[The Dark Daimon]

Goodbye. Nobody cares anyway.

[The Dark Daimon]

The next afternoon

Alex Tipton flew through the traffic at Montgomery Street and Columbus Avenue. Cars blared their horns at her, but she kept on going until she got the front doors of the TransAmerica Pyramid. Alex popped up her skateboard, stuck it under her arm and went inside.

Alex stood out compared with the other people inside. The other people were wearing suits and ties while sporting $50 haircuts while Alex had on a holey pair of jeans, a Ramones t-shirt, combat boots and sporting a haircut that would be more appropriate for a guy. The security guard watched Alex as she came in and quietly made a phone call. He saw Alex moving toward the elevator and quickly said something. Good afternoon Alex! he said brightly.

Alex smiled and waved back on her way the the elevators. Alex was always amazed how nice the people who worked for her grandfather were. They would always say hello and sometimes give her treats. Alex always thought that the reason they were so nice to her, was that her grandfather was so nice. Little did she know.

In the elevator, Alex pulled out the special key that her grandfather gave her and inserted it into the elevator panel. Normally, anyone wanting to take the elevator to the 48th floor where her grandfather worked, would have to take the elevator to the 47th floor and have Lisa, Alex's grandfather's receptionist, approve them to go the rest of the way. With the key, Alex could just go straight there.
___

When the doors opened on the top floor, Roman already knew who was coming. Nobody went up to his office without his knowledge.

Ah, mia bella signorina! *my beautiful young lady* Roman exclaimed in Italian.

Nono! *grandfather* Alex answered back and ran over and kissed him. Alex was by nature a moody kid. She was bad tempered, impulsive and sometimes violent, but when she was with her Nono, she was a completely different person.

Alex was Roman's favorite grandchild, without a doubt. He felt that his other grandchildren were spoiled, self-absorbed brats. All they cared about was money and social standing. Not one of them ever did an honest day's work or have any goals beyond being invited to the next party.

Alex was the exact opposite. She didn't care about money and cared even less about what people thought of her. Sure she dressed and acted like a guy, swore like a sailor and got into fights regularly, but Alex was also fearless, motivated and wicked smart. Alex reminded Roman of himself when he was her age.

Of course Alex was also a lot like her mother, Rosanna (God rest her soul), passionate, free spirited and possessing the most amazing green eyes. How Alex could have come from the loins of that worthless jellyfish of a father was beyond him. Not that Brian Tipton was a bad man, he just didn't have any stugats.

Nono, I got accepted into Skatefest! I'm actually going to get to compete! Alex said excitedly, You have to come watch me, it's next Saturday.

Wouldn't miss it! Roman replied. Alex had been talking about this Skatefest thing for a month, and while Roman could have easily bought her way in and got her first place, but he knew Alex would be furious and would want to win or lose on her terms and Roman respected her all the more for it.

I light lit up on Roman's desk and on his monitor, he could see Luigi in the elevator. Hey, Alex, guess who's here? Roman teased.

Alex knew exactly who it was and hid on the side of the elevator. When it opened, she jumped out at Luigi, and feinted a punch to his face. Luigi went into full combat mode, holding up his hands in a boxing parry, but Alex was already hitting him in the stomach, though she pulled her punch.

Damn Alex, either I'ma slowing down or yous a gettin' fasta! Luigi exclaimed, his accent showing.

Nah,you're just getting old. Alex teased.

"Uncle" Luigi was not really Alex's uncle, but her godfather. All the other grandkids were scared to death of the short, stocky man with the big scar running down his face, but Alex never even blinked an eye. She loved him almost as she loved her grandfather himself, and Luigi loved Alex back like the daughter he never had. He showed Alex how to fish, swim and fight. He even taught Alex how to shoot a gun, against her father's protests.

Thata chink a teaching yous good? Luigi asked Alex.

ooc: I don't normally write racial slurs, but it was so much in his character to say that, I just had to. No disrespect to any Asians intended.

bic:
Great, my sifu said that at the rate I'm going, I should make black belt in a few months.

Fantastico il mia piccola combattente *fantastic my little fighter*

Well, I should get going, see ya! As Alex got back in the elevator, Roman started some serious thinking. Luigi was right, Alex was getting faster. She had always been athletic, but in the last year she had gone from good to extraordinary in both her skateboarding and her martial arts. Roman wondered if maybe Alex had been blessed as he had been. Did it run in families?

Roman had only met one other individual with who was blessed, a young man who could control metal with his mind. The young man had told Roman that he knew of others, but he never had the chance to explain how as Roman teleported the young man a mile into the sky. The guy may have been able to control metal, but he sure couldn't fly.

Excuse me, Don Nocetti, Luigi always talked very formal when talking about business, I think I found some "talent"

[The Dark Daimon]

Excuse me, Don Nocetti, I think I found some "talent"

Roman Nocetti smiled. This was what he was waiting for. Is he here?

Luigi shook his head. No, I thought it would be advantageous to conduct our meeting at the old warehouse on the wharf.

Very good thinking Luigi. Luigi had a point, it would be better if they did this away from the office, just in case one of the "talents" decided the world would be better off without Roman Nocetti. After all, personal visits to an enemies home or business was Roman's old trick. So when do we see him?

I have set up the meeting for tomorrow at one. Luigi replied.

Good, good. Roman said thoughtfully, Once we have some talents working for us, we will be the most feared family in America.
__________

Alex was happy for the moment as she skated through the streets of San Francisco. Her day ended up being alright after all, which was good because it started out sh*tty. First, Alex got into a fight with her dad. As usual, it was over her grandfather. Then Alex got in fight with her tutor which in turn got her into another fight with her father, so Alex went storming out of the house.
As she was headed for the local skate park, Alex received a text-message from one of her friends saying that he heard that Alex got a spot at SkateFest. That of course changed her whole attitude. Maybe now she could prove to everyone what a good skater she was and they would all get off her back about it.

While Alex was lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice a large black car coming up slowly, beside her. Suddenly four asian men jumped out and grabbed her. Alex instantly reacted by kneeing one guy in the crotch, breaking the thumb of the man who had his arms around. When she was free, Alex knocked out the teeth of the third man with a spin kick, but Alex missed the fourth man who pistol-whipped her to the ground.

The two bodyguards that were assigned to secretly watch over Alex couldn't believe their eyes. The knew they were in deep sh*t trouble for letting this happen. Tony started running down toward the car while Vito called Luigi for backup. Vito had just heard Luigi pick up the phone when the bullet ripped through his skull. Tony was half-way across the street, when he heard a loud pop from behind, Tony turned to see what it was and before he heard the second pop, a bullet struck him in the throat and shattering his spine. He was dead in less than a minute.

The kidnappers quickly shoved Alex's unconscious body into their car and sped away. The man in black, unscrewed the silencer off of his gun, and shoved the gun and silencer into the pocket of his jacket then walked away.
_________

Luigi jumped a little when his phone rang. He had it on vibrate and it always felt like an electric shock to him. When he picked it up, he noticed that the number was from his cousin Vito, who was assigned to watch Alex. Luigi felt a twinge of fear in the pit of his stomach, Vito never called unless it was important.

Luigi answered the call Luigi here... Luigi heard the unmistakable noise of a silenced pistol, followed by the sound of a phone hitting the ground before the line went dead.

Luigi looked fearfully at Roman, Roman, Alex's in trouble he gasped.

Roman didn't have to answer back, they both knew what needed to be done. With a quick nod, Luigi suddenly disappeared only to find himself in a unused broom closet on the first floor. Luigi kicked open the door and ran across the lobby, through the front door and onto the street just in time to see the black car speed around the corner.

Luigi saw Tony lying in the middle of the street and a group of people standing around the body of Vito, across the street. It didn't take a genius to figure out what just happened. Luigi felt sick. He felt like it was somehow his fault. He just saw Alex! Luigi called Roman, and gave him the bad news.

Roman smashed his phone against the desk after Luigi's call. He was furious. It had to be the Tongs. They had just been voicing their disappointment over their percentage of the drug trade. Roman had to remind them that they were lucky that got any thing at all and they were not happy about that.

Roman would meet with this talent tomorrow and then the Tongs would pay. They would pay dearly.

[Dac]

What is this gift we call life?

We struggle to find the answer to this question in the face of overwhelming evidence that their quest for understanding, for meaning, has no answer at all.

Are we nothing more than a cast die upon the face of the universe? Is the sum of our lives all that is the sum of our very existence? Can meaning be found in a world so scared and mistrusting?

Are we alone?

***

Alex snapped awake as the dilapidated subway train jerked to a shuddering halt at Embarcadero station. The harshness of fluorescent lights barely concealed behind cracked, wimpled glass stung his eyes and blurred his vision. He wiped the sleep quickly from his eyes. Every part of him wanted to stay seated, let his eyes fall closed, and sleep once more.

Sleep hadn’t been easy, lately. It came in fits, sporadic bursts punctuated by strange dreams. He would awake to feel his skin tingling, as if an electric current were being funneled into his spine and through every nerve.

Alex turned his head to stare out at the fading light and caught his reflection in the time-worn glass. He looked exhausted; dark circles sunk deep under his dirty hazel eyes. He wanted to go see his doctor, but he just didn't have the money in case there was something really wrong with him.

Leveraging himself out of the seat, the young man took care not to drop the camera that hung around his neck. A remnant from the non-digital age, old but polished so thoroughly that it looked new, the strap of the camera hung heavy around his neck as he moved for the exit.

Alex mused, brooding as he stepped out of the train car, the double doors hissing swiftly shut behind him. The subway platform was lit with the same excessive brightness masked by sickly tinted glass as the car, casting an aging tint on everything as he mounted the steps to the crowded street and blended into the crowd. Buildings rose high on either side of the street, hiding the dying light of the day. The Transamerica Pyramid would be close. Maybe today he could actually get an interview with the elusive Mister Nocetti.

So wrapped up in his own thoughts, Alex almost didn’t hear the scream. High pitched and tearing the air like a gunshot, he stiffened and looked up at the sound the way a gazelle might at the roaring of a lion. Scarcely a block away was a young girl, wrestling furiously with a group of mean-looking thugs in black suits as they tried to maneuver her towards a parked car - maybe a van.

For a few seconds, he did nothing. Then, reality slammed a devastating right hook into his face.

“H-hey!” Alex blurted, trying to muscle his way forward through the suddenly immobile crowd. Everyone on the street had stopped to watch the spectacle, forcing him to shove them out of the way as best he could. "Excuse me! Pardon me!"

There was a dull crack and the girl went down, falling out of view behind a masking sea of turned heads. Gone.

Hissing in frustration, Alex pushed to the side, bursting out from the crowd and into the street, almost getting himself run over as a taxi cab hurtled past, brakes screeching and leaving sizzling ebony skid marks across the pavement as it spun, drifting into other lanes of traffic.

"Sorry!" Alex gasped as the engine of the black car roared, half-masking the sound of a slamming door. He couldn't see the girl or her kidnappers. ****, he thought to himself.

Fumbling with his camera, Alex brought up its glinting eye and aimed it at the rumbling maybe-van. His grandfather used to tell him that truth was the light that seared away injustice – that it was a reporter’s job to wield that power with his weapons: the pen and the camera. Now, ten years later, Alex wished feverishly that the power wasn’t so metaphorical as he snapped picture after picture of the black car as it pulled away from the walk and gunned the engine.

He blinked as he realized where the car was going. "Oh man."

Alex twisted to the side, but not far enough. The car swung to follow his movement. Pain exploded across his side as a side-mirror clipped him and sent him spinning along the side of the car like a ragdoll. Dazed, confused, he for a moment thought he was ten again and rolling down a grassy hill, though this one was hard. Sharp.

Then suddenly it was gone, and he fell onto his back against the biting pavement. He really needed a doctor now. Oh well...

Raising his head an inch, Alex looked after the fading car... Darkness pressed on the corners of his vision. He was so tired.

He closed his eyes.

Unconscious.

[The Dark Daimon]

The slamming of the phone in his hear made Luigi accutely aware how angry Roman was. Luigi cursed to himself. He felt so stupid and useless. How could this have happened, and right in broad daylight? Luigi knew that there was going to have to be major damage control involved. There was no way they were going to be able to keep this out of the media. This was not good at all.

Luigi noticed that a crowd had gathered around another person laying on the street. It wasn't one of his men, Luigi didn't recognize him. Luigi walked over to crowd to get a closer look.

...taking pictures of the van when the van suddenly swerved and hit the poor man. Luigi overheard an old woman say. Luigi's ears perked up when he heard "pictures". Sure enough, when Luigi looked down, he saw the camera. He wasn't sure if it would be broken, but he went ahead a grabbed it. Some of the people started to say something, but Luigi gave them the intmidating glare that was a result of years of practice and they kept quiet.

As the sirens in the distance grew closer, Luigi ran back into the TransAmerica building and headed toward Roman's office with the camera in tow. In the elevator, Luigi made some quick calls to make sure that there would be some men at the hospital to keep watch over the owner of the camera and to call him, when the man came to.

[Max Taggart]

ooc: is it ok if i assume the role of the talent?

ic: Max waited at the old warehouse impatiently. His hair was ablaze as he clicked his fingers and each time he did a small ball of fire appeared hovering above his hand and then disappeared with the next click. He had come along way since he discovered his powers when he was 15. Now 17, he had almost complete control and wanted to seek vengance on the world for the way he was treated and for taking Natalie away from him in the fire. Suddenly he heard a car pull up outside. He got up and his hair returned to its short brown hair-do that he usually sported. Luigi opened the warehouse doors and entered with some old dude in tow. Max stood up

"Took you long enough mate!" Max yelled as Luigi approached, "Ive been waiting half an hour already!!!!! Who's this geezer?"

Max gestured to Roman

[Dac]

Consciousness came back slowly to Alex. Struggling up to the surface, he swam against the enveloping blackness back to the waking world. Things came back to him in brief, undulating rushes. He heard the rising and falling of a tumult of voices, fluttering waves of air brushing across his face, could smell the unmistakable, nauseating air of sterility. Tingles shuddered through his nerves, pulsing and throbbing as pain spread from his side where the van had clipped him.

The van...

Alex gasped as his eyes snapped open. He sat up with a jolt in the hospital bed... Then immediately collapsed back down as stabbing pain lanced through his side.

A hand pressed on his shoulder. "Take it easy, Mister Braveson. You're going to be alright."

"Wha-?" Alex looked up blearily, squinting. It was hard to see without his glasses. "What happened?"

"You got clipped pretty hard by a van," the doctor soothed. "You're lucky to be alive; one foot to the side and it could've been a lot worse."

The pressure on Alex's shoulder vanished as the doctor's blurred form straightened. "But the van... What about the van? They took..." He trailed off as his head swam and a fresh wave of tingles shook through him, as if his whole body was on pins and needles.

"I don't know about that. Just get some rest, Mister Braveson." The doctor checked his belt as something beeped loudly. "I've got to get going. Your injuries aren't too serious, but I'll be back soon. In the meantime, your family can keep you company."

"My family?" Alex repeated dumbly as the white-coated physician strode out. He looked around. The room was simple and sparsely furnished, a single window opening to a darkened sky beyond dotted with glowing windowlights.

And across from him, in the two chairs by the door, sat a pair of enormously muscled, mean looking men in black suits and sunglasses.

Alex swallowed. "Oh boy."

[The Dark Daimon]

By the next day, the guy with the camera was still unconscious but Luigi had gotten the film developed.

When Luigi and Roman arrived at the warehouse, they sent their men to check the place out first before going inside.

Ive been waiting half an hour already!!!!! Who's this geezer?

Luigi couldn't believe this punk, who did he think was disrespecting Mr. Nocetti like that? Luigi drew out his gun with every intention of ending this kid's miserable life.

You f##k'n 'lil punk, Ima gonna blowa your f##k'n brainsa all over thisa f##k'n place! Luigi screamed as he lowered his gun to the kids head. At the same time, Max got into a defensive stance and his hair started glowing. Roman put his hand on Luigi's gun, Luigi! We can forgive his childish behavior, if... Roman looked toward Max, he can do what he claims he can.

Luigi put his gun away but continued to glare at the kid.

Roman wasn't to keen on the idea of trusting his granddaughter's life on some punk kid, still, if the kid had the abilities...

Roman stared intently at the kid, What's your name, and what to you have to offer?

[Max Taggart]

"The names Max! But before i show you anything, i wanna see whats in this for me!" Max smirked then pointed to Luigi, "Lurch here tells me youre quite a rich man!"

Luigi moved towards his gun again but Roman waved him down

"Forgive him, hes taking anger management classes!" Roman said trying not to make Max leave or Luigi go off the deep end

"Pfft, humans...theyre all alike! Big chunky violent pieces of meat!!!!" Max laughed

Luigi had had enough. He charged at Max and grabbed Max by the colar.

"LISTEN YOU LIL PUNK, YOU BETTER START TREATING MR NOCETTI SOME RESPECT!"

"Or what?" Max replied calmly before his hair burst into flames and he ignited a fire ball in his hands and held it threateningly, "Ive never tried babrequed Italian before, know what im sayin?"

[The Dark Daimon]

Luigi quickly jumped back, letting go of Max.

Roman laughed,Do you know who I am or who you are dealing with here? I have six well armed guys waiting outside, ready to burst in here with guns firing. Would you be able to burn them all before they shot you? Roman glared at Max, Listen little boy, we were killing punks like you before your mother was wiping sh*t off your @ss! I own this f**king town and if you want a piece of the pie, I would advise you start treating me and my associates with a little f**king respect, otherwise, you may find yourself floating by your lonesome, somewhere out in international waters. Roman smiled an evil smile, And that's if I'm feeling nice

Luigi then made a small wave and several men walked into the warehouse.

ooc: BTW did you mean to say Alex at the beginning of your first post? Dac, I'll get back to you after Roman and Luigi finish up with Max.