[Reyoki]

Some of the lower-ranked members in the crowd started to get agitated when Hayate confirmed their suspicions that Roland was a police officer. Maki's temper was still flaring a little, but she wasn't about to completely lose her head. There was something off about this guy, and the Ryuujin didn't want to find out what it was in the middle of the base where other Flame Skulls would be getting involved.

"How about we exchange information, then? We'll tell you what we know if you'll do the same. Then, we'll keep a lid on the fact that you've been talkin' to Skulls if you'll keep quiet about where this place is. We both get answers, and nobody has to get hurt," she said. Then, she glanced at Hayate and added, "Well, no more hurt than they are already. You gonna be alright?"

[Trakadon]

Roland's hands moved from behind his back and it had seemed that the handcuffs used to restrain his hands had been undone for quite some time. He reached up and pulled out a small match book that he had stashed in the lining of his bandanna and lit his cigarette. Roland breathed in deeply and then exhaled, smoke billowing out and filling the air.

"To be honest I could care less what happens to you all. Though I will do what I can for those that are innocent in this matter." Roland placed his hands into his pants pocket. "But I suppose I should give a bit of information first. You don't have long before the hunter find you. I should know. I made sure they would find the files with the location of this place. I'd say you have less then three hours before they come here in full force."

[Straywolf]

Makoto slowly followed the trail of blood down the alleyway. At one point, the trail of blood turned into a small pool. That Skull must've stopped here for a bit, and then continued down...here. She scanned the trail of blood again, and spotted two people standing in front of a door.

Guards? That must be the base.

Makoto examined the building from the corner she stood at. It was pretty much an old building, like every other building in the city. Hmm...I wonder if I can get inside. She took to the rooftops once again, hoping to find a ventilation shaft on the roof.

Once she reached the rooftop of the neighboring building, she slipped her hand into her pocket, and took out a small device. She pressed a small button on the bottom of it, and threw it onto the rooftop of the Skulls' hideout. Makoto took out her phone, and dialed a phone number. "It's me. I've put a tracker on one of the Skull Gangs' base. Send some units over and surround the area. Wait for my signal, and we'll kill everything in there."

"Got it. Several units are in the area and are en route. ETA thirty minutes."

[Espy]

HAYATE

"...I'll be fine. And that's old news. That Hunter will probably be here in at most an hour. The buildings up north don't take that long to explore."

He winced, in part from the healing gash and in part from surprise at the handcuffs. This man apparently is more skilled than I had thought.

[Reyoki]

"Nice trick with the cuffs, prick. Sorry to disappoint you, but nobody here had anything to do with that mess. I was right outside when the blast happened, and I put the place on lockdown immediately. The only reason you got in was you had Hayate here with you, and we take care of our own," Maki said venomously. "Does that satisfy your curiosity? 'Cause we kinda need to relocate before we're hunted down like a pack of animals."

[Straywolf]

Makoto backed up a few steps, and took a deep breath. She sprinted towards the edge of the roof, and jumped across to the other rooftop, rolling out of her rough landing. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out, and flipped it open.

"Yeah?"
"Ma'am. There are two squads of four south of your position. The rest are still on their way, but they won't arrive for another twenty minutes."
"That's fine. Just tell them to get here soon, or else we risk losing the Gang. Also, tell the squads who are still far away to set up a perimeter around this block. Cover everything. Every alleyway, sewer, and rooftop. No one's escaping."
"Roger that."

Makoto's headset beeped from her utility pouch. She switched her phone out for the earpiece, and put it in her ear. "Dal Niente. This is Onyx 0-1. Granite team's also here with us. What do you want us to do?"
"There's several guards patrolling the outside of the building. Tell Granite Team to take out the guards. Do it quietly. Onyx 0-1. You and your squad are with me. Get to the rooftop. I need someone to tap the cables. I want to see what's going on inside there."

Makoto paced around the Skull Hideout's roof. She looked over the edge, and saw two dead guards, and Granite Team setting up a C4 charge on the door.

[Trakadon]

Roland laughed slightly and shock his head. "They were my cuffs after all. Funny story, I was in bed with a rather playful woman you see and..." Roland paused. "Ah never mind..." He scratched the side of his cheek and looked away. "Well anyways I guess that's suitable for my curiosity. Though I'd recommend you all hurry."

[NikkoGallarado]

Vincent looked at all the underlings around the area make note to all of them to make sure not leave and keep Jubiee safe. Moving his gaze to look around the area to see who was around, it all seemed clear. Quickly moving out he head off to find one person he needed to talk to, Zaki quickly he made his way to the place where he knew the Tech Skull would be at this moment in time.

[Reyoki]

"Alright, you guys heard him; let's move out! We'll rendezvous tomorrow evening, alright? Keep your damn cell phones on! Let's go, people!" Maki shouted, and the whole building seemed to shift into high gear. Flame Skulls started scattering from the building from various exits. Some took the rooftop exit, some took the doors on the ground level, and some even fled the base through the windows into neighboring buildings. Maki gave Roland a brief nod before taking Hayate with her across a suspended catwalk out of a nearby window into the next building.

[Straywolf]

"Ma'am! We have movement behind the door!"

"Set up at the door! If a Skull comes out of there, shoot it down." Makoto radioed the Skull Headquarters. "What's the situation of the nearby Hunters?"

"We have several squads in the immediate area right now. Other available units are on the rooftops and on the streets, ready to take out any Skull fleeing the area."

The rooftop doors burst open, and Fire Skulls emerged from the building. "Weapons free!" Hunter Squad Onyx opened fire on the escaping Skulls. An explosion from the ground was triggered when some of the Fire Skulls tried exiting through the door Granite Team rigged, killing or injuring whatever was near the door.

"Shit." Makoto radioed the nearby Hunters. "All units! We have runners! We're hunting down Fire Skulls. Take caution, and open fire on all of them!" Multiple gunshots surrounding the building was heard, and several screams of fear echoed throughout the area.

Makoto looked over the side of the roof, and spotted two distinctive figures escaping on the catwalk on the side of the hideout. It's that naive boy again. And that aggressive woman that officer talked to. Without thinking, Makoto descended the fire escape, and jumped onto the catwalk, and began to pursue the two escaping Skulls.

Makoto radioed the Skull Hunter Headquarters one last time. "This is Dal. I'm in pursuit of what seems to be the Fire Skull's leader. One is a red-haired woman with bladed anklets and metal gloves. She's with an injured man who also has red hair. His body is bandaged up. I want these two alive. Notify all units to capture them if possible."

Makoto ran towards the two Fire Skulls, leaving the massacre of Fire Skulls to her comrades.

[Espy]

HAYATE

"Tr...trust me, I'll be fine," muttered Hayate as he nearly tipped himself off the catwalk. He glanced down to make sure the mask was still tied to his belt, then thought about the base. He wouldn't be going back anytime soon, apparently. The vest and shirt would be sorely missed.

...It wasn't as if there weren't unattended-to clothesline nearby.

"...We need to split. That woman has a grudge against me, I'm sure," he mumbled, glancing backwards

[Trakadon]

"Makoto ma'am! We need immediate assistance! I repeat, immediate assistance!" One of the hunters yelled over the radio. "Squads one through three have been eliminated by an unknown assailant wearing a bandanna with a skull pattern that doesn't match anything in our databases!" Scream could be heard over the radio and each new scream seemed to get louder and closer to the source of the hunter with the radio. "He's here! Oh god! Someone save m..." One last scream broadcasted over the radio before it fell silent.


Roland was sitting on a pile of hunters with a lit cigarette between his lips at the destroyed front entrance of the fire skulls base. Bodies of young fire skulls and hunters laid limp on the ground and in windows. Anyone who was in the area could tell that the fire skulls that were in the area were killed by the explosion. The hunters though appeared to have been mangled in a horrific manner. Their faces and limbs appeared to have been crushed and twisted.

[Straywolf]

Makoto stopped and listened to the Hunter. His panicking voice suddenly cut off from her earpiece. "Hey. Hey! What's going on?! Are you there?" The only thing that responded was the sound of static.

A man wearing a skull-print bandanna. That can't be right. Makoto looked in the direction where the two Fire Skulls ran off. She turned back and ran towards the Fire Skull's base.

Makoto walked past the corpses of Fire Skulls, and turned the corner to see the bandanna-wearing police officer sitting on a pile of fallen Skull Hunter bodies. Her eyes widened in shock, seeing the bodies of her comrades disfigured and crushed.

Makoto grit her teeth and pointed her MP7 at the police officer. "What the hell is this?!"

[Reyoki]

Once they were safely inside the next building, Maki let go of Hayate and said, "Alright, then don't let me down. I don't wanna lose any more family members today." She sprinted through the building, melting down any walls in her way with her Ryuujin powers.

Lillian was out in the market district when she heard a couple small explosions in the direction of one of the old office districts. "Wowee, there sure have been a lot of blasts going off lately!" said the vendor of the shop she was in. "I sure hope none of them Flame Skulls decide to blow up anything around here!" Lillian hummed in response as she gazed over the merchant's wares. "That would be... most troublesome," she said in an almost disinterested tone. "I'll take a pack of jerky, some bandages, and a small bottle of hundred-proof vodka."

[Trakadon]

Roland smiled at Makoto and waved at her. "Yo miss little hunter girl~" He reached down to one of the hunters and picked up a radio that was laying on him. "Did you like my little act?" He slowly stood up and started to walk off the pile of hunters. The hunters were all in the same condition but some where still alive, but barely so. "Unfortunately I went a bit overboard and I took out all the hunters before they had a chance to call you back. So I took the liberty." Roland tossed the radio at Makoto's feet and started to brush himself off. Despite the condition of the hunters there was no blood on Roland's clothes save for his shoes and the bottom of his pant legs which were gleamed a wet crimson color.

After brushing himself off Roland placed his hands in his pant pockets and exhaled smoke. "I told you I wouldn't be so kind the next time we meet."

[Straywolf]

Makoto quickly eyed at the radio that the police officer threw at her feet, and glared at the officer. She kept her sights on his head, getting slightly irritated at his smile.

"...And I said I would save a bullet for your head." Makoto noticed some of the Hunters holding onto the last threads of life they had, suffering from the injuries they sustained from the officer.

"What are you. A police officer who works with the Skull Gangs?"