The Create-A-Hero RPG Season II IC Thread

[Byrd Man]

The Blue Blur
​

California

Game Genie was on the ropes and out for the count.

His devious plan to kill the Blue Blur and his girlfriend had been foiled. Now, the hero stood triumphant over the defeated villain.

"Game over, Genie. There's a lesson to be learned here.....speed can be a *****."

"Cut! Sam, that's not the line. The line is 'Speed sucks....when you're not me'."

"Ye sure about that," the Blue Blur says as he takes off his mask. Revealing himself to be actor Sam Worthington. The person he's talking to is famous action director Michael Bay.

I'm right behind Bay, watching as they make the first Blue Blur movie. I'm out here on the West Coast with the rest of the Frytech crew, getting things ready for the upcoming reality show. Between that and the movie, 2010 looks to be the year of the Blur....I'm not sure that's a good thing.

"The line is: 'Speed sucks when you're not me'."

"I understand, Mike. I just don't feel like it's something my character would say."

"Let's ask him. Mr. Blur?"

The eyes on the movie set turn to me.

"Personally, if he'd almost killed me and Jen, then I probably wouldn't say much. Maybe the 'Game over' part or make that noise Pacman makes when he dies. That'd be funny...."

An uncomfortable silence lingers as Bay and Worthington finally go back to discussing the line.

"Are we taking five yet," Game Genie asks. The actor under the mask is the dude that was in No Country For Old Men. The crazy villain, I can't remember his name.

"Yeah, fine. We'll take lunch," Bay says as he shakes his head. "After that, I want to shoot the explosions from when Game Genie sends the giant Donkey Kong crashing into the Sears Tower."

I just shake my head and disappear from the set suddenly.

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Vander Kane looked out the window of his office at the city of Lost Haven below him. It's streets bustled with activity, a good sign that things were finally starting get return to some semblance of normalcy since the alien invasion only a half year ago.
But Vander new that things would never be the same again. With the sudden rise in the metahuman population, and the formation of a global team of would-be heroes Vander believed that the alien invasion was just the tip of the iceberg.
And, as always, Vander made sure he was in a position to profit from what is to come.

And now, in this veritable world capital of metahumans that is Lost Haven, Vander had the opportunity to expand his power base and influence to new heights.
But first he had to see what these people were made of, and, to do that, one had to start with the pack leader...

--------------------------------------------------​

Night had fallen on the city of Lost Haven, and the cold of the new year had covered the city in a blanket of white. The streets were fairly quiet as most had returned home for the night and out of the cold.

Suddenly there were a series of explosions echoed through the night. One by one the massive blasts went off, and, when the explosions stopped, Sherman High School was nothing more than a pile of burning rubble.

And it was in front of this blazing bonfire that the Archetype stood. The signal had been sent, now all that was left was to wait...

 

[wiegeabo]

I step off the bus in Chicago and toss a couple of aspirin into my mouth. The last few days they've been taking care of the headaches, but today's is a doozy. All I want to do is find a nice motel and sleep for a few hours, or days. But I also want to get moving as soon as possible. The longer I stay in one place, the better the chance of being found.

And my cash reserves are getting low.

So, after thirty minutes, three bump and tugs, a couple of swift drops, and even one short con for good measure, I've got more cash then I did in Reno. A lot more. Infact...

"Welcome to the Marriott, sir."

"Thank you," I say, smiling at the very cute receptionist. "I'd like a room for the night."

"Certainly, sir. Would you like any type of room in particular?"

"I'm not picky. Nothing fancy. Just a nice room," I lean forward a bit, resting my arm on the counter, "with a comfortable bed."

To her credit, she keeps her focus on the computer. But I notice the flush of red to her cheeks. A year and a half out of the game, and I've still got it. It just makes me smile all the more. "You know," I start, "I don't know Chicago very well. Would you happen-ugh-" I grab my head as it throbs.

"Are you ok?" the receptionist asks.

The pain fades to just a dull roar. "Yeah, just a headache. The room?"

"Uh, certainly...sir." She gives me a worried glance, but starts typing and clicking again. "Identification?"

I slide her over a fake ID a friend of mine made. I know Chicago a lot better than I let on. And a few of my old contacts still owe me a favor or two. And Jimmy "Ink" is one of the best there is.

"Alright, Mr. Jane. Room 336." She slides over a paper for me to sign, as well as my keycards. "Checkout is tomorrow at noon."

"Thanks." I grab the cards and turn around.

"And, um," I stop and turn back. She stays focused on her computer, but lowers her voice a notch. "If you need someone to show you around the town..." she gives me a glance.

"Not tonight," I say, rubbing the back of my head. Her face drops. "But...I might need to stick around for another day..."

She blushes again and smiles. "Julia," she says.

"Julia..." I give her one of my famous smiles. Another night indeed.

 

[NiteMare Shape]

Night had fallen on the city of Lost Haven, and the cold of the new year had covered the city in a blanket of white. The streets were fairly quiet as most had returned home for the night and out of the cold.

Suddenly there were a series of explosions echoed through the night. One by one the massive blasts went off, and, when the explosions stopped, Sherman High School was nothing more than a pile of burning rubble.

And it was in front of this blazing bonfire that the Archetype stood. The signal had been sent, now all that was left was to wait...

The glow from what was once Sherman High School shone in the night sky like the beacon cast from a lighthouse on a stormy night. Icon saw the blaze from several miles away, and immediately made his way to the scene to lend a hand.

He arrives on the scene in a matter of seconds and immediately makes his way to the small water tower on the top of a nearby apartment building. Getting underneath the tower, he pulls it off the roof and takes it to the smoldering rubble of Sherman High School, emptying the contents of the tower onto the blaze, extinguishing much of the fire in a single move.

It isn't until he has put the water tower back in its rightful place that he notices the lone figure standing in front of the school. Icon touches down near the man.

"You got my attention, now what do you want?"

 

[NiteMare Shape]

Night had fallen on the city of Lost Haven, and the cold of the new year had covered the city in a blanket of white. The streets were fairly quiet as most had returned home for the night and out of the cold.

Suddenly there were a series of explosions echoed through the night. One by one the massive blasts went off, and, when the explosions stopped, Sherman High School was nothing more than a pile of burning rubble.

And it was in front of this blazing bonfire that the Archetype stood. The signal had been sent, now all that was left was to wait...

The glow from what was once Sherman High School shone in the night sky like the beacon cast from a lighthouse on a stormy night. Icon saw the blaze from several miles away, and immediately made his way to the scene to lend a hand.

He arrives on the scene in a matter of seconds and immediately makes his way to the small water tower on the top of a nearby apartment building. Getting underneath the tower, he pulls it off the roof and takes it to the smoldering rubble of Sherman High School, emptying the contents of the tower onto the blaze, extinguishing much of the fire in a single move.

It isn't until he has put the water tower back in its rightful place that he notices the lone figure standing in front of the school. Icon touches down near the man.

"You got my attention, now what do you want?"

 

[Rain Dog]

“That can’t be true, man…can it?”

[BLACKOUT]
“Of course it is. Think about it. The cops are almost never around. And when they do show up we’re given something like those two pigs on Luther—corrupt, Nazi pigs. And when’s the last time that Icon character’s flown down here and stopped a drive-by? How about the last time that Angel-Man’s come down and rid you of the crackheads and hoodlums that pollute the streets? Never. Because they don’t care. They were told not to care.”
[/BLACKOUT]

“By who?” asks another one. The group was small but it was all I needed for now. Just a few pairs of ears to listen. Step two was underway.

[BLACKOUT]“The police, the meta-humans…they’re servants to a higher, corrupt power. City Hall. The mayor, the councilmen. And that’s the just the beginning of it. Things have gotten worse after the invasion. And things were bad before.”[/BLACKOUT]

* * *​

CHANNEL 9 – LIVE FROM BEDLING, LOST HAVEN​

“This is Lind Garcia with Channel Nine News, reporting once again from Bedling. It was only one week ago when I stood here on Luther Avenue to report on a series of shootings supposedly related to a vigilante going by the moniker, ‘The Dummy.’ Once again, it seems the streets of Bedling are plagued with violence.

"Three days ago, the corpses of two police officers along with Bedling resident Marshall Thurton were found here on Luther Avenue. It appears that the three had killed each other in a struggle—Thurton armed with a blade and the officers with their guns—however investigators claim this isn’t the case.”

LOST HAVEN POLICE DEPARTMENT

DETECTIVE ROLAND LEE
“The nature of the wounds of the victims suggests that they did not kill each other but were rather victims of a fourth party. Uh, as of now we have no definitive proof that it was an act of vigilantism, although the vigilante that has been attacking citizens of Bedling is a suspect.”

BEDLING, LOST HAVEN
“Citizens of Bedling are in an uproar—but not because of the murdered police but rather because of what was found on their person: in the pocket of one police officer, investigators found a roll of cash totaling three hundred and fifty-six dollars. The unsettling item found in the wallet of the other officer—not discovered until it was given to the officer’s family—was a membership card to the American Nazi Party. His family chose not to comment.

"These items do raise questions about the integrity of the police in Bedling. We asked local citizens what their thoughts were on the incident.”


“This whole ‘fourth party’ thing is BULL****. It’s a god damned coverup! Those crooked cops got caught red handed, pickin’ on some poor man just ‘cuz he was black, and so the police department is just tryin’ to cover it all up by saying there was a fourth party involved.”

“Do I believe there was a ‘fourth party’? Uh...heh, I dunno. I mean, does it matter? I mean, that’s not exactly what I’m worried about at this point. I’m more worried about the bribe takin’ Nazi cops that are patrolling the streets.”

“What do I think? Ha. At least we know why the cops never show up at Bedling when you call ‘em.”

“You know what? I hope there was a fourth party. I hope it was that Dummy guy because I am sick of this ****. These two racist ****s kill some black dude, rob him, and now the department is sayin’ that someone else did it. The entire ****ing system is corrupt and all I can say is, you keep up the good work, Dummy. “

***​

“How high up does this thing go?”

[BLACKOUT]“Very, very, high up. Way over our heads. Tower of Babel high. Best way to make a tower crumble is to destroy the foundations.”[/BLACKOUT]

“The foundations?”

[BLACKOUT]“The lower levels of corruption. The City Hall, the Mayor, City Council, the Police Department, the metas. That’s the foundation. They’re the ones directly oppressing you. They flood the streets with drugs to keep you sick and miserable. They ignore your 911 calls and crack your skulls open for being poor or black or gay. The only way to stop is make a stand. Show them you’re not afraid.”[/BLACKOUT]

“How do you suppose we do that? A protest? This isn’t nineteen-****ing-sixty-one. “

[BLACKOUT]“No. No protests because they don’t work. If they did, we wouldn’t be talking about this right now. No. We need to show them by scaring them. By hurting them. We need a revolution.”[/BLACKOUT]

“You’re insane. I’m out of here.”

The man storms off. I’m not going to call for him to return. I’m not going to try to persuade him. He made his choice. Besides, I only want the most certain and loyal to work with me.

“Revolution?”

[BLACKOUT]“Those two cops they found—the entire force is made up of scum like them. The entire force. The Mayor knows. The metas know. But they won’t do anything about it. Because they’re all in it together. We can’t call for help by calling for higher authorities—the feds or what have you. Because they’re just as bad. If not, worse. We need to strike at the heart of the city and show them we’re not afraid.”[/BLACKOUT]

I open up the large crate beside me and begin pulling out various firearms—pistols, assault rifles, combat knives—and I give them away. I put a weapon in the hand of each fellow Proletariat.

[BLACKOUT]“We’ve got some planning to do.”[/BLACKOUT]

I have stolen fire from the gods and given it to man. Step two complete.

 

[Johnny Blaze]

The glow from what was once Sherman High School shone in the night sky like the beacon cast from a lighthouse on a stormy night. Icon saw the blaze from several miles away, and immediately made his way to the scene to lend a hand.

He arrives on the scene in a matter of seconds and immediately makes his way to the small water tower on the top of a nearby apartment building. Getting underneath the tower, he pulls it off the roof and takes it to the smoldering rubble of Sherman High School, emptying the contents of the tower onto the blaze, extinguishing much of the fire in a single move.

It isn't until he has put the water tower back in its rightful place that he notices the lone figure standing in front of the school. Icon touches down near the man.

"You got my attention, now what do you want?"

"Icon", Archetype smiled.
"You're taller than I expected."

"You know, I've read alot about you", the villain continues as he begins to slowly pace around the hero, his eyes never leaving Icon.
"The leader of the Guardians. The man who helped deal the final blow to the invaders and save the planet. You've become the most famous of them all."

"You are the shining example to which every hero will forever be measured."

"So", Archetype stops and faces Icon once more.
"I figured you would be the perfect person to start things off."

 

[NiteMare Shape]

"Icon", Archetype smiled.
"You're taller than I expected."

"You know, I've read alot about you", the villain continues as he begins to slowly pace around the hero, his eyes never leaving Icon.
"The leader of the Guardians. The man who helped deal the final blow to the invaders and save the planet. You've become the most famous of them all."

"You are the shining example to which every hero will forever be measured."

"So", Archetype stops and faces Icon once more.
"I figured you would be the perfect person to start things off."

Icon watches this new adversary very closely as he circles him, careful to never take his eyes off the latest threat to Lost Haven.

"I don't know exactly what it is you're planning, and I don't really care. You've made it perfectly clear that it's a fight that you're looking for, so what do you say we just get it over with."

 

[Eddie Brock]

As I finish the last of my homework, I glance at my phone. It hasn't vibrated. The screen hasn't lit up. "Savin' Me" by Nickelback hasn't started playing. It seems that Brooke is ignoring my texts. I sigh. Jessica and I had fights, sure, but I always knew how to get through to her. With Brooke, it's a different story. She seems really mad this time, and I don't think there's anything I can say to make it right.

I lean back in my chair and stare out the window. The sun is setting on Carver. In the distance, the Lost Haven skyline is outlined by a reddish-orange sky. The city is entering into the last hour of daylight. Soon, all the scum and filth that hides in the shadows will be out, and Carver will need its Emerald Enforcer.

Of course, that's only half of the truth. The other half is that running around on rooftops, beating on hapless criminals...that's my therapy. It's the one thing I do which gives me a sense of purpose. It gives me the feeling that I'm doing the right thing.

I glance back at my phone once more. Besides, it's not like I'm going to accomplish much sitting around here.

***

"Isn't it funny how you can never find a criminal when you need one?" I ask myself aloud before clamoring up a fire escape onto another rooftop. The skies above me are quickly turning dark purple as the first few stars come into view - amazing, really, considering the light pollution - and I have yet to encounter a single wrongdoer. Not even a jaywalker!

"Great," I sigh, coming to rest on the building's edge. "Well, at least I have a good view of the sunset." Indeed, the sun is busy making its last gasp of the day. I gotta admit, the beauty of it all is quite soothing, but I was kinda hoping to hit something.

No sooner have I had this thought than something stings the side of my calf. I bite my lip to deal with the sharp, sudden pain. Looking down, my eyes go wide as I see something protruding from my leg. Small and rectangular, it sticks out of my calf threateningly. Hesitantly, I reach down and remove it, wincing as it comes free of my leg. Flipping it over, I see that it's a playing card.

"Huh."

The five of diamonds, to be specific. But this playing card, unlike others I have encountered, isn't made of cardstock or plastic. Instead, it's made of a thin sheet of metal with razor-sharp edges. I dare say that someone intended for this to go into my leg, and my suspicions are confirmed when another card whizzes by - this one grazing my bicep, tearing my suit and leaving a thin line of blood across my arm.

I look in the direction from which the card came, and I see a peculiar figure standing there.

Lucky for me, sometimes the criminals find you.
​

 

[Blacklight]

"Rebirth by Prism": Prologue pt.2


-The color black is a result of the absence of any and all colors of the spectrum...​

"The Game is on, dear sister... But unfortunately for you and your 'Multiverse', this time, you will fail..." the Master of Darkness muttered to himself as he shifted through every parallel universe in search of his players. And soon enough, the were chosen...

They would be his Harbringers...
​

* * *
​

After the death of his girlfriend, Sean Abbott became a cold and vengeful soul. Something that drove him to use his latent mutations to make the world share his pain...

And like a Hornet's sting, he struck the world so hard, so qucik... It felt his pain and then some.​

Spoiler

* * *​

The 'human' that goes by the name Adam Locke was created for the sole purpose of becoming the ultimate killing machine. And unlike his counterpart from another universe, the project from which he resulted was a success, but caused Adam to become horribly disfigured. Not that it mattered. All that mattered was who needed to be killed and when.

Reflecting his condition, the ultimate killer goes by another name. To his victims, he is known as The Scar.
​

Spoiler

* * *
​

He used to believe in God. But that was until God took away the two people he cared for the most. Killed in an explosion by some rogue God passing off as a reverend, Micheal Angelo held young Jake in his arms as he took his final breath. And as the world learned his identity, he lost the love of his life in Grace. o, no longer a man of faith, he had forsaken his God...

But he did find a new one. One in the form of Samael, the Angel of Death. Promising Micheal the chance to have Grace back, he convinced Micheal to become his Archangel. The Archangel of Death...
​

Spoiler

* * *
​

As he lied in the hospital bed, bleeding to death after a grave shark attack, Mark Garfield agreed to an experimental procedure that would save his life. One that would change him forever...

Splicing his DNA with that of a shark, Mark was imbued with all of the strengths and none of the weaknesses of a shark. But something went awry, as Mark began to muutate into a creature only seen in a 5 year olds darkest nightmares...

He became more shark than man. He became... Megladon.
​

Spoiler

* * *
​

Miyamoto Musashi was a legend amongst men. A sword saint. The chosen one... But who started as the noblest of warriors slowly became one of the most brutal. The most unforgiving... With every kill, he began to enjoy each one more than the last. Making him the perfect warrior to become Izanami's Champion. A Shinigami. Death Incarnate...

Miyamoto Musashi was no longer the sword saint he once was. Reborn, he was now Takai. Izanami's Chosen...​

Spoiler

* * *
​

Matt Byrd was willing to do anything to get his bum leg working again. To get his old life back. A desire that drove him to become Frytech's human guinea pig to test their new regenerative horomone. One that increased his speed to superhuman levels...

However, not very accepting of Matt's new powers, his girlfriend Jen left him. Leaving him a bitter and angry soul.

Matt then decided to use his abilities not for the betterment of mankind, but to cash in. He became a mercenary. Specifically, Velocity: The Midwest's Fastest Mercenary to be exact...​

Spoiler

* * *
​

A result of splicing human DNA with that of an alien, SKT-17, like the Scar after him, was too raised to be a weapon. One that could destroy entire planets with so much as a single punch. But, when the project was deemed a failure, Dr. Hill decided to leave little "Scott" to her friends, the Morse Family.

Years later, during his teen years, the Government found SKT-17 were intent of making sure he was destroyed. Burtsing into the Morse home, Agents of the SHTTF attacked Scott Morse, killing his family in the crossfire. But little did they know that his alien powers had already manifested prior, making him invulnerable to their efforts. They retreated, leaving Scott to mourn the loss of his loved ones.

Without a family, Scott had no reason to live besides taking his revenge on those who took everything from him: the Government.

He started by killing the president, then killing everyone else below him after, one step at a time until the entire Government was destroyed, and every organization dismantled. Scott then proceeded to take control of the US, turning it upside down. For Morse was no icon... rather, a Tyrant; ruling the country with an iron fist...
​

Spoiler

* * *​

As he looked at his seven, all ready to play his game, The Master of Darkness cackled as he found the perfect eighth player. But the Master decided to wait to summon him. Afterall...

He was going to need an ace in the hole.

"Let the game begin..."

​

End of Prologue...​

 

[Eddie Brock]

My strangely attired friend flings several more of his card-shaped projectiles at me. I dodge most of them flawlessly. A couple of them slice through my skin as they fly by. I ignore the stinging pain, continuing to circle my opponent. Whoever he is, he's good. And dangerous.

"Now, hold still, hoss," my opponent says with a heavy Southern drawl. He seems to abandon the cards for now, instead spinning that crazy staff of his around his head. "I promise it'll be over much quicker that way."

He lunges forward, aiming that spade on the end of the staff at me. As I dip out of the way, I can't help but notice that - like the cards - the spade is razor-sharp. I do not want to get impaled on that thing. I'm forced to tumble backwards to avoid another dangerously close jab.

"Don't you think introductions are in order?" I ask. He stabs the spade into the ground, narrowly missing my leg. Seizing the moment, I unleash a powerful roundhouse to his face. By the time I land, he's freed his staff and is prepared to take another shot. "I mean, clearly, you know who I am."

He jabs the staff just wide of my head. Acting on reflex, I reach up and grab the staff. He immediately twists the staff and smacks me in the face with the handle, breaking my nose. My face begins to feel warm as blood fills my mask. My eyes also start to water. "Name's Ace, and I don't know you. Not really."

Eyes still watering, I see nothing more than a blur before feeling something metal slamming against the side of my head. I tumble to the ground before I even know what hit me.

"Just another job, hoss. A paycheck to be collected."

The blur moves again, and I don't have time to think. I throw up my hands just in time to feel something metal slam into them. I grab hold of it and push it away, placing a lucky kick into the gut of this 'Ace' character at the same time. Eyesight's returning now.

"A hired hand?" I know where this is going. "You wouldn't have happened to have been hired by the Coordinator, would you?" I ask, knowing the answer in my gut.

Ace laughs. I realize that the hard, metal thing was the club on the other end of his staff. Makes sense. "You're one quick critter." He twirls the staff above his head, lowering the club like a wrecking ball. I barely get out of the way. "I tell you what: I may not know the history, but boy does that sucker have it out for you. Offered me twice my normal rate."

"I'll bet he did," I mutter. Somehow, I still feel like the Coordinator's testing me. I really doubt he would send this guy after me if he actually thought that he could finish the job. That's just not his style. No, the Coordinator's still toying with me.

Just don't tell Ace.

I decide to go on the offensive. If the Coordinator just wants a good fight, I'll give it to him. Lunging forward, I grab Ace's staff with both hands. I give him a swift kick to the inside of his left knee, which causes that leg to buckle. It also makes him tilt the staff to the right - where the spade is. I force the staff downwards, slicing his right leg from the knee down his calf. For the finishing touch, I slam my right elbow into Ace's nose - repaying the favor.

"It just wasn't in the cards, my friend," I say as he collapses in a heap on the ground. Battered and bleeding, I'd say he was sufficiently defeated. Then, I hear what sounds like a tiny jet. Something rectangular swoops in - rocking a sweet engine - and picks up Ace. I realize that it's a giant playing card. The ace of spades. "Oh, no, you don't!"

But I can't react fast enough. Ace stares at me from behind his blood-stained mask as he presses the hidden controls under his sleeve. With a roar, Ace and his peculiar mode of transportation are gone - leaving behind only a trail of smoke.
​

 

[Rain Dog]

MADLOVE​

CHAPTER 12: LOW LIVES IN HIGH PLACES

It was late. Very late. And I was very tired. I am still not entirely used to experiencing time in a linear fashion. Fatigue is, in my opinion, one of the most unpleasant of the human sensations.

The parking garage was nearly empty. And very dark. I hid in the shadows as my lovely followers stood out in the light, waiting for our guest. We had told him to come alone but one can never be too sure with these political types. I stayed out of sight, watching my babies do their work, and, in case our guest brought the law, offer protection. I do hope he was smarter than that. I didn’t want to kill them all. I most definitely would, but I didn’t want to. It wasn’t due to any moral obligations, I simply didn’t want to have to waste my energy incinerating a few annoying cops.

Finally, a figure stepped out of the dark and into the garage’s more well-lit areas. He was dressed in a long trench coat with the collar pulled up to obscure his face. We all knew who it was though. Our guest.

“The classic trench coat. Way to look inconspicuous, councilman,” said one of my followers.

Robert Freider. City Council. Comes from a wealthy family and is well known for various acts of philanthropy in Lost Haven. What a noble, noble man.

“What the hell do you weirdos want? I swear to God if that gets out…”

“You’ll do what, councilman? You are no position to be issuing threats. “

“The Church of Madlove has been watching you for some time, Mr. Freider. You donate money to the poor, the homeless, the sick, the abused…but you have enough skeletons in your closet to fill the Parisian catacombs, don’t you?”

“You got some photos of me with a few bimbos. So what?”

“Don’t act so tough, sir. If you were not intimidated you would not be here. Besides, it was more than a few. Four prostitutes, your secretary, councilman Johnson’s wife…Mrs. Freider would not approve, would she?”

“Listen, what the hell do you guys want?!”

“Oh, that’s the just the tip of the iceberg. The Church has been watching you closely, councilman. We have reason to believe your charities are your means of laundering dirty, filthy money. And for some reason we’ve stumbled across a cocaine dealer that’s rather familiar with you…”

“These are just a bunch of bull**** allegations. Where’s your proof? Why the hell am I even putting up with this?!”

“Because it’s true. You know it. And we know it. And we worry for you, councilman. You’re a man of great power and great esteem and to see you corrupted by the forces of darkness…it’s…depressing. But there is hope.”

“Hope,” my followers chant in unison.

“The Church will do everything it can to save you from falling from grace…both spiritually and in the eyes of the public. We understand you may have your own faith. Which is fine. We do not ask that you convert.”

“Then what the hell do you freaks want?”

The follower smiles.

“A donation.”

 

[Eddie Brock]

A few weeks pass without incident. No sign of Ace, so I guess he decided that the paycheck wasn't worth it. Or maybe he's rethinking his plan of attack. Either way, I'll be ready for him next time. In the meantime, I haven't heard from the Coordinator, so I guess he's resting on his laurels a bit. Good. I could use a break from the distractions.

On the homefront, no progress has been made. Brooke continues to ignore me, so I've given up trying. It's clear that she doesn't care what I have to say, and I'm tired of the constant disappointment. That's why I've put a lot of thought into my next move, but - like all things - I'm running it by Jim to see what he thinks.

"I don't know, man," he says hesitantly after I explain what I'm thinking. "That's a bumpy road to take right now, and you're really risking any chance of reconciling with Brooke." I trust Jim. He's got a good sense of judgment.

I'm just not sure I agree with him on this one.

"Reconciliation? What reconciliation?" I reply sarcastically. "I've tried everything, and Brooke hasn't even said two words to me." I grab my history book and close my locker. "You can't reconcile if you don't talk."

"Okay, true, and I'm not completely defending Brooke here. She's certainly not helping. But clearly, whatever's going on in her head, only she can deal with it," he reasons. "You've just got to give her space and time to get it all figured out."

I groan. "I've given her time! What? Am I supposed to wait around forever?" That's when I see Abby. "Look, no one wanted this to work more than me, but sometimes you have to cut your losses. I'll catch up with you later." After patting him on the shoulder, I pick up my pace to catch up with Abby.

"Hey, Sean, haven't seen you in a while," she says as I fall into place next to her. "Ouch. What happened to your nose?"

I reach up and touch my bruised nose, albeit gingerly. "Heh. I've actually had this for a while now. It was a lot worse, believe it or not." Clever, Sean. Changing the topic so you don't have to lie. Maybe I'm getting better at this 'secret identity' thing. "Hey, are you doing anything tonight?"

Abby thinks for a moment before answering, "Not that I know of."

"Good." Abby shoots me a strange look. "Uh...I mean, I was hoping I could drop by your house later. You know, so we can talk about stuff." Huh. I can tiptoe around a mysterious broken nose, but I can't think of an easier way to say, "We need to talk."

Fortunately, Abby doesn't seem to notice. Or mind. "Yeah, sure. I'll just text you. Bye, Sean." She half-jogs to her classroom door.

"Okay. Bye."

***

I'm standing outside Abby's house. I'm not sure what I want to say to her or how I want to say it. I just know that if I keep this buried inside, it'll eat me alive. At the time, I got defensive and went into denial, but when Brooke mentioned the prospect of me and Abby...I don't know. Something awoke inside me. Something I didn't know was there. And now, I have to know. I have to know if that possibility exists.

My phone vibrates. A text message. From Brooke.

You're right. We should talk. What are you doing right now?

Well, this complicates things. I mean, Jim is right. I'm at a fork in the road here, and once I start I can't turn back. So now the decision lays before me. I can turn around now and go talk to Brooke. Maybe we can work it out. Maybe we can't. Or I can keep going. I can talk to Abby. I can find out, once and for all, if there's anything there. And suddenly, I'm not sure what I'm going to do.
​

 

[NiteMare Shape]

As the rays of early morning sunlight creep into his darkened bedroom, Kevin Pierce lay motionless in bed, still tired from yet another night in his seemingly endless war with the crime syndicate known only as "The Cartel."

As he lay in his bed, the events of last night's successful raid on one of Midas' weapons depots plays through his mind. He goes through the entire operation, step by step...thinking about what was successful and what he could have done better. Although the operation itself was successful, he feels that he needs to improve in his tactics.

For one, the gaurd on the roof saw him and nearly blew the entire thing before he even got started. Even though he took the gaurd down before he was able to sound the alarm, it was too close...too sloppy.

And in this line of work, sloppy equals dead.

He knows that he has to improve if he wants to take Midas and The Cartel down...and he will. The countless hours he spends in his gym improving the several forms of martial arts he has mastered...the countless hours studying the blueprints of every building in Lost Haven, built both before and after the alien invasion...everything he does, he does to improve his performance as Shadow Walker.

And today will be no different, soon he will be up and he will go to his gym to work on his fighting technique...but that can wait just alittle longer, as all the training in the world will do him no good if he's too tired to use it.

Suddenly, the door to his bedroom bursts open. Kevin jumps up, ready to take on whoever is intruding in his home...and immediately relaxes when he sees the familiar form of his longtime girlfriend, Erica.

"Up and at 'em sleepyhead."

"Erica...what are you..?"

"You might want to get up...there's something that you've got to see."

He sits on the couch, looking through the day's newspapers...each with similar headlines. The papers all describe disturbing events taking place in Belding, a section of Lost Haven notorious for its disporportionally high crime rate. It seems as if a recent string of murders, claiming the lives of drug dealers, gang members, and police officers alike.

Keven reads through the articles, when he finishes he puts the papers back on the coffee table and takes a sip from his dup of coffee.

"So? What do you think?" Erica asks.

"About what?"

"What do you think? Those killings in Belding."

"Not my problem. The Cartel isn't involved in that, it's not their style."

"The Cartel? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything. Midas and The Cartel is my only focus right now. I'm finally getting close again, I can't let up because of some nutcase in Belding."

"But you can't just let this go on. You have to at least look into it."

"It's not part of the plan, Erica. Midas and the Cartel are my number one priority. They're what's important. Taking down the Cartel and getting on with my life, that's the plan, remember?"

"Plans change."

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Icon watches this new adversary very closely as he circles him, careful to never take his eyes off the latest threat to Lost Haven.

"I don't know exactly what it is you're planning, and I don't really care. You've made it perfectly clear that it's a fight that you're looking for, so what do you say we just get it over with."

"Straight and to the point", Archetype chuckled.
"I like that..."

The villain's eyes began to shine, and a blinding flash, as though it came from the sun itself, erupted from them. Icon, caught off guard by the non-lethal attack, was temporarily blinded.
Although he couldn't see it, the hero felt Archetype's fist as it slammed into his jaw, sending him skipping across the pavement and into a parked vehicle, splitting the car in half upon impact.

 

[TrueMastermind]

A Week Later From the Attack...

Vic Pallazzo, settled in front of a massive computer, was desperate. The " attack " on the Vault turned out to be nothing, false, just a total misunderstanding. But how did they even know about his underground dwelling that contained enough evidence to put Vic in prison for line. Security needed to be maximized, Vic thought. And of course, he took action.

He commanded his supercomputer to search for some of the darkest, destructive, and nefarious vile beings to walk this earth. And the results...

 

[NiteMare Shape]

"Straight and to the point", Archetype chuckled.
"I like that..."

The villain's eyes began to shine, and a blinding flash, as though it came from the sun itself, erupted from them. Icon, caught off guard by the non-lethal attack, was temporarily blinded.
Although he couldn't see it, the hero felt Archetype's fist as it slammed into his jaw, sending him skipping across the pavement and into a parked vehicle, splitting the car in half upon impact.

Icon lay in the remains of the wrecked car for a moment before the surprise of his new nemesis' attack wears off. Then he gets to his feet and lets a small smile cross his face.

"Nice shot. Want to try that again?"

 

[trustyside-kick]

"It's amazing to think that none of this is magic in origin... If you were to tell people back home humans were capable of this through alchemy," she incorrectly states, "they'd simply laugh at you..."

She then settles her eyes around the garage, at what to her are monstrous machines.

"And these do not live on their own?"

She quickly remembered her "purpose", and turned to the angel, "Perhaps you have dated maps of the land?"

"Yea, we have this sort of super computer I guess you could say. On the database we have archive after archive of maps."

I start to head towards the back entrance of the garage, which leads to the rest of the headquarters. As I walk ahead, she sort of skips a bit until she is side-by-side with me. I try to ignore it, but the entire time I can tell from the corner of my eye that she keeps looking at me funny. Of course, this isn't junior high or anything but it's like she's trying to flirt with me with her eyes. When I finally decide to turn my head, trading a smile to make things less awkward even though in truth it doesn't do that at all, she merely giggles under her breath, and locks her arm around mine.

"Uh...it's just a bit further ahead. Right now what we are walking past is the simulation center. Ever read X-Men as a ki--er, wait...yea...forgot. You're not exactly of this time period are you? Well, in that comic there's something they like to call the 'Danger Room' where they run simulations and scenario tests against themselves. AKA, it's where Icon works out to keep those pecs of his flexing...kidding, of course. But, it can give you quite the workout with all the arsenal and gear at your disposal."

She doesn't say anything. Not 'oh how interesting' or anything at all. She just...keeps smiling. She keeps looking at me with those...wow, what pretty eyes. I've seen my fair share of blondes, but...man, those are some enchanting blue eyes she has. Er, what am I saying? Grace. You're taken, man--well...

...in your eyes you're still hers. In her eyes? Who knows anymore.

"I--uh...so w-was there any particular place you wanted to check out?"

"Just a map of Lost Haven City. It seems that the forces at hand seem to be drawn to it. I merely wish to gaze upon the map to see if I can predict where they will strike next. Surely there must be a pattern in their attacks."

"Huh, good thinking. Well, uh, here it is. We haven't really given it a special name yet--heck we haven't really done too much with this HQ in general since we got it. I just like to call it Oscar since it was a name of one of my old friends from school; real tech wiz dude."

I take seat at the computer, and she merely leans against the panel, with her head turned towards the screen. As I access the maps archive, I cannot help but glance over at her and our eyes meet. Naturally, like a nervous schoolboy I do the whole shifting of the eyes and turning my head a bit as the whole 'oh uh, no, I wasn't looking at you actually I was looking at that...control panel next to you'. I catch her blush as I turn back to the console screen and open the file.

"Alright here we go."

She stares for a moment, analyzing the map before her. I wonder how she's deducing the possible attack location. Though, she has more experience in this supernatural stuff so I don't bother interrupting her and asking questions so that she can keep her train of thought.

Man though...she is pretty.

"There."

She points to the screen, picking the museum district of Lost Haven City. As I enlarge the view on that portion of the map she walks away from the panel, and stands behind me in my chair. She leans over as I'm checking the coordinates and she curls her arms around my chest.

"Uh...yea, we can get there in no time. The Museum District is only about 5 miles away from us. Probably the biggest plus about our HQ is its location being the practical heart of Lost Haven after the Invasion that occurred. Most places are not too far from us."

She gets up, and I don't know exactly where she goes. So I get up from the computer and turn. Suddenly I see her doing some sort of waving motion with her hands and magical energies seem to surge through her hands.

"Pretty light sho--"

Before I'm done speaking, we re-appear in the Museum District.

"Huh. Wow. That...is definitely quicker than flying."

 

[LouFerignoDemon]

"Yea, we have this sort of super computer I guess you could say. On the database we have archive after archive of maps."

I start to head towards the back entrance of the garage, which leads to the rest of the headquarters. As I walk ahead, she sort of skips a bit until she is side-by-side with me. I try to ignore it, but the entire time I can tell from the corner of my eye that she keeps looking at me funny. Of course, this isn't junior high or anything but it's like she's trying to flirt with me with her eyes. When I finally decide to turn my head, trading a smile to make things less awkward even though in truth it doesn't do that at all, she merely giggles under her breath, and locks her arm around mine.

"Uh...it's just a bit further ahead. Right now what we are walking past is the simulation center. Ever read X-Men as a ki--er, wait...yea...forgot. You're not exactly of this time period are you? Well, in that comic there's something they like to call the 'Danger Room' where they run simulations and scenario tests against themselves. AKA, it's where Icon works out to keep those pecs of his flexing...kidding, of course. But, it can give you quite the workout with all the arsenal and gear at your disposal."

She doesn't say anything. Not 'oh how interesting' or anything at all. She just...keeps smiling. She keeps looking at me with those...wow, what pretty eyes. I've seen my fair share of blondes, but...man, those are some enchanting blue eyes she has. Er, what am I saying? Grace. You're taken, man--well...

...in your eyes you're still hers. In her eyes? Who knows anymore.

"I--uh...so w-was there any particular place you wanted to check out?"

"Just a map of Lost Haven City. It seems that the forces at hand seem to be drawn to it. I merely wish to gaze upon the map to see if I can predict where they will strike next. Surely there must be a pattern in their attacks."

"Huh, good thinking. Well, uh, here it is. We haven't really given it a special name yet--heck we haven't really done too much with this HQ in general since we got it. I just like to call it Oscar since it was a name of one of my old friends from school; real tech wiz dude."

I take seat at the computer, and she merely leans against the panel, with her head turned towards the screen. As I access the maps archive, I cannot help but glance over at her and our eyes meet. Naturally, like a nervous schoolboy I do the whole shifting of the eyes and turning my head a bit as the whole 'oh uh, no, I wasn't looking at you actually I was looking at that...control panel next to you'. I catch her blush as I turn back to the console screen and open the file.

"Alright here we go."

She stares for a moment, analyzing the map before her. I wonder how she's deducing the possible attack location. Though, she has more experience in this supernatural stuff so I don't bother interrupting her and asking questions so that she can keep her train of thought.

Man though...she is pretty.

"There."

She points to the screen, picking the museum district of Lost Haven City. As I enlarge the view on that portion of the map she walks away from the panel, and stands behind me in my chair. She leans over as I'm checking the coordinates and she curls her arms around my chest.

"Uh...yea, we can get there in no time. The Museum District is only about 5 miles away from us. Probably the biggest plus about our HQ is its location being the practical heart of Lost Haven after the Invasion that occurred. Most places are not too far from us."

She gets up, and I don't know exactly where she goes. So I get up from the computer and turn. Suddenly I see her doing some sort of waving motion with her hands and magical energies seem to surge through her hands.

"Pretty light sho--"

Before I'm done speaking, we re-appear in the Museum District.

"Huh. Wow. That...is definitely quicker than flying."

He was no hard task to take, to be perfectly honest. It was but a small charm she placed upon herself, a little flirting, and already she knew this angels' weakpoint was his humanity. And through it, she would own his power until she was powerful enough to squash it forever. That's what caused her to smile. And despite the slightly taxing spell of teleportation, it was necessary to get to where eyes couldn't see them quickly. Aside from on the cameras she had no clue about, or how to operate, or even if they existed.

"We're looking for areas of high concentrations of magics, artifacts, and weakened walls between our world, and the several which claw around ours." She turns to the angel/human/whatever, "Be vigilant, their methods of movement are foreign to humans. They strike from the shadows, from the roof, from the ground, from the water, because they are passages for them..." Archangel turns around, slightly panicky, looking towards all the crevasses, as the Goddess turned towards him, "They look for weaknesses and openings..." She grins. "You know... I've never quite got your name..." she lowers her eyes a bit, "Mine is Claire," using her human name for the first time in centuries.

The Archangel turns to Goddess, obviously a little confused, and she knew why. He had a woman back home, but it didn't matter to her. Woman or not, all people belonged to her, and he would be no exception until his execution, and the charm worked just perfectly, " Ummm... Michael. Michael Angelo."

"Well, Michael Angelo..." she raises her right hand next to her shoulder from the side, balling it to a fist, and looking at it, with a large smile, "A pleasure to meet you..." she extends her hand out to him, which he predictably takes. She flashes her teeth, as a coiling bolt of blue magical energy spurns from her shoulder, to her hand, into his body, blasting him back.

"Michael, Michael..." she looks down at his temporarily blitzed body, and balls up her right fist again. The chamber, halls, and roof fill with the roaring of hundreds, if not thousands of words being spoken together, at once, over the course of several seconds as her eyes gleam bright with a purple glow shaped to seals of magical power. At the front of her fist burns separate a bluish white seal, his name adorning the top and bottom, "I found your weakness... The ladies. I mean, you let your guard down in a place you were told was a high danger zone just to shake my hand? I know you've been enchanted... Actually, I shouldn't complain. You'll resist less this way." And she jolts down, to one knee, and crams the seal into his upper torso. In truth, a sizzling could normally be heard, but beneath his screams, it was second string, as she branded his soul with her domination.

And just like that, it was over. A triumphant Goddess, and an unawake Archangel who would awaken with magically tampered memories of being knocked out by a large beast of some sort he feared as a child. "If all it takes is a smile, then this world is as good as mine..."

He began to stir, and awaken. She held out her hand to him, her voice sweetened once more, "Careful there. The beast almost did you in, but I was able to banish him to five worlds before he got you. You're fine now. Let's get up..." her smile concealing the intent beneath, "We have much work left to do."

 

[trustyside-kick]

"Michael, Michael..." she looks down at his temporarily blitzed body, and balls up her right fist again. The chamber, halls, and roof fill with the roaring of hundreds, if not thousands of words being spoken together, at once, over the course of several seconds as her eyes gleam bright with a purple glow shaped to seals of magical power. At the front of her fist burns separate a bluish white seal, his name adorning the top and bottom, "I found your weakness... The ladies. I mean, you let your guard down in a place you were told was a high danger zone just to shake my hand? I know you've been enchanted... Actually, I shouldn't complain. You'll resist less this way." And she jolts down, to one knee, and crams the seal into his upper torso. In truth, a sizzling could normally be heard, but beneath his screams, it was second string, as she branded his soul with her domination.

And just like that, it was over. A triumphant Goddess, and an unawake Archangel who would awaken with magically tampered memories of being knocked out by a large beast of some sort he feared as a child. "If all it takes is a smile, then this world is as good as mine..."

He began to stir, and awaken. She held out her hand to him, her voice sweetened once more, "Careful there. The beast almost did you in, but I was able to banish him to five worlds before he got you. You're fine now. Let's get up..." her smile concealing the intent beneath, "We have much work left to do."

Claire helps me get up, and to be honest I feel embarassed. Also, I feel this unusual pain surging through my body; guess whatever creature that got me got me good. Though, in an odd way in regards to my pride perhaps its better that I feel pain; I know that it struck me and I didn't just faint in front of a lady.

"Right. Heh, I feel so useless in all this supernatural stuff if I couldn't even see a large beast coming at me."

My angel-fire, white, wings start to flap and I rise into the air. Good thing this museum has high-ceilings so I can get a greater view of things. I remain in the air, looking about the museum the best I can from my vantage point but the problem is I don't know what to look for exactly. I have some ideas out of pure memory of stuff from video games and movies concerning supernatural occurences. But...I'm simply outclassed and out of my field of expertise.

...Then again I've yet to find what my field of expertise is. My resume, leaving out the petty regular criminals, consists of thwarting the plans of a religious nutcase and assisting in the victory of an alien invasion. I'd say I lack enough experiences outside of those ones to really say I'm an expert at anything yet.

"What exactly am I looking for? I've got quite a great scope from up here, but my eyes feel rather useless right now."

 

[Hound55]

Isaac thought about this for a minute... "well, I guess I am probably about the least visible member of this team. I spend most of my time ironing out the problems in my own small city under relative obscurity."

Fontaine looked at The Youngster, he could see he looked a little disappointed by how Isaac was handling the situation. "Geez, this guy must think I'm an ********..." and returned a warming smile trying to cheer him up again.

[BLACKOUT]"Then again, I'm fine with the master of armed and unarmed combat thing. Just so long as I'm not going toe-to-toe with a guy who could punch a hole in my chest... I'm in."[/BLACKOUT]

[BLACKOUT]"But first, I'd better change out of this gear in case he does recognise me. I've got some variant gear I've been testing back home that does largely the same thing as my usual gear. And I'll see if I can put together a different set of clothes for myself..."[/BLACKOUT]

[BLACKOUT]
"Stupid risks end now, kid. We're dealing with a super-genius..."
[/BLACKOUT]

[/FONT]

He couldn’t be more right, I’ve made tons of mistakes just trying to get this far. All those lives I put in danger just to get as much of the information I have now. I can’t make anymore errors.

“Okay here’s the deal. We are to be at the Lost Haven International Bank at midnight. I was told once I get there with a partner he would contact me with the instructions on what to do from there.”

Hopefully this will be the last thing I have to do for them and things won’t go wrong. But if they do I’m glad I’ll be fighting alongside Vigilante. We seemed to have made a good team when we fought Titan but of course then I wasn’t the Youngster.

“Thanks for doing this.” Out of everyone on the team Vigilante just felt like the one to ask for the help. I just hope I didn’t get us in over our heads.

Later that night

Isaac hunched over the wheel of a newly purchased dark blue sedan. It wasn't the only fast buy of the day... a newly bought and specialised iPod with him, along with a hastily assembled new set of garb under snap-legged track pants and top.

That was what these meta-guys did, wasn't it? They dressed to their abilities... fashion rather than function. Has to be some kind of deep-seated egotistical reason for high-lighting "what makes them special" behind it. But there was no time for pondering the psyche of the meta-human, he had more pressing things on his mind as he sat reciting an endless stream of numbers...

[BLACKOUT]"...five-three-five-eight-nine-seven..."[/BLACKOUT]

Getting slightly warm from the unseasonal heat he zipped down the tracksuit top, exposing the silver shoulders of the silver and red uniform. And scratched at his sternum, pulling at the skin tight uniform from the are of the rapidly applied emblem on his chest.

[BLACKOUT]"How do they wear this skin-tight s***?"[/BLACKOUT]

He asked as he pulled the emblem, a curvy arrow forming an eye with yellow lines representing light going from the arrow to the pupil. It was a little hokey, a little rushed, but that's what they did wasn't it?

Symbology is huge with these meta-guys...

Going back to his numbers his hands went back to ten and two on the wheel as he drove the new generic vehicle to pick up his partner.

[BLACKOUT]"...four-one-five-nine-two-six-five..."[/BLACKOUT]

This was going to be a loooooooong night, but he had the tools, he had the plan, all that remained was the implementation...

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Icon lay in the remains of the wrecked car for a moment before the surprise of his new nemesis' attack wears off. Then he gets to his feet and lets a small smile cross his face.

"Nice shot. Want to try that again?"

"That's the spirit", smiled Archetype.
The villain came at Icon again, but pulled back at the last possible second, unleashing a blast of solar energy point blank at the hero.

 

[Rain Dog]

[BLACKOUT]“…Alpha and Beta head for the western wing. Place the charges here and here,” [/BLACKOUT]I say pointing to the layout of City Hall. Red thumping life nectar. Needs to be ripped out. Eaten.

[BLACKOUT]“Gamma and Delta head for the east wing. Here are your targets. Epsilon and Zeta move with me toward the Mayor’s office. Eta, Theta, Iota, and Kappa—you have the most difficult task. Secure the entrances and exits of the building. Make sure no one but us gets in or out. They will send police. They will send metas. Do not hesitate. This is what you were trained for. Everyone—you may not make it out alive. I may not make it out alive. But that is the price we pay. We have to make sacrifices for the greater good.”[/BLACKOUT]

They nodded. All of them were dressed exactly alike—like me. There were two reasons for this. One was to confuse the enemy. The other reason, and the more important one, was that if I should die one (or all) of these fine young men were to take my place. Not only in this mission, but in the greater mission. They would become the Dummy(ies). I’ve spent the last week training them. Fire arms, hand to hand combat, explosives, the works. Is one week enough? No. But we need to strike fast. Regardless of how far we get, we’ll be able to do some damage. And send a message.

Mubbles has talked to me. Asks if I felt alright lying to them, framing the policemen and all. I didn’t frame anyone. I planted some evidence, yes. But I was not lying. The police were corrupt, fascist monsters. And they were very good at concealing it. I just unmasked them, exposed them. I did not lie to these young men. The rage and hate they felt towards their government and oppressors was genuine. I am teaching them how to wield that rage. I did not manipulate anyone. I merely told them the truth. The horrifying truth.

[BLACKOUT]“After the Mayor is dead, we plant the final charges. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta exit first. Then Epsilon, Zeta and I. We regroup with the other four. After eliminating any remaining opposition, we each depart using these escape routes. Any questions?”[/BLACKOUT]

Silence. Dead.

[BLACKOUT]
"We’ll do a few more training sessions this week. Then it’s time. Understood? Good. Get some rest.”
[/BLACKOUT]

 

[SuperFerret]

I don’t know how long I’ve been here, caged alone in the dark. I feel like a trapped animal, only able to eat, sleep, crap and pace around the perimeter of the ten foot by ten foot cage, like some impotent lion at a cheap circus. That’s what I am, I guess, a caged wild beast. I’m sure as hell not human, at least not all the time.

There’s very little light here, barely enough for me to make out the edges and bars of the cage, the troughs where I get my water and the bland boiled chicken and rice that I’m fed, and the pile of dirty blankets that I sleep on. More often than not though, I wake up lying on the cold steel floor in the middle of the cage. These mornings (and I use the term “mornings” loosely, because I have no clue what time of day it is in this darkness), I’ll discover freshly stitched up incisions on various places on my body. I’ll pull these stitches out with my teeth and hands, but I heal so fast that the incisions are completely healed by the time I wake up.

Whoever’s been keeping me here has been drugging me, cutting him open, and doing God only knows what to me before closing me up and there’s not a damned thing I can do about it. I haven’t even figured out how they’re drugging me yet. It’s not the food or water, since I’ve starved myself and still had it happen to me. They’re not gassing me not to notice something different in the air. It only ever happens when I go to sleep, which it seems like I do often. I can’t tell though , I’ve been here so long that I’ve lost all sense of time. Anyway, I have nothing else to do but eat, sleep, pace, do push ups and think. I think a lot, more than I want to. Thinking makes me depressed and angry, all I have to think about is everything I’ve lost.

 

[LouFerignoDemon]

Goddess, half paying attention and looking about the room, responds somewhat half hearted, "You're not very useless. Everything comes in time. I wasn't capable of capturing my first demon for at least a few raids." All the while, she was basically waiting for him to turn away, and finally her chance had come.

"What exactly am I looking for? I've got quite a great scope from up here, but my eyes feel rather useless right now."

"Well, I was hoping your senses would tell us to be honest. Mine seem to be a little faulty at the moment..." her voice was trailing as she began muttering a spell beneath her breath. Normally, for this type of spell, she'd quickspell it, but when she does that, everybody can hear her do it. It's a dead giveaway, and given his natural divine powers which will naturally erode the seal she placed upon him, she can't cause too much suspicion yet. She placed her hands in front of her stomach, right a foot above the left, palms facing each other. A red spark ignites once, twice, and then in a flurry as she quickly backs away from it.

"There!" she cries and points out towards what is now large arcs of sparking red magic. "It's coming..." The magical bait was cast, and a demon came in on a burst of gray smoke. An ugly thing, it propped itself on two large, five toed back legs, and on appendage which came to a point sticking out of it's chest. It was coloured an odd blue, with a tongue which slapped about it's ridged, scaled body, and no observable teeth or eyes. "All evil things come to those who wait," a singe of joy on her words. "Get him," her words were simple, commanding.

And the Archangel immediately sprung into action, landing a punch on the demon who shrieked and lashed him with his tongue.

"What was that? Where is your power?"

"It's Thursday. It's fire based."

Goddess was close to visible disgust. "Here!" she spread out her right hand, her arm outstretched, and a jet of flame shot out at the ceiling, "Now use it!" and the Archangel did so, pulling it to himself, and then shot it in little, damaging but non critical bursts towards the demon before him.

"What are you doing?"

"I can't. I'm not a killer!" Skipping out on how his powers deactivate if his will is the will to kill.

"Do it before it kills us!" The creature's long tongue swelled up to two feet in diameter, and shot out a large blue of non illuminating energetic magic at the Goddess, as it knew she was the caster of the bait, but the Archangel ate the attack meant for her. She couldn't help but feel pleased the spell worked so well.

"Slay it."

And the Archangel, struggling somewhat internally, felt a deep pit of despair until he shot out in a massive load of fire designed like pitchforks at the beast, nearly incinerating it to death, and felt nothing but bliss for doing it. His powers didn't deactivate. For it wasn't his will which forced his hand.

"Perfect!" Goddess was exuberant, and most pleased, "Now to finish it," she waved off the Archangel, who stood aside, as she looked at the dying beast. Her eyes began to glow that dark purple, and put her hand out towards it's dying body. And when the beast next sensed anything, it was only:

"Do you dare to dream of life and power which rivals gods? Because such is my power, and you can share it with me if you so choose... Or you can just die the pathetic creature you are," And with that, the corpse was gone.

"That takes care of the evidence," Goddess smiled.

"What did you do?"

"Eradicate it's corpse is all," she lied. The corpse was indeed gone from view, but was now part of her returning power. She coughed a couple times, thinking it odd, as she's never had problems "digesting" demons before, but she's simply restarting, and absorbing demons with very little demonic power of her own is just taxing.

"Let's move on. The day is young." Within a few days, there were a few dozen more busts just like it. Each one ending with Goddess "disposing" of corpses, rebuilding her magical power base within herself.

It was also strife with what the Goddess hated most, personal problems. Apparently Michael was filled with them. Probably why the seal works so well with him. Small confidence, big power. Easy to manipulate. Point him in the right direction, give him enough woe, a little charm, a massive soul brand, and it's no competition. It was almost boring to her. But she didn't complain, she could have had more problems than having to deal with him in-between transformations. Such as this woman, "Grace." Apparently they were courting, and she broke it off. To some degree, Goddess was happy to see women have a more equalized role in this society, but honestly, she didn't care. Grace was simply getting in the way, asking Michael where his "artwork" is, and how he's doing, and what is he doing. This last part particularly worried Goddess. Who knows what connections this "Grace" woman had, and her cat was too far away to contact, and any prolonged use of communication magic would simply give her away. She needed quick, random strikes like she had been doing so far. So the next time he busted out his cell phone when it rung, he answered, and looked to Goddess with a saddened look.

"Hey look, I really do gotta go back. I have things to do."

Goddess was no pleased. She couldn't simply make him defiant, his powers would erode her seal away quicker, demanding her to reseal it more often, and that is taxing. Instead, she went for theatrics. She furled her brow, frowned, and moved close to him, holding his arms.

"We can't stop now! And you can't go to her. You're involved now, and they're watching us. You go to her, show your care, and she's dead. They'll erupt from the very earth, and make her their own to toy and kill. I must advise against it, and ask you to endure just a little more." She turned up the sadness, "I need you just a little longer. Please, do not turn back from your calling just yet. See it through!"

Of course, the patrons in the food establishment they were eating at (Which Goddess was quite interested in) found them confusing, and really just funny to watch. Goddess made a note to hunt them down, and turn them into undead slaves to clean the sewage when she ruled things. However, none of that mattered. The command was in place.

" I guess you're right..."

And they went back at it, a few more days. By this time, Goddess was back in garb, requiring her masque to hide her facial features. Her more ruthless nature growing by each demon she consumed into her being. After all, it was the demons who made her what she was, aside from the coward inside.

"Now... Now I'm strong enough to fight again," she looked to the Archangel, "Will you stand beside me once more?"