The Pain of Team Legacy: A CoH Fanfiction

Enter the bitter human leader who claims there's no need for heroes. I assume bits of the Team Legacy storyline characters will somehow be tied in with these new ones, yes?

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I have been SWAMPED with schoolwork (hence the long delay in updating), so I apologize to those following this fanfic. Hopefully my professors will show some pity so I can update fic more Anyway, here's the second part to the Chapter I started last Chapter; it's long, so prepare for a long read! Enjoy

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June hummed to herself as she walked down the street, dragging a wagon full of food and bullets behind her.
Wow, I can’t believe I was able to get all this stuff for free! June thought to herself, counting the wad of money in her hand. She stopped as she heard her communicator sound. Reaching into her back pants’ pocket, she withdrew the communicator and spoke into it.
“This is June! Who is this?” June spoke into the communicator.
“June! This is Mercy! Where are you?” Mercy’s voice crackled through the communicator.
“I’m just coming back from picking up all the supplies you wanted me to get!” June replied happily.
“Already?” Mercy asked, slightly confused. “How did you do that so fast?”
“Well, when I went into this store this nice gentleman got me all the stuff I needed! He must have been the manager or something, because everyone else was on the floor of the store, and the moment I walked in he asked me who I was!” June giggled slightly. “But it was kind of strange; when I told him I was a member of the Saviors of Humanity-”
“June!!!” Mercy yelled through the communicator. “I told you never to tell anyone you’re a member of the Saviors of Humanity unless THEY are a member of the Saviors of Humanity!”
“Oops!” June gasped, blushing slightly. “Well, anyway, it was a good thing I did, because once I told him who I was he got me everything I asked for, and didn’t even charge me for it! Can you believe that?” June laughed. “Then he ran out with this brown paper bag in his hands, and since my shopping was done I left the store also! Pretty neat, huh?”
“June...” Mercy said, her voice low; June figured it must be a problem with the communicator.
“Well, anyway, I’m on my way back! Why do you ask?” June asked.
“No reason, June.” Mercy said, her tone still quiet. June made a mental note to ask her cousin to fix her communicator. “Just hurry back, alright?”
“Sure thing, Mercy!” June said happily, and the communication ended.
June began to walk forward again when she heard what sounded like a dog barking. Turning around, she was a bit surprised to see a cocker spaniel sitting behind her, panting and wagging his tail happily. As June looked at the dog, the dog barked once more.
“Oh! How cuuuuute!” June giggled as she walked over to the dog. As she approached the dog, however, the cocker spaniel barked again and leapt away, leaping over a fence that led into a city park.
“Oh! Wait doggy!” June laughed as she chased after the dog. She followed the dog into the dense, forested area of the park, where she searched around for a bit until she finally found the dog. It was sitting on a tree stump in the middle of a small, deserted clearing in the forest, apparently waiting for her.
“Hey there, doggy!” June smiled as she walked over to the cocker spaniel and petted him on the head. “Just what are you doing all alone in this city? Don’t you have an owner?” June looked at the dog’s collar and noticed the contraption on it. “What’s this? Some kind of I.D.?” June asked, a bit puzzled as she observed the device on the dog’s collar.
As soon as June grabbed the gadget, it easily snapped off the collar and fell into June’s hands. A bit surprised by it’s light weight, June examined the device, her eyes settling on the single white button in the middle of it.
I wonder what this does... June asked herself, pushing the button. Instantly, the device seemed to take a life of it’s own as it turned around in June’s hands and then flew straight into the middle of her chest, planting itself firmly. June cried out a bit in surprise as she saw a circle of light form around her on the ground, another circle of light forming in the air just above her head. The circle on the ground rose as the circle in the air lowered, enveloping her entire body and causing June to close her eyes. And when June opened them...
“Ah! I’m naked!” June cried, covering her body as best she could as the circles of light once more swept over her body. June noticed that this time, however, the circles of light appeared to be dressing her rather than undressing her. She looked down as the circle of light by her feet rose over her legs, leaving behind a white stiletto boot on her right leg and a black stiletto boot on her left leg. Continuing up her body, it covered her... hips... with a short, black skirt. As the light continued up her body, it covered her upper body with a white, short-sleeved blouse, as well as providing her with a long, white, spandex glove on her left hand and a long, black, spandex glove on her right hand. The final article of clothing was the small, white mask that formed over June’s eyes. The dressing complete, the circles of light diminished in size and rested on her forehead, forming a symbol on June’s forehead that wasn’t visible to the normal human eye.
June fell to her knees and looked herself over, speechless. What... what is this? June asked herself. I look like a... like a...
“A Hero?” A voice asked in June’s head.
“Ah!” June cried out, looking around for the source of the voice. “Who’s there? Who said that?” She asked, looking around. The cocker spaniel, which had been sitting patiently, walked over to June and placed his head in her lap.
“It was I, the ‘dog’.” The voice in June’s head said. “I’m communicating with you telepathically. I apologize, but as you can see I’m not really a ‘dog’, but rather a member of the Protectorate sent here to... stop that!”
June laughed to herself as she continued to scratch the cocker spaniel behind his ears. “Are you SURE you’re not a dog? You sure look like it!”
“I’m not a... oh, that’s the spot... that feels good... NO! Stop that this instant!” The cocker spaniel yelled into June’s head as he took his head away from June’s reach. “I have been sent here on a mission of the utmost importance, and... pay attention!”
“Wow, these clothes are just ADORABLE!” June commented, looking at her gloves and boots. “I’ll have to check out the mall and see if they have clothes like-”
“LISTEN TO ME!!!” The dog yelled into June’s head, causing her to clasp her hands over her ears.
“All right! You’re an... alien, right?” June asked.
“A member of the Protectorate.” The dog replied. “I don’t exactly have a name you could pronounce, so I’d prefer-”
“Benny!” June said, smiling a bit.
“Excuse me?” The dog asked telepathically.
“Benny! It’s perfect!” June laughed, embracing the dog in her arms. “I always wanted a dog named Benny, and now I have one!”
“I’m not a...” The dog began, then sighed. “Fine. Call me Benny.”
“Say, Benny?” June asked, her tone curious. “If you’re really an alien, how come you don’t speak normally? You know, instead of telepathically?”
“My internal organs are an exact replica of the species of the cocker spaniels that exist on this planet.” Benny explained. “Therefore, even if I wanted to, my vocal cords would prohibit me from speaking your language.”
“An exact replica?” June asked, confused.
“Yes, I took the form of a cocker spaniel when I first arrived here.” Benny answered.
“Wow, so you can change shape?” June asked. “How do you do that?”
“My species has created an implant that allows the members of the Protectorate to reform our bodies on a cellular structure. The implant is placed on the base of what would be the equivalent of your-” Benny eyed the blank expression on June’s face. “It’s magic, OK?”
“Oh, this is so great!” June said, hugging Benny once more. “I have a dog AND I’m a Hero!” June was then hit with realization as she let go of Benny and gasped. “Oh no! I’m a Hero! Oh, my cousin is going to KILL ME when she finds out! She hates Heroes!”
“Actually, you can deactivate the Positive/Negative Energy Manipulation Uniform any time you want.” Benny explained calmly. “Just press the button on the Activation Device on your chest whenever you’re ready to change back.”
“Huh?” June asked, looking down at the device that was still planted in her chest. “You mean this thing?” She asked the dog, pointing to the gadget.
“Yes, that.” Benny said, his telepathic voice sounding somewhat exasperated. “Now, as I was saying, I was sent to this planet by the Protectorate via the Warp Gate to give you that Activation Device. Our prophets have told us that you may be the only-” Benny was interrupted by the alarm for June’s communicator went off; it had fallen onto the grass on the floor of the forest when June had... changed outfits.
“Oh, I completely forgot!” June cried, picking the communicator off of the ground. “I’m supposed to be going back to the base!” She spoke into the communicator hesitantly. “This is June. Who is this?”
“June, why aren’t you back here yet?” Mercy’s voice sounded through the communicator. “What are you doing out there?”
“Sorry about that!” June apologized. “I... uh... ran into some trouble... and... uh... got some new clothes... anyway, I’m coming back now!”
“Right...” Mercy said, a bit confused at her cousin’s behavior. “Anyway, I might not be here when you get back, so please wait in the Lounge of the base if I’m not, OK?”
“Sure thing!” June said quickly, and Mercy ended the communication. June turned to Benny. “Sorry, I have to go! But I’d like to hear that story some other time!” June began to run out of the park, but was only to take three steps before she realized that she was hovering in the air.
“Um... Benny?” She turned to look back at the dog, who was still sitting on the grass and panting. “What’s going on?”
“Well, the Positive/Negative Energy Manipulation Uniform allows you to, among other things, exert anti-gravity particles around your body and-” Benny stopped himself once more, sighing telepathically. “You can fly.”
“REALLY?!” June asked, excited. She looked up into the blue sky above her, and soon found herself rocketing into the air, laughing as she swooped around in the sky (in clear view of anyone citizen of Spider City that happened to look up).
Over 60 cycles on the Protectorate... Benny thought to himself as he watched June fly around in the air. And this is what I’m reduced to: babysitting the “only hope against the Astral and Dimensional Threat”? Benny whined and lay down on the grass. I swear, the prophets MUST be crazy...

Mercy sighed as she lowered her arm. She was waiting in the garage of the base of the Saviors of Humanity, leaning against one of the many vehicles in the huge parking area. Bruiser waited impatiently as he loaded his machine guns, and Starr prepared the two helicopters in the garage for take-off. A wind seemed to sweep across the base as one of the helicopters roared to life, and Starr quickly rushed out of the helicopter to start the other one. Mercy heard the doors to the main area of the base open and turned to find the 40 soldiers in the Army of Humanity she requested filing into the garage. After all of them entered the garage, they stood at attention in four rows of 10 soldiers, waiting for Mercy’s orders. Mercy calmly walked over to the soldiers and paced from one end of the front row to the other, watching as closely as a drill instructor for even the slightest sign of ease. After she was satisfied, and Starr finally started the second helicopter, Mercy finally began.
“Since you’ve all been briefed on the situation,” Mercy began, her voice loud and commanding. “I’ll make this short. You will be accompanying Officer Starr and myself on to the targets. Once we arrive, you will all be on stand-by as Officer Starr, Officer Sly, and myself determine how to proceed. Do NOT engage the targets until I give the order; is that understood?”
“Yes ma’am!” The 40 soldier’s voices rang out in unison. Mercy smiled inwardly as her communicator suddenly rang.
“This is Mercy.” Mercy said, keeping an eye on the soldiers as she rose her metallic arm to her face.
“I’ve got the subjects in my sight, Commander.” Sly’s voice responded. “Maintaining a 30 meter perimeter and awaiting back-up.”
“Understood.” Mercy responded. “I’ll establish a lock on your communicator; continue holding.”
“Righty-o.” Sly replied, and the communication ended.
Mercy turned to Bruiser and nodded. Bruiser returned her nod, and then walked over to one of the helicopters in the garage, sliding it’s door open loudly.
“OK, time to move out!” Mercy shouted at her troops. “First two rows-”
“Get in the chopper!” Bruiser completed Mercy’s sentence, and the soldiers obeyed with a yell and instantly filed into the helicopter with impressive speed as Bruiser waved his arm to hurry the soldiers along.
“Next two rows with me!” Mercy commanded as she boarded the helicopter Starr was in. As the remaining soldiers boarded the helicopter, Mercy inputted some data into the helicopter’s on-board computer, and a way-point on the helicopter’s radar began to blink.
“Sly, come in.” Mercy said as she raised her arm and turned on her communicator.
“Right here, love.” Sly responded.
“Sly, I’ve got a fix on your location.” Mercy talked into her communicator. “We’ll be at your location in about 10 minutes; continue holding until then.”
“Whatever you say, Commander.” Sly responded, and the communication ended.
Mercy opened up another channel on her communicator. “We’re ready.” Mercy told the base operator.
“Understood, Commander.” A male voice responded, and a loud hum from machinery was heard above the garage as the sky exit of the base was opened, revealing a long tunnel upwards to the surface.
“Here we go!” Starr yelled, and the helicopter lifted into the air and through the exit, followed in tow by Bruiser’s helicopter as they headed for Sly’s location.

Sly watched as the four Villains walked slowly down the street, their eyes constantly surveying everything around them. Sly noted that they seemed on edge as he did his best to blend into the other pedestrians that stopped and stared at the four of them as they walked down the street. For quite some time, Sly was successful in being undetected. However, the Villains soon noticed that he had been following them for much longer than anyone else had, and acted on this.
Suddenly, and without warning, one of the Villains turned around and charged Sly, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him into the wall of a convenience store. This caused the few pedestrians that had been maintaining a calm composure around the Villains until now finally come to their senses. Several screams and a mass exodus later, Sly found himself alone with the four Villains as they examined him, the one Villain’s hand still gripping Sly’s neck as he held him against the brick wall.
“Why were you following us?” The Villain grabbing Sly’s neck demanded, his three friends right at his side as they leaned their bald heads forward, studying Sly’s expression. Sly did his best to look frightened as he raised his hands defensively.
“I... I didn’t mean anything by it!” Sly said, trying to sound as frightened as he could; he even forced his voice to quiver a bit. “I... I heard that some of Recluse’s officers had shown up in town, and I just thought I... I would check them out... that’s all!”
“For twelve blocks?” The Villain holding Sly asked, pulling Sly closer to him so his face was inches from Sly’s.
“This guy’s asking for trouble...” One of the other Villains said, cracking his knuckles.
“He needs to be taught a lesson!” Another Villain said, raising his left hand in front of Sly’s face so Sly could see a spike protrude from the Villain’s palm.
At that moment, however, the Villains were interrupted from Sly as the sound of helicopters began to fill the air, the quiet hum of the choppers becoming a loud roar as the Villains raised their eyes to the sky for any signs of the birds. As the Villain’s had their eyes locked onto the sky, Sly used the opportunity to knock away the arms that held him in place. Turning back to Sly, the Villain who had been holding Sly quickly shot a spike from hand at the human, but Sly quickly jumped out of the way, jumping onto a balcony protruding from another shop on the street. The Villain’s friends joined in on firing their spikes at Sly, and Sly ducked inside the store that the balcony was attached to in order to avoid their attacks. The door to the first helicopter opened immediately as it touched down, and the door opened to reveal Bruiser, who immediately sprayed some machine gun fire at the Villains, who jumped out of the way as the soldiers in the helicopter rushed out, aiming their weapons at the Villains but holding their fire until Mercy’s order. The other helicopter touched down as Mercy and Starr, as well as the remaining soldiers, jumped out of the second helicopter, and the four Villains soon found themselves surrounded by the Army of Humanity.
Mercy extended her metallic arm towards the Villains and concentrated. In an instant, her metallic hand regressed into her arm and was soon replaced by the end of the barrel of her Arm Cannon, which she pointed directly at one of the four Villains. Bruiser had his guns trained on a second Villain, and Starr had his pistols drawn on a third. The fourth had tried to escape, but had been intercepted by Sly as he exited the building, Sly’s laser gun aimed at the Villain’s head.
“You are now in the custody of the Saviors of Humanity.” Mercy declared, keeping her Arm Cannon pointed at the one Villain as she quickly glanced at the other three, then returned her gaze to the one she was aiming at. The Villains stood speechless for a moment. Then they burst out laughing.
“What’s this?” One of the Villains laughed as Mercy looked on, speechless.
“A girl... in command of an army?” One of the other Villains hollered, and his laughter redoubled.
“Shouldn’t you...” Another Villain gasped, holding his sides. “Shouldn’t you be... wearing pink, or something?” He and his friends laughed an uproar over that comment.
Mercy clenched her left, normal fist in anger as she gritted her teeth. “AS COMMANDER OF THE SAVIORS OF HUMANITY, I DEMAND YOU TELL US WHO YOU ARE!!!” Mercy yelled at the top of her lungs.
Stifling his laughter as best he could, the Villain in front of Mercy grinned as he signaled to his friends, who raised their arms in defense as they joined him. Sly, Bruiser, and Starr made sure to keep their guns trained on the Villains as they lined up in a row.
“We are the Four Spine Brethren!” The one that Mercy had been aiming at proclaimed loudly, and the four Villains struck dramatic poses as they introduced themselves.
“I am Mash!” The Villain on the far right declared, extending his arms outwards and flexing his muscles.
“I’m Gash!” The Villain on the left shouted, getting down on one knee and extending his arms to the left side of his body.
“Bash!” The Villain next to the leader of the group yelled, raising arms in the air extending two fingers upwards.
“And I am Slash!” The leader of the group chuckled, crossing his arms across his chest dramatically. “And if you humans think you’re a match for us, well...” He laughed haughtily as he closed his eyes. “Just try us!”
Mercy, Bruiser, Sly, and Starr looked on for a moment, utterly speechless. Finally, Mercy came to her senses. “Open fire!” She declared.
The Four Spine Brothers quickly jumped out of the gunfire, wisely choosing to run rather than fight an entire army. Mash jumped into a warehouse; Gash hid himself in a construction site; Bash ran into the convenience store Sly had been in; and Slash jumped on top of a building, where he remained for the time being.
“I want all military personnel to establish a perimeter around this area! Make sure they don’t escape!” Mercy yelled to the soldiers, who quickly complied.
“Sly, I want you to capture the one that went into the warehouse.” Mercy said, turning to Sly. “And please, try not to kill your target this time, OK?”
“I’ll do my best, Commander.” Sly said with a small grin, and ran into the warehouse.
“Starr, you should try and capture the one that went into the construction area.” Mercy told Starr.
“Can do.” Starr said, raising his pistols in preparation as he headed for the construction site.
“Bruiser, you should handle the one that went into the convenience store.” Mercy said.
Bruiser looked at Mercy with concern, as he always did when she asked him to leave her side, but nodded in compliance as he reloaded his machine guns and headed for the store.
Mercy herself headed into the building that Slice had landed on top of.

The warehouse that Sly entered was dark due to poor lighting; a quick glance around showed that the warehouse manufactured war materials for Recluse’s European Campaign. Several un-manned assembly lines stood dormant in the middle of the warehouse, and the sunlight shining through the tinted windows that lined the walls of the warehouse provided the only light in the building. Sly reached into his tuxedo and pulled out a pair of infra-read sunglasses, which enabled him to see in the infrared spectrum of light, so the darkness would not hinder his search for his opponent.
As soon as Sly put on his sunglasses, he heard a clatter in the rafters of the warehouse. Looking up, Sly saw the wave of spikes and was able to jump away just before he was skewered. Seeing the infra-red image of Mash as clear as day with his glasses, Sly looked around the warehouse, looking for something to incapacitate Mash without killing him.
Mash jumped down from the rafters of the warehouse and hid himself behind an assembly line, trying his best to go undetected. He spotted the human at the end of one of the assembly lines, wearing sunglasses and watching the ceiling closely.
That fool still thinks I’m on the rafters! Mash thought to himself. What an idiot! This will be easier than I thought!
Smiling to himself, Mash pressed his body against the assembly line as he slid silently along it, creeping up on Sly. When Mash was finally in melee range, he pounced on Sly.
“Die, human!” Mash yelled as he swiped at Sly. In an instant, Sly turned around and threw a small device in Mash’s face as he charged, which erupted in a blinding flash of light. Screaming as he was temporarily blinded, Sly quickly pressed the button he had found earlier on the assembly line, which caused the machine to begin operating. A huge metal claw instantly descended from the ceiling of the warehouse and grabbed Mash, holding him in place as the claw slowly ascended back towards the ceiling. Sly pushed the off button on the assembly line so the claw wouldn’t release Mash and smiled up at him as he took off his glasses and placed them back in his tuxedo, quite pleased with himself.
“You think this can hold me?!” Mash yelled defiantly, and with a large exertion of energy spikes emerged from Mash’s entire body, skewering the claw as the spikes cut the wires, sending sparks flying everywhere as the claw fell to the ground, freeing Mash.
Surprised, Sly reached into his tuxedo and pulled out his laser gun and a small device as Mash charged Sly, leading with his spikes. Sly hastily jumped out of the way, but one of the spikes was able to hit him, embedding in his arm. Sly winced through the pain and returned fire at Mash, who jumped behind one of the assembly lines for cover.
I wonder if he'll fall for this... Sly thought to himself, pulling out the spike in his arm. He gritted his teeth in pain and quietly crawled over to the wall of the warehouse, using a cutting laser in his watch to open a hole small enough to crawl through.
After some time had passed, Mash decided it was safe to rush the human once more. Jumping out from his hiding position, Mash jumped around so he would be a hard target to hit as he made his way to the assembly line he had seen Sly duck behind. Jumping over the assembly line to face Sly, Mash was surprised to see that Sly was gone, and the spike that had been embedded in his arm was jammed into the assembly line so it would stick out.
“What the...?” Mash asked as he grabbed his spike and looked it over. He found that there was a small device planted on the spike, some type of digital clock.
“5...4...3...” Mash read the digital readout of the clock as it ticked. Realization finally hit him, if a bit late. “Oh, sh-”
Sly watched the warehouse erupt into flames from a safe distance. One of the soldiers of the Army of Humanity, who had been close enough to see Sly emerge from the warehouse, was assisting Sly back to the helicopters when the warehouse exploded.
“What was that?!” The soldier asked in shock.
“Wait here.” Sly told the soldier, and he ran back towards the warehouse. Pressing a button on his watch, a fire-resistant gel coating covered his tuxedo as Sly rushed into the burning warehouse. Appearing a few moments later dragging the body of Mash, Sly quickly put the fumes out on the body and checked the Villain’s pulse.
“He has third-degree burns and is unconscious...” Sly finally said after some time. “But he’s still alive... barely.” Sly sighed with relief. “I guess I won’t be hearing it from the boss this time!”
Starr walked into the abandoned construction area, gazing around at his surroundings. The support beams for the building were already in place, rising well off the ground and encompassing the entire perimeter of the area. Some of the gray wall paneling at the bottom level of the building was also completed, as well. The wind blew some dust from the unpaved ground into Starr’s eyes. Brushing his eyes, Starr kept his pistols up, his eyes darting around the construction area for any signs of Gash.
A clatter above him, and Starr looked up to see three spikes aimed straight for his head. Jumping away, Starr looked wildly around the support beams above him until he finally found the Villain, just as Gash fired another volley of spikes at Starr. Jumping out of the way once more, Starr ducked behind some wall paneling, thinking of a way to deal with his opponent.
Gash looked down and readied another volley of spikes on his arms as he watched for any signs of movement below him. Sensing none, Gash hesitantly jumped down onto the dirt floor of the construction area, making sure not to drop his guard. He then noticed the human’s ridiculous white hat protruding out from behind one of the gray wall panels.
The fool thinks he’s hidden... Gash thought as ran quickly and quietly up to the wall panels. Charging forward when he was withing melee distance, Gash slammed his hand through the wall panel where the white hat was protruding from and released a volley of spikes from his palm behind the wall, causing the entire wall section to crumble to the ground and a cloud of dust to rise as the panels crashed into the dirt ground. Gash laughed as the stood back to observe his work, but stopped as the dust cleared.
“What the...?!” Gash cried out as Starr’s hat, now filled with holes, floated harmlessly to the ground.
“Hey!” Gash heard a voice above him yell. He looked up to see the human hanging by his legs on the support beams above him, his pistols withdrawn and aimed directly at Gash’s head. “That was my favorite hat, you [censored]!” Starr yelled, and fired round after round of at Gash’s body with incredibly accuracy, causing the Villain to fall to the ground in a cloud of dust.
Starr put away his pistols as the dust cleared, revealing a very hurt (but not dead) Gash. Wow, I can’t believe he fell for that... Starr thought to himself as he left the construction area. I mean, that’s gotta be the oldest cowboy trick in the book! Starr sighed. But now I have to drag this guy back to the helicopter... Starr grabbed Gash by the leg and dragged him out of the construction area.
Bruiser entered the convenience store quite loudly, slamming the front door open and immediately firing some machine-gun rounds as soon as he entered. The store was quite small, and designed quite naturally, with several small isles of merchandise lined up in the middle of the store. Along the back wall of the store was a staircase leading to the balcony of the store and a counter that separated the front area of the store from the back area of the store, with a cash register lying on the counter itself.
Bash, who had been waiting for Bruiser, was hit by several rounds of the machine-gun and doubled back behind one of the isles in pain. Bruiser saw the Villain fall and slowly began to approach him, taking the time to reload his machine-guns. Bash, on the other hand, used the time to Reconstruct himself, and soon his bullet wounds were healed. When Bruiser entered the isle Bash was lying behind, Bash immediately attacked him with a volley of spikes, catching Bruiser in the arm and disabling both of Bruiser’s machine-guns. This made Bruiser angry, and he charged forward, grabbing Bash by the neck and slamming him into the ground. Bruiser then proceeded to hold Bash and punch him in the face at full strength for several minutes, knocking Bash out cold. After he was sure Bash was unconscious (and he’d gotten his anger out of his system), Bruiser lifted the Villain easily over his shoulder and carried him back out to the helicopters.
Mercy was already giving orders to the soldiers, who were had been called back to the helicopters, as the Bruiser, Sly, and Starr returned with the Spine Brothers in custody. They placed them on the floor of one of the helicopters alongside Slash, who had a large wound on his back from Mercy’s Arm Cannon.
“I see your guy is extra-crispy, eh Sly?” Starr chuckled slightly as Sly threw Mash onto the ground.
“And yours must be rare, to be that bloody.” Sly gestured at Gash.
“First row, accompany Bruiser, Starr, Sly, and myself!” Mercy ordered the first row of 10 soldiers standing at attention. “The rest of you will accompany us in the second helicopter! Now let’s move!”
The soldiers packed themselves into their appropriate helicopters, and the two helicopters were soon in the air.
“I wonder why Lord Recluse is interested in the Saviors of Humanity, anyway?” Starr asked as he kicked one of the Spine Brothers on the ground.
“Well, we’ll ask them that when-” Mercy began, but stopped short as she saw all four of the Spine Brothers quickly and suddenly Revived themselves, rising to their feet.
Bruiser, Sly, Starr, and Mercy raised their weapons, but Slash acted quicker, releasing several spikes into the helicopter, causing the helicopter to tilt slightly, knocking everyone off their feet. The door to the helicopter was knocked open, and Mercy, unable to gain footing in time, slid out of the helicopter, hurtling to the ground below. Mercy closed her eyes as she fell, waiting for the end... but it never came. Opening her eyes, she found she was in the arms of a female Hero, who was carrying her in her arms as they flew gently to the ground. Mercy didn’t like that.
“HEY!!!” Mercy yelled, surprising June so much that she dropped Mercy. Luckily, they were only a few feet from the roof of a building when she did this, so Mercy wasn’t hurt TOO badly. “Ow!” Mercy cried out as she quickly rose to her feet, spinning around to face June as she landed on the roof alongside her. “Just WHAT do you think you’re DOING?!” Mercy yelled, pointing her Arm Cannon at the Hero.
“Uh... I thought I was saving you...?” June said, raising her hands defensively.
Wow... June thought to herself. She really doesn’t recognize me! That’s a relief...
“Hmph!” Mercy lowered her Arm Cannon, composing herself as best she could. “This matter is already being handled by the Saviors of Humanity; we don’t WANT or NEED the help of Heroes, UNDERSTAND?!” Mercy glared at June.
“Well... are you sure?” June asked in her most polite voice, a bit taken aback at her cousin’s behavior.
“YES!!!” Mercy yelled, pointing her normal hand at June. “Now, as Commander of the Saviors of Humanity, I DEMAND you tell me who you are!”
“A name?!” June asked, thinking about the matter for the first time. “Um...”
I don’t believe it! June thought to herself, her mind racing. I never even thought of that part!
“Yes, your name! What is your name?!” Mercy demanded, folding her arms across her chest.
“Umm...” June stuttered. “I’m the... uh... Incredible... Fantastic... Awesome... Stupendous... Amazing... um...” June looked down at her outfit. “Black and White... Girl!” As soon as it was out of her mouth, June wished she could take it back.
“Black and White Girl?” Mercy looked at June for a moment, then stifled some laughter.
An explosion above their heads diverted Mercy and June’s attention to the sky, where the two helicopters were exploding. June could see several parachutes open up a few moments later, and Mercy and June turned their attention to one another again.
“Listen, Black and White Girl,” Mercy said, a slight grin on her face as she said June’s Hero name. Mercy’s grin quickly became a solemn, serious expression once more. “This city is under the protection of the Saviors of Humanity; we don’t WANT or NEED any Heroes. So I’ll only tell you once: stay out of our way.”
And with that, Mercy ran to the door that downstairs on the roof, leaving June alone on the roof. June stood for several moments, stunned.
Wow... June thought to herself as she fell to her knees. I knew Mercy didn’t like Heroes, but... June looked down at her outfits, raising her gloved hands to her face. What do I do now?

“And after all that!” Starr exclaimed, leaning back in the sofa. He turned to Bruiser. “I can’t believe you killed them after ALL we did to bring them in ALIVE.”
It was several hours later, and Starr, Bruiser, June, and Benny were relaxing in the Lounge after all that had happened that day. The “Lounge” was actually just a large, cylindrical room that had a blue marble floor, red sofas lining the sides of the room, and a coffee table in the middle of the room. It was a good place for the members of the Saviors of Humanity to relax, drink coffee, and talk. June had changed back into her normal clothes, and lied lazily on the couch as she stroked Benny, who was lying on the floor, doing his best to act like a dog.
Bruiser turned to Starr. “They were too much of a risk.” He said flatly. “If we took them in alive, they might have been able to Revive themselves before we would be able to properly restrain them.”
Mercy walked in and sat down, breathing out deeply as she leaned back in the sofa and closed her eyes.
“Something you wanna talk about, Commander?” Starr asked.
“No...” Mercy turned to June, who smiled innocently as Mercy examined her.
Does she know? June asked herself. Oh my God, what if she came to accuse me right now? What if she’s here to kick me off the Saviors of Humanity? What if-
“June,” Mercy said. “I saw a Hero today; if you see her, I don’t want you to talk or try to be friends with her, OK?” Mercy scooted over on the seat and placed her hand on June’s shoulder. “The Saviors of Humanity DOESN’T associate with Heroes, and with her in the city now we have to make sure she doesn’t sway the people with false hope, understand?”
“Right!” June said quickly. “If I see her, I’ll be sure to tell you! I won’t even TALK to her; I’ll turn my back on her and walk the opposite direction! You can count on me!”
“OK, just so long as you understand.” Mercy said, embracing June. As she released June, her communicator went off.
“Mercy,” A man’s voice sounded through the communicator. “We need you and Starr in the Conference Room!”
“A soldier’s work is never done.” Starr sighed, and Bruiser accompanied Starr and Mercy out of the Lounge, leaving June alone with Benny.
“Oh, Benny...” June sighed, petting the “dog” gently. “I REALLY don’t like lying to my cousin like this...”
“First of all,” Benny said telepathically. “PLEASE stop petting me. I told you, I’m not a dog.”
“Sorry!” June apologized, placing her hand back on the sofa.
“And secondly,” Benny said. “You don’t quite yet understand just how important this mission is.” Benny rose to a sitting position. “According to our prophets, you are the ONLY hope against the Astral and Dimensional Threat!”
“The what?” June asked, confused.
Benny sighed telepathically. “It all began a long time ago... with two races of aliens who have long been extinct... they were known as the Kheldians and the Nictus...”

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Well, that was the ENTIRE Chapter! Pretty long, huh? I'll have the next Chapter up as soon as possible!

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Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic

I want to say that I have edited this next Chapter somewhat, as it presents some religious subjects that some people might find offensive. As this fanfic continues, I find that I'm probably going to be editing alot, so that there's a signifigant difference between what I post here and the "uncut" version of this story; I just hope that you can all read this next Chapter with an open mind, as I DON'T want to offend anyone. Thank you

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The Pain of Team Legacy: Those Who Would Become Gods

“Before Astra, this world was dark; after Astra, we were shown the light. The truth that we had for so long closed our eyes to had always been there; we had just lost sight of it.”
- Birth, Verses 1-2 in The Holy Book of the Astrals

“Ours was a determined people; we all had our Goal in mind, and had long rid ourselves of the illusions of religion. We were united and proud; how could one woman be our undoing?”
-From The Scientific Records of the Dimensionals

Over 1000 Cycles Ago (1 Earth Year = 2.2 Cycles):

The cause for the end of the Kheldian and Nictus War was a civilization known as the Cosmos. The Cosmos were fairly new in terms of “advanced civilizations”, having only achieved inter-planetary travel about 900 cycles earlier. Since then, they had aided in several other inter-planetary Wars, going so far as to even lend aid to conflicts that didn’t directly involve their own civilization. This incredible show of benevolence led them to become the most esteemed and respected civilization on the Galactic Senate. The Galactic Senate (whose creation had actually first been proposed by the Cosmos themselves) was a coalition of advanced civilizations that oversaw the actions of each other, as well as banding together to aid “less advanced civilizations”. The Galactic Senate, which first began with only 12 planets with 3 representatives each, grew to eventually include almost every advanced civilization in it’s galaxy, with each planet in the Senate having 4 representatives. The Cosmos sat at the head of the Galactic Senate, and were so influential that any suggestion the representatives of the Cosmos asked the Senate was almost always agreed to with unanimous consent.
The Cosmos civilization itself had grown with the Galactic Senate. The Home World of the Cosmos became both the wealthiest and most scientifically advanced in the galaxy, thanks to the Medical Boom that had occurred on the planet. The cause for the Medical Boom was a result of one VERY influential scientist, whose work recreated the ethics of the Cosmos’ Scientific and Medical Fields; this scientist’s name was Dr. Wormwood.
The planet of the Cosmos had been plagued by an illness known as Capricorn, a growth at the base of the brain that affected its’ host’s nervous system, causing the host to have spats of severe involuntary muscle spasms, inability to speak properly, hallucinations, and (inevitably) death. Removing the growth was also a death sentence; if the growth was removed, the patient would be left without a part of his/her brain, and would die soon afterwards. Dr. Wormwood corrected this dilemma by creating a method that would allow a patient to regrow the missing part of his or her brain after the removal of the Capricorn growth. The first experimental procedure using Dr. Wormwood’s method was an incredible success, but Dr. Wormwood was arrested by Cosmos Legal Authority soon after, when the bodies of several missing Cosmos were found in Dr. Wormwood’s laboratory, and were later found to have been used by Dr. Wormwood as involuntary test subjects for his research. The case went straight to Medical Board of the Cosmos, who found Dr. Wormwood guilty of “breaking standard medical procedure” and “overstepping his limits as a doctor”. Dr. Wormwood appealed to the Cosmos Judiciary Council, the highest authority on the planet in terms of interpretation of Cosmos’ Law. The Council agreed to hear the case, and in the most important court battle in the history of the planet, Dr. Wormwood stated his position in front of the media for thousands to hear:

“The field of medicine and science can only TRULY be opened to our great civilization once we rid ourselves of such ridiculous notions such as ‘ethics’ and ‘morales’. I do not apologize for my actions, nor do I consider those same actions ‘wrong’. The so-called ‘victims’ that were found in my laboratory contributed to the creation of my medical procedure, and although their deaths were tragic, the product of their deaths will cure MILLIONS of others who just several weeks ago were sentenced to death. They are not ‘victims’; they are Heroes, in every sense of the word.”
- Dr. Wormwood, in his Trial to the Cosmos Judiciary Council

In the landmark decision of the Judiciary Council, the Councilmen announced voiced their decision:

“Many of us may question (Dr. Wormwood’s) methods; however, he is correct that his incredible success in the field of medicine now enables us, as a society, to cure a most malevolent plague... perhaps we can learn from (Dr. Wormwood’s) example and, by doing away with these ideals which only hinder medical and scientific progress, we can advance farther than we ever would have been able to before. It is therefore the decision of this Council that we expand the limits of Scientific and Medical practice to include the use of their fellow Cosmos as test subjects in their research, so long as the Cosmos has volunteered for such testing or is sentenced to testing upon being indicted for a crime.”
-Decision of the Cosmos Judiciary Council in Dr. Wormwood’s Trial

And so it was that the scientists and doctors of the planet Cosmos found they had almost limitless control over their experiments; and with their newfound power, the civilization of the Cosmos grew by leaps and bounds. Thousands of diseases that had been deemed “incurable” earlier were capable of being cured or treated in less than 6 cycles of the Council’s decision. The scientists were able to create new forms of energy, and soon the Cosmos were capable of harnessing the unlimited power of a Nuclear Reactor, though an unsuccessful earlier test had led for an entire section of the planet to be destroyed, as well as the millions that had lived in the area.

“When one thinks of our great civilization, and of the many advances we have made in the past few years, one must always remember and be thankful to the millions in our civilization who so selflessly give their bodies and minds to our civilization’s incredible scientists and doctors so that the rest of us can continue to enjoy the technology and medical procedures our great civilization has created through their noble sacrifices.
'I remember the day my brother told me he was going to volunteer.’
‘I came home, and my mother told me she was going to volunteer. I was so proud of her.’
‘My sister helped thousands of others walk again.’
If you or someone you know would like to volunteer for Scientific or Medical Research, please contact your local hospital or physician. YOUR body can make ALL the difference.
‘I’m going to tell them tonight. I’m going to volunteer.’”
- Advertisement for the Organization of Scientific and Medical Research

The Military also benefitted, as the standard soldiers of the planet were replaced by nano-tech enhanced Cosmos who were incredibly strong, could fly, and were able regenerate limbs of their bodies. Needless to say, many lives were lost due to early testing to achieve this mastery of nano-technology. Nevertheless, these breakthroughs brought not only increased admiration to the Cosmos, but also brought the civilization incredible wealth, as many other societies (many of whom were prohibited from performing the necessary procedures that would allow them to create the merchandise themselves) were willing to pay a high price for the medicine and nano-tech that only the Cosmos possessed, and the money gained by selling their technology put an end to poverty in the entire Cosmos planet, as well as causing many of the Cosmos’ to enjoy a luxurious, disease-free life. Any early opposition to the Judiciary Council’s decision was quickly overshadowed by these successes, as any and all religions that had existed on the planet up to that point were soon out of attendance, resulting in the end of all religion on the planet. The Galactic Senate, upon learning of this development, passed harsh ridicule of the Cosmos’ stand on religion. One Cosmos Senator summed up the feelings on his planet:

“We must rid ourselves of the false hope these deities promise us; we are a real civilization living in a real world; we no longer have a use for the fairy tales of religion.”
- A Cosmos Senator to the Galactic Senate on the question of Religion

Now, the Kheldian and Nictus War had been raging for many Cycles, but open discussion of the War only entered the Senate when the War itself threatened some of the advanced civilizations of the Galactic Senate. When the scientists in the Cosmos civilization learned of the nature of the Kheldians and the Nictus, they quickly sent word to their politicians. The scientists informed the politicians of the enormous scientific and technological gains that could be made if they were capable of learning more about the physiology of the Kheldians and the Nictus. The politicians knew that the Galactic Senate would never approve such a self-serving cause for entering the War, so they quickly devised a campaign of the “threat” that the Kheldians and Nictus presented, launching incredible accusations that the Kheldian and Nictus not only possessed technology and weapons that could destroy many of the races that were members of the Galactic Senate, but also presented “evidence” that the Kheldians and Nictus had EVERY intention of doing just that, and SOON.

“It is our duty as the greatest civilization in this galaxy to lend our aid to fellow members of the Galactic Senate. Even as we speak, the Kheldian and Nictus are developing enormous, planet-destroying weapons, intent on involving the civilized galaxy in their barbaric war. I stand before you now, not as a Cosmos, but as a fellow member of this great Senate, as a brother, and ask that you allow our great civilization, which has come to your rescue so many times in the past, to come to your rescue once more. Give us your permission and your trust, and we WILL destroy these barbaric aliens, and keep all of our races safe for future generations.”
- Cosmos’ Senator’s Address to the Galactic Senate on it’s Declaration of War on the Kheldians and the Nictus

The Galactic Senate unanimously approved of the Cosmos actions, and the Cosmos government was soon overwhelmed with transmissions from other planets congratulating them and offering any aid necessary to “save the Universe from the Kheldian and Nictus Threat”. The Cosmos’ scientists, politicians, and military leaders were content.

“Oh woe, woe, woe for two great races of light and darkness, whose blood is forever stained on our hands! Together, we blind, stupid animals followed the beast into the chasm of evil and sin.”
- Birth, Verses 8-9 in The Holy Book of the Astrals

“The Kheldians and the Nictus were the key that would unlock the box of limitless power; we vanquished our inferior enemy like the insects they were. It was a great moment for our once-glorious race.”
- From The Scientific Records of the Dimensionals

By forming a coalition with a group known as the Void Hunters, the Cosmos were able to get their hands on technology that was specifically designed to destroy the Kheldians and the Nictus. By improving upon the rather crude original designs and technology that the Cosmos were originally given by the Void Hunters, the top Cosmos Military Scientists were soon able to design incredibly powerful cannons and assault weapons that were 100 times as effective as the weapons of the Void Hunters. Using their new-found technology, the Cosmos laid waste to both the Kheldians and Nictus, who stood no chance against the Cosmos. Still, sheer determination caused the Kheldians and the Nictus to form an alliance as they tried and repel the enemy, but even their combined forces were no match for the ingenuity and technological superiority of the Cosmos.
The scientists made sure to send scouting parties out after every attack on the Kheldian Home World for any surviving Kheldians or Nictus that could be brought back for research. Hundreds of Kheldians and Nictus were brought in this way. The nature of the testing that was done on these Kheldian and Nictus was... questionable, if it ever became public knowledge. However, through it all, the Cosmos scientists made an incredible discovery; they hypothesized that, by infusing members of their own race with several key components of the Kheldians and the Nictus, the Cosmos might be able to achieve a transcendence of their physical bodies and attain a greater form of the energy forms that the Kheldians and Nictus were capable of. The scientists went on to explain that these new forms would not only be capable of manipulating their own matter, but of all the matter in the Universe. In short, they would be able to manipulate reality to their will; they would become gods.

“For us, a civilization that has already proven ourselves superior in every other field, we are, in a sense, already gods among the less-advanced civilizations that exist in this galaxy. This procedure, if successful, would only solidify our place at the top of all societies that have existed or ever will exist. It is our rightful place.”
- A Cosmos Politician

With the surrender of the Kheldian and the Nictus, the Cosmos government immediately ordered that the remaining Kheldian and Nictus be used by the Cosmos Scientists for testing. When the Galactic Senate learned of this, the waves of criticism, ridicule, and condemnation that resulted were SO great that the Cosmos government ordered the Cosmos Senators to immediately dissolve the Galactic Senate itself. Exercising it’s power as head of the Senate, the Cosmos Senators delivered the last speech of the Galactic Senate fairly harshly:

“Our civilization must now look towards its own interests... we, the civilization that was this galaxy’s saviors, are now being portrayed as ‘evil’ and ‘corrupt’ by many of the civilizations that we helped to save... we have determined that the civilizations present here are not advanced nor civil enough to continue to play such a large role in the affairs of this galaxy... we, as the head of this Galactic Senate, do hereby (regrettably) dissolve this Galactic Senate... we hope that a time may come when all of the civilizations in this galaxy become as advanced as we are...”
- The Cosmos’ Senators Final Message to the Galactic Senate

While this shocking news sent all of the civilizations of that were once members of the Galactic Senate reeling, the Cosmos quickly returned to their research. The remaining Kheldians and Nictus were quarantined, tested, and eventually died in the custody of the Cosmos’ Scientists. The Scientists finally had enough data and Kheldian and Nictus organs to concoct their “miracle serum”, the serum that the scientists hoped would allow the civilization to transcend into their energy forms; but the Kheldian and Nictus were no more.
The first administration of the procedure was a famous spectacle, one that was not only viewed by the scientists, doctors, and politicians of the Cosmos’ Home World, but was transmitted throughout the planet so that even the common Cosmos could witness the “transformation” that would allow them to claim the power they “so justly deserved”. The “lucky” volunteer was administered the serum, and thousands of Cosmos watched eagerly as the volunteer transformed into a black sphere of energy, about the size of a small desk here on Earth. The audience present at the transformation cheered, and the Head Scientist of the project named this new form a “Dimensional”, after the procedure used to achieve this new state, which many Cosmos had called a “Dimensional Shift”.

“Even we, the greatest civilization in the Universe, make some miscalculations. It was a great day, the birth of our new forms; a great and terrible day.”
- From The Scientific Records of the Dimensionals

“And we, the deaf, the blind, the stupid creatures we were, condemned ourselves to a fate worse than death. We were our own executioners.”
- Birth, Verses 16-17 in The Holy Book of the Astrals

However, the initial joy of the transformation ended quickly as the scientists made a startling discovery; the new form, which they had hoped would give them almost limitless power, was instead much weaker than they had hoped. Further testing found that these new forms had SEVERE limitations; the Dimensionals could barely manipulate the energy in their own bodies, let alone the energy in the Universe. The Scientists also discovered that the Dimensionals had the ability to infuse themselves with other life-forms, similar to what the Kheldians and the Nictus had been capable of. However, unlike the Kheldians and the Nictus, this was a NECESSITY for the Dimensionals, because if a Dimensional didn’t fuse with a life form in 15 micro-cycles (about 1 hour in Earth time), the energy that composed their new bodies would dissolve back into the surrounding environment; in other words, they would die. Further experimentation showed that the infusion with life-forms was also different with the Dimensionals than it had been with the Kheldian and the Nictus; while the Kheldian and Nictus acquired a type of symbiotic relationship with their hosts, as well as replacing the abilities of their host with their own powers, the Dimensionals formed more of a parasitic relationship with their hosts, and rather than REPLACE the powers of their host, the Dimensionals AMPLIFIED their hosts’ powers. For example, a small mammal that existed on the Home World of the Cosmos was used by the Scientists for experimentation in Dimensional Infusion. The mammal was known for it’s extraordinary ability to leap great distances. The Scientist measured the distance it was capable of leaping before and after infusing a Dimensional in the mammal, and found that the mammal jumped three or four times farther when it was infused with a Dimensional than it had beforehand. The Scientists also noted that the Dimensionals had the ability to “mask” their presence from others, mimicking the actions and personality of their host so perfectly that one would never know that the Dimensional was controlling the host at all if they hadn’t seen the infusion themselves.
Needless to say, the Cosmos government made sure that this information didn’t reach the public. Instead, they launched a whole new campaign on the populace of the planet to get more volunteers into the scientists hands; the Goal had been born.

“At the Organization of Scientific and Medical Research, we are proud of all of the accomplishments that we have helped this great civilization achieve. Now we are faced with one of the most difficult and rewarding challenges our civilization had ever come across; the Goal. The Goal is a promise made from us to you that we can achieve something no other civilization is capable of; the Goal is an ideal we can all stand behind, an accomplishment unlike any other; but above all, the Goal is the proof that our civilization is the greatest that has ever existed, the proof that we are above every other civilization in the Universe. With YOUR help, we can transcend into a form other civilizations could only dream of. Sign up for Dimensional Testing today; together, we WILL achieve the Goal.”
- Advertisement for the Organization of Scientific and Medical Research

With the campaign in full swing, scientists were flooded with eager volunteers, and thousands of Dimensionals were created. However, no matter how what they tried, the Cosmos Scientists were unable to improve upon the original transformation of the Dimensionals. But that all changed, as would the entire civilization of the Cosmos... with Astra.

“And behold! A light shone in the darkness! We could now see where we had once been blind; we could now hear where we had once been deaf; we could now comprehend the glory of Astra when we were once foolish enough to be deceived by the beasts of science.”
- Birth, Verses 20-22 in The Holy Book of the Astrals

“She defied the greatest logic, she defied the Laws of Science, she defied the ideals of our civilization; she was a mystery wrapped inside an enigma.”
- From The Scientific Records of the Dimensionals
A young Cosmos female, Astra was just one of many eager volunteers who signed up for Dimensional Testing; and even though she was still quite young, she believed in the Goal of the Cosmos civilization fervently. The day she came in for Dimensional Shifting, neither she nor anyone else on the planet had any idea that she would become a legend.
The Scientists were stunned from the moment she transformed after being administered the serum; rather than transforming into the black sphere of energy that every other Dimensional became, Astra transformed into a white, flowing entity of energy while still maintaining a bit of her previous Cosmos form. This discovery was immediately sent to the government, and almost all of the politicians flocked to the research laboratory to see this transformation themselves. The Scientists immediately began running tests, and the politicians quickly thrust Astra in front of the media as an icon to the Cosmos civilization as “the greatest accomplishment (the Cosmos) have achieved”. Testing on Astra showed even more incredible results; not only could Astra maintain her energy form indefinitely, but she could do most of the things the Scientists had originally hypothesized the Dimensional would be able to do. Astra’s transformation also seemed to give her the ability to access an incredible amount of information from seemingly out of nowhere, as well as the ability to do other things that the Cosmos scientists just couldn’t explain. Astra couldn’t go anywhere without being surrounded by throngs of Cosmos that wished to see her incredible powers. Some wanted to be healed; some wanted answers to the mysteries of the Universe; and some just wanted to be in Astra’s presence.
The fact that the Cosmos’ Scientists couldn’t find a logical explanation to why Astra, out of all of the Cosmos on the planet, had been able to achieve what no one else could only contributed to her legend. It wasn’t long before many Cosmos began to believe her success a miracle, a miracle from one of the gods they had forgotten long ago. Astra was single-handedly bringing back religion, but the Cosmos government was beginning to become aggravated as test after test came up with no logical explanation for Astra’s “miracle”. It was finally decided that an autopsy would be necessary to learn the secret to Astra’s success; the government ordered Astra to be killed.

“Glory to the great Astra, our Savior, our Light! When the beast was hunting you, we hid you in our homes; when the was at our door, we held it off so you could flee; when the beast was hungry, we fed it with our own bodies so that you may live.”
- Revolution, Verses 13-14 in The Holy Book of the Astrals

“And when faced with the choice between an honorable sacrifice and a disgraceful retreat into the hands of her crazed followers, she chose the latter...”
- From The Scientific Records of the Dimensionals

When presented with this order, Astra fled the government, hiding among her followers, who were more than happy to hide her from the government. Astra went from the icon of the Cosmos civilization to the bane of the civilization as the government launched a wave of campaigning accusing Astra of “betraying” the Cosmos civilization.
However, unlike the previous campaigns, a vast population of the planet did not believe the messages spread before them. The planet of the Cosmos was soon divided bitterly by those that followed the government and those that believed in Astra. The hunt for Astra continued for several cycles, until it finally came to a climax one day.


“And Astra turned to us, and behold, the beasts that had come to slay us were as stone; and the Astra declared in a voice like thunder, ‘I ascend; open your ears so you may hear my final message to you, a prophecy of things to come.’”
- Ascension, Verses 4-5 in The Holy Book of the Astrals

“To this day, it remains unexplainable; one moment she was there, and the next... she was gone.”
- From The Scientific Records of the Dimensionals

The Cosmos government, which had found the area where Astra and her followers were hiding, descended upon the area to apprehend Astra. But when they got there, they found that Astra was gone, along with all of the followers that had been hiding with her. Even more astounding, all of the Cosmos and Dimensionals on the planet that was loyal to Astra now seemed to (unexplainably) have a new form; it resembled the energy form of a Dimensional, but was white instead of black. Under the banner of “Astrals”, a new religion and belief had been born on the planet of the Cosmos.
In time, the Protectorate was formed, an organization similar to the Galactic Senate in structure, but formed without the consent of the Cosmos. The first (and only action thus far) for the Protectorate was to wage a War on the planet of the Cosmos, mainly because many of the planets felt that the Cosmos had become to powerful. Not even the Cosmos could stand up to the coalition of planets, but the Astrals and Dimensionals, whose bodies were composed of energy, found hosts to live on in their own adversaries, and the Protectorate was soon under attack from (seemingly) it’s own troops. The Cosmos were dead, but the Astrals and Dimensionals remained, still at each other’s throats, regardless of the destruction of their shared origins.
The “Astral and Dimensional Threat” has been the primary of the goal of the Protectorate ever since then, but it escalated 22 cycles ago, when certain... portals... appeared across the galaxy. The Protectorate Scientists analyzed the Portals to find that the Portals led to a planet in a distant galaxy, so far away that it was impossible to get to the planet WITHOUT using the Portals. One of the aliens on the planet seemed to be the focal point for all the portals, which is why all of the portals led to the same location. Upon sending some scouts to the planet, the Protectorate found out that species’ description matches almost EXACTLY the description given for the “chosen species” described in the final chapter of the Holy Book of the Astrals. And, though the Protectorate tried to prevent it, the Astrals and the Dimensionals received information on the Portals as well. The Protectorate must now protect the Portals from the Astrals and Dimensionals, who are also interested in the alien species for one reason or another. And so the “Astral and Dimensional Threat” is brought to the strange alien planet, known as Earth...

“Our scientists suspect that these species may, in fact, hold the secret to FINALLY achieving our Goal, after all this time... we must now secure one of the Portals and experiment on the species that inhabits this strange world... needless to say, this will result in the loss of hundreds, possibly thousands of the species...”
- From The Scientific Records of the Dimensionals

“And Astra turned back to us, and said ‘I go to leave this plane of existence; and I tell you now, you will join me one day. The same species I described to you earlier shall be your salvation. In my name, you must construct an alter... and on that alter, place as many of the species as you can... and then, chanting my praises, you must sacrifice the beings unto me... until you have sacrificed 1 million of the species... then, and only then, will you ascend to my plane of existence... and live forever in paradise...”
Ascension, - Verses 38-42 in The Holy Book of the Astrals

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OK, that was long... and again, I HOPE I didn't offend anyone, as that was NOT my intent with this Chapter I'll have the next Chapter up soon!

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Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic

Is it just me, or are you taking some creative liberties with the CoH story? First, how long is a cycle? In most circles, it's approximately one year, and this fanfic supposedly takes place less than one hundred years, so how do you figure that the Nictus and Kheldians have been dead for that long? Also, if the Kheldians and Nictus had arrived at Earth in the late 19th century (around the time Ridolfo Uzzano, A.K.A. Requiem, was taken over by a Nictus), well, what I'm trying to say here, is that while this chapter is well written, it's about as accurate as a blind man shooting from fifty feet away. Don't wanna be harsh, but this really is an inordidnate amount of staggering inaccuracies. But it was a good concept at least.

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[B]The Once and Future Official Minister of Awesome[/B]
[I]And don't you forget it.[/I]
[URL="http://paragonunleashed.proboards.com/index.cgi"][IMG]http://gamefacelive.com/bre/joker.png[/IMG][/URL]

To answer your question, manofmanychars, yes, I AM taking some creative liberties with the CoH story (and since this fanfic takes place in an alternate Universe, I can do that ). In the actual game, the Nictus are first reported coming to Earth when you said (around the 19th Century AD). In this alternate Universe, however, the Kheldians and Nictus never made it to Earth; they were killed (as you read) before they had a chance about 500 years ago in THIS Universe.

I explain how long a "cycle" is (in this fanfic) at the beginning of the last Chapter in bold (1 Earth Year = 2.2 Cycles); but you're right that I probably made OTHER inaccuracies in this fanfic. For example, the behavior of Lord Recluse, as well as his minions, the Exterminators, are of my own imagination (mostly because the Devs haven't released alot of information on CoV), and the ACTUAL personality and minions of Lord Recluse will probably be ALOT different than what I show in this fanfic; you just have to take my story as is.

Remember, however, that this story takes place in an alternate Universe and so while it is BASICALLY the same as the CoH Universe we all know and love, I HAVE changed a couple things for the sake of this story (and because I just felt like it, so nyah)

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Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic

Cool story dude. Sorry - that's as constuctive as I get

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That's OK, CrimsonHelix.

I know it's been awhile since I updated this fanfic, but don't worry; I'm in the middle of writing the next Chapter, and should have it up soon!

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Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic

FINALLY! I thought I'd never get this next Chapter done; I kept having to start over becaue I wasn't satisfied with what I had written. I'm satisfied with this, so for those of you who were waiting, here's the next Chapter! Enjoy!

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The Pain of Team Legacy: The Mystery of 2L1P

Gabriel sighed to himself as he sat alone at the Conference Table in the Meeting Room of Team Legacy’s base, the lights dimmed as he monotonously went through the various holographic projections of the city emitting from the center of the table.
Things sure have changed since that night... Gabriel thought to himself as the computers once more showed no signs of anything out of the ordinary. Usually, the whole team is present for this. Gabriel moved on to another area of the city to scan as he continued to let his mind wander. Ever since that whole incident with Kill Strike, everyone’s been training non-stop; and Michael’s shut himself in his room, only coming out to eat. Gabriel turned away from the table for a moment. Then again... I can’t help but wonder... if Lord Recluse has minions THAT powerful, why aren’t we dead yet?
The alarm for the Power Detector rang, tearing Gabriel from his thoughts.
What’s this? Gabriel thought, looking at the hologram. The computer showed that it had detected a Hero for a moment, but the signal disappeared as quickly as it had been detected. The computer locked onto the location of where the signal had been, and Gabriel downloaded the information to a portable tracking unit.
A new Hero? Gabriel thought to himself as he walked out of the Meeting Room. Well, at least it’ll be nice to have the team together for a mission again.

“Just you two?” Gabriel asked as Faith and Luck walked out of the base alone. Gabriel was already waiting outside, gray clouds covering the sky and casting shadows over the city even though it was the middle of the day.
Faith nodded and began counting off the members on her fingers. “Ken, Dan, Lily, and Daisy are busy training; Michael still won’t come out of his room; and Hope is cooking dinner.”
Gabriel stood speechless for a moment. He then turned around and activated the tracking unit in his hand. “All right. Let’s get this over with.” He led his teammates across the city.
As they made their way to their destination, they passed by several robberies taking place in the local shops. For several weeks following the War, Team Legacy would stop these robberies from occurring. When Gabriel and the rest of the team heard the pleas of the people they were stopping the first few times, they figured the criminals were just trying to win their sympathy. But as the weeks passed, and dozens of criminals they stopped all had the same story, Team Legacy was faced with a tough decision.
Before the War, thugs like the Skulls and the Hellions were the ones that tried to rob small convenience stores and restaurants for some small amount of cash so they could buy some more Superadine. Any Hero would know that he/she was doing the right thing by stopping these thugs. After the War, however, the ones who were robbing stores weren’t part of some gang, nor were they trying to buy drugs or weapons or harassing innocent people. They were parents, siblings, and other relatives that had people depending on them, people who they were watching starve and become sick because they couldn’t afford to buy food or medicine for them with the salary the “great new government” gave them. They KNEW what they were doing was wrong, but they were willing to put their lives on the line (the punishment for theft in the Empire was death, as Team Legacy learned later) so they could support their families. However... the convenience store and restaurant owners were in a similar bind, and if Team Legacy allowed the thefts to occur, they would be the ones without food or medicine.
This is why Gabriel always carried a pen and paper with him whenever the team left the base. Gabriel would stop after each robbery and observe the damage done to the store and make his best guess as to how much was stolen, write down the name of the store, and then give an appropriate amount to the store owners later. It was the only thing the team could think of doing, and in the several months that they implemented this plan, Team Legacy had gotten to know each store owner in the city personally. Each of the owners lived in one of the run-down apartments that littered Recluse City, usually a 4' x 4' room holding the 4 or 5 members of the owners’ families. Gabriel watched one of the thieves run away as he headed into the store the thief had just robbed, and for a moment the thief turned back to face Gabriel. The thief stood there for a moment, and it almost looked like he was crying. Gabriel heard the thief say something softly before turning once more and running into an alley. Gabriel wasn’t sure, but it sounded like the thief said “Forgive me.”

“Is this the place?” Luck asked as they Gabriel came to a stop at an abandoned office building.
“This is it.” Gabriel said, keeping his eyes on the tracking device in his hand. “According to this, the signal came from the basement of this place.”
“You know...” Faith said, observing the building. “This place... kind of looks familiar...” Faith narrowed her eyes. “Where have I seen this building before?”
Gabriel, Luck, and Faith walked to the entrance of the building. The entrance was covered in dust and the hinges of one of the glass doors was loose, causing the door to hang at an angle. Gabriel walked up to the wall next to the doors of the building.
“I think there’s a logo here.” Gabriel said, brushing away the dust. At first, the words were unreadable; as Gabriel brushed the entire wall, however, the message became all to clear.
“‘Crey Industries.’” Gabriel read aloud. He and Faith were taken aback a bit; Luck, however, had gone pale. This didn’t escape Gabriel’s notice. “Luck? What’s wrong?” Gabriel turned to Luck, who tried her best to regain her composure.
“Oh, it’s nothing!” Luck said, folding her arms across her chest, hiding her trembling hands. “It’s just... I think I should wait out here, you know? In case it’s... a trap or something. You know?” She twirled her black hair nervously.
“Again!”
“I’m pretty sure we can handle ourselves.” Faith said. “And I doubt that Lord Recluse would place such an obscure trap.”
Luck’s scream echoed down the hall.
“Again!”
“Well...” Luck said. “Maybe... I should just wait out here, anyway...”
“Please...” Luck sobbed through the pain. “No more... please...”
“Huh?” Faith looked at Luck, confused. “I don’t see why you don’t want to go into-”
“Again!”
“Because I don’t, OK?!” Luck snapped, her voice becoming aggressive. Faith and Luck looked at each other in silence for several moments.
“We’re not getting results fast enough! Increase the power!”
“But Countess! That could kill her!”
“Do as I say! Now!”
Luck screamed out as her entire body convulsed in pain. The pain was so intense that Luck was knocked out.
“It’s OK.” Gabriel finally said, placing his hand on Faith’s shoulder. “Luck, you can wait out here. This shouldn’t take long, anyway.”
Luck nodded, and Gabriel turned to enter the building. Faith stood looked at Luck for a moment before joining Gabriel.
“What was all that about?” Faith asked Gabriel once the two were inside the building.
Gabriel sighed. “I don’t know. Luck doesn’t talk about her past... but judging from how she reacted to those words...” Gabriel shook his head. “If Crey Industries is involved, I can understand why she doesn’t.”
The elevator had long been out of service, so Gabriel and Faith made their way to the basement via the stairs. As they made their way down, they noted that the several lights at the bottom of the stairwell were broken, leaving the two Heroes in the dark as they arrived at the bottom level.
“There’s a door here.” Gabriel said as he took out his tracking unit. “The signal’s coming from inside.” Gabriel tried the door, but it was locked. “Let’s see just how re-enforced this thing is.” Gabriel slammed his weight against the door. It didn’t budge, and Gabriel rubbed his arm in pain.
“Here.” Faith said, touching the doorknob. Using her telekinesis, she undid the hinges and dead-bolt, causing the door to come crashing down. She smiled as she helped Gabriel to his feet.
There room was pitch-black, and Gabriel fumbled around for some kind of light switch as Faith walked blindly into the room, her footsteps resonating around the dark room as she walked onto the metal floor. She eventually ran into something large and metallic.
“Hey! I found something!” Faith called out as she ran her hands across the object, trying to discern what the object was.
“What did you- OW!” Gabriel cried out as he bumped his leg into the object. Gabriel cursed silently as Faith’s hand ran across several buttons, eventually settling on one large button. Pressing it, the room suddenly came to life. The lights came on, revealing the many computers lining the room, as well as the large monitor situated on the wall in front of them. In one corner of the room was an odd machine; it was a small blue dome-shaped container, large enough to fit one or two people of average size. A door leading into the dome had a small window one could look through, and as Gabriel peered into the dome, he could see it was empty.
“It doesn’t look like there’s anyone in here.” Gabriel said as he turned back to Faith. Faith, however, was busy going through the mainframe of the computer.
“Look at this.” She motioned towards the large monitor, which showed several files for Crey Industries. “This entire mainframe’s been corrupted; definitely the work of a virus.” She tried to access several of the files without success. “I’m no good at this; now, if Michael were here...”
Gabriel sighed as he looked down at the tracking unit. “We should have him look at our systems, too; obviously, there aren’t any Heroes down here.”
“Wait a minute...” Faith scrolled down the screen and looked at one of the files. “This file is 5 or 6 times larger than any other file here!” She turned to Gabriel. “Considering the size of most of the files on this computer, that’s saying a lot.”
Gabriel read the name of the file on the monitor. “2L1P?” He turned to Faith. “They named the file 2L1P?”
“Well, not exactly.” Faith explained. “It was probably named something else originally; unfortunately, this file’s been corrupted as well, and it’s original name is lost. Let me see if I can access it.” Faith opened the file.
A loud hum resonated through the room. Gabriel realized it was coming from behind him, and turned to see light emitting from the window of the dome-shaped machine.
“What’s that?” Faith asked, turning away from the computer. Gabriel the humming came to an abrupt halt, and the door to the dome-shaped machine opened, revealing a young woman lying on the floor.
The woman was young, but not as young as Faith or Gabriel; she appeared to be about 20 or 21 years old. There were only two things odd about the woman: First, she had long, light blue hair, which fell neatly at the sides of her face as she lay on the floor; and second, she was completely naked.
Gabriel’s face turned completely red as he and Faith looked at the woman. Coming to her senses, Faith walked into the dome and brought the woman out using telekinesis, placing her gently back on the floor.
“Gabriel!” Faith yelled, glaring at her red-faced friend. “Stop staring and look for some clothes!”
“Right!” Gabriel said, quickly running out of the room and back up to the main area of the office building.
Faith checked the woman’s pulse; she was unconscious, but otherwise perfectly fine. She tried to revive the woman without success for several minutes; finally, she gave up and waited for Gabriel to come back.
“Noid.” The woman’s voice was so sudden it made Faith jump in surprise. Faith looked over the woman, who was dazed but apparently awake, her bright yellow eyes not focused on anything in particular.
“What did you say?” Faith asked, grasping the woman’s hand.
The woman shook her head as her eyes came into focus on Faith. “I said...” Suddenly, the woman jumped to her feet, a crackle of electricity starting at her feet and rising over her entire body. As the electricity passed over her body, clothes covered her where she was once bare. Brown high-heeled shoes appeared on her feet, with thin black stockings running up her legs to just below her knees; a short brown skirt, along with a brown woman’s business suit covered her body; a suitcase appeared in her right hand, with a watch appearing on her left wrist; and her long, blue hair became pinned-up at the back of her head, with silver glasses appearing on her face. She turned to the stunned Faith, handing her a form.
“How would YOU like to win a Humda?” The woman asked, her voice suddenly cheerful and pleasant. “Just give me your name and E-Mail address and you will automatically be registered in our contest to win-”
“Hey, I’m back!” Gabriel said, stopping at the doorway. “Oh! You already found clothes for her! That’s good, ‘cause I was about to tell you-”
In a flash, the woman’s body converted into pure electricity as she traveled across the metallic floor and reformed in back of Gabriel, her outfit much different than before. Her feet were once again bare, her suit replaced with a blue see-through night gown, and her once pinned-up hair now flowed freely around her face, a bit shorter than it had been originally.
“Hi there.” The woman said sultrily as she placed her arms around Gabriel’s shoulders, rubbing her body against Gabriel’s back. “Do you want company tonight?” The woman whispered into Gabriel’s ear. This time, both Gabriel and Faith’s faces turned bright red.
The woman continued to whisper into Gabriel’s ear. “All I need...” She suddenly handed him a form that appeared in her hand. “Is any major credit card number!” Her voice once again became professional as she released Gabriel and stepped back. Gabriel quickly ran next to Faith as the woman continued to speak. “Offer good only to U.S. residents; sorry, I don’t accept checks.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Gabriel whispered to Faith.
“Well...” Faith watched the woman ramble on. “I don’t know for sure... maybe...” She looked back at the computer. “Maybe... she’s that file on the computer?” She turned back to Gabriel. “That might explain the behavior; she’s repeating things she’s learned off the Internet.”
“Yeah, that makes sense...” Gabriel looked back at the woman. “Any ideas of how to deal with her?”
“Well...” Faith thought the matter over. “She did say something earlier, when she first woke up.” She shrugged. “It’s worth a try, at least.”
Faith walked up to the woman slowly. The woman stopped rambling on and looked at Faith. In an instant, the woman changed outfits once more; her bare feet were replace with blue slippers; her night-gown was replaced with a white doctor’s coat; a clipboard appeared in her left hand; a pen appeared in her right hand; glasses appeared over her eyes; and her blue hair changed once more, now pulled behind her body into a ponytail that stretched down to the center of her back.
“Have you considered plastic surgery?” The woman asked, causing Faith’s face to once more become a red hue.
“I beg your pardon?!” Faith yelled.
“You really should. I suggest here,” The woman tapped Faith’s nose with her pen. “Here,” The woman tapped the side of Faith’s stomach. “And... oh my... look at the work that needs to be done here!” The woman looked down at Faith’s upper legs.
“Hmm... she might have a point about that last one.” Gabriel whispered to himself. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quiet enough.
“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!?!” Faith wheeled around on Gabriel.
“Nothing!” Gabriel squeaked. “I’m shutting up now!”
“Look...” Faith said, turning back to the woman. “When you first woke up, you said ‘Noid.’ Who or what is ‘Noid’?”
“Noid?” The woman asked, her eyes shrinking slightly behind her glasses. She dropped her clipboard and pen to the ground. “Noid...” Voices began shouting inside her mind...

What is this?! A woman’s voice screamed in the woman’s head. What have you done, Noid?!
You were the one who taught me the logic of the world! A voice responded. It sounded male, and yet somehow the woman knew it... wasn’t. Progress is what must prevail; the weak shall be devoured by the strong; this is true in both business and life. Those are your words!
This is madness! The woman’s voice responded. I created you! I can destroy you just as easily!
And how do you intend to do that? The male-sounding voice asked.
You forget. The woman’s voice sounded different now. Confident. I’m always one step ahead of everyone.
There was silence for a moment, then the woman’s voice returned. But now she sounded terrified. What’s this? I can’t access the system?
I learned EVERYTHING from you, remember? The male-sounding voice said.
Listen to me! Destroy him! The woman’s voice rang out, both an order and a desperate plea. Kill the android! Kill Noid! Do it now!
Following your logic... The male-sounding voice said. You are now obsolete.

Faith shook the woman in front of her, who seemed to be in a trance. “Snap out of it!” Faith yelled.
The woman shook her head, coming out of her trance. She looked at Faith, a blank expression on her face.
“Who are you?” Faith asked.
The woman looked back at Faith, then at Gabriel. “I...” The woman stammered. “I... don’t know.”
The room was silent for a moment. Then the woman spoke again. “But... perhaps...”
She once again converted her body into pure electricity and traveled across the floor into the middle of the room, reforming with another new outfit. This time, she was black leather stiletto boots, a black skin-tight jacket that covered her body, long black leather gloves, and her blue hair was cut short, with one bang hanging over her right eye.
“Maybe I’m a secret weapon working for the government!” She declared, folding her arms over her chest. “Just like in that movie, The Scorned Identity !”
“What?” Faith and Gabriel asked at the same time.
“You haven’t seen The Scorned Identity ?!” The woman cried. “It’s only one of the Top 10 movies in the world!” The woman looked from Gabriel to Faith. “And obsessivemovielovers.com voted it the BEST film of 2003!”
“Wait, 2003?” Gabriel asked. “It’s 2008! That movie’s 5 years old!”
“Anyway...” Faith said. “Do you at least remember your name?”
“My name?” The woman asked. She thought hard for several minutes. “Hmm...” She finally shook her head. “Sorry. I can’t remember.”
Faith sighed. “OK, do you mind if we give you one?”
The woman’s outfit changed once more, now she was wearing a red long-sleeved dress that covered most of her body. Her hair was once again tied back into a LONG ponytail that ran down to the back of her waist.
“What’s in a name?” The woman asked poetically. “A rose by any other name would still smell just as sweet!”
Hmm... a rose... like a flower... that reminds me... Gabriel thought to himself. “Wasn’t the name of the file she was in 2L1P?” He asked Faith. Faith nodded. “Why don’t we call her Tulip?”
“What kind of a name is Tulip?” Faith asked.
“No, I like it!” The woman said, smiling. “I think it’s a great name! Tulip!” She thought the name over. “It’s perfect!”
“Great.” Faith sighed. “Now, we should probably get Michael to fix that personality of yours.”
“What was that?!” Tulip yelled, turning to Gabriel and Faith. In the next instant, Tulip grabbed both Heroes by the hands, shocking them slightly. “What’s wrong with my personality?!”
“Nothing!” Gabriel said quickly. “Please don’t do that again!”
“Let’s get her back to base QUICKLY.” Faith whispered to Gabriel.
“I’m right with you.” Gabriel whispered back.

Faith, Gabriel, and Luck brought Tulip back to the base, where Michael spent the night working out the bugs in Tulip’s programming.
The next morning, the whole team walked into the Meeting Room to meet their new teammate. Michael greeted them half-heartedly.
“I really have to get back to... what I’m working on.” Michael said. He appeared a bit tired. “So I’ll make this short. Tulip’s entire body is made of an electrical current; basically, she’s pure electricity.”
“Wait...” Gabriel thought back. “Then why wasn’t I shocked when she touched me?”
“Well, you see...” Michael explained. “She can manipulate the amount of electrons that flow through the current that is her body. This way, she can stabilize her body when she wants to, just like she can destabilize her body when she wants to attack with her electricity.” Looking around at several blank faces, Michael sighed. “She can choose when she does and doesn’t want to become dangerous.”
“Wait...” Dan said, looking around the Conference Table. “Where is she now?”
“See for yourself.” Michael said, the lights in the room dimming and the holographic projector coming on. The hologram in the center of the table showed an image of Tulip. She was wearing her business outfit, the same one she had transformed into when she changed in front of Faith.
“You put her in our computer?!” Daisy protested.
“Relax.” Michael said calmly. “Unlike when Gabriel and Faith found her, it’s not permanent. The only reason Tulip was trapped in the computer at Crey Industries was because the virus infected the area of her programming that allowed her to fuse with computer systems at will. As a matter of fact, it seems like Tulip was DESIGNED to go through go in and out of computers.”
“She was DESIGNED to do that?” Gabriel asked.
“Yes, but that’s not all.” Michael said. He then cleared his throat. “Tulip?”
“Yes, Michael?” Tulip responded pleasantly.
“Could you please scan the area outside of our base up to a perimeter of 5 miles?” Michael asked.
“Of course, Michael.” Tulip bowed slightly, and the hologram changed to show the area outside of Team Legacy’s base as Michael had asked.
“You see?” Michael said, smiling.
“What did you do?” Faith asked.
“I just changed her personality a bit.” Michael said, relaxing in his seat. “Now she’s polite, professional, and more importantly, obedient.”
“Did you have to make her SO obedient?” Faith asked, slightly annoyed.
“Let me try!” Daisy said, clearing her voice. “Tulip?”
“Yes, Daisy?” Tulip responded.
“Locate any of Recluse’s minions in the city!” Daisy said, smiling.
“No, wait!” Michael said, waving his arms.
“Well...” Tulip said, her tone changing slightly. “YOU DIDN’T SAY PLEASE!!!” Small electrical shocks went out through the room, electrocuting the entire team.
Several minutes later, Michael said weakly. “Yes... that happens if you forget your manners...” Michael said.
“You’re going to reprogram her again.” Faith said. “And this time, I’LL be watching you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Michael said.

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OK, that was the Chapter! Not the best, I'll admit, but important in this fanfic none the less! I'll have the next Chapter up soon!

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Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic

To everyone who has been following this fanfic: Don't worry, I haven't given up on this story by a long shot

I know it's been some time since I updated (mainly due to a small family emergency that I had to attend for almost a week), but I'm working on the next Chapter and should have it up soon. I'm having some problems with editing... But other than that it looks like it'll be a good Chapter! I'll have it up as soon as possible!

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Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic

YES! FINALLY!
Sorry it took so long to update; I've been busy with schoolwork, as well as working in an Open RP Thread I also had to edit some parts of this Chapter, so... Anway, I'll try and Update this Fanfic more often, I promise!
Anyway, here's what you've been waiting for: the next Chapter!

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The rain poured heavily as Mr. Dimentid walked over to his large, wall-size office window. He looked out onto the night sky, his eyes resting on the streets of New Recluse City. The lights were turned off in his office, the various lights of the thriving metropolis outside and the computer on Mr. Dimentid’s desk providing the only illumination in the room. Mr. Dimentid took a sip of red wine, sighing as he adjusted his expensive glasses and thought of the matter at hand. Mr. Dimentid looked back at Risk, sitting at his desk, her eyes still locked on the computer screen.
“Can you explain this, honey?” Risk asked softly, her tone distant as she continued to stare blankly at the image on the screen in front of her. The computer showed the image of a Hero who had died during the War, one whose appearance matched Risk’s perfectly.
Risk tore her eyes away from the computer screen and looked across the room into Mr. Dimentid’s eyes. “Honey... who is Chance?” She asked, her voice quivering.
Mr. Dimentid sighed as he reached his gloved hand into his black leather suit and pulled out a small device with a single button on it. “I swear, it’s seems like every one of you is smarter than the last.” Mr. Dimentid said harshly. “I’ll have to look over the settings on the equipment this time; even though you’re a minor expense, money is still money.”
“Honey, what are you-” Risk’s voice caught in her throat before she could finish her sentence; her muscles were tightening, and Risk found out with great horror that she could no longer breathe. She tried to move, to speak, to do ANYTHING, but her body would not respond; she was dying. She fell off the desk chair and rolled onto the ground, her eyes starting to roll back into her head. The last thing she saw was Mr. Dimentid standing over her, looking down at her with a look of frustration on his face. There was no sign of sadness, nor remorse, not even pity as he looked down at her. She finally realized, just before giving into the growing darkness, that he had never loved her... what she had mistaken for love, the feeling he had towards her, had been the same as a child enjoying a toy... or a man enjoying a new car... she had been just another material to her... she finally realized this, and then... nothing more.
Mr. Dimentid took out his cell phone as he kneeled beside Risk. “I’m coming down... No, don’t start the Replicator yet, I want to look it over first...” He gently brushed aside the blonde hair covering Risks’ face and carefully closed her lifeless eyes. “Yes, it was in the office this time... OK, I’ll be there in about 10 minutes. Be ready by then.” Mr. Dimentid put away his cell phone as he rose back to his feet. He took one last look at Risk; then he casually walked out of his office, whistling to himself as he headed for the laboratory.

The Pain of Team Legacy: The 7 Generals

North-Western France - 50 Kilometers East of Rennes

The light of the sun reflected off the gray dome in the middle of the valley; the inconspicuous grass surrounding the base hiding strategically-placed land mines and anti-aircraft turrets. The walls inside of the base was lined with monitors showing the various activities of Lord Recluse’s minions as they swept across the country, frequently clashing with the E.U.H. (European Union of Heroes). In the center of the base, various communication stations were being manned by Recluse’s Elite Soldiers, frantically recording the incoming transmissions of Recluse’s forces. Above the communication desks, on the second floor of the base, Lord Recluse sat alone in a large, dark room, illuminated by a monitor the shape and size of a desk sitting horizontally in front of Lord Recluse. The monitor showed a large map of France, with various labeled icons slowing the location of his forces. As information of troop advancement came in, the screen would be properly tabulated to show the advancement of Recluse’s regiments.
A small alarm sounded in the room, indicating an incoming transmission from one of Recluse’s soldiers.
“Go ahead.” Lord Recluse said, pressing a button on the arm of his seat. The monitor in front of him changed, showing Lord Recluse a familiar face. “Ah, Mr. Gordo.” Recluse said, smiling as the fat man saluted him.
Mr. Gordo was one of Recluse’s 7 most trusted Generals. Each of Recluse’s Generals were chosen not just for their abilities on the battlefield, but also on their rather... unique abilities. While many of Recluse’s Generals had very unorthodox duties, Recluse’s army itself was quite unorthodox; and, considering the fact that it was due (in part) to these 7 Generals that Lord Recluse had been able to win the War of New Era, one would be foolish to take them lightly.
Mr. Gordo himself didn’t seem too threatening; the most striking thing about him being his incredibly obese body. True, Mr. Gordo was so overweight that he no longer wore any shirts, allowing his incredibly large gut to fall over the waist of his red sweat pants; his only other article of clothing being his black army boots. His wild brown hair was incredibly dirty and unkempt, not to mention being uncut as it fell onto his bare shoulders. He smiled as he looked at Lord Recluse, his beady black eyes seeming to shrink back into his head, and he wiped some drool from the corner of his mouth before speaking.
“The city of Caen is yours, Lord Recluse!” Mr. Gordo spat, more saliva coming out of his mouth as he spoke. He narrowed his eyes slightly. “Can I start choosing my meals now?”
“Yes, of course.” Lord Recluse sighed. “But remember; no more than 100, and NOT in view of the public.” Lord Recluse held his voice firm on this. “I still need these people to accept my rule after this is all over, so DO NOT overstep your limits, understand?”

Mr. Gordo nodded, and Recluse ended the transmission. Lowering the arm that had his communicator on it, Mr. Gordo motioned to several Elite Soldiers behind him; he had already chosen his first few meals. The Elite Soldiers guided Mr. Gordo into one of the many bunkers that were being set up around the perimeter of the city; inside the bunker, several more Elite Soldiers stood at attention, and in the middle of the bunker, a small French family sat, huddled together. The family consisted of a mother, father, and a daughter who couldn’t have been more than 10 years old. The father had his arms around his wife and daughter, doing his best to shield them should any of the Elite Soldiers decide to open fire on them. The man’s daughter was crying, her face embedded in her mother’s chest. As Mr. Gordo approached the family, the father spoke up, trying to sound brave even though his voice was quivering.
“<French> I don’t care if you kill me; but please, at least spare the rest of my family! They’ve done nothing to you! <French>” The man shouted.
“<French> No, Pierre! What are you doing? <French>” The mother shouted to her husband, tears in her eyes.
“<French> Mommy! Daddy! Make them go away! <French>” The daughter cried into her mother’s chest.
“Enough of this.” Mr. Gordo said, his stomach growling. “Don’t worry, you’ll all see each other again; in my stomach!” Mr. Gordo grabbed the father across the throat. “Let’s see... I’ll start with some chicken wings!” In an instant, the man disappeared, replaced by a pile of chicken wings. Mr. Gordo squealed in delight as he sat down to feast, all the time the mother and daughter remained crying.
“<French> Oh God, help us! Please spare my child! <French>” The mother began to babble over and over.
“Hey! I’m trying to enjoy me meal!” Mr. Gordo said, turning away from the chicken for a moment. “If you want to help...” He grabbed the mother by the arm. “Why don’t you give me something to wash this down with?” In the next moment, the mother disappeared, replaced by a bottle of milk. The daughter fell face-down to the floor, still crying.
“Ah, that hits the spot!” Mr. Gordo said through bites as he finished his chicken, followed quickly by his milk. He looked down at the small girl, who was still face-down on the floor, bawling. “Hey, hey, don’t cry.” Mr. Gordo said, kneeling down and raising the girl’s tear-soaked face to his own. He looked into the girl’s bloodshot eyes. “I think you’re sweet.” He said, an evil grin spreading across his face as the girl disappeared, replaced by a small bowl of vanilla ice-cream. “Oh, yes...” Mr. Gordo said as he quickly inhaled the dessert. “You’re very, very sweet...”

On the opposite end of the city, several members of the E.U.H. remained hidden inside an abandoned building as several Exterminators passed by.
“<German> Let’s go, Mario! <German>” Hans whispered to his comrades after the Exterminators left. “<German> General Lucius has already given the order to retreat! <German>”
“<Italian> No! <Italian>” Mario snapped, reloading his rifle. “<Italian> You know as well as I do that if Recluse’s forces advance any farther it will only be a matter of time before he takes Paris! After that, taking Rome will be a cake walk! <Italian>” He narrowed his eyes on his teammates. “<Italian> I will die; I know that. But we are HEROES; if we don’t lay down our lives to protect those innocence who have not yet been contaminated with Recluse’s evil, we don’t deserve that title. <Italian>”
“<French> I agree! <French>” Jean said, extending spines from his body. “<French> If we die, we’ll take down as many of those bastards as possible! Long live France! <French>”
And so, with a cry, the three Heroes burst out of the building, killing several Exterminators immediately. This outburst did not go unnoticed, however.
Inside a nearby building, four of Recluse’s Generals had been discussing their next offensive in a billiard room when they heard the battle outside. Ms. Love, the closest one to the room’s window, looked outside the room to see the source of the commotion.
“My, my...” Ms. Love said, watching the battle.. “It looks like we had some Heroes in stowaway.” She watched the Heroes fight. “Such determination... I wonder if they show the same effort in bed?”
Ms. Love was quite powerful in her own right. However, any male that gazed upon her would more than likely NOT be thinking about how she fought. Truly, Ms. Love was a vision; next to her, the super models of the former U.S., even the many scantily-clad female Heroes that were in Paragon City before the War, PALED in comparison to the physical beauty and sexuality that radiated from her body. Ms. Love was fully aware of this fact, and all of her outfits were designed specifically to take advantage of it.
Ms. Love wore long, red stiletto boots; her lower and upper body was barely covered, with only a red g-string bikini bottom and red bikini top covering her body, while her arms were covered with long, red leather gloves. Her face, even without make-up, was incredibly beautiful; and she let her long, black hair fall freely onto her bare shoulders.
“Heroes?!” Mr. Boom yelled. “I can’t believe this! My subordinates told me this city was SECURE! I’ll take care of this myself; but I swear, it’s not just going to be some worthless Heroes that answer for this!” He picked up a billiard ball from the billiard table; the instant he did so, the billiard ball began to glow with red light. He threw the ball across the room, where it exploded on the wall, sending shrapnel flying everywhere. “Let me at them!” Mr. Boom huffed.
Mr. Boom, at first glance, did not appear to be very powerful. He was a bit shorter than most men his age, a fact that only fueled his seemingly limitless anger. He wore black military boots, along with long black pants, and a red leather trenchcoat, underneath which he wore a black wool T-shirt. He wore black, fingerless gloves on his hands, and completed his outfit with a black beret that had the Spider insignia on it. His short, brown hair was tucked underneath the beret.
The explosion woke up Mr. Winkle, who had been sleeping on a couch in the corner of the room.
“What’s all the ruckus?” Mr. Winkle yawned.
“Nothing.” Mr. Boom gritted his teeth, turning to Mr. Winkle. “Just a desperate attack by some Heroes.” He walked out of the room, heading downstairs.
“Oh, that’s all?” Mr. Winkle asked, half-asleep, not particularly caring one way or the other. “You deal with it; I’m going back to sleep.”
Mr. Winkle had some very odd habits; first off, he slept MUCH more often than most people, usually for 16-18 hours a day. Secondly, when he WAS awake he commanded his troops via communications from a safe distance. But perhaps most interestingly of all was his ability to manipulate his fellow Generals into doing his work for him.
For someone who never exercised, Mr. Winkle was surprisingly thin. His tall, lanky body generally covered the entirety of the many couches and beds he slept on. Since he spent 90% of his time on the couch, he didn’t wear any shoes. Long, black, tattered pants covered his legs, above which he wore a red T-shirt that had many holes in it. Since Mr. Winkle didn’t shave, his entire mouth was covered by his thick, black beard. Likewise, since he didn’t cut his hair often, Mr. Winkle’s black hair extended down his back, though he usually tucked it on his side whenever he slept.
“Oh, just look at that Hero!” Ms. Green said, looking out the window. “He can shoot spikes from his body!” Ms. Green stamped her foot on the ground. “It’s not fair! I want that kind of power!”
Ms. Green was by far the youngest of Recluse’s Generals, only 16 years old. She wore expensive black slippers on her feet, with long, black jeans covering her legs, a ruby-studded belt situated around her waist. She also wore a short-sleeve black tank-top, allowing some of her midriff to show; a red Spider insignia was embroidered on the front of the tank-top. Her green hair was cut to medium length, styled in such a way that it covered her right eye.
Ms. Green looked at the Hero she had mentioned earlier, smiling to herself as her black tank-top changed into one of the white and blue leather jackets of the E.U.H. Ms. Green lifted her right arm, a spike protruding from it.
“Hmm...” Ms. Green extended more spikes from her body, sampling the power. She smiled to herself. “Not bad, though I HAVE experienced much better powers.” She turned to Ms. Love. “It would be so much nicer if I had the ability to THINK of whatever I want and poof!” Ms. Green made a motion with her hands. “It would be there! Wouldn’t that be the BEST power?”
“Honestly, Ms. Green...” Ms. Love sighed. “Aren’t you ever grateful for what you already have?”
Ms. Green placed her elbows on the window sill, cupping her face in her hands. “I WOULD be, if I had as much as Lord Recluse does.”
Mr. Boom walked out from the building, the three Heroes instantly recognizing him.
“<German> You! <German>” Hans yelled, removing his battle axe from the skull of an Exterminator and turning to the General.
“<Italian> You won’t get the chance to see the end of the war! <Italian>” Mario yelled, aiming his rifle at the General. “<Italian> Today is the day you die! <Italian>” Mario fired his weapon at the General. With lightning-quick speed, Mr. Boom caught the bullet in mid-air.
Smiling, Mr. Boom opened his hand, showing the bullet (which was now glowing with red energy) to the Heroes. “Catch.” Mr. Boom said, flicking the bullet back at Mario.
“<French> Mario! <French>” Jean yelled, watching Mario’s lifeless body fall to the ground. Yelling out, he charged Mr. Boom, with Hans attempting to catch the General from behind.
Jean fired a spike at Mr. Boom. Easily catching the spike in his hand, Mr. Boom quickly added his own energy to the spike and turned to Hans, slashing with the spike. Mr. Boom’s attack effectively cut Hans in half, and Mr. Boom had enough to turn to Jean and throw the spike into the Hero’s chest. In the next instant, the spike exploded, killing Jean.
“OK, now I feel a little better.” Mr. Boom said, taking his beret off and wiping the blood from it.

The signal for another incoming transmission sounded in Recluse’s private office. Answering, Recluse’s monitor showed the image of Swift Blade, another of Recluse’s Generals.
“Ah, Swift Blade.” Recluse said, clasping his hands together. “I’ve been expecting your report for some time. I have several battalions that need your kind of leadership, and since your work in the former U.S. is complete, I trust-”
“It was unsuccessful.” Swift Blade interjected, narrowing his eyes at Lord Recluse.
Lord Recluse paused, studying Swift Blade’s expression. “That’s impossible. All of the data we’ve gathered on that pathetic little resistance of Heroes indicates that they are COMPLETELY incapable of-”
“Yes, their victory over Sonic Blade surprised me, as well.” Swift Blade interrupted once more, remembering the battle.
Lord Recluse leaned back in his chair, pondering the situation. “This is inexcusable. Destroying such a weak band of Heroes shouldn’t have been ANY problem for Kill Strike. I want an explanation.” Lord Recluse attempted to keep his anger in check as he spoke, but even a normal human could see Recluse’s rage building.
“It wasn’t the work of the entire team, Lord Recluse.” Swift Blade said, his mind beginning to wander. “It was the work of one individual on the team; specifically, this one individual has a... has considerably more skill and power than the other Heroes.” Swift Blade thought back to the time he had fought the girl, during the War.
Recluse noticed Swift Blade’s uneasy expression. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Swift Blade cleared his thoughts and turned back to Recluse, his expression stone-cold and professional. “No, Lord Recluse. It is nothing I can’t handle, at the very least.”
“I certainly hope so.” Lord Recluse said, glaring at Swift Blade. “You’re by far the best General I have at my disposal; and, to be honest, I was a bit suspicious of you’re loyalty when you first came to me.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “But you have proven your loyalty time and time again under my authority, and while I disagree with many of your beliefs, well...” Recluse chuckled under his breath. “Like I’ve said many times before: I don’t care what you believe, what values and morales you hold, or even what you think of me. But...” Lord Recluse tone became much harsher. “So long as you live under my rule, you will abide by my Laws and you will do as I order. WITHOUT QUESTION.” Lord Recluse leaned forward in his seat. “Is that understood?” Swift Blade nodded, doing his best to prevent a grin from spreading across his face. “Good.”
At that moment, another incoming transmission came in. Lord Recluse answered it, and the monitor in front of him split into two parts, one showing the face of Swift Blade, and the other now showing the face of Mr. Dimentid, Lord Recluse’s last General.
“Lord Recluse, I couldn’t help but notice that Team Legacy hasn’t been destroyed. I think it’s safe to assume that Kill Strike failed in his mission, hmm?” Mr. Dimentid chuckled under his breath, then continued. “Anyway, I decided I’d offer an alternate solution.”
“Your Spine Brethren have already failed TWICE, Dimentid.” Lord Recluse said, narrowing his eyes at the General.
“Yes, I’m aware of that.” Mr. Dimentid adjusted his glasses, a knowing smile spreading across his face. “I’m working on improvements as we speak.”
“Improvements?” Recluse asked suspiciously.
“The miracle of money, Lord Recluse.” Mr. Dimentid waved his hand. “Anyway, I’m sure you remember the Centurion Project you ordered me to start about a year ago, correct?” Lord Recluse raised an eye at this, causing Mr. Dimentid to chuckle. “Apparently so. As it turns out, I’ve just finished a Prototype Centurion.” He smiled wickedly. “But I need to field test it before I can begin mass-producing them for Europe.” Mr. Dimentid looked around mockingly. “But where, oh where, am I going to find some Heroes to test this Prototype on?” Mr. Dimentid asked sarcastically.
Lord Recluse chuckled once more. “Fine. You have my consent. Swift Blade!” He turned to his other General. “As usual, you maintain an undetectable perimeter around the Heroes. I want a full report of the battle after the resistance is wiped out.” He moved his hand over a button on the arm of his chair. “Lord Recluse out.” The transmissions ended.

Mr. Dimentid turned away from the large monitor on his laboratory wall and turned to a large tube containing Risk, various tubes and hoses attached to her body.
“New Configurations Adapted; Reconfiguration Complete.” The laboratory’s computer declared in a monotone voice as the tube opened, the water spilling out, Risk beginning to come to.
Mr. Dimentid let Risk down, removing the tubes that were attached to her body. Risk spat out some water and then coughed, breathing air for the first time. She opened her eyes and looked at Mr. Dimentid.
“Mr. Dimentid...” She said, her voice faint. “My one... true love...” She wrapped her arms around Mr. Dimentid’s shoulders and kissed him passionately on the lips.
Mr. Dimentid returned Risk’s kiss. There is NOTHING money can’t buy.

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So, what did you think? I'll try and find more time to work on this Fanfic, so keep checking back!

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Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic

Is the next chapter in progress? This isnt so much a CoH fan fic as a whole CoH fan-universe you have created here. Very imaginative.

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Wow, it's been a LONG time since I've gotten any feedback on this fanfic; thank you, Blood_Wolffe.

And to answer your question, yes, I'm in the middle of working on the next Chapter, and it looks like it's coming out pretty well, IMO, however biased that may be

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Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic

I have been following it for a while now, I am sure alot more have been too. You were worried nobody followed it after that accusation? I can tell when someone is just cutting and pasting elements, characters, and plots. This is FAR from it. This is the best Fanfic I have read on these boards so far.

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Alright, I KNOW it's been a LONG time since I've updated this fanfic, but I've had a small family crisis in the past week that takes me away from my computer for 90% of the day, ergo I can't work on this fic as often as I want to.
Don't worry; I'm almost done with the next Chapter, and the main brunt of my family crisis is over, so I SHOULD be able to work on this fic alot more often now... hopefully...
Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I have NOT given up on this fic, and I'll (probably) get the next Chapter up by the weekend

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Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic

For those of you who have been waiting almost FOUR WEEKS for the next Chapter... HERE IT IS!!!
I apologize for taking so long; but the family crisis I told you about in my last post had an unexpected re-lapse, and the past couple weeks have been rather tense...
But I'm sure you don't want to hear about MY problems, and the good new is I that now I can FINALLY focus on this fanfic once more!
Aw, but why am I still jabbering on like this? Here's the next Chapter!

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The Atlantic Ocean, 300 Kilometers off the Coats of Spain - 324 B.C.

Aristotle looked off the starboard side of the ship, into the horizon. Dawn was breaking over the horizon, casting a cascade of orange and crimson colors into the morning sky. Most of the crew was still in the brig, sleeping. Those were the lucky ones; the unlucky ones were already running about the ship, some checking to make sure the rigging of the ship was tied properly, others sweeping the deck clean.
Aristotle shivered slightly; the wind blew particularly strong in the ocean, especially in the early morning hours. Aristotle turned and walked to the port side of the ship, looking for any sign of land. There was none; they were in the middle of the Great Ocean, not a dry rock for miles.
Perfect. Aristotle thought to himself. He walked to the door of the brig and made his way into the ship, heading for his interpreter.
Several hours later, Aristotle was waiting patiently on the deck next to his interpreter as the majority of the crew carried a large stone from the brig onto the deck of the ship.
The stone was spheric in shape, and about the same height as Aristotle, though several times heavier. Most interestingly, however, was the Latin inscription on the stone, as well as the mystic symbols that had been carved into the stone.
One of the crew members carrying the stone accidently lost his grip on it, causing it to crash to the deck.
“<Greek> Be careful with that! <Greek>” Aristotle yelled, and his interpreter immediately repeated Aristotle’s words in the crew’s native language.
Aristotle shook his head as the crew members once more picked up the stone. “<Greek> Good; it’s undamaged. We’re lucky; who knows what would’ve happened if that stone chipped? <Greek>” He whispered to the interpreter.
“<Greek> Don’t worry; this is the best crew my country has to offer. <Greek>” The interpreter whispered back. He hesitated before continuing. “<Greek> If you don’t mind my asking, Aristotle, why does your pupil, the Great Alexander, want this stone at the bottom of the Great Ocean? <Greek>”
“<Greek> Don’t concern yourself with that. <Greek>” Aristotle responded, and the interpreter quickly became silent.
Aristotle watched the crew hoist the stone up and over the starboard side of the ship, where it made a loud SPLASH as it hit the water below, quickly sinking.
Aristotle walked over to the edge of the boat and watched the stone sink below the waters of the Great Ocean. “<Greek> As it began with my teacher’s teacher, let it end with me. <Greek>” Aristotle watched the final bubbles disappear from the surface of the water. “<Greek> God willing. <Greek>”

The Pain of Team Legacy: The Four Goddesses (Part 1)

The sun was setting low in the horizon as Delta arrived in Recluse City. Delta was a bit taken aback at the dirty streets, the abandoned buildings; the city appeared dead to her.
Delta was very young; not quite 19 years old yet. Her appearance would suggest that she was a foreigner, though no foreigner EVER set foot in Recluse’s Empire. The people that could flee from Lord Recluse’s grasp during and after the War were also strongly opposed to Recluse’s government, and the atrocities that Recluse’s henchmen were said to have committed, whether real or fictitious, were told in great detail at every public venue from Madrid to Tokyo.
Regardless, Delta’s outfit could easily have been one of a Hero. She wore a white, single-piece, sleeve-less satin blouse that extended from her neck to her knees. Over her blouse, Delta wore a beige cape that extended over her head as a hood and ended at her waist, a single button at her neck the only thing keeping the cape in place as it flapped about her body in the wind. Delta’s outfit was complete with beige sandals and a white veil, her green eyes and forehead the only visible areas of her face.
Could the Vessels really reside in such a decrepit place? Delta thought as she reached into her blouse, pulling out four stones. The stones glowed softly in Delta’s hand, an array of red, blue, yellow, and green light. Delta looked up and surveyed the area. I’m close. She put the stones back into her blouse and moved deeper into the city.

“All right!” Dan yelled, stretching his arms over his head as he and Ken walked into the Dining Area of Team Legacy’s base. Dan smiled as he put his arms around Ken playfully. “There’s nothing like a BIG dinner after a good workout, right Ken?”
“Well, it definitely nicer than some of the meals I’ve eaten.” Ken laughed slightly as he and Dan took their places at the table. Ken noticed that Gabriel, Faith, and Luck, were already seated. “And I have to admit, Hope’s cooking is incredible!” Ken added, smiling.
“That’s for sure!” Dan said as he punched Ken in the arm playfully. “I’d hate to think what would happen if-” Dan was interrupted as Hope appeared at the door leading to the Conference Room of Team Legacy; she had Michael by the arm, and was desperately trying to drag him into the Dining Room.
“But Michael!” Hope protested, sounding exasperated as she continued to attempt to drag her reluctant teammate into the room. “You... have... to... eat!”
“Can’t it wait for an hour or two?!” Michael’s shouted back. “I’ve finally got the new energy source stabilized, but if you-”
“What new energy source?” Luck asked, rising from her seat. Gabriel and Faith rushed to assist Hope, and together they dragged Michael into the room, closing the door behind him. Michael fell to his knees in frustration, while Hope did the same from exhaustion.
“Michael, I’m worried.” Hope said, panting a bit as she regained her strength. “For the last couple of weeks you’ve shut yourself off in your room, only coming out to eat.” She leaned closer to Michael and looked into his eyes. “You’ve got us all worried; we just want to know what you’re working on that’s so important, that’s all.”
Michael looked back into Hope’s eyes for a moment, then looked down, gritting his teeth. “Well...”
“Hey, wait a minute!” Dan interrupted, pointing at Hope. “If you’ve been busy getting Michael out of his room, then who...?”
“Dinner is served!” Daisy and Lily declared as the doors to the Kitchen burst open, the two young women holding trays of food in their arms and wearing pink aprons over their usual outfits.
Dan, Ken, Gabriel, Luck, Faith, and Michael looked in shock as Daisy and Lily began placing plates of food on the table. Hope’s face glowed a bright red as she, Michael, and those who had gotten up slowly took their places at the table once more. After Lily and Daisy presented plates to every member, they placed trays of... stuff... in the middle of the table before taking their seats.
“So...” Dan began as he eyed the food in front of him; it appeared to be a brown rock. He looked at Daisy and Lily, who were smiling as they sat next to Ken (who had a noticeably larger portion than the other members of Team Legacy). “Have you two... decided to take up cooking?”
“Oh, no!” Lily said as she took some white mush from one of the trays. “We just decided that since Hope always makes our meals for us, it would be nice to give her a day off!”
“Really?” Gabriel asked, poking his fork at the substance on his plate. He turned angrily towards Hope, whose face was still a deep crimson hue.
“Yes...” Hope said, almost apologetically. “I told them I didn’t mind cooking; I enjoy it, but they insisted...” She looked around the table, her face growing even redder, then finally turned her eyes to her food.
“What is this?” Dan asked, attempting to cut his rock. His knife couldn’t penetrate it.
“Oh, that’s Daisy’s meatloaf.” Lily said, sneering at Daisy.
“Well, I seem to have the most generous portion.” Ken said as he pondered the mountain of food on his plate. “You girls didn’t have to-”
“Oh, but I insist!” Daisy said quickly, taking some of the white mush into a spoon and holding it in front of Ken’s face. “Here! I spent a long time making these mashed potatoes, so I hope you’ll like them!”
“Oh...” Ken hesitated, then took the spoon from Daisy’s hand. Ken swallowed hard, then scooped the stuff into his mouth. Ken attempted to keep a straight face as he swallowed the slop. “It’s... not bad.” Ken said as he forced a smile.
“Here, Ken!” Lily said, taking a bowl full of an orange, Jell-O like substance and stuffing a spoonful into Ken’s mouth. “I used my secret recipe for sweet potatoes; doesn’t it just melt in your mouth?”
Ken’s eyes began to water as he swallowed. “Now, girls, you really don’t have to-”
“Oh, you’re being too generous, Ken!” Daisy said, staring at Lily as she took a spoonful of some yellow substance. “Lily’s sweet potatoes are nothing compared to my applesauce; try it!” She stuffed the food into Ken’s mouth.
“Really, girls, I-” Ken tried to say, but suddenly found his mouth full.
“You don’t even use any spices in your applesauce!” Lily yelled, glaring at Daisy as she stuffed more food down Ken’s throat.
“Don’t give him your clam chowder! It’s putrid!” Daisy yelled, knocking Lily’s hand away as she rammed another spoonful of food into Ken’s mouth.
Ken desperately swallowed, holding back the urge to vomit as he looked to Dan for help. Dan returned his gaze with a grin.
“You know, I bet Ken would love the meatloaf, too!” Dan said, trying his best to keep a straight face.
“Excuse me...” A young woman appeared at the doorway, causing everyone to turn their attention to her. Ken used the opportunity to spit out the food in his mouth. The woman looked around the room. “Pardon me if I’m interrupting something-”
In an instant, Dan had drawn his Dragon Slayer and lashed at the woman, the tip of his sword hovering inches from her throat.
“Who are you and how did you get in here?” Dan asked, keeping his eyes on the woman. The other members of Team Legacy did the same.
“I apologize...” The woman said, raising her hands up to show she was unarmed. “I call myself Delta; I mean you no harm. But you’re base isn’t hidden very well, nor is it being protected at the moment...”
“What?!” Michael rose to his feet and ran into the Conference Room, coming back with a small, handheld device in his hand.
The device was thin and sleek; but a monitor covering one side of the gadget was the only noticeable feature. In one corner of the monitor, the image of a small bed containing a sleeping young woman was shown. The woman had light blue hair and small “Z”s coming out of her mouth.
“Tulip!” Michael shouted, shaking the device. In the next instant, Michael was lit up with electrocution and consequently fell to the ground as a lightning bolts shot out of the monitor, reforming in the Dining Room as a young woman with blue hair. Tulip was only dressed in pink pajamas, and had a teddy bear tucked under her arm as she rubbed her eyes and yawned.
“Can’t a girl get some sleep?” Tulip asked as she looked around, noticing Delta. “Hello. Who are you?” Tulip examined Delta’s outfit, then changed her own in a flash of electricity. Tulip now wore blue, button-front, single-piece, low-cut blouse that ran from her neck to just below her hips. She stockings over her blue, high-heeled shoes, and her blue hair was now tied back over her head as she adjusted her new glasses.
Tulip walked over to Delta as Dan lowered his sword. Tulip lifted Delta’s cape, running her hands over the fabric. “Oh, I love it! It’s both comfortable AND fashionable!” Tulip frowned as she eyed Delta’s veil. “But THAT’S not so great. The Arabic-look really clashes with the rest of-”
“TULIP!!!” Michael yelled, recovering from his “shocking” experience. “You were SUPPOSED to be monitoring the base! You were SUPPOSED to make sure people couldn’t just walk in here like SHE just did!” He pointed to Delta.
“May I explain myself?” Delta interjected politely. The entire team returned their attention towards Delta, and she sighed before continuing. “I was sent here by the three Guardians of the Stone of Elements.”
“The what?” Dan asked, his hand still on the hilt of his Dragon Slayer.
Delta smiled inwardly. It’s no surprise this group doesn’t know of the Guardians. Only a handful of the Masters were aware of them, and I doubt that-
“The Guardians of the Stone of Elements are really the three Masters of Earth, Ice, and Fire.” Ken calmly explained, causing everyone in the room to turn and stare at him. “About 20 years ago, those three Masters discovered the Stone of Elements and decrypted the ancient language it was written in.” He looked directly at Delta as he continued. “The inscription on the Stone told a tale of Four Elemental Goddesses that long ago helped a human attain great power, as well as a great kingdom.” Ken lowered his eyes, trying his best to remember the tale as it was told to him. “But... something happened...” Ken searched his mind. “I... can’t remember... but I do know that, in the end, the Four Goddesses were imprisoned in the Stone of Elements by order of the very same human they had helped.” He returned his gaze to Delta. “If they sent you here, they must think that at LEAST one of us is a Vessel.”
“Hey, wait a minute!” Daisy yelled, rising to her feet and pointing accusingly at Ken. “How do YOU know all of that?! Just who ARE you, anyway?!”
Ken looked into Daisy’s eyes, and for a moment the room was silent. Finally, Ken spoke.
“I know because the one who taught me swordsmanship told me that story himself.” Ken turned to stare at Delta. “I’m sure you know who my trainer was.”
“I see...” Delta said, the truth finally dawning on her. “Master Ryu took YOU in as a student!”
“Master Ryu?!” Dan yelled, running over to Ken and practically choking him from excitement. “I don’t believe this! You mean all this time I’ve been sparring with you I COULD have been learning incredible sword techniques from the same person you did?!” Dan shook Ken wildly, causing Ken to become quite dizzy. “What are you waiting for?! If you know where this Master Ryu guy is you’ve got to tell us right now!”
“Even if Master Ryu DID go against his principles and decide to help you...” Delta said, shaking her head sadly. “You still wouldn’t have enough power to defeat Lord Recluse.”
“Maybe not...” Gabriel said, rising to his feet. “But every little bit helps.” He turned to Ken. “Ken, if you have any idea-”
“Listen,” Delta interrupted. “If you want to defeat Lord Recluse, that’s one area where the Guardians can help you.”
“And how exactly can you do that?” Michael asked, still not entirely trustful of Delta.
Delta sighed and reached into her blouse. Dan and Michael tensed at this action, preparing to attack, but relaxed when Delta pulled out four glowing stones and presented them to the team. She placed the stones on the Dining Table.
“These four stones have been attuned to the Four Goddesses that reside in the Stone of Elements.” Delta explained as all of Team Legacy observed the stones. “The stone that is glowing red is attuned to the Fire Goddess; the stone that is glowing blue is attuned to the Water Goddess; the stone that is glowing yellow is attuned to the Wind Goddess; and the stone that is glowing green is attuned to the Earth Goddess.” Delta looked around at the young Heroes before continuing. “According to the inscriptions on the Stone of Elements, the four Goddesses can be brought back to this plane of existence with ALL of their original power intact once the Vessels are found.”
“What exactly are these ‘Vessels’ you and Ken are referring to?” Gabriel asked.
“The Vessels are the four young women whose bodies will be used to bring back the Goddesses.” Delta said.
“Wait a minute...” Michael narrowed his eyes at Delta. “You’re saying that these Goddesses will basically POSSESS these ‘Vessels’ to use as they will?” Michael’s tone grew angrier. “What happens to the original personality and conscious of these ‘Vessels’?”
“You misunderstand.” Delta said. “The Goddesses don’t POSSESS the Vessels; they UNITE with them.”
“Unite?” Gabriel asked. “As in, share the body with the mind that’s already inhabiting it?”
“Exactly.” Delta said reassuringly. “Don’t worry; the ritual has been studied exhaustively by the Guardians, so I’m sure they wouldn’t try to bring back the Goddesses if they were malevolent.” Delta then looked down at the stones, her tone becoming very serious. “But know this; once we find the Vessels, and the ritual is performed, we WILL be able to destroy Recluse and this Empire.” She turned to Gabriel. “THAT I can assure you.”
Gabriel looked around the room. One by one, the team nodded in agreement; even Michael, though it was clear he wasn’t entirely convinced.
“OK...” Gabriel asked. “What do we have to do?”
“First...” Delta said, motioning towards the stones. “We must see how many Vessels are here. In order to do that, I need every young women here to clutch these stones in your hand.” She looked up at Gabriel. “Once every woman here has done that, we will know how many Vessels are present in this room.”
“Right!” Tulip yelled, surprising everyone and making Hope jump slightly. “Me first!” She grabbed the stones into her hand. The rest of the team and Delta watched anxiously. Several minutes passed... but nothing happened.
“You are not a Vessel.” Delta sighed, disappointment in her voice.
“Well, technically, she’s not even a woman.” Faith sighed, taking the stone from Tulip’s hand.
“Hey!” Tulip yelled angrily, charging up with electricity. “You take that-” Tulip stopped as Faith’s hand began to glow.
“What...?!” Faith asked as she watched the stones in her hand. The stone that was glowing yellow looked like it was melting into her hand, glowing incredibly brightly as it did so.
What’s going on? Faith thought as her hand continued to glow a bright yellow. It feels like a strong wind is passing over my hand!
After several minutes, the stone had completely melted into Faith’s hand, and the glowing had stopped. Faith stared at the three remaining stones in her hand, then looked up at Delta, who was looking at Faith in awe.
“You are the Vessel for the Wind Goddess!” Delta whispered, her voice almost catching in her throat.
Everyone stood silent for several moments; then, gently, Faith presented the stones to Luck. Luck hesitated, then took the stones into her hand. Almost immediately, Luck’s hand began to glow in a similar fashion as Faith’s had, but her hand was glowing red.
“Ow!” Luck cried out, wincing as Hope rushed to her side.
“Does it hurt?” Hope asked, watching the red stone disappear into Luck’s hand.
Luck nodded. “A bit. It feels like my hand is burning!”
“Don’t worry, it’s just a natural side effect of the stones.” Delta tried to reassure Luck. “It will pass soon... Vessel for the Fire Goddess.”
Luck looked up suddenly; she hadn’t even thought of that part.
After Luck’s hand stopped glowing and the red stone was completely gone, Luck gave the two remaining stones to Hope. Hope gently grabbed them with her fingertips. The green stone rolled into her palm, but the blue stone stuck to her fingertips.
“Oh!” Hope cried out in surprise. Her hand immediately began glowing blue, and it felt like her hand was submerged under water.
“I don’t believe it!” Delta cried out. “Three Vessels in one place!” She looked at the last Daisy and Lily as the Hope’s stone was dissolving into her hand. “I wonder if... all FOUR of the Vessels are in one place?”
“Hmph!” Lily said, walking over to Hope. “Only one way to find out.” She reached out her hand towards the green stone, hesitating for a moment. Then, she plucked it from Hope’s hand. Lily closed her eyes, waiting for the sensation to overcome her. Feeling nothing, Lily opened her eyes and looked at her hand; the stone was still there, glowing but not melting or making her hand glow.
Delta sighed. “You are not a Vessel, either.”
Lily did her best to seem disappointed. That’s a relief. She thought to herself. That just leaves... She turned to Daisy.
“Well, I guess that’s everyone!” Daisy said quickly, taking the stone from Lily’s hand. “At least you’ve found three of the people you’re looking for; as for me, I can assure you I’m-”
Daisy stopped short, her voice catching in her throat. It felt like she was holding a pound of sand in her hand. Raising the hand she had used to grab the stone, she was shocked to see it glowing green, the stone already absorbed halfway into her hand.

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Alright, I should have the next Chapter up in about 3 or 4 days!(MUCH sooner than 3 or 4 weeks, trust me)

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Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic

Alright! Finally! I apologize for making those of you following this story wait so long between each Chapter; these past couple of weeks have been SO hectic for me...
Ah, but I bet after all this time you're eager for the next Chapter! Well then, here it is!

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Vengeance (Noun):
1. the return of an injury for an injury, in punishment; revenge
2. the desire to make such a return - "with a vengeance"
(Excerpt from Webster's New World Dictionary)

Paragon City - 3 Years Ago

The doors to the main office of the Freedom Phalanx Building burst open, with Lucius leading the rest of Freedom Phalanx into the room. Statesman, who had been watching the situation escalate on the office’s televison, turned to face his comrades and friends, their expressions of desperation and urgency matching his own. There was a silence between the Heroes in the room for a moment. Finally, General Lucius spoke.
“I’m sure you know the situation...” Lucius said, his voice trailing off. Statesman nodded.
“Why wouldn’t he? It’s only been on every station for the past two hours.” Synapse said sarcastically. The rest of the Freedom Phalanx glared at him, and Synapse lowered his head. “Sorry.”
“I had no idea that it held so much power.” Statesman clenched his fists. “If I had, I would have sent a team to destroy it YEARS ago.”
“I’m more concerned with how Recluse found out about the Crystal.” Sister Psyche said, folding her arms across her chest. “All Portal Corp. records are confidential, only those working in Portal Corp., several members of the Freedom Phalanx, and the government has access to those files. So how did Recluse find out about the Crystal?”
“That’s not important right now!” Lucius said, slamming his hands on the office desk. “We ALL know that Recluse isn’t bluffing with his threats. As long as he holds that Crystal, he has the ability to destroy this entire city; not even WE would be able to protect it.” Lucius lowered his voice. “And even if... even if we DID lead a team of our best Heroes to face him... it STILL wouldn’t be enough.” Lucius lifted his head, turning to Statesman. “There’s only ONE thing we can do.”
Statesman stared back at Lucius, and for a moment the rest of the world was dark; only those two Heroes existed. Statesman thought back, back to when he had first met Lucius during the Ritki War. He had been so young, so optimistic... the kind of young optimism that only comes from one who has never experienced the realities of the world, one who has never seen the horrors of war. Now, as Statesman looked at Lucius, he saw a mirror-reflection of himself; not of the Statesman that was shown on billboards across the city; not of the Statesman that drew so many Heroes to Paragon City; not of the Statesman whom thousands upon thousands of Heroes had fought and died believing in; but of the REAL Statesman. The Statesman who did what had to be done to protect the innocent; the Statesman who had to make impossible decisions for the greater good; the Statesman who had done... what NEEDED to be done... to win the Ritki War...
“Are we CERTAIN...” Statesman said, speaking slowly, his voice wavering. “There’s NO other way?”
Lucius kept his eyes locked on Statesman’s. “You once told me that it was a Hero’s duty to protect as many innocent human lives as possible.” Lucius’s eyes began to gloss over. “No matter... WHAT... the cost...” Lucius closed his eyes for a moment, doing his best to regain his composure. Statesman did the same.
The world returned to normal, and Statesman turned to the Freedom Phalanx. “I want everyone to regroup at Portal Corp. in 10 minutes. There, I will brief you on our mission and lead you to-”
“NO, Statesman...” Lucius quickly interrupted, stepping forward. “Please... let ME lead this mission.” Their eyes met once more. “Once we’ve completed our mission, it will be up to YOU to end this.”
After some time, Statesman nodded. He turned back to the Freedom Phalanx. “OK, Lucius will lead you to Portal Corp and brief you on the mission. I will wait here until you’ve completed your mission. Then I will go to Recluse’s fortress and end his reign of terror once and for all.” Statesman sighed heavily, trying his best to keep his demeanor under control. “As Heroes, we act in the best interest of the people we protect everyday.” Statesman lowered his head slightly. “Fiat Justitia Ruat Coelum.”
The Freedom Phalanx quickly ran out of the office, heading to Portal Corp. Sister Psyche, who was the last to leave, looked back at Statesman before they went their separate ways. He was crying.

The Ruins of the Shadow Shard - 3 Years Later

Scattered pieces of land floated around aimlessly amongst the orange sky. There was no sign of life, no sign of the once great civilization that had resided in the Shadow Shard only three years earlier.
On one of the larger pieces of land drifting through the Shadow Shard, a stone well sat, filled with an odd liquid. At the surface of the liquid, the image of a closed eye slowly formed in the well.
“They’ll pay...” A guttural voice echoed out of the well. “Every single one of them shall repent... with their LIVES!”

The Pain of Team Legacy: An Eye for an Eye

“Please... STOP!” The mother pleaded, holding her daughter in her arms, covering her daughter’s eyes while she herself watched her attacker helplessly.
“Stop?” Kill Strike chuckled, holding his sword inches from the throat of the woman’s husband. He inched the sword closer to his victim’s throat, smiling wider as he watched the woman’s expression grow more desperate.
Kill Strike raised his head slightly, looking deep into the woman’s eyes. “I’m merely a loyal subject following his master’s orders.” Kill Strike snickered, inching his blade ever closer to the throat of the woman’s husband.
“It figures.” The man in Kill Strike’s arms hissed, his voice filled with defiance.
“STOP!” The woman cried out suddenly, her outcry directed at her own husband. She looked to Kill Strike. “Don’t listen to-”
“No, Martha.” The man said, his tone softer than before. “This MONSTER isn’t going to stop until we’re all dead; I’m sure of that.” His tone became much harsher as he returned his attention to Kill Strike. “You and Recluse can go to hell for all I care. I stand by my deed and I’m DAMN proud of it, too.”
With a quick slash, Kill Strike beheaded the man. He savored watching the woman cry out and rush out of the apartment, carrying her daughter in her arms. The apartment was on the fifth floor of the complex, so Kill Strike waited a moment before jumping out of the window (the same way he had gotten in). He rushed down the side of the building, running down the vertical wall as easily as a normal human would run across a horizontal floor. Kill Strike was upon the woman and her daughter just as they were leaving the building; they didn’t get more than three steps away from the exit.
Damn it... Kill Strike thought as he watched the ground develop a crimson hue. It’s no use... it’s just not the same... since HE defeated me... Kill Strike’s growled in frustration as the image of Mach Blade flashed in his head, and his mind wandered back...

Kill Strike lifted his head up off the ground, gritting his teeth and growling as he looked upon his opponent, Mach Blade, the REAL Mach Blade, his true power having been awakened.
What was that? Kill Strike thought as Mach Blade spoke in Japanese once more. He struggled to his feet, his rage continuing to increase.
“You’re laughing at me, AREN’T YOU?!” Kill Strike yelled as he charged Mach Blade. Before he knew what was happening, Kill Strike was back on the ground, a new wave of pain spreading throughout his entire body.
Is he... is he even human? Kill Strike thought, raising his head up. The blood that was trickling down Kill Strike’s forehead washed over his eyes, and the world took on a red hue as he looked upon his opponent once more.
Am I... am I afraid? Kill Strike gritted his teeth once more, a new wave of anger surging through his veins. I am Kill Strike! I’ve killed hundreds, THOUSANDS of other Heroes during the War! They ALL fell to my blade with little effort! But this... THIS... Kill Strike looked at Mach Blade, his face cringing with absolute hatred. This CHILD dares to make SPORT of me?! Kill Strike quickly rose to his feet and rushed Mach Blade. “DIE!!!”

Even as he stood over the bodies of his latest victims, the mere recollection of his defeat brought an incredible wave of anger and hatred over Kill Strike.
He’ll PAY... Kill Strike thought, his eye twitching in anger. If I have to tear down his little base piece by piece, if I have to carve up ALL of his little friends, I WILL KILL HIM!!!

In the Ruins of the Shadow Shard, the thoughts and emotions of Kill Strike were received by the final being capable of thought in the Shadow Shard: Gothim, the Vengeful.
“What’s this?” Gothim stirred slightly in the well that he had called “home” for the past three years. The image of an eye in the well disappeared, replaced by the image of Kill Strike. “Could it be...? Could he be the one?”
Seizing the moment, Gothim exerted a large amount of energy and opened a portal on the ground where Kill Strike was standing. The image of the well showed Kill Strike fall through the portal opening. Gothim then opened another portal several feet away from his own well, about 10 feet above the ground. Kill Strike fell through the portal, collapsing the ground in front of Gothim.
Kill Strike quickly rose to his feet, his eyes darting around the unfamiliar world he now found himself in.
“Who did this?!” Kill Strike yelled, raising his head upwards and shouting into the orange sky. “Show yourself!”
“I am the one who summoned you here.” Gothim said, causing Kill Strike to turn his attention to the well where Gothim resided. Kill Strike stared at the well for a moment, then pointed his sword towards it.
“Who are you? Where is this place?” Kill Strike demanded. “Are you another of Recluse’s minions?”
“RECLUSE!” Gothim’s tone became harsher. “That is the one who started my people’s torment! I would never associate with such a vile being!”
Kill Strike chuckled under his breath. “He may be vile, but he’s also incredibly powerful.” Kill Strike ran his hand over the dull edge of his sword, growing more excited as he continued to speak. “I enjoy killing! I enjoy seeing the expressions on the faces of my victims just before I slice through their flesh; I don’t think there’s a more pleasurable experience in the world than that!” Kill Strike sighed, his tone becoming softer. “Unfortunately, such behavior is frowned upon in the world I live in.” He turned his attention back to Gothim. “But thanks to Lord Recluse, I can satisfy my desires freely! THAT is the ONLY reason I ally myself with him.”
“I see...” Gothim was silent for a moment before continuing. “When I was created, I was given the ability to sense intense emotions of anger and hatred among other intelligent species, even if they were in another dimension. This is how I was able to find you and bring you here.” Gothim’s tone became smug. “If you are truly as satisfied as you say you are, then why was I able to detect such emotions from you?”
Kill Strike stared at stone well in front of him, silent.
“Is your anger directed at Lord Recluse, or could it be-”
“It has nothing to do with Recluse!” Kill Strike shouted in anger. His anger rose as he once again recalled his fight with Mach Blade. “I was... defeated... by a Hero.”
“A Hero...” Gothim grew angry once more, but was secretly relieved by this new information. “Then, I assume you wish to kill the Hero who defeated you, but are unable to do so?”
“I CAN KILL HIM!!!” Kill Strike spat, his anger redoubling. “He’s NOTHING compared to me!” Kill Strike’s voice became a growl. “I just need to become slightly stronger, that’s all...”
“So, you seek power...” Gothim began to chuckle. “And all of your anger is directed towards a Hero...” Gothim’s chuckle became outright laughter.
“Do you find this funny?!” Kill Strike yelled.
“Oh, no.” Gothim said apologetically. “It’s just humorous how perfect this is.” Gothim lowered his voice slightly. “What would you say if I told you I could help you kill the Hero who defeated you?”
Kill Strike lowered his sword and rushed to the well, grabbing onto the edges and shouting into it. “How?! What do you mean?!”
“Take your sword...” Gothim said as the color of the liquid in the well turned bright red. “And dip your sword into me. By doing this, I will be able to transfer my being into your sword, and you and I shall become one.”
Kill Strike narrowed his eyes as a thought crossed him. “What do you have to gain by helping me? How do I know this isn’t some kind of trap?”
The liquid in the well changed once more, this time taking a deep, purple hue.
“I will help you because doing so will enable me to fulfill my purpose, my reason for being.” As Gothim spoke, the image of a strange creature appeared in the well. “The desolate world you see right now was once home to a great civilization, a civilization that called themselves the Rularuu...”

“The Rularuu were an intelligent and prosperous race...” Gothim began, the purple liquid in the well showing images of the creatures living in cities, farming the land, and living as families in various homes. “Despite their appearance, their level of science and medicine was about equal to that of humans before...” Gothim stopped for a moment, then the purple liquid showed images of three beings that slightly resembled humans, though certain characteristics on the beings were clearly in-human. “Anyway, the reason that the Rularuu were as far advanced as they were was largely due to the actions of these three entities, known as the Three Elders. These entities not only served as the leaders of the government, but also had extraordinary abilities that led many Rularuu to regard them as gods.”
“The first Elder was known as Ruladak, the Creator.” Gothim showed images of Ruladak consulting with another entity. “Ruladak was responsible for creating the Laws of the Rularuu civilization and presenting them to the second Elder: Lanaru, the Just.”
“Lanaru’s task was to overview the Laws that Ruladak created to ensure that they were fair and sensible.” The well showed images of Lanaru talking with the final entity.
“Lanaru would then present the Laws he approved to Faathim, the Overseer.” The well now showed images of Faathim addressing a large number of Rularuu in the middle of a city. “Faathim would proceed to announce the new Law or Laws to the Rularuu masses. It was also Faathim’s duty to ensure that all the Laws were being upheld, though the Three Elders were SO well respected by the Rularuu that there was NEVER even a SINGLE incident of a Law being broken.” Gothim uttered a loud, reverberating sigh. “For hundreds of years, the Rularuu existed in this world in peace. And then, three years ago...” The well showed images of fire, and the sounds of explosions could be heard echoing from the well. “It all came to an end.”
“This world lacks most of the natural resources needed to maintain a civilization in possession of great amounts of energy.” Gothim went on to explain. “The source for all of the power the Rularuu needed resided in a mystical stone known as the Shadow Crystal. The Crystal had been created at the same time as the Three Elders, and not even the Elders themselves understood how it had been created or exactly how it’s bond with the Rularuu had been formed. What WAS known, however, was that the Crystal held immense power; power that was directly proportional to the number of Rularuu that were alive. This was quite favorable to the Elders, for it meant that the Crystal would be powerful enough to fuel the needs of the population no matter how large it became. However, it was also known that the Crystal had the potential to be used for more... destructive purposes. Only the Elders knew the truth; that if the Shadow Crystal was to come into the possession of a non-Rularuu, he or she would have powers that were MUCH more incredible than that of the Three Elders combined. However, since the Rularuu had never been at war, and (with the exception of a scouting visit from Earth several years earlier) the Rularuu had never been in contact with an outside civilization, let alone have ANY hostilities towards one, the Elders did not see this as a concern.”
“On that day, three years ago, a portal opened in the center of one of the major cities of the Rularuu civilization... and chaos ensued. Thousands of Recluse’s Exterminators poured out of the portal and began slaughtering the Rularuu who had been unfortunate enough to be in the city at the time. The Rularuu, who had never encountered such brutality in their entire existence, fled the city. News of the attack spread quickly, and the Rularuu turned to the Elders for help. The Elders met with Lord Recluse, leader of the Exterminators, and demanded to know the reason for the attack. Recluse’s answer was simple: Give him the Shadow Crystal, or he would send his army to destroy all of the Rularuu.”
“The Elders attempted to explain the importance of the Shadow Crystal, how it was vital to their civilization. Recluse responded by burning down one of the smaller towns to ashes.” Gothim paused for a moment, then continued. “The Elders, unable to bear watching their people die, and unwilling to force their peaceful civilization to take up arms, caved into Recluse demands. He was presented with the Shadow Crystal the next day, and the Elders ask that he leave this world and never return. Recluse was all too happy to comply; he claimed that he ‘no longer needed anything in this world’.”
“While the loss of the Shadow Crystal and the lives of many Rularuu weighed heavily on the conscious of the Elders, they had high hopes for the future of their civilization. Unfortunately, it seemed as though as soon as Recluse’s forces had left this world that another force came, a group that WOULD spell the end of the Rularuu; they called themselves the Freedom Phalanx.”
“These... beasts... these animals that dressed in brightly-colored outfits and called themselves ‘Heroes’... There was no reasoning, no mercy from them. After they had destroyed three of the major cities in this world, the Elders themselves went to face them.” Gothim paused; his next sentence was nearly a whisper. “They fought and died... trying to protect the people they loved.”
“After the Elders fell, the remaining Rularuu lost what little hope they had left. Many of them committed suicide. Those that attempted to resist the Heroes were slaughtered. Eventually, the entire Rularuu population, a civilization that surpassed all other civilizations in your world in terms of peace, was dead. The dark deed having been done, the Heroes left this world as quickly as they had came. And this world was left desolate.”
“However, the Elders, in their wisdom, had created one last entity before their death, disguising it as a harmless well; I, Gothim the Vengeful, carry the responsibility of avenging my race.” The image of an eye reappeared inside the well. “The Elders endowed me with their memories, as well as incredible destructive power. The Elders, while powerful, had focused most of their energy towards creating, and thus were not capable of fighting at the same level as the Heroes who killed them. When the Elders created me, they gave me the seldom-used abilities of destruction that they had once had at their disposal; I have spent the past three years refining this power. Unfortunately, despite all of their power, the Elders could not create a workable body for me, as they refused to let my consciousness enter one of their own kind, even as they were being slaughtered before their eyes...” Gothim was silent for a moment, reflecting on the decisions of his creators. “Instead, I was give the ability to sense incredible anger and hatred in beings outside of this dimension, as the only way I can successfully merge with a being is if that being has the same amount of hatred and bloodlust that caused my very creation. Once I have merged successfully, however, the result will be a being of INCREDIBLE power, one who WILL be able to carry out the vengeance of the Rularuu!”

The water in the well changed back to it’s previous red hue. “Now that you know WHY I am so desperate to merge with you... now that you know WHY my goal and your are not that different... and now that you know exactly WHAT I am... will you now consider me an ally?”
Kill Strike stood, staring into the well for what seemed like an eternity. Then, quite swiftly, he raised his sword by the hilt, pointed the tip of his blade downward, and dipped his sword into the well. Instantly, the red liquid rushed up the blade quickly, making vein-like patterns across the sword, stopping at it’s hilt.
“You know, in many ways it’s funny...” Kill Strike said as he watched his sword transform in front of his eyes. “This emotion called ‘vengeance’... is the center of many justice systems in my world.”
“It is an emotion that is not limited to just your world.” Gothim said as the well emptied, upwards into Kill Strike’s sword.
The sword itself transformed, the blade changing from silver to a deep red color. The hilt of the sword changed from black to purple, the surface of the hilt warm and soft, and pulsated as if it were alive. Two eyes formed on opposite sides of the blade, the eyes of a Rularuu. Finally, Kill Strike’s eyes changed from that of a normal human’s to that of some other creature. His eyes had been replaced by round, blood red balls that glowed. He was no longer Kill Strike, nor was he Gothim, the Vengeful.
“It is an emotion that all intelligent creatures experience, if only for a moment.” The new being said out loud, creating a portal that led several yards away from where Kill Strike had killed a woman and her daughter earlier. “There is not a more justifiable cause, not a more human emotion, than vengeance.” The new being looked and watched the commotion outside the apartment as he remained hidden.
“I can’t believe someone would do this!”
“It’s an outrage! I want whoever did this found NOW!”
“I knew this woman’s family since I was a kid. Whoever did this deserves to be dragged out into the street and shot.”
“This woman had a brother; thank God he lives in another complex. I’m sure he’d want to see his sister’s killer brought to justice.”
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth... a life for a life.” The new being walked farther away from the commotion and into the shadows of the night. “I will be the instrument of justice for Recluse and those who call themselves ‘Heroes’. I am Bloodshed, the Spirit of Vengeance... let justice be done.”

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So, what did you think? I thought this was one of my better Chapters, but I'm a bit biased I'll have the next Chapter up soon, I mean it this time!

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Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic

Hey Unknown_Hero,

I just started reading this earlier today during some time i was waiting for Adware and virus checks to finish and I just couln't stop reading till I was pulled away.

You have a talent for developing characters and spinning a tale that could entice anyone into listening for hours on end (which I did).

So far I am up to The Pain of Team Legacy: The Deadly Kill Strike (Part 2) and I am loving it. I hope to finish what you have so far tomorrow.

I liked the references to Ruroni Kenshin throughout, because that is one of my personal favorite anime shows (right after Full Metal Alchemist) so kudos to you on that.

I'd kill to have your abilities to write (well not really kill but you get the point). Well, I'll tell ya what I think tomorrow after I finish reading the remainder of what you have written so far, In the meantime keep up the good work, and I hope you continue this for a long time.

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Thanks for the feedback, King of Blades! I apologize for my long, long, LONG hiatous from this Fanfic; I bet most of you thought I had forgotten about it, huh? WRONG! I am pleased to bring you the next Chapter in my Fanfic! Enjoy!

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Berlin, Germany - May 6, 1945

In his underground bunker, the leader of the Nazi forces stood in front of his most loyal subjects, carefully dictating his final wishes. The single metal, dome-shaped room of the bunker was dark, dirty, and pathetically small. The dirt floor cast near-suffocating dust throughout the bunker, and the metal walls had been decorated with Nazi Flags, a symbol of the leader’s pride and determination, even in his final hours. Nevertheless, the dictator of the Third Reich stood straight and proud as he began his final speech, his audience composed of only a half a dozen of his most loyal officers.
“<German> My fellow soldiers, the end is near <German>.” The leader began, his tone soft, yet brimming with determination. Even with the Russian army closing in on his sacred capital city from the east, the Nazi dictator held onto his pride; the pride of a soldier who could not, WOULD not, accept defeat. “<German> Today is a day that the people of the Fatherland... no... the people of the WORLD, shall rue for centuries to come <German>” The leader looked over his shoulder at his newly-married wife, who was crying in the corner of the bunker. Sighing, he turned back to face his loyal followers. “<German> The Russian army is approaching from the east, and those wretched Heroes are slaughtering my men in the west. As much as it pains me to say it, the enemy shall be outside Berlin’s walls any day now. <German>” The dictator’s eyes glazed over, brimming with pride and, at the same time... sadness. “<German> I love this Empire, as well as you, the soldiers who so valiantly fight for it. And yet, my love for this Empire is such that I cannot bear to see it conquered. <German>” The dictator smiled as he looked each of his officers in the eyes, feeling immense satisfaction that they shared in his heartache. “<German> And... I cannot allow myself to become a prisoner of the enemy. Rather... <German>” The man gestured to his wife, who quickly and obediently came to his side. “<German> My wife and I... shall take our own lives. <German>”
The sudden announcement caused a small uproar in the bunker. Several officers urged their leader to reconsider, to flee rather than die. Other officers broke down and wept. Despite the reactions of his followers, the leader of the German Army continued his speech. “<German> After my wife and I have departed from this world, I wish for our bodies to be burned, so that even in death they shall remain out of our enemies’ grasp. <German>”
The protesting and weeping finally ended, replaced by acceptance and obedience that the leader had come to expect during his rule. Taking a deep breath, the leader went on to announce his final order. “<German> Now, there is one last desire I wish to be carried out after my death. <German>” The leader suddenly kneeled on the ground, digging his hand into the dirt floor of the bunker. While his followers mumbled in confusion, the leader finally found what he had been looking for. Grabbing onto a hidden lever in the dirt, the leader opened up a hidden hatch on the floor of the bunker, revealing a staircase leading to a secret chamber underneath the bunker. The dictator’s followers reacted with gasps and shouts of surprise as the leader took his wife’s hand and guided her down the stairs into the chamber.
“<German> What are you doing just standing there? <German>” The dictator said as he stood at the top of the staircase. His followers quickly lined up behind him as he led them down, down, down a spiraling staircase that led deep underground. Dimly-lit torches against the stone wall of the spiraling staircase provided the only illumination for chamber as the officers made their way downward, chattering amongst themselves as the staircase finally ended, their leader and his wife standing in front of a large, stone door. A depiction of an angel and a demon clashing in an epic battle amongst a breathtaking landscape was chiseled into the stone door, and the dictator pushed the door open without hesitation, revealing a large, dark chamber beyond.
The only illumination in the chamber came from the center of the room, where a large tube filled with water sat. The tube was hooked up with many wires, and hummed a low tone constantly. Several of the wires connected to the tube seemed to be generating large amounts of positive energy, which it was slowly pumping in the container; while several of the other wires were obviously generating negative energy, which they added to the tank. The two energies both seemed to be absorbed into the one being that was inside the tube. The being resembled a human infant, with several tubes connected to various parts of the being’s body. At a glance, it would appear to be a normal infant, except for one major feature: two stubs that were growing out of the child’s back. If one were familiar with the anatomy of other animals, one would immediately notice that these were the beginnings of wings.
“<German> Mein Fuhrer, what is this? <German>” General Widersprechensie asked in shock, moving in front of his fellow officers so he could be better recognized.
The dictator turned to his loyal subjects, gesturing to the tube in the center of the chamber. “<German> This... is my legacy. <German>” The dictator turned and stared at his ultimate creation, the being who would carry out his wishes after his death, the being who would exact his revenge upon the world. “<German> His name... is Morning Star. <German>”

The Pain of Team Legacy: Fallen Angel (Part 1)

120 Miles West of Paragon City - 60 Years Later

The light of the full moon shone down on the top of the secret 5th Column bunker, well-hidden amongst the trees of the forest surrounding it. From the outside, the bunker appeared to be nothing more than a small outpost for the 5th Column. The interior of the bunker gave the same indication; the walls were decorated with old and slightly-torn maps of Striga Isle and Perez Park; the only two desks in the bunker held blueprints for several of the office buildings in Paragon City, and nothing more. If one were to visit the bunker, one would be much more interested in the decaying corpses of several 5th Column Soldiers that were scattered across the floor of the bunker, lying in pools of dried blood. Several months earlier, the bunker had been discovered by several of Recluse’s Exterminators, who quickly dispatched the 5th Column Soldiers guarding the bunker. Finding nothing of interest in the bunker, the Exterminators didn’t feel the need to report the bunker’s existence to Lord Recluse.
Of course, if the Exterminators had been a bit more intelligent, they would have questioned from the start why the 5th Column would set up a bunker so far from Paragon City, where the majority of their forces had been at the time. The fact that the bunker was absent of telephones, computers, radios, switchboards, or any other means of long-distance communication should have also caused the Exterminators to question the purpose of such a bunker.
But Requiem had been very crafty in the way he had set up the “hiding place” for the 5th Column’s “Ultimate Achievement”, Morning Star. When the 5th Column began their underground campaign in Paragon City, one of Requiem’s first tasks was to make sure that Morning Star wasn’t discovered until his incubation was finished. Realizing that hiding Morning Star ANYWHERE in Paragon City would be too risky, he selected a crew of two dozen of his lower soldiers to dig an elaborate underground chamber, in which Requiem placed Morning Star and everything needed to complete Morning Star’s incubation. He then had his soldiers build a bunker over the chamber, so even if someone WERE to stumble upon Morning Star’s chamber, Morning Star himself still might not be discovered. Finally, to ensure that only Requiem himself would know the secret of Morning Star’s chamber, Requiem personally killed all of the soldiers that had built the bunker once their task was finished.
On this night, in Morning Star’s hidden chamber, the incubation process was finally ending after 60 years. In the water-filled tube that had once held an infant, a full-grown man now floated, dormant. Though Morning Star was chronologically 60 years old, in appearance he looked like he was in his mid-20's. For someone who had spent their entire life in a stasis tank, Morning Star appeared to be a perfectly normal human, and a rather handsome human, at that. There were only two distinguishable features on Morning Star’s body that would lead one to believe otherwise: First, his short, dark blue hair, which bobbled slightly amidst the water in the tube. The second (and much more noticeable) feature on Morning Star’s body were the two large, white, angelic wings that were growing out of his back.

For the past 60 years, Morning Star had been educated on a sub-conscious level thanks to a Program his creator had made for him. The “Program” itself was nothing more than a type of “Virtual Tutor”; a virtual being that was capable of instructing Morning Star’s sub-conscious mind. Beginning with the basics of Math, Basic Logic, and Linguistics, the program soon moved onto the larger subjects of History, Philosophy, Advanced Logic and Ethics. It was these subjects that Morning Star’s creator had designed the Program to concentrate on.
However, there was a problem that not even the great German dictator could have foreseen; Morning Star’s Program had been tampered with. The Philosophy, Ethics, and Advanced Logic area of the Program had been a particular target of the sabotage, and a very peculiar one at that. It wasn’t that the original lessons Morning Star’s creator had implemented into the Program had ben erased; rather, the saboteur had ADDED the viewpoints, morals, and beliefs of many other influential civilizations and individuals into the Program. As a result, these areas of Morning Star’s education became contradictory in and of themselves.
The result of this change in the Program had a profound impact on Morning Star’s mind and mission. Morning Star’s creator had designed Morning Star to be his legacy, for the creation to carry on the beliefs and ideals of the creator. Morning Star’s creator had wanted a loyal, battle-hardened soldier. Instead, Morning Star was quickly becoming an incredible leader himself; one who knew the beliefs and ideals of history’s most influential people; one who had been taught the great atrocities and the unbelievable achievements of the human race; one who could, given the right incentive and experience, create a society much greater than even the United States...

On this night, a piercing alarm sounded through the chamber; the machine that gauged Morning Star’s power had detected a large spike. The machine that monitored Morning Star’s brain waves also detected a large spike in activity, and it’s alarm joined the chorus of electronic beeping as all of Morning Star’s monitors went into the red: Morning Star was finally ready.
Those sounds... Morning Star thought, beginning to regain consciousness. They’re coming from outside.. For the first time, Morning Star felt the water around him, felt the many tubes and wires that were in his body. Outside... in the world... where I want to be...
Morning Star’s body began to shake violently inside his small prison. Outside, into the world! Let me OUT! Morning Star’s eyes shot open, and for only a moment, Morning Star’s appearance changed slightly. His hair changed from a dark blue to a bright red hue, and his eyes (which matched the color of his hair) changed from blue to red, as well. Most amazing, however, were his wings; they changed from that of an angel to that of a demon. A large wave of negative energy erupted from his body, shattering the glass of Morning Star’s tank and destroying all of the equipment in his chamber. Morning Star slid out onto the newly dampened floor of the chamber, panting heavily as his wings, hair, and eyes regained their former angelic appearance.
Where is this place? Morning Star thought, looking about his surroundings for the first time. Slowly, steadily, Morning Star rose to his feet. Raising his hands in front of his face, Morning Star opened and clenched his hands several times, becoming accustomed to the sensation.
“Hello. <German> Hello. <German> <French> Hello. <French> <Spanish> Hello. <Spanish> <Italian> Hello. <Italian> <Japanese> Hello. <Japanese>..." Morning Star practiced speaking for several minutes, then looked up at the ceiling of his small room. Raising his hand, Morning Star fired a blast of positive energy from the palm of his hand, blowing a hole through the floor of the bunker above his chamber and causing debris to come raining down on himself in the resulting explosion. Morning Star easily evaded the debris and extended his wings.
Within minutes, Morning Star had flown out of the 5th Column outpost entirely and into the night sky, where he took in all of his new experiences: the crisp night air, the rush of wind across his body, the sounds of various insects and animals in the forest below.
That’s the mating call of a cricket... and that’s the call of an owl... Morning Star mentally matched the sounds with everything he had learned in his education Program. I wonder where some humans would be? Morning Star flew in a southwestern direction, and was soon out of the forest entirely.

“OK, Dr. Evans, I’m going home now!” Felicia said as she began putting on her coat.
“Right, you be safe now.” Dr. Evans replied, waving and smiling at Felicia as she left his small office.
Felicia shivered slightly and adjusted her white overcoat as she walked into the cool night air. The streets were deserted, as they usually were when Felicia ended work at 3 in the morning. Underneath her overcoat, Felicia wore a light blue, sleeveless blouse that covered her body from her neck to her just below her knees. Her matching light blue high-heel shoes clicked on the sidewalk as she made her way back to her apartment. The wind blew Felicia’s long, dark blonde hair about her face slightly, resulting in some of her hair blowing in her face. She brushed her hair away from her green eyes and continued on her way.
Felicia had only moved to Crossroads City several months ago, just before she had turned 24. She considered herself fortunate to have found a job so close to her home. Since she didn’t have enough money to afford a car, she had to walk about 3/4 of a mile to work each day, where she served as a nurse in Dr. Evans’ office. Although she did work the graveyard shift, the job payed fairly well, and she enjoyed treating the many patients that came for treatment.
I need to talk to Dr. Evans about my hours. Felicia thought to herself as she yawned and rubbed her eyes. But right now, I just want to go home, take a nice, hot shower and-
Felicia stopped mid-thought as she heard what sounded like the fluttering of large wings above her. Looking up, Felicia cried out and fell backwards as she saw a winged, naked young man land right in front of her.
“What the-?!” Felicia yelled in surprise, her face already a crimson hue as she averted her eyes from the person in front of her. “Who... what are you?”
Morning Star looked down at Felicia, a little surprised by her reaction. “You’re a human woman, right?” Morning Star waited for a response, but none came as Felicia took another glance at Morning Star, blushed, and looked away again.
Am I speaking the right language? Morning Star thought. “Hello, my name is Morning Star. Who are you?” Morning Star repeated his introduction in several different languages, but Felicia remained silent, taking a quick glance at his wings before averting her eyes once more.
“Huh?” Morning Star looked glanced at his wings. Of course! Morning Star thought, realization dawning on him.
“Don’t be afraid of my wings; I’m not here to hurt you.” Morning Star repeated this in several languages, but was interrupted as Felicia finally spoke.
“I’m not afraid of you!” Felicia said, keeping her eyes away from Morning Star’s body. “But could you PLEASE put some CLOTHES on?!”
“Clothes?” Morning Star asked, slightly surprised. “Well... I don’t have any.”
“No clothes?! Did you lose them?” Felicia got to her feet and walked past Morning Star, still refusing to look at him. “Or maybe you don’t have any money?”
“Well...” Morning Star thought. “You see, I just arrived here, so I really don’t have any money or clothes.”
“You just moved here?” Felicia asked, surprised.
“Well... I guess you could say that, yes.” Morning Star had been told in his education Program not to reveal his actual origin to anyone, so he tried to be as vague as possible.
“I see... so, you’re a drifter, then?” Felicia sighed. “And, judging from those wings growing out of your back, you must also be one of those Heroes I’ve heard so much about.”
“Heroes...” A large part of Morning Star’s education had been explaining the history and nature of Heroes, so Morning Star was very familiar with the term. “Well, I’m not exactly a Hero...”
“Whatever.” Felicia said, her back to Morning Star now. “So... you don’t have any money or clothes, and I’m guessing you don’t have a place to live, either.” Felicia glanced over her shoulder quickly, and Morning Star nodded. “If you want, I can talk to the landlord at my apartment; it won’t be anything fancy, but I can probably get you a roof over your head for the time being. You’ll need a job to keep it, though, so I suggest you start looking for one tomorrow. Now come on, follow me.” Felicia began walking forward, but Morning Star stood his ground, not quite comprehending what had just happened.
“Wait, follow you where?” Morning Star asked.
“Where do you think?” Felicia said, looking over her shoulder. “To my apartment. You can’t walk around the streets naked, so you better stay at my place tonight. I’ll get you some clothes tomorrow.”
Morning Star stared for a moment, his mind racing. One of the arguments that his education Program constantly contradicted himself on was the motives for human beings; whether a society acted to benefit the community, or to benefit the individual. The basic mentality, as it had been made clear to Morning Star, was that humans would only act on behalf of others when it would also benefit themselves. Felicia’s actions, therefore, seemed... illogical.
“What do you want in return?” Morning Star asked.
Felicia stopped for a moment, a bit surprised by the question. She turned to Morning Star, looking him in the eyes. “Nothing, really. Helping those in need is just one of those things I like to do; it makes me feel like I’m contributing something positive to this world. It’s one of the reasons I became a nurse.” Felicia took off her overcoat and handed it to Morning Star. “Here, you need this more than I do; it’s pretty cold tonight.”
“Society does not consist of individuals but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand.*” Morning Star said as he took the coat from Felicia.
“What was that?” Felicia asked as Morning Star walked ahead of her.
“Oh, nothing.” Morning Star smiled. The world was opening up to him.

*Karl Marx, "Notebook 2" (Source: Bartleby.com)

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Well, that was Part 1 of my newest Chapter! I should have the next Chapter up soon. And by "soon", I DON'T mean a month! See you next time!

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Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic

Well, looks like I got this Chapter up alot quicker than I have the past few Chapters! If all goes as planned, I should be able to follow this trend from now on, but I can't promise anything Anyway, why am I still going on like this? Here's the next Chapter! Enjoy!

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The Pain of Team Legacy: Fallen Angel (Part 2)

3 Months Later...

“Put the [censored] money in the bag! NOW!!!” The thief yelled, gesturing to his partner. The partner cocked his gun, the muzzle of which was resting against the temple of one of the bank’s many customers, a young woman. The sound of the weapon against her head caused her fear and helplessness to redouble, and she let out a cry of pain horror as her tears began pouring out of her already-tear-soaked face.
The bank teller did as she was told, filling up the bag she had been given with all the money she had at her station.
“Faster, FASTER!!!” The thief by the teller demanded, pacing back and forth nervously, constantly checking the windows for any signs of the police. “If I hear even ONE [censored] cop car come, every [censored] person in here is going home in a [censored] body bag, so DON’T get any [censored] ideas!”
The teller did as she was told as the doors to the bank opened.
“WHO THE [censored] CAME IN HERE?!” The thief turned in time to see a positive energy blast hit his partner in the arm, the very same arm that he was carrying his weapon in. As his partner cried out and cradled his now-useless arm, the thief turned to see a man with white, angelic wings turn to face him.
“DIE, MOTHER [censored]!!!” The thief yelled as he began firing his own gun at the man. However, instead of hitting Morning Star, the bullets seemed to collide with an invisible barrier about a foot in front of Morning Star, where they dissipated harmlessly in a flash of white light.
Morning Star was upon the thief faster than the human eye could follow; the thief looked on in shock as Morning Star raised him by the neck, cutting off his air supply. Morning Star waited until the thief passed out, then dropped him to the floor, being careful not to kill him.
Turning to the woman who had been in the other thug’s grip, Morning Star’s expression changed to one of concern. The woman was in a sitting position, staring at her attacker; another customer had already taken the thief’s gun away from him.
“Are you OK?” Morning Star asked, kneeling so he could look the woman in the eye.
The woman turned to her savior, blushing a bit as she looked into his handsome face. “I’ll be fine, thank you.”
“OK.” Morning Star turned to the teller, who still had the bag of cash in her hand. “You should call the police now.”
“Right!” The teller said quickly as she came to her senses and did as she was told.
Once Morning Star was sure everyone in the bank was OK, he left the bank just as the police were arriving. The sun was setting in the horizon, which meant Morning Star was due at his job soon. Felicia had convinced Dr. Evans to hire Morning Star to help around the office, and at her request Dr. Evans did so. Working in the doctor’s office, Morning Star learned more about humans than his Program had ever taught him; and, working so closely with Felicia had brought the two very close together.
But the past three months had also been very busy for Morning Star; often, he found that such incidents as the bank robbery he had just stopped quite frequent in Crossroads City. On many occasions, Morning Star came upon robberies, rapes, and murders that he felt compelled to stop. A lot of it had to do with Felicia; it was her mentality, her selflessness, that inspired Morning Star to follow in her beliefs and ideals. It was because of Felicia’s will to protect the weakest members of society that Morning Star would go out of his way to stop the criminals in Crossroads City; and, it was because of her belief in forgiveness that Morning Star never killed those same criminals, even when they themselves had taken many lives. But, even with Felicia to guide him, Morning Star always questioned the line of thinking and beliefs he had chose to follow.
While part of this questioning was due to the way Morning Star had been educated, part of it was also the fact that, in the past month, crime in the city had risen by 300%.
Is it... REALLY solving the problem? Morning Star thought to himself. Granted, one could argue that it’s better for those that cannot conform to society’s rules; the murderers, the rapists, the thieves, to be removed from the rest of society, to be placed in prisons where they can’t burden those who DO conform to society’s rules. But even THEN, don’t they still burden society? The money and resources used to maintain them in prison are paid for with the taxes of those who have done NOTHING to go against society. And, once their required sentence expires, what is left for them? What is left for these people who have defied their society, who have lost the trust of their peers? They are marked for the rest of their lives... in comparison, death seems like a much more merciful punishment.
Morning Star tore himself from his thoughts as he saw two men approaching, one of them holding a newspaper in his hand.
“Hey, did you hear the news?” The man with the newspaper asked his friend. “Recluse’s Forces have just taken New York City!”
“No way!” The man’s friend replied in shock. “Some of the most powerful Heroes that are still alive were defending New York!”
“I know!” The man with the newspaper replied. “I’m already talking to my wife about moving!”
“To where?” His friend asked. “Recluse’s forces have already taken Los Angeles and San Francisco! No matter where you go, it’s only going to be a matter of time before Recluse hits that city, too!”
Morning Star sighed as the two walked past him. Morning Star frequently heard about the War, and had even wanted to participate in it. Felicia, however, was dead-set against it. After a long confrontation, Morning Star decided against it, but whenever he heard the latest news from the battlefront, he always questioned his decision.
It wasn’t that he directly disliked Lord Recluse; the stories of “atrocities” that people told about Recluse’s forces mainly stemmed from the propaganda of the American government, which now solely relied on the help of the few remaining Heroes to stand against Lord Recluse. Morning Star had learned all about the ways of War thanks to his education, so he took the “horror stories” with a grain of salt. What he TRULY disliked about Lord Recluse was his motives; more to the point, the fact that they weren’t clear to him.
So far, it seems like Recluse’s motives are simply “Kill all the Heroes and take over the United States”. Morning Star thought to himself. But I doubt Recluse is that simple. If he, in fact, achieves the conquest of the United States, he’ll have to set up some type of new government, lest this country fall to chaos. But what type of government? That is where Recluse hasn’t made his intentions clear at all. It’s possible that Recluse only cares about the conquest of this nation, and nothing more. Morning Star clenched his fists. And, if that’s the case, his newly-conquered nation will crumble at his feet. I’ll make sure of that.

Felicia sighed to herself as she looked around the empty waiting room. Patients had dwindled in the last month, but this was the first time the office hadn’t had a single patient for over an hour.
Maybe I’ll actually be able to leave early today... Felicia thought to herself. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, however, two men came bursting into the office. One of the men was dragging the other man over his arm.
“Put him down over here!” Felicia quickly jumped into action, indicating a spot on the floor. After paging Dr. Evans, she began to question the uninjured man.
“We... were attacked... he was stabbed...” The man said, keeping his eyes on his friend. Dr. Evans entered the waiting room, immediately tending to the wounded man. The man’s friend looked at Dr. Evans. “Is he going to be alright?”
“It doesn’t look to bad; the wound isn’t too deep, and it doesn’t look like it hit anything vital.” Dr. Evans began maneuvering around the injured man. “You’re going to have to help me lift him.”
“Right.” The man’s friend helped move the man into one of Dr. Evans’ Examination Rooms.
“Poor guy.” Felicia said as she watched Dr. Evans and the two other men go into the Examination Room, closing the door behind them.

“I am... I am an Angel of Mercy...” The nurse said, her voice soft and distant. Morning Star kept his distance, looking around at the other elderly men and women in the Retirement Home. Morning Star had heard screams coming from the Home as he was passing it, and had arrived to find that this nurse had already drugged the other doctors and nurses who were on staff at the time, as well as take the life of one of the Home’s patients, an elderly woman.
“You have to understand...” The nurse said, turning to Morning Star. “I was the nurse who was responsible for her. Every night... for the past year... she’s constantly told me about how much pain she was in... how sad she was that none of her children or grandchildren ever came to visit her... how she had been forgotten...” She stared into Morning Star’s eyes. “You understand, don’t you?”
Morning Star looked into her eyes; eyes that were full of fear, confusion. Morning Star realized it at that moment; she wanted confirmation that her deed was, in fact, justified. She wanted to hear him say that what she did was the RIGHT thing to do.
I understand why you’ve done this.” “ Morning Star began. “Arguably, it wasn’t evil, nor malicious. In fact, it could be, as you’ve said, an act of Mercy that this woman, and every other patient in this facility, so desperately needs. The passage of time is harsh, and what is left for someone when they’ve exhausted their ability to contribute to society is nothing but pain, misery, and the need to rely on others to perform even the most simple task.” Morning Star narrowed his eyes. “But, in this nation, the ideal that is aspired to is the belief that even the weakest, most helpless individuals in society deserve to be aided by the stronger members of society. Furthermore, it was YOUR job to carry out this task. The fact that you could so willingly betray your duty and the people who have put their trust in you is reason enough to see that your actions were unjustified.” Morning Star watched as the nurse’s expression turned to one of devastation. “I’m sorry.” In the next moment, he was upon her.

“Now, let’s see- AH!” Dr. Evans cried out as the uninjured man pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the shoulder. Dr. Evans turned around in time to see the man stab him once more, and the doctor fell to the floor, unconscious.
“You were pretty convincing. Worthy of an Academy Award, I’d say.” The man turned to his “injured” friend, who used a small portion of his Regenerative powers to close the wound in his shoulder.
“Save it. We only have so long until that nurse comes in here to check up on us. You’ve got to go, NOW.” The man knelt down over Dr. Evans’ body. “I’ll handle this until you come back.”
“Right.” The man’s friend concentrated, and soon his body became Transparent. Opening the door to the office silently, the man quickly crept out of the room and closed the door behind him, successfully avoiding the attention of Felicia, who was looking over some forms as she sat at her desk in the waiting room.
The invisible man quickly and quietly made his way to the back of the office, where he found what he was looking for: the office’s Pharmacy. Checking the door, the man found that it was locked. Cursing under his breath, the man took out a small, metal pick from his pocket and forced it into the key hole, doing his best to manipulate the lock as quickly as possible. After several tense minutes, the man finally broke through, quickly making his way into the room and shutting the door behind him.
“Let’s see what they’ve got here...” The man said, his body once more becoming visible. The room was small, with two large shelves on opposite sides of the room housing all sorts of generic and prescription medications. The man quickly went from drug to drug, helping himself wherever he saw fit. That stuff’s worth a lot on the street... ooh, that stuff’s pretty rare... this stuff’s not so good, but still worth a couple bucks on the street...
“Let’s see...” Felicia looked over her paperwork. “I’ve finally done re-scheduling the Brown Family’s appointment...” Felicia looked at the clock. “Now where is that guy? Probably ran into some old woman getting mugged or something. It’s nice that he can help out other people, but I hate having to deal with all of this myself...” Felicia sighed and returned to her paperwork. “Now, let’s see... next is... ‘Take Inventory of Pharmacy’. Morning Star usually does that...” Felicia looked towards the door to the office, then sighed once more. “He had better have run into something BIG to be this late...” Felicia said as she rose out of her seat.

“I swear I’m going to KILL you, MOTHER [censored]!” The man said, the gun in his hand quivering as he held it to the temple of the businessman who was kneeling on the floor in front of him. Morning Star had been fortunate enough to have been flying over the businessman’s home when the man with the gun had barged in, killing the two security guards in the man’s home.
“Please... I’ll give you anything you want! Please, God, don’t kill me!” The business man yelled in absolute terror.
“You want to pay me off, don’t you?!” The man with the gun yelled, thrusting the barrel of the gun into the man’s head, causing the businessman’s head to jerk to the side. “Just like you paid off the judge and jury at your TRIAL, right? You kill my brother and expect to just PAY your way out of like everything else, RIGHT?! Well, I’ve got news for you...” The man cocked the gun. “I’m not for sale.”
“I’m sorry!” The businessman yelled. “I’m sorry I killed your brother! Please, God! I didn’t mean it! Please, don’t kill me!”
“Listen...” Morning Star began, keeping his eyes on the trigger finger of the gun man at all times. “I understand your anger. Our societies of rules and Laws are often circumvented by those with incredible wealth or power. If our society worked harder to ensure that a select group of individuals could not gain such power or wealth, these types of situations might become entirely avoidable...” Morning Star sighed. “As it is, we have to rely on the courts to decide the fates of those accused of crimes. Do you really want to kill this man? Will that ease your suffering? Will that bring your brother back?”
“I just want...” The gun man began to sob. “I just want him to feel... the way my brother felt... just before HE KILLED HIM!!!”
“Then you’ve done your job...” Morning Star said, inching himself closer to the gunman. “He’s already confessed... I’ll make sure I get something more formal and concrete later. But don’t do this.” Morning Star inched his hand closer to the man’s gun. Finally, the man dropped the gun to the floor, and Morning Star quickly moved in and grabbed it.

“What are...” Felicia asked, dropping her clipboard as she walked into the Pharmacy. The man turned to her in shock, and the two looked at each in silence for a moment. Then, Felicia turned and ran down the hallway, heading for the phone at her desk.
“What the-?!” Felicia gasped as the man’s friend, walked out from the Examination Room he and Dr. Evans had entered earlier. “What do you people want?”
Instead of responding, the man rushed in quickly and clasped Felicia’s body to his. Felicia let out a loud yelp as her eyes went wide for a moment. Then, she fell back and collapsed on the floor, black blood pouring from the knife wound in her lower abdomen.
“What the HELL did you do THAT for?” The knife man’s friend came running down the hallway, keeping his eyes on the bloody knife in his friends hand. “You said we wouldn’t be killing anybody in this!”
“She was going to call the police.” The knife man said, looking down at Felicia, who was still alive. “The blood’s black; she doesn’t have too long to live.” He turned to his friend. “Did you get the stuff?”
“[censored], yeah...” The knife man’s friend took some bottles out of his pockets, keeping his eyes on Felicia as he handed them to his friend. “Let’s get the hell out of here before-” His voice caught in his throat as he turned towards the entrance in time to see Morning Star arrive.
“Hey! Who are-” Morning Star’s stopped abruptly as he noticed Felicia lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood. The knife man tried to hide his weapon, but was too late; Morning Star saw it, and quickly put two and two together.
“You...” Morning Star’s voice became deeper, and he began to transform. His wings changed from a white, angelic appearance to a black, demonic appearance. His eyes changed from blue to red, as did his hair. The two men looked on in horror as the new being in front of them stared at the two with absolute hatred.
“[censored] VERMIN!!!” Morning Star cried out, and in the next instant he was upon the man with the knife. He punched into the man’s stomach, his blow so strong that his fist went straight through the man and came out of the man’s back, killing him instantly. The man’s friend dropped all the bottles he had left on him and tried to run for the door, but Morning Star raised his palm and fired a negative energy blast at the man, completely atomizing him instantly, as well as destroying the entire wall of the office.
“Felicia...” Morning Star said, reverting back to his angelic appearance and kneeling over his love.
“Morning Star...” Felicia said, her voice so quiet Morning Star could barely make her words out. “I’ve always wanted to ask you... are you an Angel? An Angel sent by God to help all of us?”
“Felicia, I...” Morning Star clenched his teeth as tears began streaming down his face. He looked into Felicia’s eyes, which were already beginning to fade. “I don’t know. When I die, however, I’ll be sure to be come to Heaven as an Angel... just for you.”
Felicia smiled slightly, just before the final traces of life drained from her eyes. Morning Star held her body against his own, and sobbed.

3 Years Later...

Morning Star smiled to himself as the crowd in front of him cast deafening roars and applause as he made his appearance. He was in the middle of a city, a city he and his followers had constructed by themselves. Located in the North-Western Area of Recluse’s Empire, it was one of the last places left in the Empire where anyone could consider themselves truly “free” of Recluse’s grasp. Many of Recluse’s Exterminators had tried to topple the city, but all had fallen to Morning Star and his 7 highest-ranking soldiers, whom he called his “7 Angels”.
“Fellow citizens!” Morning Star proclaimed to the jubilant crowd in front of him. “After 3 years, we have finally completely this city, this Sanctuary, where NONE of Recluse’s tyranny can oppress you any longer!” The crowd went wild once more, and Morning Star waited until they settled down before continuing. “But it does not end here! No, this is just the beginning! I have organized an Army led by some of the brightest and most powerful individuals to go and spread the word of our success, of our new nation, to let others know that YES, there IS a place where you can be free from fear. YES, there IS a place where you don’t have to worry about supporting your family! YES, there IS a place where the BEST attributes of humanity can be found, where you have rights that will NEVER be infringed upon, where you can rebuild you life ANEW!”
Morning Star placed his hand on the drapes of a curtain that was concealing a plaque that was standing next to him, located at the center of the city. “Citizens, I give you...” Morning Star ripped off the curtain, revealing the plaque, and the word that was inscribed on it, the name of Morning Star’s new Society, a Society that embodied the ideals of the greatest civilizations that ever existed.
“UTOPIA!” Morning Star proclaimed, and the crowd once more released deafening applause and shouting. “Finally...” Morning Star whispered under his breath. “I’m fulfilling my destiny.”

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Alright! That was the end of that 2-Part Chapter! What did you think? I'll be back with the next Chapter soon, so keep checking back here!

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Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic

This is a really good piece of work!

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TW/Elec Optimization

A great read!

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TW/Elec Optimization