MORE!
Together we entered a city of strangers, we made it a city of friends, and we leave it a City of Heroes. - Sweet_Sarah
BOYCOTT NCSoft (on Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/517513781597443/
Governments have fallen to the power of social media. Gaming companies can too.
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Blood, love the story, but your name is disorienting as hell.. every time I see it I think it says Blood Waffle, and I am left confused. 
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IX. Eternal Twilight Dies
Eternal Twilight died at the hands of the mighty Blood Waffle.... The end.
Just kidding of course, the real chapter 9 is going to be a little while. We are having a 3 day inspection at work by our big boss. So much fun I could choke a happy cute squirrel and not feel guilty. All I have to say is... soon.
Must make Blood Waffle story now.
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Blood, love the story, but your name is disorienting as hell.. every time I see it I think it says Blood Waffle, and I am left confused.
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IX. Eternal Twilight Dies
Eternal Twilight died at the hands of the mighty Blood Waffle.... The end.
Just kidding of course, the real chapter 9 is going to be a little while. We are having a 3 day inspection at work by our big boss. So much fun I could choke a happy cute squirrel and not feel guilty. All I have to say is... soon.
Must make Blood Waffle story now.
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Not to mention the future revenge of Metal Waffle.
TechDefender Rad/Ele Defender
D'20 Gladiator DM/SR Scrapper
Cyclonite Cat Fire/Fire Blaster
[url="http://www.dutchfurs.com/~taross/w/screenshots/Ferretgal/Ferretgal.jpg"]Ferretgal Claw/Inv Scrapper[/url](Virtue)
@Cyclonite Cat
(Names changed at GM 'request')
You evil tease!
Blood Waffle - that's priceless. Hang tight, stay away from my squirrel bretheren, and get back to writing soon.
Signed,
Queen Wobblebottom, Mistress of the Squirrels
(The first part of that comes from a "What's your squirrel name" generator I found online a few months ago)
Together we entered a city of strangers, we made it a city of friends, and we leave it a City of Heroes. - Sweet_Sarah
BOYCOTT NCSoft (on Facebook)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/517513781597443/
Governments have fallen to the power of social media. Gaming companies can too.
[ QUOTE ]
Queen Wobblebottom, Mistress of the Squirrels
(The first part of that comes from a "What's your squirrel name" generator I found online a few months ago)
[/ QUOTE ]
Laf, Queen Wobblebottom. Anyway, we will be here waiting anxiously for the next chapter when you get the opportunity.
((Here it is finally. Eternal, you have nothing to worry about. . Nice and long for ye.))
IX. The Calm is Over, Enter the Storm
>>>SUPER POWERED ENTITY DETECTED<<<
The message flashed on the screen several times before Techsupport woke up, the red letters on the screen lighting up his face. He had spent the night before working on it. Acier and he took turns tweaking it, increasing range and working out the bugs.
Techsupport called up the map to see where it was. It was a large power source. Large enough to convince him it was a group of metas. It worked like radar, if two were close enough it would look like a single blob.
Techsupport hit the intercom to call in the rest. Within a few seconds they were coming in by ones and twos.
"What is going on?" Steele Magnolia asked.
"Got a signal about a mile north of here. Looks to be a group of heroes, maybe four strong." Techsupport said.
"OK. Everybody lock and load, you know the drill. Pandora, man the computer and track the movement. Let us know if anything develops" Captain Neem boomed.
Pandora nodded and put on her communication headset, sitting down in front of the computer.
"Tick-Tok, Rose Cross, Techsupport, Hippie Mage you are with me." Steele Magnolia barked.
Captain Neem looked at her for a moment and nodded, "Lord Raymond, Core Being, Acier, Etherburn, and Eternal Twilight, that leaves you with me."
"I've been waitin' ta kill something, its been damn near three days." Eternal said with a grin on his face.
Rose Cross rolled her eyes at him. Getting ready to unleash a flurry of points of the immoral-ness of heroes like that.
Captain Neem saw it coming, "Lets go!" He yelled.
Sonic Boom was having the time of his life. With his hand he pointed at a building. He charged up his power and directed a blast of sound towards it. The glass burst out of the windows first, then a giant explosion leaving a huge whole in the building was there after the dust settled. The only sound was that of the glass and the bricks flying everywhere. It was shaped sound so only the target and Sonic heard it. It resonated through his suit and the more noise he made the more he wanted. His rampage for attention had driven him into a feral state now and he had forgotten the purpose for it.
Captain Neem's team and Steele Magnolia's team had surrounded him on both sides now, but remained hidden. They waited to see what he would do next when he suddenly stopped. He looked around for a few moments until his eyes settled first on Captain Neem's team, then on Steele Magnolia's team.
"I can hear your hearts beating. I can hear you breathing. I hear everything. They're beating a little faster now. You are breathing a little harder. I am Sonic Boom, and I was sent here to kill you all."
"Who sent you?" Steele Magnolia asked.
"The Captain. The Council." Sonic replied. "Thats not important now. What is important is the noise. Do you know what happens to you after so many decibels? At certain frequencies?... No? At 130 decibels you feel pain, at about 160 db your eardrum shatters, at 200db your lungs rupture, the heart fails, and embolism occurs. But me. I love it, the louder the better. And I can get pretty loud."
Sonic Boom raised his hands until they were level with his shoulders, outstretched in opposite directions at his sides.
"I LOVE THE NOISE!" He yelled as he charged up his suit with immense power.
"Get out of the way!" Neem and Steele yelled. The two groups dived out of the way just in time as two clouds of debris and dust shot up into the air.
Captain Neem returned fire immediately but the shot deflected harmlessly off his armor, leaving only a tiny dent.
Sonic smiled underneath his faceless helmet and pointed his hand at Neem. Suddenly He was blown back by an unseen force through a wall into a building. At the base, Pandora's headset shreaked in her ear, causing her to throw it off. He got up holding his head from the pain the sound wave left him with. His ears were ringing but the attention he got left the melee-ers enough time to get in close and Etherburn was right there healing him up to get back into the fray.
Acier got in close and unleashed a series of punches to the man's chest, knocking him back a step each time as Techsupport and Tick-Tock sent arcs of electricity towards the man.
"Enough!" Sonic yelled. Touching both hands to Acier he gave him a large, coned beam of sound into his chest. Acier stayed on his feet but was pushed almost 25 yards back leaning into the blast. He looked down at his chest to see a visible dent in his armor.
Next he aimed at the other two. Their armor blocked most of the noise but Sonic Boom's accoustic bullets vibrated it so fiercely that they were left in pain and feeling naseaous. They landed far away and were in much pain after Sonic's attention. Rose Cross ran to them immediately surrounding them in a green healing aura. Her mere presence instantly comforted them in more ways than healing.
After seeing Tick-Tok get hit Steele went into a rage. She had seen Larry grow into a man, she fostered him in Whitmoore and he had become family to her after the war. The only family Helen had left.
Steele screamed as she sprayed Sonic Boom with a hail of gunfire, sparks flying off him all over his body and dents appearing everywhere, then pumped the grenade launcher underneath. She sent a 40mm grenade into Sonic's chest, sending him through an overturned car.
"Did you hear that?" Michael asked.
"hmm?" Was the only response he got from Tabby Cat, who was still asleep and Xyfen was passed out, snoring.
"Wake up! Wake up! I heard an explosion!" He yelled desperately.
"This way! Come on!" He yelled as he started running towards the action.
Sam and BJ looked at each other for a moment. Obviously not as enthusiastic as Michael was about his new lead on the ring. It had been a week of dead ends after all.
Sonic Boom got up and blasted the car with an acoustic wave that he had just been sent through, sending it flying into another building. He was obviously mad now. His mask had cracked and what little face could be seen through it was red and twisted with anger.
"Thats some good noise!" He screamed. "I think its time for you to die though woman! Get ready for the Sonic Bomb!"
Lifting his arms to his sides the seam that formed a circle in his chest vibrated for a second. Hippie Mage tackled Steele in time that they didnt catch most of the sound, but what had hit them blew them a few yards away spinning violently.
Hippie Mage rolled into an attack stance and beamed a mental attack against Sonic. They needed as much time as they could get with him.
Sonic screamed as he grabbed his head in pain. Lord Raymond, Acier, and Eternal Twilight took the opportunity and closed in for a series of axe strikes, kickes, and punches. They beat on him relentlessly until they saw his eyes flash open.
One of them managed to utter out "Uh-oh" before a dome of sound pulsated from Sonic Boom pushing them all high up into the air before they dropped back down far away.
Steele Magnolia was by herself now laying on the ground. Somewhat seperated from the battle and all the other's attention on Sonic, she gathered her senses as quickly as she could. As Steele came to she could here footsteps from behind her.
"Do-" In the moment that first sound touched her ears her eyes widened with horror as a shiver ran up and down her spine so cold it froze every muscle in her body, "-not let him kill you, after all, we have so much to catch up on Helen. I would be very dissapointed if we didnt get that chance."
The paralyzing fear turned into sickening rage that brought hot tears to her eyes. "I KILLED YOU! STAY DEAD!" she screamed as she spun around with her gun. Her worst fears were confirmed. "DIE HELSINGER!"
Before she could pull the trigger he grabbed the barrel with his left hand and bent it to one side with as much effort as one would use to rip a piece of paper.
She didnt care though, she would kill them both if she couldnt just kill him. She pulled the trigger anyways, causing the rifle in her hands to explode. Shrapnel was sent into her face and into the Captain's chest and face also. He looked over her now unconcsious body for a moment, making sure it wasnt a fatal injury. After being satisfied that it wasnt he took out a small medical kit and bandaged her face before stepping back into the black stealth hover jet waiting for him.
Captain Neem sent another blast of energy at Sonic from high in the air. The blast knocked Sonic Boom down into a sitting position on the ground. Eternal Twilight then ran up and gave Sonic a Football player's field goal kick to Sonic's head, putting Sonic on a course through the air and knocking his helmet off of him. Not giving him a second, Lord Raymond made a leaping smash with his stone fists squarely in Sonic Boom's chest.
Sonic Boom rettaliated with another accoustic bullet aimed at Lord Raymond. The blast pushed Lord Raymond several feet away.
He got up revealing a surprisingly boyish face. He couldnt have been a day over 18 years old. His blonde curly hair and smooth face would have been quite handsome if it werent for the twisted look on his face and the two metal implants that covered his ears and temples.
He stood over Lord Raymond now and assaulted him with a barrage of shaped sound. The pain was intense and pounding as his internal organs, namely the hollow ones reverberated and were beaten to bloody messes.
"Let's see what you're hiding behind that mask you damn pipsqueak."
Lord Raymond shook his head in desperation and anger. As much as Sonic tried he couldnt get his hands on his mask. Lord Raymond used every bit of his might to resist.
Etherburn made her way to Lord Raymond to heal him, catching the attention of Sonic Boom. He turned away from the Lord now sputtering up blood.
"You want some to b-tch?" He smiled.
She tried to run past him to get to Lord Raymond but he grabbed her around the waist. She reached her hand out to Lord Raymond and held it for a moment. Lord Raymond could see the fear in her eyes.
"I know you." Sonic said to her, "Now Im gonna kill you, I was nice and let you go, but now you gotta die."
He threw her to the ground and straddled her. "This is gonna hurt... alot." He said.
He put his hands on either side of her head and started with a not-so-quiet noise, slowly building up more and more, approaching damaging levels.
She started to scream and kick around. Tried to pry off his hands as her scream was drowned out. She could see Sonic Boom laughing and mouthing the words "more noise". She squeezed her eyes shut as she could feel pressure building on her skull. Suddenly there was only a quiet ringing and no hands were on her. She opened her eyes to see Lord Raymond standing over her with his axe in hand. She could see him mouthing words to her but could only guess he was asking if she was ok. She simply shook her head no and closed her eyes, covered her ears and started sobbing from the pain.
The axe strike had done more damage than Lord Raymond thought. He hit the implant in Sonic Boom's temple disabling it. The other one was still pumping heavy metal into his left ear but his right ear now had no loud noise going into it and it seemed like Sonic Boom had little balance now, he was staggering back and forth.
"AAAAAAAGH" Sonic screamed as he held his bleeding head. "ITS TOO QUIET!"
He began shooting accoustic bullets in random directions causing buildings to collapse and steel girders to be blown away into the city. Lord Raymond went for a killing blow but Sonic still had enough coordination or luck to hit him with a concussive blow knocking him to the ground. Etherburn wasnt able to heal him fully so he was still in much pain.
He dropped to his hands and knees. "Im gonna do to you what I did to her, but Im not gonna do it slow. You are going to die RIGHT NOW!" Sonic said to Lord Raymond. As he reached for Lord Raymond someone kicked Sonic in the other temple, sending him cartwheeling a good distance away.
Now with both implants gone Sonic Boom could hear only silence. To him the silence was deafening, and even as he screamed it was torture to him. He shot sound bullets in every direction he could, randomly blasting the area with everything he had. Everyone ducked down as the blasts fired over their heads. Sonic Boom kept firing and eventually hit a girder that was on top of a building. Everyone watched as it slowly rolled forward off of its place high in the building. It picked up speed until it slammed into Sonic's armored chest, crushing it down to a few inches with a loud crash. Sonic Boom immediately stopped moving and a few seconds later blood started to leak out of the seams of his armor.
They slowly got up or came out of their hiding places to look at the now deceased villian who was just a boy.
"I do believe I owe you my life sir." Lord Raymond said to the man with a cheery but tired and beaten enthusiasm, "What is your name hero?"
"2020 Vision, this is Xyfen, and Tabby Cat." He said introducing his friends.
"Is everybody ok?" Captain Neem said rubbing his head. Everyone who got hit by Sonic was going to have a headache for a few days.
Lord Raymond turned to Etherburn, Hippie Mage was already helping her, healing and using his illusion powers to make her feel like she was in a comfortable, safe place. Rose Cross found Steele Magnolia.
"Steele! She is hurt and unconscious Captain Neem but she is ok."
"Fly her back to base Rose. We will clean up here. Take the body back to base for examination. Search it first for bugs, and be thorough. We dont need any more Council thugs chasing us down."
Captain Neem turned to the three heroes, "Thank you for your assistance. Would you like to come back to base with us? We can always use heroes like you in the ring of resistance."
The three lit up with joy and relief.
"Yes. Of course, you dont know how long we have been looking for you."
"Good" Captain Neem said, "I had hoped that message would get out to someone."
The others were busy, talking to each other and cleaning up the mess, but something caught 2020 Vision's eye. A rifle on the ground, barrel bent and exploded from being fired afterwards. He looked around to investigate more and saw to burn marks on the ground from the jets of an aircraft. He looked up into the morning sky but saw no sign of one. Nonetheless he couldnt help but feel something inside him, something old, and evil.
((Finally some action as promised. I personally liked the field goal kick to the head the best. Oh, and thank you Captain Neem (you know what for). The best reward though is knowing that you all are entertained by it.))
Awesome stuff as usual Wolffe. I couldn't have done it better myself...seriously I couldn't...no really I mean it guys.
Anyways keep em coming.
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((Finally some action as promised. I personally liked the field goal kick to the head the best. Oh, and thank you Captain Neem (you know what for). The best reward though is knowing that you all are entertained by it.))
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Your welcome, you deserve it after all.
Keep them coming, good stuff.
*claps and demands more* 
"If I didn't enjoy the ludicrous mayhem of an 8-person pick-up team and my eventual glorious triumph over seemingly impossible odds bereft of lucid and competant comrades, I would have left this game a long time ago. " - mean_liar
X. The Nightmare
She couldnt escape him. Helsinger's gaze gripped Helen like a vice and held her right where she lay. He committed unspeakable acts of violence and horror against her again and again.
Straddling Helsinger Helen pointed the gun at his head. She fired her Jadenium bullets into him until there were no more to fire. She could see the veins in his arms turn green, it was slowly spreading through his body. Eventually all his veins could be seen through his skin and they were all green, in much contrast to his clammy, pale body. Helsinger slowly sat up to face her. She could see him mouth the words "It is your fault." He grabbed her and started crushing her sides with his hands. She couldnt breath.
She was in Paragon City now and watched in horror as all the one she loved were hanging in front of her on a dead tree, nooses around their necks.
Marjorie, Larry, David, and Michael were there among others she knew.
They snapped their eyes open and she jumped awake. Cold with sweat, and breathing hard in the bed in her room.
Please let that be a dream. Please let that be a dream.
She repeated over and over in her head. She felt her face and was relieved that there was no wounds. She was wearing her pajamas. Realizing the mission was a dream she got up and went to the bathroom to get a drink of water. Helen grabbed the pills out of her cabinet she took sometimes for stress. She came out of the bathroom and went to her workbench when she dropped the glass. The destroyed rifle on her bench told her nonchalantly that it did happen. He was back and he was coming for her.
----
"I really wish you would be more careful with your body Captain." Requiem said as a Council scientist surveyed the damage done to the Captain's body.
"I did not expect Dr. Markov to discharge her weapon with a bent barrel... I feel it will have beneficial effects against her psyche, dont you?" The Captain replied.
The Council Scientist took a scalpel and cut into the Captain's face. He dug down into the flesh and started peeling it away so he could look at the skeletal structure. The Captain sat perfectly still on the operating table in one of the Council's many stainless steel, pristine labs with an expressionless face watching Requiem as he continued to debrief him.
"The Center's project will take a while to finish. Five years if all goes according to plan, and all will go according to plan. The one conceivable threat that I could possibly foresee is The Ring of Resistance. While not strong in numbers they are highly skilled and experienced in covert operations against the Council. They have recently made a call to all heroes and are growing in numbers. Within five years they could get the resources they would need to be a threat."
The scientist dropped the fleshy strips of the Captain's cheek into a stainless steel bowl.
"Why are they the most dangerous threat sir? They are not the biggest group in the Ring, nor the most powerful."
"Its their resources, good Captain. The one hero ever to infiltrate the Master Council Base, Blood Wolffe, was an ally of Captain Neem. While he is not the hero he once was..." Requiem thought with a smile, "...Let's just say Metal Wolffe will have to be a well played card, and hopefully his old alliance with Captain Neem is forgotten. So that takes care of that, but The Center wants us to overwhelm them from all angles."
"And how is your newest pet project going?" The Captain asked.
The Council scientist picked out the jadenium bullet fragments and bits of the rifle that had embedded themselves in Helsinger.
"Better than we could have hoped for. He shows powers that have never been seen before and they are growing every day.
The Council will be attacking all possible avenues the Ring could take against us, you will be in charge of what you are best at, psychological warfare."
If the Captain had the face to do it with he would have given a rare evil grin.
"I will personally oversee the physical attacks. Current field tests of our more recent projects have been very satisfactory, such as Team 27, although I was not happy with you sending the super equinoxes after the Ring. We still do not fully understand Dr. Vahzilok's work and those were only prototypes."
"It was more for psychological warfare, again."
"All the same Captain, your obsession with breaking Dr. Markov mentally is proving expensive."
"Noted." Was all the Captain would give.
"I have to replace the entire face sir." The scientist said.
The Captain gave him a quick nod and the scientist proceeded to trace around the hairline to the ear and followed the jawline back to the hole he created earlier. Grabbing the Captain's face at the hairline he gave a few sharp tugs down and it came off. He wiped him with a towel exposing the glint of the jadenium robot underneath the fake flesh of the Captain.
Requiem looked at the thick green mechanical features that were quite powerful looking. "You know, you, yourself are quite the psychological weapon against Dr. Markov."
"Thank you sir." The Captain replied as the scientist began to work on the damage to the flesh on his chest.
----
Larry was in the kitchen making himself some food when he saw Captain Neem coming. He knew what he was going to ask him if he saw him so he tried to tip-toe/run back to his room, wincing and bearing his teeth.
"Tick-Tok!" Captain Neem called out. Larry sighed as he slumped his shoulders.
"I need you to do something for me... Will you see Helen for me? I would do it myself but... I... I dont really know what to say to her. You are the closest thing to family she's got and I am worried about her." Captain Neem was a little awkward.
He was right. Larry was the closest person to Helen. They had worked together on her armor a few times. Something scientists over the world would have killed for. After the Cleansing she had taken him under her wing and cared for him like family. But when she got like she was now she was cold and callous and could even be cruel.
He wanted to say no but he couldnt. "Okay, I will talk to her."
Captain Neem realized he was showing weakness and straightened up, clearing his throat. "Good, because we cant have anyone unfocused and bringing down morale. I have to brief the new arrivals, and Lord Raymond says he has contacted someone he knew from the Hero Academy before the war."
Larry walked to Helen's room and knocked on the door.
... No answer.
He slowly and as quietly as he could manage, opened the door. The lights were all off except for the lamp over her work bench. There were wrappers of food on the floor from the last few days and she was hunched over her rifle working feverishly on it. Apparently she did not even notice his entrance.
"This is bad." He muttered under his breath.
"Helen?" he said to her. Again, no response.
Eventually he walked up to her and touched her on the shoulder.
"Michael?" she asked quietly not looking up or stopping her work.
He gripped her shoulder firmly this time and said her name, "Helen? Its me Larry."
She stopped and looked up at him. She had obviously been awake most of the last few days.
"You look terrible, you need some sleep."
"Helsinger is alive." she said staring blankly at Larry.
He didnt know what to say to her. "No... no Helen, we killed him years ago, in Striga Isle. Remember?"
"I remember. But he must have... I dont know. Who knows what tricks that son of a b-tch had up his sleave. He is the one who bent my gun."
Larry had no idea what to say now. "I... It wasnt Helsinger, thats impossible."
"You think I am making it up!? Just who the hell are you to question me!? Some clockwork freak accident is not going to tell ME what I saw! Get out! You are nothing but a distraction from my work!" Helen had a tired furious fire in her that she hadnt vented in days and unfortunately unleashed it on someone who she knew deep down didnt deserve it.
Larry stood shocked for a moment. She called him a freak accident and that hurt. It went much worse than he expected. She stood looking at him with anger in her eyes until he turned around and walked out, still with a look of shock.
He closed the door behind him. Helen whispered, "Im sorry Larry." and began sobbing and buried her head in her hands.
----
Captain Neem made his way to meet Lord Raymond in the computer room. When he entered he nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise.
Standing next to Lord Raymond was a 5'10 235 pound half man half white tiger humanoid, and a hero wearing, quite possibly the loudest costume he had ever seen.
"What?" was all Captain Neem could muster.
The tiger man crossed his arms and looked down, obviously uncomfortable, the other man looked oblivious to his shock.
Lord Raymond salvaged the situation, "Forgive the good captain, he is not one for words I am afraid. Allow me to introduce K'vinn Mar'rx..."
"Most people call me Tigonus." He said.
"....and Brainhurt."
"Hiya" said the 6'5 man in various assorted colors. Bright colors.
"Where did you say you know these two from?"
"I knew Tigonus from the Hero Academy, Brainhurt is an associate of his, I had not had the opportunity to meet him until Tigonus recently contacted me."
"Well... Nice to meet you, we can always use more heroes." Captain Neem said regaining his composure and extending his hand.
He shook the big furry, paw-like hand of Tigonus and then hand of the painfully bright Brainhurt.
"We might have to do something about that outfit though. How did you two ever get here unnoticed?"
"We manage." Brainhurt said, "Dont worry about the costume Neem, I can stealth with the best of em."
"If you say so. Let's show you around shall we?"
----
James arrived at the address that was on the note. It looked like an old abandoned warehouse. He would normally ignore such a thing but then his life wasnt normal and it was very lacking in any excitement.
He walked up to a big steel door and knocked on it. An eyehole slate snapped open and a pair of eyes darted around, then looked at him.
"What didnt make sense on the note?" A deep southern accent whispered.
"What?" James asked confused.
"You heard me damnit!" The man hissed.
James thought for a moment, "Peach tree?"
The man snapped the slat shut leaving James to wonder if he guessed wrong, or he got the wrong address, maybe it was a prank.
He heard the click of a lock, then the clank of another, then the clunk of a third one and the heavy metal door slid open on a rusty track.
James stepped inside and saw the tall muscular man guarding the door eyeballing him as he shut the door and locked it back up.
"Wait." The big man said. "Mr. Jeffrey sir, if you could please search him." He said as politely a big brute could muster. A small old man came out of his office and James raised his arms to be pat down when he felt a warm wave flow through him.
"He is good Brutus, he may pass." The old man said as he walked back into his office.
"What was that?" He said, arms still raised.
"Think of him as a metal detector." Brutus said, "but he detects what you gonna try and do when you get in there. Go on, go."
James slowly lowered his hands and walked further into the warehouse. He heard a man talking from the other side of a door, when he slid it open he saw an older man in plain clothes talking in front of about fifteen to twenty people.
"...So if you think for a second the Council is there for you your a moron. They are only out to serve themselves even if that means your life for their buck. You wanna change that? I think so."
The people in the room clapped at the end of the speech. Most of them were like him, bottom rung guys who hated the Council for destroying their lives. They all got up and were signing a sheet when the man who was speaking walked up to James.
"What's your name?" The man said.
"Im James. What is this place? What is going on here? Who are you?"
"Call me Mister H. This is a warehouse, go figure. We are taking a stand against those nazi creeps. What do you say?" Mister H said.
"What can I do? I take the garbage away from the Capitol Building."
"The Capitol building, huh?" Mister H said rubbing his chin.
Mister H was the leader for an underground resistance that worked closely with the Ring. It was an extremely dangerous job, but as much as he hated the government the Council replaced, they were definitely not the ideal.
"Im in." said James.
Suddenly there was a loud boom from the front of the building.
"Now what?" Mister H said annoyed.
Everyone ran for exits as he went towards the front. Brutus was screaming with rage, fighting a Warwolf. There were two Warwolves and a grenadier.
Mister H leapt into action. In a blur of movement he sliced the head off of the grenadier, leaving the two warwolves. One saw him and roared at him. Barreling after him it swiped but hit nothing. Mister H had gracefully stepped out of the way. It swiped with both claws repeatedly, each time he merely dipped or swayed out of the way. Mister H then slashed the beasts chest. It stumbled back gripping its wound. He took the opportunity to slice from its shoulder down into its heart.
Brutus had the other in a head lock, and it went limp as he heard a snap. He quickly dropped the wolf and ran to Jeffrey who was laying limp, sprawled on the ground with a bite mark in his neck. They went after him first, before Brutus could react, because they knew he was weaker. Brutus gently picked him up and walked over to Mister H with tears in his eyes.
"They killed him Mister H, They killed Mr. Jeffrey sir." He said choking up.
"We have to leave Brutus. More will come soon."
"NO! I take him to a hospital. You go on and do what you gotta do, I gotta help him."
"They will kill you Brutus!"
"I gotta try Mister H."
Mister H could see from the tears in the giant man's eyes that he could not convince him otherwise so he ran off into the night.
A few moments after he did Black Sky and Metal Tooth arrived and Brutus never stood a chance, as passionate as he was.
Sending two assassins of their caliber for an underground resistence meeting such as that was a waste of skills but it sent a message.
Black Sky sheathed her poison katana and Metal Tooth reverted back to human form. "Come puppy, maybe the Captain has something more interesting for us after his meeting with the Ring. Drones - search the area, destroy any you find."
Several Hoverbots fanned out as ordered in search of any sign of life.
"Killing these pests bores me. I want some meta blood." Black Sky said with her vampyric grin.
((This one just doesnt want to end. Will write more soon. Hope you guys didnt forget about Black Sky and Metal Tooth, they are still in it.))
I've just read the whole thing in one sitting and I have to say it is amazing. I love it. Its great reading about other cheaters I know from the Whitmoore and seeing what they do in the future. Don't stop. Need more.
Keep em coming...Awesome someone from a thread I am in joined!
.XI. Reunions
The corpse of Sonic Boom laid on the worker's bench in the garage of the Ring's underground base. Acier stood over him cutting him out of the chestpiece that had crushed him gruesomely to about three inches thick in the chest with his cutting torch. They needed to learn the capabilities of the Council's technology and this was a big break. Not that they hadnt worked for it. Everyone hit by his acoustic bullets had headaches and their ears rang for days.
Captain Neem watched patiently through a spare set of welding goggles.
"Ist it tough to cut through?" He asked.
"Very." Acier said without turning away from his work. "Its multi-layered, compressed alloys." He said loudly, so he could be heard over the noise of the sharp hissing torch.
"It has a frame too, almost net-like reinforcements. I think its Jadenium. Its easily doubling the time it takes to cut through it."
"Helen isnt going to like this." Captain Neem said to himself.
Michael walked in to see if they would tell him anything about the man he killed. In the middle of the garage was a massive tarp draped over something oddly shaped.
"What's that?" Michael said pointing at it.
Captain Neem looked up to see Michael while Acier didnt turn from the task at hand,
"That's an unfinished aircraft project, War Bird. Oh and thanks for the help back there with him. Have you dealt with the Council alot? You seem to know their weaknesses pretty well."
Michael shifted a little nervously, "Yes, I have dealt with them on a few occasions."
"Have you ever seen armor like this?" Captain Neem asked.
Michael looked at the body. He stopped when he saw his face. It was that of a boy's, not a man. Curly blond hair, smooth facial features and he could see where there was still some baby fat on the kid's now white face. He killed a kid. Michael got a sinking feeling in his stomach that wouldnt stop sinking until he felt like vomiting. While he was indirectly responsible for his death it felt a little more like it was his fault now.
What kind of hero kills children?
He thought as he looked over the gruesomely crushed body.
"It's laced with Jadenium. Have you ever heard of it?" Captain Neem asked.
All thoughts of his savagery were pushed aside for the moment at the sound of that word.
"Yes... My mother invented it."
Even Acier stopped cutting. He turned off his torch to leave nothing but the sound of silence.
"Oh my god." Captain Neem said, "Helen Markov's son? Michael Flagg?"
"Yes, you knew her? She died in the Cleansing." Michael said.
"We need to talk." Captain Neem said.
----
Kegen got some milk out of the refrigerator and when she shut the door Tigonus was there watching her with a cat's detached interest. She jumped a little at the sight of him appearing there.
"Oh my, you scared me. Would you like some milk?"
Tigonus obviously had a look of desire.
"No, I will just have some... water." He said searching for two glasses.
He had to prove he was a warrior, not some playful kitten. Kegen got the glasses out of a cabinet over the sink.
"They're here. I am pretty new to this place too. What brought you here?"
"I came from another dimension where the Statesman was evil. Freedom Phalanx brought me here."
Kegen poured her glass of milk and his glass of water.
"This world used to be nice, and people didnt even seem to care that I was different. I made a friend, but all that died when the Cleansing happened. I want to make it right again. This is my home now. What about you?"
Kegen gave him his glass of water and drank from her glass. From his stool at the bar Tigonus looked at the milk with all the intensity of a kitten who had gotten its taste.
"My parents dissappeared. They were heroes too, great ones. They probably died at the hands of some villians, I fought in their name, so they wouldnt have died and be forgotten."
The not knowing their fates still hurt deep inside. How could one heal without conclusion? Poor Tigonus had gotten in over his head on this one. Realizing he was struggling with what to do or say she changed the subject.
"So who is that friend of yours?" She asked.
"Oh, thats Brainhurt. He wears some wild clothes, but he is a good guy. He tried to dye my fur, saying it wasnt 'exciting' but I wouldnt have any part in it."
Kegen laughed at the thought of a technicolor tiger. "I understand, its very nice. May I?" She said reaching towards him.
Normally Tigonus wouldnt have anything to do with someone "petting" him as he wasnt a pet, but how could he say no after what she said about her parents.
"Sure." He said bending his head down and leaning a little in her direction.
She felt his fur which was very nice and soft. Tigonus had to resist the urge to purr.
Warrior, think like a warrior. Not a cat. Warrior.
Finally she released her grip and Tigonus felt a wave of relief.
"Thank you Tigonus. If you will excuse me, I am very tired. I need to get some rest."
He nodded and watched her walk away until she was out of sight. He then looked over both shoulders to make sure no one was there and dumped his water on the way to the fridge to get some milk.
----
Mister H had made his way out of the city. Looking back he could see that the patrols had doubled in a search for the underground rebellion that was forming under his care.
"Havent seen such Nazis since the Freedom Corps." He muttered to himself. "The next time I come back, it'll be to destroy the Council."
He had no real direction to go. To the South was the wasteland that was Old Baltimore. To the West was wilderness. The wilderness seemed like a good option right now. He was about to head that way when a Council Hover Jet swooped down in front of him and turned to face him. No real choice now but to surrender. The torture was gonna be a b*tch until he found a way to escape.
A voice came from the loudspeaker. "Run and die. I have a message for you to give the Ring of Resistance."
A man in a perfectly pressed Council uniform stepped down from the ramp as the engines wound down. His boots were highly polished and he wore many medals.
"Tell the Ring that they are running out of time. This disc will explain all." He said giving him a small optical disc.
Mister H saw opportunity now. The man was standing between him and the jet. Killing an officer would salvage his day.
"Why are you helping?" Mister H said as he moved his hand slowly towards his sword, hidden underneath his tattered, brown cloak.
"Because, they are mine. Not his." He said with a scowl.
In a blur he unsheathed his katana and swung at his neck with perfect precision. He watched in surprise as the sword stopped about an inch into his neck and a green spark came off his sword.
The officer smiled, then punched him in the chest. Sending him back twenty feet.
Mister H held his chest and looked at the man.
As he boarded the Jet he yelled back, "Take another path and you will die. I will be watching. Tell Helen Markov that no one she cares about is safe."
Mister H watched as the jet leaned to the side and turned, then dissappeared as the stealth field around it activated, bending light around the aircraft.
"Well.." Mister H said, "Old Baltimore doesnt sound so bad."
----
Captain Neem knocked on Helen's door. He could hear the muffle sound of someone saying "Come in".
Helen's rifle was as good as new. Even better actually, she modified it heavily. It looked lighter, yet higher caliber for bigger bullets.
"Helen, make yourself presentable and prepare yourself for a big shock."
"What's going on?" She asked.
"Just trust me." He said.
"If this is about-"
"Shut up and get ready! I will wait outside to take you to this surprise."
Helen would argue with anybody else, but not Neem. She had too much respect for him. She cleaned herself up and got ready. Looking in the mirror she noticed the bags under her eyes. She could feel guilt rise up from deep inside her for not being there for her team. She quickly pushed it back down as this wasnt the time for punishing herself. She stepped outside to find a patiently waiting Captain Neem.
She looked quite beautiful for all she had been through when she put some care into it. Captain Neem thought she looked elegant. That was the best word to describe her he thought.
He looked down at the wedding ring on her hand, Platinum bands with saphires and diamonds, same as it always had been every time he looked at them. "Ok, lets go." He said as he walked her down the hall towards the briefing room.
She could sense this really was something big and her heart started beating faster as they approached the door. Captain Neem stopped in front of it and turned to her.
"If you need to, grab onto me." He said.
"Okay." She said shaking with apprehension.
Better to dive in than to toe the water
Captain Neem thought.
He opened the door and they stepped inside. Michael stepped into the light, in full view of her.
She gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Tears streaked down her face as she looked in disbelief, "Michael?" was all she could manage to get out.
Tears started running down Michael's face as well, and "Mom!" was all he could manage to get out.
They made their way, not running as one would suspect, but slowly towards each other as if they were making sure the other was real.
When they got close enough they hugged each other and Helen cried as she kept repeating "I thought you were dead. I thought you were dead."
"Oh mom, I've done some terrible things." He whispered, choking on the words.
"That doesnt matter now, sweetie. We have each other. We can help each other through this."
They whispered now so only they could hear each other.
"Michael.... Helsinger is alive. When he finds out you are he is going to come after you too."
"What!? But we killed him in Striga Isle."
"That [censored] found some way to cheat death."
Tick-Tok, who had helped prepare Michael for the reunion of mother and son leaned over to Captain Neem.
"I am so happy they are a family again. Its like fate smiled on them for a day."
"Yeah... fate." Captain Neem said back.
----
Several Days Later
Techsupport went scouting the area known as ground-zero. Called that for obvious reasons. He was going to set up some Mobile Detection Units to extend the reach of their current "Power Radar". He notice a dark figure walking down the street of a particularly broken part of the town, burned shells of buildings everywhere and debris cluttered the road. He decided to investigate and flew down for a closer look. A cloaked man, no visible weapon. He didnt look like Council and wasnt causing trouble so he decided to fly down to meet the man.
Mister H pulled his katana out and pointed it at Techsupport as soon as he landed.
"Who are you? I dont have any money and I am not worth the fight so dont be stupid." He said.
Techsupport raised his arms in the air, "Im not gonna try anything. Im with the Ring of Resistance."
That didnt seem like the best thing to say all of a sudden. Who knew who this guy was anyways.
"Perfect!" Mister H said, "Take me to your base. I got a message from some guy who knows a Helen... Mark... Morkov.."
"Helen Markov? A message?" Techsupport asked in surprise.
"Yeah thats the one. Im Mister H by the way."
"Im Techsupport. I'll take you there."
A few hours later Mister H and Techsupport were at the base. Techsupport had checked him for bugs and blindfolded him just in case he was a spook.
"Can I take this damn thing off now? I come bearing gifts and you treat me like some POW. I would hate to see what you do to your enemies." Mister H said.
Steele nodded to Techsupport. He removed it, revealing a room full of some real oddball heroes.
Mister H laughed a little, "This is the Ring of Resistance? looks like a mob to me. Here's your disc, I am outta here." He said waving his arm as he turned around.
"The Council is patrolling the city heavily. You will be found in fifteen minutes, tops." Steele Magnolia said.
Mister H stopped in his tracks. "... I am kinda curious to see whats on that disc. I will stay long enough for that at least."
"Right." She said, "Play the disc please."
Techsupport took it from Mister H and put it in the drive. Helsinger's image came up on the screen. Helen and Michael both looked at him with a grimace. How had he cheated death?
"Hello Helen, Michael." He already knew about Michael. His speed at aquiring intelligence was frightening.
"And the rest of the Ring. I have sent this message to tell you that you are running out of time. As you are watching at this very moment a device is being built that will, when completed, end the war instantly in the favor of the Council. The details on how it works are not important at the moment. What is important is that you try to stop it.
I know you are asking yourselves why I am telling you this. It is not to stop the machine. I need you to come out of the woodwork to get to you. You are mine, not The Center's. You really have no choice. You have to act on this information but you know it will expose you to me. I fully expect you all to be dead before the approximate five years it will take to build the machine.
Captain Neem, the machine lies in the base who only one man knows the location of. I believe you know who I am speaking of.
Dr. Markov, Michael. You will watch as your lives are burned to the ground. Everyone you care about will die before your eyes. I will take my time with this. Spreading the pain you will feel over the rest of the time you have on this world. You will not have a moment's peace, and no mercy will be shown for any reason. The fate of the Ring of Resistance is going to be slowly crushed in my hands."
The screen went black and they sat in silence for a long moment.
"Who is he talking about Captain Neem?" Eternal Twilight said.
"GET OUT! Everybody just GET OUT!" He yelled back.
"I am sick of this!" Eternal Twilight yelled back. "All these damn secrets you are keeping from us is going to get someone killed! When you want to man up and let us know what is going on I will be waiting."
Eternal stormed out of the room followed by everyone else slowly walking out.
Larry went to say something to Captain Neem but Helen shook her head. He nodded back to her and left as well. Helen lingered in the doorway on the way out.
"He has a point. I know I havent been the best example of leadership lately but they need to trust you."
Captain Neem didnt acknowledge her. He just leaned forward on his knuckles and his head down. Helen left him to his own thoughts.
----
Paragon City, Before the Cleansing
Captain Neem and Blood Wolffe stood on the roof facing each other as civilians watched the scene unfold.
"When I met you, you were nothing more than a feral animal. Now you want to throw that all away!? After all the progress we made!?"
Blood Wolffe talked through his teeth "I dont think you understand. This is the man that destroyed my life! He took me from my parents and tortured me for twenty years. He killed me and dumped my body in the woods. After all this time I finally find him and you have the nerve to tell me what I should do!? He is already a dead man. Get over it."
Blood Wolffe turned and started to walk away.
"If you do this, you are nothing more to me than a feral dog, and I will hunt you down and take you in." Captain Neem yelled to him.
Blood Wolffe stopped for a moment. Having a pack-member outcast you is truly devastating. But his blood boiled and he could taste the revenge he was about to reap on his tongue. He started walking away again.
"I will not let you kill my family." Captain Neem said through his teeth as he grabbed Blood Wolffe by the shoulder.
Blood Wolffe spun around faster than he could react and was surprised as he released a bolt of energy to his face, knocking him back and to the ground. Captain Neem felt the warmth of blood running down his face. Before he landed Blood Wolffe was already in the air and he leapt on top of him holding a fist wrapped in energy in the air ready to kill the young Captain Neem. Neem could see the absolute rage in his face as he growled at him and bared his sharp, canine teeth. Blood Wolffe stayed still for a moment, then punched the brick chimney behind Neem's head as the Captain squinted. Inches from his head the brick exploded and chunks were sent flying everywhere. When he opened his eyes Blood Wolffe was gone. The funeral for Captain Neem's uncle was a week later. It had to be closed casket as he was far too mutilated to be looked upon.
... Wow.
"If I didn't enjoy the ludicrous mayhem of an 8-person pick-up team and my eventual glorious triumph over seemingly impossible odds bereft of lucid and competant comrades, I would have left this game a long time ago. " - mean_liar
No Raymond...but still good. I am not complaining, I don't want you to put him in when you don't want to.
I might be a little silent, but I'm still reading 
Hmm... I might want to have a little PM-word with you...
TechDefender Rad/Ele Defender
D'20 Gladiator DM/SR Scrapper
Cyclonite Cat Fire/Fire Blaster
[url="http://www.dutchfurs.com/~taross/w/screenshots/Ferretgal/Ferretgal.jpg"]Ferretgal Claw/Inv Scrapper[/url](Virtue)
@Cyclonite Cat
(Names changed at GM 'request')
[ QUOTE ]
I might be a little silent, but I'm still reading
Hmm... I might want to have a little PM-word with you...
[/ QUOTE ]
Am I in trouble?
Finally got around to reading all of this. Great piece of work you have here, Blood_Wolffe. I just wish I could find out more about some of these characters without having to read what is essentially a novel. I like reading, in fact, I like it a lot, but the Whitmoore Apartments thread is a little much. Heck, that one thread is longer than quite a few of the entire forum sections here. XD
Anyway, keep up the great work. =) I'll be watching this thread closely.
My deviantART gallery and commission info.
"What?! What "Hmmm?" Those are not "Hmmm" odds!" - Zeke, CAD
"Not only will a loss seal your fate, but also the fate of the one you are protecting as well." � Himura Kenshin, Rurouni Kenshin
Wow... Good one.
I like how family is becoming an important theme in this. I definitely look forward to more. This story is becoming quite epic, yet the attention to detail is what makes it great. Keep up the good work.
XII. A Race Against Time (Part 1)
"Captain Neem and Steele Magnolia have called a meeting. Everybody in the briefing room ASAP." Pandora anounced over the intercom system.
She had come a long way since they found her and Etherburn wandering the streets. She was now in charge of home base operations. Her extensive experience in communications in the military had made her perfect for the role. She had a no-nonsense attitude and wouldnt sugar coat things over the radio which was appreciated by the two leaders.
Larry stepped away from the War Bird. It was his personal project and he didnt let anyone else touch it. In fact few people had even gotten a good look. Sometimes he would use Acier or Techsupport for help, but only when he needed their specific expertise.
Standing back he admired his work for a moment before heading to the meeting. "When you are done, you will be the fastest, most beautiful, agile bird to grace the skies." He said lovingly to his project before he put the tarp back over it.
The group was in the room in minutes as Captain Neem and Steele Magnolia waited for them all to get in. Once they were in Steele began.
"Captain Neem and I have discussed what Captain Helsinger said on the video and have come to the conclusion. I believe Techsupport and Acier have found something else on the disc. Would you care to elaborate?"
Acier stood up, "Gladly. Techsupport and I were basically dissecting the information when we discovered there was an encrypted part of it we hadnt seen. Funny thing is, it was so obvious it was like we were supposed to find it. We came to the conclusion that Captain Helsinger must have had to pass the disc through a screening process to make sure no vital information was given to us. What was on there was schematics to a giant machine."
An image appeared on screen of a large ring with eight structures on the inside. Outside the ring were several more rings all rotating in different directions. The last one having tesla coils jutting out from it.
Acier continued, "While he didnt give us enough information to find out what it is, we believe it is, in lamen's terms, is a super broadcaster. What it is broadcasting, we dont know. What we do know is the Council would never give us this. Captain Helsinger has his own agenda and doesnt care about what the Council's plans are."
Steele Magnolia knew exactly what he was up too. "He is giving us proof. Telling us he isnt bluffing."
Seems desperate though. Do you want us that bad Helsinger?
"He also told us, or Captain Neem rather, how to get to the base it is in. Captain Neem?"
"Right." He said unenthusiastically, "The important part is where he is. Who he is doesnt matter right now." He said staring straight at Eternal Twilight. "What I am about to ask of you all is very dangerous, and it will bring back alot of bad memories. Anyone who doesnt feel up to this mission will not have to go. The man we need to see is in Paragon City."
Mister H let out a chuckle. "You mean "The Gone City? Thats suicide. You wont survive ten minutes in there. You wont even make it there. Have you ever been there?"
"I have been there." Captain Neem barked. "I was there for a while after the cleansing, you dont have to tell me about it."
"Well maybe they havent." Mister H said pointing at the silent group. "First of all, you will have to go around New Council City which means going through the "wilderness", last refuge of all the monsters and mutants that terrorized the world before the Council came through with their war machines. If you get through that, you still have to cross the wasteland, an impassable strip of land hundreds of miles wide of cracked fissures in the earth that spit up radioactive gases. No hero has ever survived trying to cross it."
Mister H leaned a little closer to everyone and hushed his voice as if uttering the next few words to loudly would catch the ear of death.
"...And if you make it to the Gone city, you will find evil there that is overflowing. It is every man, and monster for himself there. If you go, I suggest you make your peace with whatever deity you believe in."
Everybody sat there, digesting Mister H's words without so much as a peep.
"All we have to deal with is Paragon City." Tick-Tok said.
"What do you mean?" Steele Magnolia asked.
"We will fly over it. War Bird isnt finished yet, and I will have to modify it for a much larger passenger load and flying through radioactive atmospheres but I can do it."
"How long will that take?" Steele asked.
"Well its still just a prototype. I still have design problems and redesigning will be necessary. It will take two years. to do it. We will still have three years to stop this machine and we will know exactly where it is."
"Okay." Captain Neem said. "Time for a vote. Who wants to go on foot to Paragon City? Going there and back will probably take twelve months, with all the fighting, evading, and circumventing we will have to do."
Everyone remained silent, some looked off in other directions to avoid eye contact.
"Who wants to wait for War Bird to be finished?"
Everyone immediately raised their hands.
"Very well. We will wait. While we wait we will train. By the time it is done we will all be ready for anything."
"That is all. Dismissed." Steele Magnolia said.
"Steele, wait. I would like to speak with you." Captain Neem said as they were all leaving.
She turned around, "Okay, what would you like to talk about?" she said with a smile on her face. A drastic improvement in her attitude was seen since she and Michael had found each other.
Captain Neem looked over her shoulder until they were all gone.
"I felt I should tell you-" He stopped when he looked at her.
"Uh, I wanted to tell you that we found Jadenium in Sonic Boom's armor. It was reinforcing it."
"Oh.... I see." She said. "It doesnt surprise me." She said. "They watched me for so long and so intensely, it probably was inevitible that they would eventually be able to get the formula."
"Is that all?" She said.
"Yes."
"Alright. Now I would like to know who this person is that you are being so secretive about. You can always trust me, you know that." Helen said.
Captain Neem looked down for a minute, deciding wether or not he could with this.
"His name is Blood Wolffe. I swore I would never see him again, after he betrayed me. It looks like now I will have too.
Michael walked up to Eternal Twilight who had the door cracked slightly so he could hear them.
"What are you doing?" Michael asked.
Eternal snapped around and put his finger to his lips.
"You wanna find out whats going on here? Or do you want to stay in the dark until its too late?"
Michael thought about it for a moment. Human nature was a curious creature.
"Okay." He said and he listened in too.
Captain Neem looked at Helen, he suddenly remembered something very important.
"He wears these goggles. If he ever takes them off dont look at his eyes. He has this power called the gaze of the wolf. I never really understood it but what I do know is you will know exactly what it feels like to be a wolf's prey if you fail its test."
"What test?" She said confused.
"He said it shows you the suffering you have caused others. It will show you if you are evil, regardless of your beliefs. He preyed on evil."
"Well I hope I would be okay if he did it." Helen said jokingly with a smile. She was a little taken aback that he didnt want her to take it if it told you which way your moral compass pointed.
"Do you want to see the suffering you have cause others? Good and evil? Do you want to feel it?" He said.
She shook her head.
"I didnt think so. No one does. I am very tired now. I am going to my room. Goodnight Helen."
"Goodnight Neem."
Captain Neem walked out. Helen stayed there thinking about what he had said. Why didnt he want her to know the people she had made suffer?
Michael and Eternal had succesfully hidden when Captain Neem went to exit. Michael walked in after making sure Captain Neem was out of sight.
"Mom, I want to see the gaze of the wolf."
"Michael you were eavesdropping!"
"I know mom and I am sorry. But I have some questions about myself I need answers to."
She nodded. She couldnt stop him, he was a grown man now.
"Okay, but you can work these things out with me. You know that."
((This was originally going to end when the War Bird was finished and they landed in Paragon (crash landed actually, but you will see ). Ended up having to break it up. Will write the next part soon.))
Fantastic story so far! Everyone Let's have a party on the Test server in boomtown!
My Test Server doesn't work. I can get to the Login screen type in my login name and then it freezes on me. Anyone have an idea of whats wrong?
Dude, this is one of the coolest stories I've read on this board, keep it up man! The only thing that would be better is seeing Shadez in it
Seriously, send tell if you really want to put him in
((Thanks Shadez. Party in Test Boomtown? I could go for that.))
XII. A Race Against Time (Part 2)
In the next two years the team trained as a whole to become better coordinated for the tremendous task that laid ahead. Other factions of the Ring of Resistance were informed of the plans of The Center and eventually they were confirmed by moles working to bring down the Council from the inside.
Not only were the heroes trained but some also updated their uniforms as they had been in rags when they first joined the resistance.
While they bided their time, preparing to take action, Captain Helsinger and Requiem grew impatient and had plans of their own for the Ring of Resistance.
Almost 3 years until the machine is completed
"No... Please. I give up. I surrender."
The Council soldier's body was broken and bleeding. He was fighting to stay conscious as he coughed up blood.
"Did you give my family a chance to surrender?" Michael said before he broke the man's neck.
Michael woke up as his dream faded away. For a few seconds he didnt know where he was. Once the disorientation left him he sat on the side of his bed.
He whispered to himself, "What have I become?"
Opening the drawer next to his bed he looked down at the issued Council pistol. It still looked like new even as long as he had it. He picked up the pistol that resembled a german luger from World War II. It was awarded to special forces Council, when they comitted acts of extreme courage in the face of danger. He sat there holding the pistol until he heard a knock at the door.
"Come in." Michael said as he put the pistol away.
Lord Raymond opened the door. "Are you ready for the training session? Captain Neem says we have to start in 15 minutes."
"I will be there." Michael said.
He started to put on his uniform, a blue bodysuit with simple white stripes running along the arms, legs, and sides, dark red fingerless gloves, and a gold and dark red hourglass chest emblem.
Captain Neem was not impressed with Michael and kept pushing his limits. He was harder on him then anyone else by far.
"Take out those drones, damnit! We dont have all day!" He barked over the intercom as he, Tabby Cat, and Etherburn watched from the window of the viewing station above.
Three target drones whirred around occasionally sending small, harmless yet noticeable blasts of energy at Michael as he dodged and dived out of the way of several blasts and kicked one hovering drone squarely in the disengage pad, causing it to float back a few feet, give an electronic squwack, then fly away to its storage area.
The holographic area represented Talos Island from Paragon City. While it wasnt the best representation of the battlefields they fought on today, they kept it because it was a nice change of pace from the norm.
Michael punched another drone as it shot him in the chest. The other one fired and Michael barely dodged it as it whipped past his head.
"Faster!" Captain Neem yelled to him again.
Michael wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Id like to see you take out these drones faster than 30 seconds." He muttered under his breath.
He didnt realize how good the microphone was that was attached to his uniform.
"Very well boy. I will show you what I can do." Captain Neem said over the intercom.
The program stopped and Captain Neem walked downstairs and through the door into the training room.
"Go into the booth and watch." He said with a dismissive tone.
Michael smirked as he walked away.
We'll see exactly who the better fighter is in a minute.
"BJ, set the drone number to five. Difficulty - Hard."
She nodded, and maxed the difficulty, set the number to five. Michael watched as he crossed his arms. Doubting Captain Neem's skill.
Captain Neem hovered in the air as five drones came out from holes in the wall with incredible speed, firing at Captain Neem.
He moved to the side as he charged a drone, the shot flying by him. He put up two hands, targetting two seperate drones and fired seperate blasts of energy. They both impacted and the drones let an electronic squwack out indicating they disengaged and flew back to their holes.
Three left
One was chasing him now as the other two fired at him. Captain Neem flew as fast as he could into a wall, kicking off of it with his feet to change directions fast. The drone however careened straight into it and squwacked as it disengaged.
Two left
Michael looked at the time. 20 seconds and Captain Neem had taken three out already. He couldnt let that old ******* upstage him.
Captain Neem landed on the ground under a drone and gave it an uppercut. Another squwack. Another drone down.
Michael bumped the drone number slider. "Oops." He said as if he did it accidently.
Captain Neem watched as about twelve drones poured out of the holes in the wall. In a second they had him surrounded in a circle.
"Oh my god!" Tabby Cat yelled as she tried to deactivate the drones through the computer. The slider was only connected to the drones when they were in the storage area and now they had to be deactivated by voice. Only Captain Neem could deactivate them as he was the one logged in the computer.
Captain Neem looked around him.
This could be bad
They fired all at once. Captain Neem jumped into the air spinning sideways as the blasts criss crossed around him. He had only one choice now. He nova'd in mid air, sending the drones spinning and squwacking into the walls and bouncing around before the humbly flew back to their storage areas.
Michael looked in awe. 17 drones in 30 seconds. He wouldnt hear the end of this for a long time.
----
Larry had nearly finished the War Bird. All that was left was fine tuning the pilot's controls, they were a bit jumpy as of now. He was so into his work that he didnt even notice as Helen came in.
He had been working so hard he deserved a break, Helen thought. So she decided to make some french toast for the two of them just like she used to back in days much happier for the two of them.
"Larry." She said with a smile on her face.
He stuck his head out from underneath the pilot's console and a smile grew across his face.
"It's been a long time since we had a french toast breakfast. I thought you forgot about them."
"Of course I havent forgotten about them Larry. How could I forget some of my most cherished family memories?"
Larry blushed at what she said. He liked being called family by Helen. She had been like a mother to him for a long time. Even when he didnt want her to be one. She had only let him start drinking a few years back, and only in moderation in her presence.
"Let me go wash my hands and I will be right back." He said.
Helen nodded and watched him run off to the bathroom so he could get back to her delicious breakfast he loved so much. They spent the morning sitting on an old couch in the garage talking about his nearly finished "pet" and the happy memories they shared from a long time ago.
In the shadows a dark figure watched and took mental notes of some of the things they said for future use.
----
Two days later
Everyone sat at the bar having a drink to the finished War Bird and to the mission that began tomorrow. Larry had affectionately named it Irene. He didnt have any real reason. It just seemed to fit. The testing was done and they would fly out tomorrow to Paragon City.
"Congratulations on the largest invention you have come up with yet. Even if your girlfriend has a fat a**." Acier said jokingly.
"Just how fast does this thing go Larry?" asked Kegen who was slightly nervous about this flying contraption.
"Well, really fast. I dont have much for measuring speed but if you remember F-16 fighter jets, its comparable to that.
Lord Raymond got a little motion sickness just thinking about it. Flying himself was not a problem. Getting rattled around in a tin box by every pocket of air was another.
Captain Neem spoke up, "Everyone, raise a glass to Tick-Tok, a genius inventor, a hero, and a good friend to all."
Everyone raised their glasses and gave a cheer.
"Thank you all" Larry said, "I couldnt have done it without your support, wether it was helping me with making it or keeping my spirits up. If you will excuse me I have to go to the restroom."
Larry made his way to his room to use his bathroom down the hall, for a little more privacy. As he left he could hear Helen talk about who would be in what squad.
"Tick-Tok, Rose Cross, Techsupport, Pandora, Hippie Mage, Tabby Cat, Mister H, and Michael are with me. Lord Raymond, Core Being, Acier, Etherburn, Eternal Twilight, Tigonus, and Brainhurt are with Captain Neem. But enough shop talk, lets have some fun!"
Larry smiled at that last sentence. She just had a total geek moment, he thought.
After relieving himself he stepped outside his room to hear beeping sound coming from the briefing room. He walked into the room and saw it. A bomb that was ticking down. It was huge too. There was three minutes left until detonation. Even the best bomb squad couldnt defuse something like this in that amount of time.
He ran to the bar and yelled at everyone to get out. "BOMB! THERES A BOMB! GET OUT!"
Everyone looked at him for a minute. "Thats not funny Larry." Marjorie said with a tinge of fear.
"IM NOT KIDDING! GET OUT!" He said as he started pushing people.
"Sh*t. Everybody out!" Captain Neem said.
People ran for various exits. There was alot of confusion and panic. When Larry got the flag from Paragon City Hall he left, but the only one he could find was Captain Neem.
"Is everybody out?" Larry asked.
"No! Helen is still in there! Quick Larry you've got to find her! You still have one minute!"
"Hold this!" Larry said as he gave Captain Neem the flag.
Larry didnt think he just ran back inside. He didnt think about how he hadnt told Captain Neem how much time was left, or why he sent him and didnt search for her himself. Tigonus could smell that it wasnt Captain Neem, and ran after Larry screaming to stop but he didnt listen, or couldnt hear him. As Tigonus was about to enter the base when a fireball from the explosion sent him flying to land on his back with a painful thud. He looked back at Captain Neem as he began to lose consciousness. He was holding a trigger. When he turned and started to walk away he saw the thing that pretended to be Captain Neem change shape.
Metal Wolffe returned to his natural form.
"Metal Wolffe to Helsinger. Mission accomplished. I did everything you asked, now you better hold up your end of the bargain." He said over the com device.
"Dont worry, Metal Wolffe, I will keep my word. Now you better get a head start to Paragon City. Wouldnt want them to beat you there."
"Im going." He said as he stepped into the now uncloaked HoverJet.
That was the last thing Tigonus saw before slipping into his unconscious sleep.
Metal Wolffe looked at the flag in his hands, folded neatly into a triangle.
"Pffft. Holding on to dead dreams and broken empires. No wonder you people are so easy to beat." He sneered as he tossed the flag to the ground without so much as looking back.
As the team watched the base burn out of control to the ground Helen kept thinking of Helsinger's words.
You will watch as your lives are burned to the ground.
When Tigonus woke up and told everyone what had happened they couldnt get Helen to stop screaming until she was too exhausted to do anything anymore.
"Im sorry Helen. I tried." He said, but she was inconsolable.
After the fire had died down Etherburn told the team the War Bird had been spared as well as the garage.
"We dont have a choice." She said, "We cant stay here and we have to go to Paragon City. We have to go before they send more after us."
Captain Neem nodded, then looking over the soot covered faces of the heroes around him he said, "We will sleep in the garage. In the morning we fly for Paragon City... So rest up. I will keep watch for tonight."
"No, Captain, you need sleep. I dont." Core Being said.
"Okay, Core Being. Keep watch. Everybody else try to get some sleep."
No one could though. They laid there with their eyes closed pretending they were asleep. They all had the feeling one gets when you are climbing the stairs in your home in the dark and you take one more step then you should. That feeling you get as your foot falls through the air. Like the ground was taken from beneath you, and they were still falling.
((No disrespect to the american flag intended here. Just trying to convey how evil the Council is here by disrespecting not only the american flag, but something every hero in Paragon should be proud of. Since it was from Hero 1's cape who died so that others may live. The greatest love of all.))
Enjoying your story quite a bit!
Keep it up.
"Shut up Mr. Burton, you are not brought upon this world to get it!" - Lo Pan
@MadGremlin