Sherman Square, Lost Haven

Several days after the Umbraxis Incident

Some time had passed since the riots plagued Lost Haven's streets, but the city was still feeling the effects of the attack. Laura pulled her dark polyester blend military coat tighter around her body to protect herself from the biting, chilly winds. The coat had belonged to her great grandfather during the First World War; she hadn't been born yet to ever meet the man herself, but her dad and grandpa had spoken very fondly of him. She was ecstatic to receive the coat as a gift for her eighteenth birthday. It would have been given to her brother, but Harvey was a couple of inches too tall to wear it comfortably. Now that he had grown to 6'2, it certainly wouldn't fit. Neither would any of the rest of the guy's clothes. Which was where Laura and Harvey had been that afternoon...Shopping. Laura glanced to her left at her brother, who was decked out in his new jeans and a rather fashionable grey overcoat. He was still wearing that stupid grin on his face, too, that he had on since they left for the mall earlier. "Would you stop smiling? You look like an idiot." She hissed. Shopping was one of the woman's least favorite activities. She hated wasting money on new clothing; after all, what did she need a dozen different pairs of shoes for? In Laura's mind, all she needed were her sneakers, some all-purpose hiking boots and a pair of slippers for nights out. That was it. Harvey wasn't a shopoholic by any stretch. He was indifferent to the entire affair. What he really liked, however, was spending time with his younger sister.

Harvey continued to smile, despite his sister's complaining. "Ah, come on. Lighten up! We beat Umbraxis; he won't be back for a long time." Harvey paused, a mischievious look crossing his face. "Are you just jealous that I'm faster than you?" Laura scowled and immediately put up her defenses. "Pfft! Like I care about your speed. I just think we should be trying to track down the origins of this Umbraxis creature and find out where it came from and why its so interested in earth. Not wasting our time buying you new clothes because you're suddenly six foot two." The Smith kids turned the corner and stopped in front of their apartment building. Harvey pushed the double glass doors (now covered in metal reinforcement) open and waltzed into the lobby and toward the stairs. "How do you propose we follow Umbraxis' path to his origin point, oh master detective, hmm? You get access to the hubble telescope recently? Or did your boyfriend build you a spaceship?" Laura followed after her brother, picking up the pace and climbing the stairs alongside him.

"How many times do I have to tell you that nothing is going on between Terry and I? We're just partners. Guy's a dork anyway. He's not my type."

"Who said anything about Terry?" Harvey grinned. Laura gave him the dirtiest look she could muster. "Hey, you brought him up." Laura pushed past her older brother and pulled out her house key, stabbing it into the lock and turning the bolt. The old door creaked open, allowing the two to enter their apartment. Harvey headed towards his bed room to put his new clothes away. At the same time, Laura crossed into the living room and took a seat on the couch. A small scrap of paper sat in the center of the coffee table, next to a pile of files and a half empty mug of old coffee. Laura raised an eyebrow and picked up the paper, glancing it over in a microsecond. She didn't recognize the hand writing. What was written upon it, however, scared her.

Greetings, hero and heroine,

My employer, Christopher Arthur III, wishes to officially invite you to a meeting with other metahumans in order to discuss recent events. Please meet us at Settler's Clearing over in Royal Park. We look forward to meeting you all and we hope you all will come.

Sincerely,

Minerva

"Harvey!" She called frantically. The speedster appeared in a blur of blue and silver light, standing behind the couch and looking over his sister's shoulder. "What's up?" He said calmingly. Thunderbolt could tell his sister was distressed. Her voice had a way of going up a pitch whenever she was scared. "Read this." She said, and shoved the paper into his face. Harvey read the note at the speed of an SR-71 Blackbird. "What the hell?" He muttered. "Someone knows. They know who we are."

"It's a trap. Has to be. We should call May. Or Icon."

"They might already be going. It mentions other metahumans. Heroes, presumably."

"Who's Christopher Arthur III?"

Thunderbolt suddenly disappeared before Boom's eyes. He reappeared a moment later, jumping over the couch. He placed his laptop on the coffee table. Harvey's fingers raced rapidly over the surface of the keyboard like lightning. Their 200 down internet connection was having trouble keeping up as Harvey Smith combed the internet for information on the name. Less than five seconds after he began, he pressed the computer towards Laura and told her what he'd read. "Playboy billionaire. Spends a whole lot of money on archaeology. Has a thing for ancient Greece. Inherited the Knight's Corps from his parents. Apparently, his dad cheated on his mom, who later killed him out revenge and then herself."

"A bit dark. Sounds like a super villain in the making."

"Or a super hero. Look at his company's financial history. He's been sinking a major portion of his profits into some secret project for years now. But the spending has tripled in recent times. The same month Chris was rumored to have been visited by officials from STRIKE."

"You said he was into the ancient Greeks, right? Look at this. STRIKE's Daedalos project cropped up on various conspiracy theorists just a year after Arthur allegedly met with STRIKE. He received his Masters degree in Robotics at the age of eighteen. Giant flying robot inspired by Greek culture working for STRIKE, that just so happens to have appeared soon after Chris here was seen with STRIKE? Can't be a coincidence. Chris must have secret contracts with STRIKE that he isn't telling anyone about. This guy's developing world-level weapons for a clandestine intelligence agency and nobody knows about it!"

"Let's not jump to any conclusions. We filled in a whole lot of holes with complete conjecture. We'd need more than two minutes of web searching to find anything more than these cursory similarities."

Laura closed the laptop. "You don't think I know that? Who's the journalist here?" She stood and raced to the back of the apartment, rummaging through her closet. "I'm a cop, Laura. I know a case when I see one; but there must be a reason that no one's made the connection before now. The path either fizzles out or it leads somewhere too dangerous to go. We shouldn't go messing with STRIKE, or some billionaire." Laura emerged from her room, dressed as Boom. "We're going to talk to the guy ourselves, then. He gave us an invitation. Let's take him up on it."

Boom sped out of the apartment building, making a beeline for Settler's Clearing. Harvey groaned and tossed on his own costume, running after her.

Solomon Grundy always loved train rides. He didn't know why, but the constant hum of the tracks beneath the cars and the methodical movement of the locomotive felt so very familiar. So when Professor Ivo told Grundy that he and Star Sapphire would be robbing a train, he quickly accepted. Sapphire was apprehensive about the idea of working with a giant lumbering zombie, but once the two were acquainted, she seemed willing to give it a go. The two villains now sat side by side on a train from the Metro-North railroad, chugging swiftly down the North Haven line. The two of them were in disguise, of course. A pair of super villains waltzing onto a train holding precious cargo wouldn't fly with the cops. Ivo informed the two that ARGUS was using the passenger train to secretly transport the head of his android, AMAZO. Apparently Ivo had hired numerous teams of villains to rob various other ARGUS facilities of AMAZO parts as well. The operations were meant to take place simultaneously, something that Star Sapphire explained meant at the same time. This confused Grundy. But he went along with the plan anyway. He wasn't exactly known for his brains and he accepted that fact.

Another thing that confused Grundy was the disguise he'd been given by Professor Ivo. It was some sort of special wrist watch; but it didn't tell time or nothin'. It just kinda sat there and looked pretty. Ivo had said that it did something along the lines of creating an optical illusion around Solomon Grundy's body. It was meant to make him appear semi-normal. Grundy wondered how that worked. What did "semi-normal" mean? He was a 7'5, 517 pound hulking monster of swamp junk. What would that look like to normal people? Solomon turned his massive head to the side, looking at Star Sapphire. She didn't need a fancy watch. All she wore were some normal people clothes that obscured her face. She still dressed in mostly pink, though. Must be a habit of hers. Sapphire lowered her sunglasses to glare at Grundy, silently telling him off for staring. So the bleached giant turned away and examined the rest of the train car they were in. There were plenty of other passengers. A pair of children were playing with action figures nearby. A very round man was sleeping, his head rested on his neighbor's shoulder. That was all normal. But the two men standing at the back of the train, garbed in black combat fatigues and wielding high-powered assault weapons, did not look normal. They must be the ARGUS agents that Ivo warned Grundy and Star Sapphire about.

One of the guards turned towards Grundy and silently returned his stare. The zombie spun back around, sliding down his seat. Maybe he wouldn't notice Grundy if Grundy slouched. Star Sapphire did something that sounded like a combination of a groan and a sigh. Maybe Grundy shouldn't slouch so much. Slouching was bad for Grundy's posture; that's what the Calculator had told him. He trusted the Calculator; the Calculator was a very smart man. He knew what he was talking about. He told Grundy so. That is why Solomon believed him. He could never imagine that the Calculator would have lied to him. Liars were not very nice. But Calculator was nice to Grundy. So he couldn't be a liar.

Star Sapphire pulled a cellphone from her pocket and looked at the time. She nudged Grundy's arm, and then motioned with her head toward the two ARGUS guards at the back of the train. Grundy nodded. He understand what the pink lady wanted. They had gone over the plan before they got on the train. Solomon Grundy forced himself out of the tiny train car seat and stood up to his full height. He moved to the back of the train car, approaching the humorless ARGUS soldiers. "Uhhhh." Grundy started. Wait. What was the plan? He was supposed to say something. Uh oh. Star Sapphire told him to remember this part. It was something simple. What was it? "What?" The guard asked sharply. This caused Grundy to panic. He didn't know what to say. Well, it was time for plan B. Grundy socked the guard in the jaw, sending him crumbling to the floor, unconscious. The second guard went for his rifle but Solomon was faster, grabbing a hold of the ARGUS agent's face and tossing him to the other side of the train.

People panicked and screamed. Grundy tried to hush a nearby child who had begun to cry. Star Sapphire floated out of her seat, her clothes changing in a flash of pink light into her more familiar lantern uniform. "You idiot!" She yelled as he approached the back of the train. "You were supposed to ask them where the bathroom was. Not punch him in the face!" Grundy shrugged. "Grundy sorry. I forgot the plan." Star Sapphire groaned. She fired a bright coral-colored energy bolt into the door, blowing it off its hinges. "Just grab the head. We'll talk about this later. Ugh. _{Can't believe I got stuck with you.}"

Solomon Grundy ducked underneath the door frame and made his way into the back of the train. This part of the locomotive was supposedly restricted to civilian passengers; there was a hefty fine and possible imprisonment involved if someone was caught snooping around back here when they weren't supposed to be. A trio of ARGUS agents were standing around the room, examining various metal crates and wooden boxes. They turned to face the attacking super villains when the door came flying off its hinges, crashing into a shelf and knocking down its contents. Bullets were fired. A deafening roar echoed throughout the tiny train car as the guards pulled their firearms. Solomon Grundy charged forward, stomping on the spilled cargo and slamming into the ARGUS men. He thrashed the soldiers, their bullets bouncing off his hardened skin without the slightest tickle.

"Grundy crush you!"

The zombie slapped the last of the guard into the wall, his head whipping backwards into the metal siding. He fell to the floor, unconscious. Star Sapphire hovered lazily behind Grundy as they moved into the next car. There, the villain team encountered seven more ARGUS troopers. They didn't last long, with Star Sapphire easily blocking their weapons fire with her auto-shields and knocking them about using her ring's constructs. Grundy helped too, his physical dominance proving too much for the agents to handle. None of their weapons were even putting a scratch on the Justice League-level threats. Grundy and Sapphire reached the final car, the caboose, within twenty minutes. There they encountered the worst of the resistance. The ARGUS guards had set up a tripod mounted laser cannon and were armed with various types of grenade launchers and .50 caliber machine guns. Grundy charged head first into the room, tanking the constant heat of the laser all the way in. He smashed one of his giant fists into the weapon, turning it to splinters with a single strike. Star Sapphire blasted away a group of ARGUS men armed with machine guns during her entrance. These guys lasted about...a minute and a half longer than everyone else.

There was only a single crate in the room. Star Sapphire flew over to it, pushing it off the shelf into Grundy's waiting arms. "Let's get this thing back to Ivo before anyone else shows up." She said. Grundy nodded, smiling. "No heroes will catch Grundy. He is-"

Just then, the entire train shook.

Someone was on the roof.

| Identity |
Captain Atom/Nathaniel Adam

| Origin & Backstory |
Include proper historical background that doesn't contradict setting or pre-approved CSs. Given the nature of the game, if you are playing a really established hero (such as Wonder Woman) who has been around for sometime please detail it consistently. Bolding or coloring these points such as years detailed are a good start.

| Attributes |
Invincibility: Captain Atom is extremely durable and can survive even the most harmful conditions without injury. His lack of a normal human physiology mean that he can survive on space, requires no food, water or sleep. The Dilustel metal that makes up Nathaniel's "skin" is a living organism that has attached itself to Captain Atom, and constantly feeds off his nigh-endless pool of energy to survive. In turn, the organism protects Captain Atom from all harm. If the Dilustel were to be too severely damaged, the resulting release of energy would cause an explosion of cataclysmic size.

Quantum Field Manipulation: Nathaniel possesses the ability to control and manipulate quantum fields. This ability allows him to transmute organic and inorganic matter, manipulate energy to his will, and is the source for his many other powers. His power's potential is only limited due to Nathaniel's strict morals, knowledge of Quantum Fields and the high sciences in general as well as his imagination. By the same token, Captain Atom's body is susceptible to manipulation using these same Quantum Fields. A scientist of significant pedigree could find a way to turn Nathaniel Adam into an unwilling weapon of mass destruction.

Energy Manipulation: Captain Atom is being made of energy, encased in living metal. He is able to expel that energy in various ways, including but not limited to: heat vision, ranged energy attacks, enhanced physical strength, flight, transmutation of energy into matter, force field generation, invisibility, phasing through solid objects, and what could be considered warping reality as we know it.

| Character Notes |
Is there anything you want to elaborate on? Extra lore for the city you call home? Notable NPCs? Basically this is for people who want their application to be more of a compendium for their NPCs, Locations, and Rogues specific to this new continuity. Optional.

| Character Goals |
Give me an idea on what you plan on doing with the character in the game.

| Sample Post |
Please post a sample post. It does not have to be overly long, I just want an example of your writing.

"Something's happening. The trains have been disconnected. What the hell-" Star Sapphire was interrupted by the arrival of the infamous Batman, who swung into the train's interior with a poise swiftness and skill that paid homage to the man's training. Before either of the super criminals could react, the Dark Knight chucked a handful of bat-shaped explosives into Solomon Grundy's substantially bulky arms. The grenades went off, their deafening sound enhanced by the tiny space inside the train. Overwhelmed by the sudden cacophony, Grundy dropped the crate containing Amazo's head and pressed his huge palms against his ears. If Grundy had been a lesser villain, the batarangs would have blown holes into his limbs. But Solomon Grundy had tangled with the Man of Steel. It took more than a couple of firecrackers to hurt him.

“Grundy. Leave now and we don’t have to do this. Ivo is using you.”

The Bat-Man thought he knew so much. He thought he was so smart. But Grundy knew better. The Bat-Man was wrong. Ivo was Grundy's friend. He promised to make Grundy rich if Grundy helped him rebuild Amazo. Solomon Grundy liked money. It's how he paid for his Super Friends Trading Card collection.

"You not know what you are talking about, Batman! Ivo is Grundy's friend. But Batman is not Grundy's friend. Batman hurt Grundy! So Grundy hurt Batman!"

At first glance, one would think the rotting, miry body of Solomon Grundy was heavy. One would think this made the zombie slow. But that was not the case. The dirty, porcelain-colored giant charged across the train with surprising speed. A short leap allowed Grundy to close the final gap between himself and Batman. The monster transferred the previously built-up momentum into his fist, which he crashed through the train floor mere moments after the Batman dodged out of the way. Solomon Grundy grunted and growled in frustration, and tore his hand out of the bottom of the train, rending the metal further. "Stay still, little Bat! Let Grundy smash you!" The swamp beast slammed a hand into his chest, pulling out a butcher knife. He tossed it at Batman. He followed up the ranged attack with a second knife taken from the inside of his corpse, before dashing forward once more and striking out with a sweeping punch. This time, the force of Grundy's attack exploded the side of the train open. Wind rushed inside, and the lighter objects scattered about the train car were thrown into the air and out the gaping out.

"Oops." Grundy muttered, his voice lost in the sound of the wind.

"You idiot! Watch where you're swinging!" Star Sapphire called. She'd finally snapped out of her surprise at Batman's arrival and grabbed the crate. The pink lantern took flight, carrying the precious cargo in an energy bubble behind her as she exited the train through the hole. Grundy continued to attack the Dark Knight, unaware that his partner was considering leaving him behind. After a moment of flying alongside the speeding train, Star Sapphire decided that Grundy's trust was a small price to pay for Ivo's paycheck. So Star Sapphire reared away from the locomotive and headed towards the west. She thought she was home free. But Sapphire was unaware that Batman was not the only hero who had responded to her attack on ARGUS. She was fast, but not fast enough to escape the wrath of Jesse Quick.

It was then that Solomon Grundy noticed the bright pink trail of light leading away from the train. "Huh?" He questioned. The big creature turned away from Batman momentarily, glancing around the cabin. His partner was gone! "Where she go?" He asked. "Where box go?!" Grundy panicked when he noticed the missing crate. "Did Bat-Man take box and partner?!" Grundy yelled angrily. "Grundy smash you if you did!"

Origin: DCU (Injustice: GAU)
Faction Type: Fascist New World Order
Leader: Superman

Population: 10,000

Faction Rank: (work in progress, the GM will give you this)
Color: color=ed1c24
Assigned GM:
Starting Area:

Faction Introduction:
(Introduce your faction to us in brief. Who are they? Why are they in Worluk? What is their objective? etc. Keep it brief but informative.)

Faction Features:
Gods Among Us: The MEF is led by the most powerful beings on planet earth. It takes nothing short of a ballistic missile (or, ya know, kryptonite) to even put a scratch on Superman. The rest of the former Justice League are admittedly less powerful than him but have power to rival fleets and armies on their own.

Secure and Safe: The people of the Regime have nothing to fear from anything. House fires, muggers or even nuclear war are all impossibilities under the watchful eye of their Kryptonian overlord. No one locks their doors when they sleep. Not a single civilian owns a firearm, despite there being a (admittedly very, very complicated) system that would allow them to purchase and own one for the sake of self defense. The rare crime that does occur within the MEF comes in the form of public intoxication, using recreational drugs in drug-free zones, or graffiti. Batman's resistance is the only measurable threat to Superman's New World Order; but even Batman, master of stealth, finds great difficultly in even hiding from Superman. Led alone launching attacks on the RSF.

Sort of Completely Crazy: The most powerful being on the planet is a sociopath and a murderer, who obsesses over his dead wife and unborn child (whom he mistakenly killed with his own two hands) and is generally seen as nuts, paranoid and extremely lethal when pissed off. Discomfort of Superman's steadily worsening actions grows within the ranks of Kal-El's lieutenants. For some, the straw that broke the camel's back isn't too far off. Perhaps its just around the corner...Needing one more push...

Freedom? What's that?: There is no privacy in the Regime. Superman is no respecter of persons. If he believes you're a threat, you will be thrown in the darkest hole he can find until the day you die or you become a non-threat. The general populace does not love the Man of Steel as they once did. Rather, they fear him and his power. They would happily accept the toppling regime. Of course, no one ever says this out loud. Not when your leader has super hearing. Questioning the Regime is frowned upon. Those who question Superman find themselves subtly bullied into either shutting up, or losing their livelihood.

Military:
Regime Security Force: The Regime's Security Force is the primary source of policing in Superman's Regime. Security personnel possess weapons and training similar to modern U.S infantrymen, as well as additional training in the areas of police work. The Security Force acts not only as the military but also as law enforcement; in fact, the RSF is rarely involved in any military actions due to the immense power of the Regime's heroes. The RSF is 1,000 men strong and uses a fleet of a hundred armored vehicles to patrol MEF bases and vessels, preventing petty crimes and reminding citizens of how safe they are if they stay indoors.

Moravia had such a beautiful countryside. Rolling hills, expansive woodland and fields upon fields of golden wheat dotted the coast of the fascist state. The warm climate of the region made it perfect for farming. Numerous plantations peppered the coast, taking full advantage of the wetter areas of Moravia for their rich soil and natural fresh water sources. One such plantation was owned by Bryan Williams II. Bryan was an aging gentleman who fretted over his increasingly gray temples and beard, and a farmer of a decade and three long years. He and his wife Elizabeth had raised twelve children together, home schooling them and giving them work on the farm. After all, Bryan could use all of free farm hands he could get, what with the newly developed ache in his back. The oldest of the Williams was Jennifer. She had turned twenty three two days. The second oldest, Timothy, was due to inherit the plantation whenever his father passed. Timothy was a bit of pain but he was reliable and hardworking. The kind of man Bryan could trust his land with. All 500 acres of it. 500 acres of rolling wheat and blossoming corn, watched over by ten local boys that worked as farm hands. They lived in the nearby market town of Yenia, a small town of only four hundred where local farming communities gathered to do their business. The town was recently connected to one of Moravia's many railroads, offering the farmers a much more efficient means of transporting their goods than trucks and trailers.

The sun was beginning to set. Bryan stepped out of his home and onto the front porch, ringing the bell to call in his kids from the fields. Mary and Martha rounded the corner, the first to arrive. "Mom's almost got supper ready, gals. Get washed up right quick." He told them. Mary and Marth were the Williams' nine year old twins. The girls rushed inside and upstairs to the bathroom, where they would get ready for supper and eventually bed. James was the next child Bryan spotted. James appeared over the edge of the roof of the barn, a book under his arm. "How many times do I have to tell you to stay off the roof?!" Bryan yelled up. James' head fell downwards as he shimmed down a pipe and jumped into a nearby hay bail. Farmer Williams scowled at his fourteen year old son once he reached the porch. "There's plenty o' other places to read, Jimmy. No need to break a hole in the roof and both yer legs. Now get inside. It's dinner time."

One by one, the rest of Bryan's children flocked to the house at the sound of the bell. Timothy was the most exhausted of the bunch. He'd worked pretty much all day with the farm hands to prepare the crop for harvest. They'd be perfect for harvest in a few short weeks; which is when the real work would start. "Nice job, boy." Bryan smiled and slapped Tim on the shoulder as he walked up the steps, covered in sweat and grime. "Thanks, pa. We'll be ready for harvest. I can feel it." Bryan nodded and followed James inside. "Oh yeah. No need to worry. You and the other boys are doing a fine job. A fine job indeed." Bryan paused. He was searching for the words he'd need for this next part. "Listen, Timmy, I was thinking. I'm startin' 'ta get old. Can barely lift two sacks of feed anymore. I was thinkin'-"

A sharp scream echoed over the quiet plantation. That was a sound Bryan recognized from anywhere. Papa Williams broke dashed toward the door, grabbing his shotgun out of the gun case nearby before sprinting outside and leaping off the porch. "Billy!" He cried. Timothy ran into the kitchen. "Jen!" He yelled. "Get the medicine bag! Somethin's up with Billy." Jennifer dropped what she was doing and tossed her apron to the side. She retrieved her medkit and Tim pulled a revolver from a nightstand. The two young adults moved as fast as their legs would carry them after their father, who was booking it. Tim was always surprised when his dad ran. You'd think someone his age would be slow; at least a little bit. But Bryan Williams could bloody run. Blood pumped through Bryan's arms and legs. His muscles contracted and retracted violently, threatening to tear under the stress. The old man's lungs' rapid rise and fall shot oxygen into his blood, keeping ol' Bryan moving at the pace of a cheetah. "Billy!" He yelled once more. His voice was more hoarse this time around. More sharp, too. It sounded of desperation and fear.

Billy was the only twelve year old in the world who wasn't afraid of anything. No snake or dog would make that boy scream; so whatever he'd seen, it was very real. And very, very bad. James was more the boy who cried wolf; but not Billy. There was no response to Bryan's calls. No more screams, either. That terrified Bryan even more. When his boy was screaming bloody murder, Bryan knew he was alive. He knew he could breathe. But the silence was utterly deafening. The farmer stopped in his tracks as he reached the woods. Bears and wolves were common in this part of Moravia. And things far more sinister were said to wander up from the south. Ogres, specifically. Bryan's father, the original Bryan Williams, had been eaten by an ogre. Those sadistic monsters could barely be considered people. The worst part? Bryan's shotgun wouldn't do much good against an Ogre. Buckshot couldn't knock down something that big. Not for very long.

But his son was in there, damn it. So Bryan sucked in his gut and shuffled between the trees. He moved as quickly as he could while still checking his corners, his finger on the trigger. "Billy?" He said softly. Not too far ahead, the farmer noticed a clearing. He picked up the pace, stepping between bushes and entering the clearing. His heart dropped into his stomach as he stopped in his tracks. There, a hulking mass of scales and teeth stood hunched over his son. The creature's mouth was stained red, a hole torn in the middle of Billy's chest. Bryan let loose a wordless cry, lifting his shotgun to his eye. Moments before he fired, however, a huge hand wrapped around his throat. The farmer felt himself being effortlessly lifted off the ground and his body thrown into a nearby tree. The troll rag dolled the smaller human, beating him into the soft dirt until Bryan's face was nothing but crimson mush.

A pair of Troll sentries gunned down the approaching Jennifer and Timothy, hitting both the humans between the eyes with pinpoint accurate rifle fire. Captain Thraggzon Teefnet jumped out of the trees, landing with a thud in the clearing. He scoffed in disgust at Specialist Torgal Redheap, the Troll currently devouring the body of Billy. "I can't comprehend how you find raw human flesh edible, much less delicious." Torgal stood from the body, wiping his face with his sleeve. "What can I saw? I'm a traditionalist." Torgal chuckled. The Trolls marched silently out of the woodland, entering the open for the first time in three months. "Ah, open air. I forgot what you tasted like." Sergeant Garz Nugg said with a smirk.

Captain Teefnet pushed his way to the front, resting his machine gun over his shoulder. "Torgal. Throgg. Jekk. Grab your torches and get to pillaging. I want all these fields ablaze in two hours. We hit the next plantation in six. Garz, take your squad and wipe out the rest of those Machakans before they can get away. Lieutenant Yawe shoulda cut their power by now anyway; so there's no way they got a call out. Staff Corporal Thrag, get over 'ere. Tell Lieutenant Kipnad to take third platoon further north n' hit the farms over there. I want news soon as fourth and second platoons reach Yenia. Tell 'em to hold position in the forests 'till third and first can regroup with them. We shouldn't be more than ten hours if things move smoothly." Torgal, Throgg, Jekk and Garz put their hands on their hearts and stood at attention. "Praise Doyia!"

snip

Corrigan Rec Center
October 31st, 2025
9:55 AM

The sound of flesh impacting against metal reverberated across the Recreational Center's fitness section. S'tann had sneaked (read: phased) inside yesterday after his classes, his mind stuck on the A.R.C Session and his failure as a leader. He'd spent the last thirteen or so hours pushing his body to the absolute limit. There is success to be found in adversity, after all. The Martian's fist collided with the metahuman punching bag, knocking the thirty ton hunk of metal backwards with the force of his hits. Sweat dripped from his jade jaw line, staining his Martian robes in salt water. S'tann had under performed. He could have done so much more for the team. Even with half of them hesitating, refusing to go on even before the power outage, S'tann could have doubled down and taken out the Suicide Squad. Well. He could at the very least have tried. S'tonn took a step back, unleashing a butterfly kick on the defenseless device. The machine swung up, slammed into the ceiling and cracked the concrete with its momentum and force. The punching bag came falling back down and swung in the opposite direction, and smashed the distracted Legacy right in the nose.

"Fuck!"

Martian Boy placed a palm against his face, silently cursing in every language he knew. A chuckle escaped from the mouth of an unseen bystander. Jason Todd appeared from around the corner and leaned against the wall. He had the stupidest 'you're an idiot' grin on his face. "What?" S'tann practically spat before he stood up to his full height and let go of his nose. "Don't you have anything better to do?" Jason shrugged. "Nothing this entertaining." The guy was as irritating an asshole as he was a terrifying vigilante. "Screw you." S'tann muttered. He turned back to the punching bag, striking it once more. This time he was aware enough to move out of the way. "That anyway to talk to your teacher?" Todd asked. "I'm sorry. I meant 'Screw you, sir.' Any better?" The coach scowled. He obviously wasn't used to being talked back to. Especially not from students. "Why you little piece of-" Red Hood started. He stopped himself, taking in a deep breathe. Chancellor Gordon, or whatever the hell she was calling herself these days, wasn't at all impressed with the former Robin's colorful vocabulary. One of the compromises of his employment involved Mr. Todd attempting to censor himself.

Or so the gossip went.

"Just get out of my gym. You're supposed to be at breakfast and I haven't opened the doors to students yet. When the hell'd you get in here?"

S'tann stopped beating on the punching bag and glanced over at Jason Todd. "What time is it?"

The coach checked his watch. "Almost ten."

"Well, I got here at nine o' clock-"

"-That's it-"

"-Last night."

"Oh."

"Mhm."

"Just get out." Jason sighed. He was visibly tired. Mornings were rough on everyone, it seemed. Although Jason's night owl activities he was so accustomed to most likely didn't help the matter. S'tann grabbed the punching bag, halting its momentum. He turned towards the exit and started to make it way toward the door, but he decided to stop once he stood next to Todd. "Don't open the broom closet, by the way. I got a little...carried away." Legacy smirked and continued on his way. "The broom closet...?" Red Hood muttered, making his way to the back of the fitness center toward a door on the far wall. S'tann S'tonn phased through the door and made his way towards his dorm. There was a faint sound of damaged gym equipment spilling over the floor, and a much less faint "FUCKING ALIENS." from the beloved coach.

---
S'tonn/Luthor Dormitory
October 31, 2025
10:15 AM

There was nothing more rejuvenating than a warm shower and a moment with the "Call of the Rogues" album by the Pied Pipers. They were a new indie group that wrote about the various big baddies of the world. This particular album was their first one, about the gang of super criminals who fought the Flashes. It was their best work, in S'tann's opinion. They were quite a versatile little band. S'tann stepped out of the shower, turning off the water to the shower, S'tann shape shifted into his human form and stepped into the hall. As he walked, his clothes formed around him to his usual attire. His body was attuned to the molecular make up of this particular outfit, and as such required much less concentration and energy to create and maintain. He briefly wondered if Julian had noticed S'tann's absence last night. Or if Luthor had gone into the dorms at all. S'tann stepped through the wall and into the light of day, feeling the cool air against his face. Earth was so very cold. He'd never get used to that. Mars was always warm; the Vega system was warmer than this shit.

S'tann sighed; a bad idea, considering the sharp pain now running through his side. Legacy placed a tender hand against his ribs. Stewart's explosives had been far more powerful than the Martian would have liked. If he hadn't shielded the rest of the team...well, there'd be a lot of broken bones. S'tann made his way towards the mess hall, dodging through various clicks on his way to feed the grumbling monster in his stomach. He'd need to grab a coffee, too, if he wanted to stay awake in his first hour class. No doubt S'tann would be kept awake tonight too, what with it being Halloween and all. Ugh. Halloween. The Martian despised it. What was the point? He could look identical to anything in the known galaxy. And he could get candy whenever he desired. The only decent function of the day was to allow S'tann to fuck with people. Even then, that was something he could do any day. The only mildly different event would be the dance being held later that night. Dancing was a waste of time too. A bunch of oddly dressed fools drunkenly stumbling to the most bland, annoying, mainstream music the "DJ" could find.

Basically, earth sucks. But S'tann already knew that.

S'tann waltzed through the glass walls of the cafeteria and grabbed himself a plate full of bacon, eggs and pancakes. And a coffee cup the size of the Eiffel Tower. The Martian shuffled through the throngs of people, looking for somewhere he could sit. There were plenty of tables with seats open; however, he didn't know three fourths of the people sitting at them. Despite what he may say, S'tann still required social interaction to stay sane. So the Martian floated through the mess hall, looking around for a place to go. He noticed Mari waving to someone that most certainly couldn't be him and decided that was as good a place as any to start. He took a seat on the opposite side of the table to her, shuffling to the edge of the bench. "Having a bearable morning, I assume? You haven't killed yourself, so that's a plus." He said before stuffing his face full of deliciousness.

Leader: All-Father Odin Borson

Reason For Being Here: The World Eater, Galactus, has fallen in battle. His death has freed the great death entity known as Abraxas from his chains. Abraxas sought revenge against Eternity for imprisoning him and lashed out against the multiverse, the life force of Eternity. Solar systems were shattered by a swing of his arm. Galaxies burned in impossible fire when he spoke. There was no escaping the destruction of the universes. The heroes of earth and beyond put up a combined front in an effort to stop the malevolent monstrosity. For months, the might of all the multiverse held the beast at bay. But without Galactus' might, they only delayed the inevitable. Many races sought to leave their home multiverse. They used whatever magic, science or divine intervention they could muster to leave. TOAA, The One Above All, the God of this multiverse, assisted in the evacuation. He promised that the multiverse would be restored and the people returned in time. But for now, they had to abandon their homeworlds to Abraxas.

Asgard was one of the last worlds to leave. Odin Borson was no coward; he refused to run. He gathered up all of the Odinforce within him and attempted to meet Abraxas head on. He struck the being with all the power he had. But even the strength to crack worlds could not budge Abraxas. Odin was severely wounded and drained of most of his power before his son, Thor, teleported them back to Asgard where TOAA transported them to a far away universe, where they would remain in refugee until this great war was done.

Civilians: 1,600,000,000,000

The Asgardian Military (Quintus):[/B]

Battleworlds: Double Strike Craft (Fighter)
Leviathans: Double Strike Craft (Bomber)
Dreadnoughts: Double Strike Craft (Interceptor)
Battleships: Double Strike Craft (Gunships)
Cruisers: Double Super strike craft
Destroyers: Double Superheavies
Frigates: Double Heavy Units
Corvettes: Double Light Units

Super strike craft: 20,480 x4 = 81,920 Valkyrior (Dragon-mounted)
Strike craft (interceptors): 160,000 x4 = 640,000 Valkyrior (winged)
Strike craft (fighters): 160,000 x4 = 640,000 Valkyrior (Pegasus-mounted; armed with spears/swords)
Strike craft (Bombers): 160,000 x4 = 640,000 Valkyrior (Pegasus mounted; armed with bows)
Strike craft (Gunships): 160,000 x4 = 640,000 Valkyrior (Giant eagles; multiple Valkyrior per eagle)

Ground units:

Colossi: Double Super Infantry
Titans: Double Special Infantry
Giants: Double Elite Infantry

Superheavies: 800,000 x2 = 1,600,000 Wyrms (Wingless dragons)
Heavy units: 4,000,000 x2 = 8,000,000 Giants (Armored)
Medium units: 16,000,000 x2 = 32,000,000 Asgardian Warriors (War Boar-mounted)
Light units: 40,000,000 x2 = 80,000,000 Elvish Rangers (Horse-mounted)
Special Infantry: 1,600,000 x2 = 32,000,000 Asgardian Magicians
Super infantry: 160,000,000 x2 = 320,000,000 Asgardian Warriors
Elite Infantry: 1,600,000,000 x2 = 3,200,000 Elvish Rangers
Basic infantry: Double heroes
Chaff Infantry: Double Medium Units

Super Aerocraft: Double Super Strike Craft
Aerocraft (interceptors): Double Strike Craft (interceptors)
Aerocraft (fighters): Double Strike Craft (Fighters)
Aerocraft (Bombers): Double Strike Craft (Bombers)
Aerocraft (Gunships): Double Strike Craft (Gunships)

Heroes: 160 x2 = 320

[spoiler=List of Heroes]

Major Gods-

Odin (All-Father)
Thor (Protector of Asgard and heir to the throne)
Loki (Adopted son of Odin and Trickster)
Balder (Son of Odin and God of Light)
Sif (Shield Maiden of Asgard and former lover of Thor)
Hogun (Member of the Warriors Three)
Fandral (Member of the Warriors Three)
Volstagg (Member of the Warriors Three)
Frigga (Master Sorceress, mother of Balder and current wife of Odin)
Heimdall (Watcher over the Rainbow Bridge and brother of Sif)
Amora The Enchantress (Sorceress and trickster turned temporary ally of Thor thanks to Abraxas)

Minor Gods-

Tyr (Judge)
Idun (Keeper of Immortal Apples)
Bragi (Asgardian Poet)
Forseti (Lawyer)
A whole lot more

Major Allies:

Beta Ray Bill (Wields Stormbreaker; equal of Thor)
Eric Masterson (Wields Thunderstrike; equal of Thor)
Red Norvell (Wields Crusher; equal of Thor)
Jane Foster (Wields Jarnbjorn; slightly above the Warriors Three but below Thor)
King Sindri (Majesty of the remaining dwarfs who have taken refugee on Asgard)
Freyr (God over all Light Elves whom reside in Asgard)
Utgard-Loki (King of all Frost Giants and begrudging ally of Odin)

Minor Allies:

Various Elf, Dwarf, and Giant gods and leaders

[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Traits]
Strengths-

Gods Among Men: Asgardians cannot die of old age. They are impossibly hard to kill, though it can be managed. The lowest of Asgardian people are completely immune to small caliber slug weapons such as pistols or sub machine guns. They can survive extreme temperatures and pressures, allowing them to survive in a vacuum for extended periods of time, (although Valkyrior must undergo extensive magical enchanting before they are able to survive indefinitely in space) An Asgardian requires minimal oxygen to live, and thus can hold their breath for hours on end. Asgardians possess superhuman strength, speed, stamina, and agility unparalleled by many races. A trained warrior can bend steel, outrun a cheetah and perform feats of gymnastics that would make human Olympic competitors look like children.

Almighty Defenders: Odin, Thor, Beta Ray Bill, Thunderstrike...Asgard is shielded from reproach by the most powerful heroes in the known galaxy. Men and women who can singlehandedly hold off entire fleets and stop armies in their tracks. They are a force to be reckoned with, that much is assured.

Natural Magicians: Asgardians are all born with innate connections to magic. They are able to pick up, learn and train in new arts quite easily. Everything Asgard uses to compete with other civilizations comes from their magic. Faster Than Light travel, impossibly durable armors, arrows capable of piercing a ship's hull. All powered by magic.

Weaknesses-

A House Divided: Ever since the fall of their home universe, the many of the peoples of the nine realms have been forced to live and survive together on Asgard. Some of them being former enemies. The threat of Ambraxas looming over them is what allowed such a volatile alliance to exist; but without a big bad on the horizon, alliances are not going to last long. Relations are already beginning to break down and its all the kings can do to stave off war. Hopefully when they find a new land to settle the various races will spread out and tension will fall.

Technophobe: Asgardians do not trust technology, especially technology as advanced as the things they have and will continue to encounter in this new universe. They refuse to integrate anything new into their culture and society and as such cannot compete against enemy armies and fleets in the conventional way.

Who Watches the Watcher: The only reason a much larger nation can't park its fleet in orbit and bombard Asgard into oblivion is the watchful, vigilant eye of Asgard's heroes. They must always be on the alert for invasion. Therefore, an offensive front is nigh impossible to construct during a full-fledged war. There are only so many powerful heroes to go around; and the vast majority of them must stay and protect Asgard, leaving little room for attack. [/spoiler]

Settler's Clearing, Lost Haven

It wasn't long, perhaps a handful of seconds, before Thunderbolt came speeding into Settler's Clearing. He kicked up a mound of dirt as he tried to slow to a stop. The massive gust of wind created by his arrival knocked the few pre-Spring leaves out of the nearby trees, tossing the greenery into the air. Boom showed up a moment later, slightly out of breath. "How are you so...damn fast?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips. Harvey just shrugged and waltzed closer to Minerva. "Where's your boss?" He asked. The edge in the speedster's voice was obvious. Finding a note in his private residence meant for his other identity was unnerving to say the least. "He'll be arriving soon." She said simply. It was apparent from the inflection in her speech that the secretary wouldn't be answering any of their questions. Those were meant for Arthur. For now, the speedsters hung off to the side, waiting for the man's appearance. Boom tapped her foot rapidly against the dry ground, pounding a hole into the dirt and grass. Harvey placed a tender hand on her shoulder and the tapping ceased. "I'm just-" She began. "-On edge. I know. Me too." Harvey finished. He was trying to keep a level head for the both of them. But he was just as worried as his sister. Something was off about this whole thing. The last time this many heroes were in the same place, two people died.

Icon was the next to enter. His presence eased many of Harvey's fears; if this was indeed a trap, he knew the Hero of Lost Haven would have his back. Thunderbolt glanced to his right and noticed Boom's reddened cheeks. "You okay?" He asked obliviously. "Mmm. Oh yeah." She purred. "You could carve an arrowhead with that chin." Harvey gagged, causing Laura to jam her elbow into his side. "Please, never, ever write romance." He snickered. A single look from the enigmatic super hero caused the two speedsters to turn away. Neither speedster recognized the next two to show up. Although Harvey had read reports about the vehicle Lyger rolled up in; it was quite unique in its appearance. Harvey couldn't help but appreciate the mysterious heroine's choice of attire. Boom put a quick stop to his ogling. "Oh come on! You can stare at pretty boy but I'm not allowed to glance?" Harvey whined quietly. "Perv." Laura muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"You're one to talk. I've seen your computer-" Thunderbolt started, but Laura shoved a finger into his face and interrupted him.

"You want to go there?! At least I haven't been to a strip club!"

"I was tracking a suspect!"

"Really enjoyed that assignment, didn't you?"

"The least you could do is use incognito mode."

"Why you little prick-"

"-Who are you calling little?!"

The two's argument grew progressively louder until it was finally stopped;someone cleared their throat rather excessively, the wordless gesture got their point across well enough: 'shut up, please'. They looked away from each other, turning a shade a red never seen before by man. "Sorry." Thunderbolt apologized timidly. The arrival of a limousine dissipated some the scathing awkwardness of the meeting. Christopher stepped out of the vehicle, dressed as sharply as ever. He addressed the costumed protectors, wordlessly demanding the attention of the speedsters with a story about his latest 'appointment.' He quickly followed it up by trying to 'break the ice' and allow the rest of the heroes to introduce themselves to each other. He started, immediately revealing himself to be Iron knight. "Ha. I knew it." Boom boasted. Thunderbolt stepped forward once Chris was finished. "I guess I'll go next. Uhm, my name is Thunderbolt and this is my sister, Boom." He said with a wave of his hand. "Again, I'd like to apologize on our behalf for our earlier...antics. That was unprofessional of us and I hope we can forget it ever happened and move forward with this working relationship." Harvey tried to said as diplomatic and eloquent as possible; but he feared his words came out jumbled and nervous. He dashed back next to Boom and allowed whoever wanted to continue the introductions.

The next part, the main purpose of the meeting, began in turn. Chris debriefed the heroes on the Pax Metahumana situation. STRIKE already had a full-blown search out for the device, but Iron Knight wanted a back up plan in case everything went to hell and the bomb went off. The last thing the world needed was every Tom, Dick and Harry running around with super powers; not to mention the countless terrorist organizations this would empower. Apparently, Arthur had encountered members of Pax Metahumana before. In an effort to combat them, he wished to recruit a number of individuals who had prior dealings with Metahumana's facilities and garner what intel they could from these people. "Yeah, I've got a question." Boom said once Chris finished. "This 'Winter Soldier', as we're calling him...If he really tried to poison Lost Haven's water supply, how can we be sure he'll be willing to help? Terrorists aren't exactly known for playing nice with others. Even if we manage to take him prisoner, none of us are telepaths (as far as I'm aware) so procuring that information by force will be difficult at best."

Faction Name: Imperial Confederacy of Worlds (Usually referred to as the Confederacy or Imperial Confederacy)

Faction Type: Loyalist

Faction leader(s): Grand Magistrate Dominacus Luprec

System(s)/Territory:

Banu System: Located in the outer rim of the empire on the edge of the Hinterlands, the Banu system contains a trio of arctic worlds, two gas giants, two garden world and a volcanic planet. A gargantuan asteroid belt stretches between the two gas giants. Banu is known for its exporting of raw materials, such as grains, metals, actinides and wood.

Pictorus System: Located in the outer rim of the empire on the edge of the Hinterlands, the Pictorus system is home to four habitable garden worlds, a gas giant and a pair of arctic dwarf planets. Pictorus is the capital system of the Confederacy and holds the largest population and is famous for its extensive naval manufacturing industry, civilian luxury products and Gladion tournaments.

Veneras System: Located in the outer rim of the empire on the edge of the Hinterlands, the Veneras System is home to half a dozen Volcanic planets and a trio of desert worlds. Veneras is widely considered the industrial heart of the Imperial Confederacy, building and forging all of the finished products and shipping them off to wherever they're needed across the Empire.

Planet(s)/Holdings:

Banu Prime: A jungle world with a population of 4 billion, Banu Prime is the regional capital of the system of its namesake. It functions as the shipping center of the Banu System and seat of local government. It possesses a significant military garrison due to its status as regional capital.

Keltori-12: The other garden world in the Banu System, Keltori is home to nearly two billion citizens. Most of its surface is covered in rich farmlands and plains. Thanks to its proximity to the sun, Keltori's weather is perfect for growing crops all year round. Keltori is the main exporter of agriculture to the Confederacy's worlds that lack sufficient sustenance farming. Military presence on Keltori-12 is small and its citizens usually rely on Banu Prime's forces to protect them from space pirates and invaders.

D17 Asteroid Belt: The primary source of raw metals for the Confederacy. D17 is home to roughly 100 million individuals, most of whom are miners, pilots and their families. The Asteroid Belt is protected round the clock by a vigilant fleet of Arcturian ships.

Alpha Tauro: Capital planet of the Pictorus System, Alpha Tauro is a lush garden world populated by nearly ten billion humans. As the seat of the government, its home to the Grand Magistrate and the Senate of Minor Magistrates. Alpha Tauro is known across the Arcturian Empire for its bi-weekly Gladion tournaments, where slaves from across the Confederacy would fight to the death to gain glory, honor and freedom. Career Gladions were common on Alpha Tauro; the most successful of them going on to become celebrities, politicians and military leaders. Gladion tournaments are the only way for a Xeno to potentially gain a seat of significant power within either the government or the military. Xenos who manage this are treated with respect, although racist undertones still exist, even among the highest echelons of society. Alpha Tauro is home to one of the largest garrisons in the Confederacy.

Beta Tauro: Another garden world in the Pictorus System, Beta Tauro has a population of roughly six billion. Beta is known for producing the naval vehicles of the Confederacy. They pride themselves on being responsible for everything from a single seat recreation spaceship to the 3 kilometer long Stardust Keltor class Super-Battleship, the flagship of the Confederate Navy. Beta Tauro is defended by a sizable fleet of active duty military vessels and various marine battalions.

Veneria: Veneria is the regional capital of the Veneras System and home to half a billion citizens. Veneria is a Volcanic world that has been terriformed to allow for relatively comfortable living within bio-domes on the planet's surface. Veneria's surface is covered in factories, forges, motor plants, ship yards, warehouses and all manner of industrial infrastructure. Its military garrison prefers to stay on the space station orbiting Veneria's moon, Yven-2.

Faction/Government Desc: Constitutional Monarchy in practice, the Grand Magistrate holds most of the power compared to the much weaker Senate. Before the Sacking of Almata, the Grand Magistrate reported directly to the Emperor; although they served the Emperor's will, the Confederacy was granted semi-autonomy in most matters. It wasn't until the Emperor disappeared that the Grand Magistrate took full control of the Confederacy until such a time as the Emperor is to reappear. Until then, Dominacus Luprec reported to no one. The Senate had very little say in matters beforehand. Now they are merely a formality.

The Senate is made up of various lower Magistrates who represent the other systems and planets' interests. These Magistrates spend their time lobbying for various political and corporate interest groups, attempting to gain the Grand Magistrate's favor so that he might, in turn, sign their bills into law. It isn't uncommon for powerful corporations to buy out a Magistrate's loyalty and have them lobby in their place. Dominacus recognizes the corruption of the system and generally ignores the less honest requests of the Senate.

History: (Feel free to make up details about the setting and the major powers. I love collaborative worldbuilding, so feel free to work with me and your fellow RPers at building the setting) WIP

Relations with the Empire and Other Factions: (this section is super important, please work with other players to work out shared history, etc) WIP

Military Capabilities: (ships in faction fleets must be under 3 kilometers, though I will allow exceptions. Please keep in mind that militaries are likely to be parts of the old imperial military, and so some commonality between factions is to be expected. As for ground forces, no hard limits here. The Rule of Cool and the Rule of No Effing Godmodding obtain)

Somewhere in Lost Haven
Sometime later

"Thanks for your help, Brook. I appreciate it. Really."

Brooklyn Stone and Laura Smith stepped out of the small family owned coffee shop and onto the dirty streets of Lost Haven. The sun had begun to set and Laura wanted to get her longtime friend home safely before dark. Brooklyn had insisted she'd be fine; she had walked down this road a thousand times. She knew everyone who lived in the neighborhood. But Laura wouldn't budge an inch. Brooklyn begrudgingly accepted Boom's protection, but required that they pick up a couple of hot drinks on the way. "It's not a problem, L. Anytime." Miss Stone responded. But Laura was as persistent as always. "No, really. There isn't anyone else in the world who could do this for Harvey and I. We can't thank you enough." Brooklyn smiled and took a quick sip of her coffee. "You're welcome. I'm just glad to help. I feel like I'm making a difference, you know? I mean, making uniforms for firefighters and jet pilots is fun and all, but I've never been able to see the outcome. With you and Harv, though? Muggings have gone down in Chinatown by over 80% since Icon made his debut. They've had to expand the local prisons three times already and there still isn't enough room!"

Laura didn't know what to say. She was aware that her work was important, but she and her brother hadn't bothered to look at the statistics. There was never any time to pat themselves on the back. It was always 'go go go' in the Smith house. The heroine offered her friend a sincere smile. "It's nice to know our...whatever it is, isn't as useless as it feels." Brooklyn cocked her head in surprise. "What do you mean?" Laura took a long drink and shrugged. "Some days...Some days it seems like for every murderer we put away, twenty people die at Nightmare's hands. For every convenience store robbery we stop, Umbraxis massacres an entire church full of people. Muggers are simple, Laura. Just people being the scum of the earth we all expect them to be. But Umbraxis? Nightmare? How do we fight monsters, Brooklyn?" Brooklyn stopped in her tracks and took Laura by the hand. She looked her friend in the eyes and sighed. "No one blames you for what they do. You're good, Laura. Without Thunderbolt and Boom, Umbraxis would be feasting on the world. Without Icon, Lost Haven would've been crushed underneath a falling space station. Without heroes, I couldn't walk home at night without a taser in my purse. Trust me, you're doing the right thing."

Laura responded, but her words were lost to a sudden clamor of noise that filled the streets. The two women whipped their heads around, scanning the area for the source of the discord. Out of a nearby dark alleyway appeared a forty-three foot tall Tyrannosaurus Rex with tentacles for a face. "Holy shit." Brooklyn gasped in utter perplexity. "Run!" Laura screamed. Brooklyn did as she was told and took off down the road, looking for somewhere she could hide. Laura was about to run off for her costume when she noticed the gigantic lizard was chasing a teenage girl. Boom cursed under her breathe. She wouldn't be able to get her suit on and save whoever that was in time. Harvey could. She thought bitterly. Laura, in full civilian garb, dashed forwards toward the extinct beast. She grabbed Eva by the waste moments before the monstrosity chomped down on the girl and carried her to the end of the block. "Get out of here." Laura ordered quickly. She took off back to her apartment and tossed on her suit at super speed before exiting via the fire escape and heading back toward the action.



Boom appeared on the scene once more, striking the T-Rex's leg with all the force and momentum she'd built up by running from one side of the city to the other. The dinosaur staggered at the power of the blow, letting out a terrifying roar noting its pain and anger. Boom glanced over at the sword-wielding hero, who turned out to be the girl she'd rescued minutes earlier. "Is everyone in is damn city a cape?!" The speedster began running around the Tyrannosaurus's legs, striking at them with thousands of rapid kicks and punches. The creature struck at her multiple times but lacked the speed and coordination to land any of its attacks. In its frustration the reptile turned to Eva once more and attempted to bite her in half. "Look out!" Boom warned. Suddenly and without warning, the ground shook beneath their feet. It was a familiar feeling for Laura; something she had come to recognize since the defeat of Umbraxis.

Thunderbolt was coming.

Hyperion could hear Miss America's heart as well as he heard her words. It beat fiercely, defying what came forth from her mouth. She was lying. Zhib-Ran hid his anger and disappointment well; only someone with his sort of...skills would be able to tell that anything was amiss. Milton offered the young heroine a smile and a nod. "Ah, well. Worth a try. Come, fly with me. I'm sure that Captain America wants to meet you in person, especially since you've chosen to accept our offer. He seemed most intrigued by you, miss." Hyperion casually stepped off the edge of the penthouse roof and took flight. He made sure to move slowly, so that the recruit could keep pace. A quiet beep in Hyperion's ear came from his communicator. He touched the device. "Go ahead." An agent began to explain. There was a change of plans, apparently. It would seem that Hawkeye's squad had gotten stuck fighting AIM and Milton was now being asked to test the Avengers team personally. The idea brought a small smirk to Zhib-Ran's face. Knowing he would need to face these humans once more in the near future, it made sense to get a feeling for their powers, skills and strategies now. If he knew how they operated, Hyperion could deal with them quite easily when the time came for his take over of earth. He thanked the operator on the other end for the information and turned to his companion to explain why they would be changing their flight course.

"We will be heading for the Triskellion. Cap ordered the team to meet up there for their evaluation. Fury wanted Hawkeye's squad to test you all, but apparently he's been caught up in more important business. So the task has been regulated to me." Hyperion realized that Miss America probably had no idea who Hawkeye was and decided to elaborate for her benefit. "Hawkeye is one of SHIELD's best agents and is indisputably the best marksmen on the planet. I've seen him shoot the wings off a fly from nearly a mile away and leave it alive. The crazy part? He did it with a bow."

Hyperion increased his speed as they continued to fly onward. He wanted to test Miss America's powers as much as he could. He was constantly evaluating, scanning and judging everyone he came across, but this was a special case. Miss America posed a unique threat to Hyperion's plans. If she were to reveal whatever she knew of him to Fury or the Captain, Hyperion's credibility might come into question. SHIELD could retaliate before Hyperion was truly ready. That could not occur.

Miss America would need to be dealt with soon. Very soon.

But not now. Too much suspicion would be cast on Milton if the girl vanished under his watch. That he could not afford either. Gah, intrigue was far too complicated for Zhib-Ran's tastes. If he had his way, he'd be marching into the United Nations and ordering this disgusting planet to bend the knee. But there were beings on this planet with extraordinary abilities. If they rallied together against Hyperion, there wasn't much the would-be tyrant could do to stop them. For now, he would need to wait. Play this game of lying and infiltrating. This was always Nighthawk's cup of tea; Hyperion was more a fan of hitting things.

---

The pair of superhumans landed right outside of the Triskellion. What was once known as Camp Leigh was now SHIELD's main base of operations. The flight had taken longer than usual, but they had arrived on schedule. The Quinjets full of SHIELD Agents were right behind them; they contained everyone found at the scene. Quentin and Kate were being brought in for questioning, while the rest had prison to look forward to. Hyperion walked towards the front door of the cylindrical building, passing by the statue of Steven Rogers, the original Captain America, as well as the flag of the United States of America that stood beside it. The front entrance was made entirely of glass. The windows allowed a clear view of the massive black eagle statue, which dominated the back of the lobby. Hyperion escorted Chavez past the main atrium and the reception and followed a weaving labyrinth of hallways and elevators until they finally arrived at a non-descript doorway.

Zhib-Ran punched a couple of buttons in and the door slid open. He motioned inside with his hand. "After you." Miss America stepped inside, Hyperion following behind her. he looked at the individuals within. They were the potential Avengers recruits. The heroes who would stand between him and victory. "My name is Hyperion. I'll be evaluating your combat skills and your ability to work as a team. Your first test starts...now." Hyperion's eyes lit up crimson and a pair of continuous beams of energy shot out from his retinas, heading right for Miss America.

Mess Hall
October 31, 2025

S'tann S'tonn hates many things. It'd be much easier for him to state all everything he liked than for him to list off the many, many things he despised. Andy was one of those things he hated. He had a good reason why, of course. S'tann always had a reason for hating someone or something. Andy, besides being an obnoxious moron, could manipulate and materialize fire. Fire was the principle weakness of every Martian, a race S'tann was a proud part of. Even the most tame of open flames could cause S'tann unimaginable pain. He had to be on constant guard against entering rooms with candles unprepared. If a building had a fireplace, he made note not to enter it during the winter. S'tann also kept track of the locations of every fire extinguisher and source of water on the Corrigan campus, just in case the worst were to occur and he were caught on fire. He was a very careful alien. But Legacy could never acccount for Pyrokinetics like Andy and Nora. He could not control them; they were wildcards. Surprises. S'tann hated surprises.

So when that twat rolled up in his homemade Ghost Rider costume, his head ablaze, S'tann was understandably pissed off.

Like, a lot.

S'tann turned calmly toward Andy as the boy took a seat next to the Martian and placed his tray down on the lunch table. S'tann's face was completely blank and unreadable as he examined the other student. It wasn't until Legacy began to speak that his sheer unadulterated rage reared its ugly head. "I am not a violent man. I tend to turn the other cheek whenever someone brings an offense against me; after all, if I dish it out, I should be able to take it. I've made myself abundantly clear, however, what I will do to anyone who approaches me with an open flame. I have made every new student aware of this rule and I'm not afraid to remind the older ones. Even you, Andy. I've told you. And yet here we are. There are consequences for your actions, boy." Without any prior warning, the Martian Boy backhanded Andy in the chest. The teen superhero was struck with enough force to send him flying across the room and slamming against the opposite wall of the cafeteria. Rest assured, people noticed the commotion S'tann was making. Legacy stood from his seat and slowly floated into the air until Andy was within his sight once more. He made note of the cracked wall where Andy had hit. Perhaps S'tann had hit him too har- No. He had to teach this one a lesson.

"The first of these consequences? I whup your ass to kingdom come."

The Martian flew across the room and landed in front of Andrew Hughes. S'tann's fists were clenched, his fingers digging hard into his jade skin. This was different from the other times S'tann was angry. He usually made quite a scene when then, too. But he hadn't hit anyone. Not in a long, long time. The look on his face was different, too. Not one of disgust or disdain. But a look of pure, unbridled hatred. "On your feet!" S'tann roared. He stretched out one of his arms and backhanded the stunned Australian with enough force to send him sliding across the floor. S'tonn knew what he was doing. Andrew would, without a doubt, respond with his powers. He expected that much; and stood ready to dodge the oncoming cone of flame or fireball or whatever have you.

It was at this point that staff and students alike made their way over. Many told S'tann to stand down. Others cheered, their blood thirsty glee obvious. They wanted a fight. Those people disgusted the Martian. This was not a mere schoolyard brawl for their amusement. This was punishment for an offense that could not be forgiven. Not without violence, at the very least. S'tann had expected people to gather around. It was very likely one or more of them would get in his way. S'tann would try his best not to hurt those would-be heroes. They were only doing what was right. Not just in their own eyes, either. S'tann knew he was in the wrong. But he felt he needed to do this. Something in his blood told him that this was a necessary evil. So S'tann would stomach the punishment from the school. Whether it was another detention, community service or his expulsion from the school. He'd endure being outcasted by his peers, even more so than usual. He'd take it all in the name of justice.

Just like any Manhunter would.

Mess Hall
October 31, 2025

S'tann hesitated. What? He thought, utterly confused. Andrew had just complimented the Martian, while at the same time tearing him apart. What was the pyro's game? He was wrong about all of it, of course, but Andy's little speech had caused S'tann S'tonn to doubt himself and his actions. He could see the boy was hurting. From the sound of his thoughts, Hughes' ribs were likely broken. That would need to be addressed swiftly. At the same time, Legacy couldn't telepathically sense any deceit in Andy's words. It would seem he believed every word. Is that what he really thinks? Is that what they all think? Impossible. Inconceivable. In Martian Boy's eyes, he was the weakest of them all. He was flawed and broken. And he thought they could all see that. The truth. But Andy proved that theory wrong. There was at least one person on the face of this earth that believed in the Martian. But if Andrew truly thought that S'tann could be one of the greats...What was the point of all this? Why antagonize S'tann? The alien's fragile psyche couldn't grasp what was going on. His face remained blank as Andy drew closer and continued to speak. His words stung worse than any sword. When the pyrokinetic began to shove at the Martian, he didn't move. He didn't budge. He just looked down at the Australian with the slightest hint of confusion on his face. S'tann tried to hide his true feelings; whatever they might be. He wasn't quite sure. It was working, too, somehow.

Until Andy caught fire.

As soon as the student began to glow, S'tann collapsed. His knees felt like gelatin. The Martian's vision blurred. His ears rung with the sound of...bells? What was- No. He recognized- No. Unfathomable. Unreasonable. Totally and complete insanity. S'tann sniffed the air and he could spell it. Burning flesh. Screams echoed from behind him. S'tann's vision slowly cleared and his worst fears were realized. It was happening again. He was surrounded by a sea of red, covered in broken green and white shapes. Shadows danced all around him. Great crimson monoliths crumbled in the distance. Packs of dark things filled the skies. The sun was blotted out by smoke. Huge structure blasting their eternal infernos into the air were erected by armies of horrific monsters. Demons roamed the streets, dragging bodies behind them. This wasn't...This wasn't happening. This couldn't be real. It wasn't until S'tann noticed the boots a few feet in front of him that true terror gripped his heart. He knew those boots. He'd seen them, ever so briefly, in person. And he had witnessed recordings and artists' rendering of their owner. Legacy's eyes traced the armored feet up to the face of the horrific being before him. S'tann's face was filled with fright as he crawled backwards, desperate to escape his presence. The giant figure was draped in fire. Yet he stood unmoving. Unfeeling. As still as a statue. It couldn't be him. S'tann couldn't be here. This was all so...so impossible! But he looked so real. It all looked real.

Mars was burning.

"<Darkseid.>" S'tann muttered. He reverted to Martian in his fear, unable to recall any English words. There was a pack of parademons standing behind the Dark Lord. They were chomping at the bit, licking their sharp tongues in anticipation of the coming bloodshed. "<J-J'onn?>" S'tann whispered. His back had touched the wall. There was no where to escape to. He was completely surrounded. "<M'gann?>" He rasped in desperation. "<Help me.>" He mouthed, unable to form words. His throat was too dry for words. Sweat raced down his green face and stained his robes. Panic caused his muscles to stiffen. He couldn't move now. It was a struggle just to breathe. Anxiety ate away at the Martian, threatening to tear him away from consciousness. There was no escape. No help was coming. This was it. This was S'tann's end, as strange as it was. "<Mars is burning.>" He said aloud, louder than the rest of his words. S'tann pushed himself to a standing position, using the wall behind him as a prop. Blood dripped from his mouth, nose, ears and eyes. The fire around Darkseid had weakened him greatly. It was killing him, in fact. But he had to stand and fight. S'tann had to remember his pledge. He was to protect Mars. He would be its Manhunter.

"<S-top. I will sto-p you.>" One of Darkseid's Furies, his all-female hit squad, flew in from behind him. She flew straight at S'tann and struck him, sending the Martian Boy falling to the ground once more. He wanted to give up. He wanted to crawl up into a ball and die. But something inside S'tann drove him to pick himself up again. A voice, silent yet more powerful than any S'tann had heard before, told him to fight. For himself. For his family. For Mars. "<Try to...To destroy my people? K-kill my..family? I'll..Kill you. Kill you. DIE!>" Suddenly, S'tann burst forward and slammed his forehead into Mari's nose. Before she could even stumble backwards, he wrapped a hand around her throat and slammed her into the ground. Chunks of tile were tossed into the air and at the watching crowd, sharp, quick and deadly. "<DIE!>" He spouted mindlessly, unleashed a torrent of blows to the Fury's head. He pulled back and prepared to stomp the girl's head in half, but one of the Parademons leaped from the crowd and tackled him to the ground before he could. S'tann wrapped his elongated arm around the demon and chucked it across the room before turning to Darkeid. "<KILL YOU!>" He screamed at Andy.

Rage buried instinct. Every part of his body told him to avoid the fire. But S'tann wouldn't bow to Darkseid. Not until he was dead. The Martian shot forward, fist reeled back and prepared to punch a hole in Andy's chest. "<DIE DIE DIE!>"

Somewhere in Lost Haven
Sometime later

For the briefest moment a bright blue flash of light blinded everyone on the street. The first thing they was the Tyrannosaurus Rex being thrown off its feet and flying a good twenty meters, landing on its back in the middle of the street with a tremendous crash. Thunderbolt came to a skidding halt next to the monster. Smoke rose from the black scorch marks created where Harvey had attempted to stop himself. Thunderbolt looked over to Boom. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to run on ice?" He complained. "I would've been here sooner, but-" Boom cut him off. "Stop talking and attack." The two speedsters ran towards the fallen beast, striking at its exposed underside in an attempt to keep it off balance. It was clear after about two seconds and nine thousand punches that this wasn't working. "It's like boxing an aircraft carrier." Thunderbolt groaned, holding his knuckles. Boom rolled her eyes.

"Will you stop treating everything like a joke?! This thing is dangerous!"

"That's a dinosaur with tentacles for a face. How is this not a joke?"

The beast's tail whipped around and struck the arguing heroes and knocked them off their feet and into the nearby apartment building. Boom luckily flew in through a window; the wounds she received from the shattered glass were minor and wouldn't take her healing factor more than a handful of moments to repair. Thunderbolt, however, was not so fortunate. He was sent through a load bearing brick wall and the momentum carried him through two consecutive rooms. The speedster let out a low groan when he rolled to a stop, covered in dust and bruises. The bruises slowly disappeared as Harvey struggled to his feet only to slip in a puddle of water from the shattered toilet behind him and go tumbling back to the ground, hitting his head on the sink on his way. "FU-" He was about to shout before he noticed the small child who had appeared to check on him, and promptly decided to use more classy language. "FUUUUdge monkeysss." He hissed awkwardly.

"You okay mister?" The little boy asked. "Thunderbolt. Name's Thunderbolt." The speedster rasped as he carefully stood back up. "And yeah, I'm fine. Well- I'll be fine in a couple of minutes." The child cocked his head in confusion. "I never heard of you before." He said in broken English. "Are you a bad guy? Momma says I shouldn't talk to super villains." Thunderbolt chuckled, making his way out of the hole he'd arrived in. "I'm one of the good ones. Hey, I need you to do something important for me. Can you do that?" The child nodded his head quickly. "Take your family and neighbors and get outta here. Come on, go." The speedster turned away as the child ran off to get his family. Harvey leaped out of the apartment and landed with a thud on the street below.

He examined the situation at hand. Boom and Eva were already back to fighting the dinosaur, which had regained its footing and was back on the offensive. There were a number of police officers keeping civilians at a fair distance from the fight. What Thunderbolt needed was some way to tip the balance of this fight in their favor. He scanned the entire block in a milisecond. A smile lit up the hero's face when he noticed the hardware store on the corner. He dashed inside and grabbed a pair of propane tanks, a gas can and a lighter. Thunderbolt sprinted across the street and left the two propane tanks on top of the creature's head (this was a simple task, considering how little the T-Rex appeared to be moving at this speed.) before covering the two tanks in gasoline and lighting it. Thunderbolt ran down the side of the lizard's leg and grabbed Eva, dragging her away from the danger zone. Boom followed and a moment later the tentacled monstrosity's head was at the epicenter of a huge explosion and its body was now engulfed in fire.

"I doubt that put it down. We're going to need to coordinate our next attack. Any ideas?" Boom asked, looking directly at Eva. "I'm Thunderbolt, by the way. And this is Boom. She's my sister. _{I'm totally available.}"

Character you have created: Zachariah Stone
Alias: Agent Black

Speech Color: None

Character Alignment: Villain

Identity: Secret

Character Personality: Zachariah Stone is not capable of compassion or mercy. He is hardwired to kill and is only capable of such. He has never known such emotions as joy, love, fear or peace, although he is technically capable of all of these. The most satisfaction he ever feels is when he completes a mission flawlessly. Zach is a stoic. He hides what emotions he does feel very well and would appear to be nothing more than a emotionless killing machine. However, he often finds himself fighting off rage and frustration when things don't go as they were meant to.

Uniform/costume:

Origin Info/Details: Zachariah was born in a test tube. He doesn't know who provided the DNA and he likely never will. Frankly, Zach has never cared enough to ask. His masters worked for a private genetics firm that was known for supplying less than legal research results to the Pentagon. Those were just the conspiracy theories. In reality, there were much worse things going on than human testing. The firm, known only as Color Theory Inc., was cloning human beings and altering their DNA to improve overall effectiveness. These clones were faster, smarter, and stronger than 99% of the human race. They wanted the perfect assassins. The test tube babies were not given a formal education; rather, they had information ported directly into their brains until they turned eighteen years of age. That information was everything Color Theory believed a perfect killer would need to know for them to perform to the absolute of their efficiency. The Project, codenamed Rainbow, was an resounding success.

Zachariah was the last of the "Kolor Killers" as they were nicknamed.



Supporting Characters (Does your character have a significant other? A mother? Friend? Who are they, what do they have to do with your character?):

Mess Hall
October 31, 2025

There was a whisper through the flames. The Martian struggled to hear it over the roar of the parademons, but he thought he heard his name. A fellow Martian lives? His family? The voice was female. M'gann? He thought. No. His cousin didn't sound like that. Someone he knew, then? From school? Or a neighbor? Whoever it was, it didn't matter. Their voice was lost in the commotion. Any semblance of hope was gone now. He'd failed to kill Darkseid. He'd failed to escape. He'd failed to protect Mars.

Darkseid was too strong. His armies too numerous to combat. For every Fury he beat without mercy, it a dozen more of Apokolips's elite appeared. He'd been so close, too. Moments from engaging Darkseid himself. But now some powerful figure had stopped the Martian in his tracks. His green fist suspended in the air by his foes own hand.

There was something...familiar about him. S'tann couldn't recognize his face; but the symbol he wore on his chest. There was just something about it that forced S'tann to hesitate. To think. He'd seen it somewhere. It was...important. Powerful. It meant the wearer was a force of...nature?

No.

Good.

S'tann's memories slowly leaked through the blind rage. The fog that enveloped his mind parted for but a moment. That moment was long enough, however, for S'tann to realize that this was all wrong. Dreadfully wrong. Why would a force of good stop Legacy on his sacred mission? He only wished to defend Mars. To protect it from this tyrant. The man began to speak, but S'tann couldn't understand a word he was saying. His lips did not form words he recognized. What was going on? Why did he feel so out of place? His anger subsided, and a wave of unbearable pain overcame the jade skinned alien. S'tann S'tonn went limp and collapsed against the cold, hard ground. He felt so many things. Confusion. Frustration. Even a bit of joy, now that it was over. So many emotions vied for control as consciousness threatened to leave him. But one stood above all the others: Despair.

"<I have failed you, Mars.>" S'tann gasped, struggling for air. "<I'm sorry.>"

Then the darkness overcame S'tann, and he was still.

It wouldn't be long before J'onn and some of the staff appeared. Commotions such as this one were rarely self-contained events. In fact, one had to wonder how the teachers hadn't arrived sooner. But whatever their reason, whatever their excuse, they were there now. J'onn J'onzz lifted his unconscious, bleeding nephew off the ground and wordlessly exited the cafeteria. The Martian made a beeline for the Medical office of the Administration Building, moving as quickly as his telekinesis could carry him. He wasn't worried about S'tann physical trauma. Fire poisoning was a serious problem for Martians, yes, but the medical staff on hand could handle that with J'onn's guidance. From what J'onn had telepathically assessed the moment he entered the mess hall, the flame S'tann had been exposed to (which was almost entirely his own fault, J'onn noted) had been relatively minor.

No, his real worry lied inside S'tann's mind. The young Martian's disorder hadn't been triggered so severely in years. There must have been something very specific that had occurred that caused the hallucinations to begin. Some set of actions and reactions in a very specific order must have subconsciously reminded him of the burning of Mars. This troubled J'onn a great deal. He'd sat both his nephew and his niece down and cleansed their minds as best he could of that day; they had been so young, yet they recalled it all so vividly. He couldn't erase everything. Not without risking damage to their brains. M'gann had learned some time ago how to control and manipulate her own subconscious, allowing her to scrub out the more sensitive areas of the mind herself. But S'tann had never bothered with mastering telepathy. He was such a violent boy; he only ever wanted to enhance his body. If J'onn had half a mind he would have allowed Barbara to expel him months ago. But he knew that wasn't an option. This was the only place J'onn could keep on eye on him, just in case...well. Just in case this happened again.

J'onn placed S'tann S'tonn's body on the bed as gently as he could. The staff got to work hooking S'tann up to the monitoring machines and J'onn took a seat, plunging his fingers into S'tann's skull and entering his mind telepathically.

Infirmary
October 31, 2025

<You're not on Mars. You didn't fail. You're okay.>

Those were the last words S'tann S'tonn could recall hearing. Since then, there has been only darkness. The Martian was busy enjoying the bliss of dreamless sleep; losing it was almost too much to bear. But S'tann felt himself compelled toward consciousness at breakneck speeds, unable to stop or slow down. So he braced himself for the crushing weight of reality. He feared awakening. He knew there would be consequences for what he had done. S'tann wasn't aware of what had occurred outside of his hallucination but he knew, based on his previous experiences like this one, that what came next sucked ass. S'tann wondered what had happened; what he was responsible for. He'd snapped. Probably at Andy. He could still picture the pyrokinetic as his body began to glow bright orange. He recalled in vivid detail the horrific pain Andrew had caused him. In any other context, S'tann would be pissed. But Andy had every right to defend himself. Legacy could have killed him with that blow. And it was partly S'tann's own fault that he was in this mess; he knew what fire could- would do to him. But S'tann S'tonn had convinced himself that it was all necessary.

But none of it was necessary.

The alien recalled his uncle's many teachings over the years. If only he'd applied a tenth of what J'onn had told his nephew over the years, S'tann wouldn't be the third most hated student on campus. He wouldn't be attacking the closest people he had to friends every time they jabbed at him. And he wouldn't be lying on this hospital bed, wired to a plethora of machines that monitored his foreign life signs. The Martian stirred. The light temporarily blinded him as he forced his eyelids open. S'tann glanced around the room and his initial suspicions were confirmed. This was, indeed, the infirmary. Something in the back of his mind wondered how many students he'd put in here with him. S'tann pushed the thought away as soon as it surfaced, determined to ignore the inevitable for as long as possible. His head felt like shit. He hadn't imagined getting punched in the face, that was for sure. S'tann attempted to sit up but his ribs' protests forbade movement for the time being. A sighed escaped his green lips as S'tann turned his head to the right. He was greeted by the sight of a floral wallpaper. The Martian adjusted his position and turned to the left and was immediately greeted by one of Andy's stupid smirks.

"Sup, Stan." His accent as grating as ever. "Good to see you're in the land of the living."

That moron had ruined everything. S'tann didn't doubt that it had been Andy's fire that triggered the hallucinations. That was the only logical explanation for all of this. He'd made the Martian go berserk. He must have looked like a psychopath. Or an animal. Or both. Not that it mattered what S'tann looked like; if they hadn't all thought he was crazy before, they sure as hell would now. Any shred of credibility the Martian Boy had built up since the last incident was completely erased and now he was back at square one. Where the cosmos thought he belonged. Perhaps the universe was right. Perhaps he did belong here. Outcast, alone and totally out of his mind.

The Martian gave the most half-assed "I hate you." he could manage before looking away from the Australian. If Andy was paying attention to S'tann's eyes, he would've seen that S'tann was looking right past him. As if he was addressing someone else and not the candlestick who was to blame. "I hope you realize now why I don't like fire." S'tann said after awhile, his eyes glued to the ceiling fan. "You had to go and make it fucking difficult, didn't you? Couldn't leave good enough alone." He said quietly. "For the record, I didn't enjoy hitting you." S'tann looked back at Andy now. "I don't like punching down." The Martian allowed himself the briefest of smiles.