The Guardian Chronicles - IC

[Hell Hound Woof]

A large figure clothed in not but rags and furs leaped through the forest, cracks of gunfire were heard. Wood cracked from bullets landing in the direction of the large figure. This figure darted and moved in a slowly closing circle towards the gunfire. The bullets were fired from hunting rifles, held by men wearing orange jackets and camo pants. These three men stood around their campsite. They'd been on hunting trips before in the area, not believing the stories told at the bars down in town.

"Jesus fuck Carl this aint real!" One of the men said raising his rifle and rapidly scanning the tree line. He saw a flash of movement and squeezed the trigger.

"Fuck off Tucker," Carl retorted, "We're gonna kill this fuckin thing and then we're gonna be legends man!"

Carl raised his rifle and fired a shot towards the figure, an audible roar came from where the shot landed and the figure fell.

"I fucking got him!" Carl shouted loudly, with Tucker and Bill on his heels they rushed to where the figure had collapsed. They crossed between some trees and aimed there rifles at a pelt on the ground. This pelt had some blood splattered on it but there was no figure there.

"Spread out! It's wounded around here!" Carl said kicking the pelt over, "I dont know what this is but be careful."

The three spread out in separate directions, carefully checking the area. Bill was a larger man, quite heavy. His breathing was irregular and easy to hear from a distance. Bill was the first of the unfortunate three to be attacked. Lupus emerged from a tree only a foot from Bill, before Bill had any time to react Lupus had clutched the barrel of Bill's rifle and wrenched it from his grasp. Bill went to scream and Lupus shot his left hand quickly up and clutched the fat mans throat. The big man put his hands above his head and at his sides as Lupus forced him backwards towards a tree, the big man backpedaled quickly before his back was against the tree. Lupus released his left hand and brought his right fist into the mans forehead knocking him unconscious. Lupus heard twigs snapping not far away and grabbed Bill's rifle, he headed in a 20ft birth around the sounds he'd heard and spotted the other man, Tucker. Lupus bent the rifle in his hands and circled so he was in front of Tucker.

Lupus let out a low growl and Tucker raised his rifle aiming at the brush Lupus sat in. Lupus slung the bent rifle through the air, it broke through the brush. Lupus rushed out and sprinted at the man, the rifle connected with Tucker's rifle then bounced and hit the man in the jaw. Lupus hit the man immediately after the rifle and planted a knee in his stomach before driving his elbow into the back of the mans skull, a few more punches were delivered to the mans ribs shattering some. Lupus stood at least a foot taller than the man and backhanded him out of consciousness in order to finish the beating. Lupus stood over the man for a moment, he'd need serious medical treatment if he got off this mountain. Before Lupus had time to react he heard the crack of gunfire on his right and felt the sharp pain of a bullet rip through his lower abdomen. This was more than the small graze his leg had received earlier, this felt near crippling. Lupus dropped to his haunches and extended his legs launching himself into the nearest tree. He climbed quickly and waited for Carl to get close. The man continued to shoot into the tree and then got right below and squeezed the trigger of his rifle but heard only a click. Lupus took this opportunity and dropped from the tree with a growl. He came down like a cannon ball and crushed the mans shoulders with his hands. The man fell to the ground and Lupus began cutting across his face and throat with his talons, gurgles beneath him became silent and eventually Lupus stopped. The man below him was dead. Lupus had tried to avoid killing people but lately it had seemed impossible to avoid it. Lupus stripped the man of his clothing and searched through his pockets for a set of car keys. He made his way to the mens campsite then followed their trails back to the main road. 3 vehicles. He pulled out the car keys and clicked the unlock, on the far right he saw a truck beep then knew what to do. He walked to the other two cars and popped their tires before reaching into the engines and ripping out key parts.

Lupus climbed into the drivers seat of the truck and adjusted the seat. He hadnt driven a car in a long time and his stomach was bleeding a bit, he knew that the nearest town was near an hour away and quickly got on the road. Now adorned in a camouflage jacket and pants with a small camo cap on his head. He drove into the nearest town seeking medical assistance.

 

[VoLaTiLe]

Barracuda seemed pleased now that a 'hero' has finally come to the scene, and it was the same person who yelled at him earlier. "Okay, so crazy's first then? You're free to express all your pain later." He chuckled and approached to grab another hostage, he removes the blindfold and the gag hiding the hostage's face, it was a girl in her mid twenties. He pulls up her long brown hair to reveal the nape, it was clean, no scars. This wasn't the one he had implanted the kill switch on, but he still held her. "Oh, I agree that I deserve to die, but not until I've finished my dreams." He went for the other hostage and revealed their face, an elder looking man. The man had a scar in his nape, this was the one. "It's simple, yet it's crazy! This bus has explosives attached to it, powerful enough to blow up half or even the whole town central. It will blow up any minute now, and the kill switch is inside one of these hostages. The switch will turn off if the one it's attached to is dead, and the best part is, I have no idea how many explosives there are in this bus or if the bus is the only one with explosives on it! So, we all die, or you kill one of these innocent hostages."

He couldn't help but burst into another hysterical laughter, "Maybe then you can express your pain..."
Are you sure you want to kill yourself, Barracuda?
Don't be stupid Damien, we'll be out of here before that happens.
Why are you even bothering to do this?
To prove something we believe in, we all believe in something... right?

 

[Viral]

Energy. Heat. Cassander had sensed something fluctuating - large amounts of energy being gathered up and then expended. If there was one thing Cassander couldn't stop, it was his own curiosity.

From what he had seen, it was a good thing he had come. This man with the hostages fell clearly into Cassander's view as a bad person. There was only one thing to do to bad people. It was up to people like him, the good people, to put them down. For the greater good. That's why, in the end, Cassander knew he was a good person.

"I'm a good boy," he muttered to himself, the modulator in his mask giving his voice a clicking, rattling quality. Cassander had been standing in the far back where less people were, and in any case everyone was too busy looking up at the bad man to notice him. No one had noticed that the light around him seemed to dim as he drained the light energy around him to better keep himself hidden. Except, now, for one man who had heard him talk just then.

"Who the hell are-"

Cassander moved fast. One gloved hand was on the other man's mouth and Cassander began pulling him backwards. He upped the energy drain considerably.

The man struggled, but as the energy left him, he became slower... Slower.... Slower... And so very, very cold.

"I'm here to save you," Cassander said, cradling the man as he lowered him to the ground. "I'm a good boy. I'm a good person."

The man went limp. Cassander released him. He went to stand, but paused, turned back to the man. He poked him. Nothing. His body was cold, so cold. Cassander felt an inkling of worry, until, finally, the man took a small breathe. Cassander sighed in relief. He thought he might've gone a little too far. He vented a little energy into the man to keep him warm, then left him unconscious on the ground. He had other things to do.

He began a slow walk around the edges of the crowd, moving steadily closer to the bus that the man was on.

"I will make things right," he said to himself.

 

[HackSlashDave]

Leona had stopped laughing, this man atop the bus was killing civilians... And in such an atrocious way. Readying a ball in her hand she focused on the scene before her through the mascot head she wore. A crowd of onlookers, a bus rigged to blow, two hostages left: one of whom who has a switch connected to the bomb. The man looked at the hostage's necks as he revealed their identities, so he would probably be thinking of saving "the best until last" as it were... Leona threw up a little in her mouth at her last thought.

"I'm guessing you figured it out too George." She whispered through her mask in a serious voice.

"Well we're not killing the old guy, and we can't risk being wrong either..." He whispered back, retaining a ready stance to jump into the action.

"You're right, and with this new guy atop the bus, a distraction won't buy the time we need to figure out a plan." Leona planned out loud, "And seeing as we haven't got the time, i'm going to try something reckless," she finished, launching her ball into the air a few feet and readying her swing stance.

"Wait!.." George started before realising it was too late.

Leona focused entirely on her target rather than the ball, the moment seemed to last forever as she surveyed the effect of her hit even before she made it, working out exactly where she wanted the ball to land. As she swung the masked man lifted the hostage slightly, moving her original target and making her readjust mid-swing. She landed the hit. But as it turned out, at the cost of her balance: she fell over, face planting the floor in her costume (which might have been comedic if not for the current situation).

The ball was on target, and had a decent amount of force behind it. It was aimed, with extreme precision, at the masked man's arm that held the hostage.

 

[Azazel]

Black boots pounded against the pavement as Shadow moved through the streets as quickly as she could, which in her opinion wasn't fast enough.

You won't make it.

Yes I will, shut up.

She wished there was a way she could move faster, something anything to get her there to help. Suddenly, the next step she took didn't hit the ground, it sunk right through it. Next thing she knew she was falling. Everything was dark and cold and she could hear the laughter of that wretched voice.

So, you've figured out how to enter my world. Congratulations.

What do you-

Before she could finish her thought she was slamming into the ground. Hard. There were a few people looking at her. Slowly she climbed to her feet, rubbing the back of her head. How had she gotten to the town center? She'd think about that another time. For now she had something to do. Making her way through the crowd, she heard the occasional whisper. "Not her..." one said. "She'll just make this worse..." Ignoring the voices, she crept closer to the bus. She let the shadows creep from her fingers and around the bus. She could feel the explosives. Focusing as hard as she could, she worked on removing them. She'd let the other two distract him. Maybe, just maybe she could do something right for once.


~~~~

Lanalee hissed low under her breath. "Merik, take him out." She said, voice quiet.

A grin slowly spread across the dolls face. "I have my orders. You will fall. Hostages or no." He said simply, watching the blue energy pulse around him like a heart beat. He seen the ball coming before it even entered his sight. His mistress saw it therefore he did. So he stood back and watched. He'd wait until it hit to strike.

 

[OnI6470]

MIGUEL BELASCO
(LEGION)

The cars caravan arrive at the docks and park near a luxury ship. Armed men watch the place, the bald man hurries inside, one of his men cover him with the umbrella even when the sun isnt nearly over them.
"It was a good night, even if I would have wish to have our new base blessed right away..." he say as he goes down and down, to the very insides of the ship.
Reaching his room, a nearly empty space, dark, barely lit with torches, theres no bed, chairs, just bookshelfs, a dark stone in the middle of the room and several paintings and marks over the floor, walls and ceiling. The stink of blood mixes with perfumes. Flies buzz around and maggots crawl the floor.
The man sits on the floor, dont minding the vermin running around, surprisingly none of them crawl over him, they just avoid it.
"Sir, I have news... " says one of his men, he holds a tablet that makes his face glow blue.
"What kind of news?, news that matter to me...?"
"I... I... thought could intrest you sir..." says the man disturbed at the tone of his boss.
"CHarming... you thought... well lets see what YOU THOUGHT I could be intrested..." he says reclining on the floor looking amused at the terrified men.
"I... I.. have been... checking the... the local... news... there seems to be... things... happening... in the city.." the tablet almost falls from his hands due the trembling.
"Things? what kind of things?"
"I dont... know how to explain... sir. maybe if you see it..." he try to hand him the tablet, but the other rises his hand and hiss almost like a snake.
"Dont dare to give me that... thing...! You know I hate that things!! Now explain or I will have another sacrifice for this night!!" the bald man stand up, his eyes glow red and flames shines from the inside of his mouth.
"I... beg your pardon my lord... I didnt mean..." the man swallows loudly, sweat cover his brow, he turns the tablet toward him but avoiding touching or getting too near "theres... it looks like there are... special beings in the city..."

 

[VoLaTiLe]

Before any impact, Barracuda heard a whirring noise coming from behind him. He held a hostage in each hand, so he had no other choice but to push the two towards the hero he was confronting, and with great speed, he dashed to his left and readjusted the ball that was supposed to hit him towards the hero on the bus. Everything was still slow, which will only last for a minute. "Adjustments..." He muttered to himself as he scanned the area, thinking of what to do. He sprinted towards a nearby building and rummaged over a room, then he found a bomb. He did the same to the other buildings surrounding the town central, they were all armed with bombs. "This ought to be a good show." He chuckled before sprinting back to the bus. He waited for things to take effect, then he wondered, where did the ball come from? He turns around and looks down from the bus to see an open manhole where the ball must have came from, he shrugged this off and went back to his position.

(Sorry if my writing seems kinda lazy, so many distractions at my place that i can't focus on writing.)

 

[Lockheart]

--- The Phantom Marksman (Ayo Magoro) ---

The Phantom Marksman stood in the dark room. The only light hung above the doorway and was barely bright enough to illuminate the stacks of paper that littered the desk at the room's center. Behind the desk sat a man, stocky and tall, his great size barely confined to his seat. Phantom's one good eye could see clearly in the dim room. He scanned over the man in the chair, weighing him up. It was not the first time that Phantom had accepted a job from him. And he always paid well. From this little, dark room the man ran a criminal empire that stretched over the state of Ohio. The town of Bien Sombre was the nexus of the spider's web.

"Have you seen the news?" asked the man. Phantom nodded. "Good. As I'm sure you know, this chaos is good for business. It means that we can move our merchandise without the close scrutiny of the police. While the town's favorite officers in blue are distracted by this mad man, calls himself Barracuda, my men can move freely around the city and deliver every shipment to the train station on time."

"What do you want me to do?" Phantom asked.

"Always to the point," remarked the man behind the desk. "I want you to ensure that this madness continues. It's good for business."

Phantom shook his head. "I only take assassination contracts."

"Then kill someone. Anyone," replied the man. "Or better yet, kill one of the heroes that are trying to stop the Barracuda. Fifty thousand per head. Kill as many as of them you can." He always did pay well. "Just make sure that this Barracuda continues to spread anarchy through my town. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is to stop him or get in his way."

"It shall be so," said the Phantom Marksman.

 

[HackSlashDave]

A blur moved around the centre of town as George watched the ball fly, disturbing news-stands and flinging open doors as if the place was haunted. He took on an incredulous look as he saw Leona's shot suddenly change course and head for the hero who confronted the masked man head on.

"Well if you're going to be reckless..." George muttered under his breath, setting off to join the fray in a more close-combat scenario.

~~~ Agent Turner ~~~

He had been watching the scenario play out for a while now. He wasn't exactly hiding but his presence wasn't really of any value or threat for the moment. His blank glare at the insanity he saw before him may have seemed a little lacking in compassion, but that was just who he was.

Flipping out a fairly old looking cell, he speed-dialled his most commonly used number and continued to stare blankly as another hostages head exploded.

"Yes, I sense a few of them here." He said plainly.

"How many civilians?" A voice came through the phone.

"A small crowd, not enough for good publicity, and there's only a few hostages left now." Turner replied Coldly.

"Return to base if you deem it not worth the effort, we have an... Opportunity that makes better use of our currently stretched resources." The voice chimed through again.

"Roger that" He replied, flipping down the phone and returning it to the inside pocket in his suit and walking down an alleyway away from the mayhem in the centre of town.

 

[VoLaTiLe]

Just when the hero on the bus had been knocked down by the ball with the two hostages, Barracuda gathers heat and concentrates it in his fists, adjusting it to the right temperature to make sure his hands doesn't blow off. He then plunges his fists down on the roof of the bus, melting a hole which he jumped into, he then exits the bus.
"While our 'hero' is busy killing the hostages," He took a step closer to the crowd as they all took steps back. "I'd be glad to help him in killing the rest of you!" Barracuda lunges at a cameraman while everyone was running away from the scene, melting the camera, then the man. He continued to slaughter people, shoving his hands through their chests, snapping their necks, or just going through them literally. Once again he was out of control, he hadn't planned to kill anyone by hand besides the hostages, but he just went for it.

Why are you killing them, Barracuda?

He halted for a second, before ignoring his own thoughts and continuing the slaughter.

This is not the smart way of doing it, the plan was to let them die by the hands of the heroes.

"Oh, come on! I'm just having a little fun! Besides, the bombs are all over the place so they'll die because of their heroes anyway." He continued to slash and dash.

But what if he kills the one with the switch? Even if it's just an old man, some heroes can be just as cold blooded as villains can be. And by the looks of that guy, he seems like the type that won't hesitate on killing an old man for the sake of many others. Remember, always outsmart everyone through the craziest ways possible.

"That's why I had the bomb planted inside one of the hostages as well, remember how the others' heads blew off? I was applying heat to the explosives, though they were only small ones. The big bomb is in the girl, if he kills the girl, he blows up and so will the bombs in the city. He kills the old man, his public figure is ruined."

...That's just stupid, if he kills the girl then everyone else dies by his hand yet he doesn't live long enough to feel the suffering?

"Shut up Rico, I'll just improvise."

Oh great, now you get to name your new alternative personality. I thought Damien could only do that.

"Nah, screw that little wuss. You're Rico whether you like it or not."

 

[Viral]

Cassander narrowed his eyes as the other masked man began killing the crowd. People rushed by him, bumping into his sides and shoving him back. It was starting to irritate him. It was hard to focus with all the ruckus.

One woman ran head-first straight into him. Cassander nearly fell, stumbling backwards. The woman only gave him one terrified, confused glance before rushing off.

How rude, he thought to himself. He would have to give her a lesson in manners.

He extended a hand towards her as she ran. To her, it felt as if gravity suddenly became much stronger, or as if her limbs had turned to lead. She stumbled and fell.

Cassander strolled casually up to her as she fell onto her knees. He had to admit, she was determined to get away; she was still doing her best to crawl. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her so she faced him. She offered little resistance.

"I know what it's like to be scared," he whispered to her terrified face. "This will all be over soon. Don't you worry."

Again he upped the energy drain, sapping the woman of her energy. Like the man before her, she went still and cold.
Like the man before her, Cassander made sure to check she was still alive and vented a little energy in her to keep her warm.

He stood up, his eyes closed, and sighed. He could feel the energy flowing through him. He would need to vent soon, though. He could feel his muscles twitching and his bones twanging.

For a second, he hesitated. He could go for the masked man. He wanted to go for the masked man. He could practically taste the energy coming off of him. He could feed for days on him.

No, he told himself. He worked for the greater good, not himself.

He vented energy, sprinting for the bus and pulling himself up to the roof in seconds. His muscles still ached, though. His powers may help him move faster, but his body still wasn't adapted for this type of stuff.

A scenario was running through his mind. He was thinking that, if the bombs went off, a lot more than just two people would die. But if he killed both the hostages, then, in the end, more people would live.

He took a step forward, eyeing the other man on the bus.

Cassander said, "The hostages must die. For the greater good."

 

[Azazel]

So much for doing things quietly. Forgetting what she was doing, Shadow focused her darkness on the psycho killing the people around her. She tried her hardest to keep it contained as a thing tendril shot forth and wrapped around him, stopping all of his movement. "Did you think I was really just going to stand here and watch you kill people?" She said, violet eyes shining through her mask as she glared at him. Even as she stood her ground the shadows shook and shuddered.

Let me take control. I can handle this.

Like hell I'm doing that. I can take care of him.

No you can't. You can't handle anything the world throws at you.

Would you just shut up and let me work?

With a burst of power at her anger the shadows would tighten around him to the point where breathing would become difficult.


~~~~

Merik watched as the ball bounced off the metal of his body, leaving behind a small dent. His mistress would repair that for him later. Now he had other things to focus on. Just as he stepped towards the hostages, someone was in front of him, holding them. For a moment he paused, listening.

"Any means necessary." Lanalee chimed. "As much as I don't like it."

He gave a nod. "For the greater good." He agreed with the unknown man before him.

 

[HackSlashDave]

"There is no greater good than life!" George shouted skidding to a halt, "I don't know what planet you guys are on, but right here, right now, no-ones dying."

Leona had gotten to her feet and started running over towards the masked man currently restrained by the strange shadows she had seen previously. Her mind raced with anger and confusion: Wait, who's side is she on? Wasn't she the one who brutally injured that guy and carried him away on a bed of shadows? And now she had the audacity to show up and fight for the good side? And why is this mad man killing all these people! With that last thought, tears formed in her eyes behind her mask and she screamed as she swung hard at the restrained man in the mask's face, still running...

 

[Lockheart]

--- Peter Euryale (The Vanguard) ---

His reflection moved on its own. Back forth, pacing in a long mirror that divided the cavern. For as far as Peter could see the mirror and cavern alike kept expanding. Usually he stood on a rough and rocky floor but that was now hidden between two feet of water. The water on the reflection's side was only a single foot deep. But now it seemed that the water was about to rise on the reflection's side for the second time.

"Just let me know when you're ready to give up," Peter gloated.

"Just a moment, just give me a moment to think," responded the reflection, still pacing backwards and forwards. He remained silent for a few more seconds before piping up again: "Could you repeat the riddle?"

Peter sighed. "I am at the beginning of the end and the end of time and space. I am essential to creation and I surround every place. What am I?"

It was a difficult one. Already the reflection had used up two of his three guesses. First he had guessed "God" but that was wrong. Then he had guessed "life" but that had also been wrong. At the beginning of the end. At the end of time and space. Hmm. Omega? No, not likely. Essential to creation. Some form of power over life and death, perhaps? Maybe. Surround every place. There was one thing, older than everything else, but surely Peter did not know of it. Unless he had learnt of it from the Codex.

"The Darkness," guessed the reflection.

The darkness. What did he mean by that? Or did he simply mean darkness, meaning a lack of light?

"Wrong," replied Peter. The water rose another foot on the reflection's side. "Your turn to ask."

The reflection pouted. "Well what was the answer?"

"The letter e," answered Peter with a smirk. Damn it! Something so simple.

The reflection stopped his pacing, coming to halt directly in front of the glass. "Alright. I have one." The reflection was confident that Peter would not answer this one. "You bury when I'm alive and dig me up when I die. What am I?"

Peter was silent for a moment. Then he had it! He was sure that he had the right answer. "A plant."

"Fine. You got that one right," conceded the reflection. "But on my next turn I will... I guess we don't have much time for playing games, you're about to have company."

"Has Sky returned already?" asked Peter.

"No. This is someone else," answered the reflection. "I don't know who but they're not here yet. You should wake up, now, before they get here."

--- The Phantom Marksman (Ayo Magoro) ---

He found his first target. The one in the lion outfit, if that other idiot with the bat would stay out of his way. It wasn't a clean shot. It would be best to wait. But if the Barracuda was stopped then his contract would surely be terminated. Hasta la vista. Done, over, and Phantom would never get another contract from him again. He focused the little bead over the lion's head. What idiot wears a mascot costume to a fight? It wasn't professional. Phantom wished that he had been offered a contract to kill the Vanguard. He seemed like a professional. Someone worth his while, worth hunting and killing. Phantom moved the bead a little above the mascot's head to account for the bullet drop. His wind dial was whirling, the rain was still pouring down for the fourth day in a row and the wind howled between the buildings. East, it was blowing east. Steadily Phantom moved the bead a little to the right. But the other person was in the way still. Did he have time to move to a different vantage point? No, by then it could already be over. He had to take the shot. Though the clouds hung over head a few feint slivers of sunlight had managed to slip through the cracks. Breathe in. Slowly breathe. Pull the trigger. First he saw the flash, then the noise filled his ears. The bullet, made of tungsten carbide, soared down from his vantage point and towards the lion mascot. His aim was true. If not for the second bat-wielding "hero". He was between the bullet and its target.

 

[VoLaTiLe]

Barracuda's head felt heavily sore, for a metal bat had just hit him. He was getting a feeling like he's not able to move or breathe, only then he noticed the darkness wrapped around him. He didn't struggle, but instead he just laughed at the pain. "That's right... Kill me in the most gory ways you can, hero..." He began to gather heat concentrated in his body, "Remove my mask, and i'm just another person who needs help. Remove your mask, maybe your just the same." The heat was getting unbearable, even for him. Suddenly, he heard a loud gunshot noise. He didn't know who the bullet was going for, but he didn't have time to react.

Before it could hit anyone, Barracuda dashed backwards while heating up, careful on not dashing way too far or he might blow up. The heat was enough to tear through whatever it was that was strangling him, he turns around to see where to bullet came from, not paying attention to who it hits. He might have spotted the sniper, but he wasn't so sure. He then turns back and stomps the ground with the heat he has gathered, then a beeping noise could be heard. "Again, I don't remember planning for this."

Of course you didn't, all you know is that the heroes will be getting your attention.

"Rico, who gave you permission to plan ahead of me?" The bombs were seconds away from blowing up now, he looked up on the bus to see a huge man holding up the hostages. It seems like somebody's got no sense of humanity, He doesn't even look too human. He sprinted to the building where the bullet came from, he then halted when he saw the sniper. "Hey buddy, whoever you are, this building's probably gonna blow up." He wasn't doubtful, but he doubted this man could get out in time. "Need help getting out? You shot at one of those heroes, obviously you're a villain."

Aren't you suspicious of why he helped you?

"Maybe he didn't intend to help, he might just have a target." He replied in his thoughts.

 

[OnI6470]

MIGUEL BELASCO
(LEGION)

Miguel watches the tablet screen, a mix of repulsion, awe and exhilarant joy "I see... I begin to guess why our master send us here... yes, I understand now my lord, I apologize for my doubts..." then dismiss the one holding the tablet "keep watching, gather all info you can, our network in the city its nearly nonexistent, ask to the StreetDemons, see if they know any of that guys, you...." he signals to another man. "Fix me a press conference, local of course, I want to send my regards to the victims and to anonuce that Miguel Belasco, philantropist will set up his business in this forgotten side of the city, also we will anounce the great opening of The Pandemonium, the greatest night club of the city, and some of our charity work, the usual bla bla... just wait until the hostages situation has ended, I dont want to be a sidenote..."
"Will be done as you wish..."
Miguel its left alone "Its a test, isnt?, a test to see if Im worthy.. I will not shy from it my Lord, no I will prove you that Im worthy to be your hand... your voice!, your enemies await me, challange me, well I will crush them!! as I did back home...! their bones will make my throne, their skin my cloak, their blood will be my wine! and all for you!!" the madman keeps raving to no one, his voice echoing in the great empty hall.

 

[Lockheart]

The mayhem had begun. Phantom watched, his one eye barely able to keep up with Barracuda's speed, as the psychopath burnt through the shadows holding him and sped away. Clearly Barracuda was inhumanly fast. It all went by too fast and Phantom couldn't see his target through the explosion of heat. Had the bullet hit? No time to confirm the kill, this Barracuda was calling up to him from below. Phantom's sniping position was about to blow up. Though he resented being called a villain.

"I never need help," replied Phantom. And he wasn't a villain, not really, he just worked for villains. If heroes would pay Phantom to assassinate someone then he would just as soon sign up to their side too. But only bad people hired contract killers. "There are people invested in the anarchy that you create. Keep working, keep destroying. Keep creating chaos."

Slowly he backed away from the window. Just like that the Phantom Marksman was gone, faded away into nothing. The job was done, Barracuda had started the detonation of his bombs and the heroes had not stopped him in time. Though Phantom didn't know if he had killed his target, it wasn't like him to miss or leave someone alive. Maybe this lion hero was a fool but fate clearly had something planned. Otherwise he wouldn't of missed.

 

[VoLaTiLe]

Barracuda looked up as the man fled into the shadows, not knowing what the sniper meant by 'people invested in his work'. But he didn't want to be told what to do, yet he liked the sound of anarchy. "What was I doing? Oh yeah, the whole place is gonna blow." In a blink, the madman had fled from the scene. Even if the heroes somehow manage to defuse the bomb, he had already done something else he intended, the tension between the supers. He doesn't know how they all interacted, but he knows it will be of use soon enough...

 

[Azazel]

Shadow hissed unhappily as she felt her hold broken.

That's it...

Slowly the light faded from her eyes, the violet losing their luminescent glow until they bled black. A wicked grin spread across her lips as the shadows rose around her. Sky couldn't do anything right. She would handle this her way. The wind picked up as objects were pulled into the air. The shadows started tearing through everything in their path in their search for the explosives. While she was succeeding and one after another was destroyed by the darkness, just as many people were being tossed around and injured. The darkness didn't care what it had to get through to seek out and destroy its targets.

"This is how you do things. Sky, watch and learn." She whispered under her breath. There was no response, no fight. Sky had blacked out leaving the darkness to do it's bidding.


~~~~


The building Lanalee sat on shook as the shadows tore through it. "Merik!" She yelled, the delicate glass of her skin beginning to crack.

Merik whipped his head around, eyes on his mistress in peril. "You handle the hostages. Any means necessary. I need to do something else." And with that he jumped from the bus, racing toward where he left Lanalee sitting, fighting through the wind and through the swirling darkness. Just as the building collapsed from lack of structural support, he caught her, creating small cracks in the porcelain that she would have to mend later. "My lady?"

"I'm okay Merik."

 

[Viral]

As the other man ran off, Cassander didn't even look away from the hostages. At this point both of them were practically glued to the spot, staring at him in fear. He didn't like it when people looked at him like that.

"I'm a good boy," he said to himself, partly speaking his thoughts, partly comforting himself. "I'm a good boy."

He took another step forward, laying a hand on each hostage. Time was of the essence, so he put all his focus into draining their energy. Slowly, they both went limp, falling to the roof of the bus. Cassander kneeled next to them, still sapping them.

"This is for the greater good," he told them as they gasped for breathe, their lungs barely able to put enough effort to breath anymore. "A lot of people will live today because of-"

Wait, something in his mind said. What's -

The hostage on his left, the woman, exploded.

At first, Cassander's drain kicked into overdrive, attempting to absorb the energy of the detonation. This only served to overload him with energy. For a second, his head snapped back, his back arching, and then his drain faltered. The explosion, considerably weakened, still lifted him off his feet and launched him far, slamming him into a wall. Cassander felt his arm snap, filling him with red hot pain. His vision failed for a second as he landed in a crumpled heap on the ground. Still, he was filled with way too much energy and needed to vent.

He rolled over onto his knees. His scream was garbled through his mask's voice modulator. Then he began dry-heaving. Energy was spilling out of him. Some of it he was using to kickstart the healing process in his arm - a dangerous thing, considering last time he tried healing he nearly burnt the skin off his arm instead - but most of the energy vented outward. The bulbs in the lamp posts around him sparked, then shattered. A nearby car engine burst into flame. The temperature around him rose considerably. It even became brighter in the area surrounding him as he released a little light energy.

Finally, he rolled over onto his back, panting. He had absorbed far too much energy. Soon, though, he would be back up. He just needed a few more... A few more....

He closed his eyes as he felt a blinding ache in his head. His recovery might take a little while longer than he thought.