Men In Black
Always watchful, always secret...
Long the stuff of modern superstition, the notion of clandestine agents working at the behest of secret, powerful organizations has long provided rich fertile soil for conspiracy theorists and fiction writers the world over for decades. Ceaseless in their constant quest to cover up the truth regardless the cost, these black-suited individuals seem to be everywhere and anywhere, waiting to swoop in and quash those who would stand in their way. The Ronin Warriors have battled the demonic forces of the Dynasty and the extraterrestrial tyrants of the Thunthen, but as of late they've found themselves the target of this unknown group of sinister operatives that seem to know an awful lot about their personal lives and the Armors they wear. By whose authority is unclear, but these operatives have seemingly limitless financial backing and an assortment of highly-advanced weaponry at their disposal. They seem intent on either capturing-or killing-key members of the team.
Structure
To date, agents have been seen operating as independent units or attached to key figures, either as bodyguards, henchmen, or in some cases handlers. It is implied they operate as a secretive arm of a military, but what nationality is unknown...
"Ah... General! *snort* we-we have everything *snort* under control! I *snort* already have my top men working to retrieve *snort* the asset! I assure you *snort* he'll be back in my grip by tomorrow! You can *snort* count on me! I won't let him escape again!" "Is that so...?" the shadowy square-jawed figure with a uniform adorned with myriad medals and bars tilted his head to the side and nodded knowingly at the other man in the room. The black-suited man promptly drew a sidearm and pointed it at the fat sweaty crime boss without a second thought. "No! *snort* Wait!" the obese man pleaded desperately to no avail as the silenced bullet sent him spilling out of his leather chair with a dull thud. *"You are now in charge of operations. I expect better results going forward..."* "Sir!" the black-suited man saluted and holstered his sidearm.
Culture
Agents seem to dress the same: neat black suit, bright red ties with simple gold clips, white undershirt, and black sunglasses. They carry no forms of identification and their fingertips have been surgically altered, removing any traces of fingerprints. They appear as nondescript humorless men of formidable physical prowess, clean-shaven with plain haircuts.
“Harry!” The red-haired man turned around when Crystal Hacker called out from where she knelt beside one of the unconscious men. “These guys aint got no prints!” she stated incredulously. “They don’t look like royalty,” Harlann commented and jogged over, followed by Harry. “Not those kinda prince, boo: fingerprints, as in they aint got none!” Crystal lifted up the hand of one of the men and turned his hand over to display the palm. The skin looked eerily smooth. “Creepy…” “No ID either, not even a fake badge,” Davie Osmond stated from where he rummaged through pockets of the unconscious black-suited assailants. “This is some straight up men-in-black level stuff right here…” the girl commented. “What would a bunch of spooks want with a Ronin Warrior? Not only that...how’d they know where to find ya in the middle of flibbin’ nowhere?” Harry asked and gazed at Koma. “Whatever their reason, they sought to disturb my repose and called me by a name known to few and used by fewer,” the man replied.
Public Agenda
Generally agents act in the shadows, at the late hours of night, or in abandoned, empty areas in the daytime. The rare occasions they are seen they are perceived as government boogeymen carrying out some unknown mission. They seem obsessed with intercepting and apprehending anyone associated with "magic" and squelching any rumors or conspiracy theories concerning otherworldly forces such as demonic or alien.
Spoiler Warning: Upcoming Content!
Yulie's Tales Ch. 6Yulie tried to wrench free of his captor and draw his sword, but another agent rushed forward and kneed him in the stomach before grabbing his head and pulling it back roughly. "That's enough heroics out of you, kid! Once we're done with the girl, that little trinket of yours is next!" Yulie's eyes widened in shock. How could they possibly know about his dragon pearl?
"Now, if there's no further interruptions...let's get this business over with..." the elderly man moved the wirecutters closer to the ornate button.
"NO! NO! STOP! STOOOOOP!" Barbara shrieked and an invisible pulse emanated from her, sending lose objects skittering and nearly pulling the man's ornate bifocals off his face. Yulie glanced at her, stunned. Did that come from her? The elderly man chuckled, amused, and grinned his devilish grin.
"Oh ho hoo! I see you inherited quite a bit from your grandmother! See, little girls simply aren't meant to have special powers! It upsets the balance of things," the elderly man chided like a strict school teacher. "Now, just a little snip snip here and..." the man prepared to insert the button into the wirecutters.
"NO! DON'T! DON'T!" Barbara wailed to no avail as the elderly man began tightening his grip.
All of a sudden something whizzed out from the side and struck the elderly man in the side of his face, sending him sprawling. The wirecutters went one way and the button clattered onto the rooftop. Another object-a segmented claw attached to a thick black chain-hit the agent restraining Yulie square in the face, sending blood flying in a radial spray. Barbara stomped down on the foot of the agent holding her and elbowed him in the groin, forcing him to release her. She dashed forward as the elderly man struggled to hands and knees, trying to reach out for the button again.
"Get AWAY from that!" she kicked him viciously in the mouth, knocking him over before stooping down and seizing the button in her palm.
"YULIE!!!" Yulie whirled around, trying to get his bearings in the fray. He saw a familiar form descending towards the rooftop. "HANG ON!!" Anubis shouted as he shot forth more chains from his back and knocked away agents trying to flank Yulie and Barbara. Anubis landed on the roof neatly and ran forward to meet the two youths. He leaned down and wrapped his arms snugly around their waists before springing powerfully into the air. Two more chains shot out, snagging the adjacent rooftop and pulling him forward. He landed and set Yulie and Barbara down, patting them on their backs. "Are both of you alright?" he asked. Yulie and Barbara nodded.
"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" the elderly man screamed as he struggled to stand, blood spewing from his mouth-now missing several more yellowed teeth. "It doesn't matter if you're friends with the Ronin Warriors! We'll come for them soon enough! Mark my words! Especially you: Koma Toshitada!!" Anubis jerked his head up slightly and wrinkled his brow, frowning. "Just you wait! No one you love will be safe from us! Not that senile old shaman, or that lovely young daughter of yours!" Anubis said nothing and glanced out the corner of his eye. "I can imagine it now...her delightful screams once we finish with her..." the elderly man taunted, his shattered bifocals resting askew on his crooked nose.
"Yulie...." Anubis began in a tone Yulie hadn't heard from him in YEARS: not since his days as a Dark Warlord. "...Turn. Her. Away," Anubis growled through clenched teeth. Yulie grabbed Barbara and pulled her close, whirling her around at the same time Anubis spun to face the wicked elderly man and raised his right arm before lashing down mightily, deploying the axe from his gauntlet and sending it flying with a throaty cry. The axe spun through the air, whistling shrilly before burying itself blade-first into the elderly man's chest powerfully enough to send him flying off the rooftop.
The wicked man both screamed and laughed as he flew backwards, cackling with mad glee before his gurgling cries faded in the distance. Anubis turned to the side slightly and shot off a chain that arced past the roof's edge and down before he recalled it, the bloody axe clutched securely in its claw. Anubis held up his right arm and the axe slid in neatly into its socket before the blade-still dripping with blood-retracted into the gauntlet. The chain likewise retracted into the housing on his back. Yulie had let go of Barbara and dared a glance just in time to see a few drops of blood spatter onto the rooftop. "...Anubis...." Yulie whispered, shocked.
"I made that call so you wouldn't have to," Anubis stated softly and turned to face them.
Assets
Whatever group they belong to or are affiliated with, they seem to have access to nigh-limitless funding and advanced technology and vehicles such as helicopters, luxury cars, firearms, and equipment capable of detecting the subtle energy patterns associated with "magic".
Spoiler Warning: Upcoming Content!
Yulie's Tales Ch. 6Barbara Ikari skipped down the stairwell two steps at a time, humming idly to herself like she always did when going grocery shopping. She paused when she saw shadows coming up the steps and wondered if perhaps one of the neighbors had decided to go out early in the morning. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the black fedora as an elderly-looking man rounded the corner and turned around, tilting his face up to look at her. He wore ornate bifocals, but instead of looking like a kindly old grandfather he had a face that looked like a skull covered in shriveled skin and a mouth full of yellowed teeth that smiled like the Devil.
"Why...hello there little girl! Fancy running into you! Tell me...is your grandmother well?" he purred and rubbed his black-gloved palm over the rail, moving up a step. Barbara shook her head, her face contorted in disgust and whirled around and bolted back up the stairs before the man took another step towards her. She heard the rattling thumps of heavy footfalls coming up the stairwell and dashed back inside her apartment and bolted the door shut then began dragging anything heavy she could move to block it: dresser drawers, cabinets, tables, lampstands, chairs...
She yelped when she heard a series of sharp raps on the door. "Little girl! It isn't nice for you to run away like that! Open this door! Open this door this instant! Little girl! Little girl!" the elderly man demanded and the door shook violently. Barbara clamped her hands over her ears and braced her back against a heavy cabinet, sagging down to the floor weeping. "Open up right now! Open this door!" Outside the apartment, the elderly man nodded sharply to the side and stepped away to make room as a pair of burly agents began ramming their shoulders against the door. Barbara shrieked when she heard the door rattle as something heavy slammed against it, nearly breaking the bolt loose from the frame. Splinters of wood flaked away from the bolt and Barbara curled up where she sat. The door looked ready to snap any second from the constant battering.
"DEMETER!!!" Barbara threw back her head and shouted. The second the door finally gave way and the black-suited men began forcing their way inside, a loud roar like that of a big cat echoed through the apartment and they heard the sound of shattering brick as something large plowed through the wall. Wings unfurled and flapped as a stocky muscular figure sprang into the air. The agents scrambled into the ruined apartment too late and skidded to a stop infront of the yawning hole in the wall. They could only watch as what looked like a large lioness with wings and a feathery tail rose into the air carrying Barbara on its back, roaring in defiance.
The elderly man sauntered over to the hole leisurely, pulling off one glove and slapping it into his palm. "Well well well now...things just got a great deal more interesting today..." he purred, his thin lips pulling tight over his yellowed teeth.
History
The archetypal clandestine operative has been a pop-culture fixture dating all the way back to the 70's, primarily the United States, however these particular agents have only begun acting against the team recently.
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Kento Vs. Agents (Scene from Spacequake Ch. 3)
by
Mardrena
Made with Realistic Paint Studio
Events of Spacequake
While Ryo works to retrieve the other amnesiac Ronin Warriors in Ch. 3 "Ronin to Arms!", some of them have close encounters with ominous agents. An attempt is made on Tanya's life and Kento is forced to use his Avatar form to fend off dozens of agents. Much later in Ch. 4 "Wrawthe of the Gods", Dais is retrieved by the Blue Isis Pirates before agents can close in on his position. Halfway across the globe, agents attempt to apprehend Anubis, calling him by his birth name Koma Toshitada. He quickly makes short work of them and the Neo Ronin arrive to rescue him and throw their helicopter off the butte, leaving them stranded and destroying the system apparently used to track Anubis. In Ch. 6 "Captain Caroline Wendell and the Secret of Immortality", a letter entrusted to Mia's grandfather makes obscure references to sinister operatives. Mia thinks it is just a conspiracy theory, but Captain Caroline Wendell states she's encountered such operatives before when she and Gage were newlyweds and warns Mia that the Ronin might face threats other than demons and aliens at some point.Events of Neo Ronin
Agents act on the behest of the mad scientist responsible for creating Adam and Sheila, subduing Adam using high-voltage tasers and gas grenades in Ch. 12 "True Colors". The agents seem tasked with protecting the mad scientist but are quickly disarmed by young Harlann Wallhanger. They are presumed killed when the mad scientist triggers explosives and destroys himself along with any files on Adam and Sheila. Adam tells Emma of a faint memory of a gruff military man, apparently the commander of the mad scientist and the agents. In Ch. 13 "Aces n' Eights", Davie Osmond uncovers a coded distress call he believes is from his missing father. With aid from Crystal Hacker, the Neo Ronin trace the signal to a Yakuza hideout. Before anyone can object, Davie barges inside, virtually single-handedly taking down any hostile thugs. His father Franklin is discovered alive, but before he escapes with the children, he insists on destroying accumulated data which hints at a clandestine interest in not just the Ronin Warriors but people affiliated with them. The Yakuza boss is unceremoniously executed for his failure and an agent answering to an unnamed "General" appointed in his place.
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Ominous Agent
by
Mardrena
Made with Rebelle 7
Spoiler Warning: Upcoming Content!
Ronin WarriorSpectra"Mia Koji?" Mia paused when she heard her name called and turned around to see a pair of heavyset men in black suits with black sunglasses approaching her. "We're going to have to ask you to come with us now."
"...I...beg your pardon? Who exactly are you?" Mia made a face and glanced at each of the men.
"That's none of your concern. Just come with us," one man said curtly. Mia began feeling uneasy and shifted her bag strap on her shoulder.
"I....I think I'd rather not...I'm sorry, if you'll excuse me, I should be getting home...." Mia turned to reach for her car door handle only to see a third man step out from the side. They began to crowd towards her, forcing her to step away from the jeep.
"I'm afraid we must insist, Professor Koji..." the third man stated and reached down to his coat, pulling it to the side just enough for Mia to see the butt of a sidearm. Mia didn't know what to do as the men stepped closer and closer, looming closer menacingly.
"I-I-I really...need...to get home..." Mia stammered, panic starting to set in. She spotted no one else nearby she could call for help, and even if she did the men would just seize her and bystanders would assume she'd done something improper.
"ROWR!!!" Mia danced back as something small and white dropped down to the ground between her and the menacing men. They all drew their sidearms and aimed at the small four-legged feather-winged being.
"Persephone!?" Mia exclaimed as the little sphinx splayed her legs and spread her tiny wings, fanning her feathered tail briefly. The agents snarled at her a few moments before relaxing and lowering their pistols, baffled.
"...That a Pokemon?" one of them asked and made a face, perplexed. Persephone scowled and drew her head back, her chest ruff puffing out as she inhaled deeply. Mia knew what that meant and whirled around, crouching and clamping her hands over her ears just before a powerful shockwave emanated forward from Persephone, shattering windows and cracking concrete in its path. Mia heard the muffled giga-scream through her palms and waited for it to fade before lowering her hands and daring a glance over her shoulder.
All three men lay sprawled on their backs, mouths hanging open in a stupor and sunglasses crooked on their faces. Blood trickled out of their ears as if Persephone's cry had liquefied their brains and it dribbled out of their skulls. Mia blinked when she felt something tug the back of her coat and she began rising into the air. Persephone grabbed folds of her coat in her jaws and beat her tiny wings powerfully, grunting with effort. Mia let her bag slip to the ground as Persephone slowly carried her to relative safety.
Technological Level
Agents have been observed using military-grade equipment like helicopters, tungsten-copper alloy armor-piercing rounds, high-voltage tasers, gas grenades, high-potency sedatives, unmarked cars, and tracking systems apparently tuned to the energy signature emitted by the Armors.
Cye frowned when he saw blood staining Kento’s back. “Whoa! You got yourself a bit of a souvenir there, Kento!” he remarked. Kento grunted and tilted his head over his shoulder. “Oh. Forgot about that. You could’ve given us a bit of a warning about this stuff. We got ambushed by some weirdos in black suits…” Kento turned to face Ryo and reached around, trying to pinch the skin. Roxi’s eyes widened when she saw the telltale glint of a bullet. The wound itself had healed when Kento transformed, but the skin sealed snugly around the bullet instead of pushing it out entirely. “Guys in suits? You sure they weren’t just possessed by Nether Spirits or something?” “Whoa! Kento, hold on there!” Roxi warned and sprang up from her seat, holding her hand up and splaying her fingers. Kento withdrew his hand and remained still as Roxi strode over. He cringed nervously when he saw her draw her Bowie knife and move the tip close to the entry wound. Before his nerves could even register anything, Roxi expertly tweaked the bullet out using the knife tip and bounced it about in her palm, gauging the weight. She pinched the bullet between her thumb and index finger and studied it intently. “...tungsten alloy...looks like copper…Kento, this is an armor piercing bullet! Someone was trying to kill you!” Roxi stated and looked up at him, brow furrowed in concern. Kento stared down at her then looked past her at where Tanya stood. Their stunned gazes met: they both knew who that bullet had been originally intended for.
Keep Everyone Safe, Keep Everything Secret
She watched Kento get completely dogpiled by a dozen or more men in black suits and sunglasses, so much so she couldn’t see him under so many attackers.
A black car came to a stop a block away from the scene and black-suited men with sunglasses emerged onto the sidewalk. “Damn! We just barely missed him!” “Verrrry interesting…” a voice with a distinctly European accent purred from behind the men. “Sir?” One of them turned around to face an elderly man of short stature, also garbed in black. Unlike the neat suits of the others, he wore a black trenchcoat and fedora.
Founding Date
Unknown
Type
Secret, Military
Alternative Names
Weirdos in Black Suits
“Toshitada Koma!! We’re going to have to ask you to come with us!” one of the suited men barked sternly and drew out a pistol. The other men in the “team” likewise drew out sidearms. “And if I decline?” the man called Koma drawled, the purr in his voice masking a dangerous edge. “We strongly recommend against doing that!” another man sneered and they all made a show of clicking the slides on their sidearms.
Two large men charged forward and seized Adam by his upper arms, trying to pin him to the ground. Adam growled and easily flung the men-nearly twice his size-against the wall. “Outstanding! You still retain some of your neo-natal combat programming! Please stop resisting. You are far too fine a specimen to lose at this stage.” Two pairs of spikes attached to cables shot out from the blinding light and struck Adam in the upper chest. Electricity coursed along the cables and sent a powerful jolt through his body.
All artwork used is self-made and belongs to me unless otherwise stated, such as kitbashes and commissions. Age of Defiance does not and will not use or feature RW/YST original artwork out of consideration for the OAS creators
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