Jamh83

Shadow Pyre had been kneeling alone meditating when the sound of a woman's screams brought him back to reality. In one swift fluid motion a his hand took hold of his katana, drawing it from its' resting place as he dashed out of the room. The light reflecting of his blade gave it a preternatural glow as his silent footsteps echoed down the corridor.

"Gotta hurry." he thought to himself as the walls around him suddenly became quiet.

As Shadow Pyre rounded the corner into the locker room he found a young man standing above a sobbing young woman with his arms crossed. One only needed to catch a glimpse of the pair to know they were brother and sister, twins no doubt. Sizing up the unknown male he couldn't help but notice the Gi he was wearing and dragon weaved into its' fabric. His hand went unconsciously to the crimson dragon emblazoned upon his own chest a constant reminder of his past. Its' intricacy and eerie realism was accentuated by the impenetrable darkness that seemed to flow forth from it.

By this time a few other students had also come to investigate the strange outcries creating a small crowd. Being a new arrival himself he caught several of them staring at his unusual appearance. Over his face he wore a dark red helm that resembled a ninja's hood, which seemed to contain the same shadowy material that covered his chest to conceal his features. The rest of his attire, from the wraps that covered his hands and feet to his baggy pants, was made of cloth and colored to match giving him the appearance of a blood stained assassin.

"Is there a problem here?" Pyre asked sheathing his sword.

This story just keeps getting better and better, can't wait for the next chapter.

(OOC: This is the origin story for my main character Energyst. Any comments or criticisms are welcome. )


Prologue

In the darkness of space, a satellite passing Jupiter becomes the unlikely witness to an unprecedented phenomenon. Traversing the solar system on its’ predestined course, the probe’s telescopic lens happened to focus on an expanse of space just as two streaks moving at an incalculable velocity, one a brilliant blue and the other a luminous crimson, collided with one another. The tremendous impact resulted in an intense flash and an inaudible explosion so fierce that its’ shockwave extended far enough to knock the satellite off course and into Jupiter’s gravitational pull. As the multi-million dollar instrument succumbed to its’ inevitable destruction it transmitted one final image of a dark red beam hurtling through the asteroid belt.

Excellent story so far, I can't wait to read Chapter 3.

(OOC: Sorry for taking so long guys, it's near impossible to make a post at work. I'd have to use my cellphone to do it and then it'd be limited to 500 characters. By the way manofmanycharacters, Masheen Gunn may be tough but if he had attacked he'd have been very sorry. )


The man in the brown trenchcoat smiled to himself as he watched Sartain on the monitors. He was quite impressed by her survival instincts, but to him her methods were a bit out of date. Pressing a button on the console in front of him, the peephole on the door emitted a light blue beam of light that surrounded Sartain's makeshift claymore. As the bomb disappeared he flipped a switch and activated the comm system.

"I must admit Ms. Sartain I am impressed, you're quite the model of military training. If we used the same outdated equipment as the government I'd have never been able to track you. I'm activating the elevator to bring you down to the others now, oh and by the way you won't be needing the equipment you left back in the alley but I can have it retrieved later if you wish." he said as the lift began to descend once more.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Radon looked around at the assembled heroes all of them were from the Academy. He had been surprised to see Alan when he arrived, but as the others followed behind him he knew this had to be more than coincidence. Even the guy he had bumped into in the hall was there and it seemed he was still intent on fighting him.

"Hey guys, it's great to see you all again. I'm not quite sure why we're here either, but hopefully we'll find out soon." he said finally breaking his train of thought to address the others.

Suddenly, the elevator doors opened up again and Sartain stepped out. Before he had a chance to greet her as well he her the hum of a loudspeaker turning on.

"Greetings heroes, welcome to our humble abode. Please do not lose your DNA keycards as they will grant you access to this facility for the duration of your stay. Now if you'll all turn your attention to the left." came a voice that emanated from no particular source.

Something in the back of Radon's mind thought it recognized the voice, but he was too preoccupied at the moment to give it any real consideration. Turning his attention in the direction the voice indicated he watched as several doors appeared from the fall wall. There was one for each of them and they were all equipped with devices to read their cards.

"All of your questions will be answered shortly, but first you will be required to pass a qualifying exam. We have studied each of you and have come up with personalized tests for each of you. A few words of advice before you begin, sometimes the obvious solution is not the correct one. So, whenever you're ready choose a door and begin your exam." the voice said and then the room went silent.

Radon watched as the others looked around at one another and then proceeded to one of the doors. They each swiped their keys and then entered into the darkness that lay within. With a heavy sigh he proceeded to the last door and inserted his own card. As the door opened before him he steeled his nerves and stepped into the unknown. As soon as he was inside the door slid shut behind him and seemed to meld into the wall
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

As each of the heroes entered into their chosen rooms each of the doors simultaneously sealed themselves, that is all but one. The man in blue stepped from the entryway and threw his card to the floor.

"Have all the preparations been taken care of?" he said aloud.

"Yes sir, each of them will experience a different scenario that forces them into situations that can not be solved with their usual methods." the voice replied.

"And Radon?" he asked.

"Per your instructions his card contained no program data so the area will remain vacant." came the voice's answer.

"Excellent, everything is progressing exactly as planned. While I occupy myself with him, redirect the elevator to bring any new arrivals directly to a designated training room. Now if there's nothing else to report, I've got some unfinished business to take care of." the man in blue said as he proceeded towards Radon's door.

"Actually sir, there is one more thing. It seems we have a Code Purple alert. A high level energy signature has been detected approaching the facility. What course of action do you suggest sir?" the voice asked.

"Ah yes, I sensed his presence a little while ago. Increase perimeter sweeps and notify me if he gets within 10 miles of the building. Now if you'll excuse me." he replied as the door in front of him slid open and he stepped inside.


(OOC: Okay guys, you can take it from here just think of the rooms as Danger Room clones. Remember the programs are designed to make your characters rethink their battle stratedgies in order to succeed. For instance, say a character shoots first and asks questions later the situation may require them to defeat an opponent who is being forced to attack them against their will. If they kill the attacker and don't discover the truth they fail the test. That should keep you guys busy while I'm at work tomorrow. )

(OOC: This is a spin-off of the thread Hero Academy and picks up where it leaves off. The premise is that since the Academy has closed, a select group of heroes is offering to train up and coming heroes in the hopes of bolstering their ranks. The recruits wouldn't be required to join the team after the training is complete, but they will be required to uphold the team's guidelines while they are training with them. All heroes are welcome, but there are a few rules.

1) Characters are not limited by archetypes, that doesn't mean you can't follow game rules it just means you don't have to.

2) No character, including my own creations, is completely invincible. There will be powerful villains and heroes in this thread, but none of them will be unbeatable. A hero/villain can be completely invincible to certain types of attack, but must make up for it with a severe weakness to something else.

3) Characters can't be killed or incapacitated without the consent of the person controling them. Some minimal autoing is allowed, but try not to get carried away. Also characters can not force another person's character to do anything against their will, the character's creator will have final say on whether their character is affected or not.

Basically that's all for now, any other issues can be handled as they arise. Other than that have fun. )


In a dark room where the only light came from brightly glowing monitors a man sat in cushioned desk chair typing away furiously. He wore a brown leather trenchcoat over a plain yellow t-shirt and a pair of stonewashed blue jeans with tan boots. The monitors before him displayed the profiles of several known heroes and realtime video of their current activities, excluding personal moments of course. Suddenly, he straightened up and adjusted his white rimmed, yellow lensed sunglasses.

"Yes sir, the special cases have been located and will be sent their invitations shortly. Yes, I have sent out flyers and spread the word about the program on the streets. Everything is going according to plan. Thank you sir, I'm pleased that you're pleased. Yes, I'm sure he'll be here. Actually I have good news for you, he just arrived. Yes I understand sir, if you need me just call." the man said seemingly to himself.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A young man in his early twenties stood in front of a run down little house wrapped up in vines and covered in dirt. He looked down at the note he had been given and held up the card that had been attached to it. As he did a green light emanated from the peep hole on the door and scanned the card.

"DNA Keycard Confirmed. Access Granted." a voice said out of nowhere.

Before he even knew what was happening he began to sink into the ground beneath him. It only took him a moment to realize that he was on an elevator headed down, but he had no clue where he'd end up. As he continued his downward journey he began to think about what had happened to lead him up to this point. It had started a few hours before while he was watching television feeling sorry for himself. All of a sudden there was a burst of light and a letter appeared in his lap.

[ QUOTE ]
Radon,

If you'd like to continue your career as a superhero come to 8321 Virtue Court in Atlas Park. Should you choose to accept this offer merely present the attached keycard at the front door and you will be permitted to enter. The offer expires in exactly 24 hours.

Signed,

A Friend

[/ QUOTE ]

"What the heck have I gotten myself into here? Somebody sends me a note and I automatically do what it says? I must be crazy, I mean my powers still haven't even returned yet." Radon thought as he felt the lift slowing down.

A few seconds later the platform came to a complete stop and a set of doors slid open before him. Stepping into the room he took in his new surroundings. As he surveyed the area he was taken aback by the sheer size of it. The room was completely barren from wall to wall, no carpet or furniture anywhere. To him it looked like someone had hollowed out a football stadium. Suddenly the wall on the far end opened up to reveal a doorway and his jaw nearly hit the floor as the figure of a man stepped past the threshold and into the light.

"Hello again Radon, it's been a while since I saw you last and I really wanted to see you again. I hope you're prepared to finish what we started." the man in blue said a smug tone to his voice.

Radon was grinning from ear to ear as he Jazzercised to the music in his head. Unfortunately, since he lacked any type of rhythm his motions looked like something out of a Peanuts cartoon.

"Girl you're my angel, you're my darling angel. Closer than my peeps you are to me, baby. Shorty, you're my angel, you're my darling angel. Girl, you're my friend when I'm in need, lady." he sang in his head as he moved in time with the beat.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Good you care for him then I'm talking to the right person. You misunderstood what I said though, I'm not here to help you I'm here to help Radon." the man in blue replied as psiwaves passed over them.

As the psychic energy swarmed around him he let out a frustrated sigh. He hated when people tried to control him.

"D*** empaths, always screwing with people's emotions. Too bad I'm immune to mental manipulation, but I'd rather not talk to her while she's hopped up on happy juice." he thought to himself as he felt Private Parts' power flowing around him.

Turning around he spotted the source of the "happy waves" talking with Psyosis. From what he could gather Parts was showing off his powers and telling him his life story.

"Excuse me Sir, would you mind rescinding your powers a bit? I need to have a serious conversation with Cadet Celes and I'd prefer not to do it in her current condition. Thanks." the mysterious man said respectfully.

Shifting his focus back to Celes he once again attempted to get her to accompany him off to the side so they could talk.

"What kind of example does a teacher set for his students when he uses his powers to alter people's moods without their consent?" he wondered shaking his head.

No sooner had the thought left his brain when Sartain shook off the mental effects and stormed out.

"I guess she agreed with me. Corporal Punishment'll probably head her off and calm her down, at least I hope so." he thought to himself as he watched her leave.


(OOC: Just so you know there's no subliminal message there, that's how my character would react to Private Part's empathy.)

"What are you so worried about."

Radon's pain left him and his negativity disappeared for a few seconds as Psyosis used his powers on him. Even though he was fine, he was still pretending to be injured hoping Psyosis might go away. He had no respect for heroes who only used their powers for good when the were paid to and had no intention of answering his question.

"If I wouldn't tell my friends, what makes him think I'd tell him?" he thought to himself as he continued to play possum.

Suddenly, Celes was at his side apologizing for what she had done. A second later Psyosis rose to his feet and left bringing a smile to his face.

"Don't worry about what happened Celes, no harm no foul. Besides this is the whole point of training right? Learning to expect the unexpected." Radon said as he rose to his feet.

Before he even knew what was going on he was on his back again looking up at the ceiling. More surprised than hurt he sat up and spotted the man in blue standing beside Celes.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Ha ha, so much for expecting the unexpected. How pathetic can you get? You don't even deserve be in the presence of such an attractive woman, so I'm gonna take her off your hands for you. Later." he said as he put his arm around Celes and started walking away.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Private Party coming and made sure her back was to him so she wouldn't see him. He knew she would be reluctant to come with him, so he leaned in close and whispered in her ear.

"I know it doesn't seem like it from the way I've been acting, but I'm here to help. Come with me and I'll explain. By the way, whatever you do don't look back." he said glancing over his shoulder at the private.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Radon had just gotten back up and was about to intervene when he heard someone speaking. Instinctively he turned around to look and spotted Private Parts. All of a sudden his fears and anger just melted away and he started Jazzercising.

"I feel awesome, I love to Jazzercise. I wonder why we don't do this more often." he thought as he continued his aerobics.

Radon's mind was in a million places at once, not a good thing in a fight even if it's just practice. He was defending and evading mostly by reflex instead of by skill. After avoiding a sweep kick from Celes he happened to look up into her eyes and he the darkness enveloping them. Without warning she somersaulted backwards landing in a crouch. All of a sudden she started to snarl at him.

"Oh shi..." he started to say as she pounced on him, knocking him to the floor.

As her wings cut them off from the rest of the world he knew he was at her mercy. He didn't know what had happened to her but something was wrong, something had caused her to change. His head swirling from the impact with the ground he looked up as her claws came down at him and at the last second broke away from his face and into the floor. All of a sudden her face was hovering just inches in front of his own.

"Gotcha."

Radon took his first breath in almost a minute as Celes leapt off of him tears running down her face as she apologized. Before he could stop her she bolted out of the gym. As he attempted to get up his mind finally registed the pain and he fell back to the ground gasping.

"D*** that hurts, I hope she's okay. I'll go talk to her after the world stops spinning. Hmm, I wonder if it's wierd that I kinda enjoyed that." he thought to himself as he tried to get himself together.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The man in blue had been watching the entire exchange with interest. A smirk crossed his face as Celes ran out of the room and he saw Radon fall trying to get to his feet. He was about to follow the girl when he spotted General Outrage going after her.

"That girls seems quite interesting, I think I'll have to have a few words with her in private before open sparring begins." he thought as he waited for her to return.

"Still doing okay? I'm not hurting you am I? We can switch if you want,"

Radon considered her words for a moment, but decided against it. He could barely throw a punch against a woman trying to kill him on city streets, there was no way he'd do it in a sparring session. As she through her next punch he caught her wrist then, very carefully to avoid hurting her, spun around her holding her arm gently behind her back.

"Actually I'd prefer to just work on defense and countering for today. I'll practice my hand-to-hand on some thugs after classes this afternoon." he whispered in her ear as he released her hand.

Even though he was pretending everything was fine, without his powers even with Celes pulling her punches his arms were burning. Gritting his teeth behind his mask, he was determined not to let it show.

"Gotta keep up this "dance" until class ends and come up with a plan to deal with Big Bad Blue." Radon thought as he continued to bob and weave.

As Celes' kick came at him, he gave a silent sigh of relief. He knew she was holding back, trying not to hurt him. As he easily blocked the blow he was secretly glad she couldn't see his face as fear once again set in. The man in blue was still in the corner looking at him and, knowing he was watching, he made a slicing motion across his throat.

"D***, I got myself out of one predicament but I have no clue how to get him off my back. I won't stand a chance if I spar with him. What're you going to do now genius?" he asked himself.

His mind was so focused on getting out of his next fight, he almost forgot about the one he was in. He came back to reality just in time to avoid Celes' next attack.

"Wow, even if she's holding back she's really good, my arms are starting to sting." Radon thought as he continued to block and evade.

Radon was taken aback by the girl's sudden outburst and was about to rush to her aide, when the others started swarming towards her. Feeling he'd merely get in the way he held back and waited to see if she would be okay.

"They should not crowd the woman. She is fine but I am sure she might like some space," he heard Celes say beside him.

Looking over at her, he blushed when he saw she had moved closer to him. Before he could respond he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head. The smile that had been on his face dropped as he laid eyes on General Outrage and after he heard the announcement his heart sank.

"Well...this..hmm, what's the word...oh yeah...sucks! I usually do not like hand-to-hand but oh well. Just promise to go easy on me. I'm still a little sore from my morning..umm...exercise." Celes said as she took a fighting stance.

"What am I supposed to do now? I couldn't fight her even if I still had my powers. Gotta come up with something fast." he thought as he raced to find a solution.

Suddenly, an idea popped in his head. He just hoped that she'd go along with it and that the others wouldn't suspect his alterior motive.

"Well this does suck big time, but after what happened last night I think I need to work some more on my defensive skills. Why don't you attack and I'll just try to block, that way we won't have anything to worry about?" Radon said trying to sound cheerful.

"Who am I kidding? Nothing to worry about? Sure I know how to kickbox, but without my powers I doubt that'll be enough to defend myself against her attacks. I'll just have to pray and do the best I can." he thought, his face furrowed in concentration.

Radon's thoughts were interrupted when a tall man in army fatigues walked up. After commenting on the skirmish he introduced himself and extended his hand.

"Kid?! I'm 22 years old." he thought as he gave him a firm handshake.

He'd dealt with military before and was well versed at faking a good impression. He was about to ask about his furry friend, when another guy asked if he was okay.

"I..I'm fine." he lied, starting to feel cornered.

Radon's smile turned to a frown beneath his mask. Not knowing about Celes' balancing act that morning he thought she was still sore from the previous night. While her eyes were on Lord Raymond and Mended Ribs he extended his hand towards her to heal her with his powers. Suddenly, his hand fell to his side and he stepped back in shock.

"What..what the hell is going on?! My powers aren't working! I've had more exerting battles than that and this has never happened before. What's wrong with me?!" he thought to himself as he tried not to let his panic show.

Turning back to Celes, he found her still watching the exchange between the two heroes. A bit frantic his eyes began surveying the gymnasium looking for anything or anyone who could be causing this. That's when he saw him, the same guy he had bumped into in the hallway was in the corner of the room looking in his direction and even though his face was covered he could tell he was staring right at him.

"Could...could he be doing this!? I've never heard of anyone having that kind of ability before. If it's not him, then maybe I've used up the power that Energyst gave me? But if that's the case is the radiation inside me gone too or is it still lingering within me killing me slowly?!" Radon thought his mind swirling with questions.

Closing his eyes he mentally slapped himself, attempting to calm himself down. After regaining a bit of his composure, he opened his eyes and turned to Celes.

"I..I think I can explain what's going on. Lord Raymond is letting Alan attack him to teach us his methods for taking less damage from punches and kicks. It doesn't look like Alan is holding too much back though, if this keeps up maybe the rest of us won't have to do hand-to-hand today." he said trying desperately to conceal the fear in his voice.

As Radon was about to enter the gymnasium he heard Lord Raymond's voice challenging someone to hit him. He hurried through the doors just in time to see Alan kicking at his rear.

"Darn, he beat me to it." he thought with a smirk.

Looking around the room the first familiar faces, besides Raymond and Ribs, he spotted belonged to Buck and Tommy. They were standing off to the side with some other guy he hadn't seen before.

"It looks like the Dynamic Duo may have turned into a Troublesome Trio." he smiled to himself.

"What in the hel.." he heard Celes say, instantly recognizing her voice.

Making his way over to stand beside her, he looked back to see what was going on between Lord Raymond and Mended Ribs. That's when he noticed two of the new cadets he had spotted at the flag raising watching the spectacle as well.

"Good Morning Celes, looks like the fun's started without me. This could get pretty interesting." Radon said with an amused tone to his voice.

Radon awoke with a start to the sound of Vindicated by Dashboard Confessional echoing from his alarm. Grumbling and cursing he forced himself out of bed, he had never really been a morning person. As he stood up a sudden pain shot through his skull, almost causing him to fall back onto the mattress.

"Ow, feels like a ping pong ball is bouncing around my brain. I guess that means that last night wasn't a dream." he thought as a smile crossed his lips despite the throbbing in his head.

Moving across the room he grabbed a towel and headed for the showers. He purposely got up earlier than the others so that he'd be alone. After he was done he headed back to his room and changed into a fresh costume. Looking down at his watch he saw he still had some time before the morning flag raising and hand-to-hand training. Opening up one of the drawers on his nightstand he rifled through the various first aid and medicines until he found some aspirin. After taking the allotted amount he lay back down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling thinking about the prior night's events. Suddenly, a blaring trumpet roused him from his daydreams and he grimaced.

"It's go time." he muttered as he got up and headed for the door.

Once he was in the hall he headed down the corridor towards where they held the hoisting of the flag each morning. With his head down and his eyes focused on the floor ahead of him he bobbed and weaved his way through traffic. All of a sudden someone stepped out in front of him causing him to run straight into them.

"S..sorry...about..that. I...didn't..mean..to run...into you." Radon said quietly not looking up at his "victim".

"Oh I'll show you how sorry you are alright, as soon as the open sparring begins." he replied as he gave him a light shove that knocked him to the floor.

From his newly acquired vantage point he looked up at his assailant. The man was dressed in a full body costume with a blue and black pattern across it. His mask matched the costume and covered his entire face. Although he didn't recognize the stranger, something about him seemed familiar to him.

"I'll see you later punk." the newcomer said as he continued on his way.

"What a jerk, no matter I'm not going to stoop to his level. When it's time for open sparring I'll just refuse to fight him, what's he gonna do?" Radon thought to himself as he got up and brushed himself off.

Dismissing the incident he walked on and finally made it to the staging area for the flag raising. He managed to spot a couple of his allies from the previous night and he also picked out a couple of others he hadn't seen before, but he was having a hard time spotting Celes. After a few minutes of scanning the area he gave up the search, figuring he'd see her in the gymnasium in a few moments anyway as the guidon climbed the flagpole.

"I hope that guy in the hall was just showing off and he doesn't want to actually fight me, because that's the last thing I need right now." he thought as the ceremony ended and they headed for the gym.

(OOC: Sorry if I got anything wrong, I'll edit it if need be, but I was just trying to meld everything that's been going on together.)

Radon looked on as Celes disappeared down the hall with a mixture of joy and sadness. Deep down his heart was telling him what she said was true, but his head just wouldn't listen. With a heavy sigh he headed back up to his room, Celes' image and words still fresh in his mind. Reaching his dorm he quickly went inside and closed the door behind him.

"Man am I tired." he said to himself as he made his way over to his bed and laid down.

Like Celes, he was considered a special case when it came to room assignments. Not only was he not given a roommate, but the entire interior had been reinforced by lead. With powers like his neither he nor administration was willing to take any chances.

"I wonder what Corporal Punishment has got planned for tomorrow. Not only did I leave the grounds without giving notice, but I did it in the middle of target practice. Man I'd hate to be in my shoes." Radon thought as he drifted off to sleep.

"Wow...that's...that's incredible." Radon said quietly.

"I wish could say something similar about why I became a hero, but I can't. The truth is the only reason I started fighting crime was for my own ego. Growing up all I ever wanted to do was earn my father's respect, but no matter what I did he'd always put me down. If I made the honor roll, I should've made straight As, if I scored 10 points in a basketball game, it should have been 20. No matter what I did it was never good enough for him, and after a while no matter what I did I was never good enough for myself. By the time he walked out on us I had all but lost any self confidence I had. When I got the job working for the Paragon Health Department, I thought it was a chance to finally prove I was worth something. When those crooks broke in I didn't try to stop them because it was the right thing to do, I did it to stop them from ruining my chance to prove myself. After I got my powers from the accident I started fighting crime for the same reason. The only time I can be myself, the only time I feel like I'm worth anything, is when I put on this costume. Everything I've done, becoming a hero, coming to the Hero Academy, I did it all for myself and no one else. I don't even deserve to be called a hero." he said hanging his head in shame.

Looking up Radon noticed that they had reached the doors of the Academy. He walked ahead and held the door open for Celes. After his confession he couldn't even bear to look her in the eye.

"I...I guess we should...get back to our rooms...before the corporal...sees us." he whispered secretly wishing he had the power to disappear again.

As Radon listened to Celes' words, something struck him as a little odd. Taking a moment to carefully choose his words he spoke.

"I don't mean any disrespect and I may be misinterpreting what you say, but the way that you refer to yourself sounds like you don't think of yourself as a person. Again if I misunderstood I apologize, but how do you expect to find a life here on Earth if you don't see yourself as one of us?" he said as politely as he could.

Even as the words left his mouth, Radon couldn't believe what he had just said. He didn't understand why he had said anything about it at all, he just felt it was wrong for her to feel that way about herself.

"Listen, you were born into a war without ever being given a choice and then exiled here to Earth. Now you're being hunted by both angels and demons and even though it'd probably be safer to lay low and not use your abilities you're still out there using your powers to protect people. Most people put in the same position would never do what you've done and if that doesn't make you human I don't know what does. You may not have the DNA of a human, but you do have the heart of one and that's all that matters." Radon said with conviction.

Once again he found himself questioning why he was telling her all of this, but what was said was said and he couldn't take it back. He was just hoping that she didn't take his words the wrong way and get upset.

"By the way, I know some people stare at your wings and horns, but I think they may you look beautiful." he said timidly as he stared down at the pavement.

Radon was glad that his mask concealed his features, because his face had just went crimson. A few moments passed as he tried to think of something to say. He was afraid to ask about her past for fear of upsetting her, so he tried focusing on the present.

"So...uh..um...what do you think of Paragon so far?" he asked nervously.

Before she could reply he thought he heard something from an alley they had just passed. He quickly stopped and listened intently.

"Take the purse, just please don't hurt me." a woman's voice said.

"Oh we'll take the purse, but you've got something else we want." he heard a man reply.

"I may not be able to use my powers, but to hell if I'm gonna pass by and hope somebody else gets there in time." he thought to himself as he turned around.

"Celes, I'll be right back I've gotta go take care of a small matter." Radon said as he ran towards the alley.

Hopping over the fence that separated the alley from the street he was face to face with a pair of Skulls. Even without his superpowers his movements were quick and precise. It only took a few punches and kicks before both gang members were out cold. After taking a moment to make sure the victim was okay, he quickly made his way back to the street.

"Sorry about that, I couldn't just walk by and do nothing." he apologized.

"I'm with Celes on this one, I don't have enough strength to swat a misquito. Tomorrow when I get my energy back I'll be more than glad to lend you a hand Ribs, but for now all I want to do is take a nice hot bath and get some sleep before exercises in the morning." Radon said as he turned to leave.

This had been one of the strangest days he'd ever had since he came to Paragon, and that was saying something. An army of Trolls and a fake Grim Reaper not to mention meeting a half angel, half demon on her first visit to Earth.

"Wait a second, didn't Celes say that she was being hunted by both sides? If they found her now she wouldn't be able to defend herself." he thought to himself.

He had to run a little to catch up to her as she had already started to walk back towards the academy. In the back of his mind he knew that even though he was physically drained he should've covered the distance in the blink of an eye, but it just wasn't registering with him.

"Hey Celes, sorry if I'm coming off as obsessive or anything, but I think it might be a good idea if we walked back together. Neither of us is in pristine condition right now and the two of us could fend off an attack far better than either of us could alone. So what do you say? I mean you don't have to or anything it's just something I thought of, actually you might be better off going with Raymond and Rook." Radon said starting to ramble on.

"Anyone else need a fixer-upper? You know, this is the second time today I've healed you, Radon. You might wanna watch yourself, but what do I know?" Radon heard Buck Shott say as what was left of his aches and pains left him.

"Ah cram it up your ejection port Buck." he smirked, not sure if he heard him.

Even though his wounds were healed he was still exhausted from overexerting himself. He knew he had pushed too hard and he wouldn't even be able to make his finger glow for at least a few hours. Out of nowhere he heard Buck invite everyone out for coffee and pastries.

"What's with this guy? We just had ice cream and now he wants pastries and coffee? Wierd." he thought turning his attention back to Celes.

Looking down at her she still seemed to have a sad and confused expression on her face. He couldn't imagine what she must've been through without anyone to be there for her. He knew he had to do something to cheer her up.

"Here, let me help you up." Radon said as he offered her his hand, his mind racing to come up with ideas.

Radon's head was swimming and he could barely stay upright after making it to his knees again. Although the pain he had been feeling was pretty much gone and he was starting to feel the strength in his limbs again, something just didn't feel right.

"Why, Radon? Why take my blow? I do not deserve your...grace. We have only just met." came Celes' voice ringing in his ears.

"It's...what..I do. Besides...I'm expendable....you're not." Radon said turning to face her.

Staggering to his feet he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small plastic bubble. Checking the gumball inside he handed it to her.

"Meant to give...this to you earlier,....but we got kinda....sidetracked. Don't eat it....just chew it....until the flavor's gone." Radon said as he tried to compose himself.

"I'm really not looking forward....to training tomorrow." he thought as he rubbed his aching muscles.

Radon had just started charging his proton volley when he felt the power he gathered leave him. He knew he had been pushing himself, but he was hoping he still had enough energy to fight back. Unfortunately, keeping them all invisible to Reaper Man was taking more of a toll on him than he realised and healing his wound had drained him too much.

"Of all the times to be running low on juice. Gotta focus what's left on keeping the others hidden." he thought as he redirected what was left of his power to the fields surrounding himself and the others.

That's when he saw Reaper Man focusing his dark energies in his direction. He knew there was nothing he could do to stop it, with all his strength focused on protecting the others he couldn't avoid it. Bracing himself he watched as the world around him went dark and pain coursed through his entire body as he felt his focus on the others fading. Unable to see or hear anything outside the encompassing miasma he could only hold on and hope that his power held.

"Can't...give....up. They're....depending...on me." Radon thought trying to ignore his bodies limitations.

Even though his mind was willing, his body just couldn't take the strain and one by one he felt his hold slipping on the others. He mentally cursed himself as he prayed his teammates would be alright. Suddenly, the shroud of twilight dissipated and he had to blink to readjust to radiance pouring into his eyes.

"Radon, you okay?" was the first thing he heard as the rest of his senses caught up with the sudden change.

Looking up at Alan from his knees he saw the gash across his chest. Quickly surveying the surrounding street he spotted Celes' battered form. He could already feel some of his strength returning and without thinking he began focusing it. A shockwave of energy flowed from his body causing Alan and Celes to engulfed in a shimmering green glow healing at least some of their wounds.

"Ah hell...." Radon thought as his limbs gave way and he collapsed to the street exhausted.

"I'm....gonna..be....sore in....the mornin'" he chuckled as he mustered enough strength to give a thumbs up.

(OOC: Just a note, in order to use the Electron Haze Radon would've had to use his hands so he would've set Alan down somewhere. Sorry I forgot to mention that, so just for the sake of argument let's say he put you on a mailbox or something. )

After launching his attack, Radon spotted the new hero who had joined the fray. With a quick burst of speed he was beside the newcomer just as he struck the ground with his hammer.

"Hey there Rooky, the help is much appreciated. Here's a little token of my appreciation." he said as he applied the same powers he used on the others, and himself, on him.

Turning his attention back to the villain, he looked just in time to see him disappear. He was looking around frantically when he suddenly felt the distinct energy of his own radiation. Locating the source his gaze turned upward, spotting their foe appearing in the sky above Celes.

"Damn, her blast must've really hurt him and now he's aiming to take her out. No time to warn her, gotta move fast." Radon thought to himself as he took off as fast as he could.

Moving at incalculable speed he ran up the side of a nearby building and leapt with all his might at Celes. Even going as fast as he was he was almost too late, shoving her out of the way in the nick of time. Unfortunately, the same thing couldn't be said about himself. Unable to dodge in time, Radon did what he could clasping the blade of the scythe between his hands slowing it down. He winced in pain as it dug into his chest, but he was able to stop it before it went in too deep. Suddenly, the enemy removed the weapon and dropped back to the ground.

"Arrrgh, dayum that hurts. Better me than her though." he thought as he landed on the street below.

Putting his hand over the gash he focused a radiation beam and quickly cauterized the wound. When he looked back towards the battle he found Mended Ribs back in action lashing out at the villain and removing his hood. Seeing the creatures grotesque face actually brought a bit of a smile to his face.

"Looks like some of Vahzilok's scum, good that means I don't have to hold back as much." Radon thought as he charged another proton volley.