Avatar of The Man Emperor

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3 yrs ago
Current Ay, mariposas, don’t you hold on too tight; both of you know It’s your time to go~
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3 yrs ago
Ay, mariposas, don’t you hold on too tight; both of you know It’s your time to go~
3 yrs ago
I hate dice. I refuse to elaborate as to why.
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4 yrs ago
Meat
4 yrs ago
SHINZOOUUUU SASAGEYO!!!!!!!!

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Most Recent Posts



"Oh... you're one too?" Zeke nodded his head, taking in the sure coincident that the two of them losers had superpowers now. Just what were the chances of that? It seems like that God is making everything go his way today.

"Well..." Zeke leaned closer and whispered to Rafael's ear. "I can make little stars. You know, like the sun, but handball sized. I could just show you if you like..."

"Dude..." Rafael's mouth fell agape, the image in his mind going wild at how a power like that could even work. "I mean, YEAH, BRO! Do it!". Just as he egged on the show, he suddenly became aware of loud moving mass of people with varying degrees of sobriety around them. "You can just, like, make a star in here?!"

"Of course not!" Zeke hissed, keeping his voice low so that none of the people here heard what he was saying except for Rafael. "You know we can't use our abilities in public ever since that law got passed, and with that Lorizilla woman causing so much devastation, it's just going to get even worse."

Sighing, Zeke nudged him at the shoulder. "I'll show it to you somewhere less public. But first..."

Zeke went on and took another shot, and stood up from the counter after placing the payments of his orders in front of the bartender. "Your place is nearer, right Raffie?"

Raf was beside himself with excitement. As he stood up, he patted down his own shirt and pockets, taking a quick inventory of everything on his person to make sure he wasn't about to abandon anything important. As he looked behind him back at the counter, he saw a beer that had hardly been touched. It's owner must've been in the restroom or something because the stool in front of the glass was empty. After a quick glance to the left and to the right, Raf grabbed the beer and began to chug frantically while pointing over Zeke's shoulder at the front exit. He gave Zeke a gentle shove toward the door as the bottom of the glass drew up higher, the beer nearly gone. As the last gulp went down, Raf let out a desperate cough before shouting "Go, go, go!"

Raf discarded the now empty glass on a random table as they made their way out of the bar and started the short trek to his abode on foot. Once they finally made it, Rafael opened the door to a dark living area. Both couches sat unoccupied. The lights hadn't even been turned on. The somber realization that Dave had still not come home was starting to make Rafael's buzz turn sour. Thoughts of a ruined friendship crept up in his mind. He turned to look back at Zeke and forced himself to snap out of it and return to the present. Raf flicked on the room lights and plopped himself onto the leftmost couch.

"Alright, my dude," he started. "Show me the galaxy!"

Surely enough, Zeke held up one of his hands. Streams of stardust emerged from thin air, collecting into a singular point of seemingly distorted space. A second passed before the plasma reached critical mass and kindled into a celestial sphere of heat and gravity. For all intents and purposes, it was a star alright.

The dwarf star itself was of a golden hue. It would hurt a little to look at it directly, but it will have the luminosity of something like a lamp rather than a massive flashlight.

"It seems like I can only have two of these active at any given time." Another star coalesced on his right hand, floating and slowly rotating. "And... it's pretty dangerous."

Zeke then crushed one of the stars in his palm, leaving nothing but dust behind in its stead. "Now, friend. What's yours?"

Rafael took in the display with absolute wonderment. "How is that even possible...?" he asked rhetorically in a hushed whisper. He looked at his own palms and, for a moment, began concentrating very hard. He even stopped breathing as his eyes went glossy and red with the strain. Even the wrinkles in his brow became increasingly intense. Finally, after such a massive clutch, he let out a bursting exhale. "Welp," he said. "I definitely don't seem to be able to make stars."

He looked back up at Zeke. "Well, like I said at the bar, I got hit by a car earlier today," he began to explain. "And I sorta bounced a bit. But, like, there wasn't any damage. Well, my clothes got fucked, but I wasn't damaged. So I guess my power is that I'm immune to cars..." With every word, he became more suspicious of his own diagnosis. He suddenly pulled out his phone and began typing away with his thumbs. "Sorry, don't mean to be one of those guys but I've got to send myself a reminder. Tomorrow I should definitely see if I'm immune to boats, too." He hit 'send' on his self-addresses text message and began putting his phone away. Suddenly it chirped to life. Raf got really excited for a moment before realizing it was his own text that he had just received. His shook his head vigorously for a split second, as if the stupidity could just be thrown off of him like water on a dog.

"I'm getting thirsty. I'm going to grab a couple more beers." Rafael pushed himself off the couch and headed toward the refrigerator. "Hey, man. Earlier did I hear you say you got fired for you powers?" He grabbed two bottle and popped off the caps, letting them fall to the floor. "What did you do, create a new sun in the middle of an office or something?" He returned to the living room with a sideways grin and an offering of libation.

"Nah, it wasn't like that." Zeke chuckled as he took the bottle that Rafael offered to him. He was amazed, though, that Rafael had durability and super strength now. "I showed what I could do to one of my most trusted co-workers when we hanged out. His name was Leon Kont. And... you know what he did?"

Zeke sighed, taking in a sip. "He sent a video of me using star powers to the HR department, which winded up with my manager telling me that I'm fired because stars are a fire and radiation hazard. Even though it only appears when I want to. I think that they're just doing it for the PR."

Taking in a deep breath, Zeke looked away. "And guess what, I survived because of that." Zeke didn't think it worthy to mention that Kont actually survived and was in the hospital right now with bad but survivable injuries. Maybe he'll pull an apology later.

"Bad things happen for good, I guess." Zeke then took another swig... and started getting a bit giddy. He had never drunk this much before.

"Bro, that dude sounds like a Leon CUN- Wait, so your company knows you're altered? Sheeyit!" Briefly, Rafael pondered what it would truly mean to be an outted as a member of scorned society. He imagined it would be an experience he would have to personally endure, eventually. Hell, he already had a taste of it with his roommate's reaction and it tasted bitter. Rafael took another oversized drink as if trying to drown such thoughts. "Do you got a girl (or a dude... no judgement here, bro)? Do they know, too?"

"I've got no one in the romantic sense. Not in the last five years, anyway." Zeke shrugged. "Though my family knows and they're cool with it. Not anyone elsssse, though."

"Ah, you're better off," Rafael stated with another swig of the brew. "To lone wolves," He toasted as he raised his bottle into the air. As he looked at Zeke, he could start to see the tells; the little signs that the alcohol was doing its job. "Ay, you can probably crash here tonight. I've got one roommate who I hardly ever see and another one who just found out I am altered and didn't seem to take it well. I gotta assume he ain't coming back tonight, at least. You could probably take his bed or ride couch. Then, tomorrow... you and I will start to enact our master plan!" He huffed out a laugh before standing up to retrieve a new bottle. The one in his hand had quickly been emptied. "No one will see us coming!"


Zeke Salazar




With both fists, he forcefully rubbed his eyes before squinting back at the man analytically. "Heeeey! I know you, man!" he exclaimed with a much more welcoming tone. "You're Z..zzz.. Zed? Z-word. Probably not Zebra. Bro, is your name Zebra?! Man! I didn't know you were a cop! We coulda been barterin' this whole time! I give you a sack, you make my speeding tickets disappear... you know, tit for tit! You scratch my back, I get a back scratch sorta thing." WIth a sloppy grin on his face, he turned back to the bar and shouted at the barkeep. "Ay! Get my boy Zebra a cold one!"


Zeke winced internally as he just heard Rafael call him by two completely different names. Zed, that was a little more forgivable,
as that was just one syllable off from correctly pronouncing his name. Zebra, though? That was a whole other beast that he couldn't fathom to be a possible variation of his name. It didn't even sound like it rhymed with the real one. Oh, great, he's drunk to all hell. Guess I'll have to roll with it.

Chuckling nervously, he took another sweeping look at the insides of the bar, making sure that none of his other friends and acquaintances were, lest he be outed as someone that hangs out with what society would deem as an undesirable segment of itself. And his family, oh no, they shouldn't even be here. If his brother or mother were here he'd panic, not for himself, but for them. Those are some really grand citizens.

"Well, buddy, it's actually Zeke. It is positively, absolutely, and completely not Zebra." Zeke gently corrected, though the tone of his voice betrayed a sense of being a little rattled. Why wouldn't he? He lost his job, which in turn saved his life as the giant lady from earlier smashed right through his former workplace. And here he was, with his occasional weed dealer. "Say, Raffie." He asked the drunken man, taken a sip off his cold shot of beer. "You notice anything strange happening to you, lately? Because I did. And uh... I got fired for it. From my job."

Zeke couldn't care less if Rafael was one of those that thought the Altered were strange monsters. It is not like he'd go on a social media spate with a continual stream of posts screaming 'Zeke is Altered!' He was never going to be one of those people that one places in their resume as 'references'. So what if he thinks badly about it?

Oh, yes. Why did he ask, anyway? He wasn't thinking straight. Not anymore. Not when his alcohol tolerance was as low as it is.

"Who would have imagined that me being fired would be the thing that keeps me from being squashed by a giant women..." Zeke went on. He sighed deeply, letting his point sink in. By that point, he better not be called a zebra anymore.



Sanzhar Kravchenko




He fetched a piece of paper and a pen. He decided to leave a message for Sanzhar in more traditional means since he’d terminated his phone the day prior out of fear of being traced by authorities. He paused for a minute to think about what he was going to etch on the paper before settling on a message.


Around an hour or so passed after Jace left the safehouse before any more signs of life stirred within it. In the wee hours of the morning, out came Sanzhar from his allotted bedroom, still a bit groggy from having a deep sleep. He was, after all, always a deep sleeper, and it would take hell and more to wake him up out of time. He stepped into the dining room, smirking at the food that his host had so graciously left for him.

"Ah, you're so sweet. You even have a note here..."

It wasn't nearly enough for the kind of eating Sanzhar usually partook in, having a big appetite while being such a compact man. Plus, he'd often cook his own food. Sanzhar was well taught by the parents in the culinary arts, and could be counted on to make some good stuff... if only there were ingredients. Right now, he'd like some manti; fried dumplings with lamb and pumpkin in them, or baursaki; fried dough that literally drenched in oil, that a joke at the expense of the oil companies could be made there.

Or... maybe porridge and tea. Preferably iced tea with milk and pearls. He had taken a liking of those kinds of tea after a Korean friend of his treated him to boba. Ah, yes. Pearls.

Anyway, there wasn't much to do now, except to eat breakfast, and then wait for the confirmation that his identity was safe and sound. Sanzhar sat down, taking a knife and a fork from their places from their places. When one had the power to control metal, eating with silverware was so much easier. And easy did he eat. The fork and knife moved in their own volitions, cutting through bacon and eggs while Sanzhar pulled out his notebook from his bag. He always kept writing related things in his bag, as one could never know if today had a good story to write, or if an idea pops up. Either way, as the fork floated around and fed him, Sanzhar furiously wrote down what happened yesterday; the walk from home, the attack of the mutant, saving both himself and Jace from death, and being chased for the stupidest reasons anyone could ever think about.

Either way, there isn't much for him to do. He can only wait.

And wait he did.


Finbarr Callaghan

The Galactic Bazaar




” I’m here, Ashton. W-What the hell was that? I wanted to go shopping with my boyfriend.” Narvia said. She took a few seconds to, in her frustration, realize she said boyfriend and gasped slightly. It made her blush a bit and cover her face in embarrassment by what she had said.


Finbarr chuckled as Narvia spilled the beans on everyone present, including the adults and the kids and the cyberlady and what have you. He had been waiting for her to say that to the other folks, as he wanted it to be a pleasant surprise. They just came together today, after all... or was it yesterday? Day and night work weirdly in space, and it might seem that they don't exist to begin with as they don't usually orbit around a star at planetary orbit speeds.

"Yeah, I know what you're thinking, friends." Finbarr crossed his arms together, watching the surprised expressions drop one by one. "But you know that this had a long time coming, no?"

Then came the surprise. Klein Harris, the Belter from Ceres, tall as he was fearful. Finbarr remembered how he deserted everyone right before the battle of Proxima. He also remembered that he himself had thoughts of wanting to leave the force. It would have been easier for him to escape than most others, since he had the ability to manipulate space and time.

And now, the prodigal child returns.

"Nonsense, what harm can he do?" Finbarr looked up at Klein, his hands deep in his pockets. "Hey, you got nothing to fear, ah? If there is nothing to hide, that is. And you just wanted to go home, after all... just like everyone else."

He reached up and tapped Klein's scalp with his hand, smirking before turning towards Jude. "And here I thought that we won't any more new ones today... though Phi's disappearance is a regrettable thing... where did she go last anyway?"





Trajan Pyke

The Galactic Bazaar




Trajan didn't bother talking to the new arrivals this time. He was too busy, walking towards the medbay with all haste while carrying the still comatose Alan, whose body still exuded great amounts of heat like a fireplace. His mind only had the concern for the welfare of this fallen warrior of magic, nothing else. He had fought Goblins literally with just one hand, his warnings falling on deaf ears as the charged straight at his superheated chainsword. And now all of that is done and done.

"Excuse me." Trajan brushed lightly against some of the people in the ship, his footsteps fading as he fled into the medbay.

There's not much he knows about magic, or how it works, but all he knows is that this boy needs to rest.



Klein Harris

The Galactic Bazaar




Of course they were hostile. At least most of them were. Flame cast furious glances towards Klein, causing him to move back just a tiny little bit; that guy could be scary when pissed off. Their captain didn't seem to know him, and simply addressed him collectively as part of the 'new faces' group, which he assumed included Jude too.

Thankfully, though the majority of the Star Marines were either angry or highly suspicious or a combination of both, Finbarr and Narvia, the loving couple of the emerald timekeeper and the dragon of space, seemed nice enough. Narvia greeted him politely, as expected of someone of such noble heritage and a quiet disposition. He liked her best, out of all of them. He might have even considered going that route, if only she wasn't already taken. And Finbarr? He was as nice in spirit as he was destructive in war.

"I know that it is a shock to see me again." Klein started, looking down towards the floor. "But... I had attempted to return to the Solar System, to my home on Ceres, only for my path to be blocked again and again. I realized that I cannot return if the government that has turned us into weapons yet exists."

Luckily for him, his electronic devices had been wiped after the incident in which he encountered Crowley and his band of ladies, and if he had to speak with them, he used burner devices. As for his memories... that could be difficult... he could erase his own... no, he could manipulate hers if she stood close enough. And considering how dark the inside of his mind was...

"So when I found out that there was a rebellion seeking to destroy the Ascendancy, I saw my chance."

He still looked down. "We have a common enemy, and we were friends once, too. I just ask for one chance."


Zeke Salazar




Zeke was not a regular.

Of course he didn't frequent bars. He was supposed to be a model citizen, abstaining from drunkenness and thugly behaviour. Everyone who knew him will tell anyone that asks about Zeke that he was just the best guy. You sad? Count on him to give you hugs. You hungry? He will give you cash and bring you to a Mcdonalds. And so and on. Best man, no?

Today, though, was different. Zeke had just narrowly avoided being trampled by a colossal woman, being fired and banished from his workplace mere minutes before the incident in downtown San Francisco that claimed the lives of 26,000 people, give or take. This was one of the bloodiest days of American history indeed. Even the battles of the Civil War and the world wars didn't have so many deaths within minutes. Minutes. MINUTES. Not hours, or days. Just minutes, mere moments where thousands were snuffed out forever.

After his first shot was placed in front of him, Rafael sank it down his gullet with ease before setting it back down and giving the counter two taps, a wordless request for more. He then spun the stool, taking in the faces of the people around him while the bartender reloaded. "Now wish one of deez muhfukkers is gon be mah new bess frin?" he asked aloud, forcing a queezy grin.


Wearing a black overcoat over a grey shirt coupled with a pair of jeans and sandals, Zeke stepped into the bar, his face bearing a morose expression. He'd lost quite a few friends today too, and he wasn't entirely sure if living through this terrorist attack was a blessing or a curse. He shuffled forward, every step bleeding with the feeling of insecurity.

Taking a seat on the stool, he asked for a shot of wine, complimenting his request with a smirk that hid his inner turmoil. Receiving the shot, he dunked it down, setting the cup back on the counter with a bit of weight behind his hand.

Zeke was going to pull out his phone and make a call when he turned to the left, spotting a familiar face on the counter. It was the guy that he occasionally brought narcotic plants from, and maybe a friend. He had this look of loss on his features; something like the one that Zeke carried right now. Maybe...

Inching closer, Zeke leaned towards Rafael. "How about an old friend?" He said, nodding. "What are the odds that I'd find you here... you good?"


Zeke Salazar




"Wait… what? They're letting me go?" Zeke shook his head in front of the office manager. He had been called in there a few moments ago; Zeke had assumed this was something about how good he was at this job, but now, he's going to lose it. Of all the times to become an unemployed person, it was right when the economy was taking a hard downturn because of the plague and the storm.

"Yes, we are." The manager, a white man with blonde hair and steely blue eyes, folded his fingers together and spoke with a neutral expression. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Zeke scoffed. He briefly turned away before planting his hands on the table, looking at his manager straight in the eye. "You're sorry, my ass. I bet you're happy now that I'm gone. You're lucky my mother won't be beating you with a chancla."

"No, Mr. Salazar." The manager replied, still neutral in his tone. "The company is laying you off because of… this."

Holding up his phone, the manager played a video showing Zeke conjuring a pair of stars and floating them around before detonating one. "Mr. Kont sent me this footage."

"Kont…?" Zeke gritted his teeth. His friend that he showed his powers to. Who now turns out to be a filthy traitor that threw him under the bus for no reason at all. Maybe he hoped to get a promotion in his stead.

"From the way you described your… Altered abilities to Mr. Kont, it would appear that you're not just a fire hazard, but also a radiation hazard." The manager lurched forward, hands still folded. "We can't endanger our workers in this company."

"Is this a joke?" Zeke angrily scowled at him. "I've worked here for five years. I get Altered abilities and suddenly I'm a liability?"

"The PR department recommended it." The manager coldly replied. "Though… we are willing to erase that footage, provided if you peaceably leave today."

"Hmph." Zeke pointed a finger at the manager. "In that case, do it now."

"Not until you leave, Mr. Salazar."

Zeke shunted away the thought of shoving a star down the manager's throat. That was a shame, though. "Fine."

Zeke turned away, slamming the door shut as he went to his desk and began to gather his belongings.

"Zeke?" Another of his friends in the office ran up to him, visibly worried. "Its barely 10am, where are you going?"

"I'm fired." Zeke replied in a matter-of-fact way. "Because I'm different."

"Nonsense!" The woman retorted. "You're one of the best! Why would they throw you out?"

"Because, Linda." Zeke looked down on her, virtue of their ten inch height difference. "I'm an Altered. I make stars and apparently I'm a fire and radiation hazard. Okay? You happy now?"

"No, I'm not…" Linda shook her head. "That doesn't change a thing about who you are, Zeke."

"It changes my employment options." Zeke replied, shoving his laptop into his bag. "The law may just say that we can't be in medicine and law enforcement, but that's just on paper."

"I'm so sorry, Zeke." Linda touched his wrist. "I hope you get a new job soon."

"Thanks Linda." Zeke replied. "Take care here while being under the capitalist overlords."



A few minutes later, Zeke went into the corridors of the office building, briskly walking with a suitcase and backpack.

Then… There he was. Kont.

"Hey, Kont." Zeke pretended to act friendly as he came across his former friend, still trying very hard not to throw a ball of plasma at his face.

"Hey, Zeke-"

*Smack*

Kont was slammed against the wall by a punch fueled by the flames of betrayal and pain. "Ow! What was that for?"

"For throwing me, your loving friend, under the bus, Kont." Without another word, Zeke walked away, leaving all of that behind him. Kont might press an assault charge… but he can't care about that anymore. He deserved that, and more.

Soon enough, Zeke was in the parking lot. He got in his car and drove away, not once looking. It looked like that was all for today…

It wasn't.

When he had gotten some distance between himself and the city center, the news flew abuzz with a slew of destruction wrought by a giant woman. Zeke blinked as the titan exhibited not one, not two, not three, but four… no, how many was that, even? He couldn't remember how many, but there were a lot. And he watched as one of the buildings that got destroyed turned out to be the one he had just left, the place from which he was fired.

"No…"

There were quite a few people he knew that died right then and there. Linda, the manager, even Kont. That last one may have been a traitor, but he didn't deserve to die. Either way, it looks like we will have to go to a few funerals in the coming weeks… and talk about his luck of being fired right in the nick of time.

Maybe, just maybe, he should also visit some old friends.



Karagoz Dimirci




"Why didn't you turn around? Those people did n-not deserve to die, they were simply following orders..." One of the copies spoke up with a nervous tone. Maybe the question would be sufficient for him, but she knew better than that. Ideally, Michele wouldn't have to witness any murders as she had seen more than enough of her fair share back in Brazil, but this was different, much more different. The war between the Altered and the normals was only getting started, and Michele knew for a fact it was only going to get worse from this point on. "Look, I don't mean to tell you what to do, but we can't allow ourselves to contribute any more to this division. It will make it worse for us.”


"Orders, orders, orders…" Karagoz repeated in a seemingly vain attempt to grasp reality as his right hand twitched like a cymbal. "Almost my whole life, I've followed orders… Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria… I've only ever bow-ow-owed…"

The flames intensified, his hands weaving the fire into the shape of a dragon's gaping maw. "What are we going to do, if not to fight back? This is only the beginning! We were oppressed and looked down upon since before we gained these… gifts. And now, now that we are the superior race, they will step down upon us even more, take every opportunity to bury us in the ground, until we are rounded up in camps and slain! The only way… is to fight."

To Michelle, the way he spoke, the tone of his voice, it would make it clear that this man was completely mentally unhinged. A loss of mind, brought upon by the horrors of war and the annihilation of family and friends. His mind was shattered and drifting apart…

"If you are not for us, then you are against us…" Karagoz muttered from beneath his gas mask. "But… you have one chance to turn away. Go."

The flames slithered alongside him. "Before I change my mind…"



Karagoz Dimirci




Shit. “Please hurry.” Michele hung up the phone, her eyes on the man approaching her as she took a few steps back. She considered taking him on, but it would be a losing battle even if she did outnumber him. His victims were already dead, and she could very well join them if she fought the man. Nonetheless, she could confront him about his actions.

“Why didn’t you—”

Michele was suddenly cut off by some form of chaos behind her. She quickly turned around, seeing a giant woman amongst the buildings. Michele could only stare with a shocked expression on her face. That certainly was a first for her.


"Why didn't I what?" Karagoz asked with a hissing tone that could make one think that he was a talking snake. The tongues of flame that had rendered the dead into ash snaked towards his hands, curling up into silver serpents that spun like a pair of wheels around his wrists. His gas mask hid his mouth and noise, protecting him from choking from the oxygen deprivation that his own fire was causing by burning so hotly and so fiercely, but if one looked at his eyes beneath the shadow of his hood, something... dark can be seen. His eyes had this express expression of nothingness, a dead stare that looked straight ahead to a future of no hope. To a particularly perceptive person, this man has probably lost everything to the storm and the place, and as such has been locked in a mental cage of absolute nihilism. He didn't even bat an eye as the giant woman rampaged in the background, as if he knew that it would have happened right here, right now, though he most certainly didn't. He just didn't care.

"Go on..." Karagoz hissed once again, the flames crawling towards him like a roiling wave of heat and death. "What were you going to ask. eh..?"


Sanzhar Kravchenko and Jace Williams

Collab Between The Man Emperor and Chulance




Sanzhar hesitated for but a moment. In the span of a second, the thought of turning into a fugitive simply because he helped someone not get killed wormed its way into his mind, filling his imagination with images of running around the country, chased by the government for a nonexistent crime. His family will be questioned, asked where their wonder boy went.

The shouts of the man that he had served from almost certain death, though, pushed him back to reality, and no sooner did the gunshots of the officers ring out all around him while he ran full speed towards the car. He won't be arrested today. This is not the time to get caught, not when the certainty of being callously used as some tool by his captors was absolute in his mind.

Shutting the door, he sat smack on the passenger's seat, breathing heavily as the car began to speed away from the scene. Sanzhar took of his mask and inhaled deeply before turning to the black man that he had just saved from the mutant creature. The din of the titan's footsteps didn't escape his ears, either, and Sanzhar shuddered somewhat as the twin problems of the law and a giant Altered presented themselves to him.

"I'm so screwed." Sanzhar blurted out, placing his hands on his temples. "Ah, crap. What's your name, by the way?" He asked the guy. "I'm Sanzhar. Sanzhar Kravchenko..."

Jace took off as soon as Sanzhar hopped in the car, he was ready to leave whether he came or not. But he did believe in Karma, and felt he'd get some bad if he left him to die considering he'd just saved his life from the mutant. The sound of gunfire behind him didn't deter or alter his focus from the road ahead of him. The tremors from the giant woman rampaging through the city however did causing him to briefly almost loose control of the vehicle. Luckily he managed to get a grip spinning the wheel around and whipping his car around at high speeds turning to head in the opposite direction from the massive woman's rampage downtown.

Jace couldn't help but chuckle at Sanzhar's comment, but it was far from a comedic nature as he completely related to Sanzhar's comments. Just like his metal bending rescuer he discarded his mask flinging it into the back-seat of the jeep, to wanting any fabric to obscure his vision whilst trying to escape the law. "You and me both buddy, the name's Jace, I'd shake your hand but right now I think it's best if I keep both of mine on the wheel. Oh and thanks for the help, I might not be driving right now if you hadn't jumped in when you did, I'm sorry you got roped into this bullshit. Kill a monster running through the streets literally ripping people apart and the reward is the cops on our ass, totally fair." Jace remarked with frustrated sarcasm peeping into the rear-view mirror to see police cruisers behind them with sirens blaring, with officers yelling over mega-phone to pull over and surrender.

"This government is a bunch of inept idiots, that's all I can say. " Sanzhar hissed as he looked back towards the police cruisers that relentlessly chased them through the streets. "They can't see that the best way to fight bad people with powers is to throw good people with powers at them... you know what I mean?"

Taking another glance at their pursuers, Sanzhar closed his eyes, whimpering at his misfortune. "I'm going to get fired, my brother and parents are screwed, ah! If this was the kind of crap I as going to experience here, we should have just remained in Kazakhstan or went somewhere else that is not here." Coughing, Sanzhar continued as he contemplated calling one of his relatives, but decided against it. "Where the hell did that thing come from anyway?" He asked Jace, clearly referring to the mutant from earlier. "None of the Altered I know of are that ugly!"

"Idiots is a word for the Government that I think fits them well considering the circumstances." Jace found himself nodding his head in agreement to what his new ally Sanzhar said. This Government, I wonder if he's from some other country besides here, maybe he's had the luxury of being a citizen outside of the United States Right about now Jace was partially wishing that he himself lived in another country in order to evade the madness of the new restrictive laws President Forrester had implemented for Altered humans to "help" control them.

"According to them none of us are good, they see us all as bad." Jace rattled off as he sped through a red light narrowly avoiding a collision with a mini van, a loud BANG behind let him know that one of the cruisers hadn't been so lucky but three more as well as two military armored vehicles were still in pursuit and gaining. "I don't have the slightest clue where that beast came from, I was speaking with my girl and stepped outside to get some air, I heard some blood curling scream went to investigate and then I was locked into a brutal battle with that creature." As Jace concluded his contemplation about the monster the sound of glass shattering was heard as a bullet smashed through the back wind-shield the armored vehicle had produced a machine gun and was opening fire, the rapid gun-fire sprayed the back of the car hiting one of the tires and three of the bullets nearly hitting Jace & Sanzhar. In response Jace slammed on the gas taking the car to it's max speed, then used his power to increase the strength of the vehicle's engine allowing him to take it pass the built limit of 120 mph to 160 mph speeding up to dangerously fast levels and swerving in-between cars to try to escape the soldiers and also driving near civilians to get them to stop shooting. Fuck Fuck FUCK!!! "You got any bright ideas?! If this tire pops or we run out civilians to duck behind we're screwed." Jace yelled looking into the rear-view mirror keeping an eye o the LEO's & soldiers after them.

"Chyort, these people really won't let up, won't they?" Sanzhar ducked as the machine gun bullets slammed through the glass. This was the single worst day in his history of days, and that's saying something, as he certainly didn't grow up with vast privilege. He glanced to the side, his eyes glued towards the street lamp posts. Those were made of metal, and one was not too heavy for him to pry out of the ground. But that would be too long and cumbersome...

There were the bins and benches, though. If they were made of metal, and weren't more than one quarter of a ton in weight, he'll do just fine with bending them around. Still, trying to take them while driving at such high speed would be dangerous. Not just to the bystanders, but to himself.

"You have anything metal in here, Jace?" Sanzhar asked. "If there's like a tumbler or a wrench, I could bend it to become a sharp projectile that can pop tires. Once I do that, though, I'll need you to slow down a little bit so that I can focus on it. How's that for an idea?"

"Yeah doesn't look like there giving us a break anytime soon!" Jace braced himself for impact as a car pulled in-front of them but at the last minute Jace managed to jerk the car to the left avoiding colliding with the black truck that had pulled out in-front of them. Metal Metal metal what the fuck do I have that's metal shit if I knew I was gonna be working with Magneto I would have stocked up Jace frantically thought about anything he had in the jeep that would be of use to Sanzhar's abilities before a light bulb popped above his head. "I got something, in my bag I got 2 screwdrivers, & some knives, there's a pair of scissors on the floor in the back too and my girl's hair dryer is in the trunk." Jace finished as the cruisers and armored trucks were getting dangerously close and he saw up ahead that traffic was lessoning so the soldiers would be able to resume opening fire with the machine guns.

"That will do." Sanzhar replied as he turned towards the back of the car and took hold of Jace's bag. True to his words, there were quite a few knives in there and a pair of screwdrivers. The knives were too many for his taste, which made Sanzhar question whether this guy had a thing for collecting sharp objects or made a living as a butcher in the meat shop. Anyways.

Pulling out a pair of the knives, he levitated both of them over his hands, forcefully bending their metal components into one sphere of melded grey steel. Then, he molded the sphere into a sharp V shaped projectile, small enough to pass pop any tire while having the density to withstand its job.

"Alright." Sanzhar held the floating spear over his palm. "Here goes nothing."

Sanzhar peered over the open window, and with a single gesture, sent the projectile speeding through the air with the velocity of a bullet. The sound of tires popping rang into their ears, and the nearest cruiser began skidding into a stop, then an armored truck.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry-" Sanzhar muttered lowly as the vehicles began to stop chasing them as their tires got popped.

But still more pursued.

"Man don't apologize they trying to lock us up, we getting the eff outta here too." Jace responded at Sanzhar's apologetic commentary about using the knives to slash the tires of the LEO's in pursuit. The sound of the popped tires was like music to his ears, but the following crashes that occurred from the vehicles spinning out of control made him scrunch his shoulder a bit. He was content with murdering gangsters & violent criminals, but he had no desire for innocents to get caught in the crossfire of his vengeance.
The relentless chase was getting on his nerves, and he was ready to make an escape. Luckily Sanzhar's helpful actions had led to a pile-up of vehicles finally putting some distance between them. Jace used his power once again to ramp up the speed all the way to 180 pushing the Jeep to speeds it wasn't suppose to normally reach. Audible creaks & other sounds he figured his car wasn't suppose to make could be heard as Jace ramped up the vehicle's speed with his power. The smell of burned rubber assaulted his nostrils with the high speeds his power had allowed them to reach.

"We have them within sight! They just made a left down-" The whirring of helicopter blades hit Jace's ear-drum, and looking in the mirror he saw a police helicopter had descended upon them. With the chopper on them escape would be impossible, Jace briefly hesitated before using his power on the chopper. Draining the strength of the helicopter's engine causing it to spin out of control and crash onto the last batch of cruisers behind them. The sudden act of harnessing his power on the chopper forced him to withdraw the amped up strength of the jeep. He was severely drained from using his powers in succession back to back from the fight to the mutant to the chase draining his stamina limiting his ability to run multiple applications of his power at once.

A surge of electricity from the huge woman roared above the jeep nearly taking out the roof and convinently demolished part of the road behind them. Jace swung the wheel to the left escaping that street, and getting out of the city going off road. Moments later the vehicle came to a halt under some trees, and Jace hopped out the car huffing, puffing & sweating nearly collapsing from his injuries sustained in the beat-down with the mutant on top of pushing his body to it's limits by using his powers so many times in the past hour. "Okay...well that was fun... not really, we need to ditch this car and I've got less then a quarter in my tank anyway. I got a safe house that's about 15-20 minutes away on foot if you wanna tag along, usually I don't let people tag along, but I'm offering since you saved my ass." Jace explained as he went into the back-seat grabbing his backpack, and tossing a few belongings inside including his Shade mask. His heart was still pounding from everything that just went down, and he wanted to lay low.

Compared to Jace, who was just all beat, Sanzhar stepped out of the car pretty much fine, if not a little shaken. "You have a safehouse?" Sanzhar tilted his head a bit at Jace, taking off his facemask and cap. "What can I say... you're one resourceful person..."

Sanzhar then took out his phone, and texted his family's group chat, telling them that he's probably not coming home tonight, and they shouldn't go looking for him, lest they be endangered as well.

With the message sent, he took out the sim card and snapped it in two pieces. "And off we go. Looking forward to the start of a beautiful friendship."

Seeing him snap the SIM card in half caused him to just nod his head a bit. Fuck that I had my mask on most of the fight I’m not breaking my shit, I need my phone for everything I do. Jace briefly pondered if he was making a mistake by not tossing his cell before not worrying. His legitimate career with YouTube & consulting relied on him having a phone, plus he was secure in his encryption.

“I’m not real big on making new friends, but I’ll make an exception for people who get me outta hot water with monsters on steroids.” Jace finally joked seeing as how there hadn’t been any moment prior that was appropriate for any comedic rhetoric. He was off by a bit, but 23 minutes later they were making there way inside the safe-house Jace locking the front-door behind them. Right about now he was glad the property was a two bed-room because he wasn’t about to share a bed with another dude no matter the circumstances.

Grabbing the remote he pressed the power button allowing the TV to flicker on. It was already on the news channel which was reporting about the giant woman attacking San Francisco, he changed to another news channel that was reporting about riots taking place live in different major cities in response to the President’s new emergency altered act, apparently several minorities who weren’t altered were also protesting the new laws for their own reasons including having relatives who were altered and some who feared that the new laws would be unjustly used to rope in & target minority citizens who weren’t altered.

“Well well well it looks like the world’s going to hell in a hand-basket cause of people like us huh, lemme ask you where do you think all this is going, oh and not that I’m not grateful then a motherfucker but why’d you step in my fight with big, tall and ugly?” Jace finished making reference to the now stain mutant monster.

"I'm not even sure why I stepped in when I did." Sanzhar replied, fidgeting awkwardly. "I've been trying to keep it all a secret ever since I started bending metals, but... I don't know. I didn't have a choice, I guess. The bin would have killed me at that speed. And then I saw you struggling, and... helping others comes naturally, I think."

"Well first off don't downplay what you did you always have a choice, I mean not with stopping the bin unless you wanted to be road kill, but you coulda ski-daddled after that."Jace responded wanting Sanzhar to embrace the credit he felt he deserved for his heroic actions. As he was carrying out a one man mission to purge the streets of the plague of organized crime he'd come to respect people who took action. "And struggling?! C'mon now I just had to catch a breath you act like I was getting my ass beat." Jace added rolling his eyes but with a tone that indicated he was trying his hand at some humor to lighten the situation rather than actually being defensive. "Naw but at first I thought you hopped in because you were a fan." Jace retorted pointing at the Shade mask when he did.

"Oh, so you're that..." Sanzhar nodded, not sure how to respond to that one. He wasn't really a fan of vigilante actions, but seeing how the police were acting, it would make sense that people will take matters into their own hands. "Nah, not really a fan. Not until the law started shooting at me and you, anyway."

"Ohhh." Jace frowned a bit at his response, although he didn't say he was 100% against his actions he could tell he wasn't in full support of them either. "Yeah I'm use to being on the wrong side of a cop aiming his gun cause I'm black, but actually GETTING shot at, that's new to me. " Jace let out an exasperated sigh showing dissatisfaction with the police's behavior. "I mean I get it people are scared of us, but we just saved a whole bunch of people by taking out that creature and they still tried to arrest us, oh by the way I know you tore up ya phone and told ya folks you wouldn't be back but you had on a mask right? I know a girl whose got friends in high places, I can probably find out if the cops actually got a good look at your real face or not." Jace offered trying to present some good news to his new friend.

"That's very nice of you." Sanzhar nodded with a faint smile on his face. "That would be good, yes... so that I can know if going back is safe or not..."

"Shit it's the least I can do bruh." Jace could tell the news was welcoming but with the possibility of being a fugitive looming over his shoulder the worry was still present. Taking out his own phone he saw he had several misses messages from Nikita who hadn't seen him since the mutant went on the attack. Whew I'm so happy she's okay Jace went in the kitchen grabbing two beers from the fridge while texting her back. He cracked open both coronas with a simple flex of his wrist and set the other one down by Sanzhar. "So what you do huh, career work wise I mean?"

Taking the beer, Sanzhar looked down, and nervously opened the bottle. "I write stuff." Sanzhar replied, still fidgeting. "Published some novels, gotten some articles in the Times, and so on. Can't believe that the stuff I once used to simply imagine as part of some strange new world has become reality."

Jace downed some of the contents of his corona before setting it back down on the table listening to his new ally. "A journalist huh, so your half Clark Kent half Magneto." Jace added making reference to the pop culture characters he reminded him of the most. "Yeah as much as I like my powers things were a-lot simpler before I had em, I know you said your not a fan of what I do but I just wanna help people with my gifts, make the world better, make a difference."

"I'm not really Magneto when I manipulate the metal itself, rather than projecting magnetic fields." Sanzhar replied succinctly. "I can also use copper, so there's that. And... yes. Yours is a noble purpose."

"Yeah so noble that the cops are trying to lock me up, meanwhile people doing actually crimes are running around free, the world is fucked." Jace decided shaking his head about the world's current state of affairs. "And that's interesting you manipulate metal directly, so what does that make your power more or less versatile than his?" Jace asked.

"Yep... I guess it is." Sanzhar nodded, looking out of the window with the bottle in his hand. "So, what are our next moves?"

Jace took another sip from the bottle, taking glances at the TV to see what else the news was reporting about. "Huh next moves? What do you mean?"

Sanzhar shrugged. "Your next moves, I mean. Do you get chased a lot?"

"Hoping for no more monsters, but I'm going back to business as usual. trying to eliminate gangs & thugs." Jace answered matter of factly, eager to resume his regular life mission. "And naw I don't usually get chased."

"Okay then." Sanzhar nodded, eyeing the outside. "I think I'll rest for now."




Sanzhar Kravchenko




Sanzhar walked along the streets of San Francisco once again, aimles in his wandering. The impeccable sense of direction that he once possessed seem to be lost, drowned under a churning maelstrom of anxious thoughts about how the country was responding to the rise of the Altered from the ashes of the Energy Storm. The things that the president said, the law that Congress had just passed... it was all coming together. And the causes of individuals like Reaper certainly didn't help the Altered either, at least those that just wanted to live on normally like he was, right now. Sure, bending metal to one's whim was very cool to do, and might end up being profitable if he used it for for making ornate metal sculptures for the art gallery or something.

Too bad, though. Terrible things were happening right in the city. The tremors of a pair of gigantic feet and the echoes of distant explosions rumbled through the streets... just what is happening now-

Sanzhar's thoughts were interrupted when the grunts of a protracted brawl filtered into his ears. At first he ignored it, thinking it was just some other thug fight, until a particularly heavy metal trash bin got flung towards his direction at a speed that couldn't be avoided by sidestepping.

Instinct kicked in. The bin stopped mere inches away from Sanzhar as he held out his hand, controlling the metal like it was an extension of his being.

He then looked at the source of the noise. There were two guys... no, that one was a guy, and the other was a horrendously malformed mutant. Tch... The guy was losing ground.

To help, or not to help?

Screw it.

Sanzhar pulled at the bin that got thrown at him earlier, wrenching it apart like it was a ball of clay. The metal was promptly turned into a group of ebony serpents that dashed towards the mutant that had charged the man, tying themselves at Sanzhar's command around the wrists and ankles of the creature. He would then attempt to press it down the ground, restraining it.

All this time, he had kept his face hidden under a face mask. The sooner this is resolved, the better...




Karagoz Dimirci




Karagoz's instincts told him to look left, and there, standing nearby, was a woman, taking out her phone and calling for help. The ex-soldier sighed, kneeling on one knee in front of the burned Guardsman. "Pity... You should have just stepped aside. Maybe then you wouldn't have suffered so, so much. But again... so have I."

The former soldier then began walking towards the lady, slowly but menacingly as the white flames he had left behind turned blue, and then orange. However, he dragged along some more fire on his palm, brandishing at her in an attempt to scare her away. If there was one unbroken principle he had, it was that the unarmed need not be harmed. At least until they turn out to be armed with a bomb vest underneath all of that charm and innocence...


Sanzhar Kravchenko




After a rather fruitful talk with Devan in the café, Sanzhar would continue on towards... hmmm...

"Where can I go..." Sanzhar pondered as he slowly prodded along, not knowing where to go. He was still at a lose on what to do, as the words he needed to write eluded him.

The soldiers were gathering up now. Sanzhar decided to take a backdoor, getting away from the major footpaths as he headed towards the FEMA camp. He heard that there was quite a bit of stuff going on in there, so he thought maybe, just maybe, he can run a story there. And perhaps get a raise too.




Karagoz Dimirci




Karagoz Dimirci walked along the length of one of the suburban areas south of the city of San Francisco, his face hidden by a cap and a black cloth face mask. Over one of his eyes was a grey eyepatch, given to him a few years ago after he came back from the sandy battlefields of Afghanistan. He had lost sight in his left eye, and used the eyepatch to keep the now useless ocular organ away from the sight of others. Besides, he looked particularly foreign, despite growing up in this city and country, and would be better off if he laid low. After everything that happened, many people weren't keen on people that looked like him.

But he wasn't going to lay low. Not now. This country had just passed a law. A law restricting people like him from certain professions, and now, he can't walk without getting suspicious eyes all over him. He fought for this nation, bled in foreign battlefields because of the flag he served was attacked, and now...

"Sir." A National Guardsman looked over him with scrutinous eyes. "Papers please."

Sullenly, Karagoz handed him his identity papers. The Guardsman read them for a few seconds, and looked back at him. "We need you to submit to testing, sir."

"Is this a joke?" Karagoz snarled. "I fought for this country, and you people have the nerve to force me into testing-"

"Sir, it's the law."

Karagoz scoffed. "Well it's a stupid law, just like you!"

"Sir, I will have to-"

But it was done. Karagoz tore off his facemask and vomited a whole Glas of white colored napalm right at the man, causing him to scream in agony. The attention of his comrades was turned towards the rapidly rising column of flame that arose out of their comrade, whose exposed face and arms were now as crispy as roast meat. Seeing that their newest arrival was a hostile Altered, they turned to open fire... only to be licked upon by rapidly spinning tongues of white flame, which burned very, very hot. Within seconds, Karahoz had burned the entire checkpoint as nearby civilians screamed and ran; others took videos that will be trending soon enough. But for now, Karagoz Dimirci, who had pulled out a gas mask from his bag and put it on his face by the time the footage began to roll, will be known as the Silver Flame, a friend of the Reaper who called upon other Altered humans to rise up...
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