Clarisa had been watching the activities outside via security cameras. She didn't see any evidence that her new employees were altering the scene or assisting the Crey agents. One had to be careful of double agents in this day and age. It was so hard to tell which side people were on. Most of the time, heroes were on the side of law and justice, but there were those who skirted the edge.
"Hmmm..." Clarisa caught herself saying this allowed. "I wonder what the twins were doing back there. They must have been first on the scene." She decided to meet them before they entered the main hall where the festivities were still going on.
Down the length of the corridor, she saw Soulll Trainnn and Angelstryke walking in the lead. There seemed to be an uncomfortable distance between them. Neither wanted to be behind the other, yet they didn't want to walk side by side. Trailing not far behind, were the twins. They were quite striking in appearance, so young and innocent looking. Experience had taught Clarisa that could be innocence could mask great strength. She would do her best to make them feel comfortable here and earn their trust.
Clarisa met the team half way and started walking alongside Kashaye. "Ms. Parker, thank you for responding. If everything is under control, I'll set aside some time after the party for us to chat, so I don't interfere with your lab opening. Is that appropriate? Also, I'd like to invite Angelstryke to that meeting as well. I think he will have some thoughts on the matter." She nodded questioningly at Angelstryke to see if he approved. Angelstryke tossed an errant lock of hair back and nodded in return.
Once she had a reply from Kashaye, she shortened her stride to walk with the twins. "Welcome to the lab. I want to thank you for responding so quickly to the potential infiltration." A calm smile warmed her face and she slowed down a bit so the gap lengthened between the twins and the two heroes in front. "I would be most interested in your thoughts on the matter too. Just a few days ago, you brought me information and now this happens. Do you believe the incidents to be related?". This was a leading question and she feared that it was thinly veiled. She really didn't want to insult their intelligence, but she didn't want to start speculating either. They obviously knew something more and wouldn't be here if they didn't wish to share it.
[url="http://celestialguardians.guildportal.com"]Celestial Guardians SG[/url]: Chris Mas Snow 50 Ice/Storm Ctl, Li Zhou 42 MA/Rgn Scrp, Dui Zhou 32 Ice/FF Ctl, TinyTaxi 35 Emp/Psi Def
[url="http://tinyurl.com/y66drr"]UnAlliance VG[/url]: Shar Chi 37 Nin/Drk MM, La Vida Loca 16 Pl/Psi Dom
Kashaye nodded. "Yes, although I believe the reception will be winding down soon anyway. One moment."
She walked down the hallway to where her permanent office had been set up, and returned carrying a package.
"Angelstryke, this is for you, by way of an apology. Chalk it up to more of my impulsive nature."
Angelstryke, bemused, accepted the box, and opened it. Inside was a brand new leather jacket, the same size and design as the one that had gotten shredded when he'd tangled with Soul.
"I talked with Serge, the tailor over at Icon. He had your measurements on file... so... "
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
"Well I'll be damned. There is some semblance of a heart in you."
Angel gladly took the jacket and threw it over his shoulder. "Thanks alot doll. I really appreciate it. Serge does some good work." He flashed her one of his trademark smirks that usually make women fall head over heels.
"Now wheres this buffet? When they say all you can it, I take it as a personal challenge." Angel walked over to the food and grabbed several big peices of ckicken onto a plate. He quickly started woofing it down. "Just call me when this meeting's going down, Clarisa. These twins make me nervous," he said before going back to get more food.
[ QUOTE ]
"Well I'll be damned. There is some semblance of a heart in you."
Angel gladly took the jacket and threw it over his shoulder. "Thanks alot doll. I really appreciate it. Serge does some good work." He flashed her one of his trademark smirks that usually make women fall head over heels.
"Now wheres this buffet? When they say all you can it, I take it as a personal challenge." Angel walked over to the food and grabbed several big peices of ckicken onto a plate. He quickly started woofing it down. "Just call me when this meeting's going down, Clarisa. These twins make me nervous," he said before going back to get more food.
[/ QUOTE ]
Soul just gave him an exasperated expression, although there was a bit of a twinkle in her eye. "Doll? Well, I guess it's a step up from 'toots'... so I'll take what I can get."
((OOC: Soul is more into women than men, and has been for the past couple of years, ever since her last boyfriend dumped her when he found out she'd become a meta. She doesn't dislike men, just doesn't trust them with her heart. She doesn't make that publicly known... but you could probably pick that up over time. That said.. she isn't dating anyone and isn't looking, being more driven to succeed in her job and as a heroine. So... Angel can TRY to charm her, but it'll probably just annoy the heck out of her.))
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
((In case you haven't noticed Angel likes a challenge. 
))
(( I noticed. But I thought I'd let you know why she's not reacting like the others. ))
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
(( Sorry I haven't posted for a few days...been busy with some stupid crap...it's mostly out of the way now, though. ))
Victor had climbed into a black SUV that awaited him outside, which promptly made its way towards the new Legion building blocks down the road from Physiks. Legion had 'conveniently' managed to acquire some land close to Physiks.
The interior of the SUV was quite spacious and was equipped somewhat like a limo, with a phone, drinks, etc., without the stretched out spaces, of course. The phone rang and Victor quickly answered.
"What is the situation," he inquired.
"An unknown agent has been detected within the proximity of Physiks. The 'unknown' has also been detected around Legion on several occasions."
"What have initial analyses said? Is there reason to believe it is a Crey agent?"
"No. We're searching through our databases and we have also began to search the files of several major governments. So far we have come up with nothing."
Victor paused a moment. This almost never happened. His information network was unable to identify this potential enemy. Very few things caused fear withing him. Going against something without proper preparation and without knowledge of the full capabilities of what he had to fight was one of those few things. "Illuminati," he questioned, "or perhaps a Fallen One?"
There was a pause on the other end. "With such cloud of darkness surrounding this enemy, you may be correct. Prepare for the worst."
"Understood. I'm on my way." Victor hung up. He lowered his head and stroked his chin, going into a deep thought as he traveled towards the new Legion building.
[ QUOTE ]
Welcome to the lab. I want to thank you for responding so quickly to the potential infiltration. I would be most interested in your thoughts on the matter too. Just a few days ago, you brought me information and now this happens. Do you believe the incidents to be related?
[/ QUOTE ]
"Ms. Feynman, we're still..." Christopher sighed deeply, thinking the situation over carefully. "...We're still investigating the situation, so we can't say for sure if these scientists had anything to do with Crey's plans."
Christina narrowed her eyes at her brother upon hearing the words "Crey's plans". I guess he doesn't want to tell her until he has more information... Christina thought to herself, sighing and shaking her head.
"There IS another company you might want to look into, however..." Christopher said, his tone becoming sterner. "Have you ever heard of Greed Inc.?"
"So delcious..." An extremely overweight man chuckled to himself as he helped himself to the buffet in the main hall of the banquet.
The man wasn't wearing a shirt; in fact, it could be safely assumed that his body was so massive that it would take a custom job from Serge to make a shirt that fit him. His incredibly large, obese gut jiggled slightly as he wolfed down plate after plate. Underneath his gut, the man wore loose, red pants and well-polished black boots. Wild red hair adorned his head, and it appeared as if the man had never washed or combed his hair in his entire life. Needless to say, his grotesque form and... uncivilized... eating habits drove almost everyone away from the table. Unphazed, the man continued to systematically clear every plate, as if his stomach was a bottomless pit.
The man turned his attention to Angelstryke as the Hero appeared in the banquet hall, smiling as he did so.
"Care to join me?" He asked Angelstryke in a surprsingly gentleman-like voice, gesturing to the (remaining) food spread out at his table.
Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic
"Sure thing big guy just make sure that you don't get any food on me." Angel sat down and took a look at all the food on the glutten's table. "Either your eating for two or you've got some major problems." Angel questioned the man no more and began eating some of the food.
All the time he was eating however he kept focusing on the twins and Clarisa and what they were telling her. At the mention of Greed Inc. Angel froze. He carefully studied the fat man eating before him. He didnt look like a threat but if the rumors were true then he and the rest of them were in big trouble. "So the rumors must be true then," Angel thought to himself. "If this guy's with Greed then hes gonna have us for lunch. Better get Clarisa to up my salary after this goes dow."
Angel kept eating at the table for leaving would defenitily arouse suspicion. But while he was eating he was on guard and carefully concentrating on the glutten
"I see...", Clarisa said to the twins, "...it's possible that Greed, Inc is involved? To be honest, I haven't paid them much attention. Since they had that antitrust lawsuit against them, I thought they were pretty much out of the picture. Perhaps I was wrong."
Clarisa scanned the room for her assistant. She saw him entertaining the Nobel Prize recipients, encouraging them to stay and enjoy the free food now that the science part of the show was over.
They made eye contact and Clarisa pointed at her cell phone to indicate she would leave him a message. Jordan would probably be up all night researching Greed's current activities, per her request, but that couldn't be helped. He was a good assistant, trustworthy and loyal, but not smart enough to take her position...or maybe he was smart enough to not take her position, depends on how you look at it. In any event, she trusted him with her life and had come to rely on him.
Clarisa turned to the twins again. "I'll give this party a few more minutes, then I'll ask Ms. Parker and Angelstryke to debrief me, would you care to join us?" .
[url="http://celestialguardians.guildportal.com"]Celestial Guardians SG[/url]: Chris Mas Snow 50 Ice/Storm Ctl, Li Zhou 42 MA/Rgn Scrp, Dui Zhou 32 Ice/FF Ctl, TinyTaxi 35 Emp/Psi Def
[url="http://tinyurl.com/y66drr"]UnAlliance VG[/url]: Shar Chi 37 Nin/Drk MM, La Vida Loca 16 Pl/Psi Dom
((Hi, read the posts and I think I'd like to get in on this. I like these games 
))
Mallory was finally done with her classes for the day at Paragon City University after several hours of the most boring lectures she'd ever sat through. Though she was still only a sophomore, she was still pretty far ahead of what they were teaching as far as the math and the science went.
Since she was done with classes for the afternoon, she decided to spend the rest of the day the same way she had spent the last two weeks... looking for a job. After returning to her small apartment in Steel Canyon that she shared with another girl, Mallory changed clothes into a more "professional" outfit and started her walk toward the monorail. Along the way, she marvelled at the various powered beings that ran, jumped, or flew around her and wished that she had been lucky enough to be a hero as well.
As Mallory walked along the sidewalk, she kept her eyes peeled for outcasts and Council who might want to "talk" to her in an alleyway. She was only a little afraid of them, and really, only the ones who were willing to shoot her rather than let her get away. She had been in track for a long time, back through high school, and she was sure that she'd be able to sprint away from any danger.
Occasionally, she saw places where she thought she might like to work, but she was a little picky, and always talked herself out of each location.
A little over an hour after she had started walking around the city, marvelling at the heroes and shying away from finding an actual job, Mallory happened to be walking in front of a large, ominous looking building. It's sign said "Physiks Technologies" in strange, bright blue futuristic letters. She considered how cool it would be to one day work in a science lab. It had been her dream for a very long time.
As she looked accross the street at the building, she saw several figures outide a side door that led into an alley that presumably ran all the way around the building. Two looked like scientists, but two were much younger, and wearing similar clothing. As she watched, one of the kids went all blurry and a second later, both of the scientists fell to the ground. As she watched, another, much larger man came out of the door. He looked down and started talking, but Mallory was too far away to overhear. The man lit a cigarrette and leaned against the wall of the building. A moment later, yet another person, a black woman in a costume, barrelled out of the door, nearly tripping over the growing crowd of heroes and scientists in the alleyway. The group was talking, their conversation still unheard by Mallory. Then the door opened abruptly and everyone went back inside. She was going to keep walking down the sidewalk and ignore the business of heroes, but as she turned her head to look back down the street, she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye, coming from down the alleyway. She was going to ignore it, but then she realized that if either a hero or a scientist had dropped something, or there was another clue to whatever was going on, she might gain a little recognition by returning it or pointing it out. It was then that she decided to take a closer look.
((This post is sort of an introduction. I'll get in with the rest of you guys in the next post))
The elevator decended quickly. Deeper and deeper into the ground, below the lowest foundations and sewer systems of Paragon City. Victor stood, a dim light casting a weak glow over him and his cloaked companion.
The man that stood with him was covered in a crimson cloak, a hood covering and darkening his face. The cloak was trimmed with gold and a golden belt was strapped across his waste, pristine white gloves covered his hands, and black, shiny boots extended to his knees. They both stood silent as the hum of the elevator echoed within, the lights flickering occasionally.
Finally, the hum deepened and Victor felt the elevator coming to a stop. The hiss of exhausted steam echoed within the elevator and the doors opened, screeching initially. A large, cavernous laboratory is revealed, rough nature intertwined with modern technology. Computers, electrical equipment, reactors, monitors, etc. stood next to stalagmites and rock formations.
Victor stepped out of the elevator and into the laboratory. As he walked past, similarly cloaked figures in white that weren't already occupied stopped and saluted, receiving a quick salute in return. Victor and the crimson cloaked man stepped down the concrete walkway towards a large glass case. Hung within the case: a set of red and gold armor and a large assault rifle. Victor looked up at the case as several red-cloaked figures quickly moved about, dialing on keypads and accessing various computers.
Steam quickly rushed out from the vents beneath the case as it opened. Large tables and racks of various gadgets and weaponry rose upward from the ground, forming a circle of equipment racks around the case.
Several brown-cloaked, cleric-like figures approached Victor and assisted him in removing his coat as others delicately removed the armor from the case. Within minutes, Victor had donned the red and gold armor, along with a pair of shiny, black jackboots. Four clerics completed the uniform, two buckling the utility belt around his waist, two others bringing him the assault rifle..."Torquemada."
His crimson-cloaked companion spoke. "Matamoros, I advise you to prepare for the worst. If the enemy we face is indeed Illuminati or even a Fallen One, it could turn out to be a desperate struggle." He gestured towards the weapons and gadgets racks that surrounded them and the armor case. "We have prepared many pieces of equipment for you. Take what you will."
Matamoros moved to the racks, his eyes darting around quickly from beneath his helmet, taking pieces here and there and placing them within various utility compartments in his belt or attaching them to his gun.
"I will continue our inquiries," the crimson-cloaked man continued, "until then, may God be with you," he said, extending his hand forward and placing rosary beads into the gloved hand of Matamoros.
Matamoros wrapped them securely around his wrist and darted off towards one of the many exits that led to all parts of Paragon City.
[ QUOTE ]
I'll give this party a few more minutes, then I'll ask Ms. Parker and Angelstryke to debrief me, would you care to join us?
[/ QUOTE ]
"I apologize, but we have... other matters to attend to." Christopher said, turning his attention to his sister. Christina nodded, then smiled as she focused her attention on Clarisa.
"We'll be in touch." Christina said politely, and with that she and her brother hurried out of the banquet.
"I don't like this." Chronos sighed after the twins were several blocks away from the lab.
"What's not to understand?" Gaia asked. "Mr. Greed wants Crey Industries and Physiks Technologies out of the picture. It sounds like normal business-"
"But WHY?" Christopher said, his tone harsher than he had intended. "He's already the wealthiest man in the world, and he's got most of the politicians at Washington in his pocket. What could he POSSIBLY gain from a corporate war between Crey and Physiks?"
Christina sighed and looked up into the night sky. "Maybe we should pay him a visit."
Mr. Gluttony observed Angelstryke as he continued stuffing his face.
He's tensed up... does he know about us? Mr. Gluttony thought to himself as he watched Angelstryke's posture. Well, maybe it's for the best... I AM in the mood for some sweets. Mr. Gluttony smiled. A box of chocolates? Hard candy? Or maybe I should turn him into a nice, caramel-
"Ahem." A young, feminine voice came from behind Mr. Gluttony. Mr. Gluttony recognized the voice, and turned to the young woman standing next to his table.
The woman (about 20 or 21 years old) was drop-dead gorgeous. She was wearing a ravishing, strapless black dress that made no attempt to hide her... VERY well-endowed... chest. The dress draped over her incredibly slim waist and continued down her noticeably wider hips, resulting in a perfect hour-glass like physique that caused wide-eyed stares from almost every man she came across. Her dress came to a stop well above her knees, allowing her to showcase her long, bare legs above her black, high-heeled stillettos. Long, blonde hair bounced lightly on her shoulders around her impossibly beautiful face; her beauty was, for lack of a better word... perfect.
"If you've had your fill, I think it's time we left." The woman said as she took Mr. Gluttony's arm, turning to Angelstryke as she did so. "I apologize from my friend; his social skills are sorely lacking." She flashed Angelstryke an enticing smile. "See you later... Hero."
"Now why did you have to go and do that?" Mr. Gluttony asked the woman after the two were outside of the lab. "That Hero looked like he would've been tasty..."
"Yes, I also would've like to have a 'private session' with him..." The woman said, smilng to herself as several thoughts involving Angelstryke ran through her head. She sighed and turned to Mr. Gluttony. "But until we get the word from Mr. Greed, we DO NOT make a move."
"Alright..." Mr. Gluttony said, rubbing his massive, rumbling stomach and chuckling to himself. "A good meal is always worth waiting for. And I've found that Heroes make the best meals of all."
Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic
Angel was left at the table in both shock and awe at both the amazingly sexy woman and the fact that two opertives from Greed Inc. were here. "There's probably more around," he thought to himself. He quickly did a quick scan of the lab area to find anybody else suspicious. He found nothing. He got up from the table and ran to Clarisa. He whispered in her ear, "Find those damn twins now. We have big problems and they have the answers. Ill explain later."
As he was running he put his shades on and ran outside the lab. He quickly set off flying to find any other Greed operatives. "If these guys are around, they wont wanna be seen," he thought. "I might as well be trying to find a freaking needle in a hay stack."
When his search was done and nothing was found, he did one more spot check a few more blocks away just be sure. Suddenly he saw the twins boarding a tram! He flew as fast as he could to catch them. When they were about to board he landed right in front of them, blocking their path.
"You two have alot of explaining to do. Your coming with me. Now.
A man clad in red and gold was perched upon a rooftop overlooking Physiks lab, his similarly colored cape whipping in the wind. His gaze was focused on the people below, particularly several strange people walking in and out of the building. He also had a strange feeling someone else was watching, but he had been unsuccessful in detecting the person so far.
"I don't like stepping out blindly like this," he said to himself, "and I especially don't like these new complications." He zoomed in closer with his helmet visor.
From his belt he pulled two objects: a small vial and a small injection gun. He unlatched a plate of armor from his arm and injected the liquid into himself. Almost immediately his body tensed, then every muscle tighten in a sort of body-wide cramp. He collapsed to the rooftop and crumpled up, twitching slightly, then almost as instantly as it started, it stopped. He breathed heavily and deeply, the pain fading away. His muscles felt stronger and slightly more bulky. Re-latching the plate on his arm, Matamoros darted across the roof and leaped onto the Physiks lab building. Quickly his eyes darted around, searching for anyone watching. His perception, strength, and speed were now enhanced and he hoped it would be enough to fight the coming threats.
As he searched the area he caught something quickly in the corner of his eye. His gaze shot towards the person or object, but it was gone. He slowly pulled forward 'Torquemada.' "We're not alone."
[ QUOTE ]
((Hi, read the posts and I think I'd like to get in on this. I like these games ))
((This post is sort of an introduction. I'll get in with the rest of you guys in the next post))
[/ QUOTE ]
Welcome, Mallory sounds like a interesting new character to this thread!
[url="http://celestialguardians.guildportal.com"]Celestial Guardians SG[/url]: Chris Mas Snow 50 Ice/Storm Ctl, Li Zhou 42 MA/Rgn Scrp, Dui Zhou 32 Ice/FF Ctl, TinyTaxi 35 Emp/Psi Def
[url="http://tinyurl.com/y66drr"]UnAlliance VG[/url]: Shar Chi 37 Nin/Drk MM, La Vida Loca 16 Pl/Psi Dom
(( OK, starting to get complicated. We seem to have a new major faction on the board besides Crey, Physiks, Legion... and their agents are all incarnations of the Seven Deadly Sins. Aside: bringing Fat Ba5tard into MY buffet, shirtless? FOR SHAME!! Where was Security? Oh that's right, Lust had them in thrall. Nevermind! ))
Kashaye sat down in the meeting room Clarisa had chosen for the debrief. She tapped her fingers idly against the conference table... was she up first? Well, nothing for it. She described the situation as she'd seen it to Clarisa, from the moment she opened the door to find two defeated Crey scientists and the device, and ending when they had all re-entered the building. At the end of her recap, she looked at Clarisa with a rather pained expression.
"I'm not going to get much time for research, if this kind of thing keeps up, am I?"
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
[ QUOTE ]
"I'm not going to get much time for research, if this kind of thing keeps up, am I?"
[/ QUOTE ]
"Indeed, that's why Angelstryke is here. Angel, do you have any further information and ideas on how to prevent future breeches? If the twins hadn't been there, I'm not sure we would have prevented this one. Nothing against the twins, but they aren't on my payroll like you are sweetheart, so I can't be sure of their intent." Clarisa said while sitting on the edge of her desk and sending a text message on her cell phone.
((I don't want to cut off any further dialog that Soulll Trainnn may have, but what follows is directed only to Angelstryke and will be said once she has left the room.))
Clarisa touched Angelstryke lightly on the arm to suggest that he hang back a moment longer than Kashaye. "I'm thinking we might need to take the offensive position on this. Do you have any contacts that need intel from Crey Labs? Perhaps, you could take a look at certain activity logs and see if they mention Physiks? Or "ask" the right Cryo Tank before sending him to the Zig?". There was a gleem in her that told Angel she wished she could go with him on that mission.
[url="http://celestialguardians.guildportal.com"]Celestial Guardians SG[/url]: Chris Mas Snow 50 Ice/Storm Ctl, Li Zhou 42 MA/Rgn Scrp, Dui Zhou 32 Ice/FF Ctl, TinyTaxi 35 Emp/Psi Def
[url="http://tinyurl.com/y66drr"]UnAlliance VG[/url]: Shar Chi 37 Nin/Drk MM, La Vida Loca 16 Pl/Psi Dom
((Whats going on??? Last time i checked i ran into those twins outside. Whats going on now?))
((Right...sorry we "faded to black" on that encounter too early. Feel free to RP your invention with them, then just pick up this thread where you are in the meeting with Soulll Trainnn and I. Is that ok?))
[url="http://celestialguardians.guildportal.com"]Celestial Guardians SG[/url]: Chris Mas Snow 50 Ice/Storm Ctl, Li Zhou 42 MA/Rgn Scrp, Dui Zhou 32 Ice/FF Ctl, TinyTaxi 35 Emp/Psi Def
[url="http://tinyurl.com/y66drr"]UnAlliance VG[/url]: Shar Chi 37 Nin/Drk MM, La Vida Loca 16 Pl/Psi Dom
((Everyone I am really sorry but i cant continue with this. RL is getting very busy and there are certain complications that must be attended to. You will all have to continue on without Angelstryke. Sorry all. 
))
(( OK. We'll treat him as 'on assignment'... feel free to jump back in if you want to later. Thanks for providing some interesting reading up to this point. ))
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
(( Sorry about the delay, I'm in now ))
Mallory had been looking in the alleyway for several minutes in vain. Nothing had turned up, not even an interesting scrap of paper. As much as she wanted the chance to interact with heroes, she was beginning to feel somewhat silly rummaging around, looking for something that in all likelyhood wasn't there. She finally decided to give up her search and return to her quest for a job. She walked back out of the alley to the sidewalk and looked around for a bit. She had wandered into a section of town that she was a little unfamiliar with, and she began scanning the skyline in search of a telltale statue or building. When she had determined her approximate location, she started to cross the street in an attempt to get back into familiar territory. Just as she stepped off into the road, someone opened the front door of Physiks Technologies and ran out onto the sidewalk. He looked around for a second and started sprinting down the walkway toward her. She jumped out of his way, but 20 or 30 feet before he would have plowed right into her, he jumped into the air and took flight. Mallory was so surprised that she ran out into the street, trying to keep an eye on him as he soared into the sky.
Jim Caldon was driving home from an unusually long day at work. He was just a little frustrated with the way his life was going, and his drive home every day was characterized by yelling at himself and everyone he knew. When he was about halfway to his house, he noticed a grown man running toward a much younger woman on the sidewalk to his right. He breifly considered stopping to help the girl, but before he could even slow down, the man, who was obviously powered, took off, flying almost direcly over his car. For a moment, he was so angry at the buzz flight that the man had performed, he looked out his window, trying to get a good look at him, trying to find some identifying feature that he could describe to the police later. While he was looking to his left out the window, he was not paying attention to what was in front of him, and did not even see that the girl had stepped out into the road.
Mallory didn't see the car until it was a mere 15 feet away. It was moving much faster than the speed limit, and in the half second that she had between the time she saw the car and the time it would have hit, her entire brief life flashed before her eyes. She didn't have time to consider jumping out of the way, so she did all she could. She put her hands up in front of her and braced for impact.
Back when she was much younger, Mallory's father had been murdered. The official police report said that a group of Hellions had been responsible, but the actual story was much more villainous. Her father had been a researcher for the company that would eventually grow to be Crey Industries. He had figured out some pretty impressive stuff, and when his supervisor had tried to steal the work, he spoke out. This provoked someone higher up, who ordered his death. Before he had been taken care of, however, he had done a few things to insure that his work wasn't for nothing. He had been killed so early in Mallory's life that she didn't even remember him or what he had done.
As Mallory's life flashed before her, something in her brain triggered. Luckily for her, it still worked perfectly and swiftly. Without Mallory's concious effort or thought, atoms all around her body were suddenly torn apart, and the resulting energy was forced into the small cracks of space-time. As a result, uncountable gluons erupted around her. She was suddenly surrounded by an invisible sphere of particles, and she was oblivious to the entire process.
Jim didn't know about it either. When he finally looked forward again, Mallory was crouched just two feet from the front of his car. Then, without warning, his car stopped. Completely. It was as though he had just run into a solid wall. The momentum of the car was completely absorbed by the gluons, which pushed them back out of existance. The car crumpled and then bounced backward. Mallory was also propelled back 5 feet and landed on her back. Blackness was invading her vision as she looked up and saw the now totalled car just 15 feet away. Her last thought before losing conciousness was, "How?"
Kashaye happened to be headed towards her lab when the energy monitors installed around the building went off.
"Perkins! Taylor! Was that the reactor?"
"No Ms. Parker! It's outside, in the street!"
What? The energy signature was almost identical to what the reactor put out. This didn't make any sense...
"Entrance cams on monitor, I want to see this."
"You got it."
The monitor showed a crumpled car with a man struggling to get out of the driver's side window... and a teenage girl getting to her feet, seemingly unhurt. She looked... extremely confused.
"Oh my... she's the source, see? Roll the footage back.. There!! That flash. That's our energy signature."
Kashaye thought for a nanosecond. "Send the in-house medics out there, take care of that idiot that ran her down, and bring her in for a workup. If she's anything like I was when MY powers flared... she's gonna need some help. And notify Ms. Feynman!"
Kashaye changed into her costume for the second time in three hours.... well, she wanted research data... looks like she had some.
"City of Heroes. April 27, 2004 - August 31, 2012. Obliterated not with a weapon of mass destruction, not by an all-powerful supervillain... but by a cold-hearted and cowardly corporate suck-up."
It didn't take Christopher and Christina long to realize that whatever had occurred at Portal Industries had affected the rest of Paradox City. From Titan Park to Iron Canyon to Pelican Island, entire city was... disappearing.
At first, it was small. A small void would open up on a streetcorner, or show up in someone's apartment. The Freedom League was sent to investigate, where it was determined (with help from former Portal Industries scientists) that the voids were actually tears in the very fabric of the time/space continuum. The legendary Heroes of Paradox City were quick to try and calm the populace, most of whom were beginning to leave the city in droves. The mysterious voids, however, soon began appearing in every corner of the globe. Not soon after that, astrologists reported seeing similiar voids forming in the far reaches of space.
While the Freedom League contemplated possible solutions, the size and frequency of the voids were rapidly increasing. Soon, it became an everyday occurrence for voids to suddenly appear in a city or swallow up a house, where those unfortunate enough to be at the same location of the voids would be sucked in, never to be seen or heard from again.
After lengthy testing and researching, the best Portal Industry Scientists in the world informed the Freedom League of their horrifying conclusion: the Universe was coming to an end.
"Should we tell her what the Crey Scientists told us?" Gaia whispered to her brother once the two were inside the banquet.
"It's more important that we tell Clarisa." Chronos said, observing the obvious conflict between Soul Train and Angelstryke.
"I thought you didn't want to get involved in a corporate war between Physiks and Crey." Christina smirked.
"I still don't. But keeping Physiks in the loop-" Christopher stopped suddenly and turned to look out the still-open side door. He then snapped his fingers quickly, activating his Time Stop ability. Instantly, everyone and everything froze except for the twins. Christopher then proceeded to rush out the side door and down the alleyway, finally stopping where the alleyway opened up into the street.
"What are you doing?" Christina asked, teleporting next to her brother.
Christopher gazed around the area once more, than sighed and shook his head, turning to his sister. "Sorry. Just thought I saw something."
The twins hurried back to banquet, and Chronos made sure they were standing exactly where they had been when before restoring normal time.
Outside, on a balcony several blocks away from the new Physiks Technologies lab, a young man stood, smiling inwardly as he watched the events unfolding at the new Physiks Lab.
About 21 years old, the man was wearing a red trenchcoat, underneath which he wore a black shirt and long, black pants, his feet sporting black combat boots. Although he was very physically fit, the man was in no way "bulky", like many of the Heroes in Paragon City; in fact, he was somewhat short for a man his age. His well-trimmed blonde hair was tucked neatly underneath a black beret that rested on his head. While this gave the impression of a soldier, his body and face told otherwise; they were flawless, without a single wound or scar. Indeed, he was quite handsome.
"Mr. Wrath, report." A voice crackled on the communicator the man had with him. "Have you been spotted?"
"You know me better than that, Mr. Greed." The man responded, chuckling to himself. He narrowed his eyes as Soul Train and Angelstryke made their way back into the banquet. "I've been watching them construct this Lab from the beginning." The man's eyes shook with excitment as he closed his fist tightly, red energy forming around his fist as he did so. "Thinking about it's destruction, the beautiful cries of anguish those trapped inside will scream just before they perish..." The man smiled a cold, wicked smile. "I don't think there's anything more pleasurable in the WORLD than that!"
Supplemental Galactic Protectorate Fanfic