CHAPTER 1 MIRROR MIRROR He wasn't going to go back! He would never go back there! He ran around, shattering mirror after mirror, destroying the dreaded things. Each one was a reminder, a way back to the place which he hated most in his heart. "I'll never go back!" He shattered another mirror, watching as thousands of copies of his face stared back at him with awe as he did them. The tiny pieces flew everywhere, scattering on the floor of the large building. Looking around, he saw more and more of them. How could they all be in one place? Kicking another mirror, he became aware of some people in similarly colored shirts staring at him, noticeably itching to say something. He turned around, letting his white cape fly in front of his face before gazing into the eyes of one of the people. "What?!" "Sir, we're going to have to ask you to stop. You'll have to pay for all of this?" "PAY! Those fools back home will pay if I ever see them again!" He turned and punched another mirror, some blood escaping from his knuckles as the reflective glass cut them. The pieces flew everywhere showing him miniature images of himself, clad in completely white loose pants and a half shirt, also white, held up by just one shoulder and draped across his chest. The three people near him cringed. One of them, a young girl, ran. He smiled, shattering another mirror. How could he go back there? To live a life of luxury, treated like royalty, with servants waiting on him as though their lives depended on it, and all the private land he had, every inch of it his own property? How could he go back to all the riches, the glorious gems and precious metals given to him as though he deserved it. Despite the fact that he did, he could never go back, not where he was considered a hero, an all powerful guide and adviser to the king of his world. He would never go back! "I'll never go back there again! Never never never!" "Go where?" He turned around quickly, surprised by the man who had suddenly appeared behind him, somewhat hidden by a large soft looking object. "That is none of your business!" The man shrugged. "That's fine. But you're scaring all of these innocent people. I need to ask you to leave." "No! I cannot go back there!" "Just come with me and we'll figure out where you can go then. But it can't be here." He growled, and grabbed a piece of a shattered mirror, throwing it at the man. It hit him perfectly near the heart, but embedded itself in an odd way, as though it had hit a malleable liquid. The man's body suddenly changed, the shard of glass falling to the ground as he became reflective. "Why you! How dare you taunt me!" His own reflection shone off the man's stomach, staring back at him. "NO!" This man, whoever he was, didn't know what he was doing. If he thought Reflect was dangerous now, he didn't understand why he had left home in the first place. There, he lived a life of luxury, but he was a prisoner in his own life.
Draco “Yeah, this gym is mostly for amateurs. I only work here for the pay; the stuff around here is boring compared to the outside world. But, you’re talking to the right girl. I’ve done almost every sport under the sun, fencing and martial arts included. I’ve got to work the front desk, but I think I can do a quick match of sorts,” her eyes twinkled mischievously, “That is…if you’re ready for it. I'm pretty tough to catch.” Draco looked at the girl very pretty her eyes had flecks of gold in them that glowed almost as much as his did. She had a confidence he hadn't seen before certainly when faced with sparring with him, She must have a power, either that or she was insane. Draco grinned widely "Fantastic. Im guessing by that smile and the fact you didn't shy away at the idea of sparring with me that your about as normal as i am, just without the hallucinogenic ink." Draco turned and lifted the bag back down and threw it to the side of the gym. He gestured and inch deep crash mats appeared in the floor. He flexed his arms and his eyes glowed again and the scales and talons reappeared, they extended down his back and his arms mixing with his tattoos in a confusing pattern. Draco pulled a modified pair of gloves out of his back pocket and pulled them on awkwardly, He looked up and his glowing eyes met the girls he smiled warmly at her "I wouldn't want to scratch you, i hope you don't mind if i use my powers im sure you wont hold back at all" Draco moved over to the left side of the gym and assumed a low martial arts form, one leg bent beneath him one stretched out to the side, his hands laid down flat on the floor. "I believe Ladies move first in most aspects seems only fair you make the first move" Draco smiled in anticipation.
Ruddyman He stood in front of the mirror, water and suds running down his face, studying himself. His smooth brown skin, amber eyes, and high cheekbones were his best features. His thick lips and eyebrows and squared chin were manly. He only wished that his broad nose fit his face. It was disproportionate and set his beautiful features eschew. And that his dreads had been chopped off his ears stuck out on either side of his auburn woolly head. No matter, few would recognize him with out hair anyway, he didn't mind his temporary ackward appearance, He was into money, not aesthetics. Ruddyman removed a terry cloth towel from the rack and dried his face, taking a second look at himself. He would allow his facial hair to grow out now, seems as good as any to grow a beard. Wrapping the towel around his waist he exited the bathroom and made his way into the dining area of his hotel room. There was a spectacular view of city from the twenty-second floor. He could see it all through a wall sized window that led to a luxurious balcony. He sat on the couch and admired his surroundings, it was't often he could afford such lavish living arrangements. He and the hotel owner had come to an 'agreement' on the room and all he had to to was ask nicely. From his flat in the Milk Quarter he'd brought more than a few personal effects. There were useful serums and concoctions in a large case on the floor. A bag of suits and matching shoes hanging in the walk in closet. Several pounds of assorted drugs, tucked away in descreet places in case he needed to make a fast dollar. All of his books where piled on the dining room table. And of course his Remington 1100 tactical shotgun was by the door with his machete under his pillow. As always his mysterious crystal was close at hand. It seemed to be developing a consciousness of its own, nudging when danger was near. It also wordlessly councilled him on the use and limits of his abilities, which were still budding. Ruddyman had yet to explore the possiblities as there was more than enough time to hone his skills. He hadn't planned on dawning a silly costume and galivanting around like some hopeless crusader. In his former life he learned that when a bad seed was up rooted two would take its place and chasing villains was not cost effective. As Ruddyman sat on his couch, reclining, he thumbed the remote and switched on the huge televison. Immediately a scene of pandamonium in front of the mall was evident. The reporter, a tall brunette woman, stood next to police officials asking for facts on the situation. Her voice was high and shrill. Ruddyman was getting a headache listening to her so he muted it and casual watched the event unfold. People came running out of the department store in droves, obviously in a panic, as police tried to route them to safety. The image then switched to a clip inside the store of a man smashing mirrors, generally causing mayhem. Ruddyman shook his head and turn the television off, switching his attention to the noon day sun creeping passed the hospital a few blocks away. He could say for sure what caught his interest, just that he suddenly felt the need to look outside and enjoy the day. He slid open the large glass window and walked out onto his balcon, still in a towel, and placed his hands on the railing. He could feel the energy of the sun feeding him as its light kissed his body and bathed him in its glow. He closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation. "Muddafuqa!" His eyes shot open just as the hospital exploded and came crashing down on its self, lighting the surrounding buildings in the blaze. The shock of the explosion shattered windows of buildings all around and was fast approaching his hotel. He ran back inside and dove behind the couch, landing just as his window shattered sending glass flying all around the room. It clattered to the ground in huge shards that would slashed him beyond repair. When the glass stopped falling, Ruddyman looked up to see his ruined living room. Shards were scatter everywhere, mostly wedged into peices of furniture and carpet. Outside, a descimated city block smoldered, the cries of horrified citizens rung out in a macabre chorus. Ruddyman accessed the damages... and was pissed.
Shoshanna Underwood (Galatea) Galatea watched as an officer stopped a girl from crossing the police barricade. The girl was saying something about looking for her aunt, but the man wouldn’t let her through. Galatea remained seated, watching quietly. There was pity in her eyes, but she didn’t move to help. Chief Thompson had told her to sit down, so that’s what she would do. But, deep inside, Shoshanna hoped the girl’s aunt would be okay… she really wished she could do something. Her eyes briefly met the girl’s and the so-called ‘hero’ looked away, ashamed. She felt relieved when the girl finally walked away, as if it somehow absolved her of all responsibility. Galatea hung her head and tried to clear her mind. She wasn’t focused. She should meditate more… There was a slight commotion in the truck, where a handful of technicians were watching video feeds from the store’s security cameras. The men began muttering amongst themselves. Galatea looked up, trying to see what they were talking about. When she finally caught a glimpse of the video screens, she saw two men fighting. One had superpowers. The other, she wasn’t sure about… She overheard Thompson murmuring to one of the other men in the van: “Let ‘em kill each other. I’ll send SWAT in to mop up whichever is left standing. It’ll be easy…” Galatea stood up and approached him. “Excuse me, sir…” she tapped him on the shoulder and he suddenly turned around to face her. “I thought I told you to sit down and-” “Sir, I could diffuse the situation, if you would allow me,” she said calmly and with more respect than he deserved. “There is no need for unnecessary loss of life. Just give me the orders and I’ll-” “You’re not goin’ anywhere! Sit down and shut up! This is police business,” he said. But she didn’t back down. Galatea stood her ground and looked him square in the eyes. He was furious, but she could see he was terrified of her. When she looked into his eyes, it was like peering into the eyes of a frightened little boy. Thompson pulled out his remote control. “I SAID SIT DOWN!!!” he demanded, threatening to push the button. The other officers were watching now. He was making quite a scene. Shoshanna shut her eyes and waited for him to do it. She was sure he was going to push the button and send 75,000 volts through her body. She had never experienced such a thing before, but she knew it would be immensely painful. “What the hell?” Thompson said, confused. She opened one eye, to see what had happened. He was repeatedly mashing the button, but the remote did nothing. “Godammit!!!” he screamed and flipped the controller over and his eyes widened. "Low battery!? Somebody get me a battery, dammit!!” Shoshanna wasn’t going to wait for that to happen. She turned and walked away into the store, her cape trailing behind her. For the first time in a very long time she felt… proud. Yes, pride. She was a superhero. She would save the day. He couldn’t stop her. “Somebody has to have some fucking batteries!!” Thompson was screaming so loud, he began to lose his voice. He rummaged through every drawer, locker, and cubbyhole in the SWAT van. “Batteries, dammit!! Somebody has to have some-” “Sir, we’re standing in front of a department store, sir.” One of the officers said. Thompson turned around and unholstered his gun. “Who said that? Where’s the smartass who just said that?” But no one owned up to it; all of the officers just stood there, pretending they hadn’t heard anything. I’m going to get that damn woman, Chief Thompson said as he marched into the store with a gun in one hand and the dead remote in the other. He headed straight for the electronics department. Nobody makes a fool of me. Meanwhile, Galatea headed to the disturbance. When she arrived, she found the two men engaged in combat. The housewares department was a total mess. There was shattered glass everywhere from hundreds of broken mirrors. She raised her hand, gesturing for them to stop, but neither seemed to notice her at all. “Halt!” she demanded. “In the name of the New Atlantis Police Department, I demand that you both cease all hostilities at once. Failure to comply will-” The man in white charged at her with a razor-sharp shard of mirror in his hand. He was surprisingly quick, but she managed to avoid the initial slash. He followed through with a low leg sweep that swiped her feet out from under her. But instead of falling, Galatea just seemed to hang in the air for a moment before planting her feet firmly on the ground once more. If he thought he could trip her, he clearly didn’t know who he was dealing with. His motions were fast and wild. He swiped again with the mirror shard, but she sprang back. She hated hand-to-hand combat and decided to end this quickly. Her hand made a graceful downward motion. His weight tripled and he slammed flat onto the floor like a sack of bricks and was pinned there, unable to lift himself. Galatea stood over him, trying to catch her breath and keep an eye on the other man, with his blue skin and strange ears. He didn't seem hostile, but she watched him from the corner of her eye as she knelt over her attacker. “I'm very sorry about this," she said to the downed man. "I know it's uncomfortable down there, in all that broken glass, but you brought this on yourself, dear. Lie still until the police come. If you resist, I'll apply more pressure. You don't want that and neither do I."
Dara White Dara smiled at the man's words, he had an interesting personality much unlike anyone she’d met before. Most people thought she was just a crazy 22 year old that was going to get herself killed one day. But, it seemed like she’d found someone who finally understood her strange antics. She watched the man wave his hand casually, creating some mats as if it was his intention to turn the private gym room into an arena. He then changed back into his previous form with dragon-like scales and talons that could cut through flesh. The man pulled out some gloves which he put on his enlarged hands. "I wouldn't want to scratch you, I hope you don't mind if I use my powers. I’m sure you won’t hold back at all." Handsome. Check. Smart. Check. Dara thought to herself, as she saw him get into a low martial arts stance. "I believe Ladies move first in most aspects seems only fair you make the first move.” Dara couldn’t help thinking that he should be the one to get the first move since she didn’t exactly play by the rules. But she accepted the kind gesture anyway. “Before we start I need to get the name of my opponent.” Dara stated, keeping her gaze on him, as she walked nearer to the mat. “Draco.” “I should've guessed. I’m Dara.” Dara moved opposite Draco. Assuming a simple karate stance she moved forwards swiftly and aimed a kick to Draco’s chin. He slid to the side almost quicker then her eyes could process, and wrapped both hands around her leg, trying to trip her onto the floor. Dara quickly rubberized and grabbed both of Draco’s shoulders, freeing her leg. She flipped over him, pulling him onto the floor instead. She rolled away quickly and resumed the karate stance once again. "You little minx." Draco laughed and flipped back to his feet from the balls of his thumbs. He came at her with his charming eyes glowing, throwing three punches in quick succession. Dara allowed each to hit her, using her power to absorb the blows to her ribcage. After the third hit, she kicked him forcefully in the chest, making him stagger backwards. Dara used the brief opening to duck behind him. She then began to wrap her arms and legs around his, pulling him nearer to the wall; effectively tying him up in knots with her limbs. He could still move fully, being much too strong for her knots to hold him hostage, but he couldn't strike at her. Draco chuckled, a deep throaty laugh. "Well, I just don't think this fight is fair at all, I yield my lady." Dara did his bidding, and unwrapped herself from him, snapping back to her usual human form. Her chest heaved as she tried to regain her breath. Using an extensive amount of force was tiring, especially with having a real opponent. Once her breath returned to her, Dara smiled in triumph, putting her hands on her hips. “Told you I was hard to catch.”
Reflect ft. Monsoon, Galatea, and DaVinci He was pressed down into the ground, so hard that he felt as though every inch of his body weighed as much as he usually did. It was a pain, the unbearable feeling of too much weight. He knew the woman was doing it somehow, she was controlling him now. She would regret the day she crossed paths with him, much less that she had done such a thing to him. "If you resist, I'll apply more pressure. You don't want that and neither do I." He started laughing, a maniacal laugh that anyone would have guessed had come from hearing the world's best joke of all time. He lay there, laughing and laughing. Monsoon walked over to him, looking at the woman. "I see you've got him under control. Excellent job. I'm Monsoon by the way. I'd shake your hand, but I'm sure you're busy with it." Reflect continued laughing, and finally began settling down. "Oh, I'm sorry miss, that was funny. 'You don't want that and neither do I.' You're right about one thing, you don't want that." Reflect began lifting his hand slowly into the air, putting everything he had behind it. Galatea applied even more pressure, causing pain to him and slowing his hand, but not stopping it entirely. After he was able to get it just above the level of his stomach, he gave a flick of his wrist. Monsoon would have thought it funny looking if it hadn't hurt so much. Going to his water form willingly was different compared to, say, being hit by a truck and splashing all over the place. There was still pain involved when he was forced into his water form. And, this time was no different. Whatever the reason, he felt like he'd had a building dropped on him, and his body crushed itself and sprayed all over the floor. Galatea also dropped to the ground with a thud, several times her weight pressing down on her. She struggled to get up, ending her manipulation on the nutcase so she could concentrate on getting herself up. "Tsk tsk." Reflect stood up, brushing himself off. "You WERE right. I'm very very sure you didn't want that. If you'll excuse me," he said, heading for the front door of the store. "I will take my leave." "Not so fast!" Reflect stopped, drooping his shoulders. "Another problem," he asked, turning around. In front of him stood a man with a costume on that looked as though he'd been dropped in a tie-dye spin cycle. He was armed with several brushes, pencils, crayons, and other art materials around his belt. Reflect laughed shortly. "What are you supposed to be, the royal artist?" "The names DaVinci. And I will ask you to surrender yourself immediately." Reflect rolled his eyes. "Just try and stop me," he said, turning for the front door again. DaVinci reached behind himself and whipped out a gun with a nozzle shaped head. He fired it at Reflect, a stream of something white shooting from it and nearly hitting the man. However, he turned around, waving his hand in front of the stream. It hit him completely, drenching not only his hand buy his arm, shoulder, and part of his chest. DaVinci kept his hand on the trigger, dousing Reflect in the substance before finally letting off the trigger. With a smile, Reflect turned around and went for the front door again. Monsoon and Galatea looked over at the new man, who didn't move. Without another resistance, Reflect stepped onto the street. "What are you waiting for," Monsoon yelled to the other man. "Can't move... I'm, stuck... Somehow, I'm stuck." Reflect laughed as he saw all of the police outside. "Hello people! It's good to be free!"
Shoshanna Underwood (Galatea) Galatea struggled to stand. She felt as though her weight had quadrupled. She was pressed flat onto the ground, unable to even get her feet beneath her. The other man, Monsoon, was down as well. She was glad he was by her side, but they were both useless like this. She could hear the villain speaking, mocking them, but she couldn’t see him. Her face was pressed to the floor. With some difficulty, she managed to turn her head just enough to witness him incapacitate another would-be hero. He thought this was a game. Hurting and controlling people was his idea of fun. I think he’s had enough fun for one day, she thought. It had been years since she felt anger, but those old feelings were beginning to churn inside her again. He should have killed me when he had the chance. She mustered just enough strength to move her hands. She could wriggle her fingers. With some effort, she was able to move her arms too, slowly and laboriously. The weight began to lift. The shattered bits of glass began to float upward. Even the merchandise on the shelves around them began to hover inches above the racks. Galatea slowly rose from the ground, planted herself on her feet, and calmly brushed the bits of shattered mirror and debris from her costume as she looked to Monsoon, who was still a puddle. “He’s reflecting my power,” she said, “and Lord knows what else. He must be stopped. If those police open fire on him…” she slowly shook her head in sadness. She didn’t want to think of what might happen. “I can’t use my gift on him and I’m not even sure if I can hit him without harming myself or others, but we know he detests mirrors. He must have a weakness.” --------------------------------------------------------------- Chief Thompson rummaged through the electronics department until he found what he was looking for. There were so many different types of batteries. Big ones, small ones. Ones for watches, and calculators, and laptop computers, and cell phones. What don’t they sell in this damn store!? he thought as he tore through the inventory. Finally, he found what he needed. Thompson opened the back of the remote, snatched out the old battery and shoved the new one inside. A little green light on the side indicated the device was functioning again. “Good,” he muttered to himself as he grabbed his gun off the counter and trudged through the store. “This’ll teach that bitch not to disobey orders…” He heard yelling near the store’s front entrance and assumed she would be there, but when he arrived it was just a man in white. The villain. Had Galatea been defeated? To his surprise, Thompson nearly felt a pang of sympathy for her. But it didn’t last. Serves her right, he thought. That dumb broad is too old to be playing dress-up. Leave this to the real crime-fighters: the police. He approached from behind, but kept his distance. “Stop right there!!” he raised his gun at the man in white. “Keep your hands where I can see ‘em. You’ve got the right to remain silent, punk.” Thompson briefly spoke into the radio communicator on his uniform’s collar. “Move into position. Set up a perimeter around this jerkwad. I don’t want him gettin’ away. If he so much as farts, put a bullet in his ass.” A half dozen SWAT men raised their guns, forming a semicircle around the villain. A sniper hung back, with his rifle propped on the hood of a cop car. Thompson stood far behind him, in the doorway to the Atlantis-Mart, with his handgun raised as well.
Draco Draco watched Dara pant, a powerful ability but one that took a lot out of her, she recovered quickly and smiled putting her hands on her hips. "Told you I was hard to catch." Draco laughed again, "I don't believe it is me catching you that's the problem i believe it is keeping hold of you. " Draco let his partial form fade back into his human form. he walked over and hung the bag back up on the clip and let the mats dissolve into nothing. "Mind walking me out?" Draco moved over to the door and opened it for her. Dara smiled "Sure no problem" As she danced out the door Draco couldn't resist glancing at her ass, he suppressed a smile, perfect. As they walked out the front doors they saw the plume of smoke rising from a couple of streets away. Draco pointed "That's the new hospital, I have to get over there, you coming?" Dara bit her lip as she looked back to the gym. "Well...I’m kind of busy with work." Draco smiled mischievously, "Come on live a little, how many times do you get to fly a dragon to a crisis?" “True. But, if I get fired it'll be your fault.” Dara teased. Draco walked over to the street that was strangely devoid of cars. Glittering lights began to gather around Draco encasing him in white light the shape began to change smoothly until it formed a huge Dragon like form. the lights flitted away leaving a dragon the size of two lories parked end to end. Draco turned his massive head and laid it down next to Dara his large glowing eyes staring up at her, a musical voice echoed in her head 'You coming love?' Dara shook her head to clear it and then climbed up behind the wings knees locking in behind the wing sockets. Draco turned his head to look at her 'Hold on tight', Draco turned and leapt into the air the streets zoomed out quickly and the air grew chilly even in the bright sunlight. Within minutes they were hovering over the blackened wasteland that was the hospital. Draco growled deeply and dropped down landing among the rubble. Dara jumped down and Draco resumed his human form. He watched as Dara walked near the destruction, debris and embers crunching under her feet. A mix of anger and confusion passed over her face. “This doesn't look like an ordinary fire. What kind of sick-minded person would do this?” Draco looked around "People see what's happening to this city, people are gaining powers all over the place. Some people gain powers and don't see them as a gift to help people they see them as a way to use people as stepping stones to become wealthy, powerful basically whatever gets their motor running. Evil is selfishness at its most basic form. Over 1000 people were in this hospital when it went up" Draco's eyes glowed brightly as the dragon rage fought to take over, his neck muscles bulged and sparks of light danced over his body, he fought the rage away, it wouldn't help here and it would cause more destruction then good "Dara im going to have a look around, im having trouble controlling myself here it may be best if we split for a while. I go for breakfast at a diner on 5th every day at 9am we could meet there tomorrow" Dara smiled "Is that a dragon's way of asking me out? Sounds fun, but don't get too mad wouldn't want you making more of a mess." Dara rummaged through her jacket pocket, pulling out her phone. "Do you have a number?" Draco smiled and held out a hand creating a phone "I do now, il have to recreate it every time i shift if the number goes to unknown then try shouting my name as loudly as you can in your head i may be able to hear you while shifted."
Ruddyman Stepping gingerly around pieces of the window, Ruddyman made his way to the closet. He picked out a tailored made blue pin-stipe jacket and slacks with a matching tie, and added a gaudy silver button up with shoes to match. He gazed into the standing mirror as he buttoned himself up and thought of of his next move. The hotel room had been effectively destroyed, would have to move to a different side of the building. A shame because the view of the inner city was a lot more interesting than an ocean side view. Who ever had caused the bombing was surely a wanted man, and a wanted man always had a price on his head. Ruddyman decided he would claim that bounty, even though hunting villains wasn't his idea of fun, even if the culprit was a dragon... a dragon? Ruddyman watched as the brilliant winged reptilean flew over the reckage and landed gracefully in the middle of the street. It scattered nearby civilians and wandered out of his sight. He immediately took action, pocketing his crystal and tearing open the formula crate. He grabbed several small capsules, a few bottles, and a syringe and bolted out of his door to the elevator. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Having commandeered a utility van from the hotel's maintenance department, Ruddyman sped down to the scene where it seemed that the closer he got the more the hospital seemed to be repairing its self. All along his route there was vehicle reckage and concrete debri . People on all sides of the street stood gawking at the spectacle. He'd had to manuver his van around a few who were in the middle of the street pointing in horror. When he'd finally made it the street was clear. No Dragon, no idiot people, not even a fire engine desperately trying to quench the flames. He drove around until he found a few stragglers and a man and woman who seemed very out of place. This guy had glowing motes floating around his head, was too big not to be a threat, and had some very strange eyes. Those facts coupled with other variations in his appearance told Ruddyman that this was his man. He stopped the van a few yards away, but the they didn't seem to notice. Palming one of his capsules, Ruddyman walked briskly toward the guy and girl standing near the smoldering stucture. He watched them carefully for a moment before crushing the capsule in hand. A fine powder coated his fingers, completely harmless unless inhaled in. Then the victim would be unable to use his limps or senses for several hours. Mind and body effectively separated without causing any damage to the target. "Aye" Ruddyman shouted, causing the big guy to turn around. "Didja hav anythin' tah do wit dis?" he made a sweeping gesture refering to the hospital.
Dara White As Dara took one last look at Draco, she tried to hold a mental picture of him in her mind. She couldn’t understand what made him so different, despite that he was part dragon. She was disappointed that they would have to separate for the time being. Dara wanted to learn more about him, who he really was, and tomorrow felt like too long. But, she’d do what he told her, he needed his space. “Aye.” Dara jumped, startled by a sudden shout that interrupted her thoughts. She whipped around to find a dark-skinned man in their midst, wearing a sharp pinstripe business suit. His face was hard, and he looked determined. "Didja hav anythin' tah do wit dis?" the man said in a thick voice, motioning with his hand to the destruction. Dara was surprised at his dialect, the voice didn’t quite match his look. She looked to Draco who seemed to be eyeing the man curiously. The odd stranger didn’t sound like one to be messed with. Dara realized that their best bet would be to defuse the tense situation as peacefully as possible. They weren’t guilty of crime, no matter what the man assumed; so there was no reason for her to be intimidated by him. “Hello Sir,” she said with a calm confidence, “My friend and I, we were only investigating. We saw the smoke from Krato’s gym where we were training. Seems like someone had a little too much fun here.”
Ruddyman Ruddyman gave the woman a cursory once over, she was attractive enough, but young, probably reckless and naive being in such a devastated area with a dangerous looking man. His eyes snapped up to hers and locked her in place. "Mam, I didna ask ou. I'm talkin' tah Mista meat stack" he said in an apoplectic tone, willing her to walk away. He relaxed his stance though, trying to present himself as not as a threat but as a concerned citizen. His face eased into an amiable smile as he turned his attention back to the big guy. He quickly thought of a lie that would allow him get the most information out of this situation . "Allow me tah intradus me self, mah lawd. Mah name is... Andrew Pickins. I work wit de Deptament of the Interior as an investigator. I'm tryin' peice together this... event." He chuckled at his own joke. The others stared at him blankly, he noticed that the woman hadn't moved to leave. [/i] what do dey know dat I don't? [/i] He was watching their body language now, neither of them was buying his bullshit. [/i] Have we met before somewhere?[/i] They weren't making him nervous, but something was off. He loosened his grip on his powder, if his hand started to sweat it would be rendered useless. "Fine, Le's start at tha beginning. Did eitha of ou notice eny strange activity?" He really should have brought his machete.
Draco studied the man carefully while Dara and him spoke. He was acting strangely for an investigator and his words didn't fit his body language. Draco inhaled deeply drawing in the mans scent. He smelled strongly of chemicals and drugs not what you would expect from an investigator. "Fine, Le's start at tha beginning. Did eitha of ou notice eny strange activity?" Draco waited a second before answering trying to quell the rage that still burned through him. "We flew here from the gym we saw the smoke rising and came to see if there was anything either of us could do, I guess you could count us coming as strange activity im not exactly subtle. apart from us we haven't been here long enough to see anything unusual" Draco looked around the rubble looking for anything of import "I cant see anything around here, and to be honest i doubt we can help in finding much we came in the hopes we could help any survivors, With a blast like this i seriously doubt there are any survivors"
Ruddyman "So ya jus saw smoke an' came investagatin'?"Ruddyman guffawed. Their story checked out. After all he'd done the same thing hoping find the culprit behind this atrocity. He could feel the crystal, which was safely tucked in his coat pocket, nudging him warning him of something. Studied the pair again, he would probably see them again, hopefully under more certain circumstances. A surge of energy welled with in him, making his body tremble and giving his eyes an odd glimmer. It was then he decided to cause a little mayhem. He turned and began to walk back to the van as a few citizens bean to take interest in their conversation and move closer. His hand was dry, but on the verge of perspiring from the heat of his blood. "Ou say oou flew in tah investagate, Mista?" He turned around as if was an after thought and waited. A loud buzzing rang in his ears and the hundreds of wasps to form in his mind. His face was smug. "I dun see no aeroplane" He looked left and right, taunting them. "But dun look now, deys a swarm ah bees" He said pointing behind them and unleashing the illusion simultaniously. The girl instantly dove to the side as the man brace himself then looked back at Ruddyman sceptically. All Ruddyman could do was shrug as he lifted his fist to his mouth and blew a plume of powder into the big man's face. The drug took affect instantly, dropping the guy like a sack of potatoes. The woman, who was fending of the swarm illusion noticed him on the ground and started to make her way to him. Ruddyman was faster, getting to the man first and folding the space around them transporting them to his old flat. They disappeared from view with a slight pop of air being redistributed. The illusion vanished in his wake. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ruddyman and his new friend landed inside the old flat with a bang, kicking up dust and disturbing furnitnergy that sure. He wasn't sure how he'd just done that. The energy that surged within his body was now subsiding, leaving him tired but not drained. But the phenonemon... was exhilarating. He went to work quickly, finding an empty syringe and a his masterpeice, a poison which would causes hallucinations if not treated within seventy-two hours. The poison would then cause it's victim to suffer at the mercy of phantasms until he died hours later. He filled the syringe with the poison he dubbed New Atlantean Sydrome. Walking over to the man on the ground he spoke clearly, hoping some part of him would be able to hear him. "I've always wanted a minion. I'm about to introduce a poison into your blood stream. I created this and only I can manufacture an antidote, so for all intensive purposes, your ass belongs to me." He said in his best English accent. Kneeling at his side, he slipped the needle into the man's vein and watched as the liquid drained into his body. When it was done he stood and went over to one of the many marijuana plants in the flat snipped off a huge bud. Off of his kitchen counter he grabbed a roll of papers and proceded to break down the bud, which he rolled into a fat spliff and lit. It would be hours before the man came to, he would at least enjoy the wait. Sunlight was beginning to fade as he looked down at the Milk Quarter, puffing on his spliff. Plans with in plans cycled through his head as he thought of his next move.
Draco Draco sat in the hase of the drug passing through his system, the Dragon had gone into overdrive he could barely hold it off he had no idea what would happen if he allowed it to take control when he couldnt control his body. He felt a sharp pain in his arm and a bad english accent drifted to his mind. I've always wanted a minion. I'm about to introduce a poison into your blood stream. I created this and only I can manufacture an antidote, so for all intensive purposes, your ass belongs to me." 'Great now youve done it' Draco thought the rage overcame him forceing him into the back of his mind. the hours ticked by slowly with the dragon bashing against its cage. The drug began to wear off and the dragon went cool searching for minds as it began to shift his body. Soft whispers began to sound in Rudymans mind and his head began to ache, he turned to look at his captive and saw the man staring right at him, his strange eyes glowing as if lit by inner fire. His body started slowly shifting, It wasnt elegant or smoth the changes game in a series of sharp snaps. Scales sprouted out of the skin on the mans arms causing blood to flow his fingers twisted and formed claws. As the changes intensified the whispers became stronger and horrible pictures began to flash into Ruddymans mind each acompanied with a burst of pain. As the man stared at him his face elongated and transformed into a dragons his hair disapearing as a crown sprouted. Wings spread out slowly till they were fully extended a full two meters across. The change stopped abruptly and the dragon growled deeply. Draco sat in the back of his mind trying to pull back into control he barely stopped the full change but couldnt stop the ancient images streaming out of his mind. The Dragon burst its wings down and got to its feet, the movement coincided with a painful image Draco saw the man flinch as the afterimage passed through him he couldnt help shivering too. It was of a huge golden dragon laying in a pool of blood snapping into a huge bone, the image was so vivid he could feel the lapping of the blood and the shattered pieces of bone in his mouth. The dragon reached behind himself and grabed a chair in a taloned hand and flung it across the room it passed within an inch of the mans head and exploded against the back wall shrapnel flying everywhere one piece cutting across the mans cheek. The dragon grouled again and advanced slowly till it was within half a meter of the man, the man began to slowly go for a mechette laying next to him Draco barely got a message out of the ball of hate that consumed him "Dont ive almost got control dont make it mad" The dragon lunged snapping its jaws draco barely reigned it in from snapping the mans face off. The jaws closed an inch away from the mans face, The dragon opened its mouth and a long tounge rasped up the mans cheek licking the blood dripping from the scratch. Draco went cold 'Ok thats more then enough' he pulled hard at the mental bonds and wrapped the ball of rage up in layers upon layers of his mind the rage went fighting but he managed to push it away. Draco stood slowly aching with the forced change. Draco walked over to the only remaining chair changing back to his human form slowly. He sat heavily "Im guessing with the whole poisoning thing you were assuming i would have the common sense to listen to you, unfortunately a huge part of me has no common sense. Whats to stop me letting that part take control and dealing with the concequences later, it would likely try to kill you as you have just seen?" Draco created a bottle of water and drank from it heavily. "What realy gets at me is why didnt you just ask for my help rather then going with the whole poisoning route? Seems a bit foolish trying to control someone who can barely control himself, never mind making an enemy of him."
Hugh Killain / Bellphim Dave walked up the stairs whistling happily. So far his life was going well. He had just been promoted at work and now he was getting noticed as a hero. The name would have to change though "Sparkman" didn't exactly inspire fear. Still whistling happily he unlocked his door and dumped his stuff on the floor before heading to his room. Dave could tell something was wrong as soon as he opened the door. Quietly he placed the coke on the floor and readied his arms, lightning crackling around them. The glow from his arms illuminated a shadow on the otherside of the room sitting in a chair. "Don't move if you know whats good for you." He said keeping one arm aimed on the figure as he turned the light on. It was a young girl tied to a chair, a gag stopping her from making any noise. Dave rushed over removing the gag as she tried to shout through it. "Got ya." She said. Dave spun in time to see a shadowy figure rise up from the floor. Hugh grabbed him inky blackness spreading over Daves body, the sparks dieing down as it touched them. Hugh held him against the wall before pinning him with two black spikes, Dave yelping as they pierced his hands. "Sparkman," Hugh chuckled. "Not the most menacing of names, then again your not the most menacing of people." "Who the hell are you?" Dave said whincing as he moved his hands. "My name is Bellphim. I've come for your power." Hugh replied going to Sarah. She smiled as he approached. "Did I do well master?" "Yes you did." Hugh said patting her before dragging her and the chair to Dave. "Dave, this is Sarah. Sarah was the daughter of Solaris another hero like you. She became an anoyance, so I got rid of her. That left me with Sarah here. And that's where you come in." Hugh jabbed one of the few remaining sparks with a shadow claw, Dave crying out in response. "You see, sadly Sarah here has no powers. You do. So I'm going to take your powers and stuff them inside Sarah, who will then be released out into the city. Now don't worry, this won't hurt at all..." With one quick motion he stabbed a darkened hand into Dave's chest. "...Not for me anyway." Finished draining Hugh dropped Daves corpse to the floor. Behind him Sarah rocked back and forth as sparks jumped off of her. "Can I use my powers yet master?" "Not just yet," Hugh said smiling. "We're not done with your training, you still have some sanity left."
Ruddyman He was visibly shaken, his suit rumpled, his high blown. His apartment was in shambles and the man that had been lying peacefully on his floor was now sitting in the last remaining chair. Only a few minutes ago he had been a rampaging monster out for Ruddyman's blood. "Im guessing with the whole poisoning thing you were assuming i would have the common sense to listen to you, unfortunately a huge part of me has no common sense. Whats to stop me letting that part take control and dealing with the concequences later, it would likely try to kill you as you have just seen?" he said, a large bottle of water materializing in his hand. Ruddyman looked at the water, regaining some of his composure. He had only guessed by the look of this man that there was something different, but a finger hadn't been put on what. A full transformation and the ability to create... or was he just borrowing from another place. Ruddyman watched the man more closely as he brought the water to his lips and drank thirstily. "What really gets at me is why didn't you just ask for my help rather than going with the whole poisoning route? Seems a bit foolish trying to control someone who can barely control himself, nevermind making an enemy of him." The man went on lecturing. Ruddyman put his finger to his lips to hush him. He wasn't in the mood for a lecture, nor should he be. The man before him was at his mercy and no amount of tongue lashing would change that. Draco regarded him as one would a mosquito buzzing around his head but said nothing. He allowed Ruddyman the silence he need to reflect. "Ou an' I are nah apart of dee same wurld, Though deer mey be simularities." Ruddyman began. He willed the crytsal orb to float out of his pocket and into the space just in front of him. It was starting to resemble a model of a cell, he noticed as he spun it so Draco could see. Small lights were beginning to form which reminded Ruddyman of mitochondria and ribosomes. He could tell the sight of the power source was starting to have an effect on Draco. "I ony desire tah leeve dis place, an' yur goin' tah help me. Do ou unnastan'?" Ruddyman straightened his clothes out, smoothing the wrinkles and brushing the dust off. He no longer worried about the man trying to kill him, he'd missed his chance. Now Ruddyman was truely in control. Though he'd seen some terrifying things in his life, none quite compared to the sight of a dragon snarling and snapping at him, but he could grow used to it so long as he could find a way to sedate it. He looked to Draco who was watching the orb curiously. The man tilted his head this way and that as if trying to figure out a complex puzzle. He stopped once Ruddyman grasped the orb with a firm hand, jealously guarding his power. "Didja see some-tin' ya like? " He asked pocketing the orb again. His mind began to wander. "Ya know... I could use a labratory. Nut-tin' state of dee art, Mey be some-tin' a good size, couple hunnid sqwair feet. Lotsa' computers, chemicals... ya know some-tin we could call 'ome." Perhaps Draco could help him solve the mystery of the orb. He gave the man a depreciating look. But then perhaps not. He crossed his arms and leaned agains the wall, letting himself bathe in moonlight. It was toward the earlier hours of the morning and there would be no sleep between either party. Ruddyman had vials of stimulants to keep himself awake, he would only have to outlast his new henchman. Draco openned his mouth to respond but was cut off as Ruddyman continued. "I hav some questions I'd like ou tah answa now, If ou dun mind: Firstly, Do ou and your wyrm share the same consciousness?" "Dragon" "Whateva"
"I hav some questions I'd like ou tah answa now, If ou dun mind: Firstly, Do ou and your wyrm share the same consciousness?" "Dragon" "Whateva" Draco grinned feraly "So all you want is me to whip you up a Lab and to know some of my secrets, would be reasonable if you had gone the normal way of doing things but il wipe that under the rug for now." Draco leaned back in the chair "I don't know what the dragon is whether it is a consciousness or a part of me. All it feels is rage, all it cares about is killing and destroying if i allowed it lose it would tear through this city until someone stopped it. enough to satisfy your curiosity?" Draco stood carefully His eyes began to glow and Wings burst ot of his back scales rippling down his chest and arms, the scales stopped at his neck. "il build your lab not because of the poison and not because i think you deserve it, il do it purely so i know where you are and so i can use you if it is needed. " Ruddyman began to open his mouth to speak Draco cut him off before he could begin. "I'm not negotiating, I'm simply setting the terms of the agreement" The man thought for a second then nodded once, Draco smiled again and walked over to the window opening it and stepping onto the fire escape he leaned in again "Come on il give you a lift." Ruddyman climbed the fire escape to the roof as he looked over he saw the gigantic dragon sat waiting preening its talons. He began to walk over to climb op onto the back . A musical voice echoed in his mind <Oh no, VIP seats cost extra> The Dragon grabbed Ruddyman in his claw and burst up into the air. Draco chuckled as he flew towards the northern side of the island he was beginning to enjoy himself, he could already feel the poison burning away as with his infrequent drunk times the poison hadn't been multiplied with his bodysize, the amount purely wasn't enough to deal with the size. He felt the last dregs get pushed into the glands at his neck and he roared spitting out a stream of fire and expelling it from his body. Within half an hour they were hovering over the wildlife reserve he searched for a likely spot and drifted down to land, He dropped Ruddyman half a meter from the ground and allowed him to clamber to his feet before landing and changing back. "take a seat this will take a while" Draco motioned and the glowing gold sparks surrounded him forming a white hot shield ten meters round, no need to leave himself completely unprotected from that man. He motioned again and modes of light streamed out of him through the shield and sank into the earth.
Ruddyman "Dick!" Ruddyman brushed the dirt off his now shredded clothing. He'd scraped his knee in his "landing" and was sure he almost cracked a rib. The buffoon had taken him miles away his comfort zone without even allowing him to grab nessecary ingredients for the antidote. But he had noticed his change of mood. Maybe the dragon's metabolism was breaking down his chemical masterpeice. No that couldn't be it, the directly effected the brain, slowly liquifying the center that controlled perception. He ran his gaze across the shimmering visage of the man encased in a heat radiating bubble, something was up. The effects of the poison would take hold in - he looked at his watch - less than eight hours. And it would be fifty-six more until the poison became terminal. Ruddyman turned his face to the rising dawn, enveloping himself in its red glow. There was plenty of wild life in this artificial reserve, plenty of plants for him to draw ingredients. He felt like a modern day alchemist, experimenting with everything he could get his hands on until he found the perfect combination, the perfect formula. Yes, the air was fresher here, wind blew freely across the shrubland and through the trees. He felt destiny coming to meet him in his DNA. Even with his overly aggressive minion plotting against him he could accomplish his dream of leaving New Atlantis. He would find himself a very happy and very rich man in a country far far away. There was only one issue. One within himself, he had to learn mastery over his abilities. They were budding, and showed themselves with different faces, not quite when he wanted them but always when he needed them. On a whim he stripped off his tattered suit, all the way until he was nude and made a loin cloth from the remains of his shirt. Morning light glinted of his silvery loin cloth, making him like a magically inclined cave man. He walked over to where Draco was busy digging down to build his layer and said: "Thank ou. Please unnastan ou hav a little less dan sixtee hours until ou succumb tah dee poison. Mey be it didna hav tah be dis way but in dee slum, man must eat oor be eaton. Ya Unnastan?" Draco looked as if he barely heard him or didn't care. Ruddyman must have looked insane standing there in nothing but a shirt wrapped around his waist but he felt great. The fact that he kidnapped the man didn't bother him as much as the possiblity he'd lost a future ally. But that was for the fates to decide. Ruddyman went and found a patch of short grass. Sitting down he crossed his legs and placed his crystal orb between them. He gazed into it seeking answers until his eyes grew heavy. He wasn't tired, just responding to the power within it. Energy from the earth and sun flowed into his body, restoring his vitality and building within him a stronger connection. He freely explored his own mind, separating himself from his senses, traveling inward. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A blaze of orange light followed by the flickering of small purple stars surrounded him. On either side a corridor leading to endless possibility. Both ended in death, but promised fulfilling and exciting life. Above him was a portal, swirling white with eddies of blue, beckoning him to enter. It seemed to go on for eternity, granting him brief glimpses of scientific innovation. New formulas, new tools, fresh discoveries were all his to access. He entered by willing himself upward. A room filled with mundane objects awaited him. All cast from the same dull iron metal. Books, bottles, capsules and other discarded refuse littered the floor. This was the place where he had come. He saw himself now in the corner clothed in rags, frantically flipping through pages with no answer. Another version of him sat at a three sided table filling his lungs with smoke that couldn't satisfy him. The last sat on one side of the table guzzling strong drink that wouldn't quench his thirst. Then a door appeared leading to a red room. As Ruddyman entered small objects hovered above him and danced by their own voilition. A camera, a wrench, a ceral box, and other things all formed a ring around his aspect and twirled and sang nonsensical songs. From the domed roof the room a lion crouched licking it's maw, then flickered as if immaterial and became a bag of money which emptied its contents and floated down to the ground. Ignoring an annoying appliance, Ruddyman reached out to grab a bill only to have it pass through his hand and disappear. A sudden realization came to him and before the thought could take hold he was falling. He fell for what seemed like hours in a landscape which flashed images of his past. Encounters with thugs. His first successful experiments. His time with his mother all came and went with the speed of his decent until they, rather he was simply plucked from that existence. He reappeared standing at the base of a ladder which spiraled. There were twenty-eigth rungs in total and a huge assortment of colors seemingly splashed at random upon the ladder. At the top was a glittering sphere, obscured from the eye by a veil of ominous clouds, but every so often Ruddyman caught a glimpse of its golden center. Stepping on the first rung in turned pearl white and sang in the sweetest baritone voice; "BEWARE, THIS WAY LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH SACRIFICE" *seems legit* Ruddyman stepped on the next rung and it let out a eerie town that resounded all around him. He continued moving up not allowing the creepy music to distract him. It wasn't until he made two-thirds of the way that he had a problem. Gravity seemed to be making his body heavier than he was used to, he found it increasingly difficult to move further upward. The next rung he took resounded an ear shattering shout that nearly caused him to lose his footing. Slowly, steadily he was going to make it. He took solace in the fact that he knew it wouldn't be worth the climb if it was easy. As he was thinking that his hand slapped the top of the spiraling ladder. He pulled himself up onto the ash ridden platform and before him was the tar black smoke that covered the sphere. He looked down for good measure and saw that all of the ladder was now pearlescent white and humming deeply to its self. The smoke was foul smelling and stale. He covered his nose and mouth with a hand and tried to block out the smoke but it over came him. It seemed to have a consciousness of is own and found its way through the cracks of his fingers and into his lungs. Ruddyman coughed and wretched as he was reduced to crawling with one hand. The smoke burned his eyes and scorched his lungs as he slid inch by inch on his belly to the wall of the sphere His vision was beginning to fade, his throat already closing up as his fingers touched th coolness of the sphere. He pushed against its surface, finding it malleable, reminding him of something... He forced his hand through and found that it slid through easily, then gathered himself into a low crouch and lunged his full body into the wall. Close to fainting, now on the other side he found himself suspended in liquid. He took a breath, already worked up to a panic and found he could breathe it, like an infant in amneotic fluid. Ruddyman took time to collect himself and gather his senses before he spied the golden oval structure centered in the middle that seemed to pulse with power. Swimming came easily after he'd rested for a time. He cut through the fluid like a natural fish. But he found that the closer he got to the structure something about his perception changed. He was forgetting parts of himself, important parts. He pushed further, eyes on his goal, ready to sacrifice anything to reach the structure. He drew closer and soon forgot what he was doing and stopped swimming, his eyes still fixated on the golden structure. He was curious, and hadn't forgotten that, couldn't because that was innately a part of him. The ability to move properly now was limited, but he some how flopped over to a door way and reached with his five digit sticks to grasp the frame... then handle... then pulled it open. What he found was a control center. Equipment reading his vital signs, temperature of his surroundings. Communications equipment which was now uploading four different languages. A DNA modification network. A Reflex callibration system that showed his reaction had been boosted five times its normal tune. And the biggest feature was a window. He walked over to it cautiously and looked outside and marvelled at what he saw. I was him. Sitting in a grass field looking down at himself. A green light flicked on and off to his right. It read 'activate' and he hesitated to press it, unsure of what would happen whe he did. But his curiousity got the best of him and he did. Everything went black. He was truly awake now.
Alica Jennings Alica watched her Aunt drive off safely after finding her in the crowd. Her aunt wondered why she would rather walk then drive home but Alica wanted the excersie. The house was only a few blocks away and after the fiasco with the villian and her Aunt she wanted some time to herself. What would I do if she was killed. I'd be alone. I'd be...an orphan. The thought wasn't new to her but for some reason it felt real today. Who would want to adopt a 17 year old? And an odd one at that. She didn't get paid much at the daycare. How would she support herself? A young woman bumped into her on the sidewalk, pulling her out of her thoughts. Alica looked up and recognized the face. For a moment she couldn't place where she knew this woman but then it hit her. "Dara!?" "Alica! No way!" The childhood friends embraced. They knew each other back when they were neighbors but Dara's dad died and she and her mom moved to a different part of the city. "How have you been? Your what...22 now? How's your mom?" Alica was so excited to see her old friend that she left little time for Dara to respond to her questions. Dara gave a small smile. "My mom? Oh, she's doing the best she can this time of year. Me? Um, well, to tell you the truth..." Dara's voice cracked, and she turned away, hugging her arms close. Her green eyes began to shine with tears. "Alica, I...I'm sorry. It's not about my dad, it's just...moments ago I witnessed something completely unexplainable. Someone was taken from me."[/QUOTE] "Oh no! Who was it? What happened?" Alica asked putting a hand on her arm. "It was a man I met earlier today while working. Not just a normal man though, he...um, well...he was nice," Dara wiped away the tears trickling down her blushing cheeks, "And, very...different. When we were at the gym we noticed smoke coming from the new hospital. Being the stupid girl I am, I didn't think twice about it and I investigated with him." Dara sighed, locking eyes with Alica. "This weird man came up to us, and he thought we had something to do with the explosion. He thought that Draco had done it. The man knocked him out with some sort of drug, but I couldn't help him. A sudden swarm of bees were attacking me. Then, right before my eyes, the man and Draco disappeared." Dara shook her head as if trying to clear her mind of the memory. "I know I sound insane, but like I said, it's really unexplainable." "Was he like different special? Like..." Alica was about to say "us" but suddenly her eyes turned grayish white and she felt her mind once again leave her body. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ This time, however, she didn't go to the usual people, like aunt or Sue, but instead she found herself following a cute young man down a hallway. They were headed towards an apartment numbered 12. She moved her vision in front of him and saw that he was the cute man at the deli she had developed a crush on. Dave was his name. He was whistling happily and opened the door to his apartment. His face suddenly showed horror and she turned to see was he was looking at. A young girl was tied helplessly to a chair with a gag over her mouth. Dave removed her gag only to be grabbed by a creature with white eyes and a human body that looked like it was made out of shadows. "Who the hell are you?" Dave said whincing as he moved his hands. "My name is Bellphim. I've come for your power." The villian replied "Did I do well master?" The girl tied the chair asked. "Yes you did." The villian said patting her before dragging her and the chair to Dave. "Dave, this is Sarah. Sarah was the daughter of Solaris another hero like you. She became an anoyance, so I got rid of her. That left me with Sarah here. And that's where you come in." The villian jabbed one sparks flying out of Dave, with a black claw, who cried out in pain. "You see, sadly Sarah here has no powers. You do. So I'm going to take your powers and stuff them inside Sarah, who will then be released out into the city. Now don't worry, this won't hurt at all..." With one quick motion he stabbed a darkened hand into Dave's chest. "...Not for me anyway." Alica raced away from the room unable to bear the site of Dave being killed in such a horrible way. She felt herself fly out of the apartment. As her mind began retreating back to her body she caught a glimpse of the cross signs 4th and Talon. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Alica's mind returned to her body. She blinked to see Dara shaking her shoulders. "Breathe! Alica, breathe!" Alica gasped and coughed her eyes starting to well up with tears, horrified at what she had just seen. "What is it Alica? Who did you see this time?" "Dave. A guy I had a crush on. I think I just saw him killed."
Reflect Every gun was trained on him. He had nowhere to go now, nothing he could do. Obviously the idiots back in the building didn't understand what he wanted, and neither did these people, all dressed alike. What was with these humans and dressing the same? Back at home, no one dressed the same. And no one dressed in white like he did. Looking around, he saw his reflection in one of the windows of a vehicle with flashing red and blue lights. He smiled. "Please, just allow me..." "Put your hands in the air and come quietly!" He was taken aback. All he wanted to ask was to leave. To go somewhere else. He wished no harm on anyone here, unless they wished harm on him. "I only want to leave." "Well that's only going to happen in the back of a squad car," a man with some sort of large cone said. "Now, put your hands in the air and kneel on the ground." Reflect shook his head, and began walking down the sidewalk. "I said freeze!" One man shot, and it launched a wave of the rest of the police firing non-stop at him. They all watched in amazement as the bullets went straight into him, hardly doing him any harm as he continued to walk. After realizing he was not being harmed, they stopped. "I'll ask you not to do that again," he said, suddenly appearing, standing on top of a cruiser's windshield. All of the police looked back and forth, watching as the individual who was walking phased out into thin air. They all watched in awe as the man stepped down and began walking away once again. "Christ," one said. "What the hell is that man?"
Stacy Stacy glanced up as she heard her name being called, and smiled slightly when she recognized the voice. Piper was someone Stacy has grown to tolerate since they have worked several cases together. She stood up from what she was doing, though she had barely begun the examination, and went over to the door to greet her. Alongside Piper was her partner.....though Stacy had a hard time remembering his name...McCaffery? All she remembered was his flirtatious presence when he came to her morgue. "Hey Piper, nice to see you, I should have figured you would be in." Piper, not one for small talk, got right to business, "so what do you have for me?" “Not much, the COD is still undetermined, but I have toxicology, and a full work up being run by Dale” replied Stacy. As she explained this to Piper, she went back to work on the body. “What I can tell you is that the victim is female, and appears to be in her mid-twenties. I haven’t seen any signs of a struggle, and there doesn’t seem to be an obvious cause of death. I won’t know more until I continue examining the body.” While she spoke, Stacy adorned herself with her surgical mask, gloves, and goggles.
Shoshanna Underwood (Galatea) The moment Galatea finished speaking, gunfire rang out at the front of the store. It was loud and terrible. She immediately feared the worst. Did they kill the villain or did he reflect their bullets back at them? She paled at the thought of those fine officers being killed by their own shots... “I have to go,” she said to the one who had called himself Monsoon. DaVinci was still immobilized. “I’m sorry, but I must hurry. Help him,” she gestured to DaVinci. “I’ll try to slow him down, but I can’t do this alone.” She lifted her hands, like a conductor signaling the orchestra to a crescendo, and began to rise. Galatea hovered a few inches off the ground and then floated away as fast as her power could carry her. She didn’t settle back down onto the ground until she reached the storefront. Chief Thompson was there, with his gun still pointed at the villain, who was now walking away. Shoshanna didn’t think Thompson was capable of showing fear, but the look on his face now was one of absolute terror. He was paralyzed by fear. His finger was still squeezing the trigger, but there were no bullets left in the clip. “Sir,” Shoshanna said. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he flinched. “Chief, what happened? Are you okay, sir?” He slowly looked to her and holstered the empty gun. “You’re… you’re alive? But, I thought…” the man shook it off and his face resumed its usual, determined look. “Get him, dammit. Don’t let that asshole get away with this. That’s an order!!” “Yessir,” she said. For the first time, Shoshanna felt as though she were actually a part of the police force. She felt compelled to hug Thompson, but decided not to. He would probably yell at her if she did. “Stay here, sir. I’ll take care of it.” The man in white was walking away. The crowd parted to let him through. Galatea walked after him, through the line of police cars. With a graceful wave of her hands, she unweighted two cars, suspended them in mid-air, and commanded them forward. One came down in front of the villain, blocking his path. She commanded the second car to come down behind him and then the third as well, forming a prison. The cars were lying on their sides, bumper-to-bumper, with the tops facing outward and the underside facing inward. She had formed a triangular prison around the man. Unless he could fly, he wasn’t going anywhere. She was careful not to use her powers on him directly. She didn't want a repeat of what had happened in the store. Galatea hovered up and landed on one of the cars, where she knelt and looked down on the man in white. Her hands were outstretched, still trying to stay focused and hold the cars tightly in place. His prison had to be strong. Her mind was strained, but she found the strength to speak. “I can’t let you leave,” she said to the man. “Thank you for not harming these officers. You have my gratitude. I’m sorry we didn’t meet on better terms, but you must stay and answer for your crimes. Forgive me.”
Draco Draco stood in his bubble pushing power into the earth beneath him he had been stood for 2 hours already and he was exhausted flowing power like this drained him more then he would like to admit and he hadn't even started creating yet. He pushed hard and the last of the sparks flowed out of him into the earth. He smiled grimly the earth below him was fully charged the molecules in a state of flux now for the fun bit. Draco motioned with his hand and the earth rumbled as the earth cleared creating a square cavity below him, he motioned again and the walls solidified into granite and pillars raised supporting the roof. Draco motioned and the cavity opened, Draco dismissed the bubble and walked down into the room. With a wave he tiled every surface and pulled lights into the roof. Computers sprouted into being like out of control plants along the back wall and a rack of chemistry tables raised out of the floor, Draco had no idea if the tables had what a chemist needed he created what he had seen on tv and hoped that would be okay. He walled off one corner for storage of chemicals and another for an electrical reactor he created the reactor gingerly he hated creating things like that he had no idea how the things he imagined worked they just did, he wired everything up and solidified the walls into 10 inch thick titanium, since he didn't know how it worked it was best not to allow anyone to mess around with it. He looked around, looked like a chemists lab to him he turned to walk out and almost collapsed to the floor, Draco swore viciously and stood walking out of the lab carefully. When he got out he created the door, a thick security one. He kneeled down so he wouldn't fall and tied off the lab to the earth around it tricking it into thinking it had always been there. Should stop it disappearing when he shifted. Draco limped out of the tunnel and looked over to the man, lazy bugger had fallen asleep. He created a syringe wincing as he created it, He drew a vial of his own blood and sealed it. Draco threw the vial to Ruddymans feet. He pulled upon the dragon rage slightly letting it shift him he didn't trust himself to do it in his state. The change was nasty and painful but he felt better when it was done. He turned back and looked at the entrance, still there thank god. Draco turned back to Ruddyman and nudged him gently in the chest. Ruddyman winced and opened his eyes. <Your lab is done, Youl have to get your own chemicals i don't know any and im not going to create any that i can imagine. If the walls start to look hazy get out as soon as you can and find me. It will take your blood to set the door to your signature after the first time you can set other security measures. Ive left you a vial of my blood im curious about what i am. So you know Dragons blood is different, theirs no way i can give you a sample of that theirs not much Ive found that can make me bleed in this form.> Draco leaned in till he was an inch from Ruddyman < Il be seeing you soon chemist >. Draco wheeled his body around and jumped into the air, he banked to the west heading home. After around ten min he got to the northwest beach and dropped down the the cliffs that lay at the top of the beach. He landed in the water with a splash and pushed hard towards the fold in the cliff. As he got to it he pushed into the cave hidden by the cleft. He walked up the small river that flowed out from the cave. He came to the cavern in a couple of minutes and stretched happily. He blew a small shaft of fire into a hole in the wall and watched as a glow spread out along the crystals that grew all along the roof. purple and blue danced among the crystals lighting up the whole cavern. It looked similar to northern lights Draco looked over it happily he considered it one of his most beautiful creations. As the lights spread two large obsidian mastiffs shifted as if to step off their pedestals at the side of the passageway, he growled deeply at them and they settled back down to their statue forms. The rough granite floor raised up slowly from a large spring fed pool. Draco dived happily into the pool rushing to the other side and leapt out of the pure water. He curled up on the other side of the cavern and laid his head down. He was glad he didn't have to sleep in this form but he definitely needed to rest, before he settled down he raided his head once more and called out to Dara he wasn't sure if she could hear or reply but he needed to try < Dara, im safe, resting northwest beach cleft in the cliff. > He rested his head back down and waited.
Monsoon ft. DaVinci Monsoon allowed the woman to leave; someone should at least go after the nutcase. Meanwhile, he would help this new person. "I'm Monsoon," he said, gliding over to the other hero. "And you are?" "DaVinci," he replied. "Not sure exactly what that guy did, but he's good." Monsoon formed a bubble of water around the other hero, and closed it in tight. Then he released it, letting the water fall to the floor. The man shook a bit. "You are correct, he is good. But we need to be better." Monsoon looked him up and down. "A painter I'm guessing?" "You don't know who DaVinci is? Leonardo DaVinci?" Monsoon shrugged. "Sorry." DaVinci shook his head. "I thought we heroes were weird, but you're a different level of it." Monsoon smiled. "Shall we?" DaVinci nodded, and they rushed out to the street to see the woman surrounding Reflect with cars. "Excellent job," Monsoon said, rushing over and flowing himself up on top of a car. He gasped, turning around. "Where'd he go?" The area in the middle of the cars was empty.
Shoshanna Underwood (Galatea) By the time the other two heroes arrived, the villain had vanished. Galatea quickly looked back, afraid that he might reappear behind her for a surprise attack, but he was nowhere to be found. Gone. Disappointed, she hovered down from atop the cars and asked Monsoon to do the same before setting them back on their wheels. There was some minor damage on the sides, but she had been relatively gentle with the vehicles. She hoped the police wouldn’t be angry with her, but they always found something to be angry about. “It seems the suspect has eluded us. It is probably for the best.” She took one more look around and, when she didn’t see the villain anywhere, turned to speak with the two heroes. “It was the strangest thing. He didn’t harm anyone, only the mirrors. Wherever he is, he has taken several hundred years of bad luck with him,” she said with a warm smile, trying to make light of the situation. The look on Monsoon’s face gave her the impression he didn’t get the joke. Perhaps he wasn’t superstitious or maybe he’d never heard the expression about a broken mirror giving seven years of bad luck. Or maybe it was just a bad joke, Shoshanna thought, feeling slightly embarrassed. She should probably change the subject before she said anything else stupid. I should introduce myself. Her secret identity was public knowledge. A quick Google search would have revealed that ‘Galatea’ was actually ‘Shoshanna Underwood,’ a defeated villainess serving time in a mental ward. The full transcript from her court case was probably somewhere on the internet and everyone knew she was staying at Pleasant Acres. She wasn’t proud of her past, but it wasn’t worth hiding. Not that she could hide if she wanted to. Her figure was unmistakable. There weren’t many men who hadn’t heard of Galatea. She was the only buxom heroine fighting crime in tight leathers and spike heels. Even when the job was done and she put away the costume, her voluptuous figure was still there and it was hard to deny she still looked amazing, even after all these years. A woman like that was hard to miss... “I am known as Galatea,” she said, “but you may call me Shoshanna… or Ms. Underwood, if you insist.” She shook their hands and offered a bright smile. She had seen Monsoon’s powers, but what about this other one? He had introduced himself as ‘DaVinci’ when he first arrived inside the store. His costume was interesting, very colorful and unique, and he had used some sort of custom-made weapon when fighting the man in white. He seemed… clever. Very clever. Shoshanna involuntarily tugged at the shock collar around her neck. She had gotten used to it over the years, but sometimes it began to feel uncomfortable. After a second or two, she stopped fiddling with it and looked to the two heroes. “You should probably leave, before they decide to take you in for questioning, or worse,” she said, with a subtle nod toward the cops. Thompson was yelling at a group of SWAT members. Shoshanna faced the two heroes, but her eyes seemed to fall on DaVinci in particular. “You should visit me sometime,” she said kindly. “I mean... if you have time... I don't wish to impose. It's just that no one ever visits.”
