even before he had started speaking the elemental had gradually began to leech away the oxygen from the air surrounding his lavender haired foe. It would not be anything immediately noticeable, not right away at least, but if the merc subtle attack was not halted then the young man before him would soon pass out from lack of oxygen and this little scuffle would be over before it even started.

Jazz got out of the fan with her comrade, looking to the man in front of them. She was told to take him out, and that was what she would do. Besides, she really didn't like being told what to do. Jazz took in a bit of electricity from the surrounding areas, forming it into a small ball and blasting it towards their enemy, missing on purpose.

"That's a little warning my dear, you can take off now little man" she smiled, grabbing more energy in a precautinary way.

Hunter felt the change in his clothes to a thin metallic substance, but he could still move with little restriction. When he felt his foot suddenly becoming very attached to the ground he wrenched it up, ripping it free. Next salt was shot into his mouth, causing him to cough as he cleared his mouth of the substance.

The boy had made a serious mistake though, he had gotten close. Rather that offer him a verbal response Hunter darted forward and shot a fist out, aiming of the boy’s chest. If he connected the forced of the blow would likely take him off his feet and send him flying back, away from the van. He needed the area around the van clear. In the distance a helicopter could be heard.

‘Well this is different’ Zephyr mused nonchalantly as he tested the mobility of his now metallic apparel. He wasn’t sure exactly how the violet haired youth had accomplished it but the elementals rather expensive wardrobe had been reduced to what was essentially finely molded scrap metal which hampered his movement substantially. Fortunately though the merc’s abilities did not rely on the use of exaggerated hand gestures and so his transmuted attire was more of an annoyance than anything. He had to give the little fool some credit though, it was after all a rather imaginative use of ones mutation and Simon was always appreciative of those who thought “outside the box” as it were because it showed that an individual knew how to adapt to new situations.

On the other end of the scale however there was quite a lot about the boys performance the merc could criticize, primarily the boys rather reckless behaviour when he threw his lilac haired self between Hunter and Jazz. The youth had made a possibly fatal assumption that his little gift for alchemy would be enough to prevent any physical retaliation, and while that may have been true for the elemental and Jazz it most certainly wasn’t the case for the Kabals vampiric leader and Zephyr was most interested to see how the immortal reacted, especially once you took into consideration the boys condiment assault along with his clichéd demand that they return Paragon and the rather mundane threat to their lives. The merc had sighed when he heard those words, after seeing their adversary’s rather unique abilities his desire for combat had been rekindled somewhat. However after seeing how naïve the violet haired character was the elemental had grudgingly dismissed such thoughts. The boy had made it clear that he wouldn’t try to kill them, even if his words said otherwise, because really what could the youth gain by allowing the Kabal members to live? Nothing, the child simply didn’t want any deaths on his conscience and that meant he would not fight at full capacity. ‘He has such potential’ the merc thought impassively as he glanced up at the nearby street lamp and channeled an invisible blade in its direction directly, deftly severing the luminescent object at the join between the metal pole and the oversized light bulb which fell atop the immobile van with a harsh clatter seconds after the entire area plunged into darkness. ‘A pity he has to die.’

As he casually donned the night vision goggles which had been used during the initial abduction of this drawn out assignment Zephyr spoke to his “teammates” in a bland tone, “If the two of you would be kind enough to step aside, I’ll deal with this.” Locating his adversary with a light breeze the merc swiftly summoning a burst of wind designed to throw the violet haired boy a good 20ft away from his associates and into the open. Once his acquaintances were out of the way the elemental could terminate the boy without having to worry that either Jazz or his employer would accidentally get in the way of his attack.

Hunter was mildly impressed by the boy’s quick thinking in defending against his attack. He combined his movements and powers well. However these thoughts were interrupted when he saw what the staff the boy was swinging at him was made of. Wood!

He knew he had to avoid that at all costs. Fortunately the boy had given him just the means to do so. With his lower legs encased in pavement they would keep hi anchored to the ground. He bent backwards at the knees, moving himself out of the staff’s path. Then, using his strength he stopped his fall once he was horizontal and pulled himself back upright.

Now that Zephyr had knocked the boy away Hunter could work on freeing himself. Holding his hand above the concrete palm down he took a deep breath. Slamming his palm down the concrete cracked a little. Realising that this would take longer than he thought he held both hands palm down, and began slamming one after another into the concrete.

Moving his arms at a furious pace he hammered at his prisons, first cracking it, then sending shards of concrete flying. He’d managed to free himself just as the helicopter landed. A dozen men leapt from it, weapons trained on the boy. Hunter was now moving towards the helicopter and began giving orders.

“Half of you, engage the boy, shot to kill,” he said calmly, “The rest of you, move what’s in the back of the van to the helicopter.” Reaching the van he ripped off the back doors. Rather than simply drop it, he hurled the large chunk of metal at the boy. Stepping into the van he unbuckled Paragon and picked her up. He headed for the helicopter, but kept an eye on the boy incase he tried anything. As he stepped back the six men detailed to fight him opened fire.

Zephyr observed the situation with a bored expression, his employer appeared to have requested a helicopter at some point for one vehicle was now currently resting beside their immobile van. It was not one of the smaller version either, unlike the minute models used by various news crews the aerial transport Hunter had requested was more in line with something the military would prefer to use; sporting dual rotors on top and a currently unmanned machine gun connected to one of the side entrances this vehicle was clearly not intended to be used as a toy. This impression was further reinforced when a twelve man squad armed with various pieces of weaponry abandoned the machine and spread themselves out in a tactical formation with their decidedly lethal firearms trained on the purple haired nuisance.

What happened next had both amused and annoyed the elemental; apparently Zephyrs statement had not been audible to his employer for the vampire immediately ordered half of his guards to engage the child while he worked to free himself of the unnatural bindings which currently consumed his lower legs. The men had obeyed their commands like good little soldiers and half of them had peeled away to begin unloading the van while the rest opened fire on their naive target. This was where things had gotten interesting for it seemed as though the boys eyes had already adapted to dim light and the moment he spotted the armed guards he had immediately withdrew into the earth.

At first Zephyr had believed that their violet adversary had abandoned the battle and retreated back to the mansion or where he had originated from. This theory was quickly dispersed as he silently watched Hunters men fall through the earth as though it were no more than water. ‘A true alchemist’ the merc mused indifferently as the young man burst fourth from the earth and began taunting the restrained soldiers, it was clear now that the title fit his violet haired adversary better than any other moniker. The youth was after all affecting matter on the sub atomic level, manipulating the protons of molecules in order to shift their physical characteristics, a truly unique talent, a very lucrative gift some might say and for a brief moment the elemental closed his eyes behind the night vision goggles as he weighed the consequences of what he was considering doing.

Although only a few seconds passed in reality it seemed as though hours had gone by in the mercenary’s mind but he had come to a decision and that was the only thing that mattered. Deciding that his plan would best be implemented at once the elemental shot a side long glance at his employer, “A most valiant effort,” he stated in his usual polite, yet indifferent tone of voice, “however your men seem to have fallen short of their goal.” It was clear that Zephyr thought little of Hunters men at this point in time and his criticism was meant to make it clear to his employer that his little soldiers would only get in the way from this point on. Additionally the vampire’s presence would only make it that much harder to carry out his improvised stratagem and so the merc was attempting to persuade the immortal that he was no longer needed here.

Directing a burst of wind towards the section of earth which currently contained his foot the elemental ripped the ground apart so as to free his appendage from its inconvenient bindings. Although his leg was now free his movements were still largely restricted by his metallic apparel, however there were other options open to the young merc now that he was no longer tied to the earth. Tapping into his gift once more Zephyr deftly conjured strong updraft to raise him a few feet off the ground and silently repositioned himself so that he was standing atop their crippled van which was still cast in shadow thanks to his previous actions. Scanning the area once more with NVG Simon realised with a barely restrained sigh that he would have to dispose of the optical device at some point unless he wanted Hunter view everything at his leisure at a later point in time. ‘I’ll deal with it later’ he told himself wearily as turned his attention to more pressing matters; namely his employer who had not yet left the area. Sparring the man a brief glance the elemental crafted a thin current of air to carry his voice and had the air stream wind it’s way across the open space and towards Hunter, “Although I can dispatch our adversary quite easily I would recommend that you take your leave at this point before he finds some way to sabotage your mode of transportation.”

With his first message delivered Zephyr focused his attention once more on his immature opponent who still seemed to be amusing himself with the entombed guards. The corners of Simons lips tugged down just slightly in a barely detectable frown. The kid was far to open, if they were to have the rather informative discussion the merc was planning then he needed to relocate the boy somewhere more secluded. Deciding to repeat his earlier action the elemental nimbly crafted a torrent of air behind the violet haired youth in an attempt to displace him and carry towards the small forest which grew on either side road. If he were successful he would swiftly follow the boy and convince him that it was in his best interest answer any and all questions the mercenary had, if he was unsuccessful well, he would just have to try harder.

Hunter heard Zephyr but didn’t respond. He’d been in the process of withdrawing, and had detailed half the squad to keep the boy away from the helicopter. They had succeeded, as Paragon and all her worldly possessions, including her cat, had been transferred to the helicopter. Paragon herself had been secured and now was time to leave. Zephyr and Jazz would deal with the boy now. For a brief moment he regarded the soldiers entombed in the ground.

While they had been defeated by a child, it had been a child of extraordinary talent. Also they had captivated the boy’s attention long enough for the rest of the squad to load the helicopter. He decided that once the boy was dead he would send a team out to retrieve any survivors. They had done what was asked of them, and deserved to have a chance at survival. Standing at the edge of the helicopter he linked to Zephyr’s watch via the helicopter’s radio.

“While I know it’s old fashioned I want you to bring me the boy’s head,” he instructed as the helicopter began to rise up off the ground. He took a seat next to Paragon and strapped himself in. Turning to look as his daughter he regarded her for a moment before turning to the soldiers. “I will send people to retrieve your comrades,” he informed them, “You all did well, but I’ll leave the Kabal to take it from here.”

The helicopter rose up into the night sky, turned to face Mondragon labs and flew off towards the facility. Mission accomplished, Zephyr and Jazz just had to tie up the loose ends and all would be finished. He would monitor the battle through their NVGs and via satellite tracking. While he was confidant that Zephyr would perform he wanted to see how Jazz did.

((OOC: Please excuse my sudden absense...some personal stuff sprung up but I am back and ready to go now.))

Jazz watched with wide eyes as the two men dueled. Jazz wasn't typically taken back by shows of aggression or power but the two really were a sight to watch. Zephyr used his powers miraculously, as if he had had them mastered his entire exsistance. While Jazz didn't know much about the comrade to her side, she did recoginize that she could potentially learn a lot from the man.

Focusing on her opponent, Jazz built up another ball of electricity, charging it up as Zephyr started his own attack. Jazz tried to time her strike in sync with his but alas, she didn't understand the man's timing. But it wasn't like the sudden bolt of lightning would hinder his attack. Jazz threw what she could at her opposition, already looking around the man for something she could use against him.

Zephyr glanced up at the helicopter as it slowly withdrew into the dark night sky and allowed a faint smirk to creep upon his features; the primary obstacle had been overcome. The immortal hadn’t even given him a backward glance as he disappeared into the helicopter interior, though if the vampire had tried to leave a parting message there wouldn’t have been anyway for the merc to distinguish his employers words over the mild roar caused by the vehicles dual rotors.

Turning his attention to the battle at hand once more the elemental watched dispassionately as his target was hurled through the air once more with his general trajectory indicating that he would come to land somewhere within the vast cluster of trees termed a forest. Just before the violet haired youth was due to make his rather uncomfortable landing though Zephyr attention was stolen by a sudden burst of electricity slamming into the earth where his adversary had been seconds before. The moment the neon blue energy had entered the mercs vision his eyes had reacted, the night vision goggles swiftly focused upon this new source of photons and immediately did their assigned task; amplifying the available light to ten times its normal intensity. Simons pupils suddenly dilated as they were bombarded by this new source of light, electrical signals were sent along his nervous system and informed his mind of a mild pain and slight discomfort which caused him reflexively close his optics and jerk his head away from the burst of electricity which lasted less than a second.

Frozen for just a second or two Zephyr stared pointedly at the sea of shadows which surrounded him as he waited for his azure eyes to adjust once more. Truthfully there had been almost no damage done and it could be said that the elemental was overreacting, however there was a reason for his actions; namely his desire to rid himself of the NVG which currently acted as Hunters eyes while he was away from the scene. If Simon simply behaved as though the electronic optics were more trouble than they were worth than he would be able to justify removing the device without causing undue suspicion.

Pivoting slowly on his right foot the elemental turned to face his so called “teammate” and frowned ever so slightly. Jazz had been somewhat inactive before now and he had assumed that the woman had heeded his words that he wished to deal with the violet haired nuisance himself, this no loner seemed to be the case. “Although your input is appreciated Jazz I can handle events from this point on, I will report back to Hunter when I have finished so you may take your leave” Zephyr’s tone was calm and his words were perfectly civil, however the expression which currently occupied his features showed that he was not expecting any argument. This impression was further enhanced when the mercs actions; the moment he had finished talking the metallic apparel loosely binding his right arm was sliced to ribbons by an invisible force. As the shreds of copper fell onto the vans roof Zephyr used his newly liberated limb to grasp hold of the NVG goggles which adorned his cranium and deftly removed the device and allowing it to fall with a dull thud onto dry earth right beside immobile motor vehicle.

With his actions no longer being observed by his vampiric employer the elemental could at last proceed with his hastily concocted plan. Silently rising into the air the merc simply levitated for a few seconds while he attempted to pinpoint his violet target among the many trees crowding the space before him. It wasn’t an extremely difficult task; trees generally retained the same shape no matter what specious they were and so all he need do was ignore the many motionless wooden pillars until his winds encountered something far less standardized in shape, preferably something that was moving.

Zephyr’s rough search continued for roughly a minute before he found what he was looking for, a small hunched up shape which moved slightly, as though it were taking deep breaths. Focusing his thoughts now on the boys whereabouts the elemental rose higher into the night sky before soaring over the tree tops as he closed on the violet youths location. In less than ten seconds he was floating above a small hole in the foliage which had not doubt been caused by the child’s rather rough landing, if the merc squinted his eyes he could just make out the boys figure on the parched earth below, which given the lack of light probably meant that his target would be hard pressed to see anything himself. Deciding to utilize this somewhat minor advantage as best he could Zephyr silently descended through the trees until he came to rest upon a rather thick bough which looked sturdy enough to hold his meager weight. The elemental then paused for a moment as he considered his words, he couldn’t afford to be aggressive or threatening for if the boy withdrew into the earth it would be almost impossible to locate him.

After considering the situation for a moment the Zephyr decided that the only way he would be able to put his target at ease would be tell the truth; that he desired to know the extent of the kids abilities in order to increase his wealth. It was a simple answer and it was logical, Simon did not see anything the boy could fins fault with. Before he began his improvised interrogation though the elemental used his right arm to withdraw the expensive looking Rolex he had received from Hunter at the beginning of his employment, deftly removing all air molecules which surrounded the watch, the merc already knew that the chronometer function as a communication device and this was most certainly one conversation he did not wish his employer to hear. Only once he had fully encased the watch within a void did the elemental allow his voice to drift down.

“You have a most interesting gift” he noted in a calm and emotionless tone, “tell me is there any limit to what you can create?”

Still concealed within the shadows of the tree he was currently occupying Zephyr observed the young man below him with a mild level of interest. He truly was curios about the boys capabilities, for the gift to change one substance to another was a rather unique trait. So far the merc had only met one other individual who was capable of such a feat, an aged mutant con artist who’d literally had the “golden touch” and had managed to cozen a significant number of people, the elemental included, into exchanging portions of their wealth for his gold. However the problem with this little exchange had been that, much like fabled treasure of the leprechauns, this gentleman’s gold had only lasted a short time before reverting back to its original state. Needless to say the old man no longer walked among the living but Zephyr had learned a valuable lesson, he would not repeat his mistake, he would find out this ones limitations and find a way to turn them to his advantage. He already the boy at his mercy after all, the kid just didn’t know it yet.

Normally the merc would have left his current perch and descended to conduct his interrogation of the violet haired individual face to face, however considering what the kid was capable of it was more prudent to keep his distance. He'd already noted from the boys earlier actions that his abilities seemed limited to close quarters range and considering that his clothes had already been transmuted he had no desire to test his targets imagination in a second encounter.

"Your not doing too bad yourself. I can create enough to get by. What is it to you? That girl has been through a lot she doesn't need this, what do you guys want with her?"[/b]

Zephyr merely shrugged as he heard his adversary’s response, the gesture was unnecessary as the kid wouldn’t be able to see it but it was a natural reaction. Simon truly had no idea what Hunter had planned for the girl nor did he truly care, it did not affect him and that was the only thing that mattered. “If you are referring to Paragon then I’m afraid I cannot tell you, I was merely hired to retrieve her. As for my interest in your abilities… I will discuss that momentarily, however I believe before we go any farther we should introduce ourselves, if only to be polite the moniker I am currently using is Zephyr…”

The elemental paused for a moment to allow the violet haired individual respond before he resumed speaking, “Now to answer your previous question the reason I am interested in your gift is because I am curious as to whether it has any time restraint, you I’d rather avoid having to purchase a new wardrobe”

The entire time he was speaking Zephyr maintained a pleasant and calm tone of voice as though he were greeting an old acquaintance and they were discussing events which had occurred in days gone past. However contrary to his tone the elementals cobalt blue eyes remained sharp and cold as they remained fixed on the shadowed figure below. If the boy tried anything out of the ordinary then he would swiftly discover that the merc could be far less pleasant.

--

(OOC: Sorry for the late response, I’ve had a lot to do in the past week however that’s over now and I should be able to respond in a more timely manner for the next few weeks.

...I'm going to go ahead and post this, if it causes any problems just PM me and I'll delete it.

Still coated in the shadows the British merc raised an incredulous eyebrow as he heard his opponents supposed apology, while the means of reimbursement was appealing Zephyr still had no reason to trust the boys word. He had been trying to kill the kid not five minutes ago after all, there was no real reason for the Zelek to trust at him at this stage of their encounter, logically the boy should have been considering various ways to escape or perhaps subdue the elemental in hopes of gaining information. There was no reason for the lilac haired nuisance to present him with a small fortune and offer to reverse the damage he had caused, it made absolutely no sense.

Despite knowing this though the collection of glittering diamonds on the forest floor was too tempting of an offer for the mercenary to resist. However he still had no intention of entering the Zelek’s range unless the kid was drugged or he had trained sniper by side. After considering the situation for a moment or two the elementals mind swiftly conjured a suitable solution; “That is quite a generous offer,” he observed in a tone of mild surprise as he silently descended from his perch and rested against the base of the trunk, still maintaining a good five feet between himself and his adversary, “However I’m afraid that considering the conditions of our encounter I do not completely trust you at this point…”

A strong current of wind surged into being directly behind the purple haired boy, swerving around him and focusing its energy on the log shaped diamond he had just created, propelling the oversized piece of jewelry across the dirt floor and towards the base of the tree where Zephyr was now standing. Focusing his gaze upon the jewels shining surface Simon dipped into the reserves of his gift again as he created a minute blade of air and liberating a small chunk of the stone from the larger mass and expecting it with his liberated right hand. Although he was by no means a professional jeweler the merc was aware of some of the more obvious signs which hinted at a stones value and from he could see the caliber of this sample was a cut above the rest. “Most impressive” he muttered before continuing in a louder voice, “I must commend you Zelek you seem to have a talent for jewelry, I shall remember you in the future…”

The elemental once more lapsed into silence as he considered how he wanted to proceed, the boy had not yet informed him if his gift had any type of time limit and from what little he had seen of Zeleks personality he doubted he would getting an answer any time soon without a suitable display of force, something he wanted to avoid at this point in time. A simple solution to his query would be to accept the kids rather handsome gift and keep it under observation for a reasonable period of time, if it turned out that the changes faded after time he could always dispatch the boy at his leisure. If the alterations were permanent however he would have interesting new source of revenue which led him to yet another interesting question; exactly how naive was this Zelek character? If the elemental was to have any dealing with the boy in the future he would need an appropriate understanding of the kids persona in order to evaluate how dangerous he could be in the future. If the boy had high morals and was reasonably predictable then he would represent little to no threat, however if lilac individual turned out to be similar to Hunter then Zephyr would have to tread more carefully in future encounters.

Rising without a sound once more the merc moved towards Zelek and paused just three feet from the boy, “I believe you said it was within your abilities to salvage my current attire?”

Hunter slammed his fist into the boy’s ribcage. The bones shattered under the impact as his hand pierced the flesh, delving deep into the boy’s chest. Wrapping his hand around the boys still beating heart he just held it for a moment, feeling the boy’s dieing heart beats. Wrenching his hand back out he ripped out the heart, leaving the boy’s body to collapse to the ground.

He had come back when he saw Zephyr remove his NVGs. Unsure as to whether the mercenary was in trouble or simply trying to avoid being watched Hunter decided to head back. Giving orders to set Paragon’s room up and place her in it once the reached the lab Hunter leapt out of the helicopter, landing heavily and somewhat painfully on the ground below. Recovering he rose to his feet and ran back to the site of the battle. His keen senses quickly lead him to Zephyr and the boy. Moving silently through the woods he arrived in time to see Zephyr entrapped by the boy and the boy start to flee. Hunter had made sure he did not get far.

He held out his hand and a soldier appeared from the shadows holding a bag. Hunter dropped their heart into the bag before pulling out a handkerchief and wiping the blood off his hand. “Bag the body,” he instructed, “send it to Ingram for analysis.” A pair of soldiers nodded and stepped forward with a body bag.

Leaving them to their work Hunter went over to Zephyr in his diamond prison. He would wait and see if the mercenary could escape on his own before offering assistance. With the boy dead and Paragon secure the mission was over.

Entombed within his ornate coffin Zephyr would have chuckled at his present situation if hadn’t meant exhausting the little air he had, as it was a subtle smirk crept upon his features as he focused his energies on conserving the little oxygen he had and recycling it as efficiently as possible. Although his present condition was less than comfortable the insubstantial wounds he had obtained were nothing a few days rest wouldn’t heal, for now the elemental would allow Zelek to believe he had won this minor confrontation. It would make the boy lower his guard, therefore making it easier for the merc to catch him unawares the next time they met, and when they did meet again Zephyr would be to obtain full reimbursement for the kids little stunt.

Turning his thoughts outwards Simon deftly crafted a shallow breeze into existence, manipulating its size and shape so that it fanned out the farther it went from its creator. Allowing his conscious to meld into the wind as he had done when he had sedated Paragon the elemental managed to obtain a rough image of his surroundings and what he saw did not please him in the least. Zelek’s form had frozen not ten steps from the mercs current position and in front of the foolish boy was a figure Simon had no difficulty recognizing.

‘When and why did he return?’ the thought was overlaid with suspicion and a varying level of annoyance as he increased the focus and intensity of his winds just in time to watch his employer terminate what would have been his latest source of revenue, any sense of anxiety or unease that Hunter may have discovered his ulterior plans though was strangely absent. The last person Zephyr had feared had been his father but that ceased once he had had gained control of his mutation. The elemental had yet to meet another individual who could actually best him in combat, so far Tris had been the only who had come close however that case had been dismissed as a once in a life time anomaly which was never to be repeated. As far as the merc was concerned the worst the vampire could do was cut his paycheck and nothing more.


Still Zephyr had no desire to have his income slashed, monetary gain was his primary motivation after all, and so the mercenary remained within his elaborate bindings for a few moments more while he observed a squad of armed soldiers emerge from the woods and remover what was most likely a rather bloody corpse. When the immortals figure stalked right next to his current location however it became apparent the vampire wished to speak with him and so the elemental nimbly crafted two of his signature air blades to slice the upper portion of his prison both horizontally and vertically. In effect freeing him from his torso and above while leaving the now discarded potions of his bindings in four easily collectible pieces.

Taking a to replenish his oxygen reserves Zephyr inhaled slowly yet deeply as he refilled his lungs before shifting adjusting his gaze to meet his employers eyes with a a dry expression, “I don’t suppose you have an additional set of clothing?” he asked in a deadpan tone of voice, “My current apparel is less than comfortable at the moment.”