Create-A-Hero RPG Season IV IC Thread

[Johnny Blaze]

Walkabout
Part 2

A lightening bolt cut across the sky behind the massive structure, illuminating it briefly in the waning light. The Tower of Babel, an ancient mystical monument, stood before the heroes in all it's ruined splendor. A shadow of it's once magnificent self. Which was fitting as the Tower was now controlled by the shadow mage, Leevoth. Leevoth planned to use the tower's magic to open a gateway into the void and free his master, Mikaboshi.

If the August Star of Heaven were to come through into our world, all life would perish. So Kensei, Izanagi's Chosen, stood on an outcropping a mile from the Tower of Babel.
At his side were old friends and legendary warriors, Achilles, King Arthur, and Beowulf. Inside the Tower was Leevoth and sorcerer's henchmen...as well as Hideyoshi and Ami. The pair had been kidnapped by Leevoth when the wizard raided Kensei's home, and the Swordsman would not allow them to be harmed by the mad mage.

"That's the Tower of Babel", asked Achilles.
"I had thought it'd be bigger. More menacing...the Gates of Troy make this seem a child's fort."

"Do not underestimate Leevoth", stated Kensei, his mind completely fixed on the matter at hand.
"The sorcerer is extremely cunning and powerful. He has the backing of Master, and the dark god will stop at nothing to gain access to our dimension."

He had failed his friends by not being there to protect them. He would be damned if he let them suffer further because of his disgrace. And the world still need him.

"Worry not, Samurai", Arthur smiled.
"Very soon you will be able to vent that rage that's boiling inside."

"Yes...such a rage you had in you, Musashi...such a unique hate...it was...delicious..."

------------------

The Celestial Samurai shot up in his bed, a cold sweat on his forehead as the nightmare still played out in his head. He was in his hotel room, still in Portland. And it was early, 2:32 in the morning.
Kensei took a sip from the glass of water by his bed, and that's when he noticed the large white crane standing outside his 4th floor window. It was a majestic looking bird and the animal's gaze seemed to try and peer into Kensei's very being.

"Come in, Inari", Kensei bade, "you are always welcome in my abode."
Before Kensei could finish the sentence the window seemed to open on it's own and the crane hopped inside the room, changing into the shape of a young boy in a white tunic.

"Hello, Hunter", the boy smiled.
"It has been some time. I see you still carry a heavy burden of guilt for what happened that night."

"It still haunts me, Messenger", the Swordsman replied after a brief pause.
"I could've..."

"You could not have done anything different, Musashi. You know that in your heart..."

"It doesn't make it any easier", Kensei frowned.
"You'd think I would be used to this misery by now. In the centuries I've spent on the planet, I've seen many friends and allies fall in the good fight, but...but this..."

"What you need, samurai, is to get your head and heart clear of doubt. To reaffirm your divine mission and let the pain go. And I think I have a perfect place for you to start..."

"Ah, yes...you always do have a purpose when you come for these 'chats', Messenger. So, what's the crisis?"

"All throughout New Jersey...there's been reports of missing homeless over the past month. Now some children have gone missing as of yesterday. Taken from their homes in the middle of the night."

Kensei sat up now, intrigued.
"...And?"

"There were signs of forced entry from the window, which was encased in security bars. The bars were torn off...whatever did this was strong. Stronger than a man..."

"Whatever it is, it has the stench of death magic about it", Inari's face puckered, as though the very smell as assaulting him now.
"You must hurry to New Jersey, Kensei. Hunt this abomination, and try to find the missing children before it's too late."
"And", Inari paused, making sure Kensei knew the seriousness of the matter, "if you can't rescue the children...make sure no more innocents die by this...thing."

"I will depart immediately. Whatever this monster is, it will soon be no more", Musashi stated, though not moving from the bed.

Inari eyed Kensei curiously, as if trying to get a read on the divine agent's personal trauma that was eating away at him.
"Excellent. I will leave you to it then. Farewell, Chosen of the Primordial Sky. May your blade swiftly find the hearts of your enemies."

Inari made his way to the window, climbing up onto the edge. The messenger god looked back and Kensei one last time, as if wanting to say something more...
But the god leaped out the window, transforming into a crane and flying away into the darkness. Meanwhile, Kensei rose from his attempted rest and began preparing to travel to New Jersey.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Phoenix stands on the balcony of his mansion taking in the city lights as the sun is rising and sipping on a cup of tea.

Colter approaches him and says, "Sir it is getting rather late we've had a busy evening and the sun is starting to rise. It's about time for your morning treatment which is ready for you sir."

Phoenix replies, "I am aware of that Colter thank you. For the time being I am waiting. Waiting for her. The blow we dealt them was crushing even more so than the attack on Eve. She could be put back together and re-programmed to forget if she had to, but Brother Paul..."

He wipes a tear away and says, "Believe it or not my friend. I do feel almost a sense of remorse. Almost."

Colter asks, "Why is that sir?"

Phoenix replies, "Brother Paul was not only my brightest and best pupil and so smart, but he was awkward and in that awkwardness was an innocence that I found refreshing and pleasant in a world so violent as ours. I've now brought him down to our level, and I mourn the loss of his innocence and faith."

Colter says, "Of course sir. I see your point."

Phoenix puts his cup down and turns to Colter and says, "You see my point yes you do my friend, but do you understand? Truly do you understand? Ponder this while I take my treatment."

Colter is silent and Phoenix strides back into the house.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Eve stand in Brother Paul's hospital room stairing at the body of her friends who is laying in a bed with tubes coming out of him from just about every square inch of his body.

Deacon Hawk enters and he stands next to her.

She asks, "When you all were putting me together did I look like that?"

Deacon replies, "No. You weren't in nearly as bad a shape as he is. Have you noticed any changes?"

Eve replies, "No. I ran a full body scan nothing right now. All we can do is wait and see if there is any permanent damage to him."

Deacon adds, "And we can hope."

Eve nods and says, "That too."

Deacon says, "I know that you're upset right now, but we must let the doctors and nurses minister to him. We can't do anymore here hovering over him. If there is a change they will contact us. We have work to do now."

Eve nods and says, "Got it."

Deacon Hawk walks over to Brother Paul and draws the sign of the cross on his head and leaves the room. Eve walks over and kisses his forehead and leaves.

She meets with Hawk in the hanger near The Serpent and he says, "Get back to The Church. We need to be there when Brother Cecil arrives and get him up to speed. He will be replacing Brother Paul for the time being."

Eve asks, "Is he good?"

Hawk replies, "He'll do a good job. Brother Paul consults with him from time to time. He can do the job just fine."

Eve says coldly, "If you say so Hawk."

Hawk steps in front of Eve and says, "Look he's not going to be Brother Paul I know that and I miss Brother Paul too, but he isn't dead he's fighting for his life and how we feel towards his replacement be he permanent or temporary doesn't matter. Brother Cecil deserves a chance to prove himself. Wasn't that what you wanted when you were trying to comeback from your beating? A chance to prove that you still belonged but on your terms and not ours? He deserves that same chance to prove he belongs with us on his terms not ours."

Eve says, "You've made a good point Deacon Hawk. I'll respect your point and your judgement. I may be a cyborg but I still feel emotions. I never realized how much I cared for him until now."

Deacon Hawk says, "It's all-right Eve. I would expect no less. He's family to us and family takes care of family."

Eve says with steely resolve in her voice, "See you back at The Church. Let's make Phoenix pay for this."

Deacon says with the same steely resolve, "Agreed."

Eve turns and gets back on The Serpent and departs Central-1.

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Walkabout
Part 3

Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey...​

Kensei stood in street clothes as he made his way to the house. It was a humid summer day in Jersey, causing Kensei to regret not coming later in the evening. But the sooner he investigated the last attack, the better chance he'll have of finding the fiend responsible.

"Whoa, hold on there, buddy", a detective sitting on the patrol parked out front of the taped-off house shouted as he saw Kensei step under the tape.

"It's okay, officer", the Swordsman smiled as he took out his wallet and flipped it open revealing...nothing.
"Agent Musashi of the F.B.I., and I'm investigating this case."

"Oh...uh, sorry, sir", the cop backed off, "they didn't say you were coming."

It was a simple illusion enchantment he had picked up over the centuries. Fool the minds of mortals, make them see what you wish them to see.


"Yeah, that happens sometimes, now, if you would kindly step aside..."

Kensei moved past the detective and towards the house, but stopped suddenly at the base of the small set of steps leading up to the old front porch.
The porch was overgrown with vines, almost unnaturally so. And Kensei felt something emanating from the building. Something ancient...something evil...

"So the entire family goes missing in the middle of the night."
Kensei walks up the stairs as he goes over the case file that's burned into his memory, opens the door, and steps inside. Immediately he is assaulted by the aroma of plant decay and stale blood.

"All signs inside point to a wild animal attack, but no animal prints were found in the area that could do this..."

"Yeah, it's ****ing got us stumped."

"Detective..."

"Bryant."

"Detective Bryant", Kensei takes a deep breath.
"Why don't you go outside and watch the perimeter. I don't want any civilians coming on the property and disturbing my crime scene."

"Yeah...sure...whatever..."
Bryant walked off mumbling something under his breath that was definitely an insult, leaving the samurai alone with his thoughts.
Kensei searched the room, looking around for something...anything that might give him a lead to follow.
Then he saw a picture on the shelf above the fire place. The Celestial Samurai approached it and picked it up, looking at the photo of the family and their pet German Sheppard.

Kensei walked out the back door, scanning the ground. His keen senses and skills spotted the tracks almost immediately. Dog tracks, only a day old, heading into the pine barrens. And, judging by the distance between the paw prints, the dog was running as fast as it possibly could.

Kensei cracked his neck and then followed the tracks into the gloomy wood...

 

[Blacklight]

​

Previously...

But as she asked how I figured it out, I noticed something strange. At first I thought I was seeing things, but I noticed that there was a sort of... red-dot on the side of Jess' temple.

Oh God...

*BANG!*

"JESS, LOOK OUT!!" I screamed as I jumped at her, pushing her out of the way of what looked like a speeding sniper bullet.

As we both crashed into the floor, I noticed the laser-sight had vanished. Before she could recover, I immediately got back up, ready to dodge anymore incoming sniper-fire.

"Blacklight, what the fu-- Oh, s**t..." Jess muttered, taking notice of the bullet embedded into the ground. I looked behind me to see her picking it up and beginning to study it.

"Wasp, I think we have 'company'." I warned, my fists clenching as I shielded my friend, who was trying to get back to her feet, ready to face the shooter.

"Blacklight... It's Nex." she pointed out to me as she stayed close, identifying the shooter.

"Who?" I asked, confused.

"Didn't you read my last blog article? Nex! The super mercenary that was hired to kill the new District Attorney!"

"Looks like my reputation precedes me." A voice sounded as we both quickly turned to see the shooter had already infiltrated the building and stealthily cornered us in this room. He looked about mid-thirties, with a slicked, parted dark hair, a combat uniform complete with bandoliers, pistols and body armor, a high-tech aiming reticle covering his right eye, and in his hands, his sniper rifle. The one used to fire off that shot just now.

"Well, well, well. Blacklight AND the Wasp. Looks like I got me the opportunity here to kill two birds..."

*CLANK!*

"...with one gun."

The Story Continues...
​

Chapter 26: Fight or Flight...



You know... It's crazy enough to believe that with the millions upon millions of people on this one planet and the billions upon billions of things that can go wrong and accidents that can occur, that it is entirely possible for one person, namely me, Jonathan Salvador Small of East City, Connecticut, can, in fact, through extraordinary, one in a bajillion circumstances, be imbued with, believe it or not, actual, real, I'm not joking, they're seriously real, freaking SUPERPOWERS! However, that being said... To believe that not only does this world have it's very own actual, non-fictional superhero flying around, protecting it, but that it's also ridden with a number of people with exceptional skills, maybe even powers of their own, that want to use said abilities to cause harm to the world and people who live in it? That's something I, the one with the superpowers, never thought I would ever have reason to believe...

Until now. Because there's a deadly super-assassin standing before me, ready to try and kill me and my close friend...

Should I... Fight... This guy?

I was frozen... Jess, still behind me... Unable to move a muscle after the sniper had reloaded his clip and spouted off his ominous one-liner.

I had literally no idea what to do here... This guy means f***ing business. A real life Deathstroke the Terminator. He probably knows like... A hundred different martial arts! Not to mention he seems to be a pretty expert marksman and weapons expert... F***. Outside of my powers, what skills or training do I have?

Inaccurately performed moves I witnessed (not learned) from watching Power Rangers and Dragon Ball Z...

Odds are... I'm probably going to die today. Can't say I'm a big fan of dying.

"Hello!? BLACKLIGHT!? He's f***ing taking aim!! DO SOMETHING!!" Jess shouted at me, breaking me from my inner monologue-induced trance.

"Right." I replied as I prepared myself to go on the offensive... Gulping as I charged my hands with black light energy.

However, I didn't even get so much as the chance to fire a blast before Nex had done a series of flips and he landed before us, the sniper rifle aimed at Jess' head.

Without even thinking, I put my hands up and projected the energy from my hands to form a protective barrier as he fired.

*BANG!*

The bullet had been caught within the energy and the charged light molecules caused the bullet to warp and break into pieces and globs of metal on the ground.

And it was in that split second that I determined one thing: Jess was right. I needed to do something. But that something wasn't to fight off the assassin...

...That something is to keep Jess safe.

While Nex had to take another moment to load another bullet into his barrel, I let down the barrier and grabbed a hold of Jess, holding her close, burying her head in my chest and taking off and crashing through the ceiling, my arms and hands covering and protecting her head from the concrete and debris as we flew up and into the sky...

After we were well enough away from the condemned structure, I uncovered Jess' head and slowed my flight speed so the wind didn't hurt her eyes behind her rather beautiful glasses. Designer frames.

"Where are we going?" she asked, practically yelling to be heard over the hard wind as we flew through East City's skyline.

"I don't know. We need to find somewhere for you-- For us to lay low... I don't suppose you have like a... Super-secret hacker lair or something I can drop you off at, huh, Miss Investigative Blogger?" I half-joked, smirking at the unamused computer whiz.

And to my surprise, after a moment of thinking, she smirked.

"Actually... Now that you mention it..."

* * *
​

 

[NiteMare Shape]

The man known only as Forsaken sat alone behind the vast computer array in the underground bunker that he and his compatriots have used as a base of operations since they were forced into hiding after being defeated on Nautican Island several years before. Since that day, they have remained here hidden away from the outside world, only venturing outside of the walls of their sanctuary when they were commanded to do so by their master. Though, he has been more reluctant to send them off since the death of their comrade Riot at the hands of Icon and the traitor Haze.

Since that day, they have been on virtual lock down, the master not wanting to risk losing another of his lieutenants, especially when they were so close to freeing Lord Blackwind from his eternal prison. Their master had waited millenia to be free, to escape the hell that he had been damned to when he had been trapped between dimensions. And he had promised them that they would be gods among men when he was finally free.

Of course, they had been skeptical, but then he showed them what he was capable of, even as a mere phantom in this reality. Lord Blackwind had imbued them with his own power, magnifying their abilities tenfold. He had explained that while he was trapped between dimensions he was limited in what he could do, but that when he was finally free, those who stood beside him would be justly rewarded, and that this “little gift” as he had called it, was only the beginning.

And now they were on the verge of finally freeing him.

It had taken some time, but they had at last located a source of power that contained enough energy to momentarily break the thin veil between worlds, opening a portal that would allow Lord Blackwind to finally gain a foothold in this reality. And when that day finally arrived, nothing would ever be the same again.

“What news do you bring me?” A voice boomed from behind the console. Forsaken did not have to turn to know the source, but he did anyhow.

“We’ve found it my Lord. The skull is currently the property of the British Museum, however...it is on loan to the Metropolitan Museum in New York. We should have little trouble retrieving it.” He humbly answered.

“Go then, take Richter and Helos. Leave nothing to chance, bring me the skull, and when I am free...I will rule this realm with you at my side.”

For Chuck Baker, it had been just another night at the Museum. The last of the patrons had left hours earlier and now he found himself strolling down the corridors, walking from one exhibit to another, just as he had done nearly every night for the last thirty years.

"Oh, don't go getting up on my account...carry on." He joked in a monotone voice as he entered the caveman exhibit. He chuckled to himself as he passed a set of wax caveman statues all huddled around a campfire marveling at the wonder of a small flame that one of their companions had started.

For Chuck, it was a private joke that he shared only with himself...and with the wax figures. He had found many years ago that the best way to get through the overnight shift at the museum was to not take things too seriously. And for the most part it had worked. While most people in his position may be bitter with the way his life had turned out, he wasn’t. Instead of wasting time complaining about his dead end job with low wages and lousy hours, for the most part he was happy. He had a stable job, which was a blessing especially with the current economic state of the country, and while the late hours kept him away from his family more than he would like, he did have a wonderful wife and three great kids at home. So instead of wishing for a better life, he was content with the life he had been given.

Chuck made his way down the corridor, the only sound he could hear was the clomping sound his boots made as he walked. He continued down the hall away from the caveman exhibit, and that was when he heard something that made him freeze in place...voices.

He knew that he was the only one in the museum, or at least he was the only one who was supposed to be in the museum. It was only a moment before the shock of hearing someone inside the museum had ebbed and he again was moving toward the sounds which seemed to be coming from the new Mayan exhibit.

The exhibit had only opened the month before, and had proven wildly popular, mostly he suspected because of all the hoopla surrounding the supposed “Mayan Doomsday Prophecy.” He had always personally dismissed the idea as nothing more than nonsense, and just didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. However, none of that mattered at that very moment, the only thing that did matter, was finding out just who was in the exhibit at this time of night, and what they were doing there.

Slowly, the old security guard approached the exhibit as quietly as his creaking bones would allow, and as he got to the entrance, he reached for his service revolver. As he looked into the exhibit, he knew that he was vastly out of his league.

Inside the exhibit, standing in front of the display case which housed the world famous Tikal Crystal Skull, a relic that was supposed to possess incredible supernatural powers, was a group of three “men.” The first, a masked figure in red and black who if Chuck didn’t know better could have been mistaken from a demon straight from the bowels of Hell itself. Then there was a mountain of a man, who stood at least seven feet tall and must have weighed over half a ton, and looked to be solid muscle. Then there was a man who didn’t look like a man at all, but looked instead to be made entirely of metal.

Chuck didn’t know what they were doing, but he knew that they had to be stopped. However, he also knew that he had no chance of even slowing them down. So he quietly backed away, and that was when he felt the cold steel of a sharp blade against his neck.

Chuck cried silently, and just as he was about to say a prayer to the Lord Above, whoever it was had released him. He looked back to his “captor” and saw that the person who had just scared the living daylights out of him was a beautiful young brunette in black and purple leather. She met his gaze with a finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet. Then she motioned for him to go.

He did as she told him to do, making his way as quickly as he could back to the front desk where he could call the police, for all the good in the world that would do. As he retreated, he chanced a look back and saw the young woman enter into the exhibit with her weapons drawn, and all he could do was pray that she would live through the ordeal, though he doubted that even that would be too much to ask.

 

[NiteMare Shape]

Kyle and Erin were in line waiting for the Gravitron, while Ronnie and Sam sat at a bench near bye. Ronnie was never a fan of rides that spin you around at a high rate of speed, so he had decided to sit this one out, and not wanting to leave Ronnie by himself, Sam thought that she would wait with him.

Kyle wasn't a big fan of thrill rides lately himself. After the last several months racing from rooftop to rooftop, grappling all over the city, thrill rides just seemed a little less thrilling. However, he knew how much Erin enjoyed them, and he was willing to pretend to be excited for her sake.

Besides, he might just have a little fun anyhow.

After watching the ride stop to load and unload riders several times, Kyle and Erin finally made it to the front end of the line. Finally, the Gravitron slowed to a stop, and the attendant opened the door allowing the people currently on the ride to get off before the new load of riders can enter. Kyle paused for a moment as he approached the gate with Erin as he heard what sounded like a fireworks display going off in the distance.

Kyle was about to dismiss the disturbance and lead Erin onto the ride when there was another round of explosions, this time closer to them. This time however, the explosions were accompanied by the sound of screams. Kyle looked around him and saw that the carnival patrons had begun scattering around him as a small group of people made their way toward his location. He had heard stories about a gang of metas that had been terrorizing parts of Lost Haven since the fall of S.T.R.I.K.E, but he hadn’t seen them in action...until now.

“Uh...I think we better get going.” He said to Erin as he dragged her to where Ronnie and Sam were waiting for them, all the while looking for someplace to change into his costume.

As Kyle and his friends ran with the crowd away from the gang of meta humans, Kyle kept a constant eye out for a safe place to change into his costume. It only took a few minutes for him to spot the perfect place, the front stairway to the Allen Science Building, the underside of the stairway was hollow, with a small space at the back of it just large enough for an adult to squeeze through, but once through the space there was more than enough room to move around freely. In fact, some of the school’s more creative students had sometimes used the spot to engage in some “herbal therapy” between classes. As long as there was nobody using it for cover, it would be the ideal place for a quick change.

The only trouble was getting away from his friends and getting inside without being seen. The second part shouldn’t be too difficult, with all the commotion going on, the chances of anyone noticing him going behind the stairway was minimal, but getting away from Erin and the others was a bit more difficult.

As they ran toward the exit, Kyle shot Ronnie a glance, and Ronnie responded with a knowing nod. Just then, another group of students ran into them, nearly knocking Sam and Ronnie off their feet. Kyle used the distraction to get free of Erin’s grip, and was able to disappear into the crowd before she knew what was happening. As Ronnie and Sam recovered from their near fall, Erin looked around in a panic unable to find Kyle.

“Kyle? Kyle?” She cried out desperately.

“Come on!” Ronnie said gripping her arm and pulling her away toward the exit.

“Where’s Kyle? We can’t leave him!” She pleaded as she pulled away from him.

“He’s okay, we’ve got to move!” He said, continuing to pull her away from the fairground.

Once away from Erin and the others, Kyle was able to quietly slip in through the space at the back of the stairway, and much to his relief found it empty. Once inside, he took several steps inside, and found himself inside the small cavern. Once he took a second look around to be sure that the coast was clear, he began removing his civilian clothes, revealing the black and orange tiger striped costume beneath them. He took his clothes and put them in a pile underneath the stairs, but not before going into the inside pocket of his coat and pulling out his mask. Once his mask was secured over his head, he emerged from his hiding place, ready to take down the thugs that had decided to use the school carnival as their own personal shooting gallery.

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Walkabout
Part 4​

Kensei walked swiftly through the trees, following the dog's trail deeper in the Pine Barrens.
Musashi stopped suddenly as he noticed a different set of tracks, tracks that were big, and bizarre; clearly not human. It looked as though there had been a brief struggle between the dog and whatever this thing was.
Just a bit further down the path, Kensei spotted blood. Treading carefully, the Swordsman approached and found the body of the German Shepard, and the poor animal had been beaten to death.

Kensei turned his attention from the dog and back to the monstrous tracks...which led off into the underbrush. Kensei, never relinquishing his grip on the Kusanagi, darted silently after the murderous monster.

A few minutes passed with nothing, and then Kensei stopped, frozen in place, not moving a muscle.

"Help me"

Coming from Kensei's left, maybe a mile away by his estimate. The tracks kept leading on, but they were obviously a diversion...which meant either this thing could travel without leaving any kind of trail if it so chose, or there was more than one.

I'll worry about that later...

With a swipe of the Kusanagi, the Celestial Samurai carved a path towards the cries of help. As the Swordsman got closer, he could tell it was a woman in distress.
Most likely the daughter of the family. The dog was probably trying to help her. Save her from whatever-

Suddenly, it went silent.

No...

Kensei charged ahead, bursting into a clearing, his gaze falling on the monstrous thing before him.

The monster held the woman, who seemed only half conscious, in it's grasp as it's head turned to regard the newcomer that had entered it's field. The creature had no real features, and seemed to Kensei to be almost...elemental-like in appearance. But it felt...twisted...corrupted...


"No!"

It was too late...the creature snapped the woman's neck with frightening ease and discarded her body as though she was a wad of paper. The monster slowly stalked in at Kensei. To the Swordsman's surprise, it spoke as it came, it's voice almost akin to the grinding of tree bark.

"You have the stench of old magic upon you, mortal."

"You will find I'm far from a mere mortal, demon. And you will suffer for what you have done."

The monster laughed, "I am no demon...though I have been called a 'devil' by the people here throughout the centuries."

"Man has corrupted his pact with Nature and defiled Her. I am Her retribution. And, Human...I am your death!"

The monster charged in at Kensei, grabbing for the samurai trying to tear him apart...

 

[Hound55]

A dark figure known in two homes as the Vigilante lay flat chest in a rustle of sedges. Thousands of miles away men in suits considered the fate of the island he was on in a room with coffee and donuts.

“Hello! Come in!” The Director uttered, with the anxious excitement that was clear in his throat ten minutes ago getting choked by repeated disappointment.

[BLACKOUT]“Yeah, yeah. I’m here…”[/BLACKOUT] a breathless artificially modified voice crackled in.

“Where the hell were you! Why didn’t you call in!”

[BLACKOUT]“I came onto the beach-head and dug myself in, to sort out my gear and got interrupted half way through. I didn’t want any more unwanted attention.”[/BLACKOUT]

“We’re calling off the bombers now, but I told you to call in immediately!.” The Director said, signalling to Alberts with a slicing gesture.

[BLACKOUT]“…and I would have. IF I weren’t otherwise preoccupied. By my math I have 246 rounds left… Honestly, I think I could use them all and not make a dent in the zombie population here.”[/BLACKOUT]

“Well it’s a good thing we didn’t send you in there to exterminate them yourself. This is supposed to be an infiltration-based mission. That means stealth, what are you doing popping off rounds?”

[BLACKOUT]“Are you kidding me? I took nine shots because I had to. I know you said your budget’s hard up, but you’re going to have me taking stock of each round? Believe me, if I engaged the zombies head-on I’d be down a damned sight more than just nine rounds. They’re everywhere.”[/BLACKOUT]

“Alright, alright… have you got to the hut yet?”

[BLACKOUT]“No. That’s in deep. I’m trying to work my way there without direct confrontation if I can help it.”[/BLACKOUT]

“And how far away are you?” An exhalation crackled over the speaker as the Vigilante struggled to improve his view without being seen.

[BLACKOUT] “*Sigh* I don’t know… 200 metres at a guess.”[/BLACKOUT]

The Director spoke away from the mouthpiece, covering it with his hand. “He’s 200 yards from the hut.” Before returning to the mouthpiece.

“Have you found any survivors?”

[BLACKOUT]“Not since I caught a quick glimpse of my reflection as I dropped into the ocean…”[/BLACKOUT]

“How likely is it that there are survivors there? If hope is lost there’s no point risking an asset.” A man in a suit said to the Director.

“What are the odds of there being survivors there?” the Director relayed into the phone.

[BLACKOUT]“Hard to say. If there are survivors still here they’re unlikely to be out walking around. They’d have locked themselves in their homes or wherever they could.”[/BLACKOUT]

The Director looked at the man somewhat sheepishly.

[BLACKOUT]“…I wouldn’t rule it out yet though. Not before I get closer to the hut and a more heavily populated area.”[/BLACKOUT]

With that news the Director’s resolve strengthened. “Can you give us an ETA on how long it will take?”

[BLACKOUT]“…”[/BLACKOUT]

[BLACKOUT]“First, speak to me in English. ETA? Is that really shorter than just ‘How long would it take to find out?’, who are you trying to impress? Second, no I can’t give you a damn ETA. There’s zombies everywhere, I’ll get there when I get there, preferably without a chunk taken out of me. I’m not rushing a damn thing unless I see someone else here with a pulse.”[/BLACKOUT]

“…”

“…”

[BLACKOUT]“…that said, if I had to make a guess I suppose a half hour… 45 minutes maybe. Radio silence for an hour just to be safe. Is there any way I can check in without speaking? I don’t need any extra attention over here.”[/BLACKOUT]

“Well, you could just…”

FWIP!

“What was that..?”

FWIP! FWIP! FWIP!

[BLACKOUT]“Situations changed. Try me again in 15, I’ll either be in the hut or the walking dead’s favourite meal on the go…”[/BLACKOUT]

FWIP! FWIP! Clik. Clik. Clik. [BLACKOUT]“Sonuva..!”[/BLACKOUT] Kkt, Tsh. Clik. FWIP! FWIP! FWIP! FWIP!

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Captain Thomas Holloway leaned back in his chair and and took a deep, relaxing breath.

"I do believe that was the best meal I've had in a long time."

Hellfire, his colorful nickname given to him at a young age by his father, looked around the table at the bizarre ensemble of misfits that were his family, the Argonauts, and smiled.

They were members of the resistance at war with the Grays, a species of the old universe who were known for having a lack of morals and respect for other beings. They were attempting an overthrow of the Earth, Thomas' home planet, that would've made the world a staging ground for further Gray incursions.
But the resistance won, after ten grueling years of bloodshed.

"Well, we should be about two hours from Fons, and their famous springs which are said to restore the mind, body, and spirit."
"Gotta say", the Captain continued as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table.
"It's good to be actually heading for some leave instead of going on another mission."

"But, before we land and depart for the pleasures that Fons provides, grab your drink", Hellfire said as he raised his glass high above his head.
"To all our fallen brothers and sisters, to the Argonauts who gave everything to protect this family...whose sacrifice has allowed us to enjoy the fruits of victory."

 

[Byrd Man]

"But, before we land and depart for the pleasures that Fons provides, grab your drink", Hellfire said as he raised his glass high above his head.
"To all our fallen brothers and sisters, to the Argonauts who gave everything to protect this family...whose sacrifice has allowed us to enjoy the fruits of victory."

"Here here," Barb growled, his glass raised.

His thoughts turned to his brothers in arms, the Strek Vanguards who had come with him on this insane journey. They were now dead, all three of them. They were dead and now Bard could never go home. On Strek, dishonor and failure are capital offenses. He would never see his family again. But, as he looked around, he realized it wouldn't be so bad. The people around him, the assortment of oddballs with all their quirks and weirdness, they had become his family.

And, as good as his mother had been to him, she was a piss poor shot. The captain could shoot the wings off a Driskull Mudfly from a mile out. Advantage, cap.

"We lived while they died," Barb said with a nod. "Don't let it be in vain."

 

[Eddie Brock]

"Well, we should be about two hours from Fons, and their famous springs which are said to restore the mind, body, and spirit."
"Gotta say", the Captain continued as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table.
"It's good to be actually heading for some leave instead of going on another mission."

"But, before we land and depart for the pleasures that Fons provides, grab your drink", Hellfire said as he raised his glass high above his head.
"To all our fallen brothers and sisters, to the Argonauts who gave everything to protect this family...whose sacrifice has allowed us to enjoy the fruits of victory."

"Here here," Barb growled, his glass raised.

"We lived while they died," Barb said with a nod. "Don't let it be in vain."

"Well said, Captain," Neutali Arthaa - better known 'round the Icarus as Newt - chimed in, following a throaty belch. He had been with the Argonauts long enough to know that there was no need to keep up appearances. He could be his usual, sometimes off-color, self without fear of judgment. It was a good feeling for the Telly who spent much of his childhood with his nose in a moisture convertor to the point that he never found time for friends.

Socialization had never come easily to Newt. He wasn't as practiced as his peers, and very rarely did he know quite what to say. It seemed he was always annoying or upsetting someone without even realizing what he had done wrong. As a result, he spent much of his lifetime alone. Hell, his best friend in the galaxy was a robot he built for himself, and even they didn't get along all that well! Yet on the Icarus, every crewmate was an outcast of some sort, and Newt didn't feel so alone.

Tipping his head back to polish off the last of his drink, Newt leaned back in his chair and smiled. "I gotta tell ya," he said to no one in particular, "I'm looking forward to taking a nice, long dip in one of those springs. My skin's dryer than the Caricari desert during planting season."

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Walkabout
Part 5

11:51PM, October, 1735, Pine Barrens of New Jersey...​

The wind howled as the thunder and lightning intensified, though not a drop of water fell.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

"I can see something, Mrs. Leeds! Keep pushing", cried the mid-wife.

Three women dressed in black stood around a stone alter in the middle of the woods while another, dressed in a blood red garment laid atop a stone table, in the process of giving birth.

"Oh...oh my...um...Keep pushing! I can see the head!"

"UNNNGGHH...AHHHH!"

The storm raged around them, though the winds failed to even disturb the numerous torches arranged about them. A pale light suddenly beamed down upon the alter. One of the witches looked up to see the storm clouds had opened up to allow the moon to shine down on the table, as though some unseen force had parted the clouds with it's bear hands.

"It's almost out! Oh my G-"

The creature darted from her mother with unnatural speed, sinking it's fangs into the mid-wife's neck, tearing out her throat.
The monster then hopped over to the other witches, slaughtering them in a fit of bloodlust.

The baby then flapped it's wings and landed atop it's mother, who was slowly dying. It crept up her body, her eyes opening wide in horror as she looked on her "child."
The thing crawled up to her face, staring her dead in the eyes, and sniffed her.
Then the creature flew off into the Pine Barrens, disappearing into the darkness...

----------------------------------

Kensei leaped out of the way as the nature elemental came crashing down where he once stood.

"You cannot run, human. Your death is inevitable...", the monster growled as it slashed out at Kensei with it's claws. The claws tore into the side of the armor, digging into the samurai's ribs and causing Kensei to cry out in pain.

"You are a virus, destroying the Mother", the beast continued as it flung Kensei into the ruins of a stone table.

"And you will be exterminated..."

The creature stalked in towards Kensei, and as it did vines began to grow and reach out at the samurai. The Swordsman hopped onto the table, black flipping off just as two thick vines smashed down crushing it into pieces.

More vines came in, grasping for Kensei, but the agile warrior was able to dodge them and slice the encroaching foliage with his fabled blade.
Still, it seemed that for every vine he chopped to ribbons, two more took it's place. This thing was making the terrain attack him.

Kensei kept them at bay for a while, but eventually the vines ensnared him, encasing the Swordsman like a spider wrapping it's web around a fly...

 

[twylight]

Svi raised her cup for the toast.

"Well said."

She listened to her crewmates discuss the springs. Personally she was more interested in the thermodynamics of Fons. It would be interesting to see how the tectonics of the planet effected the springs and their long term viability. And also shopping. Shopping would be fun. She took a sip of her drink and then finished off her meal before standing up. one hand holding her plate, the other her drink and another pushing the chair in.

"I'm going to go check the flight plan and make sure there have been no deviations."

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Svi raised her cup for the toast.

"Well said."

She listened to her crewmates discuss the springs. Personally she was more interested in the thermodynamics of Fons. It would be interesting to see how the tectonics of the planet effected the springs and their long term viability. And also shopping. Shopping would be fun. She took a sip of her drink and then finished off her meal before standing up. one hand holding her plate, the other her drink and another pushing the chair in.

"I'm going to go check the flight plan and make sure there have been no deviations."

"You do that", Alek spoke as he leaned back in his chair, resting his hands on his stuffed stomach.
"Me...I think I'm going to take a nap."

"Anyway...you go do your thing, Svi", the Captain nodded.

"I suggest the rest of us go get ready for some shore leave. Remember, we want to keep a low profile while we're here. Don't need any unwanted...entanglement."

 

[Byrd Man]

"I suggest the rest of us go get ready for some shore leave. Remember, we want to keep a low profile while we're here. Don't need any unwanted...entanglement."

"'fore I forget," Barb said, pulling a handheld terminal from his tunic pocket. "I did inventory in the armory. Here's a list of weapons and weapon parts we could use. That dealer we pulled a job for a few years back is working off Fons now. He may be able to give us a deal on some hardware."

 

[Johnny Blaze]

"'fore I forget," Barb said, pulling a handheld terminal from his tunic pocket. "I did inventory in the armory. Here's a list of weapons and weapon parts we could use. That dealer we pulled a job for a few years back is working off Fons now. He may be able to give us a deal on some hardware."

"Sounds good", Hellfire nodded.
"When we touch down, you and I will go find him. No sense in all of us going in a big group, so the rest you can go start your vacation early. Go scout out a nice spot at the Springs, and we'll join you as soon as we're able."

 

[Nicodemus]

Noah Walker, the AWESOME ACROBAT
Interlude: Sorcery
My enemy's enemy is my...enemy​

Beep beep beep

I glanced down at my phone, epecting nothing more than a text from Connor or Dani about meeting up for some pizza later today. Instead I received a message from an unknown number that immediately made me want to hit somebody.

Hello Mr. Archer. Do you have anything planned today?

Only one person calls me Mr. Archer, and that one person was not somebody I wanted to hear from in any capacity - let alone on my private phone on what was supposed to be my day off.

What do you want? I typed back.

The answer came just a few seconds later. "We have a job for you. We believe you'll be very interested.

My gut was telling me to send "I've got a great idea for a place for you to stick that job", but my head reminded the rest of me that GATES was very much aware of our strained relationship and wouldn't be bringing up the possibility of work unless there was a catch. So instead, I sent, "Why contact me?

The answer was almost instantaneous. Because you, Mr. Archer, can operate in ways our Agents cannot. You can clean up one of our messes. I frowned, confused. GATES had a mess that needed cleaning up? We've had a recent breakout. Rose, a talented Sorceress, broke herself and three others out of captivity two days ago. She is drawing on unknown magical energies and is far stronger than anticipated.

I smirked. Sounds like you got what you deserve, I texted back.

This is neither the time nor place to debate that, Mr. Archer, came the reply. The energies Rose is calling upon give her unprecedented magical strength but at the cost of her sanity and perhaps her soul, if such a thing does exist. If she is not stopped, she will kill hundreds, including the three children she helped break free of our facilities.

My stomach flopped.

GATES knew I needed those kids alive. They were the first concrete links I had to the clandestine tests GATES was running on metas, the first real piece of the puzzle. If I could get my hands on them, it would be a huge leap forwards for me. But if Rose killed them along with hundreds others...

I couldn't trust GATES completely. They were always playing some angle. But if they were right, could I really risk it?

Where is she?

Te minutes later I was leaping from building to building, feeling the wind whip past me as I soared across the skyline. Rose's power was growing exponentially, GATES had told me when they sent me her last known location. If I waited too long, it would be too late.

I poured on a little more speed. Better safe than sorry.

 

[sabetoonth]

Inferno​

I sneak into Jen's apartment through an open window. She near top floor and has a gun. She doesn't really worry about people coming in through it. She's even pulled the gun on me a few times. Before she got used to the idea of finding me in her living room. Still a good idea to knock though. I do just that as I come through the window, three times. We've managed to work that out these past few months. But only recently.

I make my way through the front room, just looking around. It may be a bit nosy, but it isn't like I'm going through papers in her desk. My eyes just scan everything that she does have out and therefore, to me, is fair game. I hear the sound of her wet feet make contact with the tile floor as she steps out of the shower after shutting off the water, sliding the door shut behind her, I take a few steps from her desk, waiting patiently for her to enter into the room.

It takes her a moment to walk out, doing her hair up in a towel and drying off before dressing herself was something that took time. I wait because I can be patient. I don't give her much warning before I speak.

"Jennifer." I say it calmly, no rush, no inflection beyond a greeting. It spooks her regardless. I was standing out of her line of sight, so its not like I didn't see it coming.

"Jesus!" She hisses out before turning around.

She's dressed in a blue t shirt with NYPD in big, yellow, block lettering , an intersecting NY below that. There's a shield over the left breast. And then she's just wearing a pair of light grey sweat pants, they're baggy and billow around her legs when she walks.

"What does New York's Finest have?" Around her, when we talk, I try to be different than myself. To further separate my personas and make a it harder to think Elijah Stokes and the dangerous nighttime menace called Inferno were the same. "Anything we can use?" I move so that we circle each other. Not antagonistic, but in this space it is the easiest way to move around and keep from being in the other's way or knocking something over.

She gets into the papers and folders I'd just been skimming over before tossing them onto the coffee table for me to read. I reach out with a claw and begin to less skim more read through them, sadly I cant take these with me and worse I don't have a photographic memory, thinking about it now maybe I should find a way to carry a small camera with me. Maybe later. What I get from these new reports is that there's definitely some old black magic stuff going on. Murder, vandalism, some robberies, most these crimes are fitting into patterns reminiscent of rituals and spells from books dating to at least the 15th century. I actually have picked up a few books from Alexsei's shop. Just for reference. I finished with the notes and hand them back to Jennifer. She's probably been talking but realized half way through that I wasn't paying attention and stopped. Looking at me somewhat contemptuously.

"Apologies, officer." A genuine tone in my voice. She could be sharing something important and I'd miss it. Not to mention ignoring someone who you have a symbiotic relationship of some kind with is not a good idea. "Go on."

"As I was saying," Yup, she's annoyed. I seemed to do that easily with her. "This is some pretty heavy stuff," She waves around her own, apparently newer copy of a book I have back at my place. Mine is old and cracked leather, pages that might be older than the actual binding. Her's cant be more than ten years old. "Lots of it looked like chicken scratch you see in movies." True, it was almost scary how accurate Hollywood was with this stuff sometimes. It was no wonder some movies get cursed. "I picked that off the internet and flipped through it." I feel she's leading up to the same thing I'd noticed going through the papers she'd handed me not 5 minutes ago. "Some..old witchcraft stuff." Oddly comfortable around a 6'3'' vigilante who is clearly more than just human. I chalk it up to how regularly we've been seeing each other like this. Most seem a little more uneasy around me.

"I'll look into it. Check my sources." Which were much more vast in this region of expertise than her's likely were. "You should be careful." Don't know how many times I've told her this. Its important when dealing with these things to be careful, dangerous stuff magic. Has gotten a lot of people killed and worse.

"Cop in New York City, I would have never thought to be careful." She's being sarcastic. And so I get her point.

"You really want to be careful with this stuff. It's...sacrificial, ritualistic..dark magic. Like you said this is heavy."

About a half hour later I'm running rooftops to one of the scenes of the robbery. It wasn't obvious to someone who isn't looking for it, but there was black magic in use there. That might be a good lead. This girl might be my first lead up to these murders.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Phoenix finishes his treatments and is again on his balcony waiting for Eve to appear.

Colter approaches with his lunch and says, "Sir you know a watched pot never boils."

Phoenix takes the tray and it puts on the table. He removes the cover and sees a plate of crab meat over a Ceaser Salad and some dinner rolls.

Phoenix replies, "You know that I do not believe in such trite sayings Colter."

He begins cutting up his salad and says, "This time my friend I am convinced that Eve will not be so easily beaten."

Phoenix begins eating and Colter asks, "What makes you believe that sir?"


Phoenix replies, "In her previous life she was a very good agent for the Government and also a more than capable detective. Eve will have learned from her mistakes and will adapt as such."

Colter says, "I see your point sir. Might I ask what have you in-store for her?"

Phoenix looks up and says, "Trust me my friend, though she will give us a spirited challenge when the battle is over Eve will once again be going back to Deacon Hawk the vanquished. This time though they will not be putting her back together, because there will be nothing left."

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Eve and Deacon Hawk arrive back at The Church at about the same time. They find Brother Cecil already in the control room moving about and taking readings.

Deacon Hawk says, "Good to see you're already getting settled in."

Without even looking up Brother Cecil replies, "Would you expect less than that from me Deacon Hawk? We have work to do and Brother Paul is expecting things to remain in operating order when he returns."

Eve look at Hawk and says, "Oh yeah he'll fit in here just fine."

Cecil looks up at Even and says, "Whether I fit in or not is not the issue. The issue is Adam Phoenix and dealing with him and making sure you are ready for that battle."


Eve looks at Cecil and says, "Wow with such a warm personality I wonder you don't write greeting cards? Brother Cecil part of the reason this unit works as it does is because of how we deal with one another you would be wise to remember that. We are family here and you are a part of it now."

Cecil looks up at Eve and smiles. He looks to says to Hawk, "You're right being myself is the best thing I can do."


Hawk bows his head slightly and Cecil says to Eve, "I just needed to do that so we can see where we stood with one another. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this family."

Eve bows her head and Hawk says, "All-right now that the getting to know you phase is out of the way let's get to work."


Cecil says, "Right Eve I've take the liberty of reviewing your previous dealings with Phoenix and run some analysis. I think there are some weak spots that can be exploited, and I am making use of Brother Paul's notes as well and integrating them into a program that I will upload into your Neural Net during your diagnostic time."

Eve says, "Brother Cecil I'm ready to go after Phoenix now. We've been playing this out for sometime."


Cecil says, "I realize that but I am asking you to allow me to do this please and trust that I know what I'm doing. As I trust you to do what you've been called to do trust me please."

Eve looks at him and she nods.

She says, "All-right."

Eve crosses over to a metal table lays down and begins running her diagnostics. After an hour she rises and looks at Brother Cecil and says, "Your new program. I studied it and it looks promising."

Cecil looks at her trying not to smile and Eve says, "Don't even think about saying I told you so."

Cecil bows his head slightly and says, "I'll take that as compliment. "

Hawk approaches Eve and says, "Okay we've made you as ready as we can be. It's up to you now. Whenever you want to go after Phoenix go ahead we'll be monitoring the situation as close as we can."


Eve nods and says, "Thank you Deacon. This one's for him."

Hawk nods and Brother Cecil says, "Go and administer justice."

He makes the sign of the cross to Eve and she bows her head to him.

Eve climbs on The Serpent and drives away.

Brother Cecil asks, "Does she know that if this turns ugly again you are under orders to activate the End-Of-Days program?"


Hawk replies, "I haven't even told her that she has it. I can't bring myself to do it."

Brother Cecil asks, "What if you have to activate it?"

Hawk looks at him and replies, "I'm counting on you for that. Understood?"

Cecil nods and Hawk turns back to the monitors.

 

[NiteMare Shape]

For Chuck Baker, it had been just another night at the Museum. The last of the patrons had left hours earlier and now he found himself strolling down the corridors, walking from one exhibit to another, just as he had done nearly every night for the last thirty years.

"Oh, don't go getting up on my account...carry on." He joked in a monotone voice as he entered the caveman exhibit. He chuckled to himself as he passed a set of wax caveman statues all huddled around a campfire marveling at the wonder of a small flame that one of their companions had started.

For Chuck, it was a private joke that he shared only with himself...and with the wax figures. He had found many years ago that the best way to get through the overnight shift at the museum was to not take things too seriously. And for the most part it had worked. While most people in his position may be bitter with the way his life had turned out, he wasn’t. Instead of wasting time complaining about his dead end job with low wages and lousy hours, for the most part he was happy. He had a stable job, which was a blessing especially with the current economic state of the country, and while the late hours kept him away from his family more than he would like, he did have a wonderful wife and three great kids at home. So instead of wishing for a better life, he was content with the life he had been given.

Chuck made his way down the corridor, the only sound he could hear was the clomping sound his boots made as he walked. He continued down the hall away from the caveman exhibit, and that was when he heard something that made him freeze in place...voices.

He knew that he was the only one in the museum, or at least he was the only one who was supposed to be in the museum. It was only a moment before the shock of hearing someone inside the museum had ebbed and he again was moving toward the sounds which seemed to be coming from the new Mayan exhibit.

The exhibit had only opened the month before, and had proven wildly popular, mostly he suspected because of all the hoopla surrounding the supposed “Mayan Doomsday Prophecy.” He had always personally dismissed the idea as nothing more than nonsense, and just didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. However, none of that mattered at that very moment, the only thing that did matter, was finding out just who was in the exhibit at this time of night, and what they were doing there.

Slowly, the old security guard approached the exhibit as quietly as his creaking bones would allow, and as he got to the entrance, he reached for his service revolver. As he looked into the exhibit, he knew that he was vastly out of his league.

Inside the exhibit, standing in front of the display case which housed the world famous Tikal Crystal Skull, a relic that was supposed to possess incredible supernatural powers, was a group of three “men.” The first, a masked figure in red and black who if Chuck didn’t know better could have been mistaken from a demon straight from the bowels of Hell itself. Then there was a mountain of a man, who stood at least seven feet tall and must have weighed over half a ton, and looked to be solid muscle. Then there was a man who didn’t look like a man at all, but looked instead to be made entirely of metal.

Chuck didn’t know what they were doing, but he knew that they had to be stopped. However, he also knew that he had no chance of even slowing them down. So he quietly backed away, and that was when he felt the cold steel of a sharp blade against his neck.

Chuck cried silently, and just as he was about to say a prayer to the Lord Above, whoever it was had released him. He looked back to his “captor” and saw that the person who had just scared the living daylights out of him was a beautiful young brunette in black and purple leather. She met his gaze with a finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet. Then she motioned for him to go.

He did as she told him to do, making his way as quickly as he could back to the front desk where he could call the police, for all the good in the world that would do. As he retreated, he chanced a look back and saw the young woman enter into the exhibit with her weapons drawn, and all he could do was pray that she would live through the ordeal, though he doubted that even that would be too much to ask.

The woman stepped into the exhibit hall, blades in both hands. She knew these men, afterall, she had once been their comrade. She fought side by side with them, she killed with them, all in the name of Lord Blackwind. She had believed in what they were doing, she thought that together they were ushering in a new golden age, where mankind would reap the benefits of a world without war or hunger. A world where everyone truly was free.
That all changed when she saw what Blackwind truly had in mind for this world. She got a glimpse of a world where humanity was enslaved, its only purpose to serve its master, a being thought of as a living god on Earth. She saw a world where people were slaughtered in the street for no other reason than to serve as a reminder as to who was in control. People rounded up and exterminated by the hundreds because they or somebody they knew may have spoken out against him. And that wasn’t even the worst. She knew that she would gladly die before she would allow that twisted nightmare to become a reality.

So she left his ranks. They had hunted her for months, determined to make her pay for her betrayal. They had hounded her relentlessly until she had returned to Lost Haven and enlisted the aid of one of the city’s rising heroes, a man named Icon to help her stop Blackwind and his men.

Together, they did stop Blackwind’s associates from bringing the tyrant into our world, but not before the entire metahuman population of Nautican Island was wiped out.

But that was a long time ago, and the world was a vastly different place. She refused to sit idly by and wait as Blackwind and his men scoured the globe searching for an artifact, or some mystical relic with enough power to allow the scourge to cross over into our plane of existence. So she went all over the world recruiting people with amazing abilities to help her in her fight. They too, had searched for these artifacts, some mystical, some alien, some wielding unknown powers and collected them, attempting to destroy them before Blackwind’s men were able to get their hands on them.

And that search had brought her the this museum. She needed to get to the skull before them. And she had failed. They had breached the display case when the old security guard had stumbled upon them, however, they had as of yet not removed the skull from the base on which it sat.

“Good to see that Blackwind is still holding your leash, Forsaken.” She said as nonchalantly as she stepped closer to her three foes.

“Haze...I suspected that you might try to stop us. But you’re too late, we have the skull...and now, we have you.” Forsaken said as he held out his hand, palm up. In the air just inches from his hand, a fireball began to form. At first, it appeared as just a spark, but it quickly grew until it was the size of a basketball. And before Haze could utter another word, he hurled it directly at her head.

 

[twylight]

Bowing her head ever so slightly Siv stepped into the cockpit, which was in essence, a very small room with all the controls for flying the spaceship. It had been heavily altered over the years to controls that she felt more at home with. Many had come off her ship, which when she joined the Icarus crew had been irreparable. She sank into the chair, its free-form curves seemingly melding into her, and ran her fingers over the controls. Checking the autopilot, she glanced at the starchart. They had about an hour and a half to Fons. Siv blinked and watched the distance stars fly by outside the windows.

Fons sounded like something humans would like. It was one of those ‘pleasure planets’ she’d learned about long ago. It was hard to explain her apathy to visiting it, other than its technological and scientific achievements. But it did fascinate her how the universe outside her solar system worked. It was so… different. Out of everyone on the ship she felt most kindred with Newt. Siv doubted he knew that, but his aptitude with machinery and his perchance for creation instead of destruction made her comfortable around him, despite his creations being ‘primitive’ by Frysti standards. His relationship with his robot was also a point of interest. It seemed to be like a … ‘pet’ as the Captain would say. Reaching a slender four-fingered hand into her pants pocket she pulled out a very small carving. It was made of wood from the Captain’s world; in the shape of a creature she’d never seen before, but was told was a ‘dog’, a species that were pets to humans. Perhaps… she should have a pet. It would be something new to experience. She set the figure on the display in front of her and smiled, maybe she should just ask Newt for one of his primitive robots. She frowned, or not, the one he had seemed to be very snarky.

”This is the Fons SpacePort, Regional Code 45.8. You have reached our perimeter. Please identify.” The message followed in several other alien languages.

Reining in her thoughts she pushed a few of the now lit buttons and replied.

“L45. This is the Icarus, galaxy ID code 2187.3 Theta Foxtrot, requesting permission to dock planetside.”

”State your itinerary.”

“Recreation and purchasing.”

Silence filled the space as she waited for confirmation.

”Confirmation. Please proceed to spacial grid 87F for further instructions. ETA is 23 clicks.” Shifting the clock to Fons worldtime Siv replied with an affirmative and then activated the intercom.

”We’re on an approach into Fons and should be in line for decent within 45 minutes.”

It was nice how the Flight Coordinators used Standard Designation and not one of the other more confusing ones. She disliked having to go through longer discussions over the com when trying to land or dock. Setting course she resumed watching out the window and the viewscreens on her display. Several other ships were also traveling inbound to Fons, with a few outbound. Scattered along the route were advertisement satellites, heralding in bright colors and moving designs the fun to be had on Fons. Her silent observations passed the time nicely and before long she found herself in the designated location. Another brief confirmation with the SpacePort and she descended to the planet.

Setting the Icarus down gently she spun in her seat and stood up. Nice for the Captain to have called ahead and gotten them a dock planetside. Perfect in terms of exploration on their own time, instead of relying on the ferry from the SpacePort docks. Siv left the cockpit to join her fellow crewmates.

 

[Johnny Blaze]

The landing ramp lowered and the Argonauts stepped out onto the planet of Fons. The humidity was thick, due to the planet's makeup being mostly water, but there was a good breeze coming from the West that made it bearable.

"Okay, guys and gal...Barb and I will go find this trader and re-supply. Siv, Alek, Newt...consider your shore leave starting immediately. We'll rendezvous when we're done haggling, so save us a nice, cozy spot. I know I for one can sure use a nice dip in these 'famous' springs", Holloway said with a smile.

"Barb...you know where to find this guy?"

 

[Byrd Man]

"Barb...you know where to find this guy?"

"Yessir," Barb said. He activated the mounted terminal on his wrist. A holographic map of Fons' capital city floated in front of them. Barb highlighted a sector to the south of their current location. "He has his shop a few Klicks of here, down by the spice merchants."

Holloway nodded and the two left through the spaceport. They were halfway to the traders, walking through the bustling spice market. They passed by a booth and Barb lowered his head, speaking softly to Holloway in the din of the market. "Don't know if you seen 'em yet, sir, but we got followers. Been with us since the spaceport. White robes, over my left shoulder."