A City in Chaos

**A City in Chaos** is a major story arc in *Villainy & Virtue*. The events of this plot run from post #2210 when States|res triggers a mass breakout at Heartania City Prison, and continues into the present.

## Timeline

### Prison Break

The Prison Break caused by Reaver and her strike team marks the beginning of the City of Chaos arc, being the first of Reaver's moves to drive Heartania into anarchy.

Reaver uses custom-built a device to shut down all power to the Heartania City Prison, causing mass breakouts of all of Heartania's most dangerous prisoners. Notable escapees include Knight and Gamble.

In order to contain the breakout, Starlass deployed her recently founded B-Team, with Nimbus joining Knight at the site of the breakout. She also forged an uneasy alliance with the Shadow Fixer, due to his desire to ensure the safety of medical staff. Together they worked to keep the damage caused by the criminals to a minimum.

### Showdown at City Hall (Part 1)

Immediately after triggering the prison break, Reaver along with Inferno and Adamant Tyrant moved to City Hall to launch an attack on the High Council. The Pursuer, fulfilling his duty to the council, engaged in combat with both Tyrant and Inferno, while Reaver (who attacked Frequency) was instead challenged by Shadow Fixer and Compound.

Shortly after the hostilities arose, Marshal Maleficus made an appearance, keeping Fixer busy while speaking to Reaver. However, Reaver was preoccupied by her stalemate battle with Compound. After stunning the beast with a high-density explosive, she made a quick escape, and the two heroes left the scene quickly afterward to lend their aid elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Inferno and Tyrant continued their assault on Pursuer, forcing him back deeper into the council complex.

### The Broker's Return

During the prison break, Jade Blythe, still mourning over the death of the Broker, tried to examine the details in Broker's plan based of a chessboard found in his office. With plans to meet up with Zap, she tidied up herself before departing.

Once the prison break was underway, Blythe received a message on her phone instructing her to head to an alleyway near the graveyard. When she arrived she saw the Broker emerge, alive. She delivered a slap before embracing him tightly, but the moment was spoiled when Reaver put her plan into motion, blowing up multiple landmarks and services at once.

The Broker takes Jade and Colin to the Wasteland, where the remains of the police force and volunteers gathered around, with the corrupt police commissioner trying to get them to move. The Broker delivered a swift punch before taking control of the force, leading them into battle with the prisoners with riot gear.

### The Rooftop Encounter

While acting on Reaver's orders, Snowflake found herself deep within Heartania's inner city when she encountered her old rival, Crimson. The two reminisced on their past in a battle of words atop a roof, when they were interrupted by the arrival of Ripley Augustine. Ripley and Snowflake battled, with both parties making an escape.

Snowflake took the time to examine the chaos before she realised what Reaver had done. She blew up the art gallery, one of Snowflake's personal paradises. She enraged at the apparent betrayal before flying up into the air and causes an extreme change in climate. Heavy snow descended onto the dark town, further limiting vision.

### Wastelanders Attack

Outside Heartania, Ares Warbander saw the chaos in the city as an opportunity to sack the people his clan had held a grudge against for many years. Upon entering the city, the Warbander warriors quickly gained a large portion of the city as their territory, making their base at the City Mall. Their advance was soon stopped, however, by both Compound and Shadow Fixer at the hospital garage, and Pathfinder and his East City Rooks.

Ares moved with a group of soldiers to confront the Rooks, but upon arriving in East City was ambushed by Pathfinder, sustaining heavy losses to his warhost. He and what remained of his men retreated back to the mall to regroup.

### Showdown at City Hall (Part 2)

With the police in a violent clash between the Wastelanders and the prisoners, The Broker led attempts to drive them back, only to see the situation at the City Hall. Concerned, he and a small team went to try and calm Inferno down. Adamant Tyrant's forces quickly opened fire at The Broker, killing his team and injuring The Broker. Taunted by Wild Card, whom arrived to steal documents, The Broker was able to access the City Hall and calm Inferno down. She left with Reaver's permission, whom commented that her strike team was the worst team assembled, and continued her assault on the council.

With the Broker's intervention, the Council was lead down a tunnel and into a convoy of armed trucks, frustrating Reaver whom saw the movement on a remove monitor. The Pursuer lead a defence and stood his ground, but Reaver was able to slip past him and break down the wall leading to the tunnel. The Pursuer attacked Reaver, injuring her but not before a piece of his armour gets stuck on collapsed rubble, forcing him to expose his burnt arm in order to progress.

Reaver finds the councillors gone and the sudden winter weather blocking her vision, but Adamant Tyrant arrives with her VTOL and takes Reaver up, proceeding to find the armoured convoy, unaware that Frequency is among them.

### Inferno's Fears Awaken

With the Broker doing what he can to keep Reaver at bay remotely, he strolls down the street with Inferno, making small talk about why she was under Reaver's service. Some officers arrive to treat Broker, whom is informed of the situation at a nearby mall. Seeing Inferno's desire to kill, and knowing that The Wastelanders death would be mutual to himself and Inferno, he sends Inferno to dispose of them.

However, nearby the superhero Fear was fighting her battle with the convicts and Wastelanders before making her way towards Inferno. The two make eye contact, and Inferno's worst fears flash before her eyes, forcing her to runaway in fear and breakdown in a river of tears.

### Civillian Evacuation

Frequency was on her tour when the situation escalated, after keeping bullets off the Pursuer and coming into contact with Reaver, she slipped her way towards the broken bridge. With civilians trapped, she used her power to build a bridge that allowed the civilians to cross. Starlass, unsure what to make of the situation, questioned her but Frequency calmed her down, ensuring that the civilians were safe, even going so far as to fish out a criminal in the crowds to show her commitment.

When the civilians crossed, Frequency relaxed and the bridge she built collapsed. She took a moment to look at the city, in pure chaos. Before the snowstorm had hit, she spotted a suspicious armoured convoy, and stowed away on one of the four trucks.

### The Beast Awakens: A God Makes His Move

Meanwhile,Ftangr, The Nameless convinces Mira and Shade to aid on the defence of the city. While flying towards Heartania, he sent a telapethatic message to Fluffy, Mira's pet. Burrowing From Ftangr's Sanctuary, the massive creature Attacked the rampant escapees and bandits, killing many under it's massive size and lethal Biomorphs. Meanwhile, Mira is let loose upon the city, using her primal form to spread terror among Reaver's Strike Team, consuming many.

Mira soon met Nimbus, whom was not welcoming at first due to the uneven circumstances, but then swore to protect her due to her presumed age. The Broker soon joins them and after a tearful reunion with Mira, set off into the city. Shade arrives soon and questions why The Broker is doing everything in his power to keep the council away from harm, in which The Broker angrily reveals that his sister, Claudia, is among the convoy.

Meanwhile, Ftangr flew around the city, using his ability to turn the bandits insane, when he suddenly met Snowflake plummeting to the ground. He caught her before she landed, and the two have a brief discussion before going their separate ways.

### VTOL Intervention

Reaver's VTOL found the convoy and ambushed it, unaware that Frequency was on board. Their attempt at firing missiles on the vehicles backfired when the guitar player redirected the missiles. Having to do the job herself, Reaver jumped onto the truck and planted an explosive.

It was then that The Pursuer arrived and jumped onto Tyrant's VTOL, damaging it in the process. Tyrant ordered the Pursuer's vehicle be destroyed, and so the VTOL did so, destroying it but unknowingly allowed one of the trucks to escape. The Pursuer scarred the VTOL before he is forced onto the armoured convoy. He quickly moves when he realises that an explosive device was planted, before Reaver blows up the convoy. Frequency and Pursuer then focus their attention on defending the convoy, with the Pursuer losing his shield, but not before mortally injuring one of Tyrant's mercenaries.

Frequency and Reaver engaged in a fierce duel, involving ice, daggers, and defending the vehicles. Unfortunately Frequency was forced into a position were she could on either defend herself or the convoy. Seeing an opportunity, Frequency took two wounds to the body before channeling her energy into one powerful shockwave.

### The Shockwave

The shockwave Frequency yelled out disoriented Reaver and allowed another truck to get away, though not before the other truck crashed. The shockwave also allowed The Pursuer to jump onto Adamant Tyrant's VTOL, killing four mercenaries and damaging the VTOL in the process. He was ordered to leave and protect the council since they were gathering at The Golden Pineapple.

The Broker, completely fed up with Shade and Nimbus' dismissive attitude towards his sister, abandoned them in order to pursue his convoy. He met up with Inferno and, feeling sorry for her, tried to comfort her tears. The shockwave, however, ruined the efforts and forced Broker to defend her from an oncoming wave of debris, though not before getting himself seriously injured in the process.

The shockwave was felt by Pathfinder and, in an effort to lessen the chaos, went off to see what happened. He saw Reaver in the distance, limping away from a pile of corpses, but he instead focused his attention onto Frequency. He picked her and The Broker up and threw them into the back of his truck in order to get them checked, though while he was driving past the Golden Pineapple, Broker haphazardly got off the truck.

The shockwave caused Reaver some damage, but was picked up by a trailing Wild Card. Adamant Tyrant managed to find where the council were, before they set off to try and finish what they started.

### City Mall Duel

Ares, after returning to his makeshift base of operations at City Mall, was challenged by Shadow Fixer to a round of single combat. Although Ares originally thought he stood a chance, the fight turned out to be incredibly one-sided in Fixer's favour. First the Fixer headbutted Ares, before insulting him, and finally shattered his blade with his cybernetic limbs. Ares accepted surrender before offering the position of clan chieftain, only to be met with humiliation from Fixer, demanding that he or his clan never return.

Ares rids himself of his trophies, before leaving the clan in a state of disarray. The fight broke him spiritualy, and he renamed himself *Ares the Fallen*.

This caught the attention of Ryleh, a demonic contractor. He strikes a deal, in exchange for his moral soul, Ares would get what he wants, including the sword Excalibur. Ares agrees, and sets off to find Pathfinder.

### A Tearful Reunion

The Broker limped towards the Pineapple to see whom was there, and fortunately his sister was among the unharmed. The two embraced each other, with The Broker crying in sheer joy and sorrow. Claudia tried to calm him down with some comforting words, but it didn't stop Jonathan's tears.

Snowflake, having abandoned Ftangr and silently swearing vengance against Reaver, had strolled around the snow, but came across the Pineapple and found out what happened. She smiled, knowing that this was an opportunity to one up Reaver, and started firing icicles towards the gathering group. Mira, however, had other plans and stopped the first wave of icicles before engaging Snowflake. The latter skidded around and attempted to kill, with some success. The Broker was left unharmed, but only because of the intervention of Claudia, who took the brunt of the attack.

The Broker tried to save and comfort her, but Claudia only tells him '*Thank you little brother'*, before dying in his arms. The Broker starts quietly sobbing as he cradled her body, but Mira went into a flurry of anger and prepared to essentially decimate Snowflake, but was stopped by Shade.

### The Broker's Breakdown

The near arrival of Wild Card and Reaver sent The Broker into a state of blind rage, and ordered his little mice to give him their weapons. He fired a grenade launcher at Wild Card's vehicle, severally damaging it, before focusing his attention on Snowflake. Inferno, however, stepped in to take her away, prompting Broker to announce that the two of them were dead.

Reaver and Wild Card started to taunt Broker while Adamant's mercenaries took aim at his head. Broker starts to go onto an almost drunken rant about the city and his control before firing at Wild Card, whom taunts him more. In a bigger fit of fury, The Broker destroys a nearby abandoned building, catching the attention of Compound, Shadow Fixer, and Starlass whom start to run towards the source. This was to the immediate displeasure of Crimson who found it *unecessary*, though he gave up the anger act after it appears that no-one was taking his bait as he mocked them.

The Broker then starts to open fire at Reaver, much to the joy of Charm, whom was watching the whole performance. With Reaver advancing on him, The Shadow Fixer arrived to stop her attacks before taunting her.

### A Clash of Heroes and Villains

The Pursuer arrived at the Pineapple and began to guard the councillors basement door. Unbeknownst to him, Marshal Maleficus had taken a few under his eye and "upgraded" them. Starlass, having seen Maleficus and the councillors herself warned the High Council transmission signal to be careful. The Pursuer, getting this signal, did a quick check up on the council, seeing that they were fine, before looking back and seeing Maleficus exit the club. The Pursuer followed suit and successfully left the building before the front section collapsed.

Maleficus began to taunt Shadow Fixer, commenting about his new arm, before leaving Reaver in the hands of a new morph, built in his image. Shade also arrives before The Blob does a poorly executed sneak attack. They start to attack each other, with Shade, Shadow, and Blob going after Reaver, with the Pursuer engaging the morph.

The Broker, still in his breakdown, saw Inferno arrive at the clash. Before he could process what was going on, Tyrant shot him multiple times. Before he could do more, Charm sent her two guards into the fray, with one of them starting to batter the injured Broker's face into the ground.

### The Closing Moments

The fight between The Pursuer and the giant morph was relatively brief. After dodging and attacking the giant for some time, the morph was able to blow the Pursuer back into the Golden Pineapple. The Pursuer, now with new orders from the High Council, escorts the surviving council members outside the Golden Pineapple and to the industrial wasteland, where they are picked up and taken away from the burning city.

The Broker was revived by Sla'Nesh, Nimbus, and Crimson, though so did his troubled thoughts. Still resenting Nimbus, he gives Crimson his business card before picking Claudia up and taking her to the riverside. Ryleh, with a signed contract from Mira, demanded the corpse. With the additional troubles that Mira has placed upon both him and her, he agrees under the condition that he gets a copy of the contract. Contract in hand and without Claudia, The Broker leaves the chaos to attend a funeral, and starts his plans.

The fight between Shade, Shadow, Blob, and Reaver went on for some time before Reaver successfully incapacitated Shade. Shadow Fixer held her off a lot longer before successfully defeating Reaver, though not before taking some serious damage himself.

Snowflake, watching the whole situation from afar, saw Fluffy emerge from the ground and saw an engagement between The Blob, the large morph, and the Tyrants. Before she could contribute, she was subdued by a mysterious entity, and was successfully kidnapped.

The morph self destructed, injuring Blob and Fluffy, and caused the final battle to eventually wane. Nariko rescued Inferno and Reaver, but was unfortunately unable to find Snowflake. Shadow Fixer was taken to the hospital to be treated, though the thoughts planted by the Marshal started to grow into something more dangerous. Alex and Raven rendezvous with The Broker, and eventually Jade, and attend the funeral of those who died. Other heroes were able to contain the prison through whatever means, and soon, the City in Chaos calmed down.

Argent Mind was able to confront the Marshal, but Argent was referred to by Alf, beginning a sense of uneasiness in Argent's head.