The Create-A-Hero RPG Season II IC Thread

[Spike_x1]

As the reports from all around the world came flooding in, Adam Locke stood atop his apartment building, his mask in his hands, and watched the panic. Is this what being a superhero means? Being an outsider from humanity as they run to their friends and loved ones? Having the responsibility to save them all?

"God dammit."

Pulling the mask down onto his face, the Survivor took a leap from the rooftop onto the nearest ledge from another building just down the street, and kept moving towards the South end of Central Island. People were looting and rioting in the city and nothing was being done to stop them. The police, understandably, had better things to do -- as did most of the world. However, there will always remain people who don't have families to rush home to be with, and will act out their fear with aggression like what could now be seen in the streets. Just as Adam was about to swoop in to stop a particularly ugly looter, a shadow seemed to wash over all of Lost Haven. Everyone looked up (even the looter, who noticed the now-distracted Survivor poised above him, but was too frightened to run away) and became witness to one of single greatest acts of sheer superhuman strength and fortitude the world had ever seen, as a slice of the moon came rocketing down towards them, only to be met head on by the figure of Icon streaking through the sky.

The whole city seemed to be holding its breath in anticipation, waiting to see if Icon could save them from utter destruction. Slowly but surely, the flying piece of rock slowed to a roaring crawl before finally reversing direction. "He did it. That sonuvab**ch actually did it," Adam whispered to himself. "He actually-- oh crap." A number of smaller pieces of lunar debris, broken off from the larger meteor as it lost its momentum, came shooting down. One chunk of fiery rock in particular was on a course straight for the street that the Survivor was currently watching over.

As a number of people on the block ran for their lives, Adam dropped to the ground and yelled to the slower rioters and looters; the ones who were either scared stiff or were simply too dumb to run away, "Get down behind me!" Stepping in front of a transport truck, the Survivor reached under the grill and lifted the front of the truck up. Adjusting his grip, the Survivor and the civilians moved underneath of the vehicle for protection, and not a moment too soon. The meteor struck the ground only a few dozen feet back from the truck. As fire and debris flew around them, Adam kept holding the weight of the transport and hoped that not all of them would die.

 

[NiteMare Shape]

FLUX​

Flux remains silent for as long as she can muster. She barely registers a response to Icon's greeting, so she is thankful when he redirects his attention to the Blue Blur. She can tell that they're talking, but she doesn't hear the words. She's lost within her own mind, trying to deal with the thousands of emotions flooding her senses. The image of Eiiga's eyes begins to falter.

"My people did this," Flux announces in a barely audible whisper. Yet even this faintest of sounds is piercing enough to instantly grab the attention of Icon and Blue Blur. They say nothing, hoping that she will elaborate further. "They did this."

And that is all she manages to say on the matter.

I can't help but let my surprise at what she has just said show on my face, but I gain control quickly and hope that she didn't notice, but the look on her face tells me that she did.

"What do you mean your people did this?"

She doesn't say anything right away, just stands there still in shock. I look to Blue Blur, then back to Flux.

"Let's go somewhere more...private. It seems that we have alot to discuss."

 

[trustyside-kick]

OOC: Previously...

I've been kinda all over the place lately these past few weeks. Sort of, spreading my wings if you know what I mean. With Grace's family moving to Lost Haven her little brother Jake has completely turned a 180 degrees on who he is. Course, I didn't really start to worry about the kid until I heard from Grace that she couldn't come to dinner anymore because she had to bail him out of the local county jail.

The kid was caught trying to steal at their local mall with a friend of his. Steal for goodness sake! Her little brother was always a tad of a trouble maker, but not on this scale. He was the class clown that would put a thumb tack on the teacher's chair, or replace the flag on the flagpole with an incredibly large size underwear.

But now? Ever since they moved away from Boston? The kid's changed. And it pains my heart. So, from time to time, under the guise of the Archangel I try to watch over Jake to make sure he doesn't get in trouble. Can't always be there though.

But...I try. I try to be his Guardian Angel.

"It is not wise to focus all of your attention and energy on one person, Michael. Your gift is to be used on all humanity. For the greater good."

In the past, that sudden voice out of thin air would've spooked me. But after being the Archangel for a while you get used to good 'ol Bath Kol trying to sneak up behind me as I glide through the sky.

"I'm not focusing all my attention solely on Jake. I saved all of those people from a building burning just yesterday, didn't I? Just today too, I stopped that damn from leaking and releasing all that water. Does it really hurt if I make a stop on by to check on my--"

The only bad thing about Bath Kol when he makes these surprise visits though, is that they are unpleasant in that he normally only gives me bad news. That, or he tries to discipline me as though I am not using my gift to its full potential.

But, I sigh as I know what he is going to do next. I stop him though. I change course, and start to fly away from Lost Haven. Jake's been pretty quiet tonight, studying in his room. Not like he's going to be doing anything at this hour of time.

"I am sorry, Michael. You know I prefer our more...pleasant encounters. But you must never forget that you answer to a higher power. God's will is the will that you shall follow."

"So, you're trying to tell me that unless I shape up I'm going to have to answer to the big guy?"

"No. You misunderstood. What am I trying to tell you is that you have to be more than just a man, and more than just an angel serving God's unquestionable will. You have to be The Archangel. A being of complete sacrifice and servitude towards your mission. You must put aside your own selfish needs. Try not to grow attached too much to Earthly things and possessions. You are a servant of God."

There's something he's not telling me. There's something the Angel of Prophecy isn't telling me. Frankly? I don't like it.

 

[Byrd Man]

I can't help but let my surprise at what she has just said show on my face, but I gain control quickly and hope that she didn't notice, but the look on her face tells me that she did.

"What do you mean your people did this?"

She doesn't say anything right away, just stands there still in shock. I look to Blue Blur, then back to Flux.

"Let's go somewhere more...private. It seems that we have alot to discuss."

In a few minutes, the three of us are in an abandoned warehouse on the Lost Haven waterfront.

"Okay, let me get this straight." I say as I turn to the girl.

"You're an alien and your race is the one attacking Earth? Is there anyway you could tell them to stop? You know, Earth isn't a bad place once you get to know it."

 

[trustyside-kick]

I'm staring at the bathroom mirror. Grace is going to be here any minute, and I know she will tare me apart if I make her wait outside my apartment door. But I just cannot help it. I stare at my reflection, thinking about what Bath Kol had said last night. Why is it that every he comes to me 'un-announced' and 'suddenly' it's got to be some sort of warning?

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up."

Can I continue being The Archangel? Do I have what it takes? I was handed this responsibility...sort of. More like I was chosen because I'm my mother's child.

Mom...

Never met her before. Never knew her. She rots in Hell because of her choosing her desire to start a family over serving God. I wonder what was going through her mind when she made that hard decision. She wasn't like me. She knew the Wrath of God, and she knew His presence. Me? I've never spoken to Him. I'm always hearing from him, through Bath Kol...

That's when it hits me. Bath Kol is the Angel of Prophecy, therefore it only makes sense that he comes to me to guide me on my path as The Archangel. But what of the other angels? When I was doing my research on the world wide web, reading stories and articles from these religious historians I came across a lot. Some of it wasn't true, some of it was wishful thinking that happened to be true. So I wonder...

Cassiel. I think...I think her name was Cassiel. I close my eyes, and I get into prayer.

"Angel of Temperance...Cassiel. Cassiel, please help me as I move through this time in my life that is requiring more responsibility and moderation. Sometimes I feel the weight of the world and I feel like I can't handle it anymore and I need your Divine Assistance. Wipe away my tears of stress and replace them with tears of joy and happiness."

I open my eyes, and I look at the mirror once more. Nothing. Well...it was worth a try. I chuckle under my own breath, but that's quickly replaced by a tear and sadness. I feel so lost. I feel so confused. The Angel of Prophecy is the only angel I've found to be guiding me, and with how he's been acting lately. I feel as though I cannot trust even his guidance.

I slump to the bottom of the floor, my back lying against the edge of the bathroom cabinet. I sniff, wiping away the snot from my nose and tear from my eye. Another thought comes to mind.

"It's Saturday..."

Uriel. What if...just, what if...

I slowly start to stand back up, my back facing the mirror. I pick my head up, and close my eyes and I enter a trance of peace and tranquility. Uriel is one of the Archangels, whose power I tap into on this day. Maybe...just maybe...I can channel his wisdom and guidance.

"Uriel. Angel of Creativity, help me to be brave and fully embrace the talents and gifts that God gave to me. Help me to realize that I have nothing to fear in pursuing my passion because it was God who placed the passion in my heart in the first place. Guide me to the straight path that flourishes and overflows my creative endeavors."

Instantly, the brand on my back which bares the mark of the Angelic Symbol of Faith seems to burn bright. There's a bit of a tingle at first, but the pain becomes soothing after a short while and I don't even open my eyes.

I just...feel like I'm opening them. Only without really opening them.

Michael...

The Archangel Uriel speaks to me. Woah...this is some pretty trippy stuff.

 

[Eddie Brock]

In a few minutes, the three of us are in an abandoned warehouse on the Lost Haven waterfront.

"Okay, let me get this straight." I say as I turn to the girl.

"You're an alien and your race is the one attacking Earth? Is there anyway you could tell them to stop? You know, Earth isn't a bad place once you get to know it."

"I share your sentiments, but I assure you that my people will not," Flux responds distantly. Her mind is on her father and the approaching militia. She stares absently through a hole in the decrepit roof. "I received inadequate evaluations in my history instructions, but by my count this is the seventh time my people have been forced to relocate.

"You people of Earth should understand this. The time is quickly approaching when this planet will be drained of its natural resources, and you will be forced to decide how to proceed." Flux sighs. "As for the people of Arlaaek, we have a dark history of seizing planets by force. I regret to say that we are a violent people at heart."

 

[Byrd Man]

"As for the people of Arlaaek, we have a dark history of seizing planets by force. I regret to say that we are a violent people at heart."

"Well...isn't that fantastic?..."

I look between Flux and Icon, my arms crossed.

"I know these are your people." I say to Flux.

"But. I say we fight them. I don't care how violent they are, I'm not giving up my planet without a fight."

 

[Blacklight]

Chapter 54: A War Between Worlds... pt.1


I must admit, I was rather surprised at Blake's course of action, or lack thereof. I saved his life, and all we asked was for him to help us to warn people, and he just straight up told us to go screw off. Now, if Icon and Survivor are right, and these otherworldly forces are evil, then we're going to have to stop them ourselves. And at the moment, we're in the middle of learning the hard way that these forces are indeed hostile... So here I am, in Lost Haven, leaving my cities defenseless... I need to make sure the other heroes in Enferno and Vernova are on this.

"Nick, this is BL. Come in..."

"Jon? What's going on? The moon was just blasted into pieces! Where are you?"

"I'm in Lost Haven, helping out... Tell me Enferno's safe!"

"Yeah... I've managed to network all available heroes down here to protect the twins in your abscence. Ghost Kid, Arachnis, the Mystic, Motion and Kendo are already on it. I've even managed to send a message to Captain Jet after homing in on his communications relay's frequency, so he's aiding the effort too."

"Good. I'll get there as soon as I can. I have to help here... BL out."

I closed the line, and began my flight towards the center of the city where the main heroes of this lost city were doing their best to save the lives of it's citizens. Something I'm all too familiar with doing...

That's when I spotted the Survivor using a truck as cover to protect some bystanders from being obliterated, but as the metoer chunk crashed down, I saw a little girl straying away from her mother. The debris from the crash was coming fast, so I had to act.

I jumped in front of the girl, turning around and shielding the two of us with a force field composed of the same black energy that I generate from my hands. The large fragment of moon shattered upon the collision, leaving the girl and unharmed...

"Keep safe. Stay with your mother..."

"Ok, I will... Thank you, Mister."

I nudged her to go back to her mom. I'm just glad I was able to make it in time to help her, or else she would've become yet another casualty to this alien attack.

I looked over to Survivor, who still held the truck he used for a barricade in his hands. We have yet to converse since I joined him and Icon in talking to the President, so I think now's the time to say something...

"Survivor! We need to get the others to help us evacuate these people to safety! This city's about to become Ground Zero if we don't do something!"

 

[Eddie Brock]

"Well...isn't that fantastic?..."

I look between Flux and Icon, my arms crossed.

"I know these are your people." I say to Flux.

"But. I say we fight them. I don't care how violent they are, I'm not giving up my planet without a fight."

Flux turns to the Blue Blur for the first time. With an cool yet determined demeanor, she responds, "I couldn't agree more." The men seem somewhat taken aback, but Flux continues, "My allegiance to Arlaaek died with the rebellion which opposed the Autocrat. I came to Earth in search of a more peaceful existence.

"I will not allow anyone to stand in the way of that." Though she didn't say it, Flux was thinking of her father.

 

[trustyside-kick]

You come to me at a time of Great Fear.

My eyes still closed, but I can see the great figure of Uriel: the Archangel that watches over me on this day. His voice is firm yet angelically soothing at the same time. Very different from Bath Kol's voice. I answer him, speaking as though he was literally in front of me with my eyes closed.

"Yes. I cannot say I haven't struggled in my littlejourney as The Archangel. I just...it is not that I'm not grateful."

You just desire to still be able to live your own life.

"Exactly...sort of. I--I don't know. Bath Kol came to me last night. He warned me of not growing too attached of 'Earthly things and possessions' as I was watching over my girlfriend's little brother from afar. He's been acting out ever since they moved and--"

Bath Kol is correct though, Michael. You should not grow too attached. One cannot devote themself entirely to God's will and cause when one's mind is clouded and tainted.

"I--I don't...I don't understand. I thought talking to you would help me overcome my fears."

No one is above God's will, Michael. No words I can tell you will can change how you feel with what you are struggling with. We are but the servants to the Almighty. Sometimes what he does may not always make sense. Things will appear unclear to you. If you do not come to terms with that Michael, the day you lose those that are precious to you, it will ultimately tare you apart...

And then, he vanishes. He wasn't really there mind you, but I can no longer 'see' his image, and I finally open my eyes. There I am, standing in my bathroom, back faced against the mirror. I turn around, and stare into the reflection.

The door buzzer sounds. Grace is here for dinner.

"Can I keep doing this? Do I have the strength?"

The door buzzer sounds again.

"...Do I have the Faith in me?"

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Mindwarp

Dylan welcomes James Holland into his office. Walking in with him is Kate Sawyer WMLD's newest reporter.

Dylan says, "James I hope you don't mind I called Kate to join us while you were enroute. So far the coverage that these events have been getting as been highly commendable. But I am thinking of the bigger picture."

James asks, "What do you mean Mr. Chambers?"

Dylan replies fixing a drink, "The aftermath there are going to be many questions and we will provide the answers."

Kate asks, "How will we do that?"

Dylan puts on black leather gloves and then pulls out the disc of the rooftop meeting and shows the footage.

He puts the disc in an envelope and hands it to Kate saying, "I find it interesting that this meeting occured shortly before the invasion. We can use this material to raise questions maybe even to plant seeds."

James says, "What if all of this is a coincidence our reputations are at stake here Mr. Chambers along with the trust the public has in us."

Dylan says, "Well in that case I must take steps to ensure that things work out in a certain way."

He removes the gloves and says to Kate, "You will say that you found the disc on your car windshield."

Kate nods and he says to James, "You will do everything in your power to raise questions and concerns about those on the roof. You do not trust them and you do not want the public to trust them."

James says, "You got it Mr. Chambers."

He turns back to Kate and says, "If the situation looks as though the station is about to be implicated in a negative way concerning our coverage you will say that you manipulated this story for your own career. The station is not at fault in any way."

Dylan says to James, "You will do everything in power to see to it that nothing is traced back to me at all. I was never involved in this in anyway shape or form."

James nods and Dylan says, "Very well then thank you for coming in and keep up the good work."

They both express their thanks and leave Dylan's office as he finishes his drink.

 

[Johnny Drama]

[blackout] - ULTIMA -[/blackout]
The Walking Apocalypse

"I look in the mirror in front of me. I look in the mirror to the right of me. Front, right, front, right.
I am quite a handsome devil. If I was just a frail, mortal "fleshy", and I was being eaten alive, this is the face I would like to see devouring on my flesh!
Those onyx black eyes, that snow white skin...Ultima, you are one sexy
goddamn cannibal..."

I stare at the newspaper clippings that line the walls in my hidden fortress. Okay, "hidden fortress" is slick talk for the sewer. I like my seclusion. Here, in this place, the only voices I hear are the ones in my head.

Space Shuttle Mysteriously Dissapers! -July 30th, 1969-

Just days after Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, NASA's USS Supernova has mysteriously vanished. During the controversial mission "Alpha One", where Astronaut Chris Kennedy and his crew were set to write history by going 'beyond the moon', All communication with the Supernova was lost and video footage reveals a bright, giant flash before the shuttle disappeared

Wormholes: Do they exist?

By Dr Simon Lechtin for Science Monthly Magazine, August 1972

Wormholes - theoretical shortcuts through space and time.
"Traversable wormholes are extremely useful as gedanken experiments"—the term describes experiments that can be reasoned theoretically but are impractical to carry out—"to probe the limitations of general relativity," said Francisco Lobo, an astrophysicist at the University of Lisbon in Portugal.

I have an interesting theory. What if in these "worm holes", there was a level of radiation present that was powerful enough to kill anything passing through, just for the sake of defending the time/space continuum?
Think of it as the wax in your ear that builds to prevent small bugs from entering your ear canal.

I have reason to believe that this radiation, if human were slightly exposed to it, could greatly alter your body and mind, affecting your physical appearance, attributes, and your mental stability

Chris Kennedy Alive? -December 8th, 1974

Superhero team "The Demigods" are in the news again today as they find an amnesiac meta-human wandering the Mojave desert. The kicker: He may be lost astronaut Chris Kennedy. Just miles away from where the Demigods found him, the charred wreckage of the USS Supernova were found, still hot, leading officials to believe it had just recently crashed.

The Demigods get a new member!
-December 17th, 1974

The Demigods have gained a new addition, super hero Ultimate Man. Some speculate that Ultimate Man is an alien, whiles many believe he is astronaut Chris Kennedy, who was recently taken in by the demigods after he was exposed to prolonged radiation in space before mysteriously returning to earth. This completes the new Demigods roster of Captain Apex, Lady Liberty, Shift, Vertigo and Ultimate Man.

Demigods Killed! Betrayed by team mate!
-March 1st, 1975

While in Vietnam on a rescue mission in search of American POW’s, all but one of the Demigods were tragically killed when Ultimate Man was critically injured and entered a berserker rage, engaging in horrific a killing spree that put an end to the beginning of the superhero era. Ultima was seen slaughtering everyone in sight, including enemy soldiers, American soldiers, women, children and even livestock before turning his team mates and killing each and every member of The Demigods, eventually playing with there corpses and eating there brains. Reports claim that Ultimate Man has developed the powers of his fallen team mates, a possible result of eating them.
This news comes as a shock to many across the world as Ultimate Man was a role model and a symbol of hope to all. His onslaught is said to be caused of a mental condition coupled with a matured radiation poisoning.
Ultimate Man is to be considered EXTREMLEY dangerous and at large. Any information on him will be rewarded by the US Government.


For decades, I have searched for power. Now, amidst a new dawn of heroes, I come to the heart of it all. Lost Haven.
All these heroes, with all these raw, incredible powers... And everyone is too caught up in some silly alien invasion to recognize the biggest threat facing this planet...

Me.

 

[Johnny Drama]

[blackout] - ULTIMA -[/blackout]
The Walking Apocalypse

“I am a god amongst ants…” Ultima thought as he watched over the buzzing metropolis beneath him.
“And here I am, sitting on rooftops looking for a meal”
Ultima stood atop the Fairbanks building on 7th street, as he did every night for the past week.
It’s dinnertime, and Ultima is hungry. He has been looking for a meta-human meal, but at this point he is desperate for anything.
“Ooooh, look at you” he whispers. He sees what looks like a nutritious meal, a young woman leaving the library. She walks down the sidewalk, Ultima slowly walking along the edge of the building, quietly teleporting to the next one as he follows her.
“you don’t even know it yet but I love you. I loved you before I met you, and now your going to experience my love, pumpkin”The young woman takes a short cut down a well lit ally. She is so busey studying the cover of the book she just checked out that she doesn’t notice the two bums sitting behind the dumpster drinking cheap booze. They rise as she passes. One is short and thin, African American, and the other one is white, tall and chubby, with long greasy hair.
“Hey doll face” The tall one yells.
“You want some company” He asks.
Very nervous, the woman walks away quickly but the bums follow. She begins to run but her heel breaks and she falls to the ground, scraping her knee and face. The two bums pull out their pistols.
“We got something fo ya’ now, baby…” the short one announces as they stand over her.
“Please…don’t…I have a daughter, a little girl…” She cries.
“B***h, what the f*** I care about your daughter” the tall one asks.
“What the f*** I care about your daughter” a voice repeats from the darkness.


“Ugh! will you just listen to the atrocity that is your grammar? And they say I am a killer. You sir, have butchered the English language for the final time” Ultima says as he emerges from the shadows.
“Jesus Christ, What the f*** are you man?” The short bum asks.
“Oh, What I am is not important, not at all. That knowledge won’t do you a bit of good. No, what you should be asking yourself is what do I do. Or better yet, what I do to frail, human meat bags like yourselves” Replies Ultima.
“Ah get the f*** outta here with that s***, you pasty faced mutha…” the tall one said as he pointed the gun at Ultima.
Suddenly, At that very moment, Ultima raised his hand, an open palm, and all of a sudden the tall bum is pointing the gun at his little friend.
“Yo, Keats! What the f*** man!?!” The short one asks with an intense urgency.
The bum with the gun, Keats, looks shocked, like a dear in headlights.
“I don’t know man, I’m not doing this, I’m not do…”

*POW*

The bums brain matter is now spread across the brick wall behind him.
“AAaaaaaaagh!” yells the girl, a blood curdling scream that could nearly shatter glass.



"Willie!?! What the hell?? What did you make me do to Willie?? What the f***!?!” Yells Keats.

“Shhhhh sh sh shhh” says Ultima as he uses his telekinesis to pull the bum forward. Ultima grabs the back of the bums head, pulls him in closer and get face to face with him.

“Oh god, oh god” cries Keats.

“Hey now, hey….listen. Now you know your god won’t save you, right? Because…Because see, he made me. This here, this is fate. If he didn’t want this to happen, he would have never made me what I am and he would have never put you here tonight, Mr. Keats…

“Let me go, Let me GO!” Yelled Keats.

“Oh, no no no…we aren’t doing that…I’m going to kill you…”

“N-n-no, please…ya not gonna d-do that”

“Ummm… Yeah, I kinda am”

Ultima runs his fingers through Keats’ hair. Keats begins crying like an infant. The girl screams again as Ultima slowly pulls Keats head into two halves. Keats’ screams become in sync with the girls, and eventually Ultima begins screaming with them just for fun. Until the head splits and his brain rolls out onto the floor.
“10 second rule!” Ultima says as he picks up the brain. He turns away from the girl and begins to munch away.


The girl is in shock. Ultima is feeding and in such a daze that she could have escaped had she had the ability to use her legs. She just lays there, staring at the sky, awaiting the same fate as Keats. Ultima pulls his veil up over his mouth as he finishes.
“Nom nom nom” He playfully exclaims.
“I…I…” She begins
“You have a daughter, I know” Ultima finishes.
“And I am sure she is just a beautiful as you are. You didn’t know it but I love you…Wait, what is your name?”“A-Amy” She nervously responds.
“Amy! I love you Amy. And when I am done, I will love your daughter too…”“NO!!” She yells
“Shhhhh sh sh shhh” says Ultima as he kneels down and puts his open mouth on her forehead.
“AAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHH!!!! She screams as he gnaws at her head like an apple.

Emerging from the Alley with a huge bloody smile, Ultima begins going threw her purse. He throws all her cash and credit cards out onto the ground. Finally, he has found what he was looking for. He looks at the picture of Amy’s 6 year old daughter.
“Oh I love you. I love you and you don’t even know it”.He looks down at the bottom of the picture and sees it reads ‘Emily 02/09’.
He pulls out Amy’s ID and studies the address. “4907 State street, 4907 state street, 4907 state street,” Using his shape shifting ability, Ultima takes on the form of Amy.
“Emily, Mamas coming home!” Ultima says as he walks off into the darkness.

 

[Johnny Drama]

[blackout] - ULTIMA -[/blackout]
The Walking Apocalypse


12 hours later...

Detective Ari Lorne enters the scene of the crime. He has already been briefed. An elderly woman and her 7 year old granddaughter, both murdered and mutilated, both missing their brains. But there is more.
The mother of the girl was found dead just a few hours earlier in an alley near the old Fairbanks building, also missing her brain.
Ari sees a small, child-size chalk outline on the kitchen floor. The image puts him in a trance. Ari is uncomfortably familiar with what has happened. He looks around for clues to take his mind off the painful memories that flood his mind...
“What the hell has this world come to?" He thinks to himself.
"Looks like our boy is at it again…" Officer Polanski says as he approaches the Detective.
“Polanski, What the f*** are you doing here? Dunk-N-Donuts told you they only give free food to actual cops, so you decided to clock in some hours?”
“Ha-ha-ha, take it to The Apollo, ya’ prick” Polanski replied.
"Yeah yeah" replied Ari.
"You ever take a day off, Ari?" Asked Polanski.
"Being at work IS time off, Polanski. The real work is when I come home. You don't know my wife..." Arid said in jest.
"You are singing to the choir there, mac...My wife is the worst. I caught lip because I jerked off into the expensive towels she got over there at Sacs and Fifth Avenue. I mean, a towel is a towel!" Said Polanski.
“Yeah. Okay, whatever. So Ultima is feeding in Lost Haven again…” Ari said.
“Either that or a copy cat” replied Polanski
“There was no sign of forced entry. That means the killer walked right on in. And you know good and damn well, Polanski, that no one in Lost Haven sleeps with the front door unlocked…”
“And Ultima can teleport, so it had to him, is that what you are saying?” asks Polanski.
“Maybe. But given Ultima’s flair for the theatrics, I’d say he used one of his more “eccentric” powers. I say, after he got done working the mother, he shape shifted to become the mother, and Granny let her right in. If I know Ultima, he probably stayed in character as the mother during the murders, just to see the look in that little girls eyes when she was killed by her own mama” said Ari.
"Sheesh, you are morbid" replied Polanski.
"And I am also right. I am positive that's how it went down." He said.
“Interesting theory, Detective” said a well dressed stranger approaching the two officers.
“Detective Ari Lorne, I presume?” Asked the man.
“If you are a process server, then no, I am not Ari. I am Joe Montana. Nice to meet you. And you are?”
“I am Agent Sterling Sutherland with the FBI. Can I have a word with you?”

Detective Lorne and Agent Sutherland walk down the pier, overlooking the not so beautiful beaches of Lost Haven.
Agent Sutherland is an older man, mid 60's, with salt and pepper colored hair and a mustache that would make Magnum P.I jealous.
“I hope you don’t mind me bringing you out here, Detective Lorne. What I am going to tell you is very, very top secret and it is imperative that we are alone” Said Agent Sutherland.
“I don’t mind the long walks on the beach, Sutherland. Just don’t try any fast s***” replied Ari.
“Ah, a sense of humor. You wouldn’t make it in The FBI.” Said Sutherland.
“That’s a bad thing?” Asked Ari.
“Okay, let’s cut to the point. Ultima is in Lost Haven, again, that we know…” explained Sutherland.
“Is it true he has been in Europe for the past 7 years?” Asks Ari.
“Yes”
“Why? I mean, why is he back, why now?”
“That’s why I brought you here, Detective Lorne”
“Ok…”
“Back in the summer of 1969, astronaut Chris Kennedy was presumed dead when his space shuttle entered a worm hole and vanished. 5 years later, When a similar hole opened up in the middle of the Mojave desert, the flaming wreckage of Kennedy’s shuttle crashed into the desert sand. Chris Kennedy emerged, altered physically and mentally. Chris himself had no recollection of who he was or where he had came from. No memory, He fled the crash and walked the desert for days, until he was rescued by The Demigods, Who had detected his arrival and had been tracking him. The Demigods discovered that Chris had enhanced strength, speed and agility. They took him in as a member and trained him to use his abilities. As a Demigod, he was known as “Ultimate Man”, and he one of earths mightiest heroes... But the more time that had passed since the worm hole, the more Chris changed. He had an insatiable hunger that he couldn’t understand. As the hunger increased, Chris lost more and more of his humanity. While on a mission in Vietnam, Ultimate Man was shot in the shoulder and entered a berserk rage mode, killing countless soldiers, women, children, and even livestock. Ripping into a Vietnamese farmer, Chris instinctively cracked the mans head and devoured his brain. When the Demigods intervened, he turned on his team mates and attacked them, killing them all and in turn, eating there brains as well, and then disappearing, becoming the worlds most notorious fugitive” Explained Agent Sutherland.

“Thanks for the history lesson, Sutherland, but all that’s common knowledge” replied Ari.

“This part isn’t. As decades pass, Chris, on the run, continued to kill hundreds. Now going by Ultima, has devoured many brains in his quest for power, but never another super-human” explained Sutherland.
“Oh my god….” Replied Ari

“Yes. Chris Kennedy, Ultimate-Man, is Ultima. He eats human brains to become stronger, younger, better. His sole mission on this planet is to obtain powers, yet it has been over 30 years since he has gained a new power or even come in contact with another meta-human. But, in this new age of heroes, Ultima realizes that Lost Haven is like a grocery store for him. So many super heroes, super villains, so much opportunity, He hopes to become the most powerful man in the world, one hero at a time…”

“And why are you telling me this, Sutherland? Why not go to someone higher up? Your FBI, I am just a lowly Detective. I am a bit curious”
“Because I know why you requested this case, Ari. I know all about your son, Alex.” Replies Sutherland
“That topic is off limits, Sutherland”
“No it’s not. He killed your son in cold blood, robbed your little boy of his life and scooped his brain like and melon baller….” said Sutherland.
“You shut the hell up, Sutherland. I swear to god, if you even say his…”
“He took my son too, Ari. And my wife. Right in front of my eyes, the bastard made me watch. John would have been 19 yesterday. My wife Suzanne and I would have celebrated our 25th anniversary next week. I have nothing. Like you…”
“I…I’m sorry to hear that, Agent Sutherland. And I understand how you feel, more so than anyone else, but I still don’t see where I come in” replied Ari.
“You hate Chris Kennedy as much as I do, Ari. I am going under above the law on this one and I need help. You are the only one who can understand my nightmare, Ari. What’ll it be? Will you help me bring this mother f***er down?”
Ari looks away and thinks deeply, but he doesn’t think for long. The first image that appears when he closes his eyes is his son Alex blowing out the candles on his 5th birthday.
“When we kill this space demon son of a *****, Sutherland, I am eating his goddamned brain. Promise me that…” demanded Ari.
“That can be arranged…”


________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I walk down these sewer tunnels, still wondering when my time will come. I really like it here in Lost Haven. I’ll like it better once I can find some GOOD food. I need power. It's been too long. I spent a week tracking some joker named Abraham, but as it turns out, the son of a b**** is just a vampire, and if I eat him I die, so that isn’t any good. Then we have this low level super hero, The Golden Avenger, he isn't hard to find and I kill this guy (a little too easily) only to find out he has no power, he gets it from his suit. And that ugly pile of rags and metal was not even my size, so again a waste of my time. Oh that reminds me, I should update my list…


Abraham
Icon
The Blue Blur
The Survivor
Pulse
The Golden Avenger
Kensei
The Citizen
The Wraith
Black Light
Ghost Kid.
Siren
Electron

I guess have some work to do…

 

[NiteMare Shape]

Flux turns to the Blue Blur for the first time. With an cool yet determined demeanor, she responds, "I couldn't agree more." The men seem somewhat taken aback, but Flux continues, "My allegiance to Arlaaek died with the rebellion which opposed the Autocrat. I came to Earth in search of a more peaceful existence.

"I will not allow anyone to stand in the way of that." Though she didn't say it, Flux was thinking of her father.

"Then we're in agreement." I pause for a moment, looking to Flux. "I'm glad you're here. If this is just their opening volley, I'd love to know what's coming next."

Blur starts to say something, but decides against it.

"And having someone with an intimate knowledge of our attackers is going to be a big help."

 

[Rain Dog]

MADLOVE​

CHAPTER 4: NEW KINGDOM

All is going well. I have been experimenting with my abilities in this dimension. They are far greater than I had originally thought. While I am burdened with a weak, mortal body, I still retained a great number of the powers I had in the previous dimension. I am, however, reluctant to find out the extent of which I can use these powers. It would risk sending another surge of my energy signature throughout several dimensions which would then give away my hiding spot.

The monetary donations that I have been requesting from church-goers are serving me well—I am making much more money than I had anticipated. Not only can I support myself and live comfortably but I can now also afford to buy more “supplies” for sermons. There are more and more in attendance with each passing week. The good word of Madlove is spreading.

What surprised me was how these people happily and willingly obeyed me. How they hung onto my every word, how they sought to satisfy my every whim. There was no need to torture or frighten or kill—they did what I told them to do because they wanted to, because they genuinely adored me and believed in my teachings. They got to live their lives in total ecstasy, bliss, and enlightenment while I got the power and admiration that I craved. That I needed.

In my last sermon, I was showered with this admiration. There were shouts of “I love you, reverend!” and of course, “Live to love and love to live!”, which became The Church’s motto. It was then I realized how beneficial The Church of Madlove was to the Hyu’Mannz. I saw the joy it brought them. I saw how it gave them a sense of conformity and belonging, something these creatures seemed to desire more than anything else. More Hyu’Mannz deserved to experience these feelings. They needed to.

“Brothers and sisters...” I said to the audience, “You have all learned well. Together, we have lived to the fullest. We have loved to the fullest.”

They smile, proud of themselves. Proud of me.

“But there are many out there who are not as fortunate as you,” I continue. Their smiles fall to frowns.

“There are so many out there who have yet to hear my teachings. They have yet to experience the paradise I have brought to you. We must share our pleasures, remember this, babies. All deserve to live as you do. All are worthy.”

“What should we do, reverend?” said a young woman in the crowd.

“Go out and spread my word, babies. Bring in the masses. Get your friends, get your families, get people you don’ t even know in this church. I want a full house next time we meet. Then, we shall show them the proper way to live. We shall share with them our pleasures. Do not fail me, children.”

“We will not fail you, reverend,” they chanted.

“Live to love.”

“And love to live!”

“Too true, babies.”

MADLOVE​

CHAPTER 5: CRUSADES

Attendance at the Church of Madlove was at an all-time high, though I faced a new dilemma. An increase in members would mean I would require an increase in “supplies” for my sermons, and even with donations it would simply be too much. My suppliers have either been increasing the prices of their products or are simply unable to meet my demands.

“You have done well, babies—I see many new faces here! Welcome, one and all to the Church of Madlove!”

Applause. The rest of my sermon goes well. I continued my requests for new recruits. Most of the newbies seemed convinced. However, today’s sermon was comprised of only words—no ventures through the cosmos. I ask some of our veteran members to stay after the sermon to address this problem.

“My children, as I’m sure you’re aware, it has been some time since our last dimensional ascension…”

“We’ve noticed. Is something the matter, Reverend?”

“I’m afraid so. You see the man who usually supplies us with our goodies has been jacking up the prices quite a bit, you see. We all need money, true, but what he has done just seems so…”

“…unfair.”

“Unbrotherly.”

“Evil.”

I grin.

“Well put, babies. He is denying us our right to live life to its fullest. To love to our fullest. I’m afraid it looks like we’ll have to cease our journeys for now…maybe forever. Unless…”

“Unless what, Reverend?!”

“I happen to know where he’ll be doing his dealings tonight. If you can find him and bring him to me, then we may be able to settle this matter. If you’re up for it, that is.”

“Of course, Reverend!”

“Now this is no cake walk, babies. He will most likely resist. And his, err, ‘clients’ are likely to show a bit of aggression as well.”

“We will do everything we can. Don’t worry. ”

“Shall we bring his clients to you as well, Reverend?”

“No, no, it’s best to avoid them if you can. But as I said, if they get wise to what you’re doing there may be some…conflict.”

“So if we run into them…if there is ‘conflict’…what do we do?”

“Eliminate them.”

They stare in shock.

“It’s for the best, trust me.”

They continue to stare.

“You do trust me, don’t you?”

“Of course, Reverend! Of course! We will go tonight! “

“Wonderful, babies, wonderful. Be outside the Slatesborough apartment complex around midnight and wait until he arrives. Incapacitating him may be necessary. If you are aprehended, be sure not to mention me, or you'll endanger the entire Church! And if his clients show up…”

I present them with a collection of various knives.

“Take care of them. It’s for the best, I remind you.”

“For the best,” they repeat in unison as they chose their blades.

While it would be easy for me to perform this task myself, I see it as a good way of testing the loyalty of my followers. Also, who likes getting their hands dirty when they do have to?

 

[Johnny Drama]

[blackout] - ULTIMA -[/blackout]
The Walking Apocalypse

Ultima sits atop the Fairbanks building, watching, waiting. The city is colorfully buzzing despite recent events.

Goddamn, I hope I find a Metahuman. Why did I even leave Paris?
Oh, yeah... It's a ****ing crater now, and all the french superheroes are just wimps in costumes with protective armor and no actual powers. No power at all, not like here anyway. But everyone is so preoccupied with this damned alien invasion that no one has the time to patrol the streets anymore, which is good if you like filling up on soccer moms and hobos.


Ultima sees a city bus pass down the street. The bus looks packed, full of people leaveing work to return to there children and loved ones. Ultima has an idea.

If I can't find a hero... I'll bring one to me...
I have a bus to catch.

 

[Rain Dog]

Twenty-third and third. I sit in the dumpster, carefully watching the lamppost across the street. There’s a man there. Four times. He’s walked past that same street lamp four times. Keeps coming back to the same spot. Keeps looking around. Waiting for something? Probably. But what? But who? Very shady. He’s up to somethi—five. Five times he’s past the lamp. Keeps coming back to the same spot. Keeps looking around. Waiting for something?

The smell in the dumpster is horrendous. Been in the same position for almost two hours. Limbs ache. Spine sore. Must endure--six. Six times he’s walked past now.

A car slowly pulls up in front of the man. The window rolls down and the man’s eyes shift from left to right, making sure no one is around. He slowly creeps towards the car and speaks with the driver. Can’t hear what they’re saying. They bump fists. Man smiles. Driver hands something to the man…looks like money. Man reaches into his pocket and pulls out a plastic bag. Drug deal. Not on my streets.

I kick open the lid of the dumpster and leap out, my gun drawn. The man is startled. Drops bag. Driver is terrified. He floors it—the car goes speeding off into the darkness. The man stands alone now, streetlamp shining down on him like a spotlight. I pull the trigger once.

BANG.

Man goes down. I walk over to the corpse and examine the contents of the bag. White substance. Crack. Highly addictive drug engineered by the government as a means to keep minorities in poverty and under control. Profits were reaped and used to back Nicaraguan Contra army in 1980s.


I have just saved another individual from addiction. I have just saved the family he would have killed and robbed order to pay for his next fix. I have just sent a message to both the criminals and the vicious, shadowy organization that watches and manipulates us all: No more.

I flip the body over and dig into his back pocket. I pull out his wallet and take the money inside—not a huge fan of grave robbing, but necessary. Need it to survive. I find a gun tucked away in his pants. I take that as well. Need to increase my arsenal.

As I made my way home, a stray newspaper gracefully floats and twirls in the wind. I snatch it from the air and glance at the front page. Another meta-human makes the headlines. Seems like everywhere you turn, there’s a new one, performing another glorious act of heroism. I don’t like them. I don't trust them.​

The entire world is in an uproar. The sky fell. Who’s responsible? Has the Illuminati finally struck? Possibly. Maybe? Possibly—yes…yes, it makes sense. They level cities and take advantage of the subsequent turmoil. They will reveal themselves soon. The time is almost upon us. The world will kneel at the feet of their new overlords, too afraid and confused to question. Poor fools. If only they knew.

[blackout]“Baxter, what do you make of this?”[/blackout]

“The light’s too damn loud!”

[blackout]“Mubbles?”[/blackout]

Meeeow.

[blackout]“No, it’s them…I’m sure of it…who else could it be?”[/blackout]

Prrrrr

[blackout]“Hmmm…something out there? Something out there made the sky fall? What? Who? What?”[/blackout]

I began to think. Out there. What force other than the Illuminati could possibly have the power to make the sky fall? Nature? As far as I know, having chunks of the moon rain down like hellfire is far from natural. Out there. Perhaps this would require more abstract thought—yes…the greatest answers require abstract thought. Extraterrestrials? Could support Icke’s theory on the Babylonian Brotherhood. Reptillian-humanoids from Draco. Perhaps Icke was right. Perhaps they are the Illuminati.

Meow.

[blackout]“You’re right. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions. I’ll suit up. Roam the streets. Get answers,”[/blackout] I say as I grab my gear.

[blackout]“I’ll be sure to head over to that dry cleaner’s. Something tells me they’ll have what we’re looking for.” [/blackout]

 

[trustyside-kick]

“Of course, Reverend! Of course! We will go tonight! “

“Wonderful, babies, wonderful. Be outside the Slatesborough apartment complex around midnight and wait until he arrives. Incapacitating him may be necessary. If you are aprehended, be sure not to mention me, or you'll endanger the entire Church! And if his clients show up…”

I present them with a collection of various knives.

“Take care of them. It’s for the best, I remind you.”

“For the best,” they repeat in unison as they chose their blades.

While it would be easy for me to perform this task myself, I see it as a good way of testing the loyalty of my followers. Also, who likes getting their hands dirty when they do have to?

The evening with Grace has been good. No, better then good. So far it has been great really. But the entire time she has been able to tell something's not right with me completely. She didn't say anything when I opened the door finally, saying hi as I kissed her in the doorway, even though I didn't kiss her back much. Nor did she seem to put much thought into the fact that we were watching one of my favorite films--Dogma--and I didn't laugh at the same jokes I used to.

So it's of no surprise that now, just before we are about to end the evening, she finally comes to me laying it all out.

"Okay, babe. There is nothing else to say than the obvious: you're head isn't right right now. I mean, you didn't laugh when Loki told the lady in the office meeting 'You're getting off light!'."

I smirk a bit, letting out a sigh and dipping my head slightly as I lay against the counter.

"Guess the joke's finally getting old."

"No, babe. Not with you. You've seen Dogma countless times and that joke never gets old. So don't try to play that card with me."

Man she's observant. And she's so cute when she's been bossy Ms. Detective. She walks over to me, putting down her coat since she was about to leave and I cradle her in my arms.

"What is it, babe?"

"I--I guess...nothing makes sense, you know? I mean. Don't you ever feel like you thought you had a certain path to follow and you laid it out CLEAR and PERFECTLY right in front for you? But then, suddenly, you're--"

"Questioning whether or not you know where that path is going? Of course, babe. That happens to all of us."

Not like this it doesn't. But I can't tell her that. I can never tell her that. There isn't a darn thing about being The Archangel I can tell her. I can't be 'hey babe, guess what? I can FLY! Cool huh?'. Or, 'you know what? I'm an agent of God...indirectly of course'. I cannot even tell her the real reason why I keep putting off our engagement that I know she wants.

Regular superheroes always tell the ones they love eventually about their secret identity. But guess what? I'm not a regular superhero. Unlike them, I serve a higher power. A higher power that is infallible. A higher power that has a will like no other.

A higher power that forbids me from telling the woman I love that no matter how much I want to put her first in my life, I simply cannot.

"Don't sweat it though, babe."

She warms my heart by sneaking in a kiss to my check.

"You'll make it through."

She starts to walk towards the door, picking back up and coat. Turning the doorknob and opening the door she turns around for a quick glimpse. Man she's so beautiful.

"You always do."

Yea. She's right. I always do. Don't I? And I know what I'm going to do now. The evening is over for Michael Angelo, but not for The Archangel. I walk over to the window overlooking the street, watching Grace jump into her car. She drives off, and the coast finally seems clear. I open the window, and walk on to the fire-escape ladder that runs alongside the apartment building. I make my way to the rooftop, and stare at the night sky.

And then? A phenomenon occurs. The sky is pitch-black with nothing but the starlight stars shimmering, lighting it up. But out from the heavens comes forth a most illuminating light. The symbol of Faith, branded into my backside starts to tingle, and my transformation begins.

My destination? Lost Haven. I don't care what Bath Kol says, or even Uriel himself. I'm going to follow my heart. I'm going to watch over Jake.

His Guardian Angel.

The Archangel.

 

[Rain Dog]

MADLOVE​

A car slowly pulled up in front of the Slatesborough Apartment Complex. From the building emerged a thin, pasty man, sloppily dressed with long, greasy hair draped over his face. He approached the vehicle cautiously, constantly shifting his eyes and jerking his head from left to right. The car window rolled down.

“You alright, man?”

“Yeah…” said the thin man.​

“You got the stuff?”

“Yeah. You got the mon—”

The thin man quickly spun his head around—nothing but darkness.

“****, man, what you on? You freakin’ out.”

“Nothing, nothing…I just keep hearing something…”

“There ain’t nobody here but us, man. You’re just paranoid.”

“Yeah…anyways it’s gonna be four fifty.”

The man in the car pulled out a wad of cash from his jacket pocket and handed it to the thin man, neither of them noticing the hooded figures creeping up behind them.

 

[trustyside-kick]

“There ain’t nobody here but us, man. You’re just paranoid.”

“Yeah…anyways it’s gonna be four fifty.”

The man in the car pulled out a wad of cash from his jacket pocket and handed it to the thin man, neither of them noticing the hooded figures creeping up behind them.

There's one thing that I've learned in the superhero biz: your average criminal is a cowardly lot. Normally, as soon as they see the big, white, firey wings sprouting from my back at nighttime it's a shoe-in that they will flee for there lives. Thus I stop a crime without having to do much. Another huge reason why I feel I've been blessed without having to counter any true supervillain in my time as The Archangel.

So when I spot what looks like some sort of drug deal that seems to about to go sour as some shadowy figures move in from the darkness? I cannot help but smile with glee. I swoop in, flap these badboys and right then and there at least a few of them will run for it. Because nobody's seen anything quite like me yet.

Nobody's seen anything like The Archangel.

"Uh uh uh uh uh...it's not nice to sneak up on people like that. Well uh...I guess that's what I just did. But! I'm sure you guys didn't have playing a nice game of checkers in mind, did you? Well uh...neither did I."

Man, I've really gotta work on my entrances. Checkers? Whatever, they get the point. They've snuck up to do some nasty nasties, and I'm here to bring the goodie goodies...

...whatever.

 

[Johnny Drama]

Ultima sits atop the Fairbanks building, watching, waiting. The city is colorfully buzzing despite recent events.

Goddamn, I hope I find a Metahuman. Why did I even leave Paris?
Oh, yeah... It's a ****ing crater now, and all the french superheroes are just wimps in costumes with protective armor and no actual powers. No power at all, not like here anyway. But everyone is so preoccupied with this damned alien invasion that no one has the time to patrol the streets anymore, which is good if you like filling up on soccer moms and hobos.


Ultima sees a city bus pass down the street. The bus looks packed, full of people leaveing work to return to there children and loved ones. Ultima has an idea.

If I can't find a hero... I'll bring one to me...
I have a bus to catch.

[blackout] - ULTIMA -[/blackout]
The Walking Apocalypse

Without hesitation, Ultima teleports, vanishing from the rooftop where he has been waiting, leaving behind a smoke cloud.

*Poof*

Ultima suddenly appears in the bus. The passengers are alarmed as the all stand up.
Ultima turns to the bus driver.

"I'm here to relieve you of your shift"

Ultima telekinetically opens to door and hurls the driver out into oncoming traffic.
An 18 weeler swerves to avoid the rolling body but runs over him anyway when it collides into another truck creating a large explosion.

Ultima continues to drive the bus with his mind. An exceptional multi-tasker, Ultima doesn't need to watch the road, he is faceing the passengers.

"Okay, Who's first? Eeeny meeny miney moe" he says as his fingers follow each passenger. He stops at a young boy, no older than 13.
"You! You are gonna set an example, kid!" Ultima raises his hand and pulls the child toward him with his mind. The kid begins crying and even wets himself mid-air

"This kid is first. Ladies and gentlemen I encourage you to pull out your cellular phones and call the police. Tell them that another one of you DIES every minute untill a super hero shows up. A real life, bonafied superhero!"

 

[Rain Dog]

There's one thing that I've learned in the superhero biz: your average criminal is a cowardly lot. Normally, as soon as they see the big, white, firey wings sprouting from my back at nighttime it's a shoe-in that they will flee for there lives. Thus I stop a crime without having to do much. Another huge reason why I feel I've been blessed without having to counter any true supervillain in my time as The Archangel.

So when I spot what looks like some sort of drug deal that seems to about to go sour as some shadowy figures move in from the darkness? I cannot help but smile with glee. I swoop in, flap these badboys and right then and there at least a few of them will run for it. Because nobody's seen anything quite like me yet.

Nobody's seen anything like The Archangel.

"Uh uh uh uh uh...it's not nice to sneak up on people like that. Well uh...I guess that's what I just did. But! I'm sure you guys didn't have playing a nice game of checkers in mind, did you? Well uh...neither did I."

Man, I've really gotta work on my entrances. Checkers? Whatever, they get the point. They've snuck up to do some nasty nasties, and I'm here to bring the goodie goodies...

...whatever.

MADLOVE​

"Holy ****!!" the man in car screamed as the windows rolled up and the car sped off. The thin man was left standing on the street, confused and terrified. The hooded figures that didn't run off were now staring in awe at the angelic form that had arrived.

"...What is it? Who is it?"

"Is this one of the clients the Reverend was talking about?"

"What do we do?"

"We do everything we can to get the supplier--it's what the Reverend said! Everything we can! It's what he said!"

"B-b-but..."

The thin man began to make a dash for it. The hooded figures drew their knives--some chased after the dealer while the rest prepared for...conflict.

 

[trustyside-kick]

Ah, they run. Well, some of them. One of the dudes that was about to get ambushed runs and some of the hooded figures run after him. Meanwhile I'm stuck with four guys with nothing but pocket knives and other sharp pointy objects. I smirk, taking my sword out of its holster.

Ah crap, I forgot. The darn thing won't light up with the awesome white Angel fire unless I'm defending the innocent. Well well then, this gives me just the opportunity to tap into my powers of the day.

"Let's see, tonight's Saturday. That means you boys are all out of luck."

Levitating above them as they cowardly come at me to attack, with the motions of my hands I stop of them in their tracks with pure ease. Out from the concrete beneath him sprouts a hand made of concrete itself, clinging him to stay at his position. Gotta love the blessings Uriel bestows on me this day. I get to play with dirt!

"Don't think that's all I can do now!"

One of them lunges at me wielding a knife and pair of brass knuckles. Dodging with pure ease I swing back around, the motion of my hands causing the brick wall beside him to sprout out and 'slap' him gently against the other brick wall. And course when I say gently I totally mean knock him unconscious.

The two other guys actually catch me off guard and pull down on my legs. One of them digs their swiss army knife into my hamstring, the other pulling me down by his chain. Stupid. Careless. Bath Kol is right. I gotta take this a bit more seriously.

"Arggh!! You boys play nice now..."

Moving my hands, two golems of concrete sprout from the ground, grabbing onto the hoodlums. I safely land, wounded, and pull out the swiss army knife from my hamstring. I remove the chain, and wrap it around the nutjobs as the rock golems hold them still.

"I've ordered you a couple of playmates to keep you company. I'm afraid I'm already tired of our little game. Tah tah now. I'm sure the police later will be more then welcome to join you."

And now it's down to the two hoods that went after the drug dealer. A quick prayer of healing and a touch on the wound helps put the pain in the back of my mind as I fly through the night sky but man does it hurt. Slows me down a bit as it heals. I finally spot three figures in an alleyway, one of them holding a knife to the dealer's throat.

Alright. I'm fast. Man, am I fast. But I'm not the Blue Blur.

"Two birds with one stone? What's the point in that expression?"

I'll simply take out 2 birds with 2 stones...and with the motion of my hands I from the concrete I pull out two rather medium sized chunks of rock, and BULLSEYE! Chucking them at the two hoods, I knock one of them unconscious, but at the same time gives the other one notice to move out of the way and I redirect the chunk of concrete in time so it doesn't hit the dealer.

"Alright alright, you're smarter than your average hood I suppose--"

He doesn't even hesitate. He has such fear in his eyes. I cannot tell cause of the hood, but that's the only way to explain it when he suddenly gets right back up, runs to the dealer, and stabs in right in the stomach.

"Live to love and love to live!"

"NOOO!!!"

I fly at the attacker, tackling him as I make contact and the knife remains lodged in the dealer's stomach as he lets out a scream. Our fall is a rough one, and I pull back the hood on the kid's hoodie. It causes me to...I don't know what. I just suddenly jolt off the kid, and for the course of a few seconds I don't what's going on. That left is left and right is right isn't even clear to me.

I want to throw up. I--I...I need to lay down. No, the dealer. He's hurt. Gotta help him first. I fly over to him, pulling the knife out of his gut. As I'm about to start my prayer of healing all I can think of when I look back at the attacker fleeing the scene is--

"...was that Jake?"

 

[Andy C.]

WONDER BOY: SIDEKICK FOR HIRE​

O CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN:
FINALE​

The door to my apartment's spare room unlocks and opens easily enough, but stepping into the room itself is still difficult for me. I came to Lost Haven for this exact purpose, but now that the actual reality of it is bearing down on me, I don't know if I can do it.

I stare at the pile of cardboard boxes for what feels like minutes, unable to bring myself to open them up. I've been scared out of my mind ever since I saw the reports on TV about the alien attack, but only now do I realize that it's not the invaders that I'm afraid of. I'm afraid of having to put the mask on again.

If I do this, there's no turning back. I can't put any of it behind me, or think about it all in what-ifs, or even tell myself I'm going to do it later. The boxes I've had with me for the last five years aren't too different from Pandora's for me: if I open them, it'll let out all the old ghosts.

"O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red
, Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead."

Captain Wonder's funeral is held five days after his murder. I've slept maybe two or three hours total since then--investigating every point of the crime scene, poring over the police reports and autopsy information, putting every bit of knowledge that he gave me to try and figure out who killed him.

And I have nothing to show for it.

The killer is still on the loose, but he's covered his tracks better than anyone I've ever seen. No evidence of any kind from the shooter's position, no match from ballistics for the murder-weapon, absolutely nothing that I can use to track him. The trail has gone completely cold, if there was any trail at all.

So that just left us to bury the dead, and get on with it.

"O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills;
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head
; It is some dream that on the deck,
You’ve fallen cold and dead."

The funeral is smaller than I would've thought. The only people that come to pay there respects are a few cops that he had saved in the line of duty, some of our contacts from around the city, and a handful of tabloid reporters looking to get a quick scoop. Before the service began, one of them made some smartass remark about how he always heard it was the sidekick's job to "take one from behind" instead of the hero. It felt really, really good to break his nose.

The day before, Christopher West's funeral was a media circus--thousands of people who had been touched by his charity, reporters from all the major news networks, you name it. The official story was that he was in a small commuter plane that went down over the Atlantic, and that the body was in too bad of shape for anything but a closed casket. Thanks to a few rather large 'anonymous' donations to the NYPD and NY General Hospital (where the autopsy was carried out) from West Industries, the fact that he was Captain Wonder was never leaked to the public, and all documents confirming his identity were destroyed--something I saw to myself when no one was looking.

Now, he's lying in his actual casket, still attired in full costume. I wore a three-piece suit to West's funeral, but it wouldn't have been right if Wonder Boy didn't honor his mentor by wearing his own colors. As I stand at the head of the grave, staring back at the small gaggle of mourners all in black, I can't help but realize how truly ridiculous I look in costume now. Still, I fight back the self-consciousness and bottle it up with all of the anger, frustration, fear, and every other negative emotion that is threatening to consume me. I muscle through the pain, and finish the poem.

"My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;
Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead."

The rest of the funeral is mercifully brief, and Captain Wonder is put in the ground without any scene. Within a month, the people of New York barely remember he was there at all.

Some bean-counter from West Industries eventually figures out Christopher West's secret identity, and seeing that I am now his only heir, decides to take advantage of it. He blabs to the board of directors, whose legal sharks are able to lock me out of the trust-fund inheritance, as well as blackmail me out of all of Captain Wonder's high-tech gadgetry.

Before the corporate goons can come in and raid the command-center, Mathis and I make a decision. We pack up everything we can fit into a stash of inconspicuous cardboard boxes, load them into a generic station wagon, and burn everything else to the ground before the company's stooges can get their hands on it.

I take the station wagon, and never see Mathis again. As I pull away from the Manor, I watch it all go up in flames in the rear-view mirror. Everything I knew, everything that made me who I am, burns away into nothing. At age seventeen, I'm all alone again.

It's then and there that I decide to leave it all behind me. I can't go through losing my whole life a third time, so I vow to keep things as uncomplicated as possible. I'll do my best to keep off the radar, never stay in one place for too long, never make connections that can come back to hurt me.

And most importantly, I will never open those boxes again.

Captain Wonder is dead. And Wonder Boy died with him.

The costume fits better than I thought it would. The boots are maybe half a size too small thanks to one last growth-spurt I had at age nineteen, and the vest doesn't quite close all the way anymore, but other than that, everything feels just about the way it did five years ago.

All of the gadgets look like they're in working order. The grappling gun, the net launcher, the collapsible Kali sticks, the wrist-mounted pepper spray gauntlets, the electrified stun-gloves, even the experimental electromagnetic force-field generator on my utility belt still has a charge.

Everything is ready to go, until I pull out the last object, that freezes me in my tracks.

The mask.

More than any other piece of the costume, more than any of the gadgets, the mask is what defined me. It's everything I used to be, and everything I ran away from when Captain Wonder died. For just a moment, I hesitate.

Then I hear a scream from outside the window, and I make my decision.

This is for you, Captain. Like you always wanted.