The Course of Superhero Romance...

Please bear with me, this is only the second CoX 'story' I've written!

EDIT: The story is now available in its entirety in this thread. To read it without commentary, visit my website and download the PDF.

I've also begun Book II: Courtship and Crime Fighting, which can be found here, while the Discussions thread for both stories can be found here.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

*********

THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE...

"So, any other business before we adjourn?"

Statesman glanced at each member of the Freedom Phalanx in turn, waiting to see if any of them would speak, but most seemed inclined to remain silent. Not surprising, considering it had been another long day for them, what with dealing with back-to-back-to-back fires in Steel Canyon, rescuing a few less experienced heroes after getting in over their heads during a battle with the Kraken in Perez, and then the impromptu Tsoo-Freakshow gang war that had erupted in Talos.

"No? Then I declare this meeting adjourned."

To Statesman's surprise, as well as the other members of the Phalanx, Positron was for once the first one out of his seat.

"Whoa, what's the rush? You pretending to be Synapse?" the archer asked, eyebrows raised, and Positron looked away in embarrassment. He hadn't meant to get up that fast and draw attention to himself.

"I'm, um... I've got plans."

"Oh, really?" In a red and blue blur, Synapse zoomed around the large table to drape one arm across Positron's shoulders in an exaggeratedly casual gesture. "And would these plans happen to include a certain dark-haired researcher turned superhero?" Positron barely managed to stifle a groan, and Synapse laughed aloud. "Oh, yeah, the uber-geek finally scores!"

"WHAT'S this?" Manticore's mouth fell slightly open, and Numina gave a slight chuckle as she leaned back in her chair.

"I was wondering what had you so distracted during this meeting, Positron..."

Sister Psyche also grinned. "'Distracted' is not quite the word I'd have chosen."

Positron did NOT want to know what word the psychic would have chosen instead.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, time out. Are you saying that HE-" Manticore pointed at Positron "-has a DATE?"

Positron was now looking like he was wishing the floor would open up underneath him. "It's... not really a date..."

"Riiiiiiiight," Synapse teased. "And I'll bet you're gonna fly right home and get all spiffed out over this not-a-date. Hey, you might even take off your armor!"

Manticore smirked. "Doesn't that sort of thing usually happen at the end of the night?"

"It's not like that!" Positron protested in frustration, trying to ignore the grins that now nearly every member of the Phalanx was wearing.

"That's enough, you two," Statesman warned. "What Positron chooses to do with his own time is none of our business."

Positron nodded slightly to Statesman in thanks, but Synapse wasn't quite ready to let the matter drop.

"I was wondering when you were going to work up the guts to ask her out, Oppenheimer. You'd think that for someone willing to go toe-to-toe with the city's biggest villains, asking a woman out would be a cakewalk."

"Actually, she asked me out," Positron blurted out before he could stop himself, then he reddened.

"Who is 'she', anyway?" Citadel asked in his slightly rumbling voice.

Positron mentally gave up his vain hope that he'd be able to just leave and escape the barrage of questions. "Her name's Sorina Tavarisch."

That got even Statesman's attention, and he turned to the armored superhero in surprise. "Dr. Tavarisch? The Vanguard scientist?"

"Yes. And guys, I really do need to go." And with as much dignity and haste as he could manage, he quickly left before the questions could resume.

***

The whole way home, Raymond was kicking himself for not having managed to keep it a secret from the rest of the Phalanx. If he'd only managed to play it cool for five minutes longer, they wouldn't have found out about it, and now to make matters worse, not only did they all know, but he was running late. With a scowl, he kicked in some additional power, accelerating past the skyscrapers of Steel Canyon.

As it was, he was still nearly ten minutes late getting home, only to find that Steve was already there, sprawled on the couch with a beer and obviously waiting for him to arrive.

Raymond only grunted and ignored him as he headed to change clothes.

"Ahhhhh, now I KNOW this is serious," he heard Steve laugh. "You're leaving the armor at home... well, she certainly is hot, so I can't say I blame you."

"Steve, to you, EVERY woman is hot," he grumbled, almost reluctantly starting to set aside his armor. Since his death and resurrection, his powers were once more fully under his control, but a trace of fear still lingered, the gut-wrenching sense of helplessness of feeling his powers surge free of his control...

"Not my fault the ladies love me. So where are you taking her?"

The question jolted him out of his darkening thoughts. "What? Oh... small place in Steel near the University. She recommended it. And I'm already late, so save the questions, will you?"

Then Raymond became aware of a familiar rushing sound in the living room, which meant that Steve was doing one of his Flight of the Bumblebee impressions, and he stuck his head out the door of his room. "What the hell are you doing now?"

The blur of movement abruptly stopped, and he suddenly realized the living room looked cleaner.

"Just getting the place presentable for later."

"What 'later'?" Raymond asked before he caught on, and he gave his roommate a frown. "Steve..."

"You want me to clean up your room, too? I can have your sheets changed in four seconds."

"Steve..."

"Or how about running to the drugstore?"

"NO!" Raymond stomped back into his room and slammed the door, grumbling under his breath while trying to ignore Steve's laughter.

To be continued...

---

Hah! I'm surprised no-one got blasted over the ribbing!

---

#69397 Get Grog a Drink!
#155312 No Good Deed Goes Unrewarded
#229565 Take Back the Park! (lowbie friendly)

Praetor of the [url="http://www.forgottenlegion.net"]Forgotten Legion[/url] SG and mod for the HUB player community. All hail the mighty Grog!

That would have taken time, and knowing Posi, would have just led to more harassment.

Part 2 already in the works... and thanks for being the first to comment!

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

---

Pfft, I would'a been if I'd known we were allowed to. Some people only like comments at the end and stuff.

But the story- I love it. Positron is a dork. XD It might just be me, but I love seeing human traits in the Phalanx members, and you made him rather funny. I can't wait for part two!

Oh, and Posi- The best brand is 'Cimeroran.' Trust me.

---

I like this. Very well done!

---

My COX Fanfiction:


Blue's Assembled Story Links

Two questions -

a) should I post part 2 (and any subsequent chapters) to this same thread?
b) who thinks Positron should score on the first date?

And thanks, Prodiguy, I do try to keep characters real. As will become evident later in the story, Tava and Posi do actually have a lot more in common than they realize.

And wait til Synapse, girl chaser that HE is, meets Tava's teammate!

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

---

a) Yes, posting more than one thread on the same story creates a clutter. It's also con venient to store all related stories in one place for easy access.

b) No idea. Not my character. In my opinion, directly interacting/controlling the surviving eight is off-limits because nobody can truely know just what they'd do except their creators. That's just me though.

---

[ QUOTE ]
a) Yes, posting more than one thread on the same story creates a clutter. It's also con venient to store all related stories in one place for easy access.

b) No idea. Not my character. In my opinion, directly interacting/controlling the surviving eight is off-limits because nobody can truely know just what they'd do except their creators. That's just me though.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's just a story- In RP, I'd agree, but for stories, I don't see a big deal.

---

And here's part 2 (slightly longer than part 1)!

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE, PART II

After making sure his armor was carefully stashed away, Raymond stalked into the bathroom and turned the shower water to just shy of 'scalding'. Standing there under the water, scrubbing himself clean of his earlier heroic exertions, he tried to tell himself that he wasn't nervous about the upcoming evening. He could keep this professional - he knew he could. They were both scientists, after all. And both of them had been around the block a few times. He frowned to himself as he washed away the soap. How old was she? Thirty-five? Only a bit younger than himself, that was for certain.

Damn Steve for making him think there was another way this evening might end. There would be no adolescent pawings this evening... although as he turned off the water and stared down at the tile, he couldn't tell if he was more relieved or saddened by the idea.

It also didn't help that while he'd been showering, Steve had apparently decided to continue his silent ragging and had cleaned up Raymond's bedroom and changed his sheets. Unfortunately for Raymond, though, Steve had wisely left the premises to avoid getting yelled at.

Twenty-five minutes later, feeling extremely uncomfortable in a suit and tie, Raymond arrived almost breathlessly at the small restaurant, then he ran his hand over his scalp, squared his shoulders and entered. Once his eyes adjusted to the muted lighting, he made his way over to the host's station.

"Um, I'm supposed to be meeting Sorina Tavarisch here, but..."

The maitre'd glanced up and gave a slight bow. "Ah, you must be Dr. Keyes. Welcome. Dr. Tavarisch is already here. If you'll follow me, I'll escort you to her table."

Raymond mentally grimaced and followed the maitre'd through the restaurant - not the most auspicious beginning for him to show up fifteen minutes late.

However, when he saw the look of genuine pleasure - and relief - on her face as she glanced up and saw him, he wondered if things might still go well. Had she honestly thought he was going to stand her up?

"Raymond! Dobriy vyecher! I was starting to wonder if you'd changed your mind." She rose from her chair and held out one hand to shake his.

Apparently, she had, and Raymond shook his head, momentarily distracted by the slight Russian lilt to her voice. "No, just swamped with Phalanx business. It's been a hectic day."

"For you, too, hmm?" she commiserated. Quickly he moved to hold her chair for her as she sat back down, and she thanked him with a smile. Raymond was hard-pressed not to stare at her - he was accustomed to seeing her in either a lab coat or field officer camo gear. To see her in a cocktail dress with her long black hair twisted up like that... Resolutely he dragged his mind back under control, and looked around with interest. "I've never eaten here - what would you recommend?"

"Everything I've had here is good. It just depends on how adventurous you feel like being."

He tried not to think about the different ways that statement could be taken, and turned his attention to the menu. "Do you eat here often?"

Sorina shrugged elegantly. "What's life if you can't indulge yourself? I enjoy it here, and I can certainly afford it."

It was true, he knew - like himself, Dr. Tavarisch earned royalties on several lucrative patents, allowing her to continue her research while avoiding the need for government subsidy or private fundraising. Raymond briefly wondered if the gossip were true that the scientist was on Crey's aggravation list because of her refusal to sell her patents to them, but he decided now was not the time to ask.

After they'd ordered their drinks and appetizers, she rested her elbows on the table, steepled her fingers, and studied him, her dark eyes half-hidden behind her spectacles. "So, tell me about yourself - what do you do when you're not saving the world with the rest of the Phalanx?"

Raymond stared down into his water glass, twirling it idly between his fingers. "Not much, actually. I tend to keep rather busy with my research."

"That's it?"

"I'm... not exactly what you'd call social." The admission surprised him.

Sorina blinked in confusion. "Whyever not?"

He shrugged uncomfortably at the question. It was something of a sore spot between himself and Steve, who was always teasing him about living the life of a monk. Time and again, Steve would try to hook him up with some woman or another, and time and again, the evenings would end somewhere between 'nice' and 'disastrous.'

Slowly she nodded, seeing the look on his face. "Ne obrashhajte vnimanija. I withdraw the question, then. So what are you researching at the moment?"

At first, he was ready to launch into a discussion of the schematics of his armor, but then he closed his mouth again. "I'd hate to bore you."

She laughed and gave him a long look over the rim of her own water glass. "Bore me? I'm a scientist, Dr. Keyes. I can take it when a man talks techie to me."

He grinned before he could stop himself. "All right, you win. I'm currently working on improving the circuitry of my armor to see if there's a more efficient way to handle the flow of anti-matter."

She looked intrigued. "What metals are you using as conduits in your circuitry?"

While waiting for their drinks, Raymond was surprised to find himself opening up to Sorina and her questions. It quickly became clear that she was well-versed in the latest scientific research, and was involved in quite a bit of it herself. Her questions about his work were insightful, and he soon began taking notes as their conversation sparked ideas for his research.

"You're amazing," he told her as their drinks arrived, and he lifted his glass to her in a toast. "How long have you been studying electrical engineering?"

"Double doctorate, along with theoretical physics," she replied, looking slightly smug. "But my talents lie in adapting existing technology, not developing original technology."

"And you used to be with Vanguard, doing research for them."

"Yes," she said slowly, looking down at her wine glass. "I started out as a civilian consultant to them during the Rikti War... they needed all the help they could get. I later formally joined them, served with them for five years." She shrugged again, her eyes somber behind her glasses. "And not just research - I served on the front lines as well."

"You're serious..."

"Da. When they found out I could field-adapt Rikti technology, I would accompany teams on almost every raid they managed. Weapons dumps, assault strikes, raids on the pylons..." Sorina gave a faint smile.

"So why'd you leave?" he asked in curiosity, and was surprised to see her eyes turn sad.

"I... had my reasons." He thought she seemed to almost force herself to cheer up. "But enough about that. Shall we order dinner?"

Before he could respond, however, an almost deafening ZISH sound had them clapping their hands over their ears and wincing in pain. The windows rattled for a moment and the ground shook, then things went still. For a split second, their eyes met, identical horrified expressions on their faces, then they both leapt to their feet and ran toward the door of the restaurant, skidding to a halt outside.

An almost sickly greenish cast had come over the evening sky, but that wasn't what held their attention.

"The War Walls," Raymond whispered. "Oh, God, the War Walls are down..."

He turned to look at Sorina, and was astounded to see her dashing back into the restaurant, running for their table. Quickly he pulled the door open and followed her. "What in the world are you...?"

She reached into her bag, grabbed some money, and tossed it on the table, then raced back toward the door, one hand to the side of her head. At first, Raymond thought she'd lost her mind, then he realized that what he had thought was jewelry was actually a communicator in her ear.

"Yes, I saw, Andrea," she was snapping angrily, brushing past other diners on her way outside. "Warn the other members of the Patrol that the Rikti are hitting Steel Canyon. I'm on my way to the base now." She paused for a second outside, and Raymond nearly cannoned right into her, then he heard her howl, "Zatknis', it's not like I PLANNED this, Sharpe, so stop laughing! Tava out!"

"Where are you going?" Raymond asked her, and she whirled around, looking at him as though astounded he even had to ask.

"The Rikti are invading! You think I'm just going to sit and have dinner with that going on?" With a frustrated growl, she stomped both of her feet like a child. "Dlja ljubvi k Bogu! Couldn't they have attacked on ANY OTHER NIGHT?!" She threw her head back and screamed up at the sky. "I WAS ON A DATE, YOU INVADING IDIOTS!!!"

"But you... you..." He stopped, at something of a loss for words. This wasn't happening... this was just not happening. His first date in God-knows-how long, and now this. He blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "You're going to fight the Rikti dressed like that?"

Sorina glanced down at the elegant blue and black dress she was wearing, along with her high heels. "No. My powers are not nearly as strong without my armor. That's why I'm heading for the base - my uniform is there. And I can't even fly like this! Prokljat'e!" she growled. A moment later, sirens began to wail, and the two of them glanced up to see a line of Rikti assault dropships began making their way across Steel Canyon in a bombing run. She turned and started running as fast she could toward Blyde Square, hampered by her heels, and swearing in loud and vehement Russian the whole way.

Raymond let out a sigh and covered his face with his hands.

"Steve is never going to let me hear the end of this."

He reached into his pocket and triggered the remote-summon for his armor. In a flash, he felt the familiar metal begin encasing his body, and sensed the circuitry synching up with his nervous system. Thirty seconds later, the process was complete. Then he kicked off from the ground, flew after Sorina, and before she could protest, swept her up into his arms, and accelerated toward Blyde Square.

"What are you-?!"

"You'll get to the base portal faster if I fly you there," he said simply, looking down at her. It just wasn't fair, damn it. If he was going to be so lucky as to be able to hold her, it should have been while they were dancing or something, not while carrying her to her base so she could change into her uniform to fight off an impending invasion by the Rikti. "It's too bad, though..."

"About what?"

"Your dress... you looked lovely."

To his surprise, she blushed and looked away. "Spasibo... and... for what it's worth..." She glanced back at him. "It's too bad you had to get back into your armor. You look good in a suit."

Now he was glad he was wearing his helmet, because it hid his own blush.

To be continued...

***

Dobriy vyecher - good evening
Ne obrashhajte vnimanija - never mind
Zatknis' - shut up
Dlja ljubvi k Bogu - for the love of God
Prokljat'e - damn it
Spasibo - thank you

---

Great Stuff Dark Respite.. keep up the great work! Two thumbs up!

---

[ QUOTE ]
a) Yes, posting more than one thread on the same story creates a clutter. It's also con venient to store all related stories in one place for easy access.

b) No idea. Not my character. In my opinion, directly interacting/controlling the surviving eight is off-limits because nobody can truely know just what they'd do except their creators. That's just me though.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is an issue I thought long and hard about, especially when I decided to write Kat Scratched Fever. As I wrote, I began to have definite feelings about the relationship of Mynx and Synapse, but in the end I decided to keep as close to canon as much as possible.

That being said, I see nothing wrong with any author putting up their interpretation of how the Surviving Eight would react in a given situation, including a date or romance. As long as it's entertaining-- which this story is--then I say go for it!

---

My COX Fanfiction:


Blue's Assembled Story Links

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
a) Yes, posting more than one thread on the same story creates a clutter. It's also con venient to store all related stories in one place for easy access.

b) No idea. Not my character. In my opinion, directly interacting/controlling the surviving eight is off-limits because nobody can truely know just what they'd do except their creators. That's just me though.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is an issue I thought long and hard about, especially when I decided to write Kat Scratched Fever. As I wrote, I began to have definite feelings about the relationship of Mynx and Synapse, but in the end I decided to keep as close to canon as much as possible.

That being said, I see nothing wrong with any author putting up their interpretation of how the Surviving Eight would react in a given situation, including a date or romance. As long as it's entertaining-- which this story is--then I say go for it!

[/ QUOTE ]

First off, thanks for the compliment.

Second, I will definitely have to read Kat Scratched Fever to see how you handle the relationship between Mynx and Synapse.

And third, most surprisingly, I *DID* ask Matt Miller if he objected to me writing Positron into Tava's storyline, and bless his heart, he was okay with it. (As he pointed out, given Posi's age, geekitude, and whatnot, he might not be one for a social life, but if the right woman came along...)

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

---

And here comes part three!

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

*****

THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE, PART 3

Moments later, Raymond and Sorina arrived at the shimmering base portal access in Blyde Square, and he carefully set her down. The second the ground was under her feet, Sorina dove at the portal, vanishing in a haze of blue, and Raymond knew that the portal's system had scanned Sorina's DNA and hero identification information, then routed her to the correct base.

About two minutes later, she re-appeared, and at first, he almost didn't recognize her. He had forgotten that since leaving Vanguard, she had been recruited by one of the specialized branches of the Freedom Corps. Now she wore a red-and-white uniform and mask, what looked like shoulder braces, gauntlets, and a belt of a titanium alloy, plus high-tech goggles. A closer look at her hands and belt revealed the faint glow of microcircuitry engraved in the metal, and as she turned her head to look at him, he saw a sophisticated tracking laser system attached to the left side of her goggles.

She looked good in uniform, he thought, before he abruptly figured out he was staring at her. Even though it covered her almost completely from head to toe, there was no mistaking the feminine form beneath that skintight outfit... he mentally cursed and glanced away.

Then she tilted her head as though listening to something, and Raymond suddenly realized she was listening to the radio broadcasts throughout Steel Canyon. Quickly tuning in himself, he could hear various heroes through the city communicating with one another, calling out locations of bombs that needed to be neutralized, or escorting civilians to safety. However, he could also hear several younger and less experienced heroes trying not to panic.

"Damn it, they're hitting heroes just as they leave the hospital!"

"We got a rallying point yet?"

"Brass Cannon, reporting for duty..."

"Bombs here by the University..."

"What the hell is going on?!"

"We've still got Outcasts and Tsoo over in the Copper District, they won't leave..."

"Auramancer, you in Steel yet?"

"GET BACK, THAT BOMB'S ABOUT TO-"

"Oh, hell, reports are coming in that they're hitting Talos as well..."

"Latvian Lass, you okay? I saw you get nailed by that dropship..."

Raymond then heard Sorina's voice come over the channel. "This is Commander Sorina Tavarisch. Do not panic - heroes in Steel Canyon not currently assisting with UXB removal should report to Blyde Square. Do not, I repeat, do not attempt to engage a dropship in combat."

"Tava!" came another voice over the radio. "Hey if you're looking for help, let me know!"

"Good to know you're here, Agent Tavarisch... we're on our way."

"Greetings, Agent Comrade! Want a hand or three?"

Raymond looked at her in surprise. It seemed that quite a few of the superheroes on the scene knew who she was, and were interested in joining her efforts to repel the Rikti. She gave him a faintly sardonic grin. "You up for helping?"

"Try and stop me," he replied. "You think I'm going to miss the chance to see a Vanguard operative take on the Rikti?"

A moment later, two other heroes, a man and a woman dressed in uniforms similar to Sorina's dropped out of the sky to land beside her, and she glanced over at them in surprise. "That was fast."

"We were just over in Brickstown, taking out a few Council soldiers that were getting out of hand," the man replied, looking with interest from Sorina to Raymond and back.

"Positron, meet Agent Sharpe and Agent Blake. Ray, Andrea, this is Dr. Keyes."

"Ohhhhhhh, that's right. That was tonight! Hell of a way to spend your date, huh, Tava?" Sharpe teased, and Sorina gave him a look while Raymond again reddened. Remembering his own teasing at the hands of the Phalanx, he couldn't help wondering what sort of comments the other members of Sorina's group had made when they'd found out.

Blake, on the other hand, gave Raymond a long appraising look, then turned to Sorina.

"So much for getting him out of that armor..." Blake winked at Raymond, a slow smile appearing on her lips.

"Shut UP, Andrea!" Sorina growled, but Blake just chuckled.

Thankfully, several other heroes then arrived, and Raymond watched as Sorina, Andrea, and Ray began forming teams, providing support and direction while coordinating their efforts with other veteran heroes. The warm, open personality he'd seen in Sorina earlier was gone, replaced with the cold professionalism of a veteran soldier. It was almost as if she'd forgotten he was there, so busy was she with making sure the heroes were ready to repel the Rikti.

"Sharpe, Blake, I'll leave you two to each coordinate your own teams." Sorina glanced around, nodding to some of the heroes standing around before lifting one of her gauntlets and speaking into her wrist computer. "Command. Accept Ally Identification Signal: Soviet Garden." She briefly winked at the other Russian hero, then went on. "Spasibo, tovarich. Accept Ally Identification Signal, repeated command: Divine Scourge; Lustrious; Downcast; Hinomizu; Galebringer; Taek M. Down." At that last, she paused for a moment, but the hero just grinned at her.

Raymond saw her look all of them over, then she nodded slowly. "Right - most of you know the drill. Once they're done bombing, they'll start teleporting in. Stay together, it's the best way to make sure that the healers can keep you alive. Andrea!" The other petite Star Patrol member turned around from where she was forming her own team. "Think you can keep an eye on this group as well?"

"Don't I always? You just turn stuff into pinatas, and Sharpe'll blast them into next week."

Raymond frowned, wondering what that comment was supposed to mean, but an ominous silence suddenly fell over the square, and the heroes all looked up at the sky.

"Bombing run is just about over," Sharpe said quietly. "Which means that..."

Sure enough, five seconds later, the sharp tang of ozone filled the air as the first wave of teleportation portals opened.

"INCOMING!" Blake shouted, lifting one hand and materializing a large patch of dark energy on the ground under the incoming Rikti troops to slow them down.

At first there were only a handful, but as if realizing that the heroes intended to make a stand, dozens more opened virtually on top of them. Raymond tensed, and began sending the mental commands to his armor to start tracking targets as soon as they fully appeared.

For a split second, he was surprised to admit that he was actually glad - because if his date had to get screwed up, at least now he had something to vent his frustration on.

To be continued...

---

This is for invading Earth! *FLA-ZAPP*

And this is for ganking the newbies! *ZZZRAK*

And THIS is for ruining my DATE! *FREEM*

Looking forward to the next installment.

---

#69397 Get Grog a Drink!
#155312 No Good Deed Goes Unrewarded
#229565 Take Back the Park! (lowbie friendly)

Praetor of the [url="http://www.forgottenlegion.net"]Forgotten Legion[/url] SG and mod for the HUB player community. All hail the mighty Grog!

[ QUOTE ]
This is for invading Earth! *FLA-ZAPP*

And this is for ganking the newbies! *ZZZRAK*

And THIS is for ruining my DATE! *FREEM*

Looking forward to the next installment.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wonder if I can get ChaseArcanum to do that as a comic...

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

---

[ QUOTE ]
This is for invading Earth! *FLA-ZAPP*

And this is for ganking the newbies! *ZZZRAK*

And THIS is for ruining my DATE! *FREEM*

Looking forward to the next installment.

[/ QUOTE ]
*grin*

For whatever reason, I heard that in the Transformers Animated Starscream's voice. "You interrupted my SPEEEEECH!!!"

---

"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates

MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
This is for invading Earth! *FLA-ZAPP*

And this is for ganking the newbies! *ZZZRAK*

And THIS is for ruining my DATE! *FREEM*

Looking forward to the next installment.

[/ QUOTE ]
*grin*

For whatever reason, I heard that in the Transformers Animated Starscream's voice. "You interrupted my SPEEEEECH!!!"

[/ QUOTE ]

*laughing*

Great, now I'll have to find that sound clip and do a quick video shot of Tava in Steel Canyon, shaking her fist at the sky while the Rikti are invading...

Hopefully the next chapter will go up later today!

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

---

Yay new chapter!

I can't wait.

---

Statesman said let there be heroes, and there were heroes.

Lord Recluse said let there be villains, and there were villains.

NCsoft said let there be nothing, and there was nothing.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
This is for invading Earth! *FLA-ZAPP*

And this is for ganking the newbies! *ZZZRAK*

And THIS is for ruining my DATE! *FREEM*

Looking forward to the next installment.

[/ QUOTE ]
*grin*

For whatever reason, I heard that in the Transformers Animated Starscream's voice. "You interrupted my SPEEEEECH!!!"

[/ QUOTE ]

*laughing*

Great, now I'll have to find that sound clip and do a quick video shot of Tava in Steel Canyon, shaking her fist at the sky while the Rikti are invading...

Hopefully the next chapter will go up later today!

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[/ QUOTE ]
If memory serves, that line is from near the end of Part 1 of the Season One finale of Transformers Animated- you'll have to post a link to the clip once you've made it

Anyways, looking forwards to the next chapter.

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"A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head." Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates

MA Arcs: #12285, "Small Fears", #106553, "Trollbane", #12669, "How to Survive a Robot Uprising"

And here we go with Part 4!

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

*****

THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE, PART 4

The chaos of the attack was almost overwhelming - no matter where one turned, Rikti seemed to be teleporting in. Soon the air was filled with the hums of drones and the cracking sound of Rikti cannons, but the heroes gave as good as they got, refusing to back down from the incursion. Their job was made harder, though, when Guardians began appearing and creating forcefields around their allies, but Raymond was relieved to see there were healers among the gathered heroes as well, using magic or technology or raw talent to keep their own allies on their feet and in the fray.

Although riding the familiar adrenaline rush as his armor blasted away at the Rikti, Raymond's mind was all too familiar with the concept of multi-tasking, so while laying down some cover fire, he found himself watching Sorina as she led her own small team against the Rikti.

"Downcast, Galebringer, keep them off their balance, we need every advantage we can get!" She immediately ducked as a drone targeted her and nearly blasted her off her feet. "Damn it, I... REALLY... HATE... DRONES!" With a growl, she raised one hand, pointed it at the drone, and clenched her fingers into a fist. To Raymond's astonishment, a shimmering energy field seemed to surround the drone for a split second before it collapsed on itself in a ball of flame.

"Keep them locked down, Tava!" Sharpe yelled over the noise as more Rikti materialized and immediately began opening fire. He suddenly let out a startled yell of pain as two Rikti infantry brought their swords down with vicious strength, but Raymond unleashed a series of concussive antimatter blasts and hurled the Rikti several feet away, giving the hero some much-needed breathing room. Sharpe gave him a quick thumbs-up, then mystical energy surrounded his fists and he started beating on the nearest Rikti.

Sorina, however, was busy directing her own team. "Taek, Scourge, you heard him!" They and Sorina lifted their hands, and moments later, the Rikti quickly found themselves on the receiving end of several restraining powers. Buffeted by tightly contained snowstorms, gravity wells, and energy fields, the Rikti were powerless to move, and several of the more hands-on heroes quickly waded in to pound on then. Sorina never seemed to stop moving, her hands darting around her like birds - one moment gesturing toward three Rikti and lifting them off the ground, the next moment slamming one of the Rikti's few mentalists facefirst into the pavement.

Suddenly the ground began to shake underneath their feet, and Raymond looked up to see six enormous energy fields begin to materialize over their heads.

"BOHZE MOI, WE'VE GOT INCOMING HEAVIES!" Raymond heard Sorina yell over the fracas, and sure enough, six Rikti Heavy Assault Suits appeared above them, their fusion cannons opening fire on the crowd of heroes below. Several heroes went down from the sheer ferocity of the Assault Suits' attacks, screaming in pain and frustration and anger, and a sick feeling of helplessness twisted in his stomach. But before he could react, he saw Blake nimbly dodge between several Rikti soldiers to stand in the very middle of the heroes, and raise her hands as if in offering.

"No sleeping on the job, you guys!" she laughed, and as Raymond watched, darkness seemed to coalesce around her hands, then flow from her body to a nearby Rikti Communications Officer, which had been right in the middle of summoning reinforcements. But at the touch of the dark energy, it stopped and reeled as though struck, and now the darkness was radiating from it instead toward the fallen heroes.

Who, one by one, were lifted off the ground in a swirl of darkness and light before landing on their feet, fully healed.

Raymond wasn't sure what chilled him more - the sight of that Netherworld energy surrounding Blake like a mist, or her laughter over the sounds of battle.

"Thanks, Andrea," Sorina called out, her voice filled with relief at seeing that the other heroes were all right. Blake flashed a quick victory sign before pivoting on her heel and unleashing a painful psionic scream straight into the minds of a group of Rikti, doubling them over in pain.

Raymond's attention was yanked back to Sorina, however, when he heard her suddenly scream in agony, clutching at her head and rocking back and forth.

"SORINA!" he shouted, and whirling around, he saw a Rikti priest pointing at the woman, waves of psionic energy pouring off it and pulsing around its hand. Sorina was howling in pain from the priest's psychic assault, until Raymond snarled, raised his own hands, and blasted the priest into nothingness. As the mental connection was severed, Sorina staggered briefly, one hand against her temple, then she lifted her head to dazedly look around her. Noticing him watching her, he saw her nod and mouth the word "thanks" before focusing her attention on the battle once more.

"Tava, you all right?" Andrea turned back to her comrade, but Sorina waved her off.

"I'm fine... don't worry about me!"

"We need to take down those Heavies!" another hero shouted, but as if on cue, two more appeared over them, their lasers sweeping over the crowd and blasting heroes off their feet.

"All right, you Rikti bastards!" he heard Sorina yell. "Dovol'no!"

Sorina raised both hands over her head as if reaching for the Heavy Assault Suits brutally assaulting the heroes, and the circuitry that ran from her shoulders to her fingertips glowed with power. Instinctively, Raymond triggered his armor's scanners to start analyzing what was going on, and he realized that she was somehow folding space/time in on itself in some sort of gravitational anomaly. A second later, all eight Heavy Assault Suits were surrounded by reddish-gold energy, and Sorina closed her fists and yanked downward, and the Assault Suits briefly flickered out of existence, only to re-appear much closer to the ground, their weapons systems offline and their forcefield protections down.

"Nice one, Comrade!" Soviet shouted as he and several other heroes began attacking the vulnerable Assault Suits.

"Thanks!" she called back. "And for my next trick..."

Carefully positioning herself to get a clear line of sight on the nearest Assault Suit, she flung one hand out at the machine, and for a split second, Raymond's armor picked up what appeared to be a stream of energy moving from Sorina's hand to the Assault Suit. He blinked in surprise as pale blue energy seemed to suddenly radiate from the Rikti Assault suit, only to be suddenly absorbed by the heroes battling nearest it.

"Oh, yeah, Tava, thanks for the recharge!" Lustrious and Hinomizu, who only moments ago had been panting for breath, suddenly seemed reinvigorated, and quickly rejoined the fight.

"It's not possible..." Raymond whispered to himself. "It's just not possible..."

But it was - God only knew how she'd done it, but somehow Sorina had figured out a way to exert a fantastic control over the forces of gravity and kinetic energy. What he'd done with antimatter, she'd done with dynamics. He channeled his power through his armor, focusing it and adapting it through the suit's circuitry, but he'd had no idea that Sorina'd had a similar power within her - it was almost too much to take in.

As the battle wore on, Raymond's mind was divided between taking out the Rikti and the implications of his discovery. Between blasts, he wondered what exactly Sorina's true power was... it wasn't control over antimatter, that much was for certain, and his armor's scanners confirmed that. No... this was something different. But where did her raw power come from? And was that why she'd left Vanguard? With effort, he forced his speculations to the back of his mind and focused his attention on the combat.

"The War Walls are back!" he heard Divine Scourge call out, and glancing to his left, he saw the familiar bluish-green haze of the War Walls' forcefields once again stretching up toward the sky. As if realizing that they'd soon be trapped, the remaining Rikti began teleporting away. The slower ones, however, were quickly dispatched by the heroes, who chased down any that tried to run.

A few moments later, it was over.

An hour ago, this all seemed so much simpler, Raymond ruefully thought to himself, watching Sorina conferring with her friends, issuing orders, and congratulating the other heroes on their courage in battle. An hour ago, he'd thought he'd known Sorina Tavarisch... just another researcher, another hero in a city full of heroes... just another woman.

But as she turned and glanced at him over her shoulder, giving him a rueful and chagrined smile before turning back to the other heroes she'd been teamed up with, he felt a slight shiver run down his spine. No, he thought, he might not know what she was...

... but he did know that he wanted to find out.

To be continued...

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