4:29 am, Pomme De Orre, Somewhere in the Indian Ocean

Deep in the hold of the ship is a room. A quiet room. The only noises emanating from within are the sounds of typing and the occasional OpNet show. Miguel approached the door without the usual trepidation he felt when calling on one of the many Elites that named this ship home. The room's occupant had a pleasant reputation amongst the crew.

Miguel knocked briskly. “Senor McCauley? They would like you in the ready room Senor.”

“On my way!” As per usual, the voice was bright and chipper. Just what you'd expect from such a nice young man.

4:45 am, Ready Room of the Pomme De Orre.

Elites are not cookie cutter images. They differ drastically from one another despite their shared profession. The inhabitants of the Ready Room illustrated that fact very well. Boomslang, dressed as if he had just stepped off a flyer for Ibiza vacations, gorgeous, hairless, shameless. Harry the Hammer, as ugly and hairy as Boomslang was the opposite, Harry also stood out due to his manner of dress. His Grandmother, may she rest in peace, had always told him that the late Liberace was the epitome of style and grace. Harry believed her, and God help anyone who tried to disagree with Harry's Gramma. Between the two, in stark contrast to the fashion Yin and Yang was Patrick McCauley. Known as Ripsaw in the Elite world this gentle appearing young man stood quietly listening to the debriefing, as always taking careful notes in a tight little script on a pocket pad. A sharply pressed suit of a conservative cut ten years out of date was the only other noteworthy item about him, except of course, his eyes. Sharp lashes of energy flick out from his eyes, scarlet in color.

The debriefing goes as they normally do. A target is identified, fees are discussed, and equipment is handed out. Words of encouragement. The farewell toast. The departure.

8:03 am, T2M Headquarters Americas, Mexico City

An urgent call to arms. Rushed into action. Terse instructions and dire warnings. Elites with murder on their mind are coming to Columbia. Democracy is in peril. Utopia cannot stand by as a nation's sovereignty is compromised. Lethal force is authorized. But remember, we are champions of freedom, not assassins.

Six bright and shiny figures leap into action. Paladin, righteous and honorable from the British Isle. Eastside, the reformed gangbanger from Los Angeles. Daniel "Hard' Blake, the invulnerable man from Missouri. Shadow Thieu, the Vietnamese darkshaper. Molly Hatchet, the Canadian Cutter. Mellisanda Estevez, the teams leader for this mission.

10:04 am, Bogota, Columbia.

The neighborhood around the Los Hermanos Jimenez Panaderia was always quiet, always calm. The residents of the neighborhood knew better than to disturb the business of Pablo Jimenez, a powerful man, and a powerful government figure. The disturbance today was not local. The disturbance today came from on high, from some of the few that Pablo Jimenez had harmed in his path to glory.

There are common features to an Elite attack of this nature. Screams. Fire. Explosions. DeVrye's Elites, when necessary, can be extraordinarily quiet and sneaky. None of these Elites would ever think of putting "sneaky' down on a resume.

Boomslang whipped out curling, spinning arcs of sonic energy. Each of these shattering matter in a cloud of dust as the vibrations disrupted solid objects. The bullets of the defending guards passed through his humming form as though he was a ghost. He called out to his targets, challenging their Latino machismo with taunts more often heard in leather bars than on a battlefield.
Harry the Hammer strode through the field of battle, humming bits of Beethoven and Schubert as he tossed vehicles and large portions of masonry at whoever offered themselves as a target. Careful as always to keep his eufibre rhinestones and silver lame sparkling he moved carefully through the accumulating debris.

Ripsaw's gentle demeanor was gone. Upon their arrival Boomslang had given Patrick the post-hypnotic code word that would allow the young man to vent the rage and hatred for the world that the doctors at DeVrye kept bottled up until it was profitable. Crimson and scarlet energy whipped about him in a maelstrom. Phantom images of two screaming, twisted faces would blink in and out across the field of energy that surrounded him. His arms were a blaze of energy again, filled with ghostly images that would flutter. Hands, claws, teeth, belts, paddles, fists, cigarettes, and more. He stalked the hallways of the Panaderia and those who engaged him in battle were reduced to strands of meat and blood strewn in his wake.


10:00 am, Los Hermanos De Jimenez Panaderia

The blinking open of a hole in space, silent and sudden, was the only announcement of the T2M agents as they came upon the slaughter. Autocameras from N! Networks, as omnipresent as oxygen around T2M, could only catch merest flickers of the action.

Molly Hatchet and Paladin engaging Harry the Hammer. Molly's bladed forearms sending up sparks against Harry's steel-hard skin. Paladin's brilliant blue beams richoteting off Harry's massive chest.

Shadow Thieu and Daniel "Hard' Blake surprising Ripsaw. Found in the middle of the boardroom of the Panaderia Ripsaw was already knee-deep in the bodies of Pablo Jimenez and his Board of Directors.

Melissanda and Eastside doing their best to avoid Boomslang's vicious onslaught of quantum powered mayhem. Despite Eastside's training and experience, the Elite's node was too strong and shutting him down was impossible.

Harry the Hammer knocking Paladin unconscious with a carefully aimed blow to the temple. Later it would be suggested that if the Utopian had only been willing to fight as dirty as his opponent his failure could have been avoided. Molly grabbing up her fallen comrade and retreating.

Shadow Thieu kneeling in front of Ripsaw, his eyes wide in horror as he gazes down at the ruined pile of his own entrails sliding down his thighs. His last breath spent calling for backup as "Hard' engages Ripsaw directly.

Eastside and Milissanda entering the room, having lost Boomslang to find "Hard' locked in a rolling tussle with Ripsaw, screaming obscenities as Ripsaw's energy field hums around him harmlessly.

Eastside looking upon Shadow Thieu in horror and then turning upon Rispaw, eyes filled with tears and voice cracked with rage. A pale green glow erupts from his outstretched arms and pours over Ripsaw's body.

The crimson glow of Ripsaw flicker and die under the pressure of Eastside's Shutdown Special.

"Hard' finding himself with the upper hand manages to get on top of Ripsaw, "Hard' begins to pummel Ripsaw's face. Again, and again, and again. Hard smacking sounds are replaced with a repetitive dull, wet, smacking noise.

Those two minutes of imagery, edited down to fifteen seconds so as not to offend the sensibilities of a public disturbed by such brutality would be the centerpiece of that day's headlines.

"Team Tomorrow Battle Elites in Colombian Massacre.'

The details of the story, as usual, tend to champion the cause of righteousness and purity as embodied by Project Utopia. Of course, the world being the cynical place that it is, the Elites will get their own due and admiration. The reasons why Pablo Jimenez was targeted for death would remain unexplored and unexplained. His family and the family of his victim preferred it that way. Shadow Thieu would live, thanks to the quick thinking and spatial warping skills of Mellisanda Estevez. Paladin would recover quickly. Molly Hatchett and Eastside would be given commendations for their quick thinking and support of their teammates. Boomslang and Harry the Hammer would escape capture thanks to Boomslang's "Hidden Agenda' power. Currently they are wanted by the Colombian authorities however no one has been able to deliver a warrant.

Only one casualty occurred during the Battle of Bogata. Patrick "Ripsaw' McCauley died in the field from massive head trauma. The steel-hard fists of Daniel "Hard' Blake struck him approximately one hundred times. Death occurred sometime after the first five or six blows. Patrick McCauley was survived by no known family. His Elite Death Benefits were left to a few of the crew members on the Pomme de Orre that had shown him some kindness.

Daniel "Hard' Blake has taken a leave of absence from active service with Team Tommorow. He is currently under a doctor's care. His resignation has been refused by Director Reed. It is expected he will return to service once he has had the proper rest.