“With great power, comes great responsibility.” – Spider-Man
“Heroes are made by the path they choose, not the powers they are graced with.”– Iron Man
“It’s not dying that you need to be afraid of, it’s never having lived in the first place.” – The Green Hornet
"You thought we could be decent men in an indecent time, but you were wrong. The world is cruel and the only morality in a cruel world is change. Unbiased. Unprejudiced. Fair.” – Harvey Dent/Two Face
* * * * * * *
[ Message from The Apex ]
Greetings, Cipher.
Over the past few months, there has been an increasing number of disappearances in New Haven, a city known for increasing levels of Variant-related crimes. All attempts by local law enforcement to solve these missing persons cases have turned up cold. Investigators who appear to be close to a solution end up disappearing themselves.
Infiltrate the city and investigate the matter as you best see fit. Use whatever methods and resources necessary to bring this mystery to light.
This message will degenerate in 5...4...3...2...
* * * * * * *
[ Privy Newstream ]
BREAKING NEWS
Local Lab Set Ablaze As Occupants Are Trapped Inside
Foul Play Suspected As Variants Are Seen Fleeing Scene
[ May 23, 2129 - 7:04 PM ]The flames roared as the lab turned into an ever-increasing hell. A burglary gone awry had caused an entire floor of a large chemical research laboratory in Midtown to explode into a blazing inferno. The fire was spreading rapidly leaving several people trapped inside as firefighters outside struggled to extinguish the flames. The streets were littered with emergency and law enforcement personnel clamoring to get the situation under control.
It was soon discovered that the incident was caused by a few members associated with the group known as the Pariah Underground. Four Variants were spotted leaving the lab on foot with duffel bags that were assumed to contain stolen chemicals. Upon learning that they were being pursued by the law, they split into pairs and headed in different directions. Flea, an extremely short Variant with the ability to leap fifty times his height, and Noxia, a girl partially covered with reptilian scales who had the ability to spit acid, both headed toward Bywater. A bulky Variant, called Graffite, possessing stone skin that is near impenetrable, and a girl, Ruby, with the ability to construct blades and spears out of blood, were heading in the direction of Uptown. Each pair carried a bag and seemed to be very protective of their cargo. The chemicals weren't apparently volatile and were well secured within their duffels.
Manny had suited up as soon as the news update hit his notifications. He wasn't quite sure if he could handle a burning building but he sure as hell was good at catching people. He also wasn't sure what to expect so he mentally prepared for the worst.
After cruising the rooftops and following the sound of sirens, Inverse spotted a pair of Variants running down the street with a duffel bag. The police seemed to be closing in on them, but he had a feeling that they would not be easily subdued. Continuing on the rooftops, he landed on a building directly above the pair as they cut down an alley. Their path was impeded by a high chain link fence. Perching on the edge, he called down to the Variants.
"End of the line, I suppose. Guess you chose the wrong alley. A couple streets over and you might have made it."Inverse smirked with his arms folded as a few police cars halted at the entrance to the alley, cutting off the runners' exit. Several officers exited the vehicles with weapons drawn.
"NHPD! Drop the bag and put your hands up!"
Flea and Noxia eyed their pursuers with mild annoyance. They nodded to each other as if silently agreeing to some sort of Plan B and Noxia tossed Flea the duffel which looked quite awkward for him to carry at his height. She then turned around and took a deep breath. When she released, she exhaled a spray of highly corrosive acid onto the fence. As the metal was quickly eaten away, Flea began to run straight toward the gathering of officers.
"Freeze!"
Flea simply smirked and took a single leap. He soared directly over the officers a good fifty feet and landed on the roof across the street from the alley. He gave a mocking salute and leapt once again toward the next rooftop. Meanwhile, Noxia took off through the large hole that now existed where her acid had melted the metal.
Inverse's head darted back and forth as he watched the two split up.
"Oh, hell…"He made a quick assessment of the situation and decided his best bet was to stay on Flea. Ignoring the police now scrambling to continue their chase, Inverse headed in the direction of the small Variant.
Sierra/Incinera
– Midtown –As the fire at the lab blazed on, Incinera flew toward the building at breakneck speed. When she came within range, she hurled a fireball at a window directly in her path, shattering it enough for her to fly straight into the flames. She rolled as she landed nearly colliding with a collapsed support beam. She immediately regretted her impulsive entrance as she coughed and choked on the smoke in the air. Fire immunity didn't really equal smoke immunity. She decided it was too late to leave and covered her mouth as best as she could and continued on hoping to reach a pocket with better air quality.
Using her instincts, she made her way to a door leading to a stairwell and crashed through it. This part of the building had yet to catch flame and she was able to somewhat catch her breath. She stood for a moment, listening for cries for help. She heard several screams coming from the floor above and she immediately made her way up. Pushing through another door, she was instantly greeted by a wall of flames. She moved unfazed through the fire, shoving aside scorching and scalding debris to clear a path toward the victims. She found a group of what looked like college students trapped behind some fallen rubble. A couple had lost consciousness and the remaining few were on their way to the same fate, coughing and hacking at the smoke and heat exposure.
"Hey! I'm gonna help you, okay?!"Incinera hurriedly cleared away as much of the debris as she could and made to move the students to safety.
Dante focused hard on his game as he looked to beat his own high score on the ninth machine in the arcade. This score was particularly high even for him...he must have really been in the zone at the time. He heard the sirens as they whirred in the distance and he continued his quest, ignoring what was a rather common sound in Midtown. It wasn't long before he failed his attempt to best himself.
"Dammit!"He lightly slammed a disappointed fist on the machine and backed away. He pulled his phone out from his pocket and immediately saw the breaking story from the Privy Newstream. He knew as soon as he read the headline that Sierra and Manny would jump on it and try to play hero. It sounded like the incident wasn't too far from where he was, and he wondered if there was anything he should, or could, do to help. He didn't exactly try to ever put himself in harm's way, but he felt obligated at this moment to act.
As Dante stepped out of the arcade, he noticed that the sirens were growing increasingly louder. He figured that most likely meant that the chase was headed in his direction. Just then, a couple of people turned a corner in the distance running full speed toward where he was standing. He presumed they were the Variants trying to evade the authorities and he felt his adrenaline starting to pump.
Well, looks like I don't have much choice now...only question is whether or not I can stop them...
Blazion