Prodiguy

"Found it out yet?" Jenny sighed as Blind read various floating runes.

"No. Silence."

Kevin entered, raising an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Blindo is trying to figure out how all those people are being pulled to the building for Thanksgiving." Jenny muttered, rolling her eyes.

"It is a very odd problem, and I intend to find out the reason!" Blind defended, reading into the floating glyphs even more.

--------------------------

Jason caused a pie to float from the table directly to him, affecting the gravity around it to be weightless. It floated in from of him and he tapped it, causing it to begin floating away. He pulled his hand back, and the pie flew to his hand as he smiled.

Experiment simply grumbled, glancing around quickly. He walked into the next room, starting up an Xbox 360.

If anyone had been nearby, they may have heard Experiment muttering something about the way this ship moved through space as similar to that one game about Halos.

Of course, you didn't need to be nearby to hear "Starslip engage!" during the movement, but afterward, he was pretty quiet, fiddling around with his 'watch.' Apparently, his old self had different settings, and he was being bugged by how different his own settings were.

"...No, no... The armour is supposed to be set for the FOURTH button down, not the eighth... Ugh, no, the Party-Popper-Cannon is for the twelth button on the left... Gah, how did he manage to get the Sparky-Baton on the fifth button?"

Experiment bowed, smiling. "I am Experiment 2.0, super hero and technological extraordinare! For future referance, I am pure awesomeness in a can. Thank you." he chuckled, stretching his arms. "So, now that I finally got THAT out of the way... NEXT!"

It seemed he was impatient, having not been able to do anything so far.

An armoured figure in red and white paneled armor landed, dusting himself off. He was hidden by a cloak of darkness, apparently a perfected cloaking device. He eyed the body of a Longbow from his hiding spot, growling.

Peeking around the corner, he was in time to see a Longbow Eagle assaulted rapidly by...

"What the hell IS that?!" Longbow Tac. Ops. Experiment 2.0 thought, readying himself to begin his retreat, only to shake his head. If he could get this thing away from the boat, it may keep the other soldiers safe.

A long line of spines were thrown at the creature as the figure uncloaked. His blonde hair and blue eyes were covered by goggles and a full mask. He threw a small cluster of poison-tipped spines behind the line of spines from earlier, and began jetting backward.

"Hey, ugly, why don't you come attack? You can't be THAT stupid, attacking a group of newbs like that!"

Experiment peeked back into the house, only to see the frightened family still in the corner and a whole bunch of people at the table he had set earlier. Jason walked in front of him, shoving past him quickly. "So, what's for dinner?"

"It is Thanksgiving, Jas. At least say what you're thankful for." John muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Well, I am thankful for the fact I have super powers, and that your little 'can't-affect-me' device is gone." Jason answered, smirking evily. Experiment simply sighed as he walked to the wall, leaning on it while Jason sat down. "So, we digging in now, or.. What?"

[ QUOTE ]
((Oh, and by the way -

Watch your turkey.

Yes, I know it's Christmas fanart. <_< Lay off. Verithe is amazing.))

[/ QUOTE ]

((I saw that before... Didn't look like a dead link last time I saw it, though...))

Experiment walks into the blank area, glancing around the random area. A disheveled young man walked in also, raising an eyebrow up at the hero.

"...Experiment, the story is over. You can go home now."

"Correction, young author!" Experiment said, smiling. "That frog? He wasn't just being cute."

"...What are you talking about? I write the story. I say what everything is. The frog was a cute attempt at sarcasm. Get over it. You know, I wonder sometimes if you re--"

The author was suddenly pulled into the air, and slammed to the ground hard by forces of gravity, Experiment jumped from the scene toward his brother.

"...*Gurgle...*"

((...Ow... Okay, nevermind... I guess the story ISN'T over...))



((Didn't expect that, did you?))

*CLICK*

The door on the roof of the PCT swung open, John Ballard stepping out onto it, the moonlight illuminating the area. He walked forward, climbing onto a risen part of the roof, right over the bustling city. He walked to the edge, his armour nowhere near him.

He looked down, seeing the cars and people move like ants across the cityscape.

Music

John looked up at the sky, sighing in distress. He rose his arms, his form in a cross. He took one more step, the air meeting him as he fell from the one-hundred-story building. The air rushed by him, his hair flying in the air.

Jason smirked, pushing him harder with gravity as he appeared once again, causing him to rush faster to the ground.

Experiment closed his eyes as the ground came up faster... And his boots activated, pulling him up. He stopped seconds before hitting the ground. His suit's stealth deactivated and he spoke into his comm. unit. "Now, Kevin!"

Liquid Burst blasted Jason from the roof, sending him downward spiraling. He couldn't stop energy.

He fell, smashing into the side of the building continuously. He reached to the air one last time... And his hand was gripped by a red armoured one. His body was tugged into the air, and he was slammed into the roof as a large Tele-Patch was placed on his chest.

"'Gratz, bro. You pissed me off enough to get the Super-Villain porter. Seeya!"

*PSSH!*

He was gone. Experiment smiled, Kevin walked from the doorway he had hidden in to strike at Jason.

"Your plan worked, John. Nice job."

"...Yeah... I just wish he had been slightly more obediant, and this had been a little less anti-climactic."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we fought like, what, four times? He severely beat me each time, and now I outsmart him and beat him in ten seconds? It just feels so... Cheap."

"I have something to make you feel better."

2.0 turned, his eyebrow raised. Kevin held out a gift package, and John stole it instantly, leaping from the roof and jetting back in the direction of home. Kevin sighed and followed Experiment quickly.

--------------------------

"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!" Jason screamed, smashing his fists into the walls in amazing anger, kicking his table over and flipping his chairs, "HOW THE HELL DID THAT [censored] BEAT ME?!?!"

"Calm down, Ballard. You don't want us to get the shocky-stick." the guard muttered, reading his paper. The headline read "Experiment 2.0- Suicidal?"

--------------------------

All the Ballards and Kevin sat at a table, opening gifts. Apparently, John had NOT been forgotten. He opened an Xbox 360, and promised himself to play that later, a bag full of Clockwork junk from Kevin, saying it was the only thing he could get on such short notice, a box full of candy from his father, a bag full of vegetables from his mother...

...And a red and purple box from an anonymous sender.

Experiment eyed the box wearily. It was probably a bomb, or some sort of deadly device.

"Oh open it, boy!" his mother scolded, "He is your brother, and you will respect his gift."

"No." was John's only reply, picking up the box and taking it outside. He jetted into the air, attaching an anti-grav pad to it. He blasted away, and fired a spine into the bow to open it.

The present ripped apart, leaving...

--------------------------

Experiment smiled as he stepped back into the room, his hands behind his back. "No matter how much I hate him, my brother is cool."

"Why is that?" Kevin asked, destroying countless trains and cars in King's Row ((Saint's Row, Paragon City style!). However, a hero dropped down in the game and blasted him with fire, turning his guy into a pile of ash. 'You're Arrested!' flashed across the screen.

Experiment brought his hands out in front of him... And a toy frog lay in his hands with a yellow post it note on it reading 'puppy.'

((Fin. Yes, it was meant to be anti-climactic. Notice how there are a ton of jokes in it? Fear. You can all say how it sucks now while I get back to my original story... At some point...))

((Remember the Halloween thread? Think of this as the same kind of thing, but instead of trick-or-treating, we say what we give thanks for in a setting of our choice. For example...))

Experiment set the loooong table, seeming to seat over fifty people. Every chair was empty. All the cutlery, plates, bowls, and foot was all set up. He sat at the head, glancing around at the lack of people.

"...I am not anti-social, I just don't know many people." he muttered, thinking. "I guess I will go first... I give thanks for fire extinguishers."

"...What?" Blind muttered, stepping from the shadows.

"His stuff blows up all the time." Jenny sighed off in the corner, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, it isn't my fault, alright!? I just SOMETIMES have some problems. SOMETIMES! SOME!"

"Right. John, you have never made anything that didn't explode at least once." Kevin tuned in.

"Blah to you guys!" Experiment shouted, picking up the turkey on the table. "That's it! I am taking my poultry and going home!"

With that, he left the random family's building, who were all cowering in the corner due to the odd people who had simply walked into their home and set their table. The hooded one threatened to eat their souls if they told anyone... Saying, since it was Thanksgiving and all, he was kind of hungry.

Experiment smiled as a pulse of electricity flowed through the generators and capacitors in the room, the whole building pulsing physically.

And since the secret base was under the PCT, that was a pretty big deal.

The hero dashed across the room to the Output Hopper, picking up the PDA. It now had a new function. Experiment smiled again as he snapped it on, just as a PPD call in from the Police Scanner inside it.

"We got an MM here! We need a hero out in Steel as fast as possible! The PCT and surrounding area is under attack!"

"Experiment 2.0 here, I am already at the scene so I will take this guy down. Get a van to the Paragon City Times, I will bring him there."

"You got it, hero." *Click* "Jewel of Hara, could we get a n00b saving that now ple--"

Experiment jumped from the roof, jets activating readily as he began flying downward at an amazing pace. He pulled up just into time to skim the ground, promising himself not to close his eyes at high speeds again.

However, he was broken from his thoughts by the PPD van he asked for... Flying toward him?

Battle Music ((Other than the chorus, the deep version of singing at the beginning would be Jason's part. You will know when it comes to John's.))

John flung himself over the truck, coming to a halt on the ground. A man in red and purple tights stood there, grinning. "So, you survived, huh bro? Too bad, even more damage, I guess."

He flung his hand out toward Experiment, only to have the hero slam himself forward, slashing madly at the tight-covered gravity-controller. Jason fell to the ground, groaning. He could feel the warmth of poison spreading through his veins. A neurotoxin.

Gravitor, Jason's new name, flung a huge group of random street signs at John, only for a large building piece to rip loose also. Jason looked up just in time to see it coming down, throwing back hands up. It seemed he didn't have enough strength to stop it entirely. "...John... Help me..."

Experiment glared at his brother.

"I put my trust in you... Just as far as I can go. For all this? There is only one thing for you to know..."

Experiment turned, shaking his head in disappointment.

"I tried so hard, and got so far. But in the end? It doesn't even matter. I had to fall, and almost lost it all, Jason. In the end..." He turned back, the huge piece of building lowering even more. "It doesn't even matter."

He turned away entirely, walking slowly. A resounding crunch signified the building had fallen.


What do you think?

Experiment glanced up, seeing the sky cloud over, droplets of rain coming down. He continued walking away before freezing.

"...It doesn't rain in Paragon City. The War Walls affect the weather..."

*SHHUUU...*

Experiment turned slightly, only for the giant piece of building to smash directly into him, sending him flying back and into the PCT building's wall. He groaned as he slid to the ground.

"Hehehe... You really thought you could take me down that easily John? Right. Let's see how weak you really are now without your protection."

John was confused for a moment before a device flew in front of his face.

His PDA.

It was smashed by a brick, and Experiment was thrown through the nearest PCT window. He collided with a few desks, and then was smashed out of the building through a wall again. A resounding smash signified his landing in the road. He began trying to stand, only for gravity to push down hard and keep him still.

He looked up, Jason smirked evily, levitating above the ground, smiling. However, a memory crossed 2.0's mind.

Experiment was lifted into the air, spinning around uselessly due to the gravity. "You know, I will never trust another thing you say. You knew your lies would divide us, but you lied anyway... Now your lies have you floating above us all..."

Experiment was flung into the air, and Jason leaned in. "But what goes up must fall."

"Same to you!"

Experiment initiated his jets, breaking the gravity control over him, slashed madly at his brother once again, infecting him with neurotoxin. Gravitor froze in mid-air, a bright flash teleporting him away. Apparently, Arachnos had saved him. This time.

"Too bad, E..." Jason chuckled toward John, who lay on the ground, bleeding and broken as he had at the beginning of the story, "You almost had it in you to beat me."

He brought down his hand, the tower following... But Experiment swept out his feet and rolled, sending Jason back and the tower smashing into the side of the Armoury building, causing an echo throught the courtyard.

A spine swiped, barely missing Jason as he stood and pushed 2.0 back with forceful gravity, sending him crashing into the ground, unable to stand. Jas jumped onto the Arachnos flyer that he brought lower, and the pilot sighed as he flew away AGAIN, this time with an extra passenger.

The gravity-distorting field left, dropping everything back to Earth's gravity. Jenny instantly stood and dashed toward Experiment, shaking him. "John! John! Wake up, J! Come on, it's your birthday!"

"H... Happy birthday to me, eh?" John chuckled, blood coughing up from his throat. Jenny smiled nervously as she clung to him tightly, waiting for medical assistance to arrive in the form of Longbow.

---------------------------

2.0 paced around his secret lab worriedly, thinking of many different theories of breaking the rules of gravity and such. Kevin walked in, rubbing his eyes. "What's up, E?" he muttered, seeming to have just woken up.

John looked at him for a second before raising two fingers. "Two things. Number one, do you sleep here, and number two, I am trying to figure out how to defy gravity."

Kevin rolled his (sleepy) eyes, raising two fingers also. "Number one, yes, number two, why? You already have jets, just use them."

"Ugh, I would but..." Experiment froze, smacking his head in annoyance. "Why DON'T I use them? The jets will allow me to control my speed and movement against gravity... Ugh, unless he uses stronger pull or push than my boots can handle..."

Kevin blinked a few times before shaking his head. "Look, just quiet down, will you? Or at least don't pace by the video-game room too loudly."

With that, Kevin was off again, leaving Experiment to pace around randomly.

"You know, I have been thinking," Jenny spoke after a while of watching random movies. Now, they were on Spider-Man 2. "Maybe the reason you don't have any presents or anyone here is because you are anti-social."

"I am not!" John defended, tearing his attention away from Spiderman using himself and his webs to slow the out of control train for the eighteenth time on this T.V., "I know tons of people!"

"How many?"

"Well... Uh... Quite a few!"

"Right. So, let's say you know ten people other than family. How many of those ten hate your guts?"

"...Maybe around seven?"

"Exactly. You are just generally not very nice to people you are not related to."

"Hey, I am REALLY not nice to Jason! Hell, I pretend he doesn't exist!"

"So I noticed. I haven't even seen his face, John. We should go to the Zig some time and check up on him."

---------------------------

The spotlights in the Ziggursky Prison compound went out in a flash. Alarms began blaring seconds before a huge explosion rocked the walls of the Zig. Jason awoke with an almighty start, dashing to his cell door which clattered to the ground easily. The dampeners he wore glowed for another second and died as their transmitters were interrupted. He smiled evilly.

He saw the guard from last night, pulling him back. The guard turned in mid-air, frightened for his life. Jason muttered his question. "Where is Experiment 2.0?"

---------------------------

A beep began pulsing from John's watch. He sighed in exasperation. So far, he had been called four times for hero duty, the PPD apparently forgetting he had a vacation today. However, when he answered, he was surprised to hear Ms. Liberty herself.

"Tac. Ops. Experiment, we need you at the Zig. Now. Arachnos has began a breakout operation to free a select few villains. We have blasts and weaponry going everywhere, it is carnage!"

"I am sorry ma'am, but I am off duty today, it's--"

"All types of energy, and it feels like even Earth's gravity is messed up here! We need help, 2.0!"

"I said I am sorry, but-... Did you say 'gravity?'"

"...Yes... Why?"

The birthday... Middle-aged man cut off the transmission, hitting a switch on his watch. It transformed into PDA and covered him in paneled red armour. Jenny rolled her eyes. "Zig?"

"Yeah. I think, however, that they freed Jason."

"Ooh! Can I come! I wanna see my eeeevil brother!"

"...No, you don't." was all Experiment replied as he dashed to his window. He threw it open and jumped, jets activating as he flew. Jenny growled as she pulled on her Shadow-Bird costume.

"We'll see about that..."

---------------------------

Experiment landed, two Longbow Wardens running to his sides. A huge group of thugs began running toward them. Experiment grinned. "Okay, you take those Skulls and Hellions with your wind powers, keep them back. They are nuisances we don't need. You, use fire to keep those other thugs in a perimeter. Split them up if possible and take them down. I will take down those 'Chosen Ones.'"

"Yessir!" the Wardens replied, dashing off to their different duties. A classified Brute began running up to the armoured hero. Spines erupted from Experiment's body as he spun forward, slashing wildly at the electric-covered Brute, while watching for incoming projectile attacks. A hidden melee attacker struck, sending Experiment to the ground.

A flip and whirlwind attack later, both Chosen One's were down.

Battle Music

Experiment was sent colliding into a sparking, useless fence by a strong force of gravity. He flipped to a land, spinning in place.

"You are not the one I am looking for," Jason sighed, throwing another blast of solidified energy at Experiment, "But you will sate my need to kill."

2.0 rolled to the right, growling. "Jason, get back to your cell. You will never escape this place."

The man a year younger than John was confused for a moment at Experiment's voice because of its similarity to his brother's, before he realized why. He grinned. "Oh this is classic... My brother became a dignified hero... Powers and all, I see! Well done, bro! Hehehe..."

"Shut up. I am not going to kid around with you, villain. Get back in your cell."

"John!" Shadow-Bird yelled as she landed behind her brother, looking at the man with tattered clothing facing him. Jason's hair, different from John's, had grey. He seemed wrinkled also, if only slightly. He didn't age as well as 2.0 had.

"...John... Is this Jason?" Jenny asked, hugging 2.0's arm tightly in defense. It seemed she was scared of this man.

"Yes, Jen... This is your 'brother.'"

"Oh come on, John! Don't talk about me as if we are not related."

"...We aren't. You are no brother of mine." Experiment muttered, firing a spine at Jason. It stopped in mid-air, crushing to dust due to gravity from all directions forcing on it. Jason smiled as he unclenched his fist.

"I learned a few new tricks while I was here 'Experiment...' want me to show you?"

---------------------------

John fell from the tower he had been thrown at, landing on his feet again. However, he suddenly clutched his right side in pain. "Aagh!... Not now..."

"JOHN!" Jenny screamed, only to be silenced by her lungs being squeazed by a painful sense of gravity.

"Quiet, you. Your brothers and resolving their differences." Jason chuckled, sending John flying sideways into one of his dead, yet floating, Wardens. It seemed like a gravitational field was surrounding Jason, causing everything to be weightless. Experiment was then sent into the ground, bleeding and broken. He was thrown into a wall, and the top of a tower ripped itself from the base.

Jason stood over his brother, smirking.

~~Twenty years later...~~

"So, how old is your brother now?"

"Forty. The big Four-Oh."

"Ah. When my father turned forty, I think he overreacted..." a hero muttered, staring off into space as he remembered a family incident. Jenny rolled her eyes as she smiled.

"Right. Seeya, Kev. I'll see you on saturday, alright? Make sure you bring roses, or your car won't move for a week."

"I swear you over use that Tar Patch thing, Jen." Kevin muttered as he shook his head, walking back into the Paragon City Times building. Jenny walked down the street, gift-wrapped box in hand.

---------------------------

"Oh goody!" John yelled as Jenny walked in with a gift, "Presents! Oh, no, wait, everybody else forgot my birthday, that's right. Oh well. PRESENT!" He leapt on top of his sister, stealing the package away and dashing madly to his couch. Jenny simply chuckled.

"You are so childish, J."

"Bah, you just don't know how to live, Jen. Now sit down here and help me open this. You shut it with dark magic. Tricky devil you."

"How else was I supposed to make sure you didn't open it early?"

The two opened the present, John picking up the hand-knitted hat and placing it on his head, right over his eyes. On the hat was a cherry with panels in it, almost exactly like his armour.

"I like it. I shall call him 'Fred' and he shall be my favourite of all beanie-things!" John yelled, finger in the air in a champion-like pose. Jenny simply continued giggling at her brother's antics. It was hard to imagine he was fourty, what with the amount of life he seemed to have. No grey hairs, no wrinkles, he was acrobatic... Hell, he could pass as a twenty year old if he tried hard enough!

John looked in Jenny's general area, seeing as how the hat was over his eyes and all, and smiled mischeviously. "Wanna go to the Zig and throw sticks at the prisoners?"

"Oh don't be a jerk, John." scolded the eighteen year old.

"Aw, but it is so fun! They yell at you, then when they see you wearing a cape and stuff, they just go into muttering off."

"No." Jenny finalized, crossing her arms.

"You're worse than mother."

---------------------------

"Have you been eating your vegetables?" said mother spoke into the intercom to the seemingly empty cell.

"Yes, mother. At least, I THINK they're vegetables. Can never tell with Zig-food." a raspy voice came from the dark depths within.

"Well, how is your roommate, Pete? I heard his mother died."

"Twenty years ago, mother. You're slow on the uptake."

"Ah. Well, your brother is fourty today! Do you have anything to tell him that I can pass on?"

The cell was silent for a moment before a murmur was heard. "I doubt I could say anything I want to say to him in your presence, mother."

"Oh come now, I am sure you can't say anything TOO bad to your own brother on his birthday! Let's hear it."

"...Okay then..."

---------------------------

John's phone rang as he stretched to the red circle on his Twister board. "Get it, Jenny!" he said, just about touching it.

"I can't, my hands are both on blues."

"Well, I can't! My left is on yellow and my right just got red!"

"Well, we will have to just pause."

"No way, I am not letting you off that easy! You are about ready to fall!"

"...Fine, we will let go at the same time so nobody loses."

"Alright."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Okay, on three. One... Two... Three!"

Both siblings did not move.

"You were supposed to drop, liar!" John yelled.

"You didn't either!" Jenny replied, sighing.

---------------------------

The nurse put down the phone. The son wasn't answering. She returned to Emma's bedside, who was muttering quietly. "...So many obscenities... Didn't know someone could say so many... Never from my son's mouth... How was it physically possible?"

The nurse shook her head, sighing in exasperation. The woman had been traumatized.

---------------------------

Jenny and John were shaking as the brother finally reached the green circle with his right foot. They were spun together so intricately, they kept doubting they could free themselves from one another.

Finally, Jenny spoke. "This is a very uncomfortable position."

"You're telling me. You have been standing on my right hand for two minutes."

"It was the closest yellow circle! It isn't my fault you got that colour and didn't lose it since the beginning of the game!"

"It is when I can't feel the hand anymore, and it has gone... What colour is it now?"

"Royal blue. Looks kinda cool." Jenny replied, glancing over.

"Great." John sighed, sliding his hand slightly to move it. Jenny shook more.

"DON'T YOU DARE! If you move that hand, I will kick you in the face so hard..."

"Whoops! Slip!" John chuckled as he slid his hand out from under her foot, one finger touching the circle still. Jenny wobbled slightly before all her limbs slid, causing her to fall into splits. John laughed in triumph. "I WIN! MUAHAHAHA!"

"Yeah yeah... Ow... Help me up, jerk."

---------------------------

Jason simply grinned sadistically inside his cell, chuckling. He had mentioned everything he thought about John, and his mother had fallen, almost having a heart attack in shock.

The patrol guard knocked on his cell. "You are an evil sonuvabitch, you know that?" he called in as he passed. Jason was up at the door in a second.

"She asked me what I thought of my brother, and I told her. Can't blame me for that."

"Oh, didja hear about Experiment's latest promotion? He is a member of Longbow Tac. Ops."

"Experiment? He calls himself The Experiment now?"

"Nah, Experiment 2.0."

"Heh... Such a dorky name. Doesn't suit him at all."

"Actually, it does. See, he has these powers where-"

"Bill, get back up here. You're late." a voice said over the officer's radio, and he descended the stairs.

Jason's absence was only missed by his parents. John always had to say "He is going to come back. He is too much of a whiner to stay out in the world alone." His father agreed.

His mother, however, was worried. "Listen, I am going to use my powers. If you need me, use 'the word.'"

"I still don't get why the 'word' is a sentance. Least of all why it is 'You got some 'splainin' to do.'" John muttered as his mother ascended the stairs. Anthony simply chuckled.

"Well, while she was developing her powers, your mother was watching a certain show. See, in the show, this guy--."

A crash from upstairs signalled the two men to dash upstairs, John arriving first to Emma holding her head in pain, a vision seeming to flash in front of her eyes. "No... Jason... Put your brother down... Put your brother down... Don't... Put that boulder down, Jason..."

John's first thought was 'Thanks a lot, mother,' but he thought better of saying it. Calling him a boulder may insult him, but still.

However, he remembered something. Tripping over the chair. He could have SWORN that chair had moved, and he also could have sworn he felt the air shift in the direction it fell. He had assumed it had been some kind of Brick or super strength hero pulled a boulder from the ground and it smashing the floor causing an earthquake, but that didn't explain why everything went one way.

However, now was not the time. The son picked up his mother, rushing her down stairs. His father had gone back and filled a glass of water.

---------------------------

"[censored]." Jason muttered, rubbing his head slightly. He had felt a sort of twinge in his mind, and assumed it was another psychic hero trying out their new powers. However, he had trained himself to keep those damn mind-readers out. His mother had taught him all about the ways normal people can avoid being controlled or having their minds read.

He had followed her teachings, and had no idea it had been her he had hurt.

He walked into a bar, pulling up a stool. The 'tender looked at him. "Can I see some I.D.?"

"I am not drinking."

"Well, then I am gonna have to ask you to leave. We are cleaning out the kitchen today and we can't have loiterers."

"Oh my-... Can't you just leave me alone? Seriously, why does everyone HATE ME?!"

At the last words, he threw his hands up in distress. The stools to the left and right of him smashed to the roof. The patrons and the bartender looked up. It seemed like the stools weren't even floating, just... Stuck, almost as if they were standing on their seats.

Even though they were on the roof.

Jason lowered his hands slowly, and the stools lowered from the roof. When he stopped moving, the stools did too, but they floated slightly as they went back to the roof. They bounced off, clanking into each other. He dropped his hands, and the stools fell heavily to the ground as usual. His smile couldn't have been wider without ripping his face in two.

"I have powers! I have telekenesis!"

"No, you control gravity." a hero said sitting at the bar.

"Same difference." Jas muttered, rolling his eyes. To show his point, he flung his hand toward the hero, sending him hurtling backward. However, he flipped, landing on his feet.

"Great idea, buddy. Attack a super hero right after learning you have powers."

"I- I'm sorry! I didn't mean to push that hard! I just meant to give a nudge!"

"Well, you failed." the hero scowled as he dashed forward, throwing a punch at the kid. Jason put his hand up in defense, the fist stopping in mid-air. The hero tried to punch with his other hand, but could not move.

Jason grinned. He imagined a force pushing the hero back, and it did so, sending him through a bar window.

"...Hehe... Wow.... I am cool..."

*Ker-chik*

The bartender aimed a double-barrel shotgun at Jason timidly. "Get outta my bar, villain!"

Jason took a leap back, putting his hand out in an apologizing gesture. The barman took that as a risk and hit the trigger.

However, nothing happened. Everything inside the shotgun had stay the same. Jason quirked an eyebrow as he raised his hand. It took a second, but two shotgun shells ripped from the top of the gun, unfired. The bartender took one look and ran.

Now Jason could prove John he had better powers... Mind over matter? Try mind over everything in the street...

---------------------------

"Fine, I'll find him! Jeeze, what is with you today? PMSing?" John muttered as his mother continued yelling at him to find his little brother.

He walked down the same old street he usually did, only to find a stop sign rolling off to the si--

"Wait, what? A stop sign is a hexagon... How the hell is it rolling?"

But, not matter what laws it defied, the stop sign clanked on each side... Up... hill?

"...Okay, something is terribly wrong here."

"I agree, John." a voice came, following the stop sign as Jason stepped around the corner, grinning.

"Ah, there you are. Listen, could you come back? I don't get any dinner before I bring you home." John muttered, waving for his brother to follow as he turned. However, the second he was all the way around, a strong pull seemed to turn his world upside down.

Battle Music

He was pulled to a wall on his right, and it seemed gravity had changed entirely. He could not move, and his arm had snapped. It felt like falling from his bike. He turned his head toward Jason, whose hand was outstretched.

"Ah, you got powers, huh? That's nice. Lemme go now."

"No... I don't think I will."

John then felt the gravity reverse, falling from that wall right into the bar, now deserted. He flipped over the bar itself and into a bunch of bottles, thanking his lucky stars none of them cut him. Now, however, he was pissed. He dropped from the wall to behind the bar, standing as he pulled his jacket off. He ripped away his shirt and changed quickly, wearing a home-made hero suit.

He leaped over the bar and ran outside, only to feel normal gravity intensify. He fell facefirst to the ground.

"Clumsy clumsy oaf." Jason chuckled, raising his hand. Prodiguy floated into the air, helpless. "If only you had not mocked me... This would not have happened... Now look at you, helpless as a child, John! Now, apologize."

"Uh... No, I do not think I will. You are being a jerk." John muttered, chuckling. He knew how to get at his brother. Unfortunately, that was not the best thing. Jason's eyes narrowed dangerously. ((You will know when it gets to this part in the song.))

"Shut up!" he shouted, smashing John into the same wall from before, breaking it. "Shut up!" He flung him to the roof, crashing through that. "Shut up!" To the floor. "Shut UP when I'm talking to you!"

Prodi floated down slightly, blood pouring from his nose. "Pfft... Dork... That all you--"

Into the bar. "SHUT UP!" Into the roof and the sky. "SHUT UP!" Into the floor again. "SHUT UP!" Now, using both hands, Jason brought his brother into the air, and slammed him down with each word to punctuate it. "Shut. UP!!!"

A shadow covered fist slammed into Jas' gut, sending him flying to the ground. He coughed, sitting up as Prodiguy stood. "Right. No more jokes. You're goin' down, bro."

He charged, a now shadow-covered foot colliding with his brother's face, sending him smashing into a movie theater, causing people to scatter. Two chairs ripped themselves from the ground and flung at Prodi. He flipped through the gap they left and threw a punch into Jason's side.

Jason recovered to send a blast of force into John. It sent him into the screen, where currently, Statesman and a shadowy, spider-like figure were doing battle. The movie was called 'The Web of Arachnos." Neither brother had really followed it.

Once John got back in melee range, Jason was done for. And he knew that. He sent the camera from behind the glass spiralling toward his brother as he jumped the rows and began running. The camera collided, taking the air out of John as he smashed into the screen again.

---------------------------

Jason was outside in seconds, glancing around. There was nowhere nearby to escape to... Except the sky. He grinned. If he could control gravity, he could make himself weightless, right?

He tried. He began floating slightly, and he began laughing. This happiness, however, was ended as a hand grabbed his foot and slammed him into the floor. Hard.

He lost his concentration, normal gravity applying once again as cuffs smacked onto his hands and a foot collided with his face. When he awoke, he was in a lovely little dingy cell with a Hellion. He looked oddly familiar.

"*Sigh*... Finally, you're awake... My mom died yesterday..." He began crying, holding out his arms. "Can I get a hug?"

Jason was fed up. Not only was his brother a Protector of Paragon now, according to his new, shiny badge, he also was loved by citizens AND villains! How was that even POSSIBLE?!

"Well, just be nice when you arrest them, and not only are they off the streets, they are pretty nice. Plus, get 'em a nice cell, they will simmer down from rioting. In fact, I gave Frostfire, a leader of the Outcasts, a cell with one of those new PS2's? He gave an old lady a kitten yesterday. Granted, he was overthrown pretty quick, but still..."

"Shut up, John!" the hero's brother yelled, his arms going up in exclamation, "How can you joke about this?! I have no powers, no nothing, and you joke about it AND gloat! Some brother you are!"

"Hey, I took care of you when mum and dad died!"

"They are in the next room, watching Home Improvement!"

"...Oh yeah, huh... Well, I did get you that puppy."

"No, John, you got me a stuffed frog and told me it was a puppy. Next time I saw a frog, I hugged it calling him 'puppy' and he exploded."

"Yeah, you WERE a pretty gullible kid..."

---------------------------

"Hey John, what's a 'swirly?'"

"...Why do you want to know?" a seven year old John Ballard asked his six year old brother.

"Some guys at school said I would have fun, but they wouldn't do it unless I knew what it was."

"...Oh... Then, it is a free ride on a carousel."

"Really?"

"Really really."

"Thanks John! You're the best!"

---------------------------

"It took THREE WEEKS to clean the smell out, jerk!" Jason yelled as he stood, going for the door. There was a full backpack sitting by it. John suddenly became serious.

"Stop right there, Jason. I am not letting you walk out that door."

"Right, what're you gonna do? Tell me how much I suck?"

"No." He began walking toward the door quickly. Jason worried, opening his hand to grab his bag while he turned. After looking back, bag in hand, John was face down, a chair connected to his foot. Apparently, he had tripped. That did not, however, explain why half of the stuff on the kitchen table had spread over to the same side.

Jason didn't have time to think about it. He dashed out, leaving the door wide open as he ran. John looked up, ready to begin running after him, but couldn't see him. He didn't know which way he had turned.

"'Kay babe, gimme the purse." a Hellion ordered of a young woman, who didn't seem to care much about being mugged. The Hellion wasn't even grabbing her, and she hadn't run.

"Again? You already tried to take my last five, and each time a hero stopped you within three seconds of getting your grubby little hands on it, Pete. Do we really want to go through this again?"

"Look, it hurts enough that you know my name by now, as well as the heroes that keep pummeling me. Just help my ego and give me the purse, okay?"

"*Sigh*... Fine, I pity you." The woman gave the thug her purse, and he began running. Not three seconds later, a glove-covered fist collided with his face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Pete? Didn't I arrest you just a few minutes ago?" Prodiguy asked the thug, who was now standing with a sad sigh.

"Yes, yes you did. Look, just cuff me, okay? I don't feel like getting beaten up. Besides, my mom's birthday is in an hour, and I gotta give her her gift."

"Laying on the Evidence table, second room to the right of your designated cell?"

"Yeppers."

"Okay, I will get it and tell the guys to let you off easy. Twelve seconds should do. Let's get moving."

"Thanks, Prodi."

---------------------------

"I told you, dear." Emma muttered as she put a bandage on Jason's hand. He had clenched it so hard, his nails cut into his palm.

"Mother, I am okay. Just let me get-- Oww!!" He had pushed himself up with his hand, causing a surge of pain to shoot up his arm. He fell back, whimpering. "My boo-boo hurt!"

"Now now, let mummy kiss it better..."

---------------------------

"Hey, thanks for this, Guy." Pete said to the hero who brought a gift-wrapped and bowed package from a gift store. "I couldn't afford anything to wrap it in."

"Not a problem. So, how old is your mother?"

"Fourty. The big Four-Oh."

"Ah... When my dad hit that, I think he overreacted..."

---------------------------

"I CAN'T LIVE ON! I AM TOO OLD!"

"Dad, don't do it. You did this last year, and the year before." a younger John said to his father, who stood on the edge of the roof of their home.

"Nope, son, you can't talk me down."

"...Fine, jump."

"I will!"

With that, Anthony Ballard jumped from the building.

And broke his hip on the soft grass. "Aah! Hey, John! Be a good son and call your mother, would you?"

Their home WAS, after all, a single story building.

---------------------------

"Yeah, mom still acts like a kid. She tried to get me to join the Outcasts because 'they have cooler names.'"

"Ah, mothers these days... Well, happy trails!"

---------------------------

Jason was now halfway toward City Hall when a Hellion with a box began running up.

"He is probably holding a bomb! If I stop him, I just KNOW the Hero Registrar will let me be a hero!"

However, before he could do anything, the Hellion bumped into him, sending him headfirst into a wall.

"Oh man! Sorry! You okay?"

"...Yeah... Slight headache..."

"Look, sorry I can't hang around, but I gotta get to my mom's... Prodiguy is just down the street, ask him for some help! He is awesome!"

With that, the Hellion ran to a nearby apartment building, opening the door and entering, the china plate set inside the box perfectly intact and ready for his mother's birthday. She would be SO happy..!

"Too bad, E..." A blonde, blue eyed man said to someone who looked related, laying on the ground, face bleeding and body broken. "You almost had it in you to beat me."

A resounding smash echoed through the Ziggursky Prison's courtyard.

---------------------------

Maybe you would like to know what led up to your favourite armour-wearing tech-geek being apparently smashed by a look-alike? No? Okay.


...Kidding!

Whadya mean you didn't want to know?! Tough! Deal!

Now... Let us see where it started... Ah, here it is.

---------------------------

Emma Ballard was rushed by her husband, Anthony, into the ordinary hospital on the ordinary streets of ordinary London, England. However, the parents, and the following child, were not normal at all. Now,--

---------------------------

Okay, going from John's birth PROBABLY will take too long...

---------------------------

The two boys, John and Jason, were racing through London's back streets, seeing who could reach home first. They had split up around half an hour ago on seperate paths, sure that their own path was the fastest. John was using articulate math and physics to choose his, while Jason was basing it on 'a feeling.'

Obviously, John won. About six seconds later, Jason was huffing and puffing behind. John, meanwhile, was standing tall and proud. His brother had a look of amazing confusion, to which John replied "I walked."

"How did you WALK?! We were both half a mile away!"

"...Well, technically, the bus was passing in the street on my path. I told you I would win."

"You cheated... John..." Jason huffed, walking into the back door. John simply shook his head.

"So sad... Too bad he was not gifted like I was..."

Emma, Anthony, John, and Jason all lived in the same home, obviously. They all seemed to have powers... Except for Jason. John assumed his mind power was super, but in actuality, his father had simply read him stories about complex mathmatical theorems and technological manuals at night to get him to sleep because they didn't have any story books.

Jason, however, appeared to have nothing. He had mundane knowledge, normal strength, average speed... He was a completely normal kid, all the way to the age of seventeen, when his parents informed the family that they were moving to America, Rhode Island, Paragon City.

---------------------------

John was walking out the door when Jason stopped him. "John! Look... I know you are going to City Hall to apply for a Heroing License... Could you... Put in a good word for me?"

John chuckled in response. "Jason, even if it DID take a 'good word' for you to be accepted, they still wouldn't give you a license. They wouldn't let a civie hurt themselves."

"I may not have powers, but I can fight! You know that!"

"Jas, last time you kicked me, we were mending your broken foot for a week. Jump in a vat of radioactive liquid, then apply. I am sure they will be happy to accept you." With another laugh, John was out the door, locking it behind him.

Jason was pissed. His brother knew he wanted to be a hero, and he mocked him like that?! Great brotherly love...

"I'll show him..." he thought, his fists clenching, "I'll show him I can be a hero... Just you wait, John..."

"Don't clench your fists like that, hon," his mother said as she passed, "You'll hurt your hands."

Jason sighed.

"I probably wouldn't, just to bug you." Experiment said, smiling. "I mean, if you are going to throw balls at people, I would love to see how many it takes to knock Hal out."

It seemed Experiment was pretty much back to his normal, unaltered self, apart from the clothing. Even so, he was now making odd noises of disgust at how his other version had dressed.

I think Experiment would have had to agree exactly with what Solid said... If he weren't still trying to write both st... I mean, a story.
>.>
<.<

Well, in-game, if any sickos tried to RP a Commando as female, and began... doing things...

...I would probably burst out laughing, the image in my head keeping the correct gender and form of the commando compared to the person...

...Reminds me of a certain VGCats character, if any of you read it...

"Depends... What does BPP stand for? I am not too 'up-to-date,' I suppose you could say. And besides, I wasn't raising my voice. I was simply voicing a normal... thing."

He chuckled slightly. "Of course, if your powers are not apparent, I would love to see how you deal with Experiment. He just LOVES to gloat about how he can beat people based on their powers."

The figure bowed, the hood lowering over his 'eyes' even more. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Blind Messenger, necromancer and unofficial 'nemesis' of quite a few candy canes. And I don't mean the Longbow kind."

"Ugh, rifles. Why do you people and heroes always get so into using guns? I see no reason when most of us can just blast things into oblivion." a cold voice muttered as he seemed to materialize from the shadows. He seemed to think highly of himself, whoever he was. He wore a cowl and ritualistic armour, as well as shoulder pads that matched. A mask and chains covered most of his face, but if anyone looked closely, they would see a grey skull. On his belt, a skull-shaped connector lay while ingredient bottles clinked on the sides.

"Don't you even HAVE powers? I find that if us 'villains' don't have powers, we suck. Ever heard of Recluse? He has powers. Ever heard of Razzamatam? No? He was killed first day. No powers."

Hills aren't nice to me. Constantly throwing me down.

Nice to meet you, Emry. As long as doomsday does not suddenly come quicker with you on the forums, everything is alright.

As Experiment floated with the others above the giant 'hole in the ground,' as he thought of it, he chuckled nervously. "We... Aren't actually gonna just DROP down there are we?"

Of course, it didn't really FEEL like falling to him, but the general idea was kind of the same... Until the transition.

--------------------

John could have sworn he was going blind, red flashing right across his vision. It soon, however, turned into an image of what appeared to be a super hero in red armour and a flowing cape, blonde hair and upturned goggles whistling in the wind.

The figure seemed to catch something in his sight, and flew down at an amazing pace with high advanced jet boots, much more advanced than John's own. He landed, smashing his fist into the face of a street thug with a skull-shaped mask, and a type of sharpened, poison-tipped bone stabbing directly into another.

"Y.. You just killed that man!" He yelled, clapping his hands over his mouth instantly. The figure turned, eyebrow raised. The hole left by the spine was... well, it had closed. The thugs were still breathing. Apparently, the poison put them to sleep.

"Heh, not quite, ol' buddy." The hero replied as a group of news reporters ran up, cheering.

"Experiment 2.0! How did it feel to take down the lowly thugs after so long fighting super powered villains and laying low?" one asked.

"Well, I will tell you, I feel alive again!"

"...Experiment 2.0?" John inquired, his look of shock rather obvious. Experiment simply smiled.
"Yeah. See, you were a hero. Are a hero. Is a... No, will be a... No... Something else a hero. Whatever." Experiment scratched his head, laughing nervously. He seemed to be finding things hard to explain, even if he wasn't really... Uh, real. "In some other version of your universe, you are me, Experiment 2.0. Technological extraordinare, hero of Paragon City, and self-proclaimed 'pun artist.' You are loved by many, hated by more, and you annoy half the earth. You have quite a few buddies-- You know what? Lemme show you."

With a wave of his hand, the hero and the man were sent through a fog of memory, appearing in some sort of base, missing the walls and roof. The only things that could be seen were faces, and even those seemed mist-covered, except for two. There was a slight green hue, and a few other shapes, but the easily discernable were Experiment 2.0 in some sort of old hero uniform, and... a pink android? However, her eyes were red. She was shoving some sort of blade of energy toward his throat.

"I just KNOW this scene isn't right. Hell, it could just be a fake memory..." Experiment muttered, shaking his head. "Something is very off. But, this is one of your worst 'dreams.' That android? She is one of your best friends. That green hue? Kid who is in love with said android."
"Mhm. And that is why the android is shoving her blade at your th--."

He couldn't finish as the blade slashed right through sending blood everywhere.

"...Ew?"

Fog covered his vision again, this time reappearing as the two Experiments stood side by side in doorway. Above it was a plaque with the name "Essex" above. Down the hall were about five more doors, each with a different name.

"This is Ess' Memory door." Experiment explained to his ignorant self, walking through. John followed.

A quick mental image of the girl appeared, but this time she was in a cute dress, smiling in an embarressed way it seemed. "These doors lead to the nicest memory of each friend you have. To the right..."

The two turned around, a picture of Essex again flashed inside John's mind. This time, she was sending healing nanites toward Experiment while she wore some sort of pink armour suited to her form. "This side of a room will show you the most recognizable form, at least from my experiences."

They were out of the room in seemingly no time. Along the hall were the doors leading to 'Hallucinogen,' 'Kevin,' 'Jenny,' 'Mother,' and 'Father.' Seemingly, only his closest friends were here, and seeing as how he didn't have many close friends... Heck, even Hal and Ess weren't close, but he was more friends with them than anything...

However, the doors to Kevin, Jenny, and his mother and father were locked and bolted, boards nailed over them. Experiment gasped.

"What's wrong?" John asked quickly as he turned. Experiment shook his head in disbelief before chuckling sadly.
"Uh... Heh... I haven't... Been here in a while... Doors only do that in my mind when..." He closed his eyes, anger building up inside him. "...The person dies."
"You didn't know they died? Sucks for yo--"

John was instantly on a newly fabricated mind-wall, choking as Experiment's armoured hand held him there. "Say another word, and I swear, your throat will be all over this room!"

It took a second, but Experiment quickly shook his head, dropping his other self. He sighed. "Sorry. I guess I am just upset... I didn't know they were..."

John smiled. "Don't worry about it. I know how it feels to lose someone and not know."
"...That made no sense."
"Just realized that."

--------------------

It seemed as if John hadn't changed if people didn't look closely after the transition. His hair, eyes, and clothing were still pretty much the same, as they would be... But a single sentance would quickly reveal the change. Or, the fact that he flipped with a 'Wheee!' before he landed would too.

Eh, I have been in a heroic mood for the past few months. Hence, why I keep finding songs for heroes and not my villains.