[Other FULL] Titans: Reborn [Prologue]

Foxrally · Jun 5, 2016

Nerites Ekitai
Child of The Ocean

Nerites was thankful the airport was close to the ocean. I wonder why they didn't just make it a sea port, then. she thought. Father's realm is much more pleasant than uncle's.

The five thousand mile trip had only taken her a few hours. It felt nice to go on another road trip (or sea trip, in that case) after three years of wandering around Greece. Even after centuries of doing it, sea travel was still wondrous to her. The Mediterranean was much more pleasant than the Atlantic, despite the latter having been her primary watchzone as a neries. However as the water got progressively dirty, she could tell she was reaching her destination: Hyperia.

Oh, the feel of these waters truly does bring back many memories... Nerites thought to herself. I'm not sure exactly which memories, but memories nonetheless.

It seemed the sun has just about set, and the cold night wind was just beginning to blow in - now she understood why those tourists were escaping to the more temperate countries. While the city itself was a beautiful place to walk through, the docks and less developed areas of the town were much less glamorous, not that Nerites minded. The place was practically deserted by now, with hungry rats and alley cats being the only souls she could see from here. As she reached the pier, a long tendril of water began to sneak out of the sea, before touching the ground. After a few moments the tendril disconnected from the ocean and the watery mass took a more humanoid form; which in turn solidified into a person. Her lighter tourist clothes were gone now however, having been replaced with a heavier outfit and a jacket for the cold wind.

Nerites stood there for a while, hands on her hips, contemplating the docks. They hadn't changed much since the last time she had been here, they still looked and smelled the same. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, before stopping short as she coughed and hacked from the breath of fresh boat exhaust she had just inhaled.

"Oh, dear me -cough- what in the name of the gods did you eat?!" she said, turning to the yacht behind her while blowing away the exhaust with her hand. Deciding to stay away from the smoking vessel, she made her way over to a large signpost which displayed a map of the docks. I do not see any sign of an air dock... she thought, scratching her chin. Maybe I-

Her train of thought was cut short as she noticed a purple figure in the distance, soaring through the sky. Is that... her eyes widened as she hurriedly reached into her back pocket and pulled out her (surprisingly dry) notebook. Half of the pages were filled with crude drawings of her former fellow champions, but one black and purple figure was most prominent among the messy doodles. "It was Quantum!" Nerites exclaimed, closing her notebook and looking around to where the purple blur had disappeared. She wasn't sure if any other purple flying energy beings had settled in since her time outside the country, but it was a pretty good bet this was her former teammate.

She disappeared behind a warehouse over there... That must be where she must be! she thought, thrilled.

---------

Oh, this will be great! I will tell her all about me and Chris' time in Athens, and all the museums, and the weather, and the food... Although maybe I should not tell her about the food, she can't really eat... Nerites thought to herself, humming cheerfully as she navigated through the multiple warehouses and crates towards the warehouse Quantum had gone to. Ah, here it is!

The first thing she noticed was the young hooded boy standing in what appeared to be a hole in the wall. Nearby was another person, bent over as if they had an upset stomach. The quaint little smile on Nerites' face grew wider as her form instantly dissipated into water and dropped down into a snake-like coil. She zoomed to the figure near the hole in the wall, reforming into a humanoid shape as she approached him.

"Oh, you must be- wait, you're not- oh..." her smile faded into a confused expression. "You seem unfamiliar." she muttered, peeking over the boy's shoulder at the person who seemed to be ill. As she did so, she managed to take a better look inside the warehouse. There were quite a few people, some chatting together, some standing alone, and- there she was! Right next to two other people was the person she had been looking for. "QUANTUM!" she exclaimed.

Darting carelessly past the hooded boy, Nerites dashed towards the trio, picking up more and more speed before crashing into Quantum in a wave-like body slam, sending half of her body splashing across the floor and onto the other two people as she coiled around Quantum in a watery hug.

"Quantum! I've m- oh!" Nerites gasped. The other two Quantum had been talking to were none other than two more of her former teammates. "Luna! Binary!" she squealed, wrapping around Star Gazer and Giron (who barely had any time to correct her) and squeezing the three in an overly affectionate, invasive, wet bearhug.

"Oh, I am so happy to be seeing you all again! This is truly the most wonderful coincidence I've ever seen... And I've seen a great lot of wonderful coincidences over time." she giggled as she released them. "Quantum, your suit is so brand and new! My drawings are painfully outdated now..." she said, admiring the purple hero's new suit before noticing Star Gazer's new outfit. "And you, Luna! Your armor is so much prettier now! And you, Renegade..." she turned to Giron, who again had barely time to correct her as she gave him a second hug. "You have not changed a bit! Well, it is your power after all."

She looked around the warehouse. "There are quite a few people here... This must be a forum, yes? What do modern humans call it... a 'hanging spot'." she pointed out.

GreyBidoof · Jun 6, 2016

Prologue: Call to Arms

As the activity inside the warehouse came to a peak, another figure entered the room. A man dressed in all black attire, covered by a large dark trench coat and carrying a metal briefcase, walked briskly past the others present and made his way to the center of the large building. Placing the briefcase on the ground, a snap sounded as the clips flipped up and the object opened. Without warning, the all but one light of the overhead lights illuminating the interior of the building flickered off. The remaining light was centered over the briefcase and the man who had placed it.

The occupants of the warehouse were now fixated upon this new development, some showing more interest than others. Murmurs wafted through the air. Had the resistance actually shown up?

A soft whirring noise grew faintly louder, emanating from the object lying on the floor. A holographic display screen lit up over the briefcase, shining a bright blue in the dim light.

"You are here because of the rumors of a resistance." The voice came not from the man in black, but from the same device that was projecting the hologram. The voice was digitally altered; distorted no doubt to protect the identity of the speaker.

"Let me put those rumors to rest. The Resistance exists, and in a larger capacity than the public eye realizes. We are prepared to do what it takes to depose the tyranny of the Meta Force and those who control it, and to clear the name of the Champions."

Images of the Meta Force's various enforcers flashed across the display. Beings with incridble powers to match the Champions, but without the moral compass. The feed of visual data showcased the brutally efficient methods employed by the group.

The voice continued, with no response to more chatter from the audience.

"You all have abilities that give you the potential to set yourself apart from the common person. You have an important choice to make. Will you aid us in our cause? Will you help to restore Hyperia to a time of peace?"

"That being said, the resistance is not something one can simply join on a whim. The first step was coming here. The next will be more difficult. Potential allies must be tested, for our enemies our everywhere."

The hologram morphed into a map of the city, with several flashing markers scattered across the board.

"If you wish to aid us, then make your way to one of these locations, where you will be contacted by a resistance operative."

The audio feed crackled, and was briefly overcome by static before sputtering back to an interpretable level.

"Even now, the Meta Force has been alerted to our presence, and is attempting to access this transmission."

The commentary amongst the audience members raised in volume.

"If you value your lives, don't wait for them to find you here."

As the last few words of the voice died out and the hologram faded, smoke began to rise from the briefcase. A sharp crack sounded, and then device erupted into a could of smoke before the eyes of those present.

The man in black had disappeared, leaving the fate of the those remaining to be chosen.

Objectives:
- Leave the warehouse
- Wait until the falling day(s) , then show up at one of the meeting points detailed in the OOC.
- Receive instructions for the appropriate trial, and attempt to complete it.

Desinishon · Jun 6, 2016

Rex Raze

There was always a limit as to what one person could endure. There was a limit to the amount of pain he could endure. There was a limit to the amount of laughter he could endure. There was a limit to the amount of grief he could endure. But he can't endure this wait anymore.
"This is it!" he sighed and started walking toward someone.

"Alright… alright! Everyone just… calm down, okay? We're all here for the same reason, and there's no need to get so… uh,rowdy, yeah?"

Rex raised an eyebrow at armoured person words. Calm down, really? He was calm from very start. Without any further delay he started walking again. New people arrived, someone throw up, reunion and more and more going around.

"These are really powerful guys?" Rex sighed but suddenly his thoughts was interrupted by a newcomer who just walked past him. Rex watched him from corner of his eyes.

The guy dressed in black placed a briefcase on floor and light got centered around him.

"So, they're finally here at last" Rex take a good glance at everyone.

"You are here because of the rumors of a resistance." voice came from holographic device.

"Let me put those rumors to rest. The Resistance exists, and in a larger capacity than the public eye realizes. We are prepared to do what it takes to depose the tyranny of the Meta Force and those who control it, and to clear the name of the Champions." suddenly images of so called meta force flashed in holographic screen. After asking everyone to aid resistance and bring peace to hyperia; hologram changed into map of city with some marked location. There was one near the downtown.

Suddenly voice got intercepted and then became normal.

"Even now, the Meta Force has been alerted to our presence, and is attempting to access this transmission. The commentary amongst the audience members raised in volume.If you value your lives, don't wait for them to find you here."

Rex was lost in thoughts when device burst into smoke and black suit person gone.

Suddenly a small girl image flashed in his mind.

"Why is he doing this?" Rex asked himself same question many times. Rex closed his eyes and held his locket in his hand as electricity started flowing through him.

"I've an obligation" he spoke out loud as he took off in sky through the hole in wall.

Sir Bastian · Jun 6, 2016

Quantum
Prologue:Old Friends

Giron was surprised to find himself suddenly hoisted effortlessly into the air by Quantum. She was as ridiculously strong as ever clearly... well he knew that already. He'd read of her throwing cars around and smashing through concrete and had seen her in action before anyway. Giron grinned as Quantum set him back down on his feet, completely misinterpreting her opinion of the assembled "heroes".

"Oh yeah, these people are really funny!" he said enthusaistically "It's going to be a lot of fun resisting with them! I've really missed you guys though. I've been following as many of you as I could from work and helping as best I can but I'm being watched a lot, well not just me the entire committee and Mr. Johnson is always reading over our shoulders and stuff. It'd be bad if they ever worked out who I am."

Giron was as peculiar as he'd always been, which made Quantum smile even more. It was nice that even in the midst of the city basically being taken over, there was some semblance of 'the same' left. "Yeah, they're... definitely something special, heh." Despite her uncertainty about their maturity, their powers, for the obvious part at least, seemed interesting, to say the least. Shaking her head, Quantum glanced back between the two. "I haven't really been able to 'keep up' much. I've just sort of... you know. Done my thing, you know?"

Star gasped as Giron revealed himself. "Giron! Quantum! My friends!" She gave Giron a big hug (or as close as she could, considering her arms barely fit around his chest), before flying over to Quantum and giving her a hug too. "It's been too long since I've seen you guys! I've been traveling, and it's just not the same as being home." She let the others have their petty squabbles and pointless theatrics. She had friendships to rekindle.

"You've been travelling?" Quantum asked, eyes wide behind the helmet as she pulled back from the hug. "I've... never actually been much more than a few miles outside of the city. I've read stuff and seen videos from all over the world, but..." She smiled a little, rubbing her opposite arm. "Well, seeing some of the world would be kind of cool..."

"QUANTUM!"
Blinking in surprise, the armored woman turned around, only to be met with something that was both a solid and a liquid, splashing behind her as it knocked into her. She took a surprised step back, just as she realized who it was, that was currently hugging her midriff. "… Nerites?!" she gasped in pure joy.

After returning the hug, Quantum stood back with a bright smile on her hidden lips, watching Nerites go off on an overly excited rant. Out of all her old team mates, Nerites was one of her favourite ones to be around. She was always excited, and had a positive outlook on life, even if she didn't entirely understand how everything worked. She had her heart in the right place.
Before they could even get a word in edgewise, the warehouse became somewhat quieter.

Turning her head, she watched a black-dressed man step into the middle of the room. Folding her arms across her chest, her eyes slowly trailed over the people gathered. "Here we go, I guess…" she thought to herself, shifting her weight from one leg to the other.

The information everyone got was exactly what she'd expected. Only at the end, when it was also revealed that the Meta Force might be on their way here, did Quantum's eyes widen a little. As everyone began murmuring to themselves and those around them, Quantum cleared her throat, lifting off the ground, letting off a small blast of purple energy from her palm into the air, creating a 'VVWOOM' noise to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, you heard them, and you've seen the map. I suggest you get the heck out of here, and, if you're still interested in joining the resistance and bring peace back to Hyperia… you know where to go. –Be prepared-." She finished with a nod, turning as she lowered herself down.

As she landed besides the others, she breathed out slowly, the anxiousness of speaking publicly like that making her shiver briefly. "Uhm. So yeah. I'm… with the resistance. Surprise." She smiled sheepishly behind the helmet, making jazz hands. "We'd… obviously love it if you lot joined up with us. It's going to be a tough fight, and we need all the help we can get."
She paused, peering over her shoulder at the remainder of the mass of people, leaning in as she hushed her voice. "If you still have your old communicators, hold onto them. At least until you can get new ones. Lets me be in contact with you."

With that, she stood back again and nodded to each of the three. "Right. We should… probably get out of here. I don't want to tousle with the Meta Force again. But it's great to see you all. If you need me the next few days… well, hopefully you have your communicators."

Raising a hand, she lifted into the air, giving her friends a small wave before turning around and zooming through the window in the ceiling, leaving a purple streak behind. She had a lot to do. She had to prepare for the coming days.

gimmepie · Jun 7, 2016

Giron: Exiting with "Style"
AKA Basil DeLeon | Aged 30 | Male | Reptilia

Giron opened his mouth to say more - a lot more probably - to Quantum and Stargazer when suddenly the lights flickered off, barring a few near the centre of the room. A nondescript man in a dark suit opened what seemed to be a briefcase from within which a holographic light emerged, displaying a succession of varying images. A voice began to speak to the assembled heroes (for want of a better term), but curiously it came from within the briefcase not from the man.

"We have things like that at home!" Giron chirped excitedly, ignoring the obvious seriousness of the situation. The voice seemed to ignore the big talking lizard and continued on with the briefing.
"You all have abilities that give you the potential to set yourself apart from the common person. You have an important choice to make. Will you aid us in our cause? Will you help to restore Hyperia to a time of peace?"

"That being said, the resistance is not something one can simply join on a whim. The first step was coming here. The next will be more difficult. Potential allies must be tested, for our enemies our everywhere." The voice explained, as images of various known members of the Meta-Force flashed across the hologrpahic display. The speech breaking only for a brief moment as the display eventually changed to become a map of Hyperia, with several locations on the map blinking. "If you wish to aid us, then make your way to one of these locations, where you will be contacted by a resistance operative."

It was then that a strange crackling noise overcame the transmition, lasting just long enough for Giron to suggest that something was not going as it should.
"Oh, but that doesn't usually happen with ours! Is it broken?" the voice, again not paying head to the alien spoke once more.
"Even now, the Meta Force has been alerted to our presence, and is attempting to access this transmission. If you value your lives, don't wait for them to find you here."

Almost as suddenly as he'd appeared, the man with briefcase was gone and the lights were back on. Excited chattering broke out amongst the assembled before Quantum essentially dismissed them and fled the building. Giron looked around
"Uh... did briefcase guy say that the Meta-Force is coming? If they find me I'm probably going to get fired. Oh... wait."

"I suggest you run," said Smiley, who Giron hadn't noticed suddenly standing next to him. "But before you do, I'd like you to ask two things. Firstly, could you come to the warehouse at Bayside and Lutherstreet in about four hours. And, and this one is a bit of an odd request, could you snap my neck?"

Giron jerked around to see the familiar face (well mask) of Smiley looking back at him.
"Smiley!" Giron cheered, pleased to see yet another of his former Champion friends despite the terrible circumstances they were meeting under. "Running sounds like a good idea! I'd love to go to another weird warehouse! Let's g - did you say snap your neck?"

"I did."

"Oh, okay then!" Giron did as instructed, casually gripping Smiley around the head and twisting until the man was suddenly looking in the totally opposite direction. An instant later the clone turned to a pile of dust at his feet. Giron, oblivious to the fact he'd just essentially killed someone in a room full of superpowered vigilantes, followed this with a sudden realisation. "I have no idea where Lutherstreet is."

With Ice as Smiley

Ice1 · Jun 7, 2016

Smiley

Interlude: The Elephant in the Room

James dusted off his suit as he stepped through the window. Finally, the Clockwork Man needed to be wound up again. An hour of stupid mistakes and turmoil had left the Brit in a day-long stand-off with a killer robot, which he failed to enjoy. Nothing sours the mood like a rusty blade through the guy. Especially if it happened hundreds of times in succession.

Now he waited. He had asked Giron (lizard, shape shifter and living multi-tool) for assistance, although he had no clue if he would be showing up.

As it so happened, he would. After a few brief hours of rest, Giron had risen before the sun to set out in search of the mysterious Lutherstreet warehouse where he assumed he would run into another Smiley. He has slipped out of his apartment as a fly before taking an inconspicuous bird form - a flamingo - and heading back in the direction of the Bayside district. Eventually, he managed to locate the masked man and descended to land by his side. Shifting form to that of some guy he'd seen at a kebab place a while back, he greeted the former TEA agent enthusiastically.
"Hello, other Smiley!"

"Hey, Giron, I'm still the- you know what, don't mind me. I'm really glad you could show up!" James said. "Follow me. Don't ask why we're entering through a window. Well, do ask, because it's odd, but I'll explain anyway."

He stepped inside, where general destruction was revealed, decorated with a very strong smell of fish. Six other Smiley's were driving forklifts, and pushing aside debris, while two of them where vaguely visible through the tinted glass of one of the offices besides James and Giron.

"Okay, so, I'm going to keep it concise. Killer robot, escape attempt, day long brawl, much debris, need some good tools to help me get rid of the odd security measures. Oh, and we exited through the window. That's why we're now, well, entering through the window."

Giron, still with the appearance of the kebab-eater, followed Smiley inside before - completely unphased by the veritable army of other Smiley's - listening intently to the explanation for his presence.
"So the usual then?" he shrugged before brightening up "Oh, I can be a tool! I can be all the tools!"

"Great!"

James stopped at the top of the stairs. "How strong are you? I've not been able to lift it," obviously refering to the big old robot that stood motionless on the staircase.

"How strong do I need to be?" Giron asked, as though it was the most normal thing in the world to be able to be as strong as the situation required. "Will this do?" Before Smiley had a chance to answer, the Brit found himself significantly more constricted than he was a moment earlier as he was now standing next to an elephant.

James held on tightly to the rails, as he wasn't sure the floor would be able to hold the incredibly weight that was an elephant. Falling down a good nine meters or so wasn't something he'd fancy doing. He preferred heights that guaranteed certain death.

"Let's hope so."

Putting an elephant on an elevated platform is much like putting an elephant on an elevated platform, which is to say that it's an incredibly stupid idea. The floor had slowly started bending and giving, until, a good seventeen seconds after the transformation, the supports wholly by themselves, decided to give in. Two of the offices, a staircase, three James Abney's, a tightly sealed super-villain corpse stored in a body bag, a 150-year-old killer robot and an elephant all dropped to the ground.

Immediately shifting back to his normal form as the platform gave way, Giron managed to land rather daintily and avoid busting his elephant kneecaps. Unfortunately, he also seemed to have contributed to the mess more than he had managed to make things easier.
"Uh... do we need to clean that up too?" he asked, looking around to try and find Smiley.

"We do," a new Smiley sighed as he walked towards Giron. The three that fell down with him had a sadly passed away, may their dust blow away in peace.

"Let's hope supervillains don't have wakes," he said, as he rested next to the body bag. "This here is the Watchmaker, and besides some shallow background information, I know nothing about him. He's the one who was working on that robot, though, and I feel like he's also the one that made it go rogue."

Giron nodded like he had a clue what was going on, but truthfully he only really understood as much as "dead bad guy in bag built the psycho robot". Thankfully, that was really all he needed to know about the situation.
"Well, he's probably not doing it again anytime soon. That looks weird for a robot though." Giron said, not meaning to imply he knew anything about robots. From what he had gathered from his experiences on Earth though, they generally didn't look like the insides of an old church clock.

"It's older than me," Smiley said, "so it's allowed to look weird. Also, before I forget..." Smiley opened the see-through panel on the back of the robot, and grabbed the bulb he had used to active it with earlier. "This man used to be a legend in London in my time."

Giron blinked at the off bulb, it looked strangely familiar. He had never seen a bulb like it before in his life, but there was something unusual about the way it seemed to become a vibrant green colour under sunlight. A few prolonged seconds of staring and it finally occurred to Giron why it seemed familiar.
"I didn't know that you got... uh... um..." Giron filled the gaps in the English language with a series of weird clicking noises "here on Earth."

"Got what?"

Giron repeated the series of clicks.

"Ah, yes, of course," Smiley said, as two Smiley's came by to drag the body bag away.

TheSignWriter · Jun 7, 2016

Helios

The Sun's Radiance

Adulting Sucks

Nick smiled as Hobo Gardener shook his hand.

"Oh, my name? Well, you can call me Druid; I only let friends call me by my real name. And my 'touchy feel-y' power was one of the many spells I've perfected. I'm like a magician, but cool. The one I used on you causes rapid degeneration of internal organs upon contact with a living organism. But I also have some ones that are more, explosive."

Nick's smile turned into a frown. "Did he just try to kill me?" Nick worried in his mind. Thee he shook his head, looking around. "If anyone wanted to kill anybody, they would've done it already - I'm sure everyone in the room is more then capable of being able to kill something." Nick rolled his eyes. "Especially since that last stunt, I'm sure a few wanted to punch my face, or kill my insides..."

Nick snapped back to the man he was just listening to, who was now running away, and all nick heard was "- I gotta go," in a very panicky way. Shrugging about whatever just happened, Nick watched the big lizard man. Nick loved lizards, and really wanted to know more about who and what this man or creature was. But when Nick stepped towards him, something in the back of his mind was bothering him. And it wasn't just him being crazy. He felt bad for whatever reason, and Nick had the guess it was probably about the man he just met.

"Druid, I think his name was? Probably should call him that to be a little more respectful." Nick thought, glancing around the room for Druid. Nick noted that there was quite a few more people in the warehouse now He was surprised that there was so many that showed up. Even more robots, A woman made out of water, another three girls. One was practically nude, which Nick tried not to stare at to save her some embarrassment. He wasn't that interested anyway. Nick was now staring at the hole Pipsqueak made a few moments ago, where Druid was currently buckled over at, projecting his guts all over it. As Nick rushed over to him he thought, "I'll have to name these guys later, after I see what's up..."

Despite how the hunched over man named Druid almost turned his insides to mush, Nick still felt sorry for the guy... even if he has not a clue to why he was acting this way. Nick stood there, pondering if he should do something other then stare. On one side, he was concerned. "Did he do something to Druid? Was his blind too strong?" He wondered. And if it was his fault, how did Nick know Druid wasn't going to make him explode? Nick shook his head. "Well, if it is my fault, I'm going to have to own up and deal with it, I guess. Being an adult is lame."

Nick crouched down beside Druid, putting his hand on his back and lightly patting it. Hobo-man didn't even look up at Nick when he came over, he seemed lost in his own painful memory. He was visually shaken by something Nick had no clue about, and yet he somehow put this upon Druid. Nick sighed, feeling funny. He didn't know how to handle the situation, so he just crouched there beside him. At least Druid wasn't trying to kill him. Yet. As Druid burst into tears, Nick almost felt like doing the same. Whatever happened was causing him a lot of pain, something Nick never wanted to do.

"I'm sorry man, I don't know what I did but I'm sorry..." Nick trailed off. "But I know what will make you better!" Nick exclaimed excitedly. "Or at least make you distracted." Clearing his throat, he continued. "Did you hear about the guy who got hit in the head with a can of soda?" Nick asked, mimicking himself crushing a soda can against his head. "He was lucky it was a soft drink!" Nick giggled at his own joke, then continued with another before a reaction. "Why did the bee get married?" Pause. "Because he found his honey!"

Before he could continue on, the room became noticeably dimmer and silent. There was a man dressed in a suit. Quite a fancy suit, if truth be told. A hologram projected itself high in the air, for everyone to see. Nick turned his attention away from Druid enough to hear the speaker in the hologram.

"You are here because of the rumors of a resistance." The distorted voice said. "Let me put those rumors to rest. The Resistance exists, and in a larger capacity than the public eye realizes. We are prepared to do what it takes to depose the tyranny of the Meta Force and those who control it, and to clear the name of the Champions."

Nick mumbled to himself. "Yes yes, that's all very good. When do I get to kick some bad guy butt for money? Do I even get money? I just did this so I could quit my dead-end job..."

Some pictures Nick wasn't really interested in flashed on the hologram. Then, the voice continued. "You all have abilities that give you the potential to set yourself apart from the common person. You have an important choice to make. Will you aid us in our cause? Will you help to restore Hyperia to a time of peace? That being said, the resistance is not something one can simply join on a whim. The first step was coming here. The next will be more difficult. Potential allies must be tested, for our enemies our everywhere."

Nick groaned. "This will actually require effort to join? Man I thought it was a show up then you're in sort of deal!"

"If you wish to aid us, then make your way to one of these locations, where you will be contacted by a resistance operative. Even now, the Meta Force has been alerted to our presence, and is attempting to access this transmission." Brief pause. "If you value your lives, don't wait for them to find you here."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Please. All of these people here, I'm sure we could handle anything that's thrown at us." Nick confidently said, even if he wasn't sure it was true. He got up from crouching, examining the hologram and all the locations, memorizing them. He looked at his 'friend', dare he say it, and watched his reaction. Nick lived pretty close from here, while the guy he was looking at looked homeless. He felt... weird saying this, but it was the least he could do for doing something to the poor man.

"Uhm, if you need a place to stay for the night while you rest up for whatever is in store for us with The Resistance, feel free to come with me. No offence but you look like you live in a forest, and I don't think there are any mattresses in there."

Strange · Jun 7, 2016

Druid

After crying until his eyes stung, Eric noticed Nick was behind him, with a hand on his back. Eric felt like explaining himself, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He had to stop this stupid grieving. Not even the mind-erasing spell could rid himself of the memory, he just had to deal with it like a normal person.

It was then that he noticed Nick was talking.

"I'm sorry man, I don't know what I did but I'm sorry..." Nick trailed off. "But I know what will make you better!" Nick exclaimed excitedly. Clearing his throat, he continued. "Did you hear about the guy who got hit in the head with a can of soda?" Nick asked, mimicking himself crushing a soda can against his head. "He was lucky it was a soft drink!" Nick giggled at his own joke, then continued with another before a reaction. "Why did the bee get married?" Pause. "Because he found his honey!"

Eric smiled, a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. He was about to thank Nick for being so nice, but before he could, a man's voice filled the warehouse.

Eric was slightly distracted, but he paid attention as best as he could. Blah blah blah, Resistance, blah blah blah, you're all special, blah blah blah. He was slightly bored of all the talking, even though he knew he should be listening, but his mind was wondering elsewhere. Although, on the bright side, the speech had distracted him.

He snapped out of his daydream when Nick groaned.

"This will actually require effort to join? Man I thought it was a show up then you're in sort of deal!"

He groaned as well. Why are things never as straightforward as they seem?

"If you wish to aid us, then make your way to one of these locations, where you will be contacted by a resistance operative. Even now, the Meta Force has been alerted to our presence, and is attempting to access this transmission." Brief pause. "If you value your lives, don't wait for them to find you here."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Please. All of these people here, I'm sure we could handle anything that's thrown at us."

Eric doubted that was true. As much as he hoped it was, he wasn't feeling well enough to stay and test his luck.

"Uhm, if you need a place to stay for the night while you rest up for whatever is in store for us with The Resistance, feel free to come with me. No offence but you look like you live in a forest, and I don't think there are any mattresses in there."

Eric laughed, louder than he had in a while.

"I'm not some homeless recluse!" He was still grinning ear to ear. "It's just my costume!" he paused.

"Oh, and I'm, umm, sorry about this whole mess." he motioned to the floor, "But, umm, you just remind me of someone who I, uhh, lost, a few moths ago. Plus, my magic makes me a little emotionally unstable if I don't keep it balanced."

"We should probably get out of here before we run into some less than friendly visitors."

He smiled, and then pulled an oddly shaped coin out of his pocket.

"If you ever want to chat, just toss this into a reflective surface and wait. It should contact me, provided I'm near a reflective surface as well. It works kind of like a video call, except you don't need an internet connection. Oh! And the coin won't disappear. When our chat ends it will reappear in your pocket."

He held the coin out in his hand towards Nick.

JukeboxTheGhoul · Jun 12, 2016

Robert Wixter
Q-85487384
R-52769365

Episode 3
No Time For Chit-Chat

Warehouse, Hyperia

The room was filled with many people, big and small, some odd. A command entered the robot's antennae. Scan – Infrared, Risk Assessment, Medical, Extraordinarities, Identification. Archive all non-essential informational. The android executed the command. Q's eyes deviated from following the same focus, disabling three dimensional imaging. It took photos of all of the people in the field of view of Q. When those angles were exhausted, the camera dislodged from its glass eyeball and extended outwards. When reaching sufficient distance it pivoted on it's joint, taking photos. The pupils retracted inwards and slotted back in. Q's neck altered it's wiring. The neck extended telescopically in order to clear the shoulders. Then it locked, turning around 180°, analysing the people again.

Then Q returned to it's normal position. In order to check identification, he checked the internet with all the information gathered.It filed the report.

ID: Blonde, Adolescent; Is known with News | THERMAL (av.): 36.1111°C | RISK: VERY HIGH ENERGY FLUX, Re-check visuals, is possible false reading: – possible Nuclear Fission Reactor. Checked. Is Humanoid. | Medical: ERROR; Possibly Inhuman. | ExOrds: Use of Energy.

ID: Mask Identified, Is Smiley (New Champions) | THERMAL (av.): Nominal | RISK: Low | Medical: Estimate Age – 45 - 50 | ExOrds: Not Enough Data

ID: Quantum, reported Terrorist, New Champion | THERMAL (av.): Energy Flux | RISK: High| Medical: Error | ExOrds: Flight, Energy Beams

ID: Giron, New Champion | THERMAL (av.): Nominal | RISK: High | Medical: Is In Perfect Health, Zero Malfunctions. | ExOrds: Shapeshifting

Robert sat back, while the surrounding peoples saw nothing in front of him, he was viewing the reports by Q. He moved the panels around with his hands, minimizing a window by stroking his hands through the particles and then tightening his grip in to a fist. He opened a bottle taking a satisfyingly long gulp. He languished in the taste with a hiss from his open mouth as he finished.

Son ducked behind the door and covered his ears with his hands to block out the crowd's noise. "Robert, aren't you coming in?"

"I'm old enough and ugly enough to know caution." He replied,

Immediately after speaking to Robert, a strange person entered, in a dark, official suit with a black tie and shirt. Son stepped inside. Q moved out of the man's way The man carried a silver steel brief case. It was scanned, inside was a display device. The robots recorded a three dimensional model as he walked past. He placed his device on the floor and activated.

Son was able to absorb information quite quickly, just like his brother. He could flick through a book and absorb it in it's entirety. He could scan a disk and learn all that it stored. However in a bid to blend in with society he has taken to hindering his information input so he could read at an average pace. This can be changed at will.

Q profiled the holographic man as well as all of the other humans displayed. The voice distortion was irrevocable. At the sight of the terrible means which the Meta Force used, Son cringed, recoiling away from the sight. Robert saw the map through Q's eyes and transferred it to the cloud, or how he liked to put it, long-long-term memory.

Robert turned the ignition and drove out of his parking spot. He came alongside the warehouse door. Son slid in to the chair.

Q looked around, saying to them "He wanted to meet all of you, but there is no time. We must evacuate." He strode out of the room, vvt sounds came from his robotic limbs as he walked out of the room.

**Affects Warehouse**

Shak · Jun 14, 2016

Spectrum

23 Years of Age

Overdrive

28 Years of Age

Wednesday, October 14^th, 2020
Night :: Bayside
And the Journey Ends

A smug smirk grew across Harper's face as the man in the trench coat announced the 'testing' they would have to go through in order to qualify for the resistance. Normally, she wouldn't be smiling in the face of a test, but there was one thing that made the suggestion music to her ears: She didn't want to be there. She didnt have to take any part in any test, and this waste of a night could all be put behind her. At the very least, she could just blame Helen if they had any problems with her attending the meeting, but not joining. What did catch her attention however was mention of the meta force. They were tracking them already? The resistance would have a hard time keeping their heads down if they'd already been so sloppy in the discretion of their operations. Regardless, she'd made up her mind, and wasn't about to change it. She herself wasnt too impressed with the gathered cast, but it didnt sway her any. The resistance would have to make do with what they had. They had a few of the old Champions. The likes of Quantum and freinds seemed to know what they were doing, and for the most part seemed to congregate together almost immediately, which meant they had some semblance of chemistry at least. Nerites the sea girl had come up and caused a scene. Harper remembered reading something about her being a goddess, but she had always been quite cynical about that. That other girl that she recognised from the old champions seemed very distant from the rest of her old teammates though, and the others didnt seem to care. Clearly they didnt have the best of relationships. As for the rest of them, they werent a promising bunch. It was an allegiance of teenage boys playing superhero essentially. Crimson Circuit seemed imposing enough, but then if she was to keep going off of appearances, she couldn't have made the
best of first impressions for herself. Then again, she didnt burst through the wall like an attention seeking child, or show up looking like a lost group on a half robotic family road trip.

There was another girl that looked...incredibly normal. She was pretty yes, and looked like her fashion was based on the 1920's, but she was certainly more normal looking than the rest of the misfits that had gathered in the warehouse. The girl that had been talking on the phone seemed pretty normal too, in fact. She honestly just seemed happy to be there. Another kid playing hero. For Harper though, the whole thing had lost her interest, and she was ready to go.

"Alright Helen, you heard the man. They dont need new recruits, which means I dont need to sign up. You can do what you want, but you're talking me home first." She grinned triumphantly, disinterested in anything Helen may have had to respond with.

"Aw, come on!" Helen threw her hands up in the air. "Doesn't this sound fun? We can show off our training and how powerful we are!" She did a quick jabbing motion as she spoke. Overdrive quick of course, so her hands became little more than a blur as she handed out a mean punishment to the air. "Now, of course, we'll need to get you a new costume while we are at it. Would a rainbow spandex suit work for you?"

"I mean, I would've worn a hoodie or something if...wait, no...Are you not listening? Helen, I'm not...doing ...this. You're taking me home." Harper responded with an air of disbelief, slowing down as she began to explain how she felt about the situation.

"Of course, I'm taking you home..." Helen began with a smirk. She spun a circle around Harper, and then grabbed the younger woman, supporting her neck like before. The two blasted through the city and in a matter of seconds, appeared in Harper's apartment. "To pick out your super suit!" Without allowing Harper a chance to really counter Helen's argument, the speedster furiously flashed through Harper's clothes, tossing a number onto her bed (and scurrying through the apartment to find any other loose pieces of clothing and accessories, essentially cleaning the apartment while she was at it). Helen was little more than a silver blur, her platinum hair flowing as a trail. Eventually, she came to a halt, nibbling on a piece of chocolate she picked up from the store across the street. "Mhmm, you don't have a lot going for you so far. I mean, I can probably figure something out with what you got. Every superhero has to start out somewhere."

Harper was again left panting on the floor after again being subjected to Helen's masterful torment. She barely had the time after recovering, feeling more lightheaded than she did after the first time, before Helen had already returned nibbling on a chocolate bar casually. "Look, I'll admit, that was clever, but it doesnt change anything. I'm not joining any stupid resistance." As she finished speaking, she drew the orange strand of her bow, expecting Helen to try to grab her again. "Helen. I'm going to have to kindly ask you to leave." She said sternly, knowing the speedster wouldn't listen otherwise.

'Are you threatening me, Harper?" Helen asked, plainly.

Harper said nothing in response. She tightened the tension on the bow strand, and glared irritably at Helen.

"We both know you can't hit me," Helen said confidently. "How about giving me a good reason why you won't join other than being lazy?"

The question threw Harper off guard for a moment, causing her grip on the bow to loosen slightly. Despite her resolve being tilted slightly, the blonde girl refused to waver. "Like I said, I have no reason to join. They're more than capable without us, and I have my own stuff to deal with, without taking on another meaninglessly dangerous and time consuming task. How's that for a good reason?" She finished with a smirk, collecting herself. "And besides, who says I even have to hit you?" She added, re-adjusting her grip on the strand.

Helen frowned and shook her head. "The more the merrier, Harps. So no, they aren't more capable without us. We got training. We got experience. We got power. So I'm sorry if I don't necessarily agree with your negative outlook. And what possible stuff could you have that is more important than helping save the city? Boyfriend problems? Rent? I mean come on! You aren't a regular person. You are a hero!" Helen became far more emotional nearing the end, completely ignoring Harper's boast.

"I'm not a hero, Helen. That's the thing. I have super powers, and they can be used to help people; but I'm not a hero." She allowed her bow to dissipate in her hands as she witnessed a more serious side of Helen. A much rarer side. One that rarely came out, if ever. "Whatever those people in that building are, I'm not one of them, and I'm not going to try to be. If the last 3 months have proven anything, it's that I can barely handle my own life, let alone be responsible for other people." She tucked away, hiding her face in the large collar of the cloak given to her by Crimson Circuit. "I was in the Meta Force before you, I did and saw things that I cant unsee and that I cant undo. The things they did to get to the stage they're at now. I was a part of that. So you're right, I'm not a normal person...but it's what I want to be." She finished on a softer note, turning and facing away from Helen.

"Fine then," Helen said. "Keep lying to yourself. You'll eventually realize that sometimes we aren't meant to be normal people. And that we have a responsibility to be heroes since those regular people can't." She was serious for one second. And gone the next with only a gust of wind left in her wake.

"I-" Harper began, before the girl before her was missing in a matter of a moments. "*****." She cursed under her breath, frustrated with the fact Helen had gotten the last word.

With that, she had no idea what to do next. Helen was gone, and she finally had what she wanted, but it was a hollow victory. She sat down on her couch, not even bothering to change out of her oversized cloak or nightie. She could call Archie. It would be nice to speak to her boyfriend and talk the whole situation over with him. Then again, he was probably doing something way more important anyway. She could get take out. It felt like so long since she'd been able to just sit in, watch a movie and not have some stupid trivial issue to worry about. She couldn't let Helen win. She would make this that day.

***

"Hey, Archie! You finally picked up, after the third call." Harper beamed, with an edge of passive aggression in her tone. It had felt like forever since she'd spoken to him. Since he'd left, the feeling she got when speaking to him became similar to the one she got when they first started dating: the feeling was better in fact. Despite all that, she was in a considerably sour mood that night, so she was more expectant than she was excited.

"Sorry Harps." Archie laughed, doing his best to line up the webcam. "Things haven't been great for internet in this new housing accommodation I'm in. They still haven't been able to transfer my due income, or the cash I brought with me, so I'm basically living on pittance right now. So, how's things going in Hyperia?" He continued, awkwardly scratching his head.

"Wait...you're in a new building? What happened?" Harper blurted out, ignoring his final question.

"Nothing, nothing, everything's fine. A lot colder, but fine. The technic-" Archie began to explain before being cut off.

"Archie, hun, we need you downstairs!" A distinctly female voice, with a strong English accent cold be heard coming from behind the door. The door opened. Harper couldnt help but notice that this woman was...very well endowed. It was the first thing she noticed. She didnt want to notice, but it was hardly hidden. "The landlord's here and here's not happy." The tanned skinned brunette continued, planting her hand on her hip. She didnt have to wait long to earn Archie's attention, leaving Harper as no more then a face on a screen. The two seemed to go on some sort of uninteresting spiel about paying rent and putting together to get a new place, and after waiting patiently waiting, Harper decided to make her presence know by clearing her throat abruptly. "Oh my god! You must be Harper! It's so nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much." The brunette exclaimed excitedly as her attention was drawn to the blonde on the webcam.

"Hey, nice to meet you too, I've heard a fair bit." Harper lied, smiling through gritted teeth. She shot a glare toward Archie. "I dont think I know your na-"

Before Harper could begin her interrogation, the woman grabbed Archie and began dragging him toward the door. "It was lovely to meet you Harper, hopefully we can talk properly sometime, but we need to get this situation sorted."

"Talk to you some other time Harps, sorry it's a bit crazy at the moment." Archie barely managed to finish his sentence before slamming the laptop shut as he was dragged away, leaving Harper to be the one to hang up the call.

She stared blankly at the laptop screen for a moment, trying to take in what had just happened. Who was this new girl Archie was living with? Was she the reason he'd been so hard to get in touch with recently? She took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. The "butterflies in her stomach" had turned to steaming hot piles of bull****. It didnt help that she was starving. Ice cream wouldve been ideal for the situation, but it seemed Helen had made it a case to rid her of that pleasure. She took another deep breath, as it was slowly becoming harder to do so. It wasn't too late to eat out. She definitely wasnt going to fine dine, not in her current mood. She wanted to pig out, and any half decent fast food place would do. She grabbed her dark grey hoodie, and stepped out.

"Trayton's, huh? Why not?" She sighed, as she walked through the doors.

gimmepie · Jun 17, 2016

Giron: If Jackhammers Could Scream
AKA Basil DeLeon | Aged 30 | Male | Reptilia

Somethings humanity has yet to name. Like the innerside of the elbow, or alien metals crashing into France, around the 29th of June, 1870. Sometimes, these things go without names for ages, no one even considering the need of a word for it. Again, like the innerside of the elbow. In other cases, a word exists on the planet, it's just that humanity didn't really come up with them. The name for the metal the weird bulb was made of was only known by a very select few on planet Earth. Giron was one of them. James Abney, sadly, was not.

"Giron, if I'm going to ask you to repeat that, is it again just clicks? Or is there a way for you to make that information, and I don't mean to sound insulting when I say this, but, useful?"

Giron fidgeted a little, trying to work out a way to explain what the space metal was without confounding poor Smiley further. Honestly, it was always such a hassel when his language didn't line up with human ones. The number of pieces of furniture that didn't exist for his people had been quite the issue for him when he first arrived. It was as he pondered the concept of a chair that an idea popped into his head.
"Oh! I know!" he exclaimed "It's what we build our spaceships out of. It's this really weird metal that's extremely durable and somehow always really, really light no matter how massive it is. It's also very green but most things you find on my planet are. Like, there's this one plant that is so green it would make your eyes-"

"Superhero useful is not tourism useful, Giron," James said quippingly, although there seemed to be a somber tone hidden away in the sentence. "Main point is, what do we do with it?

"No idea." Giron admitted "I mean... you can pretty much make a semi-indestructable battery out of the stuff. Speaking from experience, it takes a pretty bad impact to damage it. Oh hey, that's probably a battery. Although it's got a way easier name back h- nevermind."

"Yeah, just calling it battery doesn't work that well for me. But, it'll do for now," Smiley paused for a while. "You know, I somehow doubt your theory. Why would a clockwork robot need a battery?"

"Well that's the sort of thing we use it for, asides from ships. You run electricity through it and it remembers where to send it. Way better than Earth batteries, it learns what to do when different things happen."

"It learns? And that isn't the main use of it? Seems like pre-schooler steel is quite more interesting than your regular old battery," James said.

"Well it's not like you can get information back out of it. It's like those pathway things in people's brains. Information goes in as electricity, it reacts and remembers but you can't just plug something into it and transfer whatever it knows. That's just silly talk." Giron said, as though discussing a metal with molecular memory was totally reasonable sounding to most people and that transferring the memory was where things got weird.

"You say that like discussing a metal with molecular memory is totally reasonable sounding to most people and that transferring the memory is where things get weird..."

"Sounds perfectly normal to me." Giron remarked with a shrug. "Well until you get to that crazy transferring stuff anyway."

"Ah well, it's not much crazier than a 19th century robot fighting a cloning man, is it? Anyway, I feel like the logical conclusion would be that the metal is what programmed the Clockwork Man. Even with gears and genius you can't make a robot that sofisticated."

In the back of the warehouse, multiple Smiley's put away the last of the spilled fish, leaving only the debris too heavy for a middle-aged man to pick up.

"Um... we still have a lot of mess here. More than when I got here actually - sorry - so I don't think an Elephant is going to work anymore."

"Can't say it worked much the first time around."

"What if I turned into something that could break the rubble? Like maybe a chisel?" Giron suggested, failing to match the tool to the scale of the mess he had managed to create. "That should work!" he concluded proudly.

James laughed, but quickly realized Giron's brand of comedy wasn't sillyness, but sillyness was more Giron's brand of living. "Can I propose a jackhammer? Chisel's are a bit too small, I'd say."

"That is probably a good point." Giron said a little too matter-of-factly for someone who had just proposed the most inefficient method of doing anything ever, bar maybe a blunt spoon. However he made up for his faux pas with a flash of inspiration. "Hey Smiley, what happens if you make more Smilies whilst hammering with me?"

"You'll know what it's like living a day in the live of," James said, unknowingly confusing the giant green space lizard even more.

"In the life of what?"

"Me..." James said. "Do you know many other hiveminds?"

"Don't think so! Sounds like fun." Giron grinned, immediately shifting into a generic brand jackhammer and falling to Smiley's feet before the spy-turned-hero-turned maintenance worker could say another word.

For those who didn't split off into multiple bodies on a fairly daily basis, it was a weird experience. James would liken it to your mind being gently, although it was a good 70 years since it he first experienced it, so maybe it wasn't that gently after all, torn from your body, and being placed in an overseeing limbo of impulses. How this felt when also being a sentient jackhammer was only discovered around 13.82 billion years after the start of the universe, and it was discovered by Giron.

What Giron discovered, was that being like Smiley was a terrifying experience. He went from having a clear thought process and understanding and easy control of his body, regardless of whatever form it took, to feeling as though he had been stretched out across a room of unholy proportions. Everything he thought and felt was fragmented and it was dizzying to recieve sensory input from so many different places at once. He was extremely glad that as a jackhammer he didn't have to see or do things for himself, because the effort would likely have caused his brain to implode or something. It took everything he had not to revert immediately back to his normal form.

Smiley discovered that jackhammering was quite loud. Especially when there were four men jackhammering away neatly lined up next to each other. One James quickly slipped out the warehouse, to make sure he didn't end up with permanent hearing loss.
"It's going great, Giron!" James yelled, not knowing if his voice would be audible with all the jackhammer noise, or if shape-shifting lizard-jackhammers could even hear.

As it turned out, shape-shifting lizard-jackhammers could not hear. They couldn't scream either.The rubble cleaned up nicely, though.

With Ice as Smiley

Jay · Jun 19, 2016

Harper glanced around the restaurant. It certainly wasn't the kind of place she was expecting, but all she needed was ice cream. She could skip out on dinner if the bill came to too much; or better yet, if it came to it, she could get whatever she wanted and teleport out as soon as the bill came. Problem was, it didnt seem to be even coming to that point. She'd been waiting to be seated for at least twenty minutes, and been walked past by quite a few of the employees. As another walked past, wearing a tag saying 'manager', Harper quickly stopped the man. "Hey, ummm...I've been waiting here for a while now, is there a reason I'm not being served?" She inquired, with little care for manners or protocol. It probably didnt help that she was still wearing her hood.

"Oh, I see. Sorry Ma'am, but we've already taken last orders. You see..." He began before stopping to think for a second. He looked her up and down before continuing. "We're closing early today." He finished, rather coldly.

"Johnaton. Please, don't be so crass with the girl. She's hungry and has been waiting for long enough to warrant some kind of repayment." The manager spun around on the spot to look towards the kitchen. Standing there in a pair of brown slacks and a black turtleneck was a rather unextraordinary man. His hair was long and black as midnight, tied loosely behind his head in a rather unkempt pony tail, he looked as if he had been up working for more than one night over the past few days, with eyes that carried the telltale signs of exhaustion, black bags and red veins. "M-Mr. Trayton sir... my apologies, you usually have your private dinners alone so I assumed.."

The manager seemed to lose his cool somewhat in the presence of this man, though the individual seemed completely calm talking down to the person whom was supposed to be in charge of the establishments staff. He just took another sip from the cup of coffee held steadily in his hand and gestured for 'Johnaton' to go back into the kitchens. "Two steaks, one for myself and one for our guest. I'd suggest making the second one free as well unless you'd like it taken out of your salary."

With a shameful nod, the manager moved passed the casually dressed man and disappeared behind a set of double doors. The empty main body of the restaurant only contained the two of them now, amidst polished birch flooring and red leather seats. He held a briefcase in the hand not dedicated to his coffee, upon the handle was a silver emblazoned name. "E. Trayton".

He extended his hand towards a nearby seat and smiled. "Do tell me then. Well-done? Or medium rare?"

***

Harper sat uncomfortably, on the edge of her seat. Her gaze, wandering around the room, but frequenting her her host whenever she could catch him not looking at her. For the most part, he steak was untouched, but she had taken the occasional nibble, purely out due to the temptation of hunger. She had no reason not to trust this man, but for some reason, she didnt. Perhaps it was an uneasy feeling. Perhaps it was the fact that company owners didn't exactly stop and offer a free meal to every starving girl that walked into their restaurant. She took another glance at the man before her, this time staring for perhaps a little to long, as this time their eyes met, and she quickly returned her attention to the steak. She did her best to seem like she had been eating it, chewing and nodding approvingly as she looked back up at him.

He rose a single dark eyebrow with a sort of bemused smile at the girls behavior. She seemed ever so curious, yet unwilling to ask what was most likely dwelling in her thoughts. He had always been the type to skip the middle man however. "You looked rather distressed, I suppose I could see it in your face, hear it in your tone of voice." He grabbed a napkin and dabbed away some grease from his lips. For a Rick businessman he certainly didn't eat like high society, he wolfed down his meal like a starving animal. "That's why I decided to give you a meal. That and i could hear from the kitchen the way my staff talked to you... still don't know why I hired him to be honest." He crossed his arm and gazed at the girl sitting before him with a curious expression. "Well, you probably know who I am but I'll make the introduction regardless." He gestured to the building sign, visible from the window of the L shaped building they sat in. "Edward. Edward Trayton. Pleasure to meet you Miss...?"

The girl's jaw dropped slightly in awe as she realised just who it was she was talking to. It had occurred to her before that this man probably owned the restaurant, but not only that, he was easily one of the richest men in Hyperia. "Oh, Edward Trayton, huh? I've heard the name." She responded in a rather unimpressed tone. She wasn't sure why she chose to respond the way she did. Though it did help her seem less 'distressed' as he'd described her. In the face of a man as powerful as he was, she needed to at least half seem like she had her **** together. She didn't particularly want to reveal who she was. "I suppose I cant really blame your employee though. I should never have showed up in a place like this wearing a hood and expected to be taken seriously." She added, with just about the only genuine thing she'd said to the man so far, though admittedly with a lot more bravado than she was truly feeling.

Edward didn't find it hard to see through the girls disguises and bravado. She wasn't the only one who had a tendency to wear masks after all. His expression twitched ever so slightly as he re-positioned in his seat, there was a rather nasty bruise on his leg... something that he had received in Japan not a few days earlier. Something that he had received while acting out as the Renegade. In truth he had been back in the city for over a day, but had kept his return to the metropolis quiet. Edward Trayton had things to do, he had to take some time to recover and recuperate for himself. Despite the fact that he remained so calm, cool and collected... Japan had been hard for him. He had come face to face with the man responsible for killing his wife and the bastard slipped right between his fingers. He wasn't ready to go back to the Resistance immediately, to face his colleagues, to face Anise knowing that he had failed to finish off her mothers killer. For the meeting at the warehouse, he had placed a camera or two ahead of time, in order to monitor the situation as it played out.

He had seen this girl here. Appearing in a nightgown in a flash of speed and sound... however, she had left earlier than expected. Storming off in a huff, seemingly lacking any and all desire to join the Resistance proper. Could he blame her? The life they offered was hardly one of luxury and happiness. It required a greater calling... a desire to help people whom couldn't help themselves using the fantastical powers gifted to you by circumstance. Edward wondered, did this girl... did Harper really lack these qualities? Or was she simply afraid? He had been afraid once, afraid of what he could and couldn't do. His fear had manifested into rage and aggression and it had lead him to almost hurt people whom were now, despite his better judgement, very important to him. Did Harper really have no desire to join the resistance and help innocent people? Or was it her fear that caused her to run and hide from something that deep down, she knew she had to do? Maybe he could find out. "I suppose you have eh? It's hard to keep a low profile for men like me. Though you still have me at a disadvantage miss. Might I have your name?"

"Har-" She began, before hesitating for a moment. Sitting in front of one of the city's richest men just reminded her how ****ty her own situation was at that moment, and she had to stop talking for a moment to avoid running the risk of getting choked up. Her moment of hesitation may have helped the man see right through her bravado, but she maintained the act regardless. "Harper. Harper Burton. You've probably never heard of me." She shrugged, deliberately accentuating the difference in status between the two. In all honesty, that was as far as she wanted the conversation about herself to go. She wasn't particularly fond of dealing with life right now, let alone reminiscing about it. "So, Mr Trayton, what business does a busy businessman such as yourself have helping an innocent girl such as myself?" She smirked, doing her best not to giggle by finally cutting her steak and taking her first bite.

Edward watched the girl with that same bemused smirk that he was so used to giving. Though it faltered as he noticed the her almost choking on the words. She did her best to mask the growing upset, anyone else wouldn't have noticed a thing and he admitted that, using his eyes, he didn't either... but he hadn't noticed it with his eyes. He heard the very subtle crack in her voice, heard her subtly swallow the lump that had been growing in her throat. There was something to this girl that he didn't know yet, so he examined her a little closer, taking a bite of his steak, he closed his eyes as if to savor the taste, though in reality he was cutting off his sight, giving his hearing more focus and attention. Her heart rate fluctuated gently, quicker then slower as she was trying to calm herself down, out of the heat of combat he could focus on the smallest things, unmoving and unchanging as he pinpointed the smallest of sounds, only his ears working at all. She was indeed rather worried about many things, though he wasn't a psychic, he couldn't read minds. Though he made the logical assumption that him being who he was might make someone of a far lower social class a little uncomfortable.

She might have noticed then, as the man sitting before her almost froze entirely. A slightly unnatural sort of pause like time itself had stopped, though it was so brief that it might be overlooked. He continued chewing as soon as he had stopped and his eyes opened again. "Harper Burton." He took a napkin and wiped some grease from his mouth. "A fine name, better than some of the things I hear in this city. Now then, as for your question... I suppose you could say that I've been tossed through the ringer these past few days. Stress, exhaustion, loss and strain... I'm a little sick of everything going on in life, I suppose. I know what you're thinking of course, how do the rich have any worries at all..." He took another bite of steak and swallowed it significantly quicker. "I'm not really in the mood to see someone else have a bad day today... and well, you looked like you had been having one." He placed his fork down and glanced at her a moment, his eyes flashing with a sort of cleverness and examination. "I don't suppose you want to let a stranger in a diner hear your troubles? Venting is sometimes a rare and precious commodity... and really, I could probably do with letting out some of my own inner demons to someone a bit more normal."

"Oh?" She replied softly, with a much more caring tone. His honesty helped her relax slightly. She felt as though she could be herself, for the first time since she'd arrived, or the first time at all that day in all honesty. She glanced at the glass of wine beside her plate, and elegantly lifted the glass, taking a small sip. "I guess empathy can make us kinder souls than most, huh?" She added, her mind drifting off slightly. The statement seemed indirect, but it applied to the entirety of her day. It made her think back to Helen, and how desperate the woman was for Harper to join her so they could run off and be superheroes again. It was what she enjoyed, and she wanted a friend to do it with. Harper had taken that from her. She thought back to Archie, and this mysterious British woman he was living with. Harper didn't know what the two were going through over there, but they didn't have to be sleeping together to be as friendly as they had seemed. Then again, empathy could've been working extra strong in the case of those two. She hadn't noticed that the train of thought had her breathing heavier. She took another sip of wine to compose herself. This sip a little less elegant, with her almost knocking over the glass, but managing to catch it before any was spilt.

She didn't want to make a big deal over the almost spilled glass. "I don't really tend to vent too often to strangers. I appreciate the meal, but I've never really been one to share too much of my personal life with those I don't know. I have my mother for that." She joked as if nothing had happened. "I guess you could say I've just had a busy day. A lot of people I need to apologize to, y'know?" She finished, sliding down into her chair slightly, feeling the guilt weighing her down.

He took a sip of his own wine as he listened, watching the girl carefully. He didn't seem to notice, or perhaps he simply didn't care in the case of the almost spilled wine. It wasn't his job to clean up the establishment. There was an odd look of melancholy in his eyes of all things. "Forgive the older and wiser approach of my words... but at your age I probably would've said the exact same thing. Well, minus the part about my mother..." He placed the wine on the table and traced a finger over the brim to create a sonorous effect. "Maybe then... you'd pay a young man feeling too old for dinner, by listening to him complain?" He stared deeper into the wine and he knew exactly the words to say. It was his honesty that would reach this one, not the subtle tricks of persuasion he could have so easily used.

"Quite a while ago now, though still very recently for myself, I lost the person whom was most dear for me. For years since then I've been searching for the right person to blame... and I thought finding them would make me feel better. I devoted all of my time and resources to sustaining myself and my desires... and while I acted in a way that portrayed me as a good person, I still only cared about myself and those dearest to me. Despite everything I'm saying, I believe that is still true." He took another sip, mimicking her less formal actions as he drank. "However... that is human nature I feel. Perhaps on thinking about the past, I feel selfish. I feel like I have to apologize for what I've done." He polished off the wine and placed the empty glass by his equally empty plate. "But... I think that's wrong too. Apologizing and saying you're sorry. In the end all you're doing is licking the wounds that you've already inflicted... looking at all I have, all the power I have attained... I think that the best way to make up for what I've done, the greatest solution to the pain I have caused?" He smiled gently and gave her a somewhat knowing look. "It's not to apologize to make myself feel better... it's to use this power I am so lucky to have, to help the people who need it most. By doing that, by really making a difference to those people whom I have wronged, to make a difference to everyone I can." He stood up slowly from the table, brushing a crumb or two from his turtleneck. "Harper, I feel like that is better than any apology. Don't you?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked to be a business card, but it was solid, plastic and had an encrypted line of code along its back. On the front was the image of a scroll, though it was angular, as if made of computer code... underneath it was the word "Trayton" in a sophisticated and elegant style of font. He placed the card upon the table in front of her and chuckled a little. "I assume you know Trayton Manor? Large building on the East Side of the city? Isolated hilltop place, hard to miss. That card will let you inside." He paused as he started to walk away. "If you ever do feel like venting to a stranger, I suppose."

"Wait...Mr. Trayton, I do have a question, before you go. I've been playing for this soccer team for a while..." She stopped, trying to align every detail with the true story behind it, before continuing. "...and I left under, dubious circumstances. The fans of that team aren't the most empathetic in the world, and the way I left the club rubbed them the wrong way. My friend wants me to join this new club...the rival club, but that's going to make the situation that much worse. Honestly, I don't even want to play anymore, but this friend seems to think me leaving will have some massive affect on the fans. As though, I'm really going to make that much of a difference. I don't really want to play soccer anymore, but I don't want to let everyone down either. What do you think I should do?" She asked, finally allowing herself a moment to breathe.

Edward smirked a little, facing away from Harper to compose himself before turning back with an oddly understanding and compassionate gaze. "I think you already know the answer Harper. You're just afraid to face it." He gave her a sympathetic look, before turning and continuing to walk away. "I know better than anyone Miss Burton... that nobody can run away forever. Now then, I hope to hear from you again soon, our talk has been most enlightening. You know where to find me."

With that the automatic doors slid open and he paced into the rainy night. His suit and weaponry was folded and compacted in the heavy briefcase grasped in his hand. He'd find an alley and change... after that? Well... The Resistance was waiting for him.

"I know better than anyone Miss Burton... that nobody can run away forever."

A JP by Shak and Deceptio​
​

Sir Bastian · Jun 29, 2016

"It's pretty cloudy today..." Quantum thought to herself, glancing up into the skies. She was standing on the roof of one of the taller skyscrapers in downtown Hyperia. It was owned by some corporation she hadn't really bothered to find out. The Resistance had asked her to go here to distribute the new transceivers, and that's what she'd do. Glancing down at her wrist, a small smile formed on her lips behind the helmet at the memory those few years ago, when she'd gotten her first. It seemed like so long ago at this point. And now a new generation of heroes were to step up and help give the city back to its people. "Sure hope they're up to the task..." She muttered to herself.

"Not if their teacher starts second guessing, I'd imagine." The voice was somewhat deeper than usual, with a robotic twang to mask its user from most solid forms of detection and recognition, though she undoubtedly knew it well enough with or without a modulator to know whom it belonged to. Just in case however, he pulled the white mask off, it wasn't as if anybody was going to interrupt them just yet anyway. Bangs of black hair fell into Edwards eyes as he took a deep breath, he stood behind Quantum, hoping to startle her a little with a sudden and silent entrance... one that had no doubt benefited from her distracting thoughts. "Still, they chose well with you I think. So no doubt you'll set a good example."

Achieving the effect he was hoping for, Quantum gave a small start at the voice, quickly spinning around to face whoever was suddenly behind her. The glowing eyes within the visor of the helmet widened as she realized who it was. "... Ed! You're back!"
Without a moment of hesitation, the armoured woman rushed over and wrapped her arms around Renegade, giving him a firm (Albeit gentle for her) squeeze, before letting go again, stepping back with a wide smile, which was easy to hear in her voice. "I thought you'd be gone for much longer! I'm -so- glad you're back on top of everything that's going on right now."

He winced a little at Quantum's hug, she did try to be gentle but being with super strength and filled with excitement often made her overstretch her boundaries a little. "Ahem... yes, I am back. Thankfully... what a long and fruitless trip that was." He scowled a little, but quickly wiped the look from his face, happy to be in the company of his friend again. "You remember why I left right? The lead I found on that particular member of the meta-force... I suppose I found what I was looking for, he's in the city again I believe. If nothing else I have an idea of name and tactics at this point..." He trailed off, he seemed to be rushing the topic out of the way before she could ask anymore regarding it... or well, before she could ask about it at all whatsoever.

"Oh! Actually... let me see here... I did get you something..." He reached into his combat pouch quickly, shuffling around through adrenaline stims and various grenades until he heard the soft crinkle of plastic beneath his glove. Gripping the small bag, he pulled it out rather swiftly and produced a folded paper fan. Spreading the panels and giving it a quick flourish, he blew a gentle gust of wind at her face before refolding and presenting it to her with pride. "I am aware that you do not often or, well, ever get to leave the city due to our work... however! I thought to remedy this, I might bring a piece of the outside world to you instead. Fans like these were once used as weapons, though now they serve more as decorative cooling tools. Still, it's... pretty, no? I thought you might like it."

Quantum frowned. It was pretty typical for Edward to distance himself and his problems from everyone else. A habit that he'd had alot of trouble putting away ever since they met. As much as she wanted to talk to him about it, she knew that there was a time and place for everything. He'd probably open up to her about it sooner or later, anyway. She blinked in surprise at the mention of him getting something for her, the concern fading away in favor of curiousity.

After he had revealed the floral-patterned fan and giving a brief show of it, Quantum reached out to take it, opening it up again to study it closer. "Oh... wow. Ed, I- don't really know what to say." Smiling to herself, she gave the fan a small flick, closing it up and opening it again. It was weird, holding something she knew had come from the other side of the world, and the fact that Edward had gone through the trouble to bring it all the way back to her, even with his mission and everything going on at the same time...

"This means a lot to me, Ed. It's a... really sweet gift. Thank you." Giving the fan a last appreciative glance, she stepped over, placing it down on the rooftop, besides the large, heavy suitcase that was lying nearby. After putting it down, she stepped over to the edge of the building and sat herself down, glancing back at him and motioning him closer with a flick of her head.

Almost instinctively he slipped the mask back into place upon his head, he was flushing just slightly. It wasn't a very common occurrence for him to purchase a gift for anyone other than Anise. His daughter appreciated things as much as little girl would, but seeing genuine appreciation in Quantum for something he had done embarrassed him slightly. "Are you five Edward? Honestly. You're a grown man." Berating himself seemed to lower the heat growing beneath the indestructible surface he now wore, though he still didn't dare to take it off.

He walked over to where she sat, his movement differed slightly when he was The Renegade, his steps were lighter, he was slightly bulkier and taller, his long dark coat tailed behind him and every movement he made was more fluid and solid than those he made as Edward. He settled down beside Quantum and overlooked the city with the sounds that reverberated over the rooftops and streets below. He opened himself up to the chi flowing through him... and for miles around he could hear everything there was to hear. Even some of the new recruits from the earlier meeting were making their way to where they needed to go for their trials and tribulations.

"So... the trial of strength is it? Have you met any of the new recruits yet? Or perhaps... some of our old friends?" There was a slight edge in the way he pronounced the last word. It wasn't laced with hate or remorse, more uncertainty and unease... as if the concept of seeing his former team again after so long made him sincerely uneasy.

"Mhm!" Quantum replied, pushing her hands behind her in order to lean slightly back, feet gently knocking against the building her legs were dangling over. "Not privately. I only saw them during that meeting the other night. They seemed... uh, a little unorganized. Didn't really take it seriously. Then again, they were all pretty young..." She paused, tilting her head a little back to watch a plane glide across overhead.

Tilting her head slightly, she gave a small smirk beneath the helmet. " 'Friends'? You sound absolutely -thrilled- to get to see them again. But yeah, I ran into a few of them. Star, Giron and Nerites. Oh! And you know that speedster I've run into a few times? She was there too. With... what I -assume- was a friend of hers." Quantum had felt rather sorry for the woman Overdrive had dragged to the meeting, considering the state she was in. But from her brief run-ins and teamups with the speedster, it was clear that she was pretty... exciteable.

"Harper..." He thought back to the girl he had encountered that night, he hadn't connected the dots but it made sense for the speedster that Harper had been with and the Speedster that Quantum had worked with to be one and the same. He hadn't seen her at Trayton manor, or anywhere in the city really, since that night. Surely the meta-force hadn't gotten her? Or perhaps she had simply left the city? Or... maybe she was just trying to live a normal life? All of those were disappointing outcomes, though some more so than others. His mask was angled down towards the ground as he thought silently on events thus far since his return to Hyperia. All these new recruits, new bonds and new thoughts and worries. It felt like something big was just on the horizon.

"Nerites... the water goddess returns to grace us with divine presence does she? The lizard and burning gas too. I honestly didn't much expect to see any of them again since we went our separate ways." He drew the knife from its sheathe on his belt and twirled it around his fingers gingerly, deftly and dexterously spinning it with agility that he had built up over years of practice. To think that with this first weapon of his he had planned to kill them all. He shuddered and put it swiftly away.

Quantum let out a little huff at the name-calling, giving Renegade's shoulder a small shove. "Hey, don't be mean! Just because we split up, doesn't mean they don't want to help."

He let out a small noise of annoyance, almost like a growl, as she shoved him. "I'm aware of their intentions Quantum. However, if they really cared about the city, they wouldn't have left when we were most needed by it." He sighed and let the words settle for a moment, waiting until the subject had dropped.

"I received a call earlier." He spoke again and tapped the transceiver on his wrist. tilting his head towards her. "They've discovered a base of operations for the Meta-Force in Hyperion. An old forgery in the industrial district. They're using it to manufacture weapons for God knows what. Fueling gang warfare that they can eradicate for better press? Creating a private army? I don't know. All I know is that I need to infiltrate the facility and shut it down. They want me to go alone for stealth and efficiency." He paused, before acitivating the transceiver and swapping between multiple camera feeds until settling on the one he wanted.

Appearing on the holographic screen was a rather large, old complex of rusted iron and stone. Everything was calm momentarily until a fire began to burn deep within with a controlled explosion and smoke rose from that old furnace stacks. He fast forwarded the clip with a swipe of his finger before pausing at the moment he wanted. Upon the bottom left corner of the screen was a woman walking from the building, her hair and eyes burned with a strange light... and her hands seemed to radiate with a powerful fire. "This is Overheat. She's in charge of the operation. As a self assigned secondary directive I'm going to be taking her into custody."

Sitting up straight, Quantum then leaned in to watch the footage being played. She frowned a little at his proclamation, a small, oddly echo-y sigh escaping her. "You've only just come back and you're already off on a really dangerous mission. I know we're trying to save the city here, but don't you think you should... you know?" She lifted her head, giving him a small glance. Not having any facial expressions save for your eyes would normally limit your ability to show things such as your concern, but Renegade was exceptionally good at catching onto the smallest things. That, and they'd spent quite alot of time together over the past few years. Which was also the reason for Quantum knowing that this mission was probably Renegade pushing for it, rather than the resistance trying to force it on him.

He could hear the faint changes in her energy signature that indicated a change in expression beneath her suit... and upon recognizing her unique sound of concern he grimaced beneath his mask. "I know you're worried, but this is some half-rate wannabe villain looking to get away with any number of things... I'll be fine Quantum." He switched off the display and frowned a little more, before taking the mask off again and doing his best to push a smile. "Besides... who else is capable of this sort of covert operation? You think Giron is capable of being sneaky? Nerites would probably ask the guards for directions!" He pat her head lightly before rising to stand. "And while I know you mean well, you're hardly the sneaky sort you know? Haha."

"Heh... that sounds like them, alright." Quantum mused with a smile of her own, doing her best to push away the concern. As much as she was worried for her friend, he was right. He was definitely the most capable in this particular situation. She turned her head and gave him a challenging look, rising to her feet while folding her arms across her chest. "Excuse me! I can sneak -just- fine. Besides, most of the time, it pays off to be able to fly and take alot of punishment!" She made a quick jabbing motion with both hands before resuming her stance, smirking underneath the helmet.

"Oh of course it can yes, but it's not exactly a very subtle approach now is it?" He smiled a little in return before re-equipping his mask and walking to edge of the building opposite where they were standing. "On that note, there's no time like the present? Our new recruits will be arriving shortly Miss Quantum. Be sure to keep that fire ready to fight when they arrive." He stood up on the edge and began to gently step off, turning and giving her a final glance at his mask before he fell. "I missed you, by the way."

With that he was gone, the rev of an engine sounded and by the time anybody would have a chance to look, Renegade would be driving down the city streets on his motorcycle as if he had never been at the top of the building at all.

Peering over the side, Quantum couldn't tell Renegade from the myriad of other tiny little vehicles buzzing about all the way down at ground level. Smiling to herself, she stepped over besides the suitcase, leaning down to pick up the fan, which she twirled between her fingers. "Yeah... I missed you too, Ed."

Groc · Jun 29, 2016

Star Gazer on Trial

After yesterday's meeting of potential Resistance members, Star had gone home optimistic. She really liked some of them, and it was good to meet up with some of her old friends. And speaking of old friends, she was going to meet up with Quantum later for her formal initiation! She was so excited she almost skipped breakfast, but a half dozen donuts and a 44 oz. coffee just smelled too good to pass up.

After breakfast, she got dressed for the day. Obviously, she couldn't wear her armor out of the apartment, so it went into a gym bag while she put on jeans and a hoodie. So disguised, she took her motorcycle to a parking garage downtown, one that had a reputation for cheap prices and even cheaper security. She found a dark corner to park her bike, shedding her civilian clothes and putting them in the bike's saddlebag. A blue glow surrounded her hands, spreading to her armor, and in thirty seconds' time Stella was gone, and Star Gazer was suited up and ready for action.

She took the elevator to the top floor, thankful that nobody else was using it. (That would have been awkward.) Once there, she looks over the balcony and jumps, hanging in midair for a moment before heading for the center of the downtown area.

Spotting the building she was looking for, Star quickly descended, landing softly behind her friend. "Quantum!" She called out, grinning excitedly. "I found you!"

Turning around, the armored heroine smiled into the helmet, raising a hand in greeting. "Star! Hey! So, you're going for the trial of 'Strength', huh?" Beside Quantum on the roof of the building was a closed, seemingly heavily-armored suitcase.

Star grinned, rubbing her neck in embarrassment. "Yeah, I know, but I've gotten stronger in my travels! I wanted to prove I've got what it takes." She looks at the suitcase, taking a step closer. "Ooh, what's in the box?"

"That, my friend..." Quantum replied, unable to hide the smirk in her voice as she leaned down, patting the top of it. "Is your new transciever. Renegade's already upgraded mine and worked it into my suit." She tapped the side of her head with a finger.

"Oh cool! Yeah, my old one is starting to die. I think the speaker's going or something. But let's take a look at that upgrade!" Like with most things, Star was excited about this new tech.

Nodding firmly, Quantum put in the combination on the lock, flicking the lid open, revealing about fifteen or so metallic bracelets. She picked one up and shut the suitcase again, offering it out to her friend, her violet, glowing eyes almost twinkling. "... It's good to have you back, Star. With you and the others here, I'm sure we can finally give people their city back."

Star accepted the communicator eagerly, strapping it to her wrist. Quantum's words diverted her attention from the bracelet, but earned a genuine smile. "Well, we're heroes, aren't we? It's what we do." She played with the bracelet, laughing as it expanded into a viewscreen. "This thing is so cool!"

"Heh... yeah. It is, isn't it?" It was easy to hear Quantum was smiling, but at the same time, it was sort of... wistful. The screen suddenly flashed bright white and Star felt her body shifting and Quantum's words fading in the background as she vanished. "Good luck on your trial!"

☆☆☆☆

Star staggered as she was enveloped in light, feeling sick to her stomach. The light cleared, revealing someplace completely unlike the one Star had been standing in. She was standing on a plateau, a scenic jungle spread out around her, although she couldn't hear any animals. The nausea passed, and Star looked out over the jungle in awe and confusion. "I don't think I'm in Hyperia anymore..."

"You'd be correct, Star Gazer." Came a voice from behind her. It was a man's voice, high but guttural, with a peculiar droning quality to it. Star spun around, seeing more jungle and a concrete bunker, and a man nearly a foot taller than her, adorned in futuristic black and yellow armor.

Spoiler:

Star stepped forward, intrigued by the man's suit. "Wow... That's some impressive armor. Got a bit of a theme to it, too. You know me, but I don't believe-" Before she could react, the man lashed out with the sole of his boot, kicking Star in the stomach and knocking her on her butt. She scrambled to her feet as the man laughed.

"You don't bee-lieve we've met? The name's Wasp, and vigilantes like you fetch a fair price! Come on! Show me what you got!" He rushed forward, throwing a heavy punch at Star's head. She ducked underneath it, throwing her elbow into his back and using his own momentum to shove him away.

She turned to face him, and he whirled around to face her. "I don't suppose we can discuss this like civilised people?" He growled, charging her again. "Didn't think so!" She threw a bolt of starlight at his face, temporarily blinding him as she dove to the side. Rather than continue his blind charge, he stopped in his tracks, tapping the side of his helmet. It started emitting a low buzzing sound, and he turned to where Star had gone.

She quickly threw another bolt at him, but he raised his left arm, and a yellow shield sprang from his gauntlet, blocking the blast. He shook his head to clear it, and tapped his helmet again to stop the buzzing.
"It'll take more than some pretty lights to stop me!"

Realizing she couldn't defeat him in a straight fight, Star leapt into the air, throwing three star bolts at Wasp. He raised his shield again, blocking all three. Star fired a single bolt, and when Wasp raised his shield, she curved the bolt around him to strike him in the back of the head. The hit knocked him off balance, making him stagger forward a step.

She couldn't let him get the upper hand again, but fighting in midair would be more tiring than she could afford. She threw three more bolts, curving them to strike his left shoulder from behind, head from the right, and the small of his back. Wasp growled in anger, when Star dropped from the sky, right onto his head.

Wasp hit the ground hard, and Star stood atop him victoriously. He rolled, making Star lose her balance and fly rather than fall off. Wasp rolled easily to his feet, taking the time to pop his neck.
"That was a good hit. What other tricks do you do?" He revealed that the wings on his suit weren't just for show, launching himself into the air. His wings made a loud buzz, moving too fast to be clearly seen.

Wasp launched himself forward, straight at Star. She back flipped, her boot catching Wasp on the chin and knocking him back. She gracefully righted herself, forming a spear of starlight in her hand and throwing it at Wasp before he could recover. The spear hit him in the chest, and while it wasn't enough to puncture his armor, it did knock him out of the air.

Star was starting to breathe a little heavier as she weighed her options. She had the clear advantage in speed and mobility, but Wasp was stronger and tougher, and his suit didn't tire him out like her powers did. She prepared another spear, but Wasp surprised her. He raised his right hand, and a cone of booming bass sound waves came droning out of his gauntlet.

The sound knocked Star off balance, clutching her ears in pain. Wasp launched himself up at her, hitting her in the stomach and throwing her to the ground. She bounced when she hit the ground, managing to roll in midair and land on her feet. Wasp tried Star's own trick on her, diving straight for her, but she managed to throw herself back and prevent him from landing on her head.

Unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough to avoid him entirely, and his heavy boots struck her knee, which let out a muffled *KRUNCH* as it bent backwards under his weight. Star screamed in pain, her knee broken from the impact. She blasted him in the face with a star bolt, knocking him away from her. In desperation, she formed a shield around him, trapping him inside a semi-transparent bubble of midnight blue. She gingerly felt her leg, wincing at the pain. "Oh, man! It's gonna take at least an hour for this to heal!"

Wasp pounded at her shield, trying to break through. Star floated into the air, looking around the area again. "Give it up, Wasp. My shield absorbs energy. You're not getting out that easily." How had she gotten here, anyway? Had she been grabbed by the meta-force somehow? What about Quantum?

Before she could ponder her situation more, a loud droning came from the shield. Wasp was using his sonic weapon to try and break through. The shield started to glow brighter as it converted the sonic energy into heat and light. Star felt a pressure start building up in her head, the strain of maintaining the shield. With it glowing like that, she couldn't see in, and Wasp couldn't see out. She hovered over the top of the shield, and it shattered like glass as she dismissed it. (The fragments vanished as they hit the ground.)

As she had hoped, Wasp had kept his attack focused on where Star had been, causing him to miss her entirely. She created a starlight whip in her hand, lashing out and ensnaring his right wrist. He spun around, aiming his gauntlet up at her, but a sharp tug of her whip yanked his arm to the side, throwing off his aim. Wasp threw himself into the air, his wings buzzing like mad.

Star dashed to the left, keeping her hold on the whip and dragging Wasp with her. He tried to fly the other direction, to drag Star off balance, but she simply let go of the whip, sending him tumbling through the air. She couldn't help but laugh at the sight, and created a starlight anchor at the end of the whip. Giving the construct enough weight to drag Wasp down made the pressure start coming back in her head, and she knew she had to finish him off quickly.

She created a weighted net out of light, while Wasp struggled to stay airborne. Star threw the net over him, and his wings got tangled as the added weight bore him to the ground. Star dismissed the anchor construct, and created another starlight whip, guiding it around Wasp's neck and tying it into a noose. She tightened the noose as she pulled herself up, choking Wasp as she increased the weight of the net, preventing him from lifting off.

The pressure in her head was incredible, making her vision blur and her eyes water. Wasp struggled for air, for altitude, for anything, but Star didn't let up until he stopped struggling. When he fell limp, she dismissed both net and noose, the pressure fading. She nearly blacked out from exhaustion and relief, slowly sinking until she floated mere inches off the ground.

A sharp beeping sound caught her attention, and she looked up in time to see Wasp crackle with electricity, then flicker and fade, revealing... a robot?! The surrounding area flickered with static as well, but a bright light enveloped her before she could see what lay beneath. Her stomach twisted, and she braced herself for where the light would take her.

☆☆☆☆

As the flash faded, Quantum was standing exactly where Star had left her. The armored heroine winced a little at the state of her friend, taking a small step closer. "... Ouch. Looks like you had a pretty bad fight in there. How'd it, uh... go?"

Star took a breath, letting the nausea fade. "Apparently teleporting doesn't agree with my stomach. Also, I think I killed a man, but he turned out to be a robot. So... good? I guess?" She shrugged, floating over to Quantum. "Don't worry about this, it'll heal. Just need an hour, and some lunch, and maybe a nap. How about you? You doing okay?"

"Oh, uh... yeah, yeah, I'm fine!" Quantum smiled, waving away Star's apparent worry, despite her own state of being. "But, I think a congratulations is in order, considering you've passed the test! Sorry for not telling you what would happen. Has to be even for everyone, you know?" She gave a sheepish little smile, which Star couldn't even see anyway, lifting a hand to rub her arm.

Star gasped in excitement, a huge grin spreading across her face. "Really?!" She squeaked, "I passed!? Awesome!" She floated up, doing a flip and zipping over to her friend. "High five! I don't blame you for the trickery, I was just concerned we'd been ambushed. But now I know it was a test, it was actually really cool! Where'd you get the robot?"

Breathing out quietly with a slight, electric echo to it, Quantum was secretly very happy that Star Gazer didn't feel tricked. Then again, Star had always been a very cheerful, 'silver lining' kind of person. A lot like Quantum, actually. "You'd have to ask the resistance about that. I'm just here to hand out the transcievers and make sure people survive the ordeal. Oh, uh, speaking of..." She put on a somewhat more somber expression, only visible through her eyes and tone of voice. "In the future, you should keep in mind that we don't condone killing others. Even if they're evil. There's always another way, you know?"

"Oh. Yeah, I-I know..." Star stammered, looking at the ground. "I didn't mean to, really! I was just gonna knock him out, but then he turned into a robot, you know? I promise, I'll do better!" She raised her head, eyes blazing with determination. "And besides, that would have been my first kill if he'd actually died. Seriously, have you seen me fight? I make whips, Quantum. Out of light."

Quantum couldn't help but snicker a little at her friend's eagerness. "I know, Star, I know. It's just a thing I -have- to say, you know." She paused a moment, looking at the other armoured woman before reaching out with a hand, her eyes beaming a smile. "Anyways, I'm sure you've plenty to see to. And if not, you'll... probably get some before long. Welcome to the Resistance, Star Gazer."

Star grinned happily, accepting Quantum's hand. "Thank you, Quantum. It's an honor to be here." She lasted a good four seconds before laughing. "Okay, I'm sure you're busy, so I'm gonna go recover. I'd ask if I could get you something, a snack, a drink, but then again... power suit! I'll see you later!"

"Heh, yeah, no need to worry about me when it comes to that sort of thing. You go ahead. I've got to stay here and take care of anyone else coming through." Nodding her head, Quantum lowered herself down to sit back on the suitcase, giving her friend a wave as she took off into the skies.

Star happily flew over the city, pleased with today's results. She knew she had taken a big step, and it wasn't going to be all gum drops and ice cream from here on, but for now?

"I'm in the Re-sis-tance, I'm in the Re-sis-tance!" She twirled in mid-air, chanting happily in a sing-song way.

With Sir Bastion as Quantum

Oddball_ · Jun 30, 2016

005: Engage FTL drives and beam us into hyperspace!

Light Force

The moon was shining brightly over the city by the time Lightforce began making his way to Dex's Diner. Walking through the city at night always felt boring when he could be walking through the sky above it, but sadly tonight he needed to not draw attention by being a glowing blot in the sky. Of course walking like a normal person was taking far too long.

"You know, super speed would have been way too overpowered anyway. I mean if you go fast enough you can practically break time. Or maybe phase through the sub atomic energy barrier surrounding the universe, getting yourself trapped in a parralel universe. Okay well anybody with half a brain would know better, but I guess they had to come up with plot points somehow." He muttered to himself as he pushed open the door to the run down Diner.

Instantly he recognized the man he was looking for, an interesting looking man whom was scribling something on a napkin with a pen. Beside him sat a lonely cup of coffee which seemed to have gone cold during the long wait. Having taken off his coat in an alley some ten or twenty blocks ago, a normal looking Jake Kemon sat down on a stool beside the man.

"I take it you're the one they call Reverb." Jake said under his breath, stealing a glance at the napkin on which the man was scribbling. It was a scribble of a waveform, possibly a specific message or perhaps just a doodle that someone named Reverb would do, whatever it was, it didn't interest the young man who just wanted to get his mission and get out of the ****ty little diner.

As Jake spoke, Reverb slid a small metal bracelet over to the boy. "Its a tranceiver like the Champions used, more accurately this is the transceiver V2, the old one was getting a bit outdated."

As Jake slid the watch sized communications device onto his arm a flash of blue light blinded him and when he opened his eyes he was on the deck of what seemed to be a futuristic ship of some form, a strange woman with what appeared to be silicon skin with blue circuits running up and down her body standing infront of him.

"Ma'am. I've detected an unauthorized transmat onto the ship." A holographic blue face stated plainly.

"Thank you Gideon... I think i've found our intruder." The Silicon like woman stated with a digitized voice as she stared at Jake with her strange glowing eyes.

"Well Todo, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." Jake said as he saw a familiar green and blue planet slowly pan into view from the ships windshield.

"A popular quote from a piece of Earth fiction known as The Wizard of Oz." The blue head on the console stated.

"I don't know who you are, or how you managed to transmat onto my ship, but I can't have you running about while i'm trying to destroy a planet." The digitized voice said once more as the woman pointed at him with strange metal gloves. A pulse of energy blasted out from her fingertips and Jake instinctivly snapped his fingers to call up his shield, however to no avail. The energy burned into his skin, instantly searing through the flimsy material that he was wearing.

"Why do they never take the kill shot first? Don't they know they won't like it when i'm angry?" Jake growled, flicking his wrist in an attempt to call upon his Lightforce weapons. "Okay what the hell." He huffed as once again nothing happened.

"Surely if you've got transmat technology you've brought some sort of weapon to fight back with? Are you really dumb enough to show up without any way to defend yourself?" The living motherboard called out, once again taking aim at Jake.

Jake dived out of the way of the energy blast, behind one of the eight passenger seats that were scattered around the deck of this strange spacecraft. The beam of energy melted through the back of the seat, blowing right over Jake's head and scorching a hair or two.

"Hah! You're damaging your own ship!" Jake laughed as he poked his head up from behind the seat only to have to duck in order to dodge another incoming blast.

"Correction human, I'm damaging the ship I commandeered in order to destroy your planet, as long as the weapons remain intact the rest of the ship does not matter to me." The living motherboard explained with her strange digitized voice.

"Why do you want to destroy the earth anyway, I mean sure we're the reason the Kardashians exist but like, even most of us want to destroy them." Jake called out while looking around the deck. The room they were in contained 9 chairs total, eight of which were positioned around a table which by Science fiction logic was some sort of hologram emmiting computer. The ninth seemed to be the pilots seat as it had a miniature version of the hologram table built into its armrest and what appeared to be a joystick into the other. On either side of Jake's side of the room were two large metal doors which would probably lead deeper into the ship. Directly behind Jake was a large glass window leading into what seemed to be a meeting room, with a very rustic feel, the walls appearing to be wooden compared to the metal plates that the deck was made out of. Not to mention the leopard print furniture that looked like it was straight from some movie set in the 70's.

"Madamn Motherboard plans to reduce the planet into radioactive slag, then sell it on the black market as cheap atomic fuel." The blue head called Gideon called.

"You've Yes Man'd the console haven't you! That explains why she's responding to anything thats said, you've shut off her ability to deny a request!" Jake exclaimed.

"Affirmative." Gideon responded.

"Silence Gideon!" Motherboard hissed as she fired another beam at Jake.

Jake closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I really hope this works." He mentally cried to himself as he rolled out from under his chair and climbed into a seat and pulled down the security bar. "Gideon! Open all bulkhead doors!" He cried as another small burst of energy burned into him, searing the side of his face.

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud metal clanging noise erupted through the ship as every door opened, and all of the air began rushing out of the ship. The leopard print furniture were sucked out of the ship, as were several strange objects which Jake had no idea what they were for. Along with all of these things, the strange woman was being pulled out of the ship as well, her form wildly thrashing in an attempt to latch onto something that would keep her from being tossed into space, however to no avail as she was sucked into the deep vacuum of space.

"Gideon! Close the doors!" Jake gasped as he felt his skin turn blue from the sudden lack of oxygen in the room.

"As you wish." The AI replied, closing the doors with a loud clanging noise.

As air rushed back into the room, Jake gapsed in as much of the glorious oxygen as possible.

"Now then... Gideon, take me home. Take me to Hyperia."

SIMULATION TERMINATED

Strange · Jun 30, 2016

Druid

Druid was enjoying another wonderful day at his apartment, but the only thin he could think about was how nervous he was about this test he had to take. What were they going to have him do? Would he have to fight? If he did have to fight, who or what would he have to fight?

So many questions were racing through his head, when he was interrupted by his doorbell. Odd, his apartment didn't have a doorbell. Even weirder was the fact that he was sure that the only person who knew where he lived was his mother. Even weirder was that she was on vacation and wasn't even in the city. After a few seconds of confusion, he decided the only way he could find out what was going on was to answer the door. He walked over to the door, held his hand on the knob, and slowly turned it. As soon as he opened the door darkness filled the room, and his brother's voice filled his head.

"You killed me Eric. You killed me and now I want revenge. You're a worthless little brat, Eric."

"NO!" he screamed, covering his ears with his hands. "It wasn't my fault! I didn't know!"

He woke up in a cold sweat. It was early in the morning, the sun was just starting to rise and it filled his room with a warm red color. He felt sick to his stomach. There was no way he could complete whatever test they had in store for him if he couldn't even manage to sleep.

After taking a shower and putting on his costume, he seemed to feel better. He walked down the stairs, and then took the bus to the Cape Royale shoreline. He was a bit embarrassed at fact that he was a superhero riding the bus next to a bunch of old ladies looking for the early bird specials, but he got over it quickly when he noticed that they all had enough vision problems that they probably didn't notice who he was anyway. When the bus finally stopped at his destination he got off, receiving an odd look from the bus-driver.

He walked around a bit, in awe of the sheer amount of money people probably spend on houses like the ones around him, until he noticed a lone figure sitting casually on the beach with a briefcase laying in the sand beside his chair. When he walked up to the man, he noticed that the guy had leaves all over his body and bright red hair. "Cool!" he muttered under his breath.

The man smiled when he saw Druid, and then waved him over.

"Someone dressed like you are probably isn't going for a stroll on the beach. Have a seat while I figure out how this stupid electronic lock works."

He jostled the briefcase around a bit, found the keypad, and tapped the numbers a few times before it finally gave a satisfied beep and opened up.

"Ah, here we go. You get one of these, metal bracelet computers. Just slip it on, and you're good to go! Have fun!"

He held one of the devices towards Druid, smiling, but he had a weird glint in his eyes, like he was holding something from him. Druid took the device, perhaps a bit too eagerly, and slid it on. Its screen lit up and then flashed white, and suddenly the world around him vanished, replaced by a scene he remembered all too well. Someplace that had haunted his dreams for as long as he could remember.

His old house had appeared around him, the one that his brother died in. He stood in the middle of his room, remnants of the chalk circle from the spell that consumed his brother still lay in patches on his floor, his rug rolled up in the corner. Tears came to his eyes as he noticed the scratches on the floor from where the demons dragged his brother across the room. Druid opened his curtains, the light flooding his room and revealing so many memories of his past. He almost collapsed, overwhelmed with emotion, but then he noticed something was off.

On one side of his room, hidden before by the shadows, stood himself.

"Hello." the copy said calmly.

"Who the heck are you?"

"Why, I'm you of course." he said, like it was obvious.

"There's only one of me, and you're not him." Druid replied.

"Well, there's only one way to settle that, Mr. Murderer." The copy retorted.

Druid was flustered. "I-I didn't!" he protested, but was cut short when the other Druid shot him with a fireball, perfectly aimed at his chest. He flew across the room, smashing into his desk. He felt both angry and terrified. How much did this copy know about him? And what was going on? He realized that thinking about why and how was not going to help him when he barely rolled out of the way of a second fireball.

"Give up!" the copy taunted, "Just like you did when you realized what that ritual did that you performed on your brother!"

Druid cried out in agony, the sheer amount of emotional pain this other him was causing was far worse than any physical pain he had ever endured. "H-how do you know so much about me?" he was in tears. "You know what? It doesn't matter. My brother died because he pressured me into doing something I wasn't ready for." He slapped his hand over his mouth, instantly feeling guilty at his reply. He didn't have time to think about it, as his double began to charge up a large ball of wind.

Druid, tears streaming down his face, looked around the room, instantly noticing the piece of chalk he used to draw the ritual laying on the floor, and lunged for it. He quickly scribbled a crude circle on the floor, and within seconds he cast a shield spell and a large dome of blue magic encased him. The ball of wind struck the shield, scattering onto either side of him.

"It wasn't my fault." he realized, stating it out-loud. "It wasn't my fault!" he shouted, "He wanted power so badly he was willing to pressure me into summoning demons to bind to his body so he could control them, when I knew that I wasn't ready to protect him if something went wrong." he started to cry again, as the other druid charged a ball of rock to launch at his shield. "When I realized that I had misread the ancient text, it was too late to turn back. I banished the demons while they were still bound to his body, dragging him to hell, but he was dead long before that."

"Shut up and fight me you idiot!" the other Druid said as a large boulder smashed through the magic shield, knocking him against the wall and shredding his clothed with the shrapnel. Druid struggled to lift the thing off of him, and by the time he did, his copy was already grabbing at his arm with a life-drain spell. He quickly countered, doing the same to his duplicate friend. Energy flowed between the two of them, a a magic void quickly forming between them.

"Stop that you idiot! You'll kill us both!" the copy yelled, "There's no way to control it once it starts to tear!"

"Don't you think I know that?" he responded, smiling.

"You're trying to die?!" the copy screamed, terrified.

"Nope, just kill you." Druid responded, grinning even more than before.

During their struggle while trying to grab each other, Druid had shuffled them over to his chalk circle on the floor. He stood outside the circle, the copy and rift safely contained within the borders of the chalk. He chanted, the other him catching on a moment too late. The blue shield formed around the copy and rift, separating their arms. Druid ran towards the window, the void imploded, tearing the duplicate apart and collapsing the shield. Mementos of his past flew past as shelves were torn from the walls. He was almost to the window when he suddenly vanished again, reappearing back on the beach. His clothes were torn to shreds, his jacket wasn't even there anymore, and he was covered in bruises, blood, and tears.

"What the heck just happened?"

Sir Bastian · Jul 8, 2016

Quantum
Prologue: A New Face

Somewhere in the financial district, a man wearing a dark-brown jacket and a very long mane of dark hair and a small moustache sped through the streets, clutching a small briefcase. Panting, he looked over his shoulder, franticly making a right turn down an alleyway.

He came to a skidding stop, sliding in behind a dumpster as he whipped out his phone and hurriedly pressed a combination of numbers. ?Come on, come on, pick up?!?

He peeked out over the dumpster and ducked back down again, swallowing as he wiped his brow with the back of his free hand. As soon as the phone clicked, he whispered urgently into it. ?I?m being followed! You need to send help, now! Or I?m not going to make it! Please, hurry!?

----

?Well, I guess that?s that, then!?

Quantum clapped her hands together, smiling to herself as she looked down at the now empty, heavy-duty suitcase, which had been full of transceivers for the new heroes. She?d handed them all out and according to the resistance, no one else was set to come by. ?Job well done. Now all I can do is hope that they?ll live up to the expectations.?

She pushed the lid shut and buckled it shut before picking it up, carrying the ornate fan given to her by Renegade in her free hand. Stepping off of the roof, she flew towards her hideout. She had to go report to the resistance, but she had to get Renegade?s gift back to her place, first of all.

Before she got very far, her transceiver buzzed, much to her surprise. Reaching up, she pressed a finger to the side of her helmet, glancing down at the busy streets of Hyperia, bustling away beneath her.

?Quantum, we need you to take care of an urgent mission. It?s ?extremely- important, and you?re the best equipped to take care of it at this time.?

A small, echoey-sounding sigh escaped her as her flight came to a stop, staying floating in the air. She had hoped she could?ve at least gotten home before the resistance started yanking her in all kinds of directions again. Lifting up the suitcase, she opened it and stashed the fan inside, quickly sinking through the air towards an alleyway, where she could hide it while she was working. ?Alright, I?m ready to help. Go ahead.?

---

The door to a pub was slammed open, the inhabitants turning in their chairs from their after-work-drinks to witness the mullet-haired man dashing through the bar, into the back and out the door there. People muttered under their breath, but went silent as, a moment later, the door opened again and a black-clad, armored man stepped inside. Green, electric energy crackled along his shoulders and temples as he slowly turned his head, his green eyes scanning the room before speaking up.

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?Any of you happen to see a man just rush through here??

Everyone mumbled quietly, a few people nodding towards the back door of the room, diverting their eyes back down to their drinks. The man smirked and strode through the bar towards the back door.

?H-hey, what?re you planning on doing to him? Are you some kind of bad guy?? A young, wavey-haired blonde man in a loose shirt spoke up from a table besides the armored man. His equally young friends were staring up at their friend in disbelief.

The armored man eyed over the man. It was clear that he?d had a lot to drink and him and his friends were preparing for the weekend. Smirking, he reached out and patted his shoulder. ?Nah, buddy. I?m with the good guys.?

With a particularly forceful pat, he forced the man to sit down again. Turning, he strode out of the back door, leaving the younger man blinking a little in confusion, the friend on his right smacking him across the shoulder.

Reaching the main road again, mullet-man began sprinting down the pavement, desperately looking left and right, panting heavily. ?Where the hell are they?! At this rate, I?ll-?

He let out a girlish scream as a green wave of electricity shot past him, hitting a parked car, which caused all of the glass to explode outwards, the man stumbling to the side as he covered his head with his arms. The other people scattered about the street screamed and either ran for dear life, or watched the scene with wide-eyes, some of them even filming it with their phones.

?Alright, doctor, I think we?ve been playing tag for long enough. Stop being a pain in my ass and just come with me.? The armored man strolled up the street towards the cowering person, coming to a stop in front of him, arms folded across his chest.

?No! I can?t! I didn?t fulfill my research just to have it stolen by the likes of you!? He shouted, clutching the briefcase tightly to his chest.

Letting out a small huff, the armored man shrugged his shoulders. ?I guess I?ll drag you all the way back to HQ. Talk about being bothersome. Come on, doctor.?

Just as he reached out to grab the man by the neck, a purple beam of energy hit him square in the side, sending the man flying into a nearby mailbox, denting it as he fell to the ground. Quantum landed on the ground besides the doctor, reaching out to offer a hand to him. ?And you?re? Doctor Emmery, right? Are you alright??

?If I was alright, I wouldn?t be sitting here!? He sputtered as he grabbed her hand and pulled himself to a stand. ?We have to get out of here, quick! Before he gets-?

?Phwoo, ouch! I guess the rumors about you are true, Quantum. You really do pack a punch. Even with your energy-beams.? The armored man pushed himself to a stand, flashing a small grin as he rubbed his neck.

Quantum stepped in front of the doctor, her glowing eyes narrowing as she raised her hands in front of her, getting ready for a confrontation. ?I?d be flattered you?ve heard of me, but I?m afraid I can?t say the same for you? let me guess. ?Electro???

The man laughed, hands on his hips as he casually took a few steps closer, his reddish mess of hair spiking a little as an arc of green electricity ran across the top of his head. ?Nice guess! But no. I?m Neuron. And if you?re afraid you might forget that, I wouldn?t worry. I?m going to make sure you remember it.?

Quantum looked about ready to leap in and get to work, but Neuron raised a finger in front of him. ?Hold on, hold on. I know how feisty you can get and how eager to dole out punishment you are. But, I want to make you an offer.?

He raised both of his hands in front of him, in an open-armed gesture. ?Join the Meta-Force, Quantum.?

Rolling her eyes, Quantum kept up her stance while Emmery was slowly edging backwards down the street. ?As if I haven?t heard ?that- before. And why exactly would I join the Meta-Force? I?m not much into ruining lives these days, I?m afraid.?

?Because!? He exclaimed, clapping his hands together, flashing her another grin. ?You get to do ?exactly- what you?re doing now, but without fear of letting people get hurt by holding back against the various ne?er-do-wells that occasionally crops up in the city. Completely free reign to use your abilities as you please.? He paused, letting the words sink in before his grin dropped, clenching his right hand into a fist. ?And because if you don?t? then I?ll have to bring you in. And let me tell you, it?s not nearly as nice to be ?brought- in, than to ?walk- in.?

Quantum flexed her fingers somewhat, staring down the man. His change in demeanor wasn?t anything new. The Meta-Force had tried something similar plenty of times. Scare her, threaten her, whatever they could think of. And this joker wasn?t going to be changing her mind, either.

?I?m afraid I?ll have to politely decline your offer, ?Neuron?. And if you?re planning on bringing me in, you?d better get started using your fists, rather than your words, because I?ve ?seen- what the Meta-Force is.?

?Tch. Shame.? Neuron shrugged, raising his hands in front of him before leaping forwards. The green electricity crackled as he dodged underneath Quantum?s first swing, delivering a punch to her gut. She jolted briefly, but quickly pulled back and delivered a punch to his face, followed by his chest, sending him to the ground.

She took a step back, brushing a hand across her stomach. The punch was barely felt, but there was something in his demeanor she couldn?t quite shake. Neuron shook his head and got up, smirking. ?Man! It feels good to finally get to have a real tussle with you, after everything I?ve heard about you. But?? He paused as he dashed in again, slamming his shoulder into her chest, followed by a strike to her side. ?If you keep holding back, you?re going to lose!?

Quantum grunted as she staggered back from the punch. She swung her fist, only to have it parried by his arm, but then spun around with the momentum and landed a kick against his side, sending him to the floor again. ?This is? really sad, even for the Meta-Force.?

She turned and nodded to Emmery, who gave her a small smile back as she began moving towards him. ?Let?s get you out of here, doctor.?

?Finally. Thank y- w-watch out!?

Quantum turned around to see Neuron leaping into the air, swinging his fist downwards. She brought up her arms to block the hit, but as his fist connected with her arms, she was sent backwards, slamming into the nearby building?s wall. The amount of force that was suddenly behind his punch was not the same as it had been a moment before. Had he been holding back against her?

Neuron stretched his arms out over his head, a playful smirk on his lips as he turned to the doctor, reaching a hand out towards him. ?Last chance, doc. Come with me, or I?m going to show Quantum what I can ?really- do.?

Emmery clutched his briefcase tightly, quickly glancing at Quantum, who?d gotten back out in front of him, hands clenched and raised. ?I-I?d rather di- uh, I mean, no!?

Sighing again, Neuron shook his head, planting his hands on his hips. ?Alright then. Quantum??

She narrowed her eyes at him as he spread his arms out to the sides, cocky smirk flashing at her. ?Hit me. As hard as you can. End the fight and take the doctor back home with you. But if you don?t take me out with this next hit, people are going to get hurt. That?s a ?promise-.?

The silence that suddenly cropped up was almost deafning. A few of the bystanders were mumbling under their breath as they watched from the other side of the street, or in nearby balconies. There was something about Neuron that made Quantum really, -really- angry, but she wasn?t sure what it was, aside from his cocky attitude.

Lowering her hands, she rolled her shoulder. Neuron hadn?t moved an inch, and just met her gaze with a cocksure smirk and a slightly tilted head. She wasn?t going to stoop to the Meta-Force?s level. She wasn?t going to start killing people just because one guy was so full of himself that he could probably fill an entire warehouse with his own ego alone. But she knew that she had to deal with him. And if he was giving her a free hit?

Without another word, she shot forwards, right arm pulled back. The purple lines along her suit began glowing as she sped towards the villain, until she swung her fist, slamming it into his chest. All of the air was knocked out of Neuron as he flew through the air, crashing into and through a telephone pole, slamming into a parked truck, which dented it and let him drop to the ground. A few people shrieked and moved out of the way as the telephone pole crashed to the ground.

?Tell your friends at the Meta-Force to send someone bigger next time.? Quantum remarked, smirking a little. As she was about to turn around, Neuron slowly got up. He spat out a glob of blood on the ground, lifting a hand to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand, quirking a brow in surprise. He took a deep breath and began walking back down the street, much to Quantum?s surprise. A punch like that was enough to send even Behemoth into the ground for at least a minute, but this guy just? got up again.

?You can tell them that yourself.? He replied as he flicked the blood off of his glove. He suddenly shot forwards through the air, green electricity crackling. Before Quantum could react, his fist had connected with her gut, and in the blink of an eye, she was shot backwards, ramming into the front of a parked car about a hundred meters down the street. She began getting up, but he was already on her, grabbing her by the throat and with a swing, slammed her into the ground.

She winced in pain, everything going blurry for a moment as she tried to register exactly what had just happened. Neuron leaned over her, smiling as he slammed his foot down on her chest, causing her to gasp in surprise and pain.

?And there you have it. You held back, and now people are getting hurt. You?re getting hurt, the doctor?s going to get hurt. And everyone else backing your ridiculous little rebellion is going to get hurt. Especially when we get the good doctor here to work on that anti-teleportation technology of his for us. So tell me, Quantum.? He ground his foot into her chest, leaning down, his glowing green eyes meeting her purple ones, which were wide with shock. ?How does it feel to have your own strength used against you??

Reaching up, Quantum grabbed at his foot, panting quietly as she shifted beneath his boot. ?W-what- how did you-??

The electricity crackled along his shoulders and arms as he grinned down at her surprise, reaching down to grab a hold of her hand, brushing a thumb across the back of it. ?? You really don?t think I?d just tell you that, right? Now, you have two options, dear. Keep punching me and get punched back, which won?t last that long, I can assure you? or go back to HQ with me and the doctor, and we?ll make you part of our glorious little ?peace-keeping force?. How about it??

Her chest rose and fell as she stared up at the man who?d just decked her, of all people, into the ground. She glanced sideways at Emmery, who was standing with wide eyes, half-hidden behind a fruit stand. Turning her head back, she looked up at Neuron. He was right. If she kept fighting him, she was definitely going to lose. He?d gone from being slightly-stronger-than-an-average-human, to? well, very close to her own levels of strength, somehow. But then again?

?I?ll? I?ll go.? She muttered, slowly lifting a hand for him to take, in order to pull her to her feet.

?-Really-? Hah, that was easier than I?d thought. The others said you were such a hardhead. It?s so much easier when you start speaking someone else?s language. And in your case, the language was ?beat them the hell up?.? He reached out in order to take her hand, grinning.

?Yeah, well? I was never a very good listener.? Quantum replied as her hand suddenly moved away from his, palm pressing against his face. Her palm began glowing as a blast of energy sent him flying backwards, crying out in pain and surprise, his hands shooting up to rub at his damaged face.

Quantum quickly got to her feet, still panting as she ran over and grabbed the doctor?s arm. ?Come on, we need to go, -now-!?

?What? But where?! He?s going to find us if we start flying! You can?t beat him!?

?I know that!? She gave the doctor a quick glance, her brows furrowed before looking ahead again, quickly scanning the street. ?? That?s why I?m not going to.?

A few moments later, Neuron got up, laughing under his breath, his mask scorched and the one green lens knocked out, revealing a green-iris?d eye. ?Oh-ho-ho, that was pretty sneaky, Quantum! But you?re still not going to beat-?

He blinked a little as he looked up and down the street. There was absolutely no sight of either of them. He spun around, jaw clenching as he glared at the people who were still stood around. ?Where?d they go? TELL ME!?

A couple people jolted slightly, most of them quickly raising their hands and pointing into a nearby alleyway. Neuron narrowed his eyes, his messy hair shimmering a little with another burst of electrical energy as he ran off into the alley.

Quantum breathed out quietly. The only sound was the slow trickling of the sewage water running past them. They?d just about managed to get into the manhole and close it before he?d gotten to his feet. Emmery slumped against the wall, breathing out before sending Quantum a sharp glance. ?Some bodyguard you turned out to be. If this is what I can expect from the resistance, I don?t have high hopes.?

The heroine pursed her lips behind her helmet, lifting a hand to rub her chest. Despite being what she was, it still ached on top of what had just happened. She wasn?t sure if it was physical, or just? humiliation. ?? Sorry. Come on, let?s? get you to the safehouse. The others?ll make sure you?re safe.?

Without meeting his gaze, she began moving forwards, her metallic feet clinking softly against the stone ?path? on the side of the sewage canal, the doctor grunting and holding his nose as he followed her.

It seemed like the Meta-Force was ramping up their efforts. What Neuron had said to her was still ringing in her ears. If she ?had- taken him out, then he wouldn?t still be out there, causing trouble and looking for them. Maybe they?d send him to try and take out Giron or Star, or even Renegade. And that could?ve all been avoided if she?d just?

Closing her eyes, she quickly shook her head and pushed the thoughts away. She had a job to do. She had to focus, suppress her worry, anxiety and doubts. Just like she?d done in the past.

Jay · Jul 8, 2016

The inside of the old factory was dark and stank with sulfur and black smoke. The two guards outside were incapacitated, they had seemed to be nothing more than civil servants hired to watch over the facilities. Renegade had seen no reason to kill innocent men when he easily knocked them unconscious. The worst they would experience? A few bruises waking up that they'd have to explain to their families upon returning home. The inside of the location was much more a foundry than a modern day factory, which he supposed made sense considering the location in the city and its age. It was a pretty clever cover, re-working the forges to manufacture parts for weapons and claim it to be an effort to re-vitalize the older parts of the city and make use of otherwise wasted resources.

His vision would have been impaired in the warm corridors bereft with wafting smoke. Once again he found himself grateful for his particular set of skills relieving him the need to see at all. Most workers for the factory were in larger rooms, thus allowing him to move through side passages and secret areas uninhibited. By listening for wind cracking through older, covered up passageways, he could find side routes that the local grunts would be stupid to locate. He heard idle tidbits of conversation between the bursts of sound his boots made against the cast iron floor. They spoke about weapons, upgrading the stock of their foot soldiers as Ren had anticipated... but something else caught his ear.

Talk of a weapon. A big one. Something special that would remove any fear of opposition against the meta force and its leaders. They needed a big space to create it, whatever it was... and thus the plans had been brought to the refinery for improvement and creation.

Overseeing the work efforts for the time being was his secondary target. Overheat... a villain possessing control over fire and flame. She was a lower ranking member of the meta-force, but the cries of her shrill commands gave the impression that she hoped to be much more with the brownie points this particular job would grant her. She was the easiest out of everyone to track, her hands constantly ablaze sent the sounds of burning embers flickering against his ears with every movement she made. Apart from her there were roughly twenty men in the facility, with most workers only coming in to work night shifts when their activities were far less monitored by the general public.

Dashing out of the concealed passageway and ducking under one of the forges, Renegade charged into one of the more open rooms where five street thugs were working away, preparing for the night shift ahead. He moved silently through he various shadows cast by the flaming molten metal burning in the forges light. Against a few of the walls he noticed molds for various gun barrels and stocks. If he had needed any more proof, there it was. Their size and quantity assured him of the size of the operation.

With a few more precise ducks and weaves, he found his destination. The primary forge connecting to the largest smoke stack. A massive pit of molten rock and metal, surrounded by railings and allowing smoke to rise high through a stone, cylindrical tunnel, to the skyline above. Sitting opposite his location at the edge of the massive molten pit was a large machine. It whirred with energy and slight overheat, as its glowing heated surface powered the entire facility. Connecting to said device were fuel pipes, power lines and everything else the facility needed to run, including coolant. If it were destroyed, it would create an explosion strong enough to level the entire facility and end the lives of all those inside.

And that was exactly what he planned to do.

Wars aren't won through peace and prosperity, despite what people hope for. While the Resistance focuses on creating heroes that are merciful and just, they keep the Renegade for when amorality is all that can win the day. The news would report the explosion as a terrorist attack on the city. The meta-force would get bad press for their inability to stop the explosion... as well as losing a major resource.

And Ren? Ren would get just a small fragment of the revenge he craved.

After slipping silently around the guard rail, he strapped a high velocity explosive pack to the machine and held the trigger tightly in his hand. With a final deep breath he turns, ready to re-trace his steps to the entrance.

***

People were screaming and running towards the building, though the police that a good enough job at holding them back to stop anymore needless slaughter. The explosion had rocked most of Northern Hyperia... and it would more than likely hit local news within the hour. Renegade atop the roof of a nearby storage warehouse, he had heard the explosion as it sent cracks through the foundation of the city. He listened as ripples spread across the water. He heard the screams and final gasps of the men whom were working inside. Not all of them were as corrupt as each other. Some had families. Some had children.

Edward had created many widows and orphans in the space of a few seconds.

But it... was for the greater good? Wasn't it? What those men were doing, what they were going to help create, it was surely something monstrous that would have killed so many more. He had done the right thing! But then why... why was his chest clenching like this? Why were there tears welling inside of his mask? He struck out at the roof he stood on with his blade, carving massive burning gashes in the steel with every violent strike. He was tired, Quantum was right, he was pushing himself far too hard. All the killing, all the fighting, he had been used to it before. Natalie had changed him, Anise had changed him, he wasn't a murderer anymore. He wasn't just a heartless killer. Renegade remained, but the Edward Trayton whom was able to ignore so much death in the name of vengeance was gone.

Edward sheathed his blade... and for a moment he removed his mask and looked upon the destruction with his own eyes. The teary eyes of family members whom had been nearby, the shocked faces of pedestrians. They would never know why Edward had done what he did... but he had his own family to protect. If he had to cleave the heads off of every innocent whom stood in his way, if that's what it took to make a safe life for the people he loved? For his daughter? Renegade re-affixed the mask upon his face.

He no longer had the luxury of regret.

He heard the sound of burning rising behind him, he knew his secondary target would survive a fire based blast. So causing the factory to explode was the easiest way to stop the project, deal with the hired help and draw her out all in one. He heard her gritting teeth, the gentle cracking of white knuckles as she clenched her fits. He heard her scream as she launched a concentrated blast of flame in his direction.

He jumped at the last second, drawing his sword in mid air and slamming it into the steel wall of the warehouse. Everything was going exactly as he had planned, it hadn't been much of a surprise that his opponent was, shall we say, rather hot headed. People were turning to look as Overheat roared with angst and rage, leaping off of the building after Renegade. He moved swiftly, turning the corner of the warehouse just in time to dodge another blast of flame and slip inside a door he had picked the lock to prior to ever starting this mission.

Overheat rushed to the front of the building, igniting with flames on her arms, legs and hair as she soared into the air. The building was a typical storage warehouse, there were plenty in the industrial district she had been operating out of for the past month or so. She knew she could scorch open the walls of these building with excessive ease. She was going to find her assailant and kill him, he couldn't hide from her now.

With a burning jet of volatile fire she melted the steels wall down to nothing, leaving a massive hole in the side of the building and funneling out of the opening was... smoke? "You can't hide in your hole forever mouse..." Overheat landed gently upon the ground in front of the now carved open building, stepping slowly into the smoke and increasing visibility with her burning flames. "I will descend upon you and roast your corpse."

"It's more a matter of catching you'll find." Suddenly a bright flash of a head lamp struck out through the artificial fog, blinding Overheat momentarily and causing her to reel back in her surprise. Renegade spoke in monotone upon the seat of his getaway ride, uncaring for his opponents words or attitude, passive aggressive and condescending, which only riled her further. "And judging by your wits, you're rather slow, for a cat."

Using a piece of melted metal as a ramp, a black motorcycle carrying the Renegade upon it's seat launched out of the smoke and turned towards an older and less populated part of the city. It moved far faster than a vehicle of its bulk and stature had any right to... and it turned hard and fast around the tightest corners, dodging between warehouses and old shipping containers. Overheat in outrage, shot out of the smoke like a burning bolt of lightning. Her screams of rage echoed across the industrial district and caused many people in the vicinity to flee. Renegade, unfazed and now swerving to dodge oncoming blasts of fire, kept dodging. He had to lead this psychopath away to somewhere less populated. Nobody else would die today apart from her.

Any guilt he had once felt was now replaced by concentration and anger, a certain familiar hatred for those who misuse their power brewing in his gut. She was meta-force... they were responsible. For Natalie, for putting Anise's future in jeopardy, for threatening his city, his friends.

He flicked his wrist gently and activated his transceiver, the blue light of the wrist mounted communications device sparking to light as he spoke. The voice modulator in his mask serving as a direct link wireless microphone for the device. "Mission Log: Target located, initiating secondary objective."

"You're rather slow, for a cat."
​
​

Ice1 · Jul 10, 2016

Smiley

Nowhere/Nowhen

The server begrudgedly put the orders on the table. A cheeseburger with and a Coke for the young hispanic man, and a cheeseburger with cup of english blend tea with milk and sugar for the older gentleman. Nothing bar the tea was on the breakfast menu. A server with a good mood wasn't either.

The two started to chip away at their breakfast, James in a somber introspective state, Giron probably trying to wrap his mind around cheese. It was silent in the diner, as it was just teeth grinding away at meat-that-legally-had-to-have-a-question-mark-behind-it and the tapping of a server heavily debatting quitting his job and moving to New York to chase his passion of musical theatre.

"You know why they call it Coca cola?" James asked just after swallowing a neatly cut piece of his burger.

Giron, sipping the afformentioned brown sludge, shrugged. Considering he had studied history he knew surprisingly little about how popular products had come into being or things like that.
"Not a clue. I always just thought it was named after someone or something. Or it was a weird human word I don't know."

"When I was younger," James paused at that word, "there was cocain in that drink. That's why they call it that."

Giron choked on the drink, barely managing to swallow the liquid instead of inhaling it. Cocain was a word he was more familiar with.
"That sounds like a terrible idea. Times must have been crazy on Earth back then."

"I quite enjoyed it besides the world wars and economic depressions. The gay twenties were quite the time to be young."

"Besides being drugged, why's that?" Giron asked, visibly extremely intrigued by a chance to get first-hand insight into Earthen history.

There was another pause, something James seemed to fall back on when his past came up. "It was a simpler time. Life was only as complicated as life needed to be. People like you and me were barely around. It was just... people. I... I think there's... I don't know, it just felt right back then. You must feel something similar, right?"

"A bit yeah." Giron admitted "I've mostly gotten used to it after so long, but things here are sometimes really different than things back home. I mean, that's why I came to check Earth out anyway but it takes some getting used to. I don't know if I'd call it simpler though, in some ways my people are a lot simpler but we also have to have a lot of rules because of the whole shapeshifting thing."

"How often do you think of going back?"

"Ah well... sometimes, I guess? Trouble is I've kind of broken the law by revealing my identity and doing the Titans thing. Not entirely sure I'd be welcomed back with open arms. We're not meant to do anything that can cause change."

"Your people don't like change?"

"They don't like the thought of abusing our abiltiies. So it's against the rules to use them to exploit people, or to interfere with the development of another race in any way. You're really in for it if you start breeding with other races or committing crimes for example. We're meant to come to experience other ways of life and to observe not to... well resist stuff. I ruined a ship and lost my travel visa though so I'm probably stuck here anyway. Might as well enjoy it."

Giron thought for a moment
"Experiencing so many changes in culture over all the time you've been alive has probably left you in similar positions I guess. You sound like you miss the old days."

"It's just this ache that doesn't sit well. I think I have too much to compare it to. If you don't change, but the world does, it creates so much strife. And I tried, believe me. I own Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart Club. I just can't say I enjoyed it. It's humorous, though. I'd say your species would experience the opposite. If you're ever-changing, why would you want to world to stay the same? You're made to adapt. Maybe it's just the nature of everyone." Only now, James took his second bite.

"When you spend all of your time being someone else, you kind of wish things were the same though." Giron said, being uncharacteristically serious "I don't mind walking around like this, but it would be nice to be able to walk around in my natural form without drawing a crowd. Also, I liked Seargeant Pepper's Lonely Heart Club. But that might just be because we don't have music at home. Oh, I kind of went off-topic again, but you get the point."

James smiled. "I guess we're both a bit alien."

ft. Gimmepie as Giron

Shak · Jul 11, 2016

HARPER BURTON

A Shot in the Dark
23 // Spectrum // Female

"Just my luck." Harper murmured with a sigh. "Outlands. Why do I always get the dirty, dangerous and just plain stupid stuff?" She continued to complain staring longingly at the debriefing letter she'd found in her letter box a few days earlier. She had already contemplated the fact that she didn't confirm anything, it was pretty unorthodox, that they just so happened to know that she'd decided to 'accept her destiny' or however the hell they decided to word it. Either way, she was making her way to the outlands, so they must've got something right. The whole situation was stressing her out in all honesty. She'd even bought some cigarettes and considered turning to smoking. She hadn't tried it yet, but with her hair falling out, she'd have to try something to calm her down. Not only did she hate where she was going, but she hated her reason for going there too. It's not like she had any other business out there. If anything, it was in her best interests to avoid those regions. Ignoring the dangers of encountering meta-force activity, Harper simply was not a fan of nature, and that's reason enough.

Doing her best to utilize the map function on her phone, Harper finally found herself in Zephyr Forest. The place was dark, and every little detail filled the girl with disgust in some way. There were huge cobwebs that stretched across trees, and puddles of brown liquids that truly could've been anything. Harper couldn't help but wince at the smell. It wasn't a great place to be. "Now I know I've been complaining non-stop for the past few days (admittedly with good reason) but if this isn't reason to have a good rant…" She began propped a hand on her hip.

"You have, and it isn't." A gruff, and rather grating voice croaked from behind the girl, causing her to jump. She turned to see an aging man. He seemed as though he used to have a buzz cut, but whatever damage had been done to his face had made short work of that. One of his eyes was completely missing, and Harper was struggling to keep her own eyes away from it, despite her best efforts. The armour the man was wearing suggested he was from a military background, and the sniper he had tied tightly around his waist, pretty much confirmed that. He certainly did have the sergeant look. Though, Harper did have to wonder how practical it was to tie your weapon to yourself.

While the young unaspiring vigilante was pondering the intriguing traits of the character before her, the man took the time to unveil a rigid looking briefcase and unclip the locks. Inside, were a bunch of wristwatch, gauntlet looking things that closely resembled those that the second titans group used to wear. She supposed that made sense. If the resistance was yet another fragment of the original titans, it made sense that they would do some things similarly.

"Here, kid." The man spoke, handing one of the transceiver things to Harper. The girl looked at it hesitantly. She had expected some sort of explanation, but he didn't seem to care much for giving one. She knew what to do with it, but she didn't know why she needed it exactly. With a sigh, she took the transceiver and placed it on her wrist. What was the worst that could happen?

Within seconds of putting it on, the transceiver ambushed her with a flash of bright light, before turning to complete darkness.

"Am…am I dead?" Harper blinked, with a hint of fear in her voice.

"Not yet, Harper. Soon though." A chilling female voice came from behind her. A confused Harper quickly shifted her body to face where the voice was coming from; not that she could see it anyway.

"Why do you people keep doing that?" Harper whined. She knew stealth was something that came in handy as a vigilante, but this was getting ridiculous. She tried backing away slowly and quietly, but the sound of this mysterious girl charging at her made her speed up her getaway. She was too fast. Harper could barely make it a few yards, before she felt a sharp pain in her side that instantly grew into a much larger force sending her flying a few feet to the left. She rolled across the ground, whimpering as she clutched desperately onto her stomach. She heard the girl approaching again. Could she see her or something? There was no way. It was so dark, there's no way she could've realistically seen her without night vision. Harper backed up again, this time bumping into what felt like a tree. She wasn't sure why, but her body seemed to dive to the left almost automatically. In wake of her instinctive action, she heard the violent snapping of the tree, followed by leaves rustling against other trees, before hearing the whole thing thud heavily against the ground. What was perhaps the most satisfying of the sounds she could hear, was the annoyed groan that came after the collision.

After a few instances similar to the prior, both women began to grow increasingly frustrated. Harper, at this point, had managed to climb a tree and seemed to be safe from the other woman's fearsome punches. After taking two more of the strikes she'd taken earlier, Harper was able to deduce that she was being hit with boxing gloves. Not that that helped anything. She was still struggling to breathe after taking heavy blows to the body, and if she took another blow, she' have to fear the worst. She had no way to combat this woman. The pure darkness of the forest made it impossible for her to use her bow, and even if it did work in the dark there was no certainty she'd be able utilise it to any effect without the ability to see. She reached into her bag. The stress was getting to her far too much for her to handle. In the pouch: was her phone, a small flask, a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. She looked indecisively between the cigarettes and the flask.

"Alright hotshot, how about you show yourself so we can get this over with." The girl called out as she grew more and more frustrated with Harper's absence. While she couldn't find her target, what the woman did find was something trickling down the side of the tree. While she was investigating, a large flame seared down the side of tree, before igniting the whole thing. The woman barely managed to dodge, but still saw no sign of Harper. "Ha! You missed idiot!" She shouted out, with a smug grin on her face.

Harper, who could now see the woman thanks to the light of the burning tree, was standing on a nearby branch. Golden boxing gloves, black leggings and a sports bra to match: this woman seemed more set for a boxing match than…whatever the hell this was. Harper drew the orange strand of her bow. "You can't miss if you haven't taken a shot." As Harper spoke, the boxing woman turned to see an orange arrow of light flying towards her. Before she could move she had been encased in a large bubble of light. She clambered to escape, but lost any sense of urgency as her hand passed through the barrier with ease. However, she was given no time to escape, as Harper fired another arrow, this time a red one, and the field was filled with a harsh red light.

The bright light petered out, and what remained was…a robot? Harper staring down at the bot in utter disgust and disappointment. As if she'd almost lost to this thing. She was used to this sort of thing from her days in the Meta force, yet somehow she never saw through this bullshit training regime.

Within an instant, a much grumpier Harper found herself standing before the scarred man once again. They exchanged knowing glances, but nothing really needed to be said. Harper was annoyed, and the man didn't really care. She was losing the will to do so herself. As she began to walk away, the man called out to her.

"Hey, you dropped these!" He held out her packet of cigarettes that she'd somehow 'dropped' while completing the simulation.

"You can have 'em. I won't be needing them anymore." Harper waved dismissively, as she headed back to Hyperia. She had a couple people she needed to have a 'word' with.

[Other FULL] Titans: Reborn [Prologue]

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[img]http://i.imgur.com/omi0jS3.gif[/img]

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[Other FULL] Titans: Reborn [Prologue]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/omi0jS3.gif[/img]

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[font=Brawler][color=#91a8d4][i]Here comes the boi

[img]http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/icon/712.pn

HARPER BURTON A Shot in the Dark

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