Mr_Grey

"Can we trust his word, then?" Power Breaker grumbled.

Draven shrugged.

"I got a Hero card like that, too, buddy. We've had a few... talks... With Freedom Corps in the past. They've told us in no uncertain terms that they won't be supporting us. This sounds like a good deal. I agree so long as it's legit... And I'm an authority on this facility... I can't speak for our guests... But if you can fix these things up with a wave of your hand like you're God or something, the Brutal Warriors Order agrees to your terms."

He gestured to Power Breaker.

"But it's him and his crew you're gonna have to convince to get your friend back."

Noitpeced gave his speech.

"Well guys?" Power Breaker sighed, "What's the verdict?"

-Deleted in favor of posting later-

Power Breaker smiled.

"I'd drop him to shake your hand... But you'll understand if I'm a little wary."

A man in a red coat appeared behind Noitpeced. He looked like a cross between the Crow and Dante... Straight down to the wicked looking broadsword in his hand with a small black bird sigil near the base of the blade.

"Sounds like a good plan," Draven Erickson agreed, "You mind telling your little nimrod there to leave people out of his plans who've got nothing to [censored] do with him? You might be planning to rewrite the damage here, but you'll understand if we tear this place apart when you're done and rebuild it so we can be sure we're safe. We're running a business here, too, and we'd like to be able to assure our clients that they won't wind up dead because Edgar Allen Reject figures he owes us one! And I can assure you! We're gonna be taking a few extra steps to further enhance our defences on ALL fronts, whether they're mystical, technological, or what-have-you in nature."

He pointed the sword at Poe.

"And if we catch him here again... We're throwing him over the edge with his head shoved into a very uncomfortable place, and I'm throwing the L.o.D. switch."

((I thought we burned ourselves out on this... Can we get a situation check? Current positions, landscape details, etc.? I think I remember Dross interfacing with the remnants of the Flowstone...))

"I gathered," Breaker rolled his eyes at the shadow-wolf's comment, "They're not the only guys like that... Look, Erig... I'm not unreasonable. You can take this guy and go. Never come back. Leave us alone..."

He shook Poe around a little.

"And be sure to tell him that he stops bothering us, 'kay? I got a feeling he dragged you into this somehow... This doesn't concern you. You don't have to go through this... You don't have to be the one who tells Husk you could've saved his life, but didn't, too. Just walk, run, fly, whatever it is you do, with him in tow. Never come back. It's that easy."

"Sorry, man..." Power Breaker held firm his grip, "I got no deal with you. I'm not making an empty threat. This is a promise. I'm not taking any chances with these Husk Corp goons. If they keep [censored] around, I end him. No questions."

Power Breaker nodded at Egarim. He knew exactly what he was going through.

"I'm willing to let you take this guy out of here... You willing to negotiate a surrender?"

"Snap, crackle, and pop, that's right," Power Breaker increased the pressure slightly, "I won't even feel bad about doing it, either. Still... Sometimes, there's just things you don't have to do, and this is one of 'em... But... If you don't want to cut this [censored], I'm out of options. So... What'll it be?"

((It's a converted Derrick, Funstuff... D'ah well...))

Breaker wrapped his arm around Poe's neck and lifted him to his feet. Then, he dragged the body to the door.

"I got a better idea... miragE!" he yelled into the room, "Take a look at this!"

He brought Poe to view.

"Now, it's time to stop! You're outnumbered, outgunned, and no matter however which way you take it, you're outflanked! Now... If you don't stop, I snap this [censored]'s neck. I won't even think about, just-"

He kinked Poe's head dangerously to one side.

"Pop!"

I'm holding off until actual prison scenes. Shadowshock's a prison regular (From his time as a Family goon), but this is his first time dealing with the "Super Block."

Power Breaker looked down at Ragin' James, lying unconscious on the floor.

"What happened?" he asked Psycho13.

"He yelled something, tried to rush into the room, and bounced at the doorway."

"Must have been like anyone normal running into a brick wall," Matt concurred, "Feels like magic... Probably takes something special to break it down..."

"Great..." Power Breaker muttered, "This just got harder..."

The hatch to the room tore open and Ragin' James was there, the eyes of the skull on his chest glowing red and pumping out currents of radiating electricity. Seeing the other occupants fighting Egarim, he let out a roar and drew the pain inducing charges back into himself.

"Aw, it's on now!" he shouted and charged into the fray, barreling into Egarim with a hard, super-strength punch to the jaw.

----

Outside, a set of spotlights illuminated the landing pads.

"Sonova..." Daren cursed, "Somebody's still parked on both pads..."

He considered just blowing one vehicle or the other away. But that would cause them to owe somebody money, worse, a favor.

----

Power Breaker was about to follow Ragin' James. He felt that, since he had pretty much brought this down on the Brutal Warriors, he should have a hand in stopping it. WHen he was about to join in the pursuit, however, El D showed up...

[ QUOTE ]
"Look what I got Breaker..." El D said, as he pushed himself into the room and set Poe on the floor. "And if what ever it is that is in here tries anything, hes gonna be dead..." he finished, leveling his hand down at Poe, fire wriethed around the black cloth.

[/ QUOTE ]

"Cool!" Power Breaker cheered, "Dude! miragE is next door, follow that guy with the skull decorations... Bring him..."

He leaned in close to Poe.

"We settle this, [censored]. You can end this, or you can die. Simple choice."

----

Dale peered into the ring of fire and had only one reaction. He reached down to the dial on his belt and cranked it to 22.

That's right. Dale's speakers, dotted throughout his uniform, go to 22.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

A wave of concussive acoustic force smashed through the room, devastating everything in its path. Simms dropped to the floor, exhausted, gasping for breath, and a ringing in his ears that made him dimly aware that his belt was out of power.

((Well, Devious, I'm not sure... It's hard for me to wrap my head around writing out Power Breaker, Shadowshock and Sikk at the same time. I mean, look how rarely my actual villains show up in Shadow Manor...

I think I'd keep P.B. out of this... It's not the kind of role he belongs in. He's not a career super villain. This seems more a role for Shadowshock. Maybe Sikk later, if I feel like playing what he was like in prison... But a whiny teenager seems hardly the role I feel like dealing with...))

Character Name: Shadowshock

Caracter Gender: Male

Age: 27

Known Powers: Electrical Melee, Dark Armor

Description: Tall, overly muscular. Blue skin. Bald, but spikes on head. Black warpaint over eyes looks like two triangles whose points meet at the bridge of his nose. Tattoos decorate arms. Picture

History: Shadowshock was one of the Family's muscle, back when he was Terrence Grim. One of their backalley docs wound up messing up big time when he used some experimental Crey serum to fix up Terry's wounds really fast, mutating the quick-to-anger man into Shadowshock.

Going into business for himself, Shadowshock was put into prison by Randall Grey when he thought the Hero was yet another of the clientelle of the bank he was about to rob...

"I checked the place first... Yeah, sure, Grey was a big guy, but he wasn't wearing spandex! Turned out he was off duty, too... But that didn't stop him from planting me into the ceiling... I swear... If I ever get my hands on him..."

((I think we had something like this going before... It got isolated and paranoid... It's a helluvalot of fun! I just wish we could keep up with it.

Of course, the intent then was no intervention by Arachnos. We created a nightmarish Zig, with a doctor experimenting on the prisoners, a brutal Arena in the sewer network beneath the structure, and a type of "Super Solitary" called the Abyss that killed nearly everybody who went in it.

I kind of wish we could continue it, but interest waned hard at the end...

I wouldn't mind getting in on this, though. I've made more proactive villain characters that I'd like to see in this environment.))

The Council's ranks were slow to recover. They'd never trained for an assault like this, and now an entire wall was broken open. Worse, it was vaporized. They struggled to retrieve their weapons, but Grey's Army and various allies were already upon them.

Randall smashed into the thickest of their ranks. He still refused to utilize his granite armor. It was harder to move when he used it, harder to swing his arms, and he barely did any damage when he did manage to swing at a decent speed.

"Raaaaaaaaaugh!" he bellowed as his fists smashed into and broke the body armor of his foes, "Is that the best you've got!?"

'Yeeeeeeeeee-haaaaaaaaaaah!" Cedric whooped as he leapt into the fray, chopping his axe this way and that.

Matt McGinty hung left, taking Ashen, Blizzard, Sanders and the Caid brothers with him, heading for the logistics centers. Roland stuck with his mother, Zeke, and Nester, and carved down the center after the rampaging Randall. The BWO heroes ducked right, hammering into the barracks with Cobalt Black in tow. Kip and Cedric carved their own paths all across the fight, lending support where they were needed.

A group of Council troopers regrouped behind them. They were the soldiers who'd survived the initial onslaught, as well as Randy's rampage. They tried to prepare for a counterattack to the rear ranks of Grey's Army when they heard something pounding up behind them.

Ryat66 sat on Ryat99's shoulders, his arms focusing electricity into plasma beams he launched into the troopers. Behind them, the Modified Zeus Titan stomped in pursuit, the arms locked up into melee positions, and Cory Simmons riding its shoulder, throwing fireballs all about.

The counterattack failed before it even started.

----

"What the Hell is this?" the Nictus Nova shouted at Archon Jerod, "How did they find us!?"

"This is impossible!" Jerod screamed, "Go! Bolster the ranks, don't let them get to the labs!"

The Nova made for the window and peered outside.

"I don't believe this... Androm'Geizzer!"

"I thought you dealt with him!"

"I thought the Void Hunters did..." the Nova hissed, "I guess it's up to me..."

"Don't fail, Shadowstorm... We're so close..."

"Just rally the guards in the lab," the Nova replied, "Don't let them get to the crystal... It can't be destroyed... Our success in this war hinges on it!"

----

Matt carved into the troopers with his blade. He was making his way for the trucks, and from there, he could do untold damage. Behind him, he heard Ashen and Blizzard roaring into the battle, their fire and ice powers complementing each other perfectly. A War Wolf stormed in from Matt's side, only to be tackled to the ground by Martin.

"Gotta watch yourself," Greg Caid chuckled as he stomped into the wolf's jaw, "Sometimes they get back up, meaner and stronger than before!"

"That ever happen to you?" Matt rasped back.

"Nope," Greg smiled, "the FC gave me a silver-based serum to purge that possibility. Left me sick for a few days..."

A series of bullet holes tore into Caid's arm.

"Argh! Dammit!" he glared back at the troopers headed their way, "Good thing I still heal real fast!"

Mider Caid came up behind them, radiating healing energies.

"What is our objective, here?" he shouted at McGinty.

"Get one of those trucks moving," he pointed with his katana, "smash it into the warehouse there, and cause the munitions to detonate."

"Does it matter if the truck's on fire?" Ashen Roast gasped as he and Blizzard Front caught up.

"Nope. Might help, even."

----

Draven Erickson slashed and sliced his broadsword through the Council troopers. He was flanked by Psycho13 and King Slater, with Project Whirlwind and Cobalt Black bringing up the rear. They were fighting the Vortex Cor Leonis... Some of the most dangerous Council soldiers in the field. Fortunately, these were the barracks, and weapons weren't typically stored here.

Most of the fighting was melee style, and that was exactly where the BWO shined. Troopers fell against their bunks, lockers, and various objects throughout the facility. They tried fighting back, but the enthusiastic heroes simply carved a swath through their ranks.

----

Randy smashed a hole through the main building and started hammering his way through. Before Charlene, Zeke, Nester and Roland could follow, however, a dark Kheldian materialized before them.

"Geizzer!" it shouted at Zeke before firing an explosive blast into their midst.

Thrown in different directions, the heroes found themselves sluggish, and slightly disoriented. They had to pick themselves back up, and they each shared the fear that they wouldn't make it to their feet.

"Hedou'K'Ngar..." Zeke growled in a deep, inhuman voice, "I remember you... You ordered me killed, didn't you?"

"Wasn't my choice," K'Ngar replied, "Arakhn wanted you out fo the picture. Said you'd gone soft."

"Soft..." the voice sounded more like Zeke, but still tinged with the alien presence, "Looks like I made a good choice, then..."

Durj's body radiated with the dark energies of the Warshade. A black-purple orb wrapped about his body before completely obscuring it, save the cold, bright eyes that pierced the cloudy night.

"Let's see how soft this feels!"

A thick bolt of dark energy launched from the dark orb and collided with the Nova. The energy being screamed in pain, but started hammering Durj and Geizzer with it's own dark energies.

This was exactly what Ezekiel had hoped for.

Two bright beams erupted from Charlene's eyes and burned a hole straight through Hedou's form. This was followed up with another set of energy beams, this time fired from Nester's visor. His defenses sufficiently withered, Roland followed up the attack with a volley of arrows, one of which designed to burn, another designed to freeze.

The Dark Nova resisted the chilling effects of the arrow, but couldn't stop burning. Again, Zeke launched a volley into the offending monster, capping it with an explosive blast similar to the one K'Ngar had used on them earlier, blasting him out of the air and collapsing to the ground.

A human lied there, gasping for breath. He was dressed in the form-fitting neoprene outfit of the Galaxy unit.

"Shadowstorm," Zeke explained, "One of Arakhn's trusted agents."

He punched into the Galaxy soldier's chest and left a shadowy imprint there. The gravity around Shadowstorm suddenly increased in strength and held the offender in place.

"Can he move?" Charlene asked dubiously.

"Not for a short while," Zeke started making his way for the damage Randall was doing, "I suggest finishing him off. He's responsible for a lot of the stuff Androm's accused of."

Roland planted a fist in the Galaxy's face. Charlene shook her head.

"No, no, no, Roland.." her right fist suddenly started to glow brightly, "This is how you punch a guy..."

There was an audible crack as her glowing fist connected with Shadowstorm's jaw guard. Nester kind of nudged the prone, moaning body with his foot as he passed by. The Nictus wouldn't be moving around any time soon.

----

Kipland leapt into the hole Randall had left in the wall of the main chamber of the fort. The lab. All around, Council troopers of the Vortex Cor Leonis fired round after useless round into Randall Grey's armor. Rounds literally bounced off his skin, and Randall responded by wrenching pieces of concrete and steel from around himself and bombarding the soldiers right back.

Kip chose a group and leapt into them, slamming his knees into a pair and casting them over the rail of the catwalk. From there, he drove deeper into the facility. At one point, he kicked a lens off the goggles of a trooper. Everything seemed to go in slow motion, the soldier falling over the side, and the next batch approaching, but Kip kept his eye on the red lens as it sailed, twirling, through the air.

"Coolness," he muttered before heading back into the fray.

Cedric Grey burst through a window and fell into the soldiers on the other side of the warehouse. His axe sang loudly as he chopped through their armor and sent them screaming to the concrete below. Rounds pinged and panged off his armor, and Cedric whooped with glee. Another crew started heading up the ramp, and Cedric met them at the top.

"Hi boys," he was pointing a Nemesis rifle at their faces, "This is going to really hurt..."

The gasses inside the explosive shell corroded their armor, weapons, clothes, and even the ramp. Ced hopped over the side as the catwalk started to sway dangerously. The stairwell collapsed, sending troops hurtling to the ground.

"Looks like you're having fun..." Randall told his son.

"Two rounds left," Ced patted the rifle, "Think I should save 'em?"

"Nah, use 'em when you feel is right. Kip! We're headed down!"

A resounding "Klong" answered him. Kip smashed the Adjutant's head into the rail again and rolled him over the side before hopping down to join them.

Nester, Roland, Charlene, and Zeke came up from behind. An explosion to their left signaled that Matt and his crew were successful, and were actually headed in through the doors there.

"Wonder what's keeping the Warriors," Randall intoned when he looked to see they weren't coming from the barracks to the north.

----

Archon Krieger had survived the initial attack. In fact, he came out of it better than his troops. A massive, white War Wolf had emerged from the wreckage and headed for the barracks. The Brutal Warriors found him in the office of the main floor, and it was rumbling time.

They had fought their way outside, and Psycho13 was down for the count. Draven Erickson hacked and slashed into Krieger's arms as the War Wolf deflected the attacks. Blood sprayed all about, but the Archon didn't seem to be dropping.

"You smell like a vampire..." Krieger growled as they slowed the assault and started to circle each other, "Slightly different... But still..."

"Funny, you smell like you rolled in cow [censored]," Draven replied, his blade held low, but the point never deviated from its target.

In the background, he could see Slater and Whirlwind fending off the other troops. A little further, and there was Cobalt Black...

He was leaping down onto Krieger with a deadly kick aimed for his neck.

"Argh..." the Archon Wolf fell and rolled over the ground, turning back to them and gripping his scruff in pain, "I should have known you wouldn't face me in a fair fight!"

"This is war," Cobalt replied, "All's fair here."

The Wolf released his grip on himself and lunged angrily at them with a roar, teeth bared and claws outstretched. Draven swung his blade at the wolf, trying to stab into his gut. Cobalt aimed a sharp, driving kick at Krieger's jaw.

----

"We can't wait any longer," Randall started heading for the cargo lift in the back of the main facility, which appeared to be some form of lab, "We gotta press the advantage while we still have them off balance."

The Modified Zeus Mech walked in through the massive hole and started closing the distance to the lift.

"Daddy!" Sarah's high, squeaky voice chirped through the somewhat silent building, "Wait for me!"

"No Sarah," Randall held up his hand, "You gotta stay here. I'd love to have ya down there with us... That mech would be a welcome addition to the fight... Definitely make things easier. But we don't know if the elevator can take the weight."

"Aw..." the machine slumped visibly, "Okay..."

"Head over there and see what's taking those boys... Help 'em if you can. Once done, send 'em our way and cover the exit."

"Okay!" the mech started walking off to the north, "Rawr!"

"Alright..." Randall gathered his forces into the lift, "Grey's Army... Going down."

----

"Did you hear something?" Sheldon asked as he looked to the main chambers of the base.

Sarah shrugged.

"I'm here, I'm there, and more's happening there, Shel. Sorry if I missed it."

"Well..." Sheldon left the diagnostic panel, "I'm still going to check it out... You should be fine, Sarah, there hasn't been any kind of spike in the system... Even still... If there is, the buffers should keep you safe."

"Way to blow my ego, Sheldon..." Sarah replied in mock fear, "I think I'll just run screaming now, let the Grey Titan run amok a few minutes... How's that sound?"

...

"Sheldon?"

Sheldon was already in the main sectors of the base. There was a crashing sound out near the workshop. Sprinting, he made his way across the meeting room to the opening and peeked around the corner.

A Fake Nemesis was thrashing around.

"DURRRRRRRRRRRJ!" it shouted, it's voice making a rattling, metallic echo inside the brass, "Where the Hell are you!?"

"Oh crap..." Sheldon hissed to himself.

He had to...

"Mrah!"

FELIX!

The massive machine whirled around and there was a momentary pause. Sheldon knew the monster was planning to hurt the defenseless furball. He couldn't let that happen. But how could he stand against something that outweighed him by nearly a ton, and outclassed his gravity control nanites by nearly thirty ranks?

Hey, hey! Get off! I wanted to see if Darkie would do it.

*Pulls off tinfoil hat*

*Examines tinfoil hat*

Hm...

*Dons tinfoil hat*

It... It's good craftsmanship...

Wrap tinfoil around your head, Darkie. I hear that helps.

I like your character here. Another forum poster once had a quote for his/her sig that said "Crazy people and powerful people have one thing in common. Instead of changing their views to fit the facts, they change the facts to fit their views." Your character exemplifies this trait (especially since we're talking a super powered villain here), and it's downright chilling to read the words he writes to his "true love." He's obviously pathologically deluded (Steve Urkel's "You love me, don't you?" only worse), and frighteningly dangerous. This should turn into an intriguing story.

I always felt the most compelling villain would be one that isn't just simply "insane" or "evil," but makes a compelling decision to go out and do wicked and cruel things because (likely) he believe it's the right thing to do. Almost like an eco-terrorist, only with a wider goal in mind. He would go out and leave fire and destruction in his wake, simply because he believes it will amount to the most good as the end result. Possibly an ends justifies the means, or maybe the type like the Government Agent in Serenity ("I know I'm a monster. I choose to be. I will carve a swath through this world to make way for a better one for you to live in down the line. I don't mind that I'll be executed when I'm done.")

Though such a person would be missing something to facilitate such a decision (likely, emotion), they wouldn't necessarily be insane or evil.

"You knnow what I could go for right now? Some butterscotch ice cream."

Bioserj

Serj Gorvinof

File Image

Serj Gorvinof comes to us from a rural region of Russia that was within the fallout zone of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Still a child at the time, it would later be determined that the radiation had caused significant damage to the learning centers of his brain.

However, Gorvinof was a proud and stubborn child, and refused to accept anything but perfection. Though he rarely attained it, he was able to fight through his learning disability and achieve at least average grades.

Before he went to college, he and his girlfriend attempted to come to the United States. Whether they were trying to make it a permanent move or not is unknown. Lacking the funding or the know-how to access the country through legal means, they had attempted to get smuggled in. Their trip came to a sudden, abrupt end when they reached the Etoile Isles.

The past few months, Serj has been wandering Mercy Island, trying to piece his life back together. He's made the mistake of drinking the Infected water that has been plaguing the homeless there, and as such, his body has been mutated further.

However, where the infection seems to damage the minds of most people, it seems Serj's already irradiated body has resisted the damage, even altered it. Now, he can throw radiation blasts at his foes, shoot lasers from his eyes (but no, no lightning from his butt), and heal his body when damaged. He's still exploring his capabilities, and it appears he's going to wind up like most radiation corrupters.

For a while, Bioserj, as he came to call himself, served the shadow corporation known as the Committee. This was until he learned they were perfomring experiments on his fellow Infected. Much like the ill-fated Biopulse, he championed their cause (even though he knows it's a lost one), and fought against the Committee agent, Justin Steel. He was assisted by Ragin' James, but turned on him in a fit of anger after the Brute let Steel escape (wounded and weaponless, but still alive).

After the short but painful struggle, James and Solo Stryker recruited Bioserj to their cause. The plan is to have Bioserj act as "eyes-and-ears" for the Brutal Warriors Order, and determine who among the Rogues is worthy of redemption and return to civilized life in Paragon City.

Mark Shadow
Shadowmark Assassin Revision/Retcon (I can see why it's done now)

File Image

Project Soultaker (Mk. 2)

File Image

Still the same information as before, Except Mark Daniels is taking to calling himself "Mark Shadow." I swear, writing about this guy is enough to make a Freedom Corps Agent facepalm.

It turns out "Mr. Shadow" is a free agent, after all, and not one of the Committee's standard goons. Apparently, the previous iteration of "Project Soultaker" was grievously damaged by Ragin' James, and had to be replaced. The Committee needed the artifacts Mr. Daniels had to complete the new Project Soultaker, so they simply stole the bracers.

Turns out Daniels was prepared for such an event, and has gathered enough tricks and traps to outfit a small army. He's still stubbornly wielding that assault rifle of his, too.

This Project Soultaker isn't like its flawed brother. It seems to focus entirely on the dark arts, and utilizes them with grim efficiency.

Bioserj stared at the group of young men that were currently hosting him as he recovered from his fight with Ragin' James. The hero who'd given him the serum that repaired his spine was nowhere to be seen, though the one they called Solo Stryker said the man made frequent visits to make sure they were doing alright. Otherwise, his care was being left in the hands of a back brace and a few canisters of the regenerative serum. His own irradiated biology helped a little, too, but nowhere near the rate he needed.

The others seemed to be pairing off. One hero versus one villain. There was a skinny guy streaked in blue-paint lightning, a belt of golden fake skulls holding up a tattered kilt and various knives sheathed throughout it. He was pitted up against a masked man with spikes coming off of it whose outfit was blue on black, and he was wearing a trench coat over it.

They had constructed a small fighting ring next to the landing pad of the dropship that had brought them to the... It looked like an old oil drilling platform... In any case, the ring appeared to be a standard boxing style... maybe a little bigger, maybe a little smaller. It was hard for Bioserj to tell from his vantage point. Four corner posts supported three ropes that circled the ring and provided a boundary for the day's competitors.

"What... What id this?" he finally croaked out.

"Well," the little blue guy, they called him Psycho, answered despite his friends' protests, "We're gonna settle a little problem we've been having with leadership!"

"You're going-k to fight over who gets to lead?" Serj's tone was more than a little doubtful, "This seems very foolish, this plan..."

"Yeah, well, it's fun!" Psycho13 grinned widely and started bounding for the ring, "Come on, Whirlwind, I can't wait to kick your butt!"

The masked hero started laughing and joined his opponent. A third hero stood in the center of the ring, decked out in a black and white striped suit. He hit a few buttons on the back of his left glove and a green energy field enveloped the fighting area.

"This is..." Serj looked to the other guys, one of whom (Ragin' James? Yes, it was!) was operating a camera and recording the event, "Odd..."

----

The two contenders circled each other for a few moments, but otherwise did nothing.

"Psycho13 and Project Whirlwind are circling each other..." Rage muttered, "They don't seem to be doing much..."

"What're you waiting for?" the guy who had talked to him earlier and given him the watered down alcohol shouted, "Ding-ding! Bell's rung, get fighting!"

Psycho13 turned to his friend and made to say something, but Project Whirlwind threw a bolt of lightning at his back.

"Ah! You sonova..."

He whirled around and leapt at his opponent. Though he was heavily armed, he seemed to stick largely to unarmed fighting. Project Whirlwind had a distinct advantage over his assailant. He let Psycho13 get a few hits in, but they only impacted on his shoulders and forearms. Once the skinny scrapper got close enough to start doing some real damage, however, Project Whirlwind was suddenly wrapped in hurricane-force winds, and Psycho13 found himself thrown against the far corner.

"Ooh!" Draven shouted, "Psycho's gonna have some trouble getting through that!"

Project Whirlwind pressed his advantage with a dropkick to his opponent's chest. The group of heroes and rogues watching all gave a resounding cheer as the attack connected. Whirlwind snapped back up, and started to kick into his opponent's chest, Psycho13 crumpled lower and lower down the ropes.

----

"I recognize this," Serj nudged King Slater, "You boys... You're a little sick in the head, da?"

"You're pretty coherent for an infected bum," Dirty Ice retorted.

"I was born in aftermath of Chernobyl, and not far from. My body was already damaged by radiation... Brain... Brain especially."

"Is it bad?" Dustin asked, sympathy clearly evident on his face.

"It was... Learning-k was... Hard. I... struggled through, however. When I realized I was drinking-k the wrong water and it was too late to stop the changes, I was lucky to find my body was already able to take the change."

"That's good," Matt reached over to shake his hand, "Welcome aboard, man. I'm Dirty... Dirty Ice. How's your back?"

"It good," Serj replied, and then turned back to the fight.

----

Psycho13 had the advantage now, his body chemistry reintegrating and adjusting to handle the winds his opponent kept throwing at him. However, Project Whirlwind had the ring clouded in a fog that made it hard to see. Psycho13 was following the sounds of his opponent's steps and the vibrations in the mat.

At one point, he aimed a kick to where he figured Project Whirlwind would be, and his leg landed on the top rope. Whirlwind was hopping off the corner, and he had a kick aimed for Psycho's head. The scrapper fell away before the attack and rolled on his shoulder, slamming his extended leg against the mat and using that to prop himself back up at the end of the roll.

Whirlwind was hovering in the air. Psycho grinned at him, and launched himself into a body tackle, slamming Project Whirlwind into the corner pads.

----

"This is almost entertaining," Serj grumbled.

"It's not fake," Dustin muttered back, "Not like what we based it on."

"Really!? So... They really try to... Hurt each other?"

"Yeah!" Matt chuckled, "Me and Slater are next. It's gonna be fun!"

"So... Anyone can do this?"

"Not you," Dustin replied, "Not right now. One, your back's still busted. Two... Well... You're not exactly with us..."

"If I were... I could fight?"

"Well... We're fighting for something pretty important."

"Da... Who leads..."

"It's more of a deciding vote," Matt explained, "But we'll burn that bridge when we get to it."

----

Project Whirlwind Had Psycho in the air, gripping him by the back of the neck, and bracing him with his palm on the scrapper's lower back. He sent charge after charge into Psycho's body until he finally stopped struggling, and then unceremoniously dropped him to the mat.

He was a little surprised that the others were cheering him on.

"Top rope!" he heard Draven shout, "Go for a high flyer move!"

Michael nodded and leapt into the air, but he didn't go for any of the corners. He kept flying up, and up, and up... When he came back down, it was going to be with the impact of a gravity bomb.

Baker's eyes snapped open and he saw the tiny dot that was his opponent.

"Oh... Not good."

The dot got bigger, and bigger. Whirlwind had one foot aimed down for Psycho's face. Though he could have taken the hit, and regenerated, it would leave him in unnecessary pain, and cost him the match.

Psycho rolled out of the way, and Whirlwind pulled himself out of the hard dive, arcing widely, grazing the mat, losing control and bouncing through the ropes, into the energy shield centered on the Referee. There was an odd squeaking sound as he slid to the ground.

Psycho13 leapt out of the ring after him, colliding his knees with his prone opponent with an enthusiastic "Yeehaw!"

The Referee started counting off as they pummeled each other outside the ring. He got to eight before they bolted back in and Whirlwind surprised his opponent with a kick to the face (causing the crowd to cheer with a resounding "Ooh!"). Psycho13 stumbled a bit, bounced off the rope and into Whirlwind's waiting boot.

The masked hero pinned the scrapper for the three-count, and leapt up cheering.

----

"I still don't see difference," Bioserj muttered as the group congratulated Mike on his victory, "It all looks so... Practiced! They even followed formula of jumping-k back in at last second!"

"Yeah, well, Psych's a sucker for classics..." Dustin replied, "Now... Psych... You okay?"

"I think my nose is broke!" the scrapper shouted, and sure enough, the nose popped itself back in place, "There it goes. Ow."

"Good Lord..." Bioserj muttered as he took Dustin's vacated seat, "You guys will kill each other before the day ends..."

"We can only hope," Daren chuckled, "Slater! Dirty! You're up!"

It is always good to look into the mind of a killer. It is always better to understand those who were or would be monsters. Simply dismissing such individuals as insane or evil is a failing of our species.

If we know the situation surrounding the creation of the villain, we can perhaps learn how to better deal with it, perhaps even recognize and prevent catastrophe.

"Dude!" Cedric pointed at the orange-skinned guy across the cargo bay from him, "I've seen you before! You were one of the Outcasts!"

"Yeah," Ashen Roast replied, "I've seen you more recently, man. When that helicopter attacked the Park... Blizzard, here, and I, we were the guys you pushed out of the way of its crash."

"Oh, really? Cool!"

"Solo!" Randy barked into the comm system, "Aren't we there yet? I thought you said this thing was fast!"

"I did, Randy," Daren's voice came back through the speaker, "We're just carrying more weight than I ever expected to..."

Randy looked about them. There was himself, Zeke, Charlene, Nester, Kip, Cobalt Black, Cedric, Matt, Cory, Joe, Roland, the Ryat androids, 66 and 99, the afore mentioned Ashen Roast and Blizzard Front (who volunteered when they heard about the event from Freedom Corps), and even the Caid brothers, Gregory and Mider, and Martin Sanders (who were assigned by their Freedom Corps superiors). They were even being assisted by the Hero element of the BWO, Draven Erickson, King Slater, Psycho13 and Project Whirlwind. The Referee couldn't help, because he was helping maintain the dropship (like "Scotty" from sci-fi space show). In the center of the cargo bay was what made up most of the weight gain on the dropship, however.

Sitting like a useless lump, the modified Zeus Titan, with its weaponry locked inside its arms, its two "halves" (Every Zeus Titan was formed by merging two Hercules Titans) bolted and welded together, and massive ammunition drums fitted onto its back, it had to weigh nearly as much as a fuel truck. Randy was surprised they'd even got off the ground.

"Sheldon," he rumbled into his communicator, "Are you there?"

"Yes, sir," came the reply.

"Is Sarah in the driver's seat?"

"We're almost ready, yeah... I'm running my last diagnostic and your daughter's itchin' to fight."

"How's it looking?"

"Everything's ship-shape, sir."

"Solo!" Randy got back to the internal comm, "How much longer?"

"ETA two minutes," the pilot replied with a laugh, "These bastards won't know we're coming either. I couldn't have gotten to radar range if I tried! We'll be landing on the furthest beach from their base, though... I want to be sure we're good and ready by the time we deal with anything."

----

The Council fortress was a massive, square block of concrete and steel. The walls surrounding it were reminiscent of the Striga Isle fortifications, complete with the turrets and patrolling guards. The only entrance, however, was a gigantic steel door, rusted brown from salty mist and an inability to keep it clean.

One guard looked out to the horizon and noticed a lone figure. From this distance, it appeared big, so it had to be massive. He gestured to one of his partners and pointed it out.

"What the Hell is that?" the one guard muttered.

"It looks like," his partner produced some binoculars and took a look, "Yeah... A Zeus Titan... Only... That's odd..."

"What?"

"It looks modified."

"How?"

"Bigger arms... It's heading this way, too."

"Why?"

The other put the binoculars away and started walking to summon more guards to the wall. The first to notice the hulking machine kept pestering him.

"I don't get it, why would the Malta Group attack us? How would they know we're here?"

"Look, Bill, I don't know. But what I do know is that we have trouble headed this way, and we better have a credible force to drive it off. Now get out of my way..."

He reached a phone box and called in a security code. Within seconds, the fortress was on Red Alert status and guards moved in to cover the threatened wall.

"I don't get it," Bill murmured as more troops shouldered next to him, "The door's over there... The easiest way in would be over there..."

"Maybe it's just a probe," an Adjutant muttered, "Standby!"

The soldiers took hold of their weapons and sighted in on the slowly approaching mech.

----

"They see me, Sheldon..." Sarah murmured inside the control grid.

A helmet was wrapped around her head, wires and cables trailed from it into the ceiling. She was walking on a peculiar treadmill, her hands resting on a pair of control sticks built into a control deck mounted on the handrails.

Sheldon was observing everything she saw on a monitor in front of her while he checked the running diagnostics on his own control panel.

"Don't worry, Snuffy," he intoned, "Everything's fine. That armor is Kevlar, laminated with titanium... And it's several inches thick for both of them. It's going to take a lot of firepower to actually get through your hull, more than they can get by the time you're done with what you have to do."

"I see rocket launchers!"

"You'll be fine..."

"Okay, I'm in position... Five hundred feet... The wall is a thousand feet to either corner... Are you sure you want me to use this targeting program?"

"Sarah, I love you to bits, and I'm certain you could pick off every one of those bastards on that wall with the guns on that mech... But I really need you to trust me on this and follow the targeting program I have loaded in there... When you're done here, you can have yourself a ball after Ryat99 reloads you."

----

"Aim!" an Archon had taken charge and delayed the guarding soldiers slightly.

"Look!" a trooper shouted and pointed.

The Zeus Titan's arms popped open, revealing twin rotating minigun batteries mounted on each limb.

"Get down!" the Archon shouted, his command echoed by speakers and Adjutants all along the line.

The Council troopers required no further prodding. The Titan started firing, all four guns blazing fire and spitting metal. The loud, whirring buzz seemed to go on forever. A thick cloud of concrete dust rose up, obscuring the soldiers' vision, and the firing continued for another few minutes. The whirring stopped suddenly, and they heard the machine make some motions, but otherwise, everything was still.

"Get me a report," the Archon, Krieger, ordered his nearest Adjutant, "I want to know what just happened..."

The dust was being carried away by a mid-sea wind. Krieger bit off a curse. He'd never heard of a Malta Titan built like that. It seemed so bizarre... So...

"Sir," the Adjutant returned, his tone somewhat cheerful, "No casualties. What few troopers can see the mech saw it's knelt down, and the arms have closed back up."

"I don't like this... Have the men get ready to..."

"There's someone out there!" a soldier shouted.

Cory Simmons stood on the kneeling machine, his eyes blazing bright yellow fire. He smiled as the incantations for this next trick sprang to mind, the same as he had practiced in the days since Sheldon had proposed the radical plan. Mr. Grey had been concerned, but Cortland knew he would get this right. He was, after all, a professional Warlock.

As the Council soldiers armed themselves and tried to regain some order to their chaos, the wizard floated into the air, waving his arms about. It was no mere show of force on his part. Cory's actions had a well-defined purpose. For this next trick, he would require energy, and on this bright spring day, surrounded by salt crystals, there was plenty of energy to spare.

The temperature in the local area lowered significantly. Frost appeared across the Titan's armor plating. Two yellow orbs appeared in Cory's hands. One of the Council soldiers looked down at the wall and gasped.

The attack, by itself, had been foolish. The Titan had just fired several thousand rounds into a six-foot thick concrete wall. Despite the superficial damage, it would have done very little. Even utilizing the peculiar "Jazt" ammunition, as it was now called (what few remaining stockpiles that could be found of the stuff, anyway), the damage was only a half of a percent worse than it could have been. The titan would have done far worse damage if it had concentrated its attack. It might have put a pinhole in the wall, then.

Instead, it had fired all across the wall, leaving little holes across it. Little holes that were close together, sometimes overlapped, and made slightly bigger, but still little holes. However, if one were to look into arcane arts, they'd recognize the little holes for what they were. Cory could read the massive spell they had jsut scrawled across the concrete like a billboard, and it was time to empower it. Good thing the "Jazt" ammunition carried a magic charge. That made this all the easier.

Cortland hurled the orbs at the wall, each one exploding halfway across the distance, and scattering sparks and flame all across the inhumanly precise drilled lettering. He shouted in a language unknown to most, yet understood by all. It was a language that spelled doom for those on the wrong end of it, salvation for those who believed in it, and provided a spectacular light show for those on the side of its speaker.

The motes of flame settled into the runes as the echoes of the Warlock's voice reached them. A moment later, the bullets started to glow. Starting softly, the various pinpoints started to gain in power and intensity, eventually glowing brighter than the sun. The runes they dwelled within and had helped make soon glowed the same, charged with energy of nearly limitless supply pulled directly from the Astral plane.

"This is bad," Archon Krieger whispered as a low hum reverberated through the wall, "We should get out of here..."

Cory watched his handiwork appreciatively. Several thousand tiny stars speckled the concrete, growing brighter and brighter, crackling energy between them. The runes flashed various colors briefly, indicating the powers of the "Jazt" ammunition they originally held, but it all eventually faded to a pure white light.

Lightning arced from the wall. The hum was getting louder now, and the whole reaction was getting faster. The wall visibly shook, dust fell from the "uninfected" side. The soldiers tried to push their way off the wall, but the stairwells and ramps only allowed for limited egress. Some simply hopped over the side. Archon Krieger, however, stood his ground. He should have realized they were dealing with heroes. It was too odd a situation to have allowed for anything else.

The wall shook violently, suddenly. From Cory's view, a great, bright rift had opened in the center of the wall. He smiled. He could hear Ryat99 walk up behind him and the Titan, and start reloading the ammunition drums.

"That's pretty neat," the android intoned, "Think you could show me or Sixty-six how to do that?"

Cory just started laughing as the wall exploded into a shower of a million bright motes of light. It looked like fairy dust out of a cartoon. While that may have been somewhat anti-climactic for the build-up, it was by no means ineffective.

The entire west wall of the fortress was gone. Whatever soldiers couldn't get off it in time suddenly found they were falling five hundred feet to the ground below. Knowing the Council, they all had a derivative of "Super Soldier Serum" in them, so they'd be fine.

"Alright," Randy growled as he reached the attack point, "Let's get this show on the road!"

He led the way. Oddly, he didn't have his "Granite" on, but then, Randy always seemed to hold off on using it as much as possible. The rest of Grey's Army and their allies followed closely behind, minus the wizard, who was recovering his energy, and Ryat99, who wasn’t quite finished with the reload. Cory kept chuckling to himself.

"Damn thing is jammed," Ryat99 gave the ammunition drum a few pounds with his fist and it suddenly fit into place, "Ah, there we go... Okay, Snuffy! You're good to go!"

"Yay!"

The Titan hopped up, causing Simmons to lose his balance and he sprang off the top, floating harmlessly next to Ryat99. Dusting off his hands, he turned to the massive, frosty machine next to him.

"You asked if I could teach you magic?"

"Can you?" Ryat99 asked back.

"I don't know..." Simmons rubbed his jaw as he pondered, "It's an intriguing concept... Teaching an android mystic arts... I don't think it's ever been done before."

"I'm sure it has," Ryat99 started lumbering after the Titan as it walked off, "The world's too strange a place for it to not have happened once by now."

"Indeed..." Cory followed as well, "I guess now's not the time to be considering it... There's Council to stomp!"

"Are you sure, Sarah?"

It was the night before the big raid. Randy had worked out a plan with the Brutal Warriors to coordinate an attack on the Council base, and everybody else had gathered their equipment and settled their affairs. Everything was set. Now was just the exceptionally long night.

Sarah was worried about it. They'd never been involved in something so massive before. They were just a bunch of "country folk," with no real place in the big city. In fact, if it weren't for the Rikti War, none of them would likely be doing something like this.

"You're not normally so worried," Joe reassured his fiancé, "You're usually the spunky one. Roland's the one always doubting these things."

"Joe, this is important."

"We're going to be okay, Sarah... We'll have the emergency transporter systems with us..."

"But something could go wrong!" Sarah hugged herself closer to him, "Joe... I love you... I don't want to lose you."

"Sarah..."

"Joe..."

"I still think we should wait," he murmured as he looked into her adorable, bright blue eyes.

She snuggled against him and sighed.

"If you die on me, Joe," she started.

"I know, I know... You'll kill me"

He tousled her hair.

"Why is your hair white?"

"No..." she replied as she pushed herself back up to glare playfully into his face, "I'll kill you if you keep messing with my hair. If you die on me, I'm gonna go back in time, say I told you so, and kick you in the groin."

"That's not nice."

"It's not as if you're going to use anything there. You'd be dead."

"But Sarah... You know I'm not dead, then."

"How?"

"Because you never came back in time."

She smirked, made a sharp motion that shook the bed slightly and Joseph's eyes got really wide.

"Scared ya, didn't I?" she giggled.

"Aw... I'm gonna tickle torture you..." he joined in the laughter and started playing his fingers along her ribs.

----

"I'm gonna kill him..."

Cedric, Matt, Kipland, Cobalt, Roland, Nester and Sheldon were chilling out in the Grey's Army base. They were spending their (quite possibly last) night playing cards and getting royally hammered.

"Joe..." Cedric grunted, "If he dies tomorrow and breaks Snuffy's heart... I'm gonna kill him."

"We'll all kill him," Sheldon raised a glass in cheers as he looked on; he wasn't one for drinking games.

"So... My Freedom Corps and Portal Corp contacts say... They say I might be going home soon," Cobalt murmured, "Ugh... I haven't figured out how I'm gonna tell Misty..."

"She's the one you're dating, right?" Cedric frowned a little, "Her sister still available?"

"Friend," Cobalt gave Cedric a light punch on the arm, "And no... I asked. You're not her type."

"Damn... Even Evil Kip is getting play... How's your girlfriend, Round? Why isn't she coming with us tomorrow?"

"I never thought to ask," Roland growled back, "Call... And she's not my girlfriend. Why is this so hard to understand?"

"Call," Kip thumbed his cards and tapped them thoughtfully, "Why didn't you ask her, Rounder? That's a sign you really care about her."

Roland rolled his eyes, then pulled his datapad from his belt. After flipping through a few options, he handed it to Kip to look at.

"I've been having a sneaking suspicion the past couple weeks..." he grumbled, "You think she'd be able to help us tomorrow."

Kip stared at the image on the screen for a few seconds, then glanced to his portly friend. Roland's eyes told him what to say, and he simply muttered out a "no" before handing back the datapad.

"What?" Nester shouted, "Why not!? Kip! How can you say something like that from a picture!? Round! You said she's a scrapper! We need all the fighting force we can get!"

"Most people slow down when they get drunk," Roland sighed.

"Let it go, brother," Kip intoned to his brother, "Round's got something he has to deal with and it's not going to be fun."

"Something's up and you won't tell me?" Nester leaned toward Roland, "What the Hell, man? We used to be like brothers! You used to come to me about any problems you were having!"

"I never had problems," Roland arched his eyebrow to Nester, "You were the one getting bullied by Simon Sampson and Chuck Reynolds. Simon stopped messing with me after I put his head through that locker... Chuck? I was his center on the field. He knew not to [censored] with me."

"Didn't stop him from being a [censored]," Kip muttered, "Wonder what he's doing now."

"I know Simon's in Boston," Nester shrugged, "He joined a bodyguard service... I think it's a super-powered bodyguard service."

"Stupidity's a super power now?" Matt barked, "Call... Okay, guys, show me whatchagot."

They showed their hands and Nester wound up winning a pass at the drinks, or would have...

"Woo!"

"What're you cheering for, man?" Cedric's head bobbed around as he grinned mischievously, "This hand, the winner drinks."

"Bull!"

"Drink!"

"Go to Hell!"

"No man," Kip stared seriously at Nester, "He's right. This hand, winner drinks."

"We never called it!"

"Yeah we did," Cobalt chimed in.

"Just now," Cedric added.

"Aw..." Nester moaned, "Just now? Aw, geez... Everything's getting wobbly..."

"Cedric! Kip! Cobalt! Drink!" Roland barked, "See, Nest? Still lookin' out for you."

"Thanks man..." Nester sloppily pointed at his friend, first to the left of Roland, then to the right, then grabbed his hand and pulled it back slowly to the left until it was pointing at his friend.

"Hokay," Matt barked a laugh, "I think it's time for water. Nester, you can't point yourself at something that big..."

Ryat99 showed up with a big pitcher of water. He broke off a few chunks of his ice armor and plunked them into the assorted cups on the table before doling out water rations.

Sheldon nodded as Ryat66 handed him a brightly colored drink with an umbrella in it.

"Sheldon thinks he's better than us," Cedric murmured to the table, "Sipping that fruity foo-foo drink, having his robots serve us ice water..."

"I could carry a couple kegs on my back," Ryat99 offered, "Maybe a modified tap system..."

"I'll get right on that," Sheldon added, "Sounds like a fun idea."

----

"Randy... Come back to bed."

The Grey's Army leader stared out the window into the King's Row night sky. He saw a patch of Clockwork running down the alley below. Another Paladin must be getting built somewhere. He knew none of their gathering sites were nearby, and Pally made a big fuss, but never actually did anything. Eventually a batch of lowbie Heroes would take him down.

"Randy?"

"Am I doing the right thing?" he suddenly asked.

Charlene, his wife, didn't answer. It was the first time she'd ever actually heard her husband ask something so contrary to himself. He never seemed insecure before, never seemed to worry.

"Everybody's here..." he went on, "My family... My friends... Their family... A hero becomes a hero to protect his family and friends... To serve his community..."

"Randy..."

"Did I ever tell you how I got this scar on my face?"

She'd heard the story. It was a tale that sent chills down the spine of everyone who heard it.

"Yes... The chainsaw..."

"That was a lie..." Randy murmured, "The truth... the truth was far worse."

"Randy?"

"I was cutting logs on the wood lot with Bob and Mark... I went to wipe some sweat from my brow, and I stopped. It was like the whole world had stopped and stood still for a moment, just to watch me. At first, I couldn't hear anything. The sudden silence... It was deafening..."

"Randy?" Charlene pulled the blankets closer, it suddenly seemed the shadows were deepening.

"Then I heard it... A rhythmic thumping... Like something walking through the woods. It was headed my way."

He rubbed the area where the scar used to sit prominently on his face. Now, it was worn away with windburns, sunburns, and other ravages of time. The most of it left was a small wrinkle on his chin.

Despite being fifty, he still felt like he was thirty. Time still wasn't kind to him. His face still betrayed his age, not that he was that good looking to begin with.

"By now, I'm sure you've seen the Devouring Earth," Randy got back to the story, "And I'm sure you remember my hate of the Pale Swallow-wort that's been encroaching most of northern New York."

"Yeah..."

"Well... This thing... This thing was the Swallow-wort. It was a giant walking mass of twisted together plant, built just like any Bladegrass or Blackrose, but a bright pale green instead of the deep greens more common to the native species..."

"What are you talking about?"

"It attacked me in the Stilling... It was headed my way, and the world chose for me to fight it. I don't know how, I don't know why... I just know that in that moment, my destiny had been forged."

He turned to Charlene and sat next to her on the bed. She gasped. For as much as he towered over her, he never seemed so small before. His eyes gazed over her face, and he sighed.

"Look... You're worried about tomorrow, that's okay... It's okay..."

"No..." he grumbled, "It's not. I've brought people who were never meant to be involved in this sort of thing with me..."

"No," she took one of his paws in her tiny hands, "Randy, you inspired them. If you did anything, you made them believe in themselves. You brought out the best in them just by being who you are, as bad as that can be sometimes..."

"I guess..."

"It's true," she got up on her knees, hugged his head and started petting his hair, "Cedric's crazy, but still a good boy. Roland's just as grim and methodical as you... And Sarah has the same zest for life you encouraged her to have."

They sat silently like that for a few moments. They could hear Paladin thunder by, and Randy gave a short salute to a Hero who flitted by their window. They lied down as the sound of the monster's footsteps receded and pulled their covers up and over themselves.

"So..." she murmured into his ear, "What happened to the monster?"

"See... The thing about things like the Devouring Earth is that... well, they're weak against anything like fire or blades..."

Randy chuckled.

"...And I had my chainsaw. Fire and blades... I cut off one of its arms before it knew what was happening. But the damn things are strong... So strong..."

"It cut you?"

"You know how I say the saw kicked back into my face? The opposite happened. It caught hold of my wrist, started forcing it back on me, and I was leaning back to avoid getting cut. As soon as the teeth bit into me, though, the tip hit the crook of a tree behind me, and bounced into its torso. I don't know how, or why, but suddenly there was this roaring little motor sticking out of the Swallow-wort's chest, and the monster was thrashing around, falling apart..."

He sighed.

"When reality went back to normal, my face was still bleeding. But that wasn't the end of it. Over time, I got better. I fought wolves and vampires... I fought fey... I fought all sorts of monsters that never should have been. I protected that town... Often without anybody knowing."

"Wow..."

"I thought I was done when Kip took my place. He was the only one who could take on the things attacking the high school, trying to rebuild their strength on the fears of the kids there, and still look like he belonged."

"But then the War happened..."

"And I was in Hell... Char... I don't think I tell you I love you enough."

"That's okay," she sighed as she hugged closer to him, resting her head on his chest, "I understand."

"I went too long without your cooking," he rumbled out a chuckle.

"Uh-huh...."

----

"It's a crazy theory, Cortland," Gertrude Youngs was reviewing the plan, "You said this Sheldon is a scientist? And he conceived this?"

"I know," Cory handed her a glass of wine and eased himself to her side, resting one arm across her shoulders, "Techies don't follow magic. Shel is... practical. He's of a belief that he's been shown plenty of evidence that points to the extraordinary being possible, whether through the divine, the mystical, or the technological, and he just runs with it. The fact that his talents lie in the technological doesn't make the arcane any less plausible."

"An intriguing fellow..." Raven snuggled closer to Cory and sighed, "You have enough of this special ammunition to make it work?"

"Sheldon says he reacquired a whole bunch of the ammunition from the Cube Incident and has been keeping it in quantum stasis since. Tomorrow... Tomorrow is going to be a Hell of a fight."

"I think I'll come by and watch," Raven smiled as she set aside the page and rested her head on Cory's shoulder, "I'm glad we met. You make me happy."

"I'm glad for that," he replied, "Maybe someday, when things are a little more even-keeled, we can settle down... Maybe think about a family of our own."

"You do realize I'm a couple centuries older than you, right?"

"You spent most of that time learning mystic arts in a form of limbo," Simmons shrugged, "That's hardly living."

"Hm..." she tapped her chin thoughtfully, and then gave him a kiss on the lips.

They sat locked like that for a passionate few minutes.

"I think it's time we made up for lost time," she declared as they broke from their embrace.

"I agree," Cory replied with a sly little smile.