The Reckoning

[Gifted]

"I won't!" He agreed.

"I'm in position" Joan spoke quietly into her mobile. She was hiding in the shadows of an alley, keeping watch on their carefully chosen location. A dead-end area, completely enclosed by the thick sturdy bark and intertwined vines of buildings on all sides. only two ways in or out, one she was reasonably certain their adversary would come down. Iris hiding atop the building between the two routes in, a high-tech sniper rifle aimed into the open area. Meanwhile, the building on the opposite side, which they knew to be closed today, had Ryan waiting inside with chains and his gun to catch Flash off guard when he inevitably teleported through the wall to get away from the girls firing guns at him. "Adam, is Flash still responding positively?" The nearly thirty year old asked. She'd never wanted to lead on her own, but when she got kidnapped on a reconnaissance mission and sent here, it was find people to lead and help the citizens here as she'd been doing in Darwin, or make her cell go a couple days out of their way to come pick her up. They'd been in the middle of setting up a hugely important operation in Darwin at the time and Joan didn't want to make them any shorter on manpower. Besides, there were just as many Epics here that needed dealing with. So Joan Wenkeling had remained here, and over the last three years she and her first recruit, Ryan, had screened and gathered a new team.
It hadn't exactly gone perfectly. Only three years in and they'd already lost an original member of the team. But it wasn't expected to be perfect, and for a Reckoner cell a novice had whipped together on the fly, they weren't doing half bad. Better than her original cell, she'd heard; Cyrus, her boss, had lost several of the members in rapid succession upon their return to Darwin six months ago. Rook's team was proving impossible to hit, but nor could the group move on when their escape vehicles had been hit in the disastrous mission. They were getting more, but it would take awhile, so Cyrus had told her they were stuck in Darwin for a time. Compared to that, Joan thought she was doing pretty well.

[Raven]

Adam was no stranger to Epics as even before his joining the Reckoners, his twin brother had been an epic. The Recollector had the potential to take control, but Adam's brother preferred to rape and murder. When Joan Wenkeling had scouted for people to help stop those like him, Adam jumped at the opportunity.

He wasn't a field guy like the rest of the team, but that didn't bother him. He was just as necessary to everything running smoothly. "Yeah," he confirmed to his leader, who was lying in wait for the Epic they were hunting. "Everything's going according to plan. Just stick to it." He didn't make the plans, but he made sure he fully understood them before they took place. The last thing they needed was miscommunication.

[Gifted]

"Alright, he should be here any moment then. Either he teleports and me and Iris have got him, or he walks here, we shoot him and he teleports and Ryan's got him. We'll know which one soon enough. How close is he, Adam?"

[Raven]

"One block over," Adam said. "You should see him soon."
Indeed, the redheaded man was soon visible through the foliage, walking down the road quietly, as though enjoying a stroll. In truth, he simply liked to keep an ear out so he could get away from danger.

[Gifted]

"I've got eyes on the target." Iris spoke quietly.
"Let him get in the middle before you engage." Joan told her. She held her breath, nervous Flash would somehow know they were here, as he walked step by step up the road and into their trap.
"Alright, Iris, Go."
Iris fired her sniper at his head.

[Raven]

Flash looked sharply upwards, and just like that he was gone. It didn't matter, though, because Ryan clapped the cuffs around his wrist, and Flash's eyes widened. "I've got him," Ryan said. "Shoot him?"

[Gifted]

"Duh!" Joan snapped. "Take him out!" She'd meant to herd him, to make sure he went Ryan's way and not back the way he came, but Flash had done that all by himself. She wasn't needed in the field for this mission. That was good. It had gone better than expected.

[Raven]

Flash tried to pull away, but before he even got to the end of the short chain, Ryan had put a bullet in his head. "He's dead."
"That went even better than expected," Adam said.

[Gifted]

"No kidding." Joan agreed. “Let's head back to base. We did good today."
"See you there, Joan." Iris answered, and Joan knew she'd moved from the roof.

[Raven]

"See you," Ryan agreed, heading back that way.

[Gifted]

"No kidding." Joan agreed. “Let's head back to base. We did good today."
"See you there, Joan." Iris answered, and Joan knew she'd moved from the roof. She paused for a moment. How'd you like that, Cyrus? she thought with a smile. Joan turned around and began walking out of the alley, headed back to base.

[Raven]

Crucifix had been relevant in the world of Epics long before she'd developed powers - she and her boyfriend had been part of the Reckoners. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined becoming one of the things she hated, but as Calamity's light surrounded her on a storming night as they moved against one of Nightshade's epics, Katrina Storm had accepted the power. Her goals had been to protect herself and Ryan, but as the terror consumed her, those motivations changed. She was Nightshade's now, and she actively moved against those who threatened to destroy their city - though she'd once believed the same of the Epics.

That evening, she was headed to meet up with Flash - one of the city's gang leaders who had wanted to discuss a deal. Strangely, the meeting place was changed last minute, and even more odd - when Crucifix arrived at the new location, Flash was nowhere to be found. After waiting an annoyingly long time for the Epic, she grew impatient. Had that dumbass forgotten the change of plans? She headed towards the original location. She wouldn't find Flash there either, at least not for her meeting, but she would find answers. Today, those answers came in the form of her old boss.

As Joan turned, she unknowingly began to walk towards an Epic out for her blood. Crucifix knew full well what Joan Wenkeling being here meant, and it angered her. As the Epic's fear and anger mounted, the Reckoner's world exploded into glass. There wasn't entirely that much of it, but there was enough to cause serious damage if it made contact.

[Gifted]

Joan yelped as she saw the shards of glass begin to swarm. She knew what that meant.
With practiced reflexes she dropped to the ground and rolled, unholstering her handgun as she did so. On her stomach like a soldier, she spied Crucifix standing in the mouth of the alley and fired at the woman's chest. She tried to use the moment or two Crucifix would be distracted to then get to her feet.

[Raven]

Crucifix dived aside, and the bullet clipped her side. She hissed in pain, and the glass curved around to come at Joan from behind.

[Gifted]

Joan pressed her back against the alley wall, making herself as small a target as possible and letting the shards fly by her. This didn't let her avoid all of them: she groaned in pain as one near the edge embedded itself deep into her thigh. But it was much better than it could have been.
When they all passed, Joan dashed back the way she'd come, into the empty square to use the wall as cover. "My positions been compromised! I need backup!" Joan shouted into her communicator.
“Flash is still alive?" Iris asked. “There was no evidence of-"
"No, Crucifix must have realized we trapped him. She's here." Joan answered, clutching her gun. She leaned out and fired two more shots at Crucifix.