(I've considered posting little stories about some of my characters, but I'm more than a little wary of doing so. This is just an intro snippet for one of my newest characters, but if nobody thinks I suck too terribly bad, I might lay down the full story of some of my higher level ones.)
It was a cold January night at the Paragon City International Airport, and the bitter rain only served to make it feel even colder. Few flights were taking off on time, and the airport was fairly quiet, with the holiday season over and most night travelers either napping or holed away in a warm pub within the airport walls. When a lone figure stepped out of the airport and began to walk down the sidewalk away from the lights, Mick saw his opportunity to score a few dollars for something that might make him warmer. One of the newest recruits of the Hellions, Mick wasn't as bothered by the chill as some of the more senior members, but it was still far from his preference. He fell in step behind the man, trailing him at a cautious distance so as to seem like a coincidence while he got a better look. Up close, he realized that his quarry was an immense man, with dark skin that was almost black. He was completely bald, with a thick, powerful neck and massive shoulders, framing a broad torso that looked as big as a barrel. The man's suit was clearly a custom job, the jacket of a rich, royal purple hue trimmed with black velvet, and the pants of a deep forest green. He wore clearly expensive black shoes and heavy leather gloves that had been dyed a shining golden color. It was the layers of thick golden chains around the man's neck that drew Mick's attention though. Chains like that didn't come from a small timer wanting to look big time. The man was really and truly loaded. Mick noticed that the tag on the big man's bags marked him as being from Laffayette, Louisiana. Probably another rich man escaping Katrina who needed a new big city to live in. Mick almost felt a twinge of guilt for preying on a hurricaine victim, but he suppressed it swiftly. Money was money, and the big man was making himself an easy mark. Feeling the bite of the cold more acutely now, Mick eased his revolver out of its holster and aimed it at the larger man, drawing back the hammer as he called out.
"Hey, don't move big man. Just drop the bag, drop the wallet, drop the chain, drop the watch, and run in the direction you're walking. You don't have to die tonight."
To Mick's amazement, his mark immediately dropped his bags. Just as the young Hellion was considering himself lucky though, the big man wheeled around with a speed Mick never would have expected him to possess. Startled, he fired at the larger man, watching in horror as the bullet bounced off a flicker of golden energy in the air.
"Figures... everyone in this damn city's got some kind of powers except me..." Mick though, just as he noticed the big man's hands begin to glow with a sinister red energy.
"Hey man, I didn't know you was a hero. Just don' hurt me, kay?"
The big man grinned, his too-white teeth making the smile look uncomfortable predatory beneath his mirrored shades. "I wouldn't call me a hero, son. Just a business man come up from de south t'see what de north have t'be offering."
Mick was about to answer when the man moved again with that startling quickness, smashing one of his fists into Mick's jaw with an ear shattering explosion of noise. The young thug felt himself knocked violently backwards, the world exploding into a red haze as his skull cracked cruelly into the sidewalk. As his vision began to clear, he saw a low, black limo gliding through the rain to stop by the large man. As it came to a halt, Mick's would-be victim turned, flicking a brightly colored plastic mardis gras coin onto Mick's chest.
"If anyone asks, once your jaw heals, let dem know de small timers in dis city be t'rou wit'. Let dem know Fat Tuesday be runnin' de show now."
With that, the big man climbed into the limo with his bags and rode off into the night as Mick laid back on the pavement, grateful for the first time that night for the cold rain on his face.
