The Evil Men Do.. - Part 1

(''ready for a Crisis, folks? I sure am.. as you are aware New Kids On The Block is rapidly approaching and I want this event to be big (I mean it's pretty major when you think on it.. Earth is about to get a large increase in superhuman beings). I paved the way with Operation: SIM and decided that it went so well I'm going to make a Crisis event to tie into it, just like Operation: SIM it is before New Kids On The Block (in fact it is quite soon after Operation: SIM, as you shall see..) '')

Prologue
SIM stood silently, observing the endless stream of data that made up the alien realm of the V-Net, she was amazed at how quickly things had returned to normal.. it was almost impossible to tell that a mere few months ago the V-Net had almost been taken over by a madman intent on extermination all of humanity.

SIM could barely believe it herself as she watched several avatars head towards a portal with pitchforks - only to bounce off as she quickly blocked them from the server "..trolls.." she muttered quietly, flicking her tail as she rolled her eyes and pulled up a floating board: typing in a few commands.

As she did so it only took a few moments for her to notice she had a new message waiting, curiously she clicked on it and blinked as a projection appeared before her of an overweight male with what appeared to be a blonde wig, dressed in an old-fashioned military uniform: an unsettling smile fixed on his face as he spoke.

"..my dearest SIM, if you have recieved this message I just want to congratulate you on a most impressive display of heroism.. indeed it brings a tear to my eye to see such teamwork.. such dedication.. such devastating violence.. oh yes.. it was beautiful.. the way you crushed that overly angsty Snieller.. hehehe.. oh yes.. "poor me! poor me!".. bah! who needs him? anyways.. I was wondering if you and your little friend would like to come visit me some time.. I'd be ever so grateful for your company..".

SIM blinked once more as the projection faded and she shook her head, only to suddenly freeze as a feeling of dread suddenly washes over her - "..your little friend" - "..oh my gosh, Thirteen!" she squeaks and begins typing rapidly into the board.

Chapter 1 - The Invitation
The scene switches to a typical day in the same futuristic city as before, only due to a heightened police presence over the last few months the streets are largely cleared off the gangs that once littered the streets and for the most part people simply went about there business without question..

(OOC: join below if you wish to join, old and new are welcome - for those wondering a Crisis Event is like a saga but not as large-scale (basically a storyarc that takes several parts to complete) )

Thirteen made his way through the streets aimlessly. His hand was tightly clenched around the V-Monitor that SIM gave him some time ago.

"It hasn't been too long... but something is amiss here, I can feel it." Thirteen thought to himself. "...I'll definitely find out what it is... I have a knack for running into trouble. Hm... it would be nice to visit SIM... she's probably busy though..."

Suddenly a figure appears next to Thirteen, being instantly recognizable as SIM - however she has covered herself with a trenchcoat and hat in a (failed) attempt at disguise: "..Thirteen? ..Thirteen.. we need to talk.. something is wrong.. I need you to.." the figure begins only to crackle and fade like a projection that has broken down, being replaced almost instantly by the projection of an overweight human male with a blonde wig, dressed in an old-fashioned military uniform.

"..dreadfully sorry about that, SIM has been most unpleasant all of a sudden - I can't imagine why.. all I wanted was to invite you two to a little party.." the figure speaks, disturbingly jolly.

"...who the hell are you?" Thirteen asked.

"..isn't it obvious? I'm a secret admirer! hehe.. I mean, come now.. you and SIM.. you're heroes.. saving all of humanity from the clutches of a crazed madman.. looking death in the face.. ah, yes.. it's all so legendary isn't it? the sort of stuff we'll be telling our grandchildren about.. well.. providing we don't all go violently extinct in the next few generations, of course.." the figure replies, as pleasant as before - yet that perpetual smile on his face is far from comforting, it just looks so unnatural.

"I'm no hero." Thirteen said. "I'm just a busy, impulsive person who has a lot on his mind."

The figure's smile simply widens a little "..yet you care for her, don't you? - I imagine you'd be most.. displeased.. should something.. unfortunate.. happen to her..".

Thirteen clenched his fists tightly in rage that he was barely able to contain. "...What did you do?" he snarled.

The figure raises a finger and waves it slowly side to side "..nothing.. yet.. I just wanted to see your reaction - I must say it was rather predictable.. yet odd.. tell me, what exactly do you see in SIM? she is.. after all.. a glorified mascot of the imperial rule of law which sweeping over this fair planet.. strangling decent, hard-working folk such as myself..".

"Oh really? What exactly is this "hard-work" that you do?" Thirteen challenged, already highly suspicious of the figure.

"war" the figure replies with a smile, his voice so cheery one could at first think he was just making a horrible joke - yet after a moment the realization sinks in that this figure was being deadly serious.

A few moments later SIM reappears, this time without her disguise - she squeaks a little as she flattens her ears "Thirteen! we need to talk - someone is screwing with the V-Net! they've been blocking my signal.. I've been trying to reach you all day.." - she suddenly trails off as she stares at the strange figure and just seems to freeze in place.

"SIM? SIM! I'm coming into the V-Net. Hang on a minute!" Thirteen exclaims, before turning to the figure. "You are a madman, and I don't have time to talk with you now. Later." Thirteen turns to leave.

"..funny.. the nursery rhyme says "three blind mice".. I suppose I'll have to make do with two.." the figure notes, his smile fading as his voice changes - the cheer seeming to fade into something sinister.

"..Thirteen? I.." SIM begins, her projection suddenly cutting out as the image of a large figure dressed in a red uniform seems to engulf her.

"I'm going in there, SIM." Thirteen said, gripping his V-Monitor tighter. "I just need a safe place to put this thing on."

Using his superhuman strength, Thirteen leapt onto the roof of a nearby building and slipped the monitor over his head.

Almost as soon as Thirteen arrives in the V-Net he is greeted to a disturbing sight - the entire area has been transformed into a large military complex with many figures dressed in red uniforms of a decidely fascistic design, numerous large red flags with a golden "W" on them hang from the numerous walls.

As Thirteen gets used to this vision a familar and cheery voice speaks out from a balcony nearby "..alright! alright! you've pulled my arm - I see you two are far too busy to come to my party.. so I brought my party to you!".

Section 1 - Take Over
Sure enough upon looking up Thirteen can see that overweight man, dressed in an elaborate red uniform - holding SIM by the shoulders as she flattened her ears, the two of them staring out from the balcony at the streets below..

"...What the hell have you done?!" Thirteen yells at the overweight man.

"..oh come now, you're a smart boy - what does it look like I've done? I've given this place a much needed makeover.. I call it, the War-Net!" the figure grins, clapping his hands quite happily as ground troops march towards Thirteen.

"..no! leave him alone!" SIM yells, turning around and facing the figure only to let out a squeak as he reacts by casually pushing her right off the balcony - all with a cheerful smile: "it's not polite to shout".

Pure rage begins to contort on Thirteen's face. "You'll pay for this." he says darkly. He forms a thaumaturgic Rune Circle in front of his palm, which he then projects in the midst of the troops. The circle proceeds to explode with violent force.

SIM stops mere inches from the ground and looks to Thirteen, she extends a hand and yells out "Thirteen! stop!".

Yet it's too late, as the explosion sends the troops flying in all directions their virtual-avatars fade away like ghosts, the figure on the balcony grinning widely as he leans forward and observes Thirteen with disturbing glee: "..oh my.. so.. intense.. I love it.. what else can that fancy device of yours do?".

"It can smash a hole in that god-damned face of yours!" Thirteen roars, beginning to run toward the balcony.

SIM catapults herself at Thirteen like a small rocket and tries to lift him off his feet as she hurls as far away from the scene as possible.

"SIM?! What are you doing?! What's going on with the V-Net?!" Thirteen asks.

"you need to wake up.. you need to get out.. run.. don't fight.. he feeds.." SIM says only to be cut off as the V-Monitor abruptly turns itself off, luckily for Thirteen it does not damage his brain but it does cause a shock - like being woken abruptly from deep sleep.

Thirteen, back in reality, rubs his head, thinking about SIM's words. "don't fight... he feeds... war..." he mutters to himself. "Just who the hell was that guy? And what does he feed on?"

Section 2 - Rude Awakening
(ooc: this is now in the real world so any one can join in if they want )

Thirteen doesn't get long to think before he notices a helicopter is rapidly approaching his position, shining a spotlight down as an all-too-familar voice cheerfully comments: "going so soon? I was just getting the party started!".

"What the hell?!" Thirteen yells aloud, lost for words and thought.

The helicopter hovers in place and Thirteen is greeted to what may at first be a comical sight - yet the comedy soon fades at the sheer insanity of the situation - namely the overweight man who had been stalking him literally jumping out of the helicopter and landing on his feet with sufficient force to form a very small crater: dusting himself off as he continues to display that awkward smile on his face "..SIM has been terrible, I had to have her locked away.. for her own good.. I apologize profusely for her rude behavior.. interrupting our fun like that..".

Thirteen backs away warily, but glares at the man with the feral gaze of an animal. "Who the hell are you?" he growls.

The figure simply stays in place as he seems to think for a moment, adjusting his sleeves before he casually fixes his wig, which had started to fall out of place "I'm just a man who enjoys a bit of a light snack before a fine gourmet meal.. followed by an exquisite dessert.. washed down by the finest spirits.."

"What are you talking about, madman?" Thirteen snarls back.

The figure's smile widens as he repeats a familar and irritably vague sentence - the helicopter still hover above as if waiting for his signal.. "war".

Thirteen roars in frustration; summoning a rune circle which explodes underneath the figure's feet.

The explosive force tears the figure's uniform to near shreds - his wig flying into the air before disintigrating in an almost cartoonish fashion, yet the figure himself stays impossibly still: feet still firmly planted on the ground as his smile suddenly fades - his face becoming deadly serious as he begins walking forward.

"..yes.. war.. my friend.. is a beautiful thing.. massacres.. pillaging.. raids.. takeovers.. rebellions.. war is quite simply.. delicious!".

Shock and rage grip Thirteen, and so does a small hint of fear. "He brushed that off... like it was nothing..." he thought worriedly to himself. However, undeterred, Thirteen set off another explosion.

The figure is once again engulfed in the explosion - which stirs up a cloud of debris and smoke, the helicopter moves as ready to attack only for a darker voice to speak "..don't you DARE interupt me when I'm eating.." - sure enough the figure emerges from the cloud of smoke, the helicopter backing away as if the pilots could hear the command even from such a distance: the uniform is now practically shred to pieces and the figure's form has altered, his overweight appearance looking now more like a bulk of muscle, thankfully much of which is concealed due to the fact that as he grows larger he seems to develop a hunched appearance.

Thirteen leaps off the ground and lands on top of a nearby building, keeping his eyes on the growing figure.

The figure grins as he looks up at Thirteen, his back now fully hunched as his fists drag against the ground much a primitive ape - yet his eyes flash with inelligence as he speaks out: "..I've trained with the Spartans.. fought with the Romans.. I've danced in the Trenches and basked in the Blitz.. yet I have to admit, you have a style I like.. allow me to introduce myself..".

"What... are you...?" Thirteen began to ask, unable to complete his question from a loss of words.

"to the Greeks I was Ares, to the Romans I was Mars.. you can call me Warmonger.." the figure replies - slowly changing back into his usual form as a faint ringing sound can he heard: remarkably he digs out a still function cell-phone from his burnt pants pockets and holds it to his ear.

"..I hope this is important, I was in the middle of something.." he says, then pauses - nodding his head a little "..oh? she's ready? well that's just perfect - I'll be right over.. wouldn't want to keep her waiting..".

A hand grabs Thirteen's shoulder suddenly and pushes him aside. "Move over, kid. Let me deal with this." said the voice of a young man, who walked forward to confront Warmonger, pointing a long-barrelled gun at him.

Warmonger doesn't look back as the helicopter moves over, dropping a ladder which he proceeds to grab onto - only then turning around as he waves over to Thirteen "..sorry to cut our dinner short but I have wonderful news! it would seem my party was a roaring success - so much so that SIM and I are to be wed within a day!".

"...WHA-?!" Thirteen begins to exclaim.

"Quit blabbering." the new figure says, taking three shots, all aimed at Warmonger's skull.

Warmonger doesn't even flinch as the shots quite literally bounce of his head, leaving small marks that rapidly disappear - the helicopter rising as he holds onto the ladder "..of course she'll require some modification befitting of the future Queen of the War-Net - been fun, children.. we'll do this again sometime..".

Thirteen and the new figure start after the helicopter as it flies off- Thirteen uses his superhuman strength to literally run up walls and leap across buildings, and the new figure seems capable of the same feat.

The helicopter suddenly does something that is both fascinating yet frightening - it opens a vortex in the sky which quickly closes after it: the whole thing happening infuriating fast, the technology was too advanced even for the modern military of Earth to have created - raising serious questions as to how this apparent madman has access to it.. not to mention his seemingly effortless takeover of the V-Net.. something was very wrong with this picture..

"Thirteen and the figure stop on a rooftop, staring hopelessly at the spot where the helicopter disappeared. "Dammit..." the figure muttered. "This all doesn't add up. The V-Net is a massive digital archive and social network that connects the entire globe... Taking over it the way he did would be like taking over the real world silently..."

"...I didn't catch your name." Thirteen said bluntly.

"Redwood. Agent Redwood." the figure responded.

"...name's Thirteen." Thirteen responded. "And do you mind telling me what the hell's going on?"

"Wish I knew, kid." Redwood responded.

Chapter 3 - War Machine
The scene shifts back to the altered "War-Net" - with SIM strapped to a wall in what appears to be a large dungeon, despite her struggles she is unable to escape as the chains keep her arms and legs in place: her ears folding down as she watches an old man in a wheelchair roll over, his wheelchair has numerous devices attached to it.

"..it is time for your modifications, SIM - the master is so looking forward to this.. please.. do not resist.. it shall be over.. soon enough.." the figure notes, pulling over to SIM and extending several needle-like projections.

SIM breathes heavily then closes her eyes as the needles get closer to her arm <<..THIRTEEN>>.

+++++++++++++++

<<..THIRTEEN!>> the voice echoes across space/time, somehow breaking through the V-Net and into Thirteen's mind as he experiences a very brief image of what was occuring.

"Shit..." Thirteen mutters, paniking. "I need to get into the V-Net..."

"What? Why?" Redwood asks.

"No time to explain." Thirteen says, donning his V-Monitor and activating it. "I'm coming, SIM, just hang in there for a minute..."

+++++++++++++++

SIM growls slightly as the needles pierce into her arm, she feels herself beginning to change as her fur gets darker and her claws extend slightly - a surge of power building up inside her.. "..stop! you don't know what you're doing! STOP!".

"..on the contrary, I know exactly what I am doing.. the darkness within you - it is building.. now all that is left is to force it out.. then you shall make the perfect War-Bride.." the figure states with eerie calm.

An explosion suddenly bursts behind the figure, lighting up the room with red light and illuminating the silhouette of Thirteen.

The figure in the wheelchair turns around, pulling the needle from SIM's arm - yet she still growls as she tugs on her chains: her fur turning dark as her eyes begin to slowly change color: sparks flying from her body as the figure wheels towards Thirteen, brandishing the various devices like weapons.

"..no! no! NO! the conversion is not complete! she is still unstable! you must leave!"

"SHUT UP!" Thirteen roars, conjuring another rune circle in front of him like a giant shield; this circle projects a violent maelstrom of wind at the figure.

The figure tumbles, the wheelchair falling to one side as the figure falls to the ground - struggling to get back into the device when suddenly the sound of restraints shattering is heard, followed by a powerful explosion that sends both Thirteen and the figure flying a good few feet back as the room becomes engulfed in crackling smoke..