[IC] Epic City: Starburst

[Gardevoiran]

Anomaly

Another day goes by. Another deposit in the bank account has been made from tips.

Xoxi sat in her bedroom of the Undertown, looking at her laptop monitor as it displayed a website for people like her age. Possibly some creepy old men, but hey, they tipped. Nobody cared about her actual identity to her knowledge, and she was making money. Quite a fair bit at that. It was a living at this point, and she was one of the best amputees out there to be tipped, especially considering there were only a few in the world to her knowledge. It took courage to do what she did, and she hoped that a few other people would see and follow in her footsteps.

Xoxi shut down her laptop and pushed it to the side of her bed, then proceeded to put on her clothes once more. She made sure to steer clear of her scar, whether that was a conditioned trait or it was still a bit... painful. She helped pull a few people and dogs out of the rubble that was marking the path of that one epic, people started calling him "The Tower". Big fucker that guy was, and one that wasn't above killing innocent puppies. Xoxi was the bigger man in that case, as she took the puppy out of view so no kids would have to bear witness. After all that chaos was over, she was commended for her efforts and she was allowed to go home.

This brought us here. Wearing no pants and looking at a shut down computer.

"I need a soda."

[thewizardguy]

Guilt //

@Old Amsterdam

So that's how he wanted to play this? Oh well. Guilt didn't need much of a reason to leave behind bodies, although she would have preferred to keep this one alive for questioning. Maybe she'd get some useful information out of him before he croaked.

With a flash of purple light she vanished, reappearing at the other end of the street. Her power did not require any movement on her part, and she moved at the speed of thought. All of the grenades were now within her field of vision, and another thought caused them all to vanish. It seemed her opponent possessed Telekinesis, a formidable ability indeed. Powerful users could form barriers of sheer force and rip opponents to shreds with their minds. Taking him down wouldn't be easy, especially if he had some way of escaping quickly. As such, she would need to pull out all the stops.

A few days prior, she had prepared a formidable weapon indeed. Gesturing with her hands, she sent purple lightning arcing through the air, up into the clouds above. The sky seemed to darken as Guilt focused her powers completely. A strange wave of force moved through the area, before concentrating on a point between Guilt and the stranger. Purple energy converged here, as Guilt pulled something quite large forth from within Void. A roaring could be heard, but not the roaring of any beast. Like the voice of the planet itself, filled with a rage no human could comprehend. Baleful red light filled the area, as blasts of flame began to shoot forth from the vortex. And indeed a vortex was forming, as the winds around the convergence spun ever faster, whipping up and feeding the flames. Eventually a full-fledged tornado formed, a cyclone that reached up into the heavens. Flames roared across the tornado's surface, and it stood like a pillar of fire, the finger of some vengeful deity reaching down from Heaven. Waves of heat emanated from this monstrous thing even as it began to drag in all around it, from cars to parts of buildings. Within it's superheated interior it had reached a temperature of over 800 degrees Celcius, as the fires were constantly whipped into a frenzy by the breakneck winds. Even iron and steel drawn into the monstrous firestorm would be molten down, before being ejected at random into the surroundings. Flaming cars rained from the sky, smashing into the roofs of nearby buildings even as they were torn apart brick by brick by the monstrous fire tornado. This was Guilt fighting at full force, the weapon she had prepared to defeat even the most powerful of opponents.

This was a Fire Whirl, a vortex of flaming death that occurred only incredibly rarely in nature. But once created at a sufficiently large scale it was an extremely destructive self-sustaining natural force, capable of annihilating anything and everything that stood in it's way. Of course, collateral damage would be through the roof. One of the few cases where such a disastrous force had struck a city had been in Kanto, Japan, where it killed 38.000 people in the space of 15 minutes. So deadly was this force. However, by moving around hot and cold air, Guilt was able to control this thing, to leash the beast. With utmost concentration Guilt prevented it from moving, maintaining the careful equilibrium that held it in place. It would be impossible to shield the surrounding buildings, it took great effort just to shield herself, so she hoped that any civilians in the area had already evacuated. There was no time to slow down now. Even if her opponent chose to surrender, nothing could be heard over the awful roaring of the monster she had summoned.

A gesture brought the titan into motion. Like a raging wall of flame it moved forward, slowly at first, but then picking up pace. A storm like this could outrun a car if necessary, there would be no escape. The rapidly accelerating beast would leave nothing but ash in it's wake, a path of destruction that consumed the entire street. Fanned on by their movement, fuelled by the materials being constantly dragged into the tornado, it towered up to almost 100m tall. Roaring and howling, the monster advanced.

Let's see him shrug this off.

[Flamelord]

Finch

The criminal was not at all surprised by the offer, since it was what he had been expecting when his debt was called in by this guy. He could, at the very least, appreciate the fact that they were going with the carrot first, mostly like because he had been willing to show up rather than making them come for him. He had no doubt that it would have been otherwise in that situation.

But before he could say anything h found that they had a rude interruption, some other Epic appearing to crash the party and suddenly casting a ring of grenades into existence. He eyed them nonchalantly, a clear disdain born of recognition that there wasn't much he could do if they did go off. His thing was glass, not being explosion or shrapnel proof. Besides, he figured his current companion with apparent disintegration powers would have something to say about that.

"Wow, someone is trying impressively hard to be edgy and dark," he commented aloud with a glance towards Guilt. "Compensating, I assume."

Of course the grenades were a distraction from the incoming Phantom, but he quickly became aware of that as he was pulled by the same unseen force currently creating that debris cloud into the very cloud itself. Maybe his power was some kind of telekinesis? There wasn't enough evidence to be sure yet.

That left him next to the man in the suit and Oni mask, who indicated the obvious result of refusing to go along with what he and his little group of revolutionaries had in mind. He assumed they were revolutionaries anyway, though the breed had yet to be determined. But given his occupation and his situation, he supposed it didn't matter that much so long as he wasn't one of the ones getting trampled in that revolution.

After a moment he shifted the dagger that he had held previously into a thin rod, easier to carry in the current situation. "If I didn't want to accept then I would probably be out of town by now," he pointed out in return. "But you make a very persuasive argument anyways. Where do we begin?"

@Old Amsterdam@Mercenary Lord@thewizardguy

[Old Amsterdam]

A Street in War

@thewizardguy@Flamelord@Mercenary Lord

---

"Yes, I suppose it should be. But in this game, you assume nothing. Remember that, it'll do some good," the man shrugged. "So, the plan? I'm going to show this bitch her place, and then we're going to leisurely walk to our destination. One of my associates will assist us if necessary. Heh. You all walked right past her without ever even seeing her."

And then things got interesting .

Beneath the mask the man frowned at the fire tornado, the Fire Whirl.

"Alright. You want to play, Barbie. We'll play. Finch, I highly suggest you stay right beside me. Otherwise you're going to die."

As debris and vehicles started falling, they came to a stop in the air. The very air seemed to still, and the Whirl stopped it's movement and was once again stopped in place, a struggle of will between the man and Guilt.

"That's enough of a tantrum," the man muttered, not sure if Finch could even hear him over the noise. He knew there was no point in trying to get the woman to hear him, and he didn't care.

She'd learn her place soon enough.

As the standstill continued, the smoke from the fire suddenly started growing darker, obviously being manipulated. Slowly it obscured the entire Whirl, choking it of it's air supply. Debris slammed into the smoke like it was a brick wall, and if one looked closely it was almost as if the smoke itself was alive.

With a laugh the man turned towards Guilt, reaching out a hand in her direction. Of course she couldn't see him anymore, between the swarm of his and the ever growing smoke clouding out the area.

With a pulling motion of his hands, the man's laugh took on an interesting undertone.

The noise was incredibly dulled, as if the smoke was trapping even the sounds of the Whirl, and everyone could hear the man's next words.

"Know true agony for your crimes, Barbie."

With a ripping nose, Guilt's mask was forcefully removed from her system, crumbling apart in the process, and she found herself being thrown towards a nearby wall.

"I know everything in your dark mind, and I find you guilty."

[thewizardguy]

Guilt //

@Old Amsterdam@Flamelord@Mercenary Lord

So it seemed that brute force would not solve this situation. Her attack was met with the stranger's own force. Unlike her opponent Guilt was unable to directly control the fire tornado, she could only guide it's path. As such, when the stranger pushed back directly, there was little she could do but yield. In truth such an attack was extremely weak against a telekinetic opponent, but she had never intended to attack him with this directly. It's flashiness had been equal parts setup and distraction.

But before Guilt was able to enact the later stages of her plan, the stranger counterattacked. Showing surprising cool under fire, he ripped off Guilt's mask with a gesture. Suddenly this vital part of her was destroyed, and her breath caught in her throat. Damn. She'd hoped he'd be too occupied with her attack to counter. She cursed herself as she was launched into a nearby building by a telekinetic assault. Only her quick reflexes saved her as she removed the wall before she hit it, before teleporting away into the sky. By reorienting herself and counterbalancing her momentum with the pull of gravity she was able to negate the force, slowing herself down to an acceptable velocity before reappearing on the ground. This time she appeared without light or sound, at the opposite end of the street from where she had been before.

Raw, unfiltered air burned her lungs. Without her mask, this air was poison to her. She was able to replace it with relative ease, but even the few gasping breaths she had been forced to take had burned her. It was an aching pain, as if her internal organs had been set on fire, and Guilt knew she couldn't take much more of that. She had another 3 or so spare masks in Void, but she lacked the precision to simply teleport them onto her head. She needed to actually manually put them on. And she had no way of blocking that attack.

How had he known about her weakness? Was he a member of..... 'them'? The group that was hunting her down even now? They hadn't dared enter Epic City before, but that didn't mean they never could. But no, this guy hadn't given two shits about her. He was here for some other reason. She was just a roadblock, something that got in the way. So how could he have that information? He had mentioned an ally before, could it be he was supported by a telepath? If so, then she was at a serious disadvantage here. Regardless of the reason, she had underestimated this opponent, and paid the price. This could not happen again.

If she could not avoid his attack, she would need to stop him from attacking in the first place. Without light or sound, a large black curtain would appear above and around the pair of combatants. The cloth was woven from special materials, designed to withstand up to 10 tons of pressure. Similarly, large weights had been placed at the corners and anchored to the ground. It had no hope of containing him for long, but it would occupy him for a moment at least. His telekinesis, it suffered from the same weaknesses as her power. Without line of sight, there was nothing he could do to her. She had yet to meet a telekinetic who could manipulate unseen objects. And, of course, while his ability could be used to block any physical attack.... his resistance to energy was no greater than a human's. A gesture would surround him and the cloth with a thick layer of high-powered fuel. With the heat and flames caused by her previous attack it instantly ignited, turning into a shower of bright blue flames. While the cloth was incredibly durable it also conducted heat quite well, and would provide no real protection against the flames. Purple lightning brought with it more flames to fill the surrounding area, turning the entire battlefield into nothing more than a huge bonfire, with the stranger at the centre.

Guilt was shielded from the worst of it by a field of cold air and a maintained layer of vacuum, preventing any contact with the superheated air. However, even from 30 meters away, the sheer infrared was bafflingly hot. She could feel her skin baking, and her hair being singed. In the centre of the conflagration she must have raised the temperature to well over 500 degrees Celsius, easily hot enough to slay any normal human. She would cook him like a thanksgiving turkey. If this didn't work, nothing will.

[Dealdric]

@thewizardguy@Old Amsterdam@Flamelord@Mercenary Lord

Location: Manhattan streets, possible suspect
Objective: Find Telepath, Sub-Mission; talk with combatants
Limitations: None

I saw them fighting and at each others throats. It was amusing from above, but enough is enough and I need anwsers. I saw my chance to get what I want when both started using continuous blasts of their abilities. "Tikn os ney" the time is now I said. Besides, they would've killed each other if I hadn't. The others watching hopefully didn't warn their companion.

I jumped down in between them, cracking the pavement underneath. Stop..This..now!!! I had screamed then charged my bulk at them, unafraid of their elemental abilities. The tornado was no major threat, for it was targeting things of flesh. I opened my hands and attempted to grab them both...
...the others of no consequence, and if needed, terminate them.

he only needed one, but two is what he wanted.

[Old Amsterdam]

A War Torn Street

@Flamelord@thewizardguy@Mercenary Lord

---

The man crossed his arms at the materialization of the material.

On the outside, the Whirl was quickly becoming no more, and within seconds it would snuff itself out.

On the inside, the man was trapping his foot impatiently.

"You're outclassed, Barbie. Stand down and I'll be lenient," he called out.

With a whooshing sound, the fuel was kept away from him and Finch, and his tapping became more pronounced.
"My patience is thin."

With each tap came a shudder in the air itself.

TAP
TAP
TAP

The smoke from the fire began solidifying, choking the flames faster than they could burn. And with a mighty tearing sound, the weights started lifting with the tarp.

At the same moment the man clenched his fist, and almost instantaneously Guilt would feel like she'd been hit by a truck, smashed into the ground before she could even blink.

In the distance, sirens could be heard.

The material formed a ball, sent flying towards Guilt, in the next instant.

"No more games. Now I'll play for keeps," he said without even turning towards her. In the next moment, air was forcefully pushed up Guilt's exposed nose.
"Submit or die."

At this moment a... thing came charging at them.

With an annoyed flick, the man sent the thing flying backwards down the street.

"Why must everyone keep interrupting?" He asked to no one in particular.

[Dealdric]

@Old Amsterdam@Flamelord@Mercenary Lord@thewizardguy

We all know that WraithLord is a determined creature, so he wanted one of them. -Cough- Never has anyone met a more determined creature, and he would do difficult if need be. This never sat well with his enemies...

I flew. I hit store front with a large crash, breaking a lot. I got up, enraged, and Well, if I can't have both, one will do. I charged and grabbed at the fire starter, determined.

[ML]

Whoever this masked woman was, she was absolutely shit at damage control. She seemed to think that bombastic displays of power would be the best way to defeat these people. That was idiotic. David didn't have much better of an idea, but it was something.

He'd missed Finch. The guy had been pulled out from under him, and David had slipped into the earth silently, invisible to prying eyes. He would rather not be seen by these people unless he couldn't avoid it. Maybe they could sense him. Maybe not. In any case, there was no need to actually show himself on the visible spectrum. It could give him an edge he might sorely need. Or it would kill his Phantom. Either way, David had not been nearly ready enough for this chaos.

Some red guy had appeared and was now jumping around screaming. David wished he could do the same.

He lunged forward toward the cloud. He was intangible after all, so he could probably--NO! Something was wrong, he felt unstable, he-- He pulled away sharply, hissing in his mind toward the wall. Something else was blocking him from going in. If he kept trying, he would probably wake up. Not that it would matter to these people.

Could he send something through the cloud? Unlikely. It seemed like every time a physical object flew through the cloud, it became part of the guy's arsenal.

This was soooo above his paygrade. He'd always considered himself a small-town hero. He could fly, shapeshift, turn invisible, walk through walls...and throw a punch. Once or twice he'd been a lot stronger than that. But still, the only thing that gave him even the slightest chance against this guy was that he was totally intangible and invisible. Aside from that, he might as well be shooting a water gun at an inferno.

Then he had a stupid, stupid idea. It was ridiculous. It was actually so dumb. Lord only knew what kind of trouble it would land him in, but it was something. He dove into the ground again, relinquishing any telekinetic grip on the world. Like a shark through water, he slid through earth and stone, thirty feet below the surface. He went through sewers and rock, until coming to about the point where he thought the two villains would be. Give or take a few feet.

He ascended quickly, stopping only when the sounds of the chaos above grew louder in his ears. He couldn't actually see where he was, but if he'd made a good enough guess then he could...shit! He'd forgotten that roads were made of pavement, not dirt. Pavement was a lot harder to crack but maybe--the words Kenny had said to him a while back popped into his head. "Literally just do it, you fuckin' narc! Don't think about what you want. That's how it works in Marvel and shit, right? They just think about it."

Maybe he could still pull it off. David focused as hard as he could on what he wanted. He needed the dirt below the road to tamp down tighter. He needed cracks in pavement to circle his enemies. He needed a pothole, plain and simple.

And suddenly the dirt in front of his eyes crunched down, followed by pavement. He'd done it! Phantom had created a four foot pothole beneath the two troubling Epics. That...didn't sound as impressive as he felt it should have, but really he was just aiming to trip the guys without having to go through that stupid forcefield bullshit. He slid back down into the ground, shooting fifty-ish feet away before resurfacing to see if his stupid idea was as stupid as he thought.

It hadn't seemed all that big of a hole to him when he'd made it. Maybe just a yard across, but if he was lucky, he would have dropped the whirlwind guy into a hole for a few seconds. Otherwise, whatever. David wasn't Superman or anything. He couldn't go toe to toe with people like these.

[Flamelord]

Finch

The criminal had to admit, this was getting to the kind of level that was way beyond the league he played at. But that was just the nature of Epics and Freaks. Some people got shafted, some people won the billion dollar lottery and could basically destroy a city given enough time. He was just glad at the moment that he had one of those lucky ones on his side.

"I appreciate how much you care," Finch replied with a surprising lack of sarcasm, since he could have just gone at the guy for saying stupidly obvious things. But that didn't seem like it would be all that productive at the moment.

Instead he whistled to himself, impressed both at the attack and the way that the guy basically shrugged it off before laying down the hurt on Miss Edgy, and interrupting every other attack besides. "Everyone wants to be the hero," he noted with a shrug. He didn't get it either, but with this sort of territory you had to expect that something showy would bring everyone with powers and without a self preservation instinct running to you like a moth to flame.

For the moment he hung near, and waited to see how this played out.

@Dealdric@Old Amsterdam@thewizardguy@Mercenary Lord

[Old Amsterdam]

A War Torn Street

@Flamelord@Mercenary Lord@Dealdric@thewizardguy

---

With a grunt, the man nodded lightly at Finch. "I suppose you have a point. So, here's the deal. Follow the smoke. It'll hide you, and protect you, and guide you forward. After a few blocks you'll be picked up by a man with lightning and a sword. It'll make sense. I'm staying to deal with this mess."

Before Finch could move, the ground beneath them shuddered and dropped. The man tsked in response, crushing the edges to create a ramp.

At that moment the creature rushed towards Guilt, and again the man sent it flying. This time he sent it up, easily clearing the storefront this time and sending it into the street beyond.

His foot tapping sped up even more, and the sirens grew louder. Three police would arrive within the minute.

Not that he worried.

[Dealdric]

@Old Amsterdam@Flamelord@Mercenary Lord@Dealdric@thewizardguy

This time I had learned and used my own telekinetic energy to negate this Guilt. I rushed passed Guilt and charged down the fire starter, with me slowly building a wraithbone cage to hold her on my back. He opened up his left hand and prepared.

[thewizardguy]

It wasn't enough.

Guilt was throwing everything she had at this guy, and he was shrugging it all off. Who WAS this asshole? She'd never met an opponent who was able to fend her off this easily. How could he be this powerful? Goddamnit. Was she really outclassed here? Was her power, her training, her dedication, simply not enough?

No. She wouldn't accept it. Her life was expendable, her survival unnecessary. Reaching forward, she blasted him with everything that she had. Bullets, missiles, hand grenades... everything near the man was blasted into oblivion. Buildings ripped to shreds by shrapnel and waves of force as this unrelenting barrage tore through the street. Any other foe would have been reduced to shredded flesh, but this guy seemed to be invincible. Anything that came close enough to hurt him was simply redirected, or destroyed before it could detonate. Guilt could feel the strain on her own body as she pushed Void to the limit, unleashing waves of compressed air, poisonous gasses, and buckets of acid. Her entire arsenal was being unleashed. Her mouth, her throat, her lungs, it burned. Her gas mask was broken again. She barely noticed, as she felt bloodlust consuming her mind.

He had to die. He had to DIE. For the sake of the city.... for the sake of those she had lost... for the sake of her own redemption... all of her reasons seemed to ring hollow right now. Forgotten and alone in the corners of her mind. In truth, she had lost any good reason for continuing this. But she couldn't stop. She couldn't back down. It was as if this man were personally responsible for every torture and trial she had gone through, for every little agony she had been made to endure. And like a flood, her hatred flowed forth from her to consume him mind, body and soul.

Little did she realize that she was the one being consumed.

For a moment, as Guilt opened her eyes, she was floating. Above her a bright white, below her the deepest black. And she could feel herself in between the two, in a second drawn out into eternity. In that moment, that eternity, she was empty. First, she reached out towards the white. But the white was too far, too high, too great. And she could feel it, from deep down below. It was the power that she sought. It was the power she thought she had obtained. The power to change everything, to make everything better again. The power with which she would never again fail, never again watch the deaths of those she cared about. The power to destroy everything and everyone that dared stand in her way. And, even as she realized this, she began to fall. Or had she been falling this entire time? The white retreated, nothing more than a bright dot in the distance. And as it vanished from view, the darkness consumed her. Body, mind, and soul.

......

Screaming. She was screaming. Blood spit from between cracks in her suit. Blood leaked from her mouth and nose. Purple lightning consumed the area around her, as she writhed on the ground. With a visceral snap her right arm twisted into an unnatural position. Her screaming seemed to ring hollow, her pain distant. As if she wasn't the one experiencing it. Space seemed to warp around her, as the ground cracked and crumbled. With a sound like the ripping of claws through flesh, and a screech no human being could have produced, rends seemed to appear in space itself. The blood pouring from her shattering body seemed to flow into the air, twisting and turning, as lightning boiled her flesh. Like the arm of some unearthly creature, a faintly see-through purple appendage burst from seemingly thing air, as if reaching into our world from another. It's mere touch seemed to bend, distort, the space around it. It reached out, even as another appendage burst forth from another crack in this realm's borders. Twisting, distorting, perverting, destroying. The very air seemed to boil, and Guilt screamed with a thousand disembodied voices. Agony, laced with hatred. Twisted into something inhuman. Something a little but greater, but so much lesser. Guilt seemed to shake and sob as these twisted limbs took her, flowing over her, bending her. Breaking her bones, twisting her flesh, draining her blood, consuming her whole.

.....

What stood up, was not Guilt. It had no eyes, and stared into the world with empty black eye sockets. It had no voice, it's lips molten into one another, mouth sealed shut. Gashes and tears had formed all over her body, and brilliant purple pseudopods emerged from these holes, as if making up for her failures. They moved as if they were a part of her, hauling her up even as her legs twisted beneath her. Her veins bulged, filled with something quite unlike blood, and alien to this dimension. Although her own limbs barely moved, four twisting inhuman purple pseudopods had formed, elongating and shifting form unnaturally. Eyes, almost human and yet clearly not, appeared upon the skin of these limbs. A dozen eyes, glaring at all around her, them, it. Everything that had been 'Guilt', everything that had been 'Maya', had left this world. This creature, this abomination, was Void, born into this world from hatred and bloodlust.

As Void emerged into this world, several of it's eyes locked onto it's prey. Even as one or two of the eyes stared down the Wraithlord, Void began to advance on it's prey. Pseudopods undulating, with every step leaving a twisting mark in the floor. Then, with what sounded like a dozen voices screaming in unison, it shot forward at superhuman speeds, limbs flying towards the stranger. Wraithlord had been completely ignored, as Void shot past them.

[Old Amsterdam]

Welcome to Misery

A War Torn Street

@Flamelord@Mercenary Lord@Dealdric@thewizardguy

---

Police had arrived in the scene in the middle of the creation of Void.

"What the fuck?" One yelled, as the first responders collectively added more distance between them and this thing. "What the hell is that thing?!"

The man, meanwhile, took a step back himself. "Shit. This is a problem." He was definitely happy he'd sent Finch on his way already. "Gonna need that backup..."

A pseudopod connected with his chest, tearing his suit and sending him flying. Blood poured from his chest as he stood up, but Void was already there.

A blank wall appeared between the two, enveloping the man. "Guess I'm going to be catching up to Finch sooner than expected. Blanket the area."

"Already working on it. You really kicked the hornets nest, stupid," a new, female voice replied.

"How was I supposed to know she was so close?"

Screams sounded as the entire block around them was plunged into darkness from the smoke, growing outward rapidly.

Void continued it's onslaught forward, pushing through the solid above with relative ease, but the man and woman had quickly vanished in another direction.

The beast began speeding through the streets in search of it's pretty, and eventually ended up in the Wilds, causing destruction in it's wake.

[Dealdric]

@thewizardguy@Old Amsterdam

She died before I could have her. In her place was a lifeless husk, so I looked at the villain with a hunger. I needed the telepath and I would do anything to get it. I charged at him, using a telekinetic shield to negate his power to move me. I charged at him, with my want for knowledge unsatisfied. I charged at him, and I will have him, no matter what. I must find The Telepath, for the girl is in trouble and she needs to be found. My hand opened my hands and lunged...

It was suggested that the telepath was an enemy, but to him, just another object. He always got angrier with each time he was denied, and he was always stronger when angrier. He was more observant and planning in a fury to match even the high.

[ihinka]

Regan's phone buzzed and made her jump. She was nervous as hell. It was the final day of Teagan's testing. The PART officer took the offender in her palm and unlocked the screen to discover a new message from Martha.

'Your shift must be over by now, sweetie, why don't you come on over and be a nervous wreck together with us while we wait? And when she's done you can go and get her and bring yourselves back here to celebrate.' The text read.

Regan couldn't help but grin. Only two weeks or so had passed since the snapper debacle but Martha had already adopted her as a sort of honorary daughter. The older woman was ecstatic about her relationship with Teagan and would grasp any opportunity to spend time with the two of them. And Megan was a constant presence, of course. The girl had also taken a liking to her, especially after Regan had introduced her to her father. Megan had been over the moon to meet a published writer. To make a long story short, Regan had been completely and utterly accepted into Teagan's family and the thought warmed her heart like nothing else. Just like Martha's utter belief that her daughter would pass the tests. Not that Regan doubted it. She was just nervous because of how she felt for Teagan. She wasn't nervous for her, rather with her.

'I'll be right over.' She typed in her reply with a smile on her face. The butterfly tornado in her belly, calming for a nanosecond.

A twenty-something minute drive later she found herself in the comforting embrace of Martha.

"Oh, sweetie, you're just like her. Getting nervous over tests and exams." Teagan's mother wrapped Regan's face in her palms, smiling benignly at her. "Quite the pair the two of you are." She winked at her with mirth in her eyes. "Now come. Megan needs a new victim to practice her drawing. I'm afraid she’s bored with Rory and me." She announced entering the living room.

Megan caught the tail end of her sentence and protested vigorously. "Not true, Mama Bear! It's just that to improve I need..."

"Yes, yes, diversity, I know. I'm just teasing you, baby girl." Martha interrupted her, smiling. "I've got your diversity right here." She said and shoved Regan forward.

Regan smiled, approached the girl and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "How are you doing, Megs?" She signed. She'd been learning the language from Teagan and Megan for the past two weeks and was pleased with her progress.

"Your signing is improving." Megan praised her. "I'm a little nervous, but sketching helps." The girl shrugged and blushed a little. She made it a point to sign slowly when speaking with Regan so that the older woman could understand and learn.

Regan nodded. "Let's see if it'll help me." She set across Megan and posed. "Sketch away."

"She'll be fine, you know." Megan assured.

"Yes, I know. I just..." Regan didn't finish. She couldn't explain it.

"I understand." Megan signed and Regan smiled.

---

Teagan was waiting for her final test in the women's locker room of the ECPD's training facilities. She was trying to keep calm and failing miserably. The only thing that had kept her going was Regan's attempt the night before to encourage her, while looking green with nerves herself. It was an adorable sight that had Teagan flushing a little at the memory.

A knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts.

"Hayes, you're up." One of the female instructors popped her head in to announce.

Teagan nodded and stood up. All that was left was the hand to hand test. They'd told her it would be a threefold one. One on one, against multiple opponents, and against multiple opponents of superior strength where she would be allowed to use her environment and anything she found as weapon. She exited the locker room and headed for the gym where the tests were being held. Entering she took in the set up. There were the instructors that would act as attackers, and the ones that would be evaluating her performance. The gym's floor was matted with safety pads, like the ones you would find in a martial arts dojo. Teagan couldn't contain a grimace at the memory of the numerous tumbles she'd taken during her training with Regan. True, the mats absorbed much of the inertia of a fall, but you still needed to know how to fall correctly, or you could get really hurt. And Teagan had bruises upon her bruises.

"Candidate Heyes." The same female that had popped her head in the locker room called to Teagan. "Whenever you are ready." She gestured with her hand in invitation for Teagan to join her on the mat.

A grueling three hour testing session later she was finally done. She'd done well. She was satisfied with her performance. She'd hardly had any problems with the one on one and the multiple attacker simulations. The third scenario had been the real challenge, but she'd come out of it alright. She'd managed to subdue three of the attackers before the evaluators deemed she would have needed backup. Which apparently had been enough for her to pass. Now all that was left was paperwork and soon she would be officially an ECPD officer. She was ecstatic!

Her hands shook slightly when she dialed Regan's number to share the good news. She heard the dial tone and waited. The answer came with lightning speed. "I passed!" She blurted before Regan could say a thing.

"I'm coming." The PART officer answered with glee in her voice.

---

Regan made it to the ECPD training facilities in record time. She parked and launched herself at the waiting there Teagan.

"I don't know why I was so nervous." She mumbled in Teagan's shoulder. "I never doubted you'd pass." She said lifting her head to look up at Teagan.

"Ye were probably channeling me." Teagan grinned, playful glimmers dancing in her eyes. Now that the stress from the testing had passed she was back to her old cheeky self. "So..." She drawled. "Do I get a prize?" Teagan asked wiggling her eyebrows playfully.

Regan locked eyes with the older woman. And then focused on Teagan's lips. The tiny scar there, always calling to her. She leaned in, her gaze shifting again to Teagan's eyes. "Most certainly." She whispered millimeters from Teagan's lips. The ex-firefighter swayed gently, pulled towards Regan and was abruptly brought off balance when Regan stepped back. "But first we need to celebrate the occasion with your family." She stated, grinning from ear to ear.

Teagan took a second to curb the wild arousal that had surged through her body and squared Regan with a playful look of her own. "Ye know yer gonna pay fer that, right, Murphy." She threatened.

"Promises, promises." Regan laughed and opened the door of the car for Teagan.

The firefighter entered the vehicle without another word, allowing her arousal to simmer until she would unleash it with the full force of her pent up desires. Oh, she had plans alright! But first, she had good news to share with her family.

[Flamelord]

Finch @Flamelord and Alkahest @Old Amsterdam

"Sounds go-ah!" Finch's response ended in surprise as the ground dropped away, but he landed fairly well regardless. With a nod to the man he made his way up the ramp and began following the cloud of smoke as requested. Things didn't seem like they would be slowing down here any time soon and he was a bit out of his league, so best to not stick around. At least then his new ally could act freely.

The sounds from behind him indicated that he had made a good decision, as the police arrived and then there was the sound of....something. It wasn't like anything that he had heard before, and for the moment he did not regret leaving that place behind to go on his way.

For now he hurried along, keeping his eyes peeled as he watched for the guy with the lightning like he had been told. Hopefully there wouldn't be any problems between here and there.

Within moments the smoke he was following became impossible to follow, given that everything was covered in it now.

A flash of light couple barely be seen from up ahead. Moments later another flash appeared in front of Finch, still dull in the smoke, and two figured appeared.

Upon walking closer, Finch would notice the exact same suit as the last, with what appears to be lightning on their face. The white and blue apparently on something rather dark, given the lack of a view.

"Try not to blink," the man said as the other faded away, laying a hand on Finch's shoulder.

In a flash they were on the outskirts of the city.

"Wait here. I have to go back for the others," can't the curt request.

Well shit. Finch was no mind reader but the fact that smoke was everywhere now was probably not a good sign for him. He suspected his ally was still alive though, since it most likely would have vanished otherwise. But this was definitely not in the plan.

"Wonderful," he grumbled to himself, just before he saw a flash of light ahead. For a moment he thought it was just his imagination until it happened again, leaving him to assume that this was who he was looking for. Not quite as impressive as it had been made out to be, but oh well.

Drawing closer, it turned out to be two people this time, one of whom had lightning drawn on his mask or something. It was a bit hard to tell with all the dust and smoke. "Got it," he agreed, and proceeded to try and do just that as they suddenly appeared outside the city. Okay, definitely a teleporter then.

He took a few steps away and nodded. "I'll be here." He certainly wasn't going to go back into the city now.

Moments later the man returned with the man from before, and a woman in a schoolgirl outfit and a white mask with what appeared to be covered in old blood and a jagged smile and slits for eyes.

"That was bullshit. Why didn't we know she was so close to a Trigger?" The lightning man asked immediately. "That could've turned out much worse if it hadn't been you two."

The woman shook her head, looking at Finch. "Introduction. Like sun rays falling between the leaves, transparency and beauty entwined."

The telekenetic chuckled. "Don't mind her. She'll grow on you. I'm Scatterer, she's Smog, and he's Rend. You'll meet the rest when the initial missions are over."

"It's all simple, really. I'm sure you're wondering what we're up to," Rend spoke up lazily. "We're going to Ascend, and take over the place of the High bastards. Our leader holds many secrets, and he's working on creating Triggers for all of us. That'll include you, assuming you work out."

"Like the wind before the storm, leaves upturning and grass fluttering," Smog murmured. "We are the wind and the storm."

"Welcome to the Alkahest, Finch. Why don't you tell us anything you think we don't know about you already," Scatterer asked.

Finch did not have long to wait, and soon found himself joined with the man he had met before, as well as some others. They all seemed to share the same design aesthetics, which indicated that this was a bit more of a formal organization than just a social club or something. Not that he had a problem with that in the slightest.

"I see," he replied with a nod and a glance to Smog, who definitely erred on the poetic side. It was odd but not horribly so. In the meanwhile he wondered what a 'Trigger' was, since he assumed they meant Miss Edgy at the scene earlier. He'd never heard of it before, though a reason quickly occurred to him as to why that might be once the High were mentioned. Whatever it was, they had probably suppressed the knowledge of it. Same thing with this 'Ascend' really.

In all likelihood he would find out soon enough, and for now he needed to focus on the present. "Nice to meet all of you then," he replied with a nod and a casual stance as he took it all in. Seemed he was about to find some long term employment at last.

Rubbing his chin, he thought for a moment before answering. "Well, I have glass powers, I've got my own set of contacts to draw on in the city, opera is my guilty pleasure, and I have this bad tendency to wind up in situations where Epics try to punch me in the face a lot. I think that about covers everything."

Scatterer nodded thoughtfully. "You wouldn't happen to have an objection to the dress code, would you? That'd be terrible. We'll set you up with a mask soon enough, so long as you impress everyone."

Rend let out a barking laugh. "Being thoughtful and shit. Fucking Christ. Can't say much, though, considering mine was family and a tactical pick."

"Different views from the same glass, reflecting the same image in different light. We are all one, one is all, everything is nothing."

Scatterer ignored the others, continuing. "So any questions?"

A shrug came on his part as Finch shook his head. "I'm fine with it. I could use some new clothes anyway." His old ones had gotten a bit torn up from the successive fights with Epics, and perhaps a bit of a change from the cliched look would help him stand out a bit more. As they knew already, he did want to get some attention and recognition for himself.

That seemed to be the main take of things, and he had a few considerations ready when they asked if he had anything he wanted to know. "Well I would ask what this whole 'trigger' business is, but you guys were probably going to get to that anyway. Other than that, how active are things usually in this organization?" That seemed fairly relevant to know, and it was something that might not be immediately apparent either. It couldn't hurt to ask.

"Boss will discuss Triggers. It's not our information to give," Rend spoke up, sounding as if he were quoting a book.

"As for activity... We stay fairly active," Scatterer finished.

Finch let it go, honestly not all that surprised by both answers. It was what he had been expecting, and was more for the impression that he was willing to ask about things than just blindly following along. They weren't complaining, so he had to assume that it was working out.

"I see. Is it mostly in the area, or does your organization have a bit further reach than that?" It was the last question he had to ask, and once they had provided an answer to it he was ready to move on. "I think that's everything I've got." He was sure that he would find out the rest sooner or later.

"From many corners, bent at the corners to join the center mass. Each unit folding to create something greater, better, more beautiful," Smog answered.

"What she means is that we've been all over. We come from all over," Scatterer explained. "But we are here to stay."

"Like the wind," Smog nodded. "A hundred steps, a dozen strides, all lead to the same outcome."

"Alright then." Finch was still working on parsing the poems and such, but he got the general gist of it when Scatterer provided a translation. Though he was nonetheless grateful for the helping hand there even if he did not say it aloud.

With that said he looked around at the group one last time. "I think that's everything. Where to next?" He was ready to get this show on the road once more, wherever that might end up at.

"To the Metal Fortress," Smog said simply.

Rend held laid a hand on Finch's shoulder again, the other two grabbing Rend's.

Moments later they were in an unknown location, which seemed to be base entire of metal and looked like the entrance to an ancient styled castle.

"Welcome to home..." Scatterer muttered. "Explore for a bit. We'll collect you when the meeting happens. Maybe think about your mask, though one may be chosen for you. Find an empty room to take as yours, all that fun stuff."

[Flood]

Ace

"͎̳̪̪I̮̮͙̳̣̳͆̽̀ṯ̟͋̎'͕ͮ͛͂͢š̼͓͙̟̥̑̑̓ ̥̒̅̂̔͒̎͝n̠͕̼̫̝̒ͧ̋̾ͫ̅ͧo̓ͣ͑ͥ̋͛͑͏̞͙͎tͥ̇͆ͤ̓͢h̽ͮi̞̙̯ͮ͐̑̈̓̉̊n̢̳̓̿g̩͓̳̹̬̘ͯͪͤ̚ ͖̺p͆e̬̮͖̾͗̏ͮ̅͂ͯr͎̥̔s̹͕̈͂̈́̀̎ͣ̈͟o̜̹̭͋ͭ̋ͮ̀ņ͉͎̺ͥ͑̽̒ͫ̈́a̧̞̤͎͉̠̦̺͒l̷̺̙̭̽̍ ̶͗̌̏F̢͉̣̦̞̹̭r͕̫̫̙̂ͅĕ̳̻̹̦̝͈̰͞ā̧͍k,̙̦͂͛́ ͔̠̰̬̤ͫͮ̿b̵͍̦ủ̼̘̺̫̌ͭ͋̂t͓͍͖̬ͦ̋̉͂̓ ̝̺̥̥̖̱͉ͮ̕n͖͍̍̇̈́ͪͨ͡õ͚͕̣̫̱̺̍͑͘ͅb̺͍͖̪͈̱ͅọ͈d͙̞̟̹̘̦̯͜y̯̤̳̠͙ͮ͗̍̀̿ͮͧ ͓̘͍̪͢m̛̞ͣ̅e̦̯͉ͦͫ̂̑̔͡s̫ͤ͐ͪ͞s̞̃̌̂ͦ̄̓̽ͅȅ͈̲̻̌ͭͫͣ̚̕s̸̝̭̬̭ ̼͈̝̥͗ͬ͑̓͋ŵ̬͎̫͐ͦ̀i̛͍̣̯̋ͫ̽̃͐̈́ͦt̰̤̠̝ͦ̅̿ͮ͂̀ḫ̠ ͚͉̯̰̝̯̱̍͊̑ͦͤͪ̈͝m͚͖̟̂ͧ̈̀̏ͭ̿́y̞̤̠̼͈̓͌ͯͨ͐̔ ̰͇̤͈̤̋̒͠m͍͈͍̘̝ͬͫ͐͜o͖̟̘̞ͩͬ̓n̊̀e̓ͬ̂́̏̏ͪy̶̻͈͉͍̖̭͚̾̉ͯ̍ ̗̞͔̞̥̙͊͒͐̂͊ͣ͘a̡̠n̳̲̙͍ḏ̋ͮ̃̂̌͆ͯ͟ ̢̗̤͒̊ͬg͖̩͈̥ͯͨͭ̓͆e̟̰͎̳̒̅͝tͤ̎̚͏̜̝'̖̤̻̰̦̂̆̓ͫͅs͉̻͚ͯͮͪ̎̂ ҉̰͉̗̤͔ã̭̰͙͎̻͍̙ͭ̀w͖̱̞͎̪̬͑̍́ä̬̯̳́̍̐̒́͂͐y̵͖̪͚͇̳͕̬̔ͦͮ̑ͨ̿̒ ̨̬̿̽w̲͚ḭ̸̹̣͔ͨ̄̈́ͪt͔̺̪͖͆̐̈͒̇h̦̔̈ͩ̿̊ ͔̣̻̝͋̋̒́i̙̩̠̺̋͝ț̯̥̏̿̋ͮ̐ͥ̈͢.͕̲̱̠͞ͅN̢̨̹͈͚̫̲̦̹͈͖̞̳͔̱̒̋̅ͪ͛̓̂ͧ͊͋ơ̷̢̧̭̙̤̯̗̖͇͗̆͐ͩ̀̄ͯ̅̄̃̊̓̌ͣͣͨ͠t̡͍͉͎̜̞͍͙͚̫̟͉͉̬̩͗̓̄͋ͯ̌ͪͨ̈͟ ́̏̃̊ͮ̅̍̊͌̊҉̞̺̝̬̭̯͚͖̭͉̝̟͝͞͠͝ḛ̯͍̰͔͕̩̦̦̺̦͙̼̈̄̽̓̒ͥͮ̈́ͫ̏ͣ̿̚͟͞͠͞v͐̐̈́́̌͋ͬ͌͝҉͜͏̞̼̣̙͖ę̧̬̯̪͇͍͈̱̯̭̳̘ͮ͊͆͋̏ͤ̊ͪ̑ͪ̍ͪ̔ͦ̋̾ͣ̚͟ͅn̸ͣ̆̽ͪͮ͒̎̂̈͛̒ͣ̾ͤ̀ͤ̚̚̚͏̛̻͍̤̻̜̲̖͎͘͠ ̶̢̙̜̩̟̲̩̞̙̼͚͖̘͎̖̯͇ͯ̒̏̚m̡͚͉̫̤̤͈͚̟̦̩̞̠͉̫̺͉̉͌̔̿͂͐ͣͩ͟͞y̡̙̫̺̭̖̅ͧ̀̄̈́͊̆ͪ̓̂̂̀̈̌ͯ͒̿͜͟͜ ̡̢̳̯̣͕̰͖̲͉̜̃́̇̓ͭͦ͂̐ͪ̂̚͢o̴̵̶̤̗̜͕͇̗̰̞̭̥̮̹͍ͧͪ̇͆ͧ͒̅̂ͅw̵̴̸̟̤͎͎̳̺̞̳̹̹̯̼͓̳̲͛̅ͤ̐͂̆ͧ͘ͅn̢ͦͨ͛̃̆ͤ͗̿̑̐҉̙̠̤̰͇͈̖ ̴̨̣̲̗̻͎̰̱̦̠̤̦͇̰̫̬͙ͪ̍ͯ͐̏ͦͥ̌͛̇̓͐ͮ̔͐̀̈̏̀s̵̷̼̙̪̺͈̜͙̻͎̼̖̿͊ͧ̉̉̈́ͣ̔ͯͫ͟͡ͅơ̢̝̥̱̖̰̰̯̲̜̭̰̫͕̗͖̣̱͚̐͒͐ͦ͋̈́͋̈̆̋̊̅̚ǹ̛̝͇̦̘̪͇̯̓̄͜͡͡.̶̧͗́ͬ͒́ͮ̔̓̔͏̩̹̝̪͇̬̖͠"͋̑

BANG

Ace sat up quickly, sweating and hyperventilating as he recovered from his nightmare. He looked around the room as his breathing began to slow down. Another day, another motel, another sleepless night. He got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, splashing some water on his face as he looked in the mirror. He smiled shakily at the sight of the dark circles under his eyes. "Damn I'm one handsome son of a gun." Ace chuckled and grabbed a small hand towel off the rack behind him, drying off his face and walking back into his room. He threw on his usual outfit and checked the clock, frowning at the time. 5 AM. He just went to sleep 3 hours ago, that's half an hour less than usual. After he finished gathering up his stuff, his stuff being his motorcycle keys and whatever cash he had left, he left.

He rode the streets with purpose, his purpose was to deal Justice. Justice for everyone, but mainly for the Freaks. Those who were like him in being shunned by society, yet unlike him for they didn't have the power to defend themselves. He was the only one willing to fight for his kind. Aside from one other, but he hadn't met her yet. The Queen of the Freaks, the High Venom. Ace had heard a lot about her, she too defended the Freaks. She was the strongest Freak of them all supposedly. Yet he had never seen her patrolling the streets, picking off those who would oppress their kind. Ace had been looking to meet her for a while now, see what this person was like. If she represented all Freaks, than what type of representation was she? What type of person was she really?

He was shaken from his thoughts by the sound of a scream, he made a hard right into an alleyway with 3 people at the very end. 2 heavy men wearing trucker hats, and a woman with fur. Ace braked hard and threw down his kickstand, dismounting his motorcycle and whistling hard. "Really now? How cliche can you fellas get?"

One of the men turned around and spat in Ace's direction with a sneer. "Mind your own damn business you cowboy wannabe, this bitch deserves everything she's about to-" Bang! The fat man was interrupted by a bullet through his throat, as he choke on his blood the same bullet ricocheted off the wall and into the kneecap of the second man.

"Well I'm afraid I have no idea what a cowboy is, but I'm gonna assume you just insulted me. Combine that with the fact that you're committing a serious crime, I'd say you're a dead man walking." The woman ran past Ace, a quick thank you being muttered as she went to find a policeman. Ace walked towards the second man on the ground, cracking his knuckles with a wide grin. The High Venom could wait a little longer, Justice needed to be dealt swiftly.

[thewizardguy]

In Epic City, there are two kinds of civilians. Those who possess power, and those who don't. It was a simple distinction, but it made all the difference in the world. Because in this city run by Epics, for Epics, to have no power was to be a second-class citizen. Whether it came to work, money, respect... you would always lag behind. Any job a normal could do an Epic could do better, so nobody hired Normals unless they needed grunt work. Garbage disposal, common police officers, secretaries. Jobs the Epics weren't interested in. Even without any laws that made a distinction, this difference in potential bled into every aspect of society. The fancier neighbourhoods were almost exclusively populated by Epics, and even some Freaks with minor mutations. That left the slums to normals, and some outcast Freaks. Even those Freaks who couldn't function in normal society found a place to go in the sewers, the underground realm of the High Venom. It didn't help that most Epics could kill a normal with barely a thought.

Daniel was just another normal guy, living his life paycheck to paycheck. He'd come to Epic City together with his little brother, looking for a place where they would be safe. From the mutated monsters, from the roving gangs, from the hyper-militant miniature governments that fought over defensible locations. At first, it had seemed like Epic City was everything they had hoped for. A shining bastion in a world consumed by darkness, a remnant of the world that had been swept away by the Starburst event. It wasn't perfect, of course. They lived in a small but cosy house in a 'normie' neighbourhood, and he worked multiple jobs at nearby restaurants and shops. It wasn't much, but with the money he made, he was able to send his little brother to school. In a place like this, without the constant threat of monsters and madmen, he could give his brother a good life. A safe life.

Of course, that only worked as long as he kept his head down. Make sure not to piss 'them' off. The Freaks. The Epics. Whatever they chose to call themselves. The first-class citizens. The ones with power. Don't look them in the eye when you meet them on the street. Never talk back to them. And whatever you do, never give them an excuse to fight you. Because you can never, ever, win.

About a year ago, his little brother had gotten into a fight with a Freak kid. A lizard-looking one, with green scales and freaky yellow eyes. The argument had started over something stupid, but tensions mounted until his brother had thrown a punch. It wasn't much of a fight, it never was. Daniel was called by the school when the incident occurred, and next he knew he was visiting his little brother in the hospital. Two broken ribs, severe internal bruising, fractured wrist, minor concussion. They called it an 'unfortunate scuffle', but what could be done? Kids would be kids. And the normie had started it. Shoulda known better. Shoulda known better... Even now Daniel remembered staring down at his little brother, covered in bandages, barely breathing. He remembered the anger, the sadness, the guilt. But most of all, the crushing despair of helplessness. In this world, all men were not born equal. And incidents like this were a reminder that no matter what happened, normies can never face those with power.

Nothing was permanent, luckily. The advanced medical devices the hospital had access to, in addition the the healing powers of some Epics, made it so that few injuries were permanent in Epic City. But the hospital bills were more than he could pay. Normie jobs didn't pay much, and he had never gotten the education to accept anything more complicated than grunt work. Recently, one of his jobs had been closed down permanently. Something about a giant fighting a monster. The building itself had simply reformed, as all buildings do here, courtesy of the High Island. However, the loss of ingredients and tools had dealt the final blow to a restaurant teetering on the edge. To Daniel, it was like a death blow. Losing his job right when he needed it the most. Everyone was afraid, with the sudden new slew of violent Epics and the massive destruction they had caused no more than a day or two ago. How was he supposed to find a job when everything around him was closing down, when nobody was willing to invest?

Sighing, Daniel snapped back to the present. He was sitting in a bright white waiting room, like that of a hospital. On his right sat a large man wearing khaki shorts and a black leather jacket. To his left sat a young woman with freckles. Normies, he was sure. After all, this was the Jack's Hospital. That urban myth, that strange place where the impossible became possible. Following the rumours he had come here, unsure whether he really believed or was just completely out of options. Looking around the room, he couldn't help but feel like coming here had been a mistake. What had he even hoped to gain? He was being promised the impossible. Was he really so desperate that he would chase a rainbow, hoping for gold? Maybe it would be best if he just left.

But before he could do any such thing, his name was called over the announcer. With a pang of regret he got up, heading towards the double white doors that would lead to the area beyond. The operating theatre. As he walked in he was struck by an acrid smell. The room itself was much like the waiting room. The floor was covered in linoleum, and the walls were obscured by plastic curtains. Certainly the most notable feature of the room was the operating table, placed right in the middle. With a number of scary-looking implements on a rack placed next to the table, it looked anything but comfortable. Regret began to turn to fear, as Daniel wondered exactly what was going to happen here. Had he walked into some kind of black market organ harvesting scheme? What had possessed him to make him come here, knowing full well what he did. What was he going to do now?

"Ah, you must be Daniel Norik. Welcome to the Jack's Hospital. I am Dr. Northwald, and I will be working with you today." A tall fellow wearing a labcoat and glasses smiled at him, offering a hand. Not knowing what else to do, Daniel took it. Could he really back out now? He was having a hard time speaking, and the doctor wasted no time in leading him to the table. "Now, I know you must be worried. However, as you have been told earlier, no payment will be required for the trial. Consider this a service. After the operation there will be a ten day period, after which you will be asked whether you wish to keep the enhancements or whether you wish to return to your previous style of living. Do you understand these terms?" Stupified, Daniel could do nothing but nod. So was this really going to happen? Could a place like this really exist? Fear and excitement battled in the back of his mind as he obediently lay down on the table.

Leather straps were tightened around his arms and legs, holding him in place. Another pang of fear shot through him as he realised it would now be impossible to escape. A bright light moved over him, shining in his eyes. Even when he averted his head, he wasn't able to see anything anymore. The doctor's voice emerged from above him. "Now, the operation will be simple. I assure you, there is no real chance of failure, so there is no need to worry." The doctor certainly didn't seem worried. Somehow, the lightness of his tone calmed Daniel down a bit. The light above him was adjusted, and now he could see the doctor's face. "So, Daniel. We're about to start the operation that will change your life? Are you ready to become a hero?"

For a moment, Daniel couldn't answer. He remembered that moment, looking down at his little brother. He could feel the emotions he had felt in that moment. But now, looking back, he was feeling something new. Anger. Gritting his teeth, he stared the doctor in the face. There was no time for fear any more. He had to make a decision. "Yes."

With a smile, the doctor disappeared. Once more the lamp blocked his entire field of view. A needle was inserted into his arm. Even as he realised this, his senses were already dimming. Darkness swallowed the edges of his vision, and the doctor's voice sounded distant, muffled even. "Prepare to be reborn." Then, blackness.

---

"Are you awake?"

Blurry images, distant sounds. A dull ache in the back of his head.

"Hello, Daniel. Hello. Welcome back."

Slowly, Daniel pulled himself loose from the fog over his consciousness. He blinked one.... twice.... the images sharpened. The first thing he saw was Dr. Northwald's face. Was he still in the operating theatre? No, this was somewhere else. An elegant wooden room, and natural light streaming in through large windows. Looking around, Daniel got a better idea of his surroundings. He was sitting in a large chair in what looked like an office. The doctor sat across from him, behind a fancily carved mahogany desk. A lush, dark red carpet covered the floor. Clearly he had been moved while he was unconscious.

"Ah, it seems you're up. Welcome to the world of the living, Achilles."

"Achilles?" Daniel still felt sleepy, and felt like he was missing something obvious.

"Of course." The doctor stated, still smiling softly. "You're a hero now, aren't you? You can't go around as just 'Daniel' any more."

A hero? Of course. He'd gone the the Jack's Hospital in order to become a 'hero', to be given a power. Had it succeeded? He didn't feel any different, but he had no idea what being a hero felt like. If he did have a power, how was he supposed to activate it? Should he even try right now? What if he accidentally blew up the office? Thoughts raced through his head faster than he could keep up. In truth, he was still trying to wrap his mind around the concept. Some part of his brain was calmly telling him that all this was impossible. That there was no way to simply gain superpowers. That he was being duped somehow, for some reason. As he looked up to the doctor, another question on his lips, he noticed the gun placed to his forehead.

BANG!

Shocked, Daniel fell out of the chair. He scrambled backwards from the doctor until he hit a wall, breathing rapidly. Had he just been shot? What was going on? Quickly he glanced into the corners of the room, looking for a door. There was one, behind the chair, a fancy wooden one. It looked strong, though. He quickly moved towards it, praying that it wasn't locked. Rattle rattle.... damnit! What was he going to do now? There was no way he could break this thing down... should he-

"You're fine, Achilles." The doctor said it with such confidence, Daniel couldn't help but pause for a moment. Involuntarily, his hand moved up to touch his forehead. Nothing. He looked back, confused. The doctor had placed the gun on the desk, and was leaning down to pick something up. Despite himself, Daniel couldn't help but stare as the doctor picked up something small and metal. Smiling, the doctor held out what Daniel now recognised as a crushed bullet.

"Achilles, the hero whom's skin could not be penetrated. Every weapon bounced off of him like it was nothing. This is the power that I have given you, Daniel. Congratulations. You are now an Epic."

For the umpteenth time, Daniel found himself unable to speak. But somehow, deep inside, he knew that what the doctor said was true. That bullet had hit him right in the forehead, but it hadn't even pierced the skin. This was his power. His own power. And as he realised this, he smiled. "Achilles.... I like it."

[Old Amsterdam]

An Alley

@floodtalon

---

As Ace finished up with dealing his Justice and began to walk back to his bike, an odd sound emanated from behind him.

The sound was wet, and crunchy, and... Was it possible for a sound to sound like everything at once?

The two bodies were reforming, growing into an unidentifiable mass of flesh, blood, and body parts in the wrong places.

Moments later it took on a relatively humanoid form, before restructuring into an obviously female form.

#Hello, my child.# came a distorted speech from the thing's mouth. #You have been seeking what you cannot find.#

The... Meat puppet... Walked closer to Ace, leaving a trail of blood and excess behind it.

#I can give you answers that you seek... If you think you're strong enough. Ready enough. Can you handle the Justice you must give in return? Can you lose everything, again?

Come with me. Be with me. Come to me, my child...#