DoctorTectonic

Hellcat and Billyboy inched towards the control room, their senses sharpened for sounds of Nemesis or Fifth Column. As they approached the welded steel door, it suddenly started to glow bright red. Seconds later, it exploded outward, showering them with sparks and shrapnel.

Fake Nemesi poured forth, wielding brass weaponry and loaded for bear. Hellcat and Billyboy stood their ground as more and more of the Nemesis dopplegangers spewed forth. Billyboy ran forward, energy pouring from his hands and eyes as he collided with the front lines, brass energy spears rebounding off of his invulnerable body. Hellcat swept forward, his hands and eyes spewing forth radiation, their combined attacks tearing down many of the Fakes.

With a final, rather explosive series of punches from Billyboy, the exhausted duo finally stumbled into the control room only to see a countdown light flashing its last few seconds. 00:02...Before either of the tired heroes could reach it, a pair of 5th column Vampyri shot from the shadows, slamming into the heroes from behind. Hellcat reached for the deactivation button, his fingers only grazing it as he was brought to the ground by the scientific abomination. "Ignition time, heroes!" boomed the voice of Nemesis from the shadows.

The Vampyri locked the heroes in combat, gruesome claws and fangs raking them mercilessly. The engines were pumping furiously, the entire cavern starting to shake.

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High above the pair, the denizons of Steel Canyon looked up in horror as the fruits of many months of Nemesis labor came to fruitition. The memorials of Steel Canyon suddenly began to move. In Blyde Square, Positron and Valkyrie looked on in horror as the gigantic statue of Blyde began moving, its now headless form belching steam as its mighty arms and legs took on animation, stomping down the street. A pair of Longbow agents swooped up on their jetpacks to intercept, but were brushed aside with a mighty wave of the statue's hand. The pair sailed through the air, slamming into a building, dead. More Longbow attempted to stop the gargantuan automaton, but were sililarly stopped.

Across the Canyon, the other statues, mostly smaller memorials, took on life. Statues slammed into Longbow troops, scattering them like ten-pins. Jubilant Nemesis troops, on the verge of defeat, surged back into the fray, their unliving allies turning the tide of battle. Blyde, in a fit of Nemesis' macabre humor, reached down and picked up his head from where it lay, remnants of Nemesis soldiers still clinging to it. From his bunker miles away, the Prussian Prince commanded the statue of the fallen hero to destroy a section of the tram line, wrapping the track around the statue's lost noggin. The automaton swung the oversized ball-and-chain around in the air, smashing buildings and crushing squads of Longbow.

((OOC Sorry I haven't been able to post in awhile...Finals and holiday stuff. But I'll try to post oas often as possible.))

Hellcat stood in the air, waiting, as Billyboy caught up with him. He nodded, acknowledging the young hero, as he swept his cape behind him and shot straight down. He slammed his feet down on the manhole cover, the force of his impact rending the iron cleanly in two. He landed a foot above the rancid waist of the citizens on Steel Canyon. He hovered there, motioning upwards for Billyboy to wait.

Hellcat had always hated sewers. It seemed like he'd been running through them since his first day in Paragon. He concentrated, sending out waves of cleansing radiation around him. Soon, the section of the sewer he stood in was clean, the water sparkling, the walls no longer caked in grime. He motioned for Billyboy to join him, absorbing the radiation even as the hero descended. "Wow," exclaimed Billyboy, "This place looks more like a Circle of Thorns base than a sewer!"

Hellcat grinned as he and Billyboy started down the corridor. "The Triani, my alien benefactors, have shown me the way to the source of Nemesis' Steam Fusion engines. He has positioned several in key areas under Steel Canyon. While we can detect them, we still don't know what he intends to do with them." The two heroes crossed through a corridor and into a new section. Several Nemesis troops stood around, the sewage still permeating this area heavily. A jaeger mech was mired in the sludge, unable to move or fire. Hellcat and Billyboy tore through the foot soldiers quickly. Billyboy left the area as Hellcat once more decontaminated the new section. As soon as the jaeger was set loose, Billyboy rushed back in and ripped out the mech's main controls. The two set off again, descending into a subsewer.

This part of the sewer hadn't been used in years. It had been cleared of debris and sewage, some kind soul obviously liking it clean as much as Hellcat. The two heroes descended silently to the ground, their boots making no impact as they studied the area. No dust anywhere. "This tunnel is being used for something," said Hellcat, his firey green aura lighting up the darkness.

No sooner had the words issued forth than lights began to turn on all around the two. They were in a massive chamber, Nemesis troops on all sides. They stood, not on the floor, but on a massive engine, steam pumping through it. More could be seen around the chamber, miles (it seemed) away from each other. Pipes and pistons ran from the engines towards the surface. "They are trying to power something in Steel Canyon, Billyboy. We must stop them," said Hellcat, "But we must not detroy the engines. We don't know what they do and it could have dire repercussions on the surface. Take out the goons and then we'll deal with the engines."

Hellcat's hand shot forward, imbuing Billyboy with increased density, making him even more resistant to injury. Another burst of power and he found himself superfast. Hellcat streaked into the air, his hand waving furiously as he pulled speed and power from the Nemesis goons. He glowed brighter, becoming like a miniature green sun as the energy poured from the goons into him. He shot forward, landing amidst them as green waves of radiation swept from his body. Soldiers fell like dominoes as Hellcat and Billyboy swept through them.

Soon, the Nemesis soldiers began to flee, their spirit broken it seemed. That's when the new figures began to immerge. 5th Column soldiers, clad in their red and black uniforms, stepped out of hiding, pointing automatic weapons at the pair. In a flash, the superfast Billyboy shot forward, snatching the guns from the confused soldiers' hands. He flung them into the air, wher a combination of his laser vision and Hellcat's radiation vision destroyed them. The soldiers fled, passing the Nemesis troops in their flight down the corridors. "Now," said Hellcat, "It's time to see just what these engines are for." The two heroes quickly ascended, flying towards the control room.

Billyboy lay sprawled on the ground, Vim gloating that she had finally beaten him. Suddenly, the top of a nearby skyscraper lit up, a burst of energy reflecting off the roof as healing energy flowed out of Vim and into Billyboy, rejuvenating him. From the skyscraper came a bolt of inertia, hitting Billyboy in the chest. He kipped up to his feet, superspeed energizing his muscles. Another burst of energy and Vim began to tire as Billyboy felt his own energy recharging.

Billyboy was aiming several lightning fast energy punches at Vim when a figure swooped down from on high, a being seemingly made of blue metal, it's eyes blazing with green energy. Scorching rays of radiation swept from the being, burning through Vim's invulnerability aura, singing her clothing and burning her skin. Her hair crackled, curling and twisting at the ends from the intense heat. She screamed as her nose started to bleed, her hands curling into fists as she leapt at the figure. The being stood in the air, its golden toga billowing. As she brought her hand back to swing, the being held up a hand and a swirling aura enveloped it. Sheer kinetic force sent Vim hurtling backwards across the city. Unable to fly, Vim was last seen streaming over the Green Line, a string of profanities pouring from her mouth.

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The being finally landed, it's feet transforming as it touched the ground. The toga was replaced by a white and gold costume, the once blue starmetal having transformed in Hellcat's new incarnation. Radioactive flames continually leapt from him, surrounding him in an aura of green fire. He stared at Billyboy for a moment and said, "Our work is far from over." The Hellcat took off, a green trail following him as he soared into the air.

Somewhere hovering above the Earth, the undetectable warship Tej'mar was a buzz of activity. Alien lights flashed, energy building, as several elien beings in golden togas and coral masks carried a broken hero towards the medical bay.

"The energy is still within him," stated the Triani leader, Tal'mah'rious. It had been Tal who had originally discovered Charles Edwards, World War II fighter pilot, and imbued him with starmetal, turning him into the intergalactic champion HellcatF6F. "We can, perhaps, save him. But the process may cause some...side effects. We must hurry, for the other heroes in Blyde Square are about to be outnumbered!"

Unbeknownst to the heroes below, Nemesis wasn't nearly done with his plans for Steel Canyon yet. The Triani had sensors all over the city, their energy orbs masked behind cloaking fields and energy dampeners, making them invisible to the naked eye. These sensors had already detected an immense surge of Nemesis' trademark steam energy building up beneath the city.

The beings carried Hellcat to the medical bay and Tal held out his dual-thumbed hand. The small cube lit up, a swarm of brightly lit insects descending on the hero. The blue and white uniform, tattered and broken, was stripped from him, destroying itself as it left contact with his skin. Slowly, the insects removed the fargments of shrapnel from his body, disintegrating them as they did so.

When all this was done, the alien doctors took Hellcat's body and laid it in one of the glassy chambers that lined the room. The green metallic circles around the container began to pulse outward with energy. The doctors shut the chamber and it slowly filled with a rainbow colored liquid. The hero's body rose with the liquid, floating amidst it.

"...We believe you to be such an individual, Charles Edwards. We ask you to join the Galactic Union. Become our champion, our representative, on Earth..."
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"What exactly do I have to do?" asked Charles.

"All you have to do is agree, human. The Triani medical staff will do the rest." The tall alien swept down the hall, its graceful cloak billowing behind him. Charles followed, tucking his helmet under his arm and unfastening the collar of his flightsuit.

They walked for several hundred yards, finally coming to a door marked by a strange symbol which Charles translated to being some sort of medical lab. They stepped through the door and his suspicions were confirmed. All manner of shiny alien apparati adorned the room. Several medical stations were positioned around the room, consisting of glass-like containers filled with a rainbow colored liquid. Metallic rings encircled each station, pulsing with a green light.

Several more Triani bustled forward, their inner energies each pulsating with a different color and rhythm. They also each wore a mask that covered their entire bulbous head. The masks seems to be made of a substance resembling purple coral. These "doctors" led Charles to the first chamber.

"Don't worry, Earth-man," said the lead doctor, "We've perfected this operation over the millenia, making it quite painless...In fact, you'll feel euphoria as the starmetal merges with your genetic structure."

Charles winced at this last. He wasn't exactly a man of science, but he didn't like the sound of anything "merging with his genetic structure."

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He was stripped of his gear, which was cleaned, folded, and laid out for him in the space of about two seconds. The small insectoid aliens had been at work again, seeming more like tools than sentient beings. Charles stepped into the empty glass-like chamber, putting his hands on the smooth sides as the aliens attached a breathing apparatus to his face. As soon as the door shut, Charles took an involuntary breath as the rainbow colored liquid poured out of a vent in the top of the container, beginning to fill the tank. Charles did indeed feel a sense of calmness and serenity as the liquid passed his chest, working its way to his head.

He shut his eyes, letting the liquid envelope him. He started to drift, floating in the warm liquid. His breathing deepened and he thought that he had started to dream...Maybe, he thought, this is all a dream. Maybe I'm still on board the carrier. Maybe when I wake up, George and I can have a good laugh about my crazy dream.

Charles didn't laugh when he woke up, however. He found himself still floating in the liquid, which had begun to pulse with a blue light...Much like the light that Charles had first experienced aboard his fighter.

He felt rejuvenated. Suddenly, the liquid drained away and Charles looked down at his body. He stood there in his military issue boxers, the breathing machine giving his vision a bluish tint. He took the breathmask off as the chamber door opened and looked at himself again. His skin didn't change! It had, in fact, turned light blue! He brushed a hand through his hair, trying to drain some of the liquid out of it. Several strands fell in his face, silver instead of the usual brown. He peered at himself in the glassy surface of the tank, pressing a hand to it and leaning forward. His eyes were white, the irises and pupils nonexistent.

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The aliens took Charles by the arms and led him to a table, sitting the awe-struck human on a solid surface. They brought him one of their toga-like garments and he gladly put it on. He looked like some obscure Roman god, his golden toga and blue skin glowing strangely under the alien lights.

(More to come)

Five more Zero's went down, but the Allies had also lost two more wingmen. The battle raged, the pounding of the AA guns relentless behind them. Most of the second Zero squadron had been cut up by the guns, but several had managed to slip through, firing on the ship briefly before passing it to engage the F6F's.

Suddenly, Charles and George found themselves cut off and outnumbered, Zero's closing in from all sides...

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Charles let out a short burst of fire as a Zero passed in front of him. He clipped the plane's wing, destroying a large chunk of it. The plane quickly spun out of control, accidentally slamming into another Zero passing below. "Two with one shot!" yelled Charles as he jubilantly shot through the air.

Suddenly, a small explosion rocked his controls, causing his stick to jerk left. He rapidly regained control and glanced to the right. George's plane had taken a hit and his tail was on fire. Charles motioned for George to try and land, but the plane was shot and unable to maneuver.

Unwilling to let his friend die, Charles motioned for George to eject. George's cockpit blew off, the pilot shot out like a cork from a bottle of wine. George hung in the air for a moment, Charles watching him out of his canopy. Flying below the falling form of his wingman, Charles wasn't watching what was on his six. Two Zero's came out of nowhere and peppered his plane with bullets. His instruments caught fire, his cockpit bursting into flames.

Charles just barely managed to eject in time, shooting out into the sky. He was almost even with George, both of them hurtling towards the ground. As they came up even with each other, George and Charles pulled their respective ripcords. It would have been a perfect tandum fall, except that George's chute didn't open.

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Charles was ripped away from his friend, hanging in the air as George looked up pleadingly. He was still in freefall as Charles cut the ropes on his chute. Streamlining his body, he dropped like a stone, quickly catching up to the flailing George. He motioned at the secondary ripcord.

George had already pulled it, however. It was also a dud. Charles knew that his spare couldn't support them both. He also knew that George would die if he didn't do something. Before George could react, Charles stripped off his own emergency chute and tied it around George. Pulling the ripcord, Charles dropped through the sky, waving a last salute to his friend.

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Charles plummeted towards Earth, knowing that his own death was rushing up to meet him. He stripped off his helmet, letting the chill ocean air run through his hair one last time. He closed his eyes, trying to make peace with the fact that he was about to die. His fiancee flashed through his mind, knowing what his death would do to her. Then he thought of George and his wife, pregnant back in the states. At least now George's son would know his father. He opened his eyes out of morbid curiousity, wanting to see how far away his death was.

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As he gazed down at the ocean, he was suddenly surrounded by the same blinding light that had been plaguing him for weeks. I can't believe that I'm even denied the chance to see my own fate he thought as he continued falling.

Suddenly, his downward motion stopped. He thought for a brief instant that he had hit the water, but he knew that wasn't the case when he opened his eyes again. The light was gone, replaced by a feeling of elation as Charles realized that he was hanging motionless in midair. He was only 50 or so feet above the ocean, the wind whistling around him.

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Suddenly, Charles shot skyward. He blew past the embattled planes, noticing only briefly that the Allies seemed to be winning. He smiled, still unsure where he was going. He thought, perhaps, that he had died. That his body had plunged into the Pacific and was now winging his way towards Heaven.

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He exited Earth's atmosphere, hurtling through the cosmos. Suddenly, a gigantic spaceship appeared before him, a shimmering curtain lifting as he rapidly approached the ship. Fear gripped him. Had he been rescued from a plunge into the Pacific only to be captured by unfriendly alien beings?

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A portal opened on the side of the ship. Perhaps that's my destination thought Charles as he slowly approached the opening. The word Tej'mar was imprinted in a blue, glowing circuitry pattern over the portal. Charles was slowly brought inside.

Charles was lowered onto a platform, the sleek metal shining brightly under his flightboots. Slowly, a door opened across the platform and a lanky alien being stepped into view. The beings skin seemed almost transparent under the lights on the deck. The energy pulsing inside the being's skin seemed to compose its core essence. A large bulbous head with three short stubs on either side stuck up over the top of a flowing, bright yellow robe, almost like a Greek toga.

The being approached Charles, speaking in a series of clicks, whistles, and hums. Shaking it's head, it quickly pulled a small metallic cube out of it's robe, holding it in an outstretched palm. At least the thing's appendages were vaguely humanoid, even if the digits on the "hand" consisted of two long fingers and two opposable thumbs (one on either side). The cube lit up suddenly, a wave of light streaking over Charles' body. He saw a swarm of small, insectoid creatures inside the beam. The insects collected briefly at Charles' neck, turning the light red over his voicebox. His ears were likewise illuminated and suddenly he found he could understand the alien. The beings swept back into their box.

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"Greetings/Salutations, mortal/Earth-man. We have been observing/monitering you. Forgiveness for not introducing ourselves sooner. We are the Triani." Slowly, the translation became more clear. "We have been around for millenia. We are many. Our numbers are as numerous as the stars themselves. We have stationed ourselves at every planet showing intelligent life and on many that are in the early stages of their evolution. Our purpose for this is that we have...observed...things since the beginning of time. We know the corrupt nature of lesser species. How they turn on one another, robbing and killing when they should be cooperating."

The alien turned, beconning Charles to follow him. It's long robe trailed down the hallway, several other beings in similar attire moving back and forth down the brightly lit corridor. They soon arrived in a room with a gigantic interstellar map on the walls, floor, and ceiling. It almst appeared as if they were standing in the middle of the universe.

Planets lit up and sparkled red. "These are the planets occupied by our forces. We seek only to observe, waiting for...opportune moments."

The red faded, replaced by several blue glowing planets. "These are the ones that are just beginning to bud," said the being, "They will show their first true signs of intelligent life in several centuries!" This last was said with an almost child-like glee, as though the centuries would pass by in an instant. If the being was as old as it claimed, no wonder the time span of entire worlds was as nothing to it.

The blue glow faded, replaced by a plethora of green planets. "These planets are already occupied by our operatives. Every once in awhile we find planets in a state of...flux...A place where the balance is beginning to shift towards barbarism." The alien reached out and touched one of the glowing green marbles, pulling it closer to them. The ord grew bigger as it approached, becoming the size of a basketball.

Charles recognized the pattern of oceans and continents on it almost immediately. "Is that Earth?" asked Charles. "Yes," replied the alien.

"It has come to our attention that the entire world is at war. Not just the petty squabble between the Allies and Axis. The entire planet is quickly becoming embroiled in struggles for food, natural resources, and property. In the next several years the Earth will undergo a vast change from the innocent green marble that you see before you. Corruption will sweep across the globe, villainy choking out heroism like weeds in a bed of roses. But a few will stand strong. A few will become legends. And we intend to help in our own way. You see, we could very easily rain down energy upon the planet, descimating anyone who tried to commit evil. But such a thing would make us no better than the ones we obliterated. We have found a practice, however, that allows us to offer assistance without becoming intergalactic dictators. You see, from each planet that we watch over, we choose a champion from among their own people. A male or female of exemplary character, selflessness, and determination. Pure individuals willing to give their own lives for the sake of others. We believe you to be such an individual, Charles Edwards. We ask you to join the Galactic Union. Become our champion, our representative, on Earth..."

(More to come)

The date is 1943. The place: a Naval aircraft carrier in the Pacific Theatre. A squadron of Hellcat fighter planes sit on the deck, their metallic finishes gleaming in the sun. Several men run around on deck in jump suits, cleaning and prepping the planes for flight. In a briefing room several decks below, a handful of brave young fighter pilots await word from their commander about their next mission over the islands.

"Gentlemen," said the commander, "We have an important mission today. Our spies have discovered an airfield on Iwo Jima that houses a large number of Mitsubishi A6M's. Our sources tell us that there are at least two full squadrons. You all know what the presence of that many Zero's means...The Japanese are preparing an attack on the U.S. fleet. Our mission is to go in and bomb that airfield, a pre-emptive strike if you will. As always, have courage, men. This assignment will be dangerous, but I'm certain you can handle it." With those last words Commander Stark turned and walked out of the room, leaving the men to talk amongst themselves.

Stark had been at this war business for almost 40 years. He was a career man, living and breathing for the U.S.A. He was also tired. Tired of the endless fighting, the killing, the destruction. He was getting ready to retire. He wanted to go home and spend some time with June, his wife. Maybe even see the grandkids once in awhile.

Commander Stark walked out on deck and was imediately saluted by a feverish ensign. "Sir! Begging your pardon, sir, but there's a squadron of Zero's heading for the ship, sir! Should we scramble the fighters?"

Stark stared at the man for about two seconds, the shock that they had been discovered not quite sinking in. "Ensign! Tell the men to make ready battle stations! I'll get the men." With that, Stark turned to head below decks.

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Below, the men were discussing combat strategy, maneuvers, and debating the best angle of attack. One of the pilots, a young captain named Charles Edwards, was talking with his long time friend George Walthermeir about an atmospheric phenomenon he'd been experiencing while flying at higher altitudes.

"I'm telling you, George, every time I go anywhere above the cloud line, I start to see weird stuff. I keep seeing this strange glow out of the corner of my eye, but everytime I turn to look it's gone. And then, one time over Iwo, I got blinded by something...It almost looked like a star had shot right past my plane. I wouldn't tell the other guys this stuff, George, they'd think I was nuts."

"Heh, I think you might just be, Chuck. You been to see the ship's doctor about any of this stuff? Maybe it's a medical thing."

"I've already been to him...I didn't tell him everything or he'd have me drummed outta here...Or at least taken off fighter duty. He checked me for ear infections, eye infections, the works...He didn't find a thing. I'm telling you, George-" Charles' voice was cut off by the form of Commander Stark bursting through the door.

"Scramble, men! Those A6M's I told you about? They're here! We've got waves coming from both directions! Move, move, move!"

The pilots zipped up their jumpsuits, pulled on the rest of their gear and ran for the flight deck.

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Far overhead, two black clouds of Japanese fighters tore through the sky towards the ship. The crewmen manning the anit-aircraft guns turned their turrets into position, preparing for the initial volley from the Zero's. The fighter pilots mounted their planes and started their engines, taking off in sequence. Crewmen ran everywhere, making their way to battle stations.

Charles checked his instruments, making sure everything was in working order, then it was his turn to take off. Just as his wheels left the ship at the end of the deck, he was once again momentarily blinded by a strange blue light. It faded quickly, however, and he shot into the sky. His plane handled beautifully, streaking into formation with the rest of the squadron. George came in a second later, giving Charles the "thumbs-up" from his own cockpit.

The Japanese planes were approaching rapidly, pinning them in from all sides. The AA guns on the ship's deck had begun firing, peppering the sky with great, black clouds. The squadron of F6F's flew towards the A6M's coming up behind the carrier. Formation broke as they approached. Charles was within range and let loose a volley, his tracers streaking towards a Zero. His wingmen did likewise, a hail of bullets descending on the Japanese planes. Several were hit, but only two exploded.

The Japanese fired back, their bullets slamming into the Allied planes. The man on Charles' right never had a chance. His plane burst into flames, the pieces crashing into the Pacific Ocean far below. Fighting with ferver now, the Allied pilots soared through the clouds, peppering the Zero's from all sides, their powerful engines outmaneuvering the Japanese planes.

Five more Zero's went down, but the Allies had also lost two more wingmen. The battle raged, the pounding of the AA guns relentless behind them. Most of the second Zero squadron had been cut up by the guns, but several had managed to slip through, firing on the ship briefly before passing it to engage the F6F's.

Suddenly, Charles and George found themselves cut off and outnumbered, Zero's closing in from all sides...

(More to come)

High above Steel Canyon, hidden amongst the stars sat the lumbering form of the Triani warship Tej'mar . The behemoth's cloaking device and fusion dampeners had the ship well hidden from any sensors well past human (or even superhuman) understanding. The Triani were almost as old as the universe itself. They sent ships to every habitable planet, searching for not only intelligent life, but champions; beings of singular character, selflessness, and dependability.

It was the Triani who had initially given Hellcat his powers, the Triani who had saved his life over the ocean almost 60 years ago when he had risked his own life to save a wingman. The Triani who had repaired his broken body, infusing him with the star radiation that prolonged his life and allowed him to become the Redoubtable Defender.

A beam of energy, invisible to the naked eye, shot down from the heavens and struck the dead hero, catching hold. Slowly, the body of HellcatF6F rose from the ground, turning slowly in the air. His arms and legs hung limp, his head hanging down, as the beam drew him slowly upwards.

The heroes and villains running out of the warehouse stood, stunned, as the body lifted up and disappeared into the clouds. MK and Billyboy, inspecting the area, couldn't find the crater where Hellcat had impacted. All they found instead was a small plaque, made of a glasslike substance that shimmered and changed colors as the light caught it. Visibly set in the center were the words: "This world has need yet of heroes. Our work is far from over."

These words were centered in the middle of a platinum star with several smaller stars encircling it. The eternal symbol of the Triani shone brightly in the sun, sending millions of points of light sparkling along the walls of the buildings surrounding it.

Hellcat sped towards Positron's previous position, the mayor slung over his shoulder like so many potatoes. He skidded to a stop inches away from Positron and set the shaking bureacrat on the ground. "Positron, look after him...I have to get back to the warehouse! The other heroes are in danger!"

Hellcat took off, flying over the raging battle in Blyde Square. As he did so, he quickly pulled momentum from one of the Nemesis troops, boosting his speed. He landed amidst the Longbow troops and shifted the fulcrum of the battle, tearing down the Nemesis troops while revitalizing Longbow. With a flash, Hellcat was off again, streaking towards the doomed warehouse.

"Bombbombbombbombbomb!" Hellcat yelled as he swiftly streaked past the flying form of Billyboy. He gave the tanker a burst of speed and they took off, twin beams of light streaking towards an explosive finish.

The Redoubtable Defender leapt through the warehouse door and up the stairs, quickly sidestepping the armored duo on the catwalk. He rushed forward, aiming him momentum at the office window, grasping the devious device as he did so. The bomb was atomic, a nuclear warhead. No way the real Nemesis would risk himself near a device of this magnitude. Glass shattered as the superfast hero crashed out into the sky. He shot up into the stratosphere, faster than the eye could follow. The timer ticked down...Two seconds...One second...

A flash lit up the sky over Steel Canyon. Longbow and Nemesis troops alike stopped fighting for a moment...A very brief moment before the shock wave rolled over them, knocking several off their feet.

Hellcat hung in the air, stunned. The radiation from the bomb had been absorbed safely, but the actual explosion had still been deadly. Hellcat still clung to the parts of the destroyed bomb, parts of the metal casing imbedded in his blue skin. Burn marks covered most of his body and his metallic costume was in tatters. His arms slowly fell to his sides and the loose remnants of the bomb fell to Earth.

The wind picked up, blowing his tattered cape off of his shoulders. The cape dissipated, the alien energy unable to hold itself together away from Hellcat's body. The broken hero dropped towards Earth, his hair streaming behind him.

With an impact that shook the ground for blocks, the hero slammed into the Earth, cratering, as bits and pieces of pavement flew into the air. The windows inside the warehouse darkened as the cloud of debris flew heavenward.

Hellcat decided that perhaps a distraction was in order. Slipping quitely from the back room, Hellcat crouched behind a set of ammunition crates. Picking quietly through one, he pulled several small explosives out of the box. Creeping through the shadows, Hellcat slipped behind one of the two gigantic jeager mechs. He slipped the explosives into the fuselage, lighting the fuses with a small burst of radiation. Getting away quickly, Hellcat waited for the explosion.

The jeager mech detonated with an impressive *CRACK!* as the mercenaries near it were knocked down by the shockwave and ensuing shrapnel cloud. The remaining mercs ran over to see what had happened. Hellcat waited until he saw the upper office door open before allowing the alien energy to transform him once more into the famous blue and white starmetal costume. His eyes blazed in the dark as Nemesis himself stepped out, glaring around at the carnage.

"Holy crap," thought Hellcat as he gazed past the villain, seeing the mayor tied up and gagged. "If I do this right," the Redoubtable Defender thought to himself, "We both might just make it out of here alive."

Hellcat crept back, reaching out and grapping one of the unconscious soldiers. He drew vitality from the unconscious man, giving himself superhuman speed. He left the man lying behind the crates and took off, streaking past Nemesis and grabbing the mayor. Snatching the helpless bureacrat out of the chair, Hellcat lit out, leaping past Nemesis once more. The old rogue saw no more than a blur, suddenly realizing he'd been duped, he turned towards the office.

"Stop the Hero!" screamed the Prussian Prince.

As Hellcat restrained the damaged (though still deadly) Fake Nemesis, Positron quickly used his scientific genius to scan the robot and find the source of its power. It was a simple procedure for Positron to then locate the hidden base where the control transmissions were coming from.

Once Hellcat had the location he flew off, drawing speed from the Nemesis in his grasp. As he got closer to the base Hellcat quickly stripped the Nemesis of its uniform, the robotic body exposed. Hellcat landed in an alley three blocks away from the base and quickly finished off the robot, his fist glowing with radioactivity slamming repeatedly into its face.

Hellcat stepped behind a dumpster and let the alien energy transform him. His skin returned to its normal flesh tone. His hair lost its silvery luster and became basic brown. His eyes lost their radioactive glow. Finally, his alien costume transformed, becoming his street clothes.

Hellcat stuffed the robot into a dumpster and stripped off his own clothing. Putting on the soldier's uniform, he stepped out onto the street. He quickly adopted the proper military stance and mannerisms that had been ingrained in him during his time in the Navy.

As he slowly walked towards the warehouse he thought to himself, "Don't worry, it's just like the battle of KylarXII. All I have to do is sneak in, find the mayor, then sneak out to get backup. I've commanded platoons of alien beings who were tougher than these Nemesis. This should be a cake-walk."

Hellcat tried to keep the cap down over his face as he entered the building. The security panel was easy to bypass. All he had to do was transmute the energy to deactivate, then rapidly reactivate it. He walked in and was shocked to discover the massive Nemesis jaeger mechs standing ready for soldiers to pilot them into Steel Canyon.

Several Nemesis soldiers stood around, smoking cigarettes, drinking, and relaxing before they went out to do their part. These were reserves...Probably mercenaries, not regular army soldiers that Nemesis was prone to using. Still, they sitffened a bit when they saw Hellcat in the uniform...At least they didn't recognize him.

Hellcat was able to walk right past the front room without incident, making his way to a restroom in the back of the building. He had seen silouettes in the window of the manager's loft office upstairs. He figured that was where they were keeping the mayor. He also knew that if he did anything drastic, the mayor would be killed. He needed a plan...

Hellcat began to dig his way out of the rubble, bits and pieces of granite falling from his costume. He was shaky on his feet, but managed to keep standing by bracing himself against a wall. The starmetal that composed his costume had been shredded in several places, his pale blue skin scraped and bleeding underneath.
Some rogue in powered armor was busy showing off, apparently trying to impress Valkyrie by blasting through the Nemesis troops like they were paper. Grabbing a passing soldier, Hellcat shot into the air, landing on a roof and transmuting the man's energy. Hellcat's cuts and scrapes healed quickly, though his costume would take several days to fully regrow. The Nemesis soldier struggled in his grasp, so Hellcat decided to make him more comfortable. Slamming the man down on the roof Hellcat used his radioactive optic beams to fuse the soldier's armor to the roof. Hellcat was still low on energy, so he decided to turn the soldier into a "triage" unit. Sapping the captured man's strength and agility, Hellcat regained his stamina and increased his speed.
Picking up the soldier's brass gun, Hellcat leapt from the roof. He let himself fall several stories before kicking in his flight. Aiming for a Fake Nemesis, he held the rifle in front of him and rammed the robot, impaling it on the rifle's bayonet. He kept his momentum, sailing away before any of the soldiers even realized that he had been among them. The impaled robot flailed around, trying to attack him. Being unsuccessful, the robot turned to threats:

"Let me go, hero, or you'll never see Paragon's precious mayor again!"

Hellcat stopped so abruptly that the robot's momentum jerked it free of the rifle. It went soaring away from Hellcat but, lacking any means to fly of it's own, soon slammed into the side of a building. As the automaton fell towards the sidewalk, Hellcat streaked towards it, catching it just in time.

"What have you done with the mayor, Nemesis drone?!" roared Hellcat as he swept back towards Blyde Square.

"I'll never tell you, you pathetic cape!" came the garbled response from the badly damaged robot.

Hellcat dropped towards the ground, landing near Positron. "We have a situation," said Hellcat, filling Positron in on what the automaton had said. "We have to track the mayor down quickly! The Nemesis troops have been trying to keep us busy fighting them while the mayor has been kidnapped."

Hellcat finally managed to get his feet back under him in time to see Billyboy's retaliatory strike against the jaegers.

"Thanks, man," said Hellcat, catching his breath. He drew life from the nearest soldier, healing the battleweary trio. He reached out again and siphoned the soldier's stamina, allowing the heroes to become re-energized. A third wave of his hand and drained energy from the surrounding soldiers, causing the costumed gladiators to become even more battle-savvy.

Pointing at both Valkyrie and Billyboy, Hellcat caused a change to overcome their muscles, making them superfast. Leaping into the midst of the soldiers, Hellcat spread his arms and sent out a nova of radiation. This sapped the last of his reserves and he collapsed as the soldiers blasted him with their brass rifles even as the radiation ate away at their armor.

The energy from their guns slammed into the alien metal of Hellcat's costume, causing the blue starmetal to turn almost black. Hellcat was buffeted by the blasts and found himself hurtling through the air, slamming through the wall of a nearbye building. Business people screamed and ran around helter-skelter as Hellcat's gloved hand twitched as he lay buried in the rubble.

He could hear the sounds of battle outside and knew that the temporary power boost he had given his two compatriots was paying off. He managed to poke his head out of the rubble, concrete chips still falling from his hair, as Billyboy slammed his fist into the ground at high speed, spending shrapnel and rock flying at the wave of soldiers. The high speed projectiles tore through the men and robots alike, shredding them and leaving them in heaps on the ground. Valkyrie was likewise occupied, her bright spear flashing and slicing through brass guns and uniforms alike.

As Hellcat and the small robots took down the jaeger, he turned back towards Blyde square, racing through the sky as chaos erupted all around Steel Canyon. Heroes clashed against the robots, some winning, some losing. Hellcat touched down in Blyde and noticed the bleeding form of Valkyrie...Several soldiers had turned their attention to Hellcat upon his entrance and now ran to face him.

Spreading his arms wide he send an aura of radiation at them, incapacitating most of them. The last two didn't last long either, as one took an optic blast in the stomach and doubled over, writhing in pain. His friend lowered a gun at Hellcat, though he seemed rather surprised when the brass weapon melted as Hellcat waved a hand.

Grapping the startled soldier by the facemask, Hellcat drug him towards the wounded hero, the soldier's feet working frantically to reach the ground. Slamming the soldier onto the pavement, Hellcat quickly checked Valkyrie's vital signs. She was fading rapidly, but the Redoutable Defender could fix that. Using his energies to transmute the soldier's life force into healing energy and pressing a hand over Valkyrie's wounds, the blood loss stemmed, skin repaired, and bone knitted. Hellcat helped Valkyrie to her feet.

"I've come to help," said Hellcat, as he and Valkyrie turned to face the newest wave of soldiers and mechanical monstrosities. Hellcat reached deep down and shifted the battalion's energy, enfusing himself as well as valkyrie with lethal energy. He called on his power once more and boosted her speed. Valkyrie leapt into the fray, her spear flashing as her new found super speed and enhanced strength allowed her to tear through the ranks. Hellcat kept slamming the robots with radiation and healing Valkyrie whenever the attackers landed a hit. Soon, however, his energy was exhausted. Hellcat was barely keeping his head above water as he started focusing on keeping Valkyrie healed.

"We're going to need some help over here!" he yelled as the last of his energy left him. He listed to one side, trying to stay on his feet as the soldiers advanced. Valkyrie's spear flashed through the soldiers, rank upon rank of them falling before her. Soon, however, the two battle fatigued heroes found themselves severely outnumbered.

HellcatF6F stared, slack-jawed, as he got off the Green Line and took in the events unfolding around him. His tram wasn't scheduled to stop here, but when heavily armed Nemesis troops had hijacked the train and forced it to stop, Hellcat knew there was something big going down.
Dressed in his street clothes, which consisted of his old Airforce flight jacket, loose trousers, brown work boots, a cap, and sunglasses, Hellcat tried to stay blended with the crowd. As they were herded off the tram station like human-cattle, Hellcat quietly slipped behind the leg of the tram line and jumped down onto the roof of a nearbye building.
Ducking behind a ventilation duct, Hellcat let loose with a burst of radiation that transformed his into his alterego. His skin turned bright blue, his hair dazzling silver. Green fire dissipated from his body, revealing his metallic blue suit, the symbol of the Galactic Union stamped proudly on his chest. His white boots left the roof and he whipped into the air, flying towards the crowd now huddled under the tram station.
The Nemesis guards barely had time to react as the Redoutable Defender leapt into their midst. His white gloves flashed as he unleashed bolts of intergalactic radiation at the soldiers, searing their uniforms and leaving them in heaps on the concrete platform. As soon as the tram passengers were safe, Hellcat swept himself into the air again, soaring towards Blyde Square, where he was sure Positron and Valkyrie would be.
As he flew over the city, he was amazed at the number of jaeger mechs on the ground. He was busy trying to count up the odds when a blast of energy caught him in the side. His white cape billowed around him as he whirled through the air, trying to regain his equilibrium. As he turned to face his attacker, he noticed that it hadn't been one, but three jaeger mechs posted on the rooftop balcony of a skyscraper.
Alien radiation swirled around Hellcat's eyes as he leapt at his attackers, using his power to draw kinetic energy from the androids to add to his punch. When he got within range, he let loose with a blast of radiation from his eyes just as the robots were powering up their weapons for another shot.
The green energy sliced through them, sending their halves spinning and rebounding off the side of the building onto the sidewalk below. As his gaze followed the destruction he noticed something strange...Three smaller robots, armed with lasers, were frantically trying to destroy another, much larger robot. The large one was obviously Nemesis, but Hellcat couldn't figure out where the other three had come from. Deciding to lend a hand, he landed amidst the automatons and began transmuting the larger robots energy, delivering it to himself and the three smaller droids. Their speed increased, as well as the strength of their lasers, and soon the larger robot's composition roughly matched that of swiss cheese.

((OOC- I guess I'll start))
Quazarr shot down the alley, Highlord Mako hot on his heals. Quazarr knew that hiding from the man-shark was out of the question, since Mako's senses were supersensitive...Not to mention the fact that the glowing circuitry on 'Zarr's armor lit him up like a proverbial Christmas tree.
'Zarr had been on a mission for the rebels...It was supposed to be simple: Get in the Arachnos outpost, steal the computer codes, and get out without being caught. It had started off without a hitch: Quazarr had managed to fly in silently, gotten the drop on the "lone, inept guard" and snag the codes...Little did he realize, Highlord Mako had been visiting the outpost. Mako's assistant, Hammerhead, had caught Quazarr on his way out of the base. 'Zarr had managed to knock the beast out with a well placed energy blast, but Mako had gotten the drop on him.
While Quazarr struggled to get away, Mako managed to damage his flight boots. Now, running at what seemed like a snail's pace with the monster on his tail, Quazarr was rapidly running out of options.
'Zarr noticed that the alley was a dead end, ending in a wall well over 15 feet tall. He was cut off if he didn't think fast...Fortunately for the young scientist, that's just what he did best. AIming his hands at the ground under him, he let loose with an extended energy blast. The force sent him hurtling over the wall. There was a satisfying *CRACK!* as Mako slammed into it head first. Smiling behind his helmet, Quazarr made his way carefully back to the rebels' safehouse. They finally had the codes they needed to intercerpt Arachnos transmissions. Maybe now they could learn what that bright glow was over the Spider's Lair...

((OOC-This thread is just for fun, though I'd like for the people who post to do so with a modicum of seriousness. Our story begins as Lord Recluse has just recently come out of hiding. With the aid of his minions, he steals Portal Corp. technology in order to unlock a gateway to another dimension. Black Scorpion manages to decipher the Portal tech and accidentally opens a rift to "Earth-X". This reality is just like our own, with the exception that Statesman was killing before he and Recluse reached the fountain that gave them their powers. Therefore, Recluse became the first superbeing recorded in Paragon. He very quickly managed to take over and his armies grew even stronger as a result. With the aid of his minions, the Earth-X Recluse soon became the planet's emperor. Without Statesman to lead them, no heroes were assembled to stand against Recluse and Arachnos. Only a small handful remained, using guerilla tactics to halt Recluse's plans where they could. When the heroes learned about the portal to our world, they knew that, for the sake of two planets, they had to shut it down before the Recluse from Earth managed to bring reinforcements through to Paragon.))
Anyone interested in participating in this story should keep in mind the following:
No god-moding...If you must play this story as PvP, please remember that there is a chance of your immediate demise...Also, the heroes are vastly outnumbered and in hostile territory, so John Wayne tactics=bad
If you decide to play a villain, you have the standard choices from the comic (sans Recluse).
Heroes, Statesman is no more...Most of the "Freedom Phalanx" have either died, fallen to Recluse's side, or never existed...
Let the story begin.

"The Hills are Alive...With the Sound of Muuuusic!"
__________________________________________
"And now, Paragon, since I've finally crushed the Freedom Phalanx, I can reveal my true identity!" *Attempts to remove helmet* "Damn it! It's stuck in my fur! Sonuvacrap! Mako! Get my scissors!"