Heroes: Shadows over Millenium

[LadyTevar]

The shadow dragon continued to hover, the silver eyes boring into Saibot's faceless mask. "Do Not Lie To ME!" she shouted at him, as another burst of confused emotion broke free, AngerfearworryconcernAngerlovefear causing the shadows nearby to ripple like rain puddles before she locked it down.

"You are afraid of everyone's death but your own," she said, her voice icy as she held back her emotions. "I felt it at your wife's grave. I hear it when you talk of the Guardians." The shadows all around them wriggled like living things from the force she was putting into controlling her empathy. "Die if you want... but I Refuse To Go With You."

[SirNitram]

"I wasn't going to die, I was going to give them payback. And it's not your score, there's no reason to involve any of you."

"Selfish! You'd deny me the chance to flex a little?" Gravitas smirked. "Like I said.. You're one of us now. For me, at least, this means you don't rush out alone when assistance could be offered. Besides! Haven't you ever wanted to see one of these guys start puking their guts out?"

[Hotfoot]

"He had some kinda of field around him, made everything decay or age faster. He took lot of punishment and had monsterous level strength. Wasn't all that agile or fast though as I remember it. But he didn't need to be. It took 3 or 4 of us to even hurt him. I never threw that much power into a single hit before, I was always to afraid to before that fight. During that fight I was to afraid not to." Blast reported.

"I see. Well, here are the books." Father Ellison glanced at each of the covers and started sorting them. "Here are all the ones that have been translated, and here are the ones in Latin, and, hm..." He picked up the book, squinting at the text. "Oh my, this one is in Greek. I wonder where that one came from. Well, I'm a little rusty, but I'll take a look through this one as well. I'm not sure if we'll find anything in particular, but if nothing else I need to know as much as I can learn before I bring this to the Cardinal. You understand that since the advent of those with talents such as yours, people have been claiming all manner of things. Why, I remember a report I heard once about a young woman claiming to be the agent of divine judgement, and she killed five men in the church. Turns out the men had all taken advantage of her before she developed her powers, but you can see how people might start to wonder."

"I'm sorry, but my mind is wandering." Ellison shook his head and started flipping through one of the books in Latin. "Did your demon react negatively to anything in particular? Holy symbols, prayer, anything? Did he become enraged or afraid?"

[frigidmagi]

"I'm sorry, but my mind is wandering." Ellison shook his head and started flipping through one of the books in Latin. "Did your demon react negatively to anything in particular? Holy symbols, prayer, anything? Did he become enraged or afraid?"

"It's alright Father. I'm afraid we didn't try any Holy symbols or prayer, we didn't realize he was a demon until after he was dead you see. Does it ring any bells?" Blast said.

[Dark Silver]

Lei's words hurt, though he didn't let it show, not in his voice, or his stance. But it was true, he didn't care of his own safety, he worried more about his teammates. He had vowed no one else who counted on him would die because he failed to act. He failed to take the risks nessacry.

Instead, he focused on Gravitas' statement, "Flex all you want Big Man, I won't stop you, but you dont have a score to settle. Besides, Hero there may need you to dig someone else out of a hole soon."

[LadyTevar]

Ignorance may be blissful, but ignoring the woman you're sleeping with when she's already upset is hazardous to your health.

The shadow dragon seemed to solidify as the shadows around shuddered and swept upwards to join it. That was all the warning Saibot had before the right wing swept forward, buffeting him so hard that it knocked him sideways despite his forcefield.

It happened without a single shred of emotion stirring the air.

[Dark Silver]

The wing hit knocked Saibot off to the side, he was staggered for a moment, but the ring kept him afloat, and relatively unharmed.

Saibot looked at Argent for a long moment, before responding, "I'm not going to die...."

[LadyTevar]

The wing hit knocked Saibot off to the side, he was staggered for a moment, but the ring kept him afloat, and relatively unharmed.

Saibot looked at Argent for a long moment, before responding, "I'm not going to die...."

"...And yet you try at every turn..." spoke the silver-eyed dragon, now twice her normal size as the nearby shadows 'fed' the inky-black body, giving the form more definition. Oriental whiskers now flexed from the dragon's jawline, the glowing eyes set beneath elegant horns with the large head. The bat-like wings stretched out, fully double the length of the snaky body with its suggestion of wiry limbs.

" ... You are too filled with anger to think, too full of pain to feel anything other... " the emotionaless voice echoed siblantly from all the shadows around, accusing him stridently. " ... You lock me out, reject me, because you wish to wallow in your pain and anger.... Break the link, then, and be alone again...."

[B4UTRUST]

He gazed out over the assembled. Men and women, young and fit. All looked so different, so unique, so individual. The only thing that was similar was a singular driving force, a lust that couldn't be sated with the simple vices of the world. He offered them the ultimate drug, they offered him their souls. He smirked.

"Brothers and sisters," he spoke, his voice carrying over the din below him. "You have all been chosen to carry on past this point. Soon each of you shall be taken and then the trials shall truely begin. The power that we offer you here, now, shall fulfill all your desires, sate your lusts, quench your thirsts. Should you pass these trials, you shall recieve power enough for any man. You know what we ask, you know what we require. Any who wish to back out, now is the time to do so..."

He waited. None moved. All eyes were on him, faces locked in ectasy. His smile broadened. He had them.
"Now then... let us continue..."

---------------

He tapped a few more keys and printed out the report. Grabbing the paper as it slid into the tray he read it through then read it through again. This certainly narrowed down their choices... He pulled out his cellphone and dialed a number.
"Come on Blackheart... pick up..."

[Cynical Cat]

"Blackheart here," the senior agent answered calmly. "I could really use good news right now."

[B4UTRUST]

"It's Bowman. We've found a lead for you. R.C.E. Raising Caine Enterprises. They've got a large facility listed out in New Mexico."

[Cynical Cat]

"Nice," said Blackheart. "Give the boys and girls on the keyboards a 'well done' from my team." He turned to the others. "We just found the guys who are playing build your own superhero."

[Dark Silver]

The wing hit knocked Saibot off to the side, he was staggered for a moment, but the ring kept him afloat, and relatively unharmed.

Saibot looked at Argent for a long moment, before responding, "I'm not going to die...."

"...And yet you try at every turn..." spoke the silver-eyed dragon, now twice her normal size as the nearby shadows 'fed' the inky-black body, giving the form more definition. Oriental whiskers now flexed from the dragon's jawline, the glowing eyes set beneath elegant horns with the large head. The bat-like wings stretched out, fully double the length of the snaky body with its suggestion of wiry limbs.

" ... You are too filled with anger to think, too full of pain to feel anything other... " the emotionaless voice echoed siblantly from all the shadows around, accusing him stridently. " ... You lock me out, reject me, because you wish to wallow in your pain and anger.... Break the link, then, and be alone again...."

Saibot watched Argent, he didn't say anything for a few precious moments, while Blackheart got the call from Agent Bowman.

"No." he said calmly, descending back to the ground, looking up to her.

"I still love you."

[Cynical Cat]

Blackheart snickered at Saibot's remark.

[LadyTevar]

Saibot watched Argent, he didn't say anything for a few precious moments, while Blackheart got the call from Agent Bowman.

"No." he said calmly, descending back to the ground, looking up to her.

"I still love you."

The words meant nothing to her. He could have said anything at all, she would not have truly heard him. It was his emotions that she heard, very clearly. They told her everything that lay behind the simple words, the things that he would not say.

The dragon burst apart, the shadows flowing back into their proper positions, revealing Lei standing unsteadily upon the concrete rubble, in that fancy black dress, her hair still pinned up on the back of her head. Black-on-black eyes lifted to silently meet Garth's gaze.



In the shattered wreckage of the Old City under their feet, rats and other urban animals thrived. Warrens snaked under the ground, an ecosystem grown in the ruins of humanity's waste.

Until the waves of emotion hit them. Confusion, pain, anger, love: things that simple creatures did not understand, could not comprehend. And so the bloodshed started, as their simple instincts reacted. Unable to target the source, they went for each other and for themselves in a frenzy of emotional overload.


All so Lei could survive the emotions within her.

[Dark Silver]

Saibot glared at Blackheart's snicker, even as Argent's wave of motion washed back on him.

He shuddered, but steeled himself still, till it was over with.



"I take it we got a call for a job then Hero?" he said nonchalantly, "I suppose the Legion will have to wait.."

[LadyTevar]

Only now did Argent remember Blackheart and Gravitas were there. Her face flamed in embarrassment, the first emotion that escaped her since she little ... outburst.

"I'm sorry, Blackheart..." she said softly. "Do we need to go back to Ultima?" Back, to check on Legacies. And for herself, a short trip to apologise to ZuFu. Another wave of embarrassment, fainter as she attempted to contain it more, as she realized she'd not only vanished without explaining, but she'd done so in the middle of Dinner with ZuFu!

She wondered what she could do to atone....

[Cynical Cat]

"Raising Cain Enterprises, New Mexico," said Blackheart. "Subtlety is clearly something they have in very limited quantities."

[Hotfoot]

"It's alright Father. I'm afraid we didn't try any Holy symbols or prayer, we didn't realize he was a demon until after he was dead you see. Does it ring any bells?" Blast said.

"Not at the moment, I'm afraid, but I will see if these texts hold any clues. Unfortunately, it will take some time. If you'd like, you can sit and help by reading through the translated texts, but if you need to be off, I understand. You have been blessed with the power to protect others, and I would be foolish to keep you from other duties. If you must leave, you can bring as many of the books with you as you like, and I will continue searching through the rest here."

Father Ellison paused, his eyes glancing to the side of the room, then back at the stack of books. "Out of curiousity, did this man look strange in any way? Was his skin discolored in any way?"

[frigidmagi]

"Very pale, translunent. Alot of runes and other stuff carved into it. I'll take these three books and I'll drop by in a day or two, Father, thanks for the help." He said withdrawing.

He left the church, his jaw making chewing motions as he thought to himself. His train of thought was derailed 3 blocks down when he heard a shreik. A female one cut off rather quickly. Thankfully he still had energy. His shield snapped up and surrounded by a ball of rolling, shifting yellows, oranges and reds he stalked into the alley.

[LadyTevar]

"Raising Cain Enterprises, New Mexico," said Blackheart. "Subtlety is clearly something they have in very limited quantities."

Argent frowned slightly. "I'm sorry... unless that's the Right Turn from Albequerque, I have no idea where it is, and I would have to make my apologies to Zufu for ruining his dinner before I go."

[SirNitram]

"Raising Cain Enterprises, New Mexico," said Blackheart. "Subtlety is clearly something they have in very limited quantities."

Argent frowned slightly. "I'm sorry... unless that's the Right Turn from Albequerque, I have no idea where it is, and I would have to make my apologies to Zufu for ruining his dinner before I go."

"Give him my best regards, if you can." Gravitas replied, contemplating the new intel. "I think I can get us there. Been there a few times, at least Albequerque. And I can blind gate more easily."

[Charon]

Carol Zhan signaled for her second to wipe her brow as she finished the last to the work on the broken body of the old looking man. They'd trimmed away a majority of the matted hair to make their work easier, the quick job looked horrible, but they could always get a barber to fix it later. As for her patient, he was stable now. It was amazing how many of the man's bones had been shattered, most of them looked to be re-fractures though. That someone had let this human run around without fully healed wounds was insane.

As Carol finished the last of the sutures, she nodded to one of the nurses who shut off the low level sonic gun that had kept the symbiote from interfering with their work. Almost in the blink of an eye the silver substance wrapped itself around the scarred man once again. Whispering to one of the nurses to keep her notified if any of his vitals change, Dr. Zhan stepped out of the emergency room and let out a deep breath. She looked up to see two men dressed in black suits, the bosses.

"Well Dr. Zhan?"

Zhan slowly stood up straight and pulled off her blood stained gloves. "He's stable. His right arm was newly broken, seemed to be from impact. The rest of the injuries were from his last fight. They hadn't healed all the way yet and the stress shattered them again."

The men did not look pleased. "How long will he be out?"

Carol looked back in the room and shrugged. "He might be unconscious for another few hours, after that it's hard to say. We don't know how that symbiote works, he could be off his feet for a month, could be a week. Right now we just have to wait and see."

The taller of the two men nodded. "File a report on this." With that they turned and left.

[Rukia]

"Get In the damn Van! You've taken too long already!" The driver yelled as the man holding Em litterally tossed her into the back of the van. The door slammed as the driver squeeled away.

+++++++

You are more powerful than you think.

No... Go Away... I don't want you.

You need me to help you.

I'm. Fine.

I don't think you are....

Just go Away!

[frigidmagi]

They dragged the girl into the van before Blast could intervene. He muttered, that was rather impolite, didn't a man surrounded by an energy field rate a comment or something.

He raised a finger and sighed. This was very unfair. A small trickle of power lashed out and blew the rear axle off the van, causing it to drag for several feet and come to a dead stop. With a snarl Blast jogged up to the van, still plenty of energy left and a nice wholesome van to drain if need be.

The driver shot at him. Foolish, the bullet slammed into a complete stop and flattened out on the shield, falling into the ground. It was like shooting a dirt berm reinforced with concrete really.

"You can't hurt me... But I..." He pointed a finger and sheared off the roof of the van, the roof vaporized. Controling the flow of the energy was... Difficult, it was like trying to stop in the middle of pissing. It annoyed him, gave him a headache and he snarled again at the pain in his temples.

"I can hurt you. Drop your weapons and come out of there, or I'll cook you one by one. It's been a long day and I'm sure the police are in no mood for paperwork." He spat letting enough energy leak out to make his hand glow. That increased his headache, just turning loose was alot easier to do.