The sun set, the world darkened, and the city came alive with lights. Cars and taxis streaked to and fro beneath towering skyscrapers, rushing towards their destinations only to be caught up in the slow turn of traffic. Pedestrians scurried about on the sidewalks, clubbing or shopping or heading home after a long day's work. Lampposts, windows, headlights, all shining bright against the darkening sky, illuminating the streets and pushing the shadows away into dark corners.
In those corners, however, there was still plenty of room for monsters to hide.
The woman came swaggering out of the dark with a clacking of high heels, the folds of her black dress swaying slightly as she walked. The cloth hugged her form, emphasizing her curves and contrasting nicely with smooth, pale skin and lips the color of blood. She had a dangerous air, but it was the good kind of danger, the kind that could attract hungry looks and plentiful free drinks at any good nightclub.
This woman, however, shied away from the multicolored lights and thumping music that beckoned those seeking a night of thrills and pleasure. Instead, the loud clattering of her footsteps drew closer to a short, wide building, dark and compact, the opposite of the gaudy structures dotting the rest of downtown. Superheroes certainly liked their bright lights and colors as much as anyone else, but this wasn't a building meant to attract much attention. The less people had eyes on the vault, the better.
And yet the lone maiden of the night made her way steadily towards it, stopping and waiting just outside the range of the security cameras.
Barely a minute later, the front gate opened, and two people walked out, one tall man and one short woman, quietly chatting to one another. Guards, done with their shifts and heading back for the night, bored and tired after a day of nothing happening. Smiling to herself, the woman resumed walking, quietly moving to intercept, following the two down a quiet alleyway as they made their way towards their cars.
---
The guards on the night shift watched the screens, a little confused, as a tall man came sprinting towards the building, running straight up to the main gate and jamming a hand in his pockets, fumbling around. After a few seconds, he produced a card, and swiped it past a reader, producing a green light and a beep. The gates swung open, and the man strode briskly towards the front doors, which remained firmly locked in front of him.
As he drew near, a speaker crackled to life. "Who is this? If you don't have authorization-"
The man cut in. "Relax, it's just me... Ben from day shift? You remember me, right?"
Deep inside the structure, the woman managing the security cameras ran her fingers through her hair. Was it him? He looked a little different than she remembered... but he was wearing the right clothes, and he did have an access card. She relaxed a little.
"Yeah, I do. But what the hell are you doing here? Isn't your shift over?"
"I left my phone inside. Just need to get in and find it, and I'll be right out again."
There was a long sigh in response. "Ben, you know we're not supposed to let people in, even if they work here..."
"Oh come on, seriously? I was here five minutes ago! Look, it's only going to take me a sec, and you can send someone down to keep an eye on me. Do this for me, and I'll owe you one, 'kay?"
There was a brief pause. "Fine. I'll send Parker down to let you in. You better pay me back for this later."
"Gotcha, thanks!"
Sure enough, the doors soon opened, and a bored-looking guard ushered his supposed co-worker inside. With a relieved look on his face, the tall man entered.
A moment later, the doors closed, and he lashed out, grabbing the guard by the throat and slamming him against the wall. Two quick punches, and he was down for the count, left to lie limp on the floor as his assailant continued into the complex.
As he walked, 'Ben' began to morph, his body growing more slender, his hair longer, his features more feminine. The work clothes vanished, replaced by a black dress and high heels, and he became a she, the same woman who had been wandering through the night mere minutes before. She stretched her arms, happy to return to a more elegant form. Now that she was inside, this would be a piece of cake.
---
Police sirens wailed as cars pulled up around the building, spilling out swarms of officers bearing guns and flashlights, ready for anything. Among them strode the bright shapes of heroes, angry and tense, ready for anything. A helicopter swooped overhead, a bright beam pointed towards the ground, sweeping the area for anyone trying to escape.
All eyes were on the compound where the Hero's vault was housed. The place was well-guarded, with security forces and heroes usually on standby within, there to protect the dozens of devices and artifacts being stored on-site. Now, however, the alarms of the compound were blaring, and the place was on full lockdown. The police had already tried to contact the forces inside, and had received no response. Someone had tried to break in, that much was clear- but who? How? There was no way of knowing what had gone down in these, but the worst case scenario was that the Vault had been breached If this was the case, then nobody could be allowed to leave.
The front doors slid open, revealing a lone figure, silhouetted against the bright hallway within.
Everybody tensed. Was it a supervillain? A monster? A hundred guns were pointed straight at the door, and half a dozen heroes stepped forth, ready for anything.
But it was only a girl, who looked like she'd just stepped out of a bar rather than a high security compound. There was a mild sense of confusion, but nobody backed down. Whether or not she looked like it, this woman clearly wasn't meant to be here, and that meant she was a threat. Voices blaring through loudspeakers ordered her to stand still, put her hands up, informing her that she was under arrest.
She kept on walking, brazenly making her way towards the vanguard of heroes. She had to give them some credit: their security had been a lot better than she'd thought. Getting to the vault had been easy, but breaking in had triggered an alarm she'd neglected to disable, attracting the swarm of forces now around her. It was a shame, she'd hoped to pull this off quietly. Still, she had what she wanted, and it was fun to solve things with brute force once in a while...
"STAND WHERE YOU ARE! ONE MORE STEP, AND WE WILL OPEN FIRE!"
The woman stopped, hands in the air.
And then jumped, turning into a massive black bird mid-leap, and streaked into the air with a single flap of her mighty wings. Gunshots rang out, but the creature was already gaining momentum, moving too fast for anyone to get a good shot at it.
One of the assembled heroes took off, flying upwards in pursuit. The gunshots stopped as she closed in, flying even faster than the enormous bird, quickly closing the distance and grabbing one of its wings, stopping it from flying any further. "Target apprehended!"
"Not so fast."
The voice was deep, guttural, and male, a strange sound to be coming from a sharp beak. The beak, however, was already changing, becoming a massive snout filled with sharp teeth, twisted into a wide and vicious smile. The assembled heroes watched in horror as the bird grew larger, its form changing into something far, far more massive.
It was too heavy to hold up. The heroine who had caught it made a move to fly away, but the wing she had grabbed became an immense clawed fist, wrapped tightly around her arm. With a desperate scream, she was pulled down, as the beast's weight brought it crashing down in the middle of the gathered forces.
It came down like a hammer from the sky, cracking the asphalt beneath it as it scattered police officers like bowling pins. The heroine was thrown aside, slamming into a car and going limp as the monster stood up.
Vaguely humanoid, but reptilian, covered with scales black as the ocean's depths. Almost nine feet tall, with powerful arms tipped with deadly claws, sharp ridges running down its back and arms, and a tail that lashed back and forth like a whip, knocking aside all in its path. A beast ancient beyond measure, and far, far too powerful to be challenged by mere mortals such as these.
With a blood-curdling roar, Vol Lok Ra tore into the forces surrounding him, scattering them like ants as he charged his way through them, heading for the busy streets. If he was going to wreak havoc, he might as well go all-out.
---
This is an emergency broadcast to any licensed heroes in the area. A facility near the city center has been attacked by unknown forces, and we have reason to believe the perpetrator is moving towards heavily populated areas. A civilian evacuation has been ordered. We have lost contact with six heroes present on the scene, as well as two that within the compromised facility. Target is currently on 64th headed towards main street, and is unarmed but highly dangerous. Assistance is required, repeat, assistance is required. This is an emergency broadcast...
Member
DracoLunaris
Spike
EricWald
Izurich
Lugubrious
Yankee
Damycles
Lucid Dreaming
The Otter