Video screens across the city flickered to life as the pulsating circle slowly rotated around the screen, an ominous mask silhouetted against the background. The monotone voice slowly seeped out of the speakers as the people of Toronto were stopped in their tracks, surprise, fear, curiosity all taking precedence over what they had been previously doing.

"Be on Guard."

The voice said, the screen flashing before it spoke again.

"Be on Guard, ye who dwell here. There is a poison in the air seeking to turn brother against brother, father against son, lover upon beloved. Blood will flow in the streets as though who possess great power will soon find themselves without it, put to death upon the sword. The crusade has begun, no one is safe anymore especially the strongest among you."

The screen flickered one last time before the face returned.

"Be on Guard. Memento Mori"

As sudden as it had appeared, the broadcast disappeared and the people of the city returned to their Thanksgiving shopping as the brisk October air reminded them all they would rather be indoors as the screens resumed their regularly scheduled programming.

"...Bizarre weather continues to bombard Crescent City along the California coast. Metrologists are at a complete loss as to its cause though they have been numerous discussions that perhaps we're seeing the work of a Hyperhuman."

"Well Tom, it seems anything is possible after what happened just last year between S.H.I.F.T. and Yakob Kowalski." The anchor countered as the news entered into what must be their favourite segment. The daily debate about the merits and concerns regarding Hyperhumans living among society. "If one Hyperhuman could hold an entire city hostage then we truly are seeing a new breed of terrorist emerging. While some might call Kowalski a terrorist, I'd counter he was justified in his concerns and opening our eyes to the world hidden within our own. Perhaps he went about it in an extreme manner, but in the end if we're going to be facing what is comparable to 'Comic Book Supervillains' I would say he's justified."

"You think an attack on the Royal Mint is justified? Not to mention the numerous other lives he endangered? What about attacking the Pacific Royal Collegiate and University? It may be a school for Hyperhumans, but they're still children and young adults. Innocents who don't deserve to be put on trial for some madman's personal agenda!" The other anchor countered as the young man looked up from his platter of chicken wings towards the bartender.

"Yo, Seany can you change the channel or something? I'm so sick of listening to these wind bags talk about how dangerous Hyperhumans are." Zeke said as the bartender obliged with his request.

"Get you another?" He gestured pointing to Zeke's empty drink.

"No thanks Sean, I still have another class today and as much fun as I'm sure calculus would be loaded I'd rather not."

"Your loss." The bartender replied, his mild Irish accent punctuated the words as he turned back to polishing glasses, the small pub sitting rather empty at eleven in the morning.

Looking up at the changed channel, the newswoman was going on about a new virus strain that had popped up in several so far isolated cases across the city. Zeke shook his head as he finished his last wing before digging into his pocket for a twenty.

"Seriously, all the news seems to do these days is sow fear. First we had SARS, then Mad Cow, Bird Flu, Ebola and now this. Wait until it gets a name, every case will be a front headline on the Sun." He said as he placed the green bill down on the bar.

"You actually read the paper?" Sean said with a smile.

"More like I look at the back page." Zeke said with a smirk as he nodded towards the pages of Sunshine girls plastered around the top of the pub's walls before slipping on his leather jacket and picking his helmet up off the bar. "Take 'er easy Seany."

"Where'd be the fun in that." The bartender responded as Zeke exited the door and began walking down the street to where he had stashed his bike. If you could get over the cool autumn weather, it actually wasn't a bad day out. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, truly still great riding weather Zeke thought to himself as he turned down an alley and rifled through his pockets for his keys.

"Turn around slowly and give me the keys to your bike." The voice said from behind Zeke as he complied, mockingly raising his hands above his head. Looking down at the knife sticking towards him, Zeke shook his head.

"And what do you plan to do with that." He asked with a smile.

"If you give me the keys, nothing. If not, I'll cut that dumb smile off your face so that not even your mum would recognize you."

"My mom wouldn't recognize me with it." Zeke replied. "Now put that knife away before you stab yourself in the foot with it."

"How would I..." The carjacker started before suddenly screaming in pain as the knife lurched from his hand and dove directly into his foot. Falling to the ground in agony, he tugged at the hilt but the knife wouldn't budge.

"Tsk, I hate when that happens. Hurts like a bitch though don't it?" Zeke asked as he kneeled down in front of the man. "What really hurts is when it jumps to your thigh, makes it a real bitch to walk." Zeke said as the blade shot back out of the foot and plunged into the man's thigh as he screamed again. "Now, you'll likely be able to walk again, albeit I imagine with a limp but you won't be stealing anymore cars I imagine. Just be thankful you didn't bring a gun, can you imagine how careless you could have been with that? A bullet could have ricocheted right back into your own skull and then we'd have a real mess on our hands." Climbing onto his bike, Zeke put the keys in the ignition and revved the engine.

"The nearest medical center is about fifteen blocks south, so I'd get moving if I were you." He yelled over the engine before popping the bike onto one wheel and merging back onto Bloor. He was going to be late for class now, but at least the day had been interesting.

June April Summers

Morning shift yet again. June sighed. Before she stacked some plates on top of each other, grabbed them all. Turned around, and walked behind the doors into the kitchen. That was the problem with working in a "breakfast and late night" restaurant. The hours were shit. But, damn. If she had any other option, she would have taken it by now. This was her only option, being a woman with no college education. And little few job options. Hey, it was much more preferable to bashing skulls. June put down the stack of dirty dishes next to the sink. With said sink having a busy busboy cleaning away at them. Johnny. Yeah, that was his name. June didn't know him all that well, but he was tall, rather overweight, and around her age. His outfit exposed his thick arms. "More for you, Johnny." June said as she set down the dishes.

Johnny sighed, before he grabbed the top plate. "I'll get to it."

June nodded her head. She could tell that he didn't like this job. He was one of the many kids that wasted their time screwing around instead of hitting the books. Now he has no choice but to work here. Though, she has little place to judge. Because she's in the same situation. June gave him a quick look before she turned away and continued waiting tables. She stepped out into the main part of the restaurant, and took one look around. Since it was morning, a few people were in here. They wanted some breakfast. Then they were going to leave. This Diner closes at noon, which gave June plenty of time to do her thing. Like maybe find someone to help her figure out what the hell is going on in this city. Yet, June didn't notice that her legs were carrying her to a table. Heh. Just so caught up in her own thoughts. That she didn't even pay attention to what was happening in the now. June grabbed her notepad, and had a pen to it. "Hey, can I-" The TV in the corner of the room caught her eye.

The TV flashed. The channel changed itself from the news, to a strange symbol. June's head turned towards it to watch, just as everyone else did. A masked man walked on scene, changing his voice so that nobody can recognize him. Perfect. He began wailing about some warning, telling everyone to be on guard. What was this some publicity stunt? For some stupid movie? June turned away during the rambling. In some attempt to get back to the order, but she couldn't quite take her mind off of it. Especially once he mentioned "those with great power will soon find themselves without it". Wait, the superhumans of Toronto? June listened to the rest of his omen before it disappeared. Going back to the news that was playing a few seconds ago. Wondered what the hell he was talking about. Is this related to the sickness hitting the city? God, she hoped not. She hoped that it was just some stupid movie promotion. But hoping wouldn't get her anyway.

What did June think of this? Well, that was even more reason to start investigating this whole thing. Second she's off work, she's getting on her motorcycle.

Her shift would be over soon. "I need a smoke." June mumbled underneath her breath. She took one step around and went back to the customer, like nothing ever happened.

Things had spiraled out of control for a while. At first it wasn't so bad but once the word spread it had become hard to stay out of sight. It was strange how in just a few weeks someone who was just trying to get along in life was suddenly sought after. H.E.L.P. had done a decent job slowing things down at least. The fairly new department was the destination now in fact. A car with heavily tinted windows transported Ms. Staton back to Ontario.

Among the aforementioned publicity there were other reasons for this visit. Yes they needed to coordinate speaking with the media but her hype ability unsurprisingly was also of interest. Her healing was not the only the only case they had seen, but it extending her lifespan apparently was. Perhaps the others did not posses the same capability but more than likely it was simple a matter of time. No one else has had the power long enough to tell the difference. Then again maybe they were smarter than that and kept quiet like she should have.

Sighing Ruth knew there was no reason to beat herself up about what's happened. Done that too many times to herself already. The benefit to having given her story is that not she could begin practicing again in a much more official capacity. The phenomenon of hyperhumans fascinated the woman. It manifested in so many different ways it would likely still take years to properly understand. Had she better facilities she would have already started a more in depth study. Musing would have to be done later though as she arrived at her destination and was escorted inside.

"AAAAAA-CHOOO!"

"Damn man, I'm trying to watch this. Can't you die in peace?"

"Sorry Nicky. Forgetting my health plays second fiddle to that weird-ass video."

"GODDAMN RED! I missed the end there cause'a your yammering! Whadda he say? Sounded like mental Mary. Couldn't have been mental Mary. . . . Could it? D' you know any mental Mary's, Red?"

"Toronto has a population of over two and a half million people. No, I'm fairly confident that I don't know the mental Mary you think he was talking about, almost as confident as I am that he didn't say mental Mary in the first place."

"Well then what did he say?"

"Hell if I know. I was too busy dying all unpeaceful like at the time to be paying much attention."

"Man, I don't know why I put up with you. Everything I've done for you, Get you a good job, and this is the thanks I get. Shoulda left your ass to die back in Iraq."

"Life woulda got boring for you. Better I'm here. Keep you on your toes."

"Uh-huh."

The two men lapsed into an easy silence then, Nicky perusing the menus laid out in front of them while Red gazed out the windows, looking at everything and nothing, just watching the world roll by. Funny how he did that more and more the older he got, like the less years he had left the more inclined he was to waste them. They were sitting in a diner booth, part of the morning crowd in the Stackhouse, and despite Nicky's earlier complaints thoughts of mysterious warnings and foggy premonitions was really the furthest thing from the two men's minds. Breakfast first, then they could worry about the world ending. That was their rule. Had been ever since they'd served in the 1st recon together.

Red was really more concerned about his failing health than anything else. His cold had been getting worse, and earlier this morning he had woken up with one special-hell of a headache. It had receded since, but the memory of it still made him wince. He'd never been sick before, always reckoned his hype-power kept him hale and healthy. Couldn't say he was all that fond of the feeling now. He just hoped it wasn't this new virus he kept seeing reports about. Nasty bit of business that, not something he wanted any part of. Especially not since his daughter Lisa was supposed to come up visiting at the end of the month. Not exactly father of the year material that, is it, giving your only child the flu.

Nah, he kept telling himself, its nothing. Nothing but age. The years are weighing down on you Red, even you couldn't have fought them off forever.

"What you planning Red?" Said Nicky, rousing Red from his worries. He'd almost forgotten where he was.

"Huh?"

"To eat! Planning to eat, fat head. Damn son, where are you this morning?"

"Not sure. Maybe just wishing I was anywhere with better company than you. Berlin 1945 maybe. Red has an entire arsenal of such cutting remarks for situations like this. Unfortunately the company he usually keeps requires it.

"Oh ha-ha. So what's it gonna be, huh? On me, since you got the round last night."

"Guess I'll just have the wheat toast and oats. Do they do oats? If not I'll have a fruit salad" Nicky's face fell in outrage. Red prepared himself for the fallout.

"Wheat toast! Oats! A Goddamn fruit salad!? What the hell's wrong with you, you finally gone off the deep end? That's no breakfast! That's the pigging side order to a menopause! You used to be a warrior, man! I'm getting you bacon!"

"No Nicky, just get me the toast." Red was trying for firm and resolute here, but Nicky wasn't taking him on. Once Nicky set his heart on something it was a damn near herculean task to dissuade him. Red just didn't feel up to the task this morning. He blamed his health and his age for that.

Old and sick, he couldn't say he was a big fan of either.

"You're obviously delirious from malnutrition. Good thing I found out as early as I did. Imagine the damage you could have done yourself if I hadn't found out at this early stage! Especially at your age! But if you must insist then I'll get a second opinion." Nicky turned from the conversation then and caught the eye of the serving girl. She was tall for a women, probably in her mid twenties, and gave off a very strong 'Don't fuck with me, or it wont end well for you vibe'. She really didn't seem like she should have been working in a place like this. Nicky waved her over.

"Miss, miss. Would you mind giving us a second opinion?"

June April Summers

---

Heh. Two old men had wandered their way into the Diner. Setting their hats down to have a nice morning. Probably catching up. That was good. What June liked about these old guys is that they tend to actually leave tips. All she has to do is put on a nice smile for them, and they'll be raining her in tips. Though, one of them was in shape. Tall, muscular, like the kind of guy that does a real full body workout. Not one of those wankers that just toss weights up and down and forget leg day. Not that June was getting the hots for him. She was probably, like, what, half his age? The old timer is probably happily married for thirty years, or something. June shrugged. She made her way to them. Wading through the tables, and hoping that she could convince them to give her a little extra with her "feminine wiles". Good grief. She rolled her eyes, as she strolled over to them. She was just about to ask what they wanted, but she already got wrapped up in their conversation. Typical. People had a strange fascination with having conversations with the waitress/waiter of the day. Now what were they talking about....? Crap. She should have had this down by now. Always pay attention to what they're talking about so she wouldn't be at a loss.

They were talking about some sort of food. Toast and fruit salads was the last thing the woman heard. They must be asking for her opinion on food. Of course, of course, of course. June stepped in closer to them. She smiled - a forced one that made her cheeks pop out. Because that's important! Especially when you're dealing with the old timers. "I don't know, sir," June started off, putting a hand on one hip. Holding the notepad in one hand. "The toast is way better. They just buy the cheap Fruit Salad containers from the Supermarkets and resell 'em." June said with a brutal frankness. She grabbed the pen out of the apron of her uniform, and placed it against the notepad. "Now can I take your order?" She asked them.

The abridged party that Robert held went quite well but for Ed, it didn't. Although he wouldn't consider it as a disaster, he was rather uncomfortable on how the party went. Everyone had their share of drinking except for Ed who then established a limitation towards it just for the sole purpose of discipline. To be frank, he was drinking quite excessively over the past few months and the realization to it made him aware of his growing habit. He didn't want to be like his father back then nor did he want the old man to know how much liquor he'd drink every night. Perhaps the alcohol limitation that he implemented was a reasonable decision but there could be times that his temptations would rattle him out of control. The feeling of envy would kick in and that's the biggest problem Ed wanted to avoid.

It was about 8 PM as Ed strolled throughout the streets, just a few blocks away from Robert's apartment complex and a several more to his dormitory grounds. He took his usual shortcut whenever walking back home from Robert's apartment. It was in-between alleyways, cramped from a nearby coffee shop called 'Voz'. Once exiting the alleyway, Ed would find his way to a narrow street which then led to the main road that connects directly to his university's dormitory grounds. The route seemed fairly uniform. It would only take less than 15 minutes for Ed to arrive at his dormitory. However, there were times when he felt unsafe while treading through that route, most especially at night. Gangs were known to loiter around alleyways, most of them would either exploit their drug-related negotiations or perform their violent rituals whenever a new member is recruited. Luckily for Ed, he haven't encountered one yet even after taking shortcuts between alleyways countless of times. But even when he haven't had close encounters yet, he was still watchful of gangs lingering around streets at night.

A minute won't be complete if Ed didn't seek out for anything glinting with suspicion. He would look behind his trails, repeatedly setting his sights from left to right and sharpen his sense of hearing, all while passing through narrow spaces that were blocked by unused wood and piles of scattered garbage. Ed could smell a rancid blend of rotten food. The most noticeable ones were cheese and meat. Mice were scrambling together to find what they could eat and the sight of them alone made Ed's insides lurch. The alleyway's path ends with a large plywood hung between walls and is jutted on a ledge. Once after seeing it, Ed immediately grabbed his handkerchief and coughed violently. The vile smell was just unbearable and it seems that it won't be removed anytime soon not unless garbage men would consider on doing their work effectively.

Once stepping out from the smelly alley and onto the narrow street, a distinct clattering sound was heard from behind. It immediately alerted Ed which then forced him to grab his brass knuckles from his pockets. A figure then appeared from the dim joint and yelled abruptly after seeing Ed. Ed then placed his brass knuckles back to his pockets once after the figure revealed itself.

"Edrenn!" A female voice screeched from the silent and dreary night. It was the girl from the party, the one whom Ed recognized as his co-debater and a freshman to be precise.

"You." Ed hissed harshly apparently not wanting to alert any bystanders who could be nearby."You're taking this route too?" He then followed up with a question that seemed to be on the range of his curiosity.

"I don't know, I think I'm lost actually." The girl's reply made Ed roll his eyes in slight contempt

"Oh man," Ed sighed."Lost in the middle of the night and then taking a route which appears to be fairly unsafe for a girl like you. Do you have any idea how much risk you're putting yourself into?"

"Hey! I don't even know what route I should take or was taking in the first place." The girl exclaimed but kept her voice lower "And don't blame me. Besides, this is the very first time I was invited to your friend's place so it's fairly obvious that I don't know the way back because I took a ride on someone else's car. You do know my time on studying this place is quite limited if I didn't take---"

"Not an acceptable excuse. Your logic should have told you to take that ride on your way back." Ed said as he cut her between lines. For someone who is a trained debater, the girl has a complex way of stating her point but spoke a lot faster than anyone would comprehend. She didn't take any short breathing breaks between her words and she all uttered them rapidly.

The girl sighed in annoyance as she narrowed her eyes to strike a piercing look against Ed.

"Listen here genius, we either argue or you take me out of here because if we do argue, chances are, the risks that you're talking about will significantly increase since the time we will spend on arguing will prolong my stay in this dangerous district. Who knows, while we are arguing about why I should have took the ride on my friend's car, armed men will station themselves from behind and strike us with their weapons."

Ed pressed his right hand against his forehead then dropped both of his shoulders as he heaved a deep, heavy sigh.

"Fine. Follow my lead and don't make any noises." Ed suggested as he started walking. The girl followed seconds after with a bit of doubt written on her face.

"Mmm-hmm," Nicky grunted appreciatively as the waitress made her way over to their table. He really was a hound-dog, that one.

"Cool it Nick." Red murmured under his breath. The girl was probably half their age, she didn't need ogled at by two old has-beens like them. Still, she was something. Definitely not a classic beauty, but certainly bloody striking. There was a bit of skin on show here too. If he was about a half century younger he woulda clambered all over himself trying to get at her. Then again, he woulda clambered all over himself trying to get at most women back then.

He gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. It was really starting to seem like too long since his last. . .

She smiled when she reached the table, a smile so forced it seemed like her teeth where trying to make an escape bid from her head. Isn't that a wonderful way to make a man feel like a nuisance. Not that Nicky noticed, but then he was constantly making a nuisance of himself, so what difference did it make to him?

"Oh I know how bad the fruit salad is. Fruit salad is bad everywhere. What I'm trying to do is convince my friend here to have the bacon" Red sat in an uneasy silence as Nicky fired into his spiel. Better to let him have his head when he got like this, because there was no real stopping him mid rant. Instead Red slyly studied their server, noting with interest the scars on her knuckles and hands. Fighting scars. He should know, he had a sizable collection of his own. His own hands, big as roast hams, lay outstretched on the table in front of him, weathered and gnarled as old oak boughs. They'd got that way through a lifetime of hard living and rough fighting. Some damn dark work went into getting hands like that.

Just what did a young women like her have to do to get hers?

"Nicky," The big man said eventually, aware that he should make at least some attempt to distract his old friend and let the girl get back to work. Of course Nicky ignored him, and just rolled right on with his own conversation.

"And so, when you bring it all down to basics, he just thinks he's getting to old for bacon, and that he should try eating more healthily. Bull-hock if you ask me. You're only as old as the women you're feeling, that's what I've always said. So how bout' it, feel like helping an old man feeling a little younger?" He finished, with a sly nod towards Red. The man himself had gone the very colour of his namesake.

"NICKY!" He hissed, "I'm gonna shove my boot so far up your ass I'm gonna get arrested for tresspassing on foreign territory!" He quickly turned to the waitress, making the best 'I'm sorry for my maggots-for-brains friend here' face. It was a pretty damn good face. Nicky had given him ample opportunities to practice in the past.

"I'm sorry 'bout him Miss. He think's he's funny, but he don't mean nothing by it."

The sun was shining down over Toronto on the bright week day morning. People hurried every which way as they went about their day passing through Nathan Phillips Square. One lone figure stumbled along, dismissed by those too busy to notice his struggle as he hobbled along. Nearly falling over as a rough cough exploded from his lungs, the man fell to his knees gasping for breath. Managing to stand again, his cough was followed by a fit of sneezing as he grabbed onto a nearby ledge to support himself. Sneezing again, the air seemed to change as several loose pebbles moved off the ground. As the sneezing continued, the man found himself curled into a ball flying through the air. Colliding with the ground, several people around the body suddenly flew into the air as the gravity in the area went into a state of flux. People on one side were rising into the air as others were forced to the ground. As a cruiser belonging to the Toronto Police Force drove by, it suddenly pulled over the officers rushed over to help before finding themselves thrown into the air.

"This is Officer Barker. We got trouble at Nathan Phillips Square!" He yelled into his radio just before he hit the ground. Gasping for air, the officer forced himself to his feet as he scanned the sky for his partner. "I'm going to need back up! Looks like we have a Hype situation on our hands again!" Letting go of the radio, the man put his hand on his holstered weapon and looked around for the culprit. No one stood out until he noticed the man in the middle of everything coughing up a storm.

"Sir!" Barker yelled out. "Sir can you hear me! If you're responsible for this I need you to stop." He paused before muttering under his breath. "Where's S.H.I.F.T. when you actually need them?"

The man at the cause of all the havoc, reached a hand out to the officer, his voice strained as he tried to call out to him.

"P-p-please..." He started. "I-I can't control it!" A singularity formed in his hand pulling officer Barker's body towards him. The sudden jolt and the rapid velocity snapped the officer's spin like a twig as the dead body suddenly found itself torn between the increased and reduced gravity, ripping in half as each piece complied with the gravity field it was trapped with in. Screams echoed around the Square as blood spilled across the pavement. The Hype's own panic at the situation only made the situation worse as he began to loose more and more control over the gravity fields. Red and blue sirens light up the square as cruisers began to surround it.

"Your first priority is helping the people, try to talk down the Hype. See if he has an demands!" The lead officer yelled as he motioned to those behind him. "Now lets pray we don't need SWAT on this one."

---

As Ruth Staton walked into the facility she was greeted by a young woman in business attire flanked by two men in suits, no doubt her bodyguards.

"Miss Staton," She said with a smile as she extended a hand. "Winter Caspian, Director of H.E.L.P. it's a pleasure to finally be able to meet you in person." Gesturing for Ruth to walk with her, she led her into the building as she continued to talk. Only recently acquired, the Hyperhuman Equality, Logistics and Protection Ontario office was overwhelmed with the smell of fresh paint and tile adhesives but yet smelled strangely clean as well.

"As you can see we're still setting up here but things are coming along well." Coming to an elaborate office, Winter gestured towards an arm chair before taking her own seat behind the desk. "A bit unfortunate the media taking off with your story as they did. It's rarely a good thing to be put in the spot light like that. Either way H.E.L.P. is always here for you and we'll be doing the best we can to ensure these stories stay positive until this blows over." Opening a file on her desk, Winter reviewed the papers in front of her before looking at Ruth with a smile. "Anyways, everything is clear with your request to join our research facility here in Toronto if you still wish to, all that is left is set up some housing." She paused as she pulled out another folder. "We have some recommendations here for some of Toronto's nicer apartments and condos. If a house would be your preference we can certainly look into that as well. Did you have your heart set on anything?"

June April Summers

---

June's shift went swimmingly. After the conversation (And getting them food fortunately, they didn't bog her down with too much conversation) with the geezers, she wrapped up everything and helped everyone close the diner for the day. Again, that was the perk of working in a diner that is only open at night and in mornings. She now has the afternoon to herself. Good thing she was more of a night person anyway. She was going to head home. Well, no. Try to find a lead on the virus and that damn message seemed like the better choice. It might seem like those people are up to something. But, naturally, she knew that there'd be no way in hell she'd be able to track them from that TV message alone. They probably bounced that thing off twenty different proxies. And she was never good with computers. So she better find something. Anything. June stepped out the backdoor of the diner, with a black helmet in hand. The only thing she had on was a leather jacket over her work uniform (Gotta be sure not to get this messy.). Stopping to turn around and lock the door. Before she saw her trusty motorcycle. She remembered the asshole she had to beat to get this from him. If there was a way to make it up to him, she would. But she felt if she tried, he would beat her face in with a tire iron. She couldn't have that. June mounted her motorcycle and slowly put her helmet on. Before she did anything, she needed a smoke. She slid the cigarette in between her lips, and casually lit it with the lighter she pulled out of her pocket. She put the lighter back before she turned on the keys to her motorcycle.

From there, The Glass Angel was off. She sped out of the alleyway and headed straight into traffic - as there was an opening. As she came to a light, she flicked on the radio. Nice. The Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap Instrumental. Maybe today won't be so bad after all....

For her first stop, she decided to visit the Nathan Phillips Square. Plenty of people gather there.

The unyielding silence gave momentary chills once after stopping by to take a quick scout behind their trails. It was a growing problem since it was forcing Ed to assume the worst. Usually, the empty street had a few people scrambling around and doing their businesses but the almost barren-like state of it had Ed thinking if there was something amiss. Perhaps a gang gathering was going to be held? and that's why people avoided to wander on that certain part of the street? or maybe it was just an unusual day? Whatever it was, Ed hoped for the latter.

Although rather alert and focused, Ed still couldn't help but be distracted of the girl's unwanted presence. If it wasn't for her, the time spent on taking the route would've been shortened. But as what Ed had commanded, the girl surprisingly remained silent for the next few minutes despite possessing a sophisticated and loud way of speaking. Ed abruptly stopped on his tracks, turning his head to the girl. From her looks, it seemed that she wasn't quite younger-looking compared to Ed. Maybe perhaps it was her glasses that made her look more of a 30-year-old mother than a college student. Ed noticeably cleared his throat which then drove the girl's attention to him.

"I'm terrible at remembering names but all's fair since you're a new addition to Debsoc." Ed said with an awkward twitch of his shoulder.

"Charlene." The girl replied. Her previous demonstration of her rapid speech seemed to be absent at that moment.

"Ah, interesting." It was a poor attempt for Ed to say that. He was hoping to add another pleasing complement but he unfortunately ended up with being more awkward.

"Yeah I know, everyone's name is interesting except for John. If a guy's name is John, I automatically lose interest in them." There was a short silence after that, then Charlene returned with a harrumph. "And no. Not a dating interest but rather, an individualistic look on a person. John is pretty much easy to forget. "

"Well for me Mark is a pretty boring name...and so is Maria or Marie."

Charlene squinted a bit and then pursed her lips.

"So tell me about your friend Robert. So far for me, he's a good guy. He helped me a ton on my humanities report even though we aren't on the same class."

Ed scratched his head as he immediately rushed through dozens of adjectives.

"Eh, well for starters, he is actually xenophobic but once you get to know each other and hang around, he might even let you visit his apartment daily. The visitors earlier were an exception since it was generally held for my own sake which he wouldn't mind at all.""

Charlene nodded inconveniently.

"I see."

"Why'd you ask? Do you plan on--"

"No! of course not!" Charlene interrupted, her voice was a bit raised. "And why would I?"

Ed raised an eyebrow while wearing a malicious smug on his face.

"You haven't even finished my sentence and yet you assumed it was meant by that. Therefore you're guilty! Ha!"

Charlene rolled her eyes.

"Guilty? for just denying something that barely holds the truth?"

"Well from the way you reacted, I think there is a possibility."

"You think there's a possibility. Are you always this assuming?"

"Sometimes yeah."

She sighed after Ed's response. It seems that her expectations of him were slowly withering into ash. But she wasn't completely belittling him. After all, Ed's display of being a veteran speaker would prove more than the pretentiousness he was currently showing.

Charlene was an engineering student and also an aspiring speaker. Through all of her years studying and practicing the art of speech, extemporaneous speaking was where she shined the most. She had been participating on different events back in high school and received a decent amount of awards in the process. However, entering college was when her motives of public speaking changed. It wasn't long just after her close encounter with a hype and it was during a bleak tragedy that almost resulted to her demise. Charlene never tried to find the person nor did she have any intentions to meet him. But ever since that occurrence, she started to view hyperhumans as normal people. Some happened to be involved through different kinds of trouble but overall, they don't aim to cause chaos but rather, thrive for people to understand them. Charlene would try and speak in their defense on behalf of the people who view them negatively.

"So, Edrenn--"

"Ed."

"Whatever." Charlene rolled her eyes as she was bothered by the sudden interruption. Her mood was supposed to be serious and after Ed cut her off, she had to gather herself up again. "God! I just forgot what I was about to say thanks to you."

"Sorry, I sometimes feel uncomfortable while being called 'Edrenn'."

"You don't say."

"Well, what were you saying then?"

Charlene sneered at him then tried to recall what her brain had came up with recently.

"Well it's about hypes."

Ed slightly had his eyes bulged. The turn of another topic made him quite uncomfortable for a moment.

"What about them?" His voice sounded awkward, almost as if he was on the verge of revealing something secret with the use of small hints.

"I have been observing them for quite sometime and after an encounter with one, I'd say they aren't that bad. People always view them as rats of chaos that do nothing more but cause trouble within society. Most of us fail to see that they are just like us. The only difference is that they possess extraordinary abilities which they either consider as a curse or blessing."

"So what's your point?" Ed thought it was impolite of him to say that but he couldn't think of anything to drift away from the topic.

"Well, If you may, I just wanted to hear your thoughts about them. I've been gathering opinions about hyperhumans as a part of my project; a website that I've been constructing since last week. "

Ed was fascinated after hearing someone who might have understood a hyperhuman's struggle towards society. Twenty-two years of concealing his true potentials had isolated a part of his existence from the rest of the world. Ed longed to be open about his hyperhuman abilities but the fact that it couldn't be accepted easily was what made him struggle and live a life that had his free will constrained.

"I guess if you want to record my opinion about them, then I may have to write it down on paper."

Charlene smiled.

"That'd be much better! because I won't anymore attach your opinion with something made up."

"Wait, you do that? "

"Not really. Just when it's necessary. "

"Oh," Ed bit his upper lip. "Well, if I have time, maybe I'll write a few paragraphs. Would that be okay?"

Charlene's smile slowly turned into a satisfied grin. Her front teeth were shown as he stared at Ed. Ed had to admit though, they were really white.

"That'd be excellent. Just call me if you're done with it and It'll be a new addition to my website."

"Cool. I'm glad to have some sort of participation on that."

"Oh I promise you. This project is for a good cause."

They have made it at the end of the street's joint which was intersected to the main road towards the University's dormitory grounds. Still, it was no excuse for Ed to assume that everything around him was safe.

"Did you hear something?" Charlene grabbed Ed's left shoulder.

"Hear what?"

"I think it was a trash bin but seriously didn't you hear that? It was loud and clear." Charlene started to sound terrified just from observing the tone of her voice. Ed stretched his head to look behind their trails and onto the street they've just passed. he looked for a trash bin but the one he saw still had its cover on.

"Trash bin?"

"Never mind let's just move. It's really late and I think it isn--" Suddenly, Charlene was snagged away from Ed with two arms locked at her lower torso. Ed quickly hurled both of his arms to grab her but by the time he did, a large bulky fist hit his head and sent him faltering down and landing his face to the ground. Charlene screamed but was then shut after a man slapped her mouth with his hand. Ed was barely conscious but could still notice how Charlene was doing. Within seconds, men with balaclavas emerged from the dark corners of the street. They were armed with clubs imbued with barbed wires, clearly something one wouldn't dare to come across with. Charlene was surrounded by them and on her current state, she was completely helpless.

"Char...lene..." Ed couldn't raise his voice in order to divert their attention to him. The punch hit him harder than anything he'd remember being hit with. It felt like being hit with a baseball bat swung at an extreme force. Someone was on top of him and it was a man judging by the figure. He was colossal, more like a giant bodybuilder standing at a gargantuan height. The man then placed his black heavy boots on top of Ed's back and pressed it with his weight. Ed groaned in pain. It was too much for his body to withstand. It's as if he was about to get squashed.

Charlene's muffled screams could still be heard. One of the men surrounding her then approached and quickly slapped her in the face.

"Shut your damn mouth, bitch!" Charlene couldn't help but struggle. The fact that the men holding her were huge, bulky muscleheads was beyond her fears. She was unable to do something, not even a slight wriggle. All she could do was scream. Tears started to pour down from her face. It was at that time when she hoped that the hyperhuman who saved her before would be there.

@Lord Wraith

Despite some finishing touches needing to be done on the building it was already quite magnificent. Architecture was a skill she did not have the knack for and seeing the advancements afforded with time was amazing. As the woman approached and introduced herself Ruth shook the offered hand. "A pleasure to meet you." Unsurprisingly she was motioned to follow to an office which was just as impressive as everything else thus far. Taking a seat the woman placed her hands in her lap and listened, waiting patiently for her turn.

Things sounded as if they were going well. Some assistance with the sudden fandom would be appreciated. Having avoided the media as long as she had a rather high level of public relations had been thrust upon her. Some relief from the onslaught would go a long way. Upon Winter speaking of joining the research team her eyes glinted at the opportunity. This surely would be the most advanced research setting than any other she'd had the chance to utilize. Words were not needed to tell that she was eager to get started.

Housing though, Ruth had not been aware that such a thing was included. Or at the very lest it made things easier. She knew nothing of the area beyond what a map could tell her. Taking the time to think she leaned forward to examine the choices. "If I were honest with myself I would choose a house. I haven't had much time to own one what with moving around every few years. But I'm not sure I want all the upkeep that goes with it or the doorstep for the media to camp out on." She looked up, back to Winter. I believe a condo will be my best option."

"The girl's kinda nice Eric except your hands are making her look hideous." One of the men said as he grated the uppermost part of his club against the ground. He then lifted it up and caressed it beside his right shoulder. "There's one thing though."

He inched himself closer to Charlene, narrowing his eyes towards her once he did. Then he grabbed her glasses and dropped it to the ground. It was followed by a single stomp of his foot which immediately shattered it into chunks. Charlene screamed again, struggling to free her mouth from her captor. She knew it won't save her immediately but letting the sound of her screaming be heard in the dead night might increase the chances of being saved. Ed was still lying on the ground, half unconscious and ensnared by a giant man's foot.

"Now you look better." The man said as he laughed hysterically. The menacing sound of it sent sheer terror towards Charlene. She felt like a part of her was slowly being killed away just after hearing his laughter.

"Yo boss! am I just gonna hold her up? or is there something we can use to tie her down?" The captor asked. He was slowly losing grip of Charlene as she started to squirm. Her attempt was weak though but the one who was holding her concurred that it might become a problem. "Because she's starting to get slippery."

The man laughed again, somehow screeching like a hyena.

"Awww that's cute. Little princess thinks she can escape from her prince. Don't cha worry dear, I'll give you a nice lil' treatment." He giggled as he placed his hands on her chest and delicately brushed them down to her breasts. Charlene squirmed as much as she could with whatever strength she could muster. But every time she tried, her captor's grip became stronger. Then she realized that both of her feet were free from any restraints. She didn't spare a moment and immediately swung her right foot towards the man, hitting his lower part. It sent him stumbling backwards then groaned in pain. Afterwards, she felt the captor's grip on her mouth weakened. She took the opportunity as she gnashed the man's fingers with her teeth.

"HELP! ANYONE! " Charlene immediately yelled on top of her lungs as her mouth was released from her captor's hand. Still, her entire body was locked by the man's other arm but that didn't stop her from struggling to be released. A few others who stood at the sides stepped in to bind her. One of them picked up a thick cloth from his bag, covering Charlene's mouth right away. The supposed leader of the group had already recovered from the kick just after binding Charlene again. His mood changed; his eyes were filled with a raging tension.

"Get that cloth off!" He roared and as soon as it was removed, he slapped Charlene hard.

"So you like to play rough huh? well then." He slapped her again then followed by another. Both were done to different sides of the cheeks. Charlene wanted to do another attempt of screaming but after being slapped three times in a row, she was burned out. It was too much to withstand, her face started to turn red after the fourth slap.

"Please....stop." She said right before the man could slap her for the fifth time. Her voice sounded weak. It was like a mix of sobbing and excessive panting.

Ed slowly regained half of his consciousness. He craned his neck to see the unpleasant state of Charlene. He tried to move his body from the foot that was pinning him down. Unfortunately, there wasn't even a slight progress to that.

"You ain't going nowhere." The man said. Ed ignored his words as he struggled to let his voice out.

"Let...her...go...please." His mouth felt dry but despite that, he managed to utter a few words that were enough to be heard. But it did not give any progress in terms of diverting the men's attention to him. Instead, he was treated with a heavy stomp to his back.

The man stopped slapping Charlene once after both sides of her cheek reddened. He then proceeded to where he first started. As he placed his hands back to her chest, he briskly ripped her shirt off without unbuttoning it.

"I tried to treat you nice but since you refused, I'll give you a rough one."

"Yeah and I'll be the next one boss since I'm the one who's giving an effort here." The person who primarily bound her added.

"Shut the fuck up! She's mine." The man growled angrily.

Charlene glared at the man as he hurried to undress her. Right after he got closer, she threw a quick spit aimed at his face. The man stepped back as it landed only to fuel him more with rage.

"You little...BITCH!" He then gripped his club as he lifted it up. Then swung it, thrashing Charlene's skull with a force powered by his anger. She stopped moving after that strong blow. Her eyes remained widely open. After being unbound, she immediately fell and was sent to the ground like an object being disposed.

Ed felt a strange sensation in his lungs as he panted more and more. He was shaking in complete fear just after hearing the sound of Charlene's skull smashed with a club and her body hitting the cold cement. He couldn't afford setting his sights on the scene but then again he had to know whether or not it was a trick played by his brain.

"You fucking killed her boss. YOU JUST FUCKING KILLED HER!" One of the men yelled. "That wasn't part of what we're supposed to do."

"It is now," The man said. "And if you're against it, you might as well join this boy as he will receive the same fate as this whore."

Time was running short as the men started to move towards Ed. They were likely to bind him up like they did to Charlene but Ed imagined something more brutal than what she faced. He closed his eyes while remaining still on the ground. One of the men grabbed his hair as their leader inched himself closer. His laughter was unbearable but there was nothing around Ed that could prevent him from hearing it.

"Let's see if you can still be a pretty boy if I beat you up." The man smiled, acting like he had no remorse on killing Charlene. Slowly, Ed was grabbed on both arms, forcing him to stand up but no action was further followed as the ground began shaking. It left the men frozen. The first wave was weak and abrupt but after a few seconds, another one followed and it was a quite stronger.

"What the fuck?" One of the men said.

The shaking grew stronger and stronger until it eventually caused streetlights to tremble continuously. Trash bins nearby boomed a clattering sound as they fell to ground in unison. As the men noticed, some of them released their grip on Ed and started backing away slowly. It was when a streetlight collapse to the ground that had them panicking.

"Shit! It's an earthquake. Let's get outta here."

Immediately, they scrambled altogether. The tremor stopped abruptly as they retreated. After that, Ed felt shattered. The immense power he gathered had affected him greatly. It was like being crushed by a boulder followed by another one. Charlene was the next one on his mind. Ed rolled his head to see her but his eyes were languid, preventing him to get a clear view. He tried to stay conscious for a moment but he was completely drained. All of a sudden, there were two figures who came rushing by. They were blurry and couldn't be identified from Ed's line of sight but he assumed they were poking Charlene's lifeless body. If they had the same motives as the men earlier, Ed knew he'd certainly die as there wouldn't be anything else he could do to stop them. It was the last thing he saw before losing his consciousness.

After the incident at the diner - thankfully the waitress seen the funny side, rather than hollering too the high heavens about being accosted by two pervy old men - Red and Nicky had ambled their way to work, a recording studio several blocks away. There they had met the agent of their latest clients, pop band Northern Lights.

Northern Lights where one of those pre-manufactured, tweeny-heart throb deals that sold records to teenage girls as much on their good looks as they did on their talent. The type of band that Simon Cowell lived for. Not that the boys sounded terrible, a double platinum debut album and sell out tours around the globe put paid to that rumour, they just weren't Red's cuppa java. Music had peaked with Elvis Presley in his opinion. Why settle for the rest when you've already heard the best? Sure, there'd been some good tunes since then, but it was like comparing a sixty watt bulb to the sun. No contest.

Anyway, Northern Light's were just putting the finishing touches on their highly anticipated second album The Way You Want it before heading off on another global tour, beginning with a week of shows at the Roger's center. Now Northern Light’s agent, Marcus St. Claire, felt that the boys could do with a little extra protection for their shows. After all, teenage girls can get right tenacious when trying to grab a piece of their idols. Vicious even. That's were Nicky came in.

Ever since leaving the military Nicky had made his fortune in personal security. He'd started out small time, building his company up brick by brick. Now he had sixty-three personnel working for him, most of them ex-military or police types, one of them Red. Nicky was currently hammering out the finer points of the Northern Lights deal with Marcus St.Claire, Red sitting in the next room. Nicky had insisted that the ex-marine join him mostly as a visual aid. He'd pointed out that people liked their security guards to be big, tough, vicious looking brutes. Nobody fitted that bill better than Red, so he'd been told to sit there and look tough as all hell. Red didn't know whether to be insulted or flattered.

He'd settled for the former.

Too help pass the time he had brought a paper with him, the Toronto Sun. News was just as bleak as it always was though. The two big pieces were about the storm of the millennium that was ravaging Crescent City and the unnamed virus infecting Toronto, though there were other, smaller stories that were no less 'cheery'. An article about folk going missing before showing up dead chief among them, sans several body parts. Looked like there was some kinda sick serial killer stalking the streets of Toronto. Most people would see a story like that and think to themselves 'What kind of depraved mind would you have to be inflicted with to do something like that?'. Not Red. He knew all he needed to about the sick minds of human beings. He just prayed that all that shit stayed far away from him. He'd had enough of that kind of excitement to last him a lifetime. Two, if he was being honest with himself.

The article was light on details. Obviously gone under some kind of police censorship. With everything else going on the cops wouldn't want to cause more panic by letting people get worked up about mad-axe killers among them. Still, there were enough lines to read between. There was no real rhyme or reason to the killings, or if there was the authorities didn't want them getting out. The killer was smart enough to cover their tracks. Probably someone the victims knew as there was no sign of struggle. Something wasn't right.

Red was just getting into the piece when he was called over by Nicky.

"What's going on Nicky?" He said.

"I've got this guy on the ropes, that's what's happening. Another twenty minutes and he'll be begging us to work for him. You might as well head on home buddy, not much for you to do here anymore." Nicky looked immeasurably pleased with himself and his latest deal. There was nothing in life Nicky loved more than 'wheeling and dealing', the barren land of negotiations being Nicky's home as much as the marines had been for Red.

"Didn't feel like there was much for me to do here in the first place." Grumbled Red.

"Oh, don't be like that big fella. Marcus was so impressed I managed to stuff a gorilla into a suit he pretty much capitulated straight off the bat." Nicky's self-satisfied grin was so encompassing at this stage that it was a wonder his head hadn't split in half.

"Har-de har." Red didn't have it in him to banter with Nicky any longer, instead just making for the exit.

"Bright and early tomorrow Mr Walker. Marcus says the Northern Light boys asked for you specifically after they seen you. Try not to bore them with your old war stories." That was Nicky. Always getting the last word, even when there was no one else challenging him for it.

Red hailed a cab, his route home taking him past Nathan's square. He really wished it hadn't when he seen what was going on. Dozens of people floating in mid-air, all looking terrified. The taxi driver couldn't force his way through the traffic, but he hardly seemed to notice as his attention was fixed on the gravity-challenged floaters. Shame that, as it made it damn easy for Red to donder out of his cab without paying his fare,

The big man's feet seemed to have a mind of their own, tramping him closer and closer to ground zero. He was dimly aware that this really wasn't his business, and he really shouldn't be getting involved, but he couldn't help himself. It was like watching a car crash in slow motion in that no matter how much he didn't want to he just couldn't take his eyes off the chaos. He was right on the rim of the gravity wells now, the police attempting to cordon off the area. There were people floating to his left, and on his right it looked like some great force was trying to squish them into the concrete. Only one man didn't look like he was being affected by the chaos. Red made a point of not looking at the bisected body.

Red was willing to bet his life savings that the guy who seemed to be the calm in the storm was a hype, and he was the one causing all the havoc. There was one clear solution to the situation to Red's mind. It was the kind of solution most folk would call 'final' though. There had to be a better way of going around this. Had to be.

"Hey! Mate! You need to calm down! Get yourself under control, NOW!" He began calling to the virus ridden hype.

June April Summers

---

Almost there. June was humming the lyrics to Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap along the way there. It was supposed a simple trip to the Square. However, hell, ever since she got these powers; nothing was ever simple anymore. The traffic had completely stopped. For the love of God, better not be another stupid accident. She thought to herself, as she slammed on the breaks of her bike. Just wait for things to clear up... or just find another way. She needed another cigarette. Thus, she reached in her pocket for a cigarette, but she found herself dropping it as she gazed upwards. "What the hell...?" The cigarette hit the ground, but started floating upwards. It was chaos. It was like gravity had... reversed itself. People and cars were floating around all crazy-like. It was anarchy. June saw it all in the distance, she wondered if she should just turn tail and run. Looks like it's her time to shine. June forgot about the cigaette for now as she reeved up the engine, and darted towards the chaos. June rushed ahead, but there was one big-ass gravity well in front of her, it was lifting people up. Damn. She wished she could help them, but her glass could do nothing against... What was that? She thought it was the forces of gravity. In any case, it was the direction of where ever people were going (Up or down) that told her where to avoid.

A Hype is doing this... June thought to herself as she swerved around another gravity well. June didn't have too much experience with Hyperhumans, but she knew that unnatural events like this was only the work of a Hyperhuman. June got closer and closer to the Square, however, she brought her motorcycle to a sliding stop. She saw the Hyper - what had to be the Hyper - behind all of this. He was loudly screaming about how he couldn't control it. She wondered how she was going to handle this. Should she try to knock him out from a distance with a pane of glass? Killing him wasn't an option. June looked around - Christ, is still bad. The police were blocking off the area. Probably waiting for some special forces to come and help. All while this fool was shouting at him...

.... Wait. It was Red, that old geezer who was in the diner. Him again? What was telling him to calm down going to accomplish? Damn near nothing. This old geezer should get out of here before he gets killed. June has a chance here. He doesn't. She rolled her eyes and looked around. The real question is how much glass is here...? Plenty. June didn't want to do anything overt yet, but she will if she has to. "Old man!" June shouted to him, "I don't think he's in too much of a position to listen!"

Shouting at the fella to calm down wasn't having no effect, or at least a noticeable one. For all intents and purposes the outta control hype was playing deaf. Terrific. That meant it was back to the drawing table for Red. Problem was the only alternative he could come up with was that 'final' solution that kept rattling away at the back of his head. His hands were stained enough without spilling more of the red stuff.

That's the thing with being with the forces. Sure, they teach you how to kill, a damn useful skill when you're huddled behind half inch thick plywood with 'bad guys' doing their darndest to fill you full of holes. The flip side of that is you can't be too surprised when that becomes your go to option for most of life's problems.

Red had the further handicap that he'd spent so long doing jobs for Constantine's Guard that he was halfway indoctrinated himself. Him, a hype of all people! So now, despite the fact he shared that special H-gene with the poor guy at the middle of this mess Red could still feel the inclination to paint the guy as the villain in this piece, when he was quite clearly as much a victim here as the folk caught in the gravity wells. It didn't hurt that this was almost exactly the scene that the Guard had been fearing since their inception, an irresponsible, out of control hype causing devastation.

"Old man! I don't think he's in too much of a position to listen!"

Red turned, a scowl painted on his face. He found the more people felt the need to remind him of his age the less likely he was to take heed of it himself. He was surprised to see it was the waitress from earlier. What the hell was she thinking she was doing, other than going the right way about getting herself hurt.

"It was worth a try," He called back to her. "And if I don't do something soon then he's gonna get put down. He's already killed someone already, you can be damn sure the cops won't let him do it again. Now get outta here, before you get yourself hurt."

He didn't wait for any further argument, instead taking a step forward, straight into the gravity well. The pressure was sudden and intense. He'd said that he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders enough in the past to actually start to think it was true. He knew the lie of that now. In all his life he'd never felt a weight like this. It was like the air all around him was trying to crush him into the dirt. Like being an ant squished under an invisible boot. With a pained groan he fell to his knees. He could almost hear his bones creaking.

It hurt, is the gist of it.

Luckily for Red, things hurting is his whole bag. He could feel strength flooding his limbs, making him feel young again. With another groan he pushed himself back up. Teeth clenched in effort he took one faltering step forwards. The another. Then another.

Towards the unknown hype.

"I'll put the paperwork through immediately then." Winter said with a smile. "How about I show you around our facilities here, wouldn't want you to get lost on your first day of work." Winter gestured as she guided Ruth from her office and began to make their way through the facility. Glass windows on the far side of the hallway overlooked a courtyard below as people walked about enjoying their coffee or lunch.

"The upper floors are primarily offices dealing with helping Hyperhumans out whether it's finding them employment or enrolling them into Pacific Royal Collegiate and University." She paused turning to Ruth. "We really should fly you out for a guest lecture sometime, history, science you have a wealth of knowledge that would be rather beneficial to the students." Coming to the bottom of another flight of stairs, Winter motioned to the tall white doors. "These are our labs and where you'll find yourself primarily working." Continuing the tour, Winter showed Ruth the various dining areas, restroom facilities and everything else she could think of that the 'young' woman would need to know about during her tenure with H.E.L.P. A beep from Winter's cellphone notified her that everything had gone through for Ruth's condo.

"And we're all done here for now. But in better news your condo is ready so I will send a driver to take you over to it. We've arranged for a fully furnished place for you but you're obviously free to change anything you don't like." Winter said as she escorted Ruth to her car. "The place isn't far from here, just on the other side of Nathan Phillips Square there might be some lunch rush getting over there but I can't see it taking any more than twenty minutes even in full rush. We'll see you tomorrow Miss Staton." Winter said as she left Ruth to the vehicle and headed back to her office.

---

Darting in and out of traffic, Zeke made his way towards his school as he tried to find the shortest way through the lunch rush. Going through the heart of the city probably had not been his best idea but he honestly didn't care if he made it on time on not at this point. Suddenly he was thrown from his bike as he collided with a gravity well. Magnetizing himself, Zeke pulled himself back to the ground as his bike continued to fly away on him. A scowl crossed his face as he looked around to see a man on his knees pleading with people to help him.

"I'll give you a hand." Zeke snapped as he pulled a quarter from his pocket, charging magnetic fields around it before he launched at the man, turning it to the flat side as it struck the man. The imapct shocking the man as suddenly the gravity fields dropped, Zeke's bike clattering to the ground.

"Seriously man?" He yelled. "Pull it together!" He snarled as he turned back towards his bike, picking it up to examine the damage before suddenly being pulled to the ground as he heard a sneeze. Gravity was crushing him now as the fields had reversed causing him to be pulled to the ground as his bike came down on top of him.

"Bastard!" He snarled as he struggled beneath the crushing weight.

June April Summers

---

Looks like the old-timer's got a real heart of gold. Where June has a soul of silver. That whole heart of gold nonsense will be the end of the old-man if he doesn't use his head. June swore she saw the end of him when he stepped into the gravity well. The cigarette fell from in between her lips, and almost on instinct, her palm shot right out. "Old man!" She screamed. She had expected the old-timer to get completely crushed... That's what she expected. Red got knocked down, but the bastard got right back up like it was nothing. He was some tough son of a bitch - but it made sense: He wouldn't have lasted this long if he wasn't. Still, these gravity wells are pinning down healthy young people in their prime. Hell, it was keeping cars pinned.... Wait - Red's a Hyper. That's the only thing that makes sense. Must have super-strength, or a superhuman body. Whatever. She'll be sure to probe him about his magic power later.

She had to deal with this guy herself.

June focused, and the glass through the area suddenly shattered and drop to the ground. She controlled the glass as if it was an extension of herself. Focusing her will through it in order to move it. The shattered shards spun around her as if it was a tornado. Whatever glass that wasn't being forced under the gravity wells, of course. June had to quickly think of something. However, she was blindsided again. Another guy came in, apparently floating down. June didn't know if he was a hype or not, but he threw a coin at the bastard hard enough to stop the wells. Before they came back on and he got pinned under the sheer weight. Which gave June an idea.

June gathered as much as she could, and formed one, basketball-sized, orb. It formed right in front of herself. June sighed, before she propelled it at high speeds towards the out-of-control Hype's face. Hoping to take him out.

"Sonuvagun."

Sam watched as the other Hypes at the plaza took control of the situation, or at least tried to. There was one girl that could control glass over there, another young man who apparently was magnetic there, and the lone old man in the center struggling under the immense fields of gravity that the out-of-control Hype was putting out. It was quite a struggle, and if he could've added something he would, but physical prowess was needed here, not number manipulation.

After the debacle back at his store, Sam had decided to close shop for the day. Charlie's repairman showed up earlier than he'd expected, and with a bit of talking to he'd convinced the feller to take care of his TV fixture for cheap. The guy said he'd be a while, so Sam locked up for the afternoon, taking the keys to the gun cabinets with him but leaving the security shutters open and the key to those on the counter. He trusted Charlie's guys. They were good stuff. He'd left the shop in the repairman's capable hands and gone on a little walk downtown. He had nothing else to do today anyway, so he'd grabbed his hat, shined his boots and left. His rambling walk took him on a cruise straight to the Square where the news was happening, much to his chagrin, and here he was, among the crowd, watching in awe as three other Hypes stepped forward, one after another, each bringing their own powers to the table to try and stop the guy that was out of control. He wanted to do something, really did too, but what could he do?

Idea.

He nudged his way through the crowd to get to the front. There, he had a better view of the chaos. The lady was a glass manipulator, this much he could see, and both the young man and the older man ahead of him were being crushed by the immense gravity wells, but the young man was worse off, seeing as how the older guy was looking to be more a tank than anything else. Another issue was that the younger man was also underneath a heavy motorbike. The lady was apparently trying to distract or knock out the gravity guy, so that left Sam with the pressing issue of saving the young man's life. Right. The question was how. Sam knew he couldn't simply make the bike fall to pieces, that might send something into the poor guy instead of saving him, so the problem laid with the gravity guy. He had absolutely no idea on what to do with him, save that the guy looked like death warmed over, pale and probably sick to the gills. Easy as pie, just like the crackhead from the shop. Sam fiddled with the probabilities that the poor guy would pass out before he did even more damage and wound them up to the max, and just like the aforementioned crackhead, the floating man passed out in midair, his power turning off as he dropped to the ground like a rock. He immediately went for the young man being crushed by the motorbike and grabbed onto it, trying his hardest to haul it off of him before the unconscious Hype woke up, for even though he'd made the guy pass out he didn't know for how long.

It was a race against time.

"C'mon son, out with ya, gotta getcha outta there 'fore that fella over there wakes up. I don't know how long he'll be out."