Sniper came rushing back in to the subway at the same time that the remainder of the Guardians spilled through the odd red porthole. There, they each landed and alighted, standing here amidst the silence and nothingness of the dead subway. Only the scant sounds of people milling about in the street above dared to break that brief silence, as each of them came to stand where they needed to be.

OOC: Insert "hellos" here ... /OOC

~The Botanical Gardens ~

The people who had been carried outside cried thank yous and tears of pain almost simultaneously. Wild Lotus moved among them, checking each of them as she did for serious breaks, for lethal potential, for anything that would further endanger a life or keep them at risk. With each passing victim, she was pleased to find them bruised, battered, broken, but safe. Safe now because of the Guardians.

~~ The Guardians and Sniper ~~

Sniper heard a beep. In a lab, on nearly the other side of the Botanical Gardens, no such sound chimed. Instead, that tell-tale chime sent an invisible radio signal coursing through the airspace around the gardens. A signal, quick and fast, received by a similar device sitting in the loading bay.

~~ Sniper ~~

He watched. The reticle was fingers, accusatory, hovering as the form of the car moved back and forth, distant and weaving and unique. The small plus sign on his scope spoke volumes, offered thousands of "kill chances", where a snapped shot could take out a tire, take out an engine, a driver, a passenger, luggage. Whatever. A thousand passing moments for him to do what he did best, all of them passed. None of them fulfilled.

Sniper did what he did best. He watched.

Jesse Parsons had a memory like a steel trap. He remembered the turns he’d taken to get here, the people on the streets as he passed, their looks and gazes as he and the flurry of flashing lights chased specters down the streets, the scent of wet dew and worms heavy in the morning air, the streetlights dimming in the newly awake sun. Everything, minor detail or not, passed through little filter before he stored it. It was a gift.

Leah's cell phone rang just as she stepped into the shower. She ignored it. Whoever was calling would just have to wait. Instead she concentrated on showering away the slime in her hair and clinging to her skin everywhere that her cloak, leather skirt or boots hadn't covered her. The fabric of her leggings and tank top wasn't thick enough to prevent that vile goo from soaking through to her skin.

(Jesus Christ,) Leah thought. (Snot Man. Who the fuck would voluntarily call himself Snot Man?)

**AEGIS command to Guardians.** Commander Dudley said over the team's radio, **We have two heavy lifting helos coming into move the big gorilla and move him to someplace more secure. Someone from Animal Control will be assisting you. No one is sure what's going to happen to him next; and no one has offered anything remotely palatable. As soon as the helos are here, we can get off site. Good work, team.** Her voice sounded back to normal now, the harried stress was gone and her usual commanding presence was back.

Recalling the monster monstera plant to mind, WiLo flexed her power and slipped them through the "world root," a realm of vegetative consciousness quite unlike animal or human consciousness. But before her companion could even begin to quantify the differences they were stepping out of the monstera and into the deserted primate habitat.

"Okay," Lotus whispered, stretching out her sight to all the plants in the building. "What now?"

Shimmer blinked a few times as she processed her new location. The AEGIS agents looked at her with concern and she gave them a small smile to let them know that she was alright. "I just had a psychic encounter with an altered ape. I think that someone has injected some of these animals with..." Her voice trailed off realizing that she didn't have enough time to explain her suspicions. "I've got a date with a primate."

After a few seconds of disorientation, she finds herself inside the zoo; but there are no animals and most of the plant life is dark and sinister looking. It also looks *way* more like the African jungle than it does Denver: a single mountain is visible in the background (instead of the rockies).

Shimmer blinked her eyes twice to orient herself to the sudden change in her surroundings. "Holy...sh...wow. This isn't real...this is just an illusion..." Taking a deep breath she let it out slowly and was about to center herself when a voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

He looked back along the sedan's trajectory to see the giant ape beating his chest and bellowing at him. He had his next target, and this was a perfect time to exercise some of the teamwork they'd forged in the past week and a half of practice.

"WiLo, prepare for pickup," he broadcast while arrowing back down towards her location on the ground. "Let's see if we can give that overgrown banana disposal something to think about."

He swooped in low behind her and cut his speed to reduce the jarring from impact. He just hoped she remembered to reciprocate and sprint forward.

Wednesday, 3PM -- Eleven Days after the first meeting

The past eleven days have been hectic, finding new places to live; learning the new town and the new team. The Aspen complex, which is a five level base carved into the mountain, has housing for everyone – but no one is expected to live there permanently (though the view is better than most anything you could expect in Denver).

After a few seconds of disorientation, she finds herself inside the zoo; but there are no animals and most of the plant life is dark and sinister looking. It also looks *way* more like the African jungle than it does Denver: a single mountain is visible in the background (instead of the rockies).

Shimmer blinked her eyes twice to orient herself to the sudden change in her surroundings. "Holy...sh...wow. This isn't real...this is just an illusion..." Taking a deep breath she let it out slowly and was about to center herself when a voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

Thomas Morgan poured everyone a glass of wine (or water or whatever you prefer) then raised his own. "In my career as a hero, I found friends and ... lost them. You'll need to learn about each other and hopefully, you'll come to be more than just a thrown together collective of heroes. Hopefully, you'll make a family for yourselves here in the Guardians. You'll come to rely on each other; you'll come to know that your life is safest when your teammates are at your side. You will learn to give of yourself and that everything you give, will be given back to you by your teammates.

The masked man looked up from the folder he was reading, “I am familiar with this one.” He said, “But, I have to ask, are you sure you want to do this? Will you have containment set-up or is your plan just to unleash destruction?”

“I can’t see how that is any of your business, Jack.” The well-dressed man said.

“I am making it my business.” One-eyed Jack replied. “We will be inserting our people into this situation and we don’t risk our people needlessly. So – either you tell me your immediate plans, or you’ll need to find someone else to do your dirty work.”

One-eyed Jack closed the file and pushed it back across the desk to the well-dressed man. “I’ll be leaving now.”

“Wait, OK.” The other man said before Jack could stand. “We have no plan, creating chaos is our plan. You will need to provide a rapid extraction for your people.”