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Lost Haven, Maine?
The Smith family's living accommodations were modest. They owned a duplex apartment in Little Sicily, right on the edge of the Carver waterfront. Unlike most places in Little Sicily, it was a quaint little neighborhood. Crime was statistically low and had been dropping like a rock since the heroes made their debut in Lost Haven. The house itself was nothing special. The apartment's exterior was well-maintained and the walls were constructed in glazed-headed Flemish bond with bricks of various shades and lengths, as was standard for that type of construction in Lost Haven. Unlike most other duplexes in the area, the landlord had paid for a duel garage attachment for the benefit of his residents; it was one of the main reasons Peter had chosen the apartment over others. He loved to work on his '68 Ford Mustang. It had become his obsession ever since he retired from the ring and was physically unable to fight any longer.
"Could you hand me that knife, dearest?" Mrs. Emily Smith asked. Laura crossed the kitchen and grabbed the small knife off the counter, returning it to her mother's hand. "I'm glad we could finally get everybody together. Seems like its been ages since we all sat down for dinner together." The young journalist chuckled. Emily placed the last bit of beef onto one of the finishes plates, glancing at Laura as she did so. "You two make it a little difficult to arrange anything, what with the two of you never answering your phones. Or returning my calls. Some things never change." Her mother was nearly done preparing the Beef Stroganoff, one of her best meals. "We have-" The heroine began, only for her mother to finish the sentence for her. "-Work. I know. And I'm proud of you. It's nice to know you're off saving the world and not wasted in some bar in Chinatown every weekend. Your uncle Mark's a wreck."
Laura sniffed, allowing the delicious aromas of the various food stuffs to flood her senses. "Mmm." Emily passed a couple of plates over to Laura. "Put those on the dining room table." She ordered. Laura took the dishes in hand and carefully carried them out of the kitchen and into the adjacent dining room. She put the food down in the proper place as requested and made her way toward a small hutch in the corner. A number of family photos sat on the top of the chest. A brief smile graced Boom's lips as she ran a single finger over her favorite picture of her family and closest friends, standing in front of a waterfall in the Amazon. "And could you find your brother? He's supposed to be helping your father with the car but Peter hasn't seen him all day." Of course he hasn't. Harvey had been pouring over old case files day and night for the past week. He barely ate and only slept when he couldn't see straight anymore. Laura had to literally drag him out of the office and over to their parents' place for dinner tonight. "Can't even spare a second for your family, can you?" Boom grunted under her breath.
The door at the top of the stairs exploded into splinters. Harvey tumbled down the stairway and crashed into the wall behind him. Laura crossed the dining room in an instant, not caring if her parents saw her using her powers. They didn't know about their children's double life and Boom would've liked it if it could've stayed that way; but she had more important things to worry about at the moment. Like her bleeding brother. Who, by the sound of his rasping breaths, was having trouble breathing. "Harv?!" Her hands immediately went to the dark red splotch at the corner of his shirt. She practically tore the material to shreds trying to get to the wound. The source of the blood turned out to be a splinter the size of a small knife, impaled up into Thunderbolt's ribs and likely right into his lung. "This is gonna hurt." Laura warned moments before she grabbed the spike and ripped it out. Harvey screamed, but his healing factor quickly went to work sealing the gushing hole in his side. "What happened?!" Harvey continued to gasp for air for a second and a half before his lung stopped collapsing and moved back into place. "Look ou-"
But the speedster's warning came too late. A powerful hand had already wrapped around the back of Laura's throat and chucked her across the room. The young woman soared right through the dining room wall and skidded to a halt in the kitchen, right at the feet of her terrified mother. "Laura?" She croaked, unable to process what was happening. "What the hell hit me?" The speedster whispered. She tried to stand. Halfway to her feet, she felt something impact her chin and she was off her feet again. This time, Boom flew straight up and through the kitchen ceiling. "Mhmmph." Laura crawled to the corner of her parents' room, her eyes glued to the hole in the floor. Fear crept through her very soul. She had no idea what was happening or what was attacking them. All Laura knew is that she was afraid. Completely petrified. She felt a brief tug on her hair. "H-" Boom went for another ride, dragged along the ground at frightening speeds and rocketed through yet another set of walls, ending up sprawled in the grass of her front yard. Pain wracked her body. She begged for the nightmare to end. Every bone in her body ached. Her muscles screamed for the sweet release of the void. "What are you?!" Laura cried.
A figure appeared above her broken body. It was an image like no other; one that would be burned into Laura's memory for the rest of time. The monster was ten feet tall, towering over her. The giant's skin was darker than the very night. So black was it that it appeared to absorb the very light around it. Hideous claws adorned its skeletal limbs, longer than any blade Laura had ever seen. The beast lacked any discernible features, aside from its emotionless white eyes. The thing couldn't have weighed more than a hundred pounds; it was skinnier than bones. When it spoke, the very earth seemed to stand still. It had no mouth yet it echoed louder than any other sound could have. Yet, at the same time, it was but a whisper within Laura's very skull. Her attacker spoke a single, powerful word. A word that could shake the heavens. It was inevitable. It was eternal. It came for all men, no matter how weak or how mighty. It was the end of all living things.
"Death."
Death's hand wrapped around Laura's entire head. He lifted her from her feet with such ease, one could've sworn Laura weighed nothing at all. The creature slowly applied pressure. His grip became a vice, crushing the girl's skull. Boom could only scream as the monster gradually murdered her. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Harvey appeared from the front door, charging head long at the monster, lightning-empowered fist held behind him. The beast caught Thunderbolt's hand in its disgusting claws. Harvey stared at the beast in utter horror, unable to even move. Death snapped Harvey's arm like a twig and shoved its clawed hand into the speedster's chest. Blood poured from Harvey's mouth as he turned to look at his dying sister. "Boom." He gurgled. "Boom." The hero repeated, defeat in his eyes. "Wake up."
Boom shot upwards, her hands instantly at her throat. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she fought the urge to scream. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. The young heroine repeated to herself over and over until her heart stopped racing. Laura looked around the warehouse, trying to distract herself from the vivid dream she'd just awoken from. Radiance, Bast and Lyger were all standing around a fallen Lion hybrid. They appeared to be the only other ones still conscious. Boom stood to her feet and quietly joined them, her arms locked around her chest and her eyes staring at the floor. "H-have you guys seen my brother?" She muttered.
