BlueElectric

Blue had been watching from a distance when the three 'Evilnighters' were confronted by members of their former team. If one weren't aware of the situation, it would almost appear to be a friendly gathering to discuss the latest news...but then, those were different times.

Blue watched as Pharmahawk screamed out in pain, he could see, even from his position above the battle, the look of glee in Neut's eyes as she turned her focus to Teen Tar. Blue's mind raced as he thought of various ways to help his friends...and every single thought that came to mind, came to the same conclusion....he was about to be seriously trampled on.

"Ah hell...this is gonna hurt"

Blue flew in from behind the trio, and once he was right up beside Neut, he layed into her with a Havoc Punch that sent her reeling...and then the fun started. Suddenly he couldn't breath, the air in his lungs suddenly felt as if it were superheated. And the last thing he saw was Tar Heel fast approaching. He couldn't be sure if there was screaming, though he was certain there was...and then darkness overcame him, and for a moment, he was aware that he wasn't quite dead...he wasn't sure wethere to be relieved by that or not.




Northern Wolf watched from the shadows, watched the shattered remenants of his friends fall. The game wasn't over, but it was fast approaching. Darkest had told him to watch, not to interfere, that it was still not time. He imagined that it had something to do with Cattnip, but his new master wouldn't tell him. In time, all would be revealed, but no matter the course of events, once the smoke lifted, the Everynighters would never be the same for it.

Cattnip slowly regained consciousness, and was very aware of the dank feeling or the surrounding darkness. She Could hear the rush of water, if it could be called water, in the distance, and the ever present smell of decay that festered in the abandoned underground caverns were usually home to all sorts of unpleasant creatures.

She narrowed her eyes, trying, without much success, to make out the shape of the other who was near…the feeling was familiar, and yet…different, very different…malevolent. Not just towards her, it was a general hatred of all things. For a moment, she contemplated rising to face her opponent, but the darkness that concealed him was so great, it could not be natural. Her strength, her will began to fade. She’d already watched a good friend, her greatest ally in any fight, defeated as if he were nothing more than a child. And now Neut, Cabin Girl…so many of the Everynighters were falling like gnats swatted from the air as if they were but mere recruits fighting for the very first time. Her shoulders slumped, and she could not help the wave of sadness that overtook her…for the first time that she could recall, she did not want to get back up. It was over, wasn’t it?

Mocking laughter drifted to her ears from the darkness, and she looked up to watch a man dressed all in black, the familiar red tribal adorning the outfit, almost materialize before her, as if the darkness was his own personal blanket, protecting him. He placed the toe of his boot beneath her chin and raised it so that she was forced to look into his eyes. It couldn’t be…not him, he wouldn’t turn, would he?

But there was something different about this one, about his bearing, and then she looked closer, at the scar that kept his left eye firmly shut. It was an old scar, it couldn’t be Northern Wolf, but he was so very similar, almost a mirror image of the one she knew and trusted

“Recognition kitten? Well, it seems sending you back just wouldn’t stop you, now would it?” He removed his boot from beneath her chin and began to pace slowly around her, as if inspecting a prize. Cattnip watched him carefully, his movements. She realized he was even more the hunter than Northern, perhaps even a match for her own innate talent. “You might wonder why your still alive. Well, no matter really, since your condition is only temporary. You see, you’re a gift you see…to my new pet, and he’s been very anxious to see you again”

“You don’t…” She stopped speaking abruptly, becoming very aware of the presence of another. Her heart almost skipped a beat as this was a familiar presence, but that sensation soon passed as she could feel the taint of corruption in the very next moment. She rose to her feet, trying to remain aware of bother hunters, both her former friend, and her captor. “I know you’re there Wolf, I know it’s you…” Her words trailed off as Northern Wolf stepped out of the shadows. His eyes looked haunted, tormented. To an untrained eye, he looked almost vulnerable, but Cattnip had fought by his side too many times, she knew what he was capable off, she knew his strength…she could also sense that this time, they weren’t hunting together. No, this time, she was his prey.

Her captor took her shoulders from behind, leaning in to whisper into her ear “You see little one, he’s mine now. And your to be his first test.” He laughed softly, but it was a humourless laugh “However, to make it sporting...if you can defeat your friend here…I’ll let you go. I’ll even grant you safe passage back to Paragon City…if you can kill your friend that is”

Cattnip let her chin drop, a million memories flooding her mind, countless battles, countless close calls. There wouldn’t be any close calls this time though, no heroic rescue, no daring escape…just a fight, no rules, no restrictions, no restraints. She fought back the memories, focused her eyes on Northern Wolf, and crouched down into a defensive stance. She may have to fight him, but she would not be the first to attack. Northern Wolf struggled for a moment, visibly trying to shake off whatever control it was this other had on him, but he couldn’t break free, and in the very next moment, he stepped forward as if to lunge in with his claws, but Cattnip had seen in before and quickly flipped backwards like an acrobat has he quickly went for the hamstring. And it had begun…

The fight was a brutal one, ferocious as they both gave into their primal instincts, a match of blow, counterblow. Parry and attack. They struck each other so many times, but their regeneration kept them both on their feet until their lungs seared from the continued effort. They took advantage of each others weakness’, avoided each others strengths that they knew so well, and all the while, as Cattnip pleaded with Northern, hoping he could somehow see reason, the Assassin watched on, a look of pure pleasure in his one good eye.

An then it happened, Cattnip pressed her advantage, but when she went for one last slash to Wolf’s midsection, he parried the blow low, and drove his claws into her side. She hissed in pain, in anger, frustration…countless emotions swept over her. Not for her loss, but for what Northern had become, that she could not have saved him no matter how hard she fought. For a moment, they remained locked in that position, he could have snuffed out her life just then….but he didn’t. And then she heard his whisper, his plea for help, felt his hand on her wrist, raising her claws until their tips just grazed his throat. “End it now…end my torment Cat. Please! Don’t let me become…him”

She knew he spoke of the Assassin, and for a moment, she truly did try, she tried to grant him his wish, but she couldn’t bring herself to take his life, not even now. The hand that struck her was like lightning and knocked her to the floor, the breath rushing from her lungs, already spent from the extended battle. The Assassin grabbed her firmly by the back of the neck as he leaned down to speak to her “You haven’t won…but neither did he. I underestimated your strength…or perhaps I thought too greatly of my pet. No matter. Lord Recluse will certainly have a design for you…until then, your execution is stayed” He let go of her and began walking away, Northern close behind, once again on the figurative leash.

“I would know the name of my prey, for hear this. I will hunt you down, I’ll find some way to make you pay for what you’ve done to him!” Earlier she had had given up, on herself, on her friends. This man, however, deserved to die. And he would if she got the chance. In that moment that Northern had asked her to end his misery, she realized she could never give up, because he wouldn’t, none of the Everynighters would simply give up…that’s what separated them from the hordes of other heroes.

The Assassin turned around, raising one eyebrow at the cat sprawled on the cavern floor “They call me Darkened Wolf, because I let them. I should warn you however…Northern may have been an equal for you today, but I, child, am far greater. He is but a pale shadow of me…a corrupted copy…and by all rights, an inferior model. So think long and hard before you attempt to match me” And the two Wolves slipped into the darkness a silent as a whisper

Cattnip narrowed her eyes, a low growl in her throat. All things in due time she thought to herself, but her first order of business was to avoid this meeting with Lord Recluse, then she could deal with the Assassin.

The blast had caught everyone offguard. One minute he was sitting at tactical listening to Teen Tar explain what little he knew about Jaster...and then thunderous blast, the concussion making spots appear before his eyes. It was the sound of rushing wind that finally brought him to his senses, and as a mere reflex, he gained altitude before attempting to get his bearings.

He watched as the fiery wreck of the Helicopter plummeted to the the earth, a beacon to any villains in the area...and that area was about the whole breadth of the Rogue Isles. He looked about for any of the others, as well as preparing to follow the helo down to search for the rest of his team. It was at that moment that his eyes caught sight of a line of Sky Skiffs headed his way. For a moment, he considered taking the fight to them...but now was no time for foolishness...it was a long fall down, and an even longer trip to Paragon. Three of the Skiffs broke off from the main group, tracking the path of the burning helicopter, and without a moments hesitation, Blue kicked it into high gear and dove after the three, lighting bolts streaking across the sky as fast as he could hurl them. Scorch marks appeared on the flanks of the Sky Skiffs, and finally they turned to engage the streaking blaster.

Missiles left plumes of smoke trailling behind them as they homed in on the Electric blaster, and for the most part, he did well enough to avoid them, but the final shot winged him, and the shock turned him around in mid air, the blast being absorbed by the charged armor surrounding his body. It took a moment to catch his breath, returning fire as soon as he could see straight again. He could see the other Skiffs turning to engage as well, and it brought a grim smile to his lips, they'd forgotten about the helo, focussing instead on the single blaster with an obvious deathwish

"Well gentlemen....now that I have your attention..." Blue watched closely as an opening appeared between two of the Skiffs "I hope you won't be dissapointed if I'm required elsewhere!"

With that he slammed his hands together, the resounding shock stunning the pilots only for a moment....and that was all the distraction he needed as he slipped through the gap and put the everything he had into pulling the Sky Raiders away from the accident site "I hope the others made it..." He fired back at the skiffs randomly, keeping their attention focussed on him, occasionally taking a blast from a missile that got too close. He could feel he strength slipping away...and his health...but he dug deeper and pushed on.

It was somewhere over Mercy that one of the Raiders finally got a lucky shot in, and he blacked out, falling out of the sky like a shooting star, as the electrical flashes slowly started to fade. Moments before impact, he came too...but enough time to stop his free fall, only enough to lessen the impact. He landed heavily in a desolate square surrounded by run down buildings. He began to pick himself up off the concrete, prepairing to fight the raiders with his very last breath....but the Sky Raiders slowly veered off...and after a few moments, Blue relaxed, and started to dust himself off "That's right you punks...run while you have the chance"

His victory was only short lived though...as he was quickly surrounded by Arachnos Soldiers, their weapons levelled firmly at his chest. True, Blue wasn't one to shy away from a good fight...but he knew his limits, and this was definately one of them. With a wry laugh, he shrugged his shoulders "So...you caught me. Now what?"

"That's for Lord Recluse to Decide..." A man walked into view, the soldiers allowing him to approach the stricken blaster. The helmet he wore shone of some metallic alloy, and looked to be some kind of spider. He fought back the urge to shiver on the spot...Blue would face any AV singlehandedly...but spiders just plain gave him the creeps

"Hmm....well, I know he's a busy man, and I didn't make an appointment...so I'll just come back another time" Blue turned to the soldiers, waving for them to make a path...he wasn't exactly shocked when they didn't move, but it had been worth a shot

"You always were complacent about things....Blue is it now?...Even when we were kids" The figure in black circled around behind the blaster, watching him closely, waiting for Blue to make his play, which he knew would come. Blue turned to study to other man, a look of genuine surprise entering his eyes "That's right....think back....remember...you weren't the only one with special....talents" He shrugged after a moment, and let loose a low, hollow laugh...there was no humour in that laugh "It doesn't matter now, my old friend. My name now is Chrome, and I've been sent to bring you in, just as others have been sent to escort the others of your team. Soon, all of the Everynighters will be working for Lord Recluse"

Blue's eyes narrowed, and after a moment, he allowed to smile to cross his lips. All the talk had allowed him time to rebuild enough endurance for the fight ahead "Don't bet on it!" Blue reached his hands out to either side and from every solider, including the one calling himself Chrome, electricty coursed to the Blasters fingertips as he sapped there endurance, rebuilding his own. He felt the strength flowing through him, and immediately followed up Power sink with a short circuit blast, the air crackling around them. He watched, satisfied, as they all slumped to ground, their endurance gone. Blue didn't waste any time, and landed a heavy havoc punch to the nearest soldier, driving him into the concrete. With a flurry of blasts, he began attacking random targets, switching them up quickly, no more than two blasts per target. He vaguely remembered hearing Chrome shout "Attack!" but it was two late. He'd already been builiding up the electricty around him, his fists glowed now, there was so much energy being built up inside of him....and when he finally released thunderous blast, the electricty jumped from one body to the next in a chain until they were all convusling in sync before slumping to the ground without so much as a cry for help.

Blue went down to one knee, exhausted once more, but safe...at least for the moment. He reached for the EN communicator, and brought it to his lips "Blue Electric reporting in from Mercy. Helo down, team seperated. Need to regroup. Over." There was nothing else to do now but try and find the others, Blue decided to stay on foot, and quickly made his way down an alley way, away from the scene of the fight.

Though he tended to hunt alone, Wolf would never turn down the company of the cat, even if every fabric in their very beings said they should not work so well together. As they made their way down a damp alley way, he couldn't help but wonder if her thirst for comabt was even greater than his own. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips before turning his mind back to the hunt. The pirates were out there somewhere, and likely Cabin Girl was getting into no end of trouble without him...and it just wasn't right that she was having so much fun without him.

As they approached intersecting alleys, Wolf stopped and raised one hand, unsheathing his claws at the same time. Catnip immediately followed suit, watching as the Wolf lept ahead to scout the area...but she was no fool either, she could sense that trouble was near, and this was considerably more dangerous than a couple of snakes.

Wolf followed the...feeling...along many alleys, but whatever it was seemed to be one step ahead of him all the way. The moment Northern thought he had...it....cornered...it wound up trailing off into another direction, always just out of sight, just out of reach. It wasn't until he heard the felines howl that he realised he'd just been had...and whatever he'd been following had led him right back to his friend. As he rounded the corner, he saw Catnip struggling to get back up, but otherwise, she seemed unharmed. He resheathed his claws and picked up the pace to go to her aid...and that's when he first saw what he'd been following. As if materialising out of the shadows, a figure dressed in black leapt over the prone Catnip, dark claws flashing brilliantly in the moonlight, and faster then anything he'd ever faced, he felt the claws rend through his flesh, felt the burning pain course through his veins. He was a helpless child facing a much greater, much more practiced opponent, and he was taught the true meaning of fury. He fell back against the wall, and was powerless to stop him as he calmly approached Catnip and activated her emergency teleporter...sending her only god knew where.

"So...you're what Crey did with my DNA are you? Pitiful...absolutely pitiful"

The voice was mocking, not just the tone, not just the words....that voice, it was his own. But how? He looked up grimly as the figure turned, and for the first time, Wolf realised that he could look into the mirror and see the very same face. The Stalker approached him, grabbing him firmly by the chin and raising it to look into the Scrappers eyes

"I knew one day we would meet...one day I would wipe the filth that you are from memory. You shouldn't exist...your an abomination, a shadow of perfection"

Wolf struggled to speak, but the pain was almost unbearable....for some reason, he wasn't regenrating, but why was beyong him "How....did they copy me...who did this"

"Copy you?" The assassin just laughed, tossing Northern head back into the wall as he stood upright "Why my dear boy...I'm the original...your nothing but a science experiment gone horribly wrong" With that, he lifted his boot and the last thing Wolf saw before darkness engulfed him was it fast approaching his face




Blue paced back and forth on the jet, waiting for PH to make the call, to get them off the ground and into the action. Some the others were already engaged, and here he was was, stuck waiting well out of reach from where he could be usefull. He didn't mean to be impatient, PH knew what was best, since, had it been up to him, he likely would have tried to take on the Rogue Isles alone...which likely would have resulted in a very brave, but very useless death. So instead, he kept pacing, kept throwing questioning glances over at PH, waiting for the word, waiting to be unleashed, to do his part.

"Soon I hope..."

Blue Electric turned around to find a familiar face as he was grabbed quite firmly by the shoulder. Northern Wolf was never one for any great amount of patience....or courtesy for that matter. He did know that if Wolf was going to interupt, there was definately something on his mind. The meeting had turned to logistics anyway, and Blue knew his role...shoot anything that moved, and hopefully not get shot in turn. He'd leave the planning to those more suited for it.

He slipped out into the corridor and followed his old friend, and long-time teammate some distance away before Wolf finally spoke. Though he was never exactly calm, he seemed decidedly on edge today...Maybe because he wasn't out in the Rogue Islands with Cabin Girl getting into lord-knows-what kind of trouble.

"I don't like it Blue..." He stated quite flatly "I don't like it one bit. Do they really think their going to be able to just waltz right in and pull there friends out?"

"They have to try...And they'll need all the support they can get. That's why I'll be going with them"

Wolf shrugged, having expected that statement...Blue was always too willing to jump into the fray...Hell, he knew almost ever nurse and doctor on a first name basis he'd been to the hospital so many times "You all can go looking for trouble if you like...but there's more to this than anyones saying, including States." He stopped, turning to his friend suddenly, and the look in his eyes said quite plainly that this was no question "I'm going to Rogue Isles, and a few from the old Legion are coming with me...we're going in to dig for answers, not add to their count of fallen heroes."

"I'm surprised you didn't say you were going alone..." Blue thought about it a moment, and finally nodded his agreement...mostly because once Wolf was decided on something, there was no changing his mind "If you find out something that we need to know though, get ahold of the team leaders...Your getting older my friend, you can't take on an army by yourself these days.

"Says you..." Wolf grinned viciously and slipped out of the base.

Blue almost felt sorry for any villain foolish enough to cross Wolf...sure, he was a hero...but it was a fine line where he was concerned. The blaster started back towards the conference room, and oddly enough, he was almost looking forward to the mission...if only there weren't so much riding on it.

Blue slipped out of the room quietly, adjusting his cape as he walked. He'd been out of the game for a while, for a long time really...since parting ways with his former Supergroup, the Angels of Wrath. But truth be told, he llived for the thrill of it all and so when Neut came to him with an offer to join the Everynighters, it seemed too sweet to pass up. It certainly felt good to be back in uniform, even if he was a little rusty.

He cast a glance over at the small gathering, but gave them a large lead, not wanting to listen in on what was not his business. He was a new member of their team...though he'd worked with them before, it had always been in passing and never anything formal. So he decided best to bide his time and wait...see what progressed. He was always ready for a good brawl....but the lines were starting to merge...and who were his opponents...or more importantly, his friends?

One thing was certain, Arachnos was coming, and with him, a new tide for the heroes of Paragon City. And everyone had to be ready for the next move.