The Gunny had returned, people. I decided to restart the second gig of my Magna Man story just because I kinda didn't like where it was going. Anyway, I hope you all like it and with this story, anything can, and probably will, happen. Meaning there might be some slash, violence, comedy, tons of action, romance, horror, drama... you name it and it might make an appearance. Heck... there may even be a dancin' monkey or two...

Also... there will be a few crossovers, the biggest being with Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Now for the disclaimers: If you recognize it, chances are I don't own it. Magna Man is a figment of my overly active imagination

P.S.: I do suggest you check out the first Magna Man story so you're not completely lost. I will try and put a few flashbacks to bring anyone not up to speed into the loop... and please do review.You're responses make it worthwhile, people.

Chapter 1: Chelsea's Dream, Tyler's Reality

Melissa Katsuragi stood alone, shrouded in darkness.

"Activate thought barriers," she ordered, her voice echoing off the metallic walls of the cavernous area. "Initiate holographic data file Bravo Epsilon Two-Seven. Subject: Zero Four-Four."

Before her, a holographic emitter hummed to life, and within a half second, a three dimensional image of a young boy materialized. The small boy, dressed in white medical scrubs, standing with his head slightly bowed in submission, caused a wealth of emotions and thoughts within her mind. It was ten years ago to the day when she last saw him in the flesh.

And it was ten years ago he ran away from this dreadful place—with a little assistance by Melissa herself.

No child should ever have to go through what we did to you,she thought.

Melissa wanted to touch the face of the young, dark skinned child, but her hand only distorted the file for a second, causing her to sigh, but continue with her research.

"Analyze."

A series of information bubbles appeared, pointing to various areas on the boy's body.

"Initiate file Delta Seven Five. Subject Zero Four Four—Current known." Melissa ordered.

Another life sized hologram materialized, revealing a smiling young man, around seventeen years of age. Like the little boy, the holographic teenager also had dark, caramel toned skin. Unlike the little boy, the older hologram stood a tall six foot five, had a bright smile upon his face, and sparkling emerald green eyes.

You've grown into quite the young man, Melissa thought with a small grin. You used to have brown eyes that seemed to have lost all hope until you finally escaped the hell we put you though. It was then, I finally saw that you were more human than any of us ever could hope to be.

She admired the tall, handsome teen, who stood with an awkward charm as if his gift—or curse—was nothing more than a distant memory. A mere nightmare that took up seven years of his short life.

"Analysis?"

Information displays appeared around the teenage figure. One source caught her attention as she read:

"Like any normal teenage, post-pubescent human being, Subject-044 has shown the ability to develop FAMILIAL, FRIENDLY, PLATONIC, and ROMANTIC relationships. Subject-044 also shows a strong sense of moral judgment—"

A small grin cracked her trim face as she whispered to herself, "You deserve to be loved. Everyone does."

Katsuragi's grin quickly vanished as she continued her research. "Initiate fire Alpha One, Subject Zero Four Four—Codename: Magna."

A third life sized hologram materialized, showing a tall figure, roughly the same height as the hologram of the teenager. Unlike the previous two, this figure was adorned in a form fitting, jet black suit, shrouding the human figure from his hairline down to the soles of his boots. Draped around the costumed figure's shoulder was a black cloak like cape and emblazoned on the chest was a stylized dagger-like "M" embossed and polished to a highly reflective chrome.

Melissa focused her attention on the head of the caped hologram. She stepped closer towards the hologram, her eyes deadlocked with the silver tinted, opaque lenses on the face mask of the figure.

"I always knew you'd do great things. I just hope you'll be ready to save all the souls of the world when they implement their plan to join us all as one. Tyler, I do hope you'll be ready. The people will need you more than ever," Melissa whispered to herself, then ordered, "End research session. Transfer all findings to my personal file, password: Misato Two-Five mark One. Deactivate thought barriers in ten minutes."

The three holograms vanished, sending the room into total darkness—something Melissa hated since she was a little girl. Soon, a series of white guide lights on the floor led the way to the exit. As she walked, the heels of her shoes made a rhythmic clack with each step, echoing off the walls of the cavernous area. As she left, she remembered watching the video feed from the day Tyler, who at the time was only seven, escaped into the desert, free from his hell. Though he did the brunt of the work, Melissa did place a few "erroneous" reports to his searchers as she secretly willed for him to reach the outside world.

Quickly, she squelched any affectionate thoughts towards Tyler. Recently, a psychic was brought to the complex. A psychic who was personally being trained by DuPont—Tyler's creator—until DuPont's downturn in health caused him to step down. She knew very little about the psychic, however, this psychic was the only one other than his trainers, to inflict serious harm due to a gunshot wound to the heart. If it were any other person than Tyler, they would've been killed instantly. Tyler, however, was rendered incapacitated for over 12 hours. What truly fascinated Melissa was the reason why he took the shot: he was protecting three girls—

—One of which was also a psychic—

—The other being his best friend—

—And the third being his first romantic relationship.

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Slowly, Chelsea Daniels opened her eyes only to find a pair of sparkling green eyes staring right back at her. She yawned, then grinned, knowing exactly who was hovering just mere inches above her body.

"I can see your tonsils, Miss Daniels," the green eyed person mused, his voice commanding, yet warm and friendly. "I've gotta say, flying all the way here from San Francisco will really rack up my frequent flier miles. But just to see you, it's more than worth it."

Chelsea smiled brightly. He always knew exactly the sweetest things to say, no matter how corny or cheesy they were. Briefly, she looked down towards her feet, noticing his body was parallel with hers, but hovering a few inches just above, his black cape draped around his shoulders as well as much of the slack covering her bed. She looked back into his face, his eyes like a light source cutting through the darkness of her camp room. His skin a caramel brown and hair of glossy black, with the exception of small lock at the front of his hairline that was sterling silver.

"Tyler? What are you doing here in your suit?" she groggily asked. "Shouldn't you be out protecting the world."

"You are my world, Chelsea," he replied softly.

By him saying that, a tears began to form in her eyes as she watched him right his body and land on the wooden floor, standing at her bedside. Once he was on the ground, she slid her legs out from her sleeping bag.

"I painted my toenails red," she said. "I happen to know you like red."

Letting out a small laugh, he agreed. "Yes. I do indeed like red." He offered her his hand, then assisted her out of bed. "I like red very much."

Without another thought, Chelsea wrapped her arms around his neck as he put his arms around her waist. She stepped onto the feet of his boots, then stood on her toes, bringing her face closer to his, her soft lips prepping to meet with his.

"The Tyler I love so much is the same Magna Man who saves the world day in and day out." She whispered, then brought her lips to within a few millimeters of his own. "I love you, Tyler."

He could feel her crimson lips, taste them, though they hadn't yet made physical contact with each other. "I walk the Earth... and touch the sky. But you, Chelsea, are the angel in my eyes. I love you more than words could ever describe."

Though she was smiling, her lower lip quivered and warm tears trickled down her smooth cheeks as his words touched the very core of her heart. Without another thought, she placed her lips onto his, resulting in a tender, pleasurable kiss. After a moment, the two pulled back, her staring into his emerald eyes while he stared into her rich brown eyes.

"So? Are you ready?" he asked.

Chelsea cocked an eyebrow. "Ready for what?"

Tyler grinned. "Just focus on my eyes while I focus on yours as we go for a little air time."

Before she knew it, they were out of the room, rising into the moon lit night above the Camp Waccamosh site. She looked down, noticing her friend Jennifer Wallace fast asleep in her bunk, which she shared with Chelsea. Instinctively, she latched tightly onto Tyler as the pair continued to rise into the cool Australian night sky. Soon, they were up above the tree line, providing a spectacular panoramic view of the City of Sydney. Just below the clouds, Tyler leveled off, put one arm around Chelsea's waist, and took her hand with his free arm as they soared forth, towards the central business district. Within a matter of a minute, the pair whooshed past tall glass towers, lights of the city offering a cornucopia for the viewing sense.

"This is... it's amazing!" Chelsea exclaimed, her joy clearly evident upon her trim face, hair whipping back.

"You're the one who's amazing," Tyler stated. "Hang on!"

Chelsea squealed with laughter as the two dove towards the harbor, small hand intertwined with his large, gloved palm, punching through the air as they gathered speed. Before hitting the water, Tyler leveled off, then rotated, flying with his back to the water. He took Chelsea by her waist and held her above his body. Picking up on what he was doing, she streamlined her body and spread her arms wide apart as if she was flying herself.

"Woo!" she shouted, filled with jubilation.

Tyler laughed, sharing her excitement as he watched her. "You're a natural!"

After an hour of flying, the pair hovered high above the Harbor Bridge, Chelsea standing on Tyler's feet, his arms and cape wrapped around her, providing soothing warmth.

"It's so peaceful up here," she said, staring down at the surface.

"With you here, it's even better," Tyler smiled.

Chelsea placed her head upon his chest, hearing his heartbeat, as he held onto her tighter. She took one of her fingers and absentmindedly began to trace part of the embossed "M" on his chest. At that moment, there was no place she could possibly imagine that was better than this. Hours passed and soon the sky began to change colors; from midnight blue, to a deep indigo, and soon, violet mixed with traces of rose.

Morning.

"I'd better get you home," Tyler noted.

The two turned towards and glided back to the Camp Waccamosh site. After a few minutes, they hovered directly above Chelsea's cabin and gently, Tyler descended through the large sky light in the cabin's roof—Jennifer still out cold in her bunk. Gracefully, he landed, his left foot touching first, followed by his right, as he cradled Chelsea in his arms. Effortlessly, he placed her inside her sleeping bag, tucking her in like a loving parent. She watched him, her eyes laced with sadness, not wanting him to leave her side, but ultimately knowing that he had to.

"I'll see you back home," Tyler said, hiding his own sadness as he too didn't want to leave. "I love you."

Before she could say anything, Tyler levitated from the floor, then punched through the open skylight, a loud sonic boom resonating as he accelerated away.

"I love you too," she whispered to herself, wiping away her tears. "And I always will."

Chelsea's eyes shot wide open. "Tyler?"

She sat up and looked around her cabin, then up at the sky light in the roof—and noticed it was wide open. How did—Jen must've opened it. She looked over at the bunk adjacent to hers, where her friend Jennifer slept; her earphones on.

"It was all just... a dream," she quietly concluded as she turned on her small LED reading light, then noticed something sitting next to her pillow—

—A Ghirardelli chocolate bar from home and two roses; one red, the other white.

Chelsea looked back up through the sky light. No... it couldn't be. Someone must've sneaked in here and left this. I wish they didn't decide to send Veggie Camp way out here this year. China was far enough.

Meanwhile

Tyler rocketed high over the Pacific Ocean, heading northeastward.

"I'll see you back home, beautiful," he thought aloud.

He dipped below the cloud layer and picked up his pace. Periodically, he would see large ships as they traversed the wide open sea. I can't believe I pulled that off, he thought. Hopefully she didn't no—

Tyler lost his train of thought. Something felt—strange. As if he was being followed. Quickly, he pulled his face mask back on and began to accelerate. If there was a plane behind me, I'd hear it. Or I'd at least pick up its radar signature. At that second, he then heard something that chilled him to the bone. Not knowing what it was, he looked down, noticing his reflection in the ocean.

"Hmm..." he huffed as he turned his focus forward. "Lord? Please don't let there be some huge monster behind me."

Cautiously, he took a look behind him—

—And found nothing.

Not wanting to wait around for either his imagination or something else to get the better of him, Tyler rocketed away.

After ten or so minutes, he felt safe—mainly because he was in visual range of the Pacific Coast of the United States. In other words; home. The color of the sky slowly began to change as the sun began its ascent.

"Oh man. I'm running late," he groaned, zeroing in on the city of San Francisco.

Tyler ripped over the west side of the city, past the red and white Sutro Telecommunications Tower, and finally, into the Financial District.

"Foggy as usual," he noted, looking at his surroundings as he levitated above the city, listening to the sound of cars and trucks traversing across the Bay Bridge into downtown or off to Oakland and the East Bay; large transcontinental jets roaring off from San Francisco International Airport, en route to places for business or pleasure.

This was music to his ears. Much better than the noise he heard while out over the Pacific.

Satisfied that all was right, Tyler turned northward and flew forth. Since Chelsea was away in Australia, he was invited to stay with his grandparents in Portland, Oregon. To kill time, he worked a series of Summer jobs, averaging 16 hours per day and accruing a healthy sum of cash. In fact, right now was the longest he had been his alter ego of Magna Man since the end of the past school year.

Before he knew it, he soared past Crater Lake in Southern Oregon. All he could see was vast amounts of forested land, much of it untouched by people. He wished he could stop to take in the beauty—as this was something Chelsea and Jennifer would enjoy—but he was very tight on time. His grandfather—father to his "adoptive" mother—was a former U.S. Marine who regularly woke up with the sun. His grandmother, however, was extremely liberal, particularly in her younger days. How they had been married for forty years was beyond Tyler's understanding. But he realized the same could be said about Chelsea and himself. While she was vegetarian and fairly liberal on worldly causes, though not quite the level of Tyler's grandmother, Tyler mirrored his grandfather, though the "discipline" he had was force-fed. Plus, Tyler had a deep seeded affection for burgers, especially after beating his friend, Eddie, in a burger eating contest. Tyler downed ten of the Chill Grill's Southwestern Deluxe's while Eddie managed three and a half.

"There she is. The Rose City," Tyler whispered to himself, flying over the shimmering waters of the Willamette River that bisected the city east from west.

Off to his right, he watched as the sun began to crest over Mount Hood, the highest point in the state. Down below, cars traversed the streets, crossing the numerous bridges into Downtown Portland and vice versa on the early Saturday morning. About 80 miles ahead of him, a puff of steam drifted from Mount St. Helens, routine for the past couple years since it's reawakening back in '04. About 100 miles past Mount St. Helens was his first hometown of Seattle, Washington. Earlier in the summer, he and his grandparents took the three hour drive to catch a Mariners game as they were playing the Boston Red Sox. Richie Sexson, Adrian Beltre, and Eduardo Perez all hit home runs leading the Mariners to a 9 to 8 victory.

Tyler turned eastbound over the Lloyd Center Shopping Mall and headed towards his grandparents house in the suburb of Troutdale, just east of Portland.

"Time to step on the gas," he smirked.

Tyler sped up his velocity to the point where a large, lens shaped cloud appeared before his outstretched arms, followed by a loud BOOM that managed to set of a few overly sensitive car alarms.

"Yeah... that probably woke a few people up," he cringed as he approached his final destination.

As he searched for a place to land, deciding upon the small park just down the street from where he need to be, his powers deactivated themselves.

"Oh great," Tyler sighed, noticing he was back in his normal clothing—his white Mariners jersey, a navy blue turtleneck undershirt, a pair of khaki pants, and his khaki And One shoes.

He came crashing down to the ground, making acquaintances with a picnic table, shattering it to splinters.

"That could've been better," he groaned, looking around to make sure no one saw him. "I hope no one misses this table."

Quickly, he sprang to his feet and unbuttoned his now dirtied jersey. Without another thought, he sprinted towards his grandparents house.

Robert McGinnis fumbled through his tool chest, searching for his three-eighths socket.

"There ya are, you little bastard," he exclaimed with glee, snapping it onto his ratchet.

He peeked his head into the hood of his prized possession, a sea foam green 1952 Chevrolet Bel-Air, much like his first car he bought when he was a teen growing up in Chicago. Before setting to work, he saw Tyler walk into the garage.

"You're out pretty early," he said, grabbing a shop rag and wiping some grease from his hands.

"I-I don't really like being asleep past sunrise, sir," Tyler quietly said, setting his jersey on a stool.

"You weren't out rescuing any more damsels in distress were you? Last time, you ended up in the hospital," Robert joked, his leathery voice gruff, yet full of warmth.

Tyler grinned. "Not this time."

In turn, Robert smiled. "Could you give me a hand with this. Damn manifold keeps moving while I try to tighten this bolt."

"No problem," Tyler obliged, then grasped onto the engine block.

Robert grunted as he tightened the first bolt, followed by the second. "There we go. Thanks."

Once he was finished helping his grandfather, Tyler went into the kitchen, grabbed a leftover biscuit from last night's dinner and popped it in the toaster oven. In the process, he grabbed a glass of orange juice and turned on the small counter television. As he waited for his biscuit to heat up, he watched the Channel 2 News, Portland's ABC affiliate.

"...And we've just gotten numerous reports around the Portland Metropolitan area of hearing a loud sonic boom earlier this morning." Susan Harding, the weekend morning news anchor stated. "We've gotten emails and messages from as far south as Medford and the Crater Lake area, also hearing a series of sonic booms. We've been notified by the Air National Guard that this wasn't a military occurrence, leading to only one conclusion: Magna Man."

"I really gotta work on not shattering the sound barrier," Tyler said to himself, admiring the stock image of himself plastered on the television screen. "No matter how much fun it is."

"Morning, Redwood," June McGinnis greeted as she strolled into the kitchen.

"Morning grandma," Tyler responded.

He wasn't sure why she called him 'Redwood.' Maybe it was because of his height, maybe it was because he lived in California. On the advice of his granddad, and his mom, Eva McGinnis, who was back home in San Francisco, Tyler learned not to question his grandmother on why she does things. He should just roll with them.

"Listen, kiddo. One of the girls in my yoga class has a granddaughter and—" June began.

Tyler could already see where this was going as he grabbed his biscuit from the toaster oven. "Uh, grandma? If this is a date, I'm already a called for man."

June laughed. "Oh, Redwood. I know you and that little red haired girl are 'going steady.'"

"Doin' what now?" Tyler wondered with a cocked eyebrow as he took a sip of juice.

"You know what I mean. Dating," she explained. "And it's not a date. It's just a little friendly get together. You haven't had much time to just be a kid while you were up here, so here's a pretty good chance. Plus, she's quite a looker."

Besides the quick trip to Australia and the Mariners game, he really didn't have much time to just look around the city, basically be a kid. Might as well have a little fun before I leave, he thought as this was his last full day in Portland.

"Okay," he sighed. "Do I need to call her or—"

"Oh it's all set up," June exclaimed.

Tyler furrowed his brow.

"I knew you'd say yes." she continued. "Her name is Sabrina. In fact, hang on. I've got a picture of her somewhere."

Tyler thought for a second. He remembered back when he first received his Magna Man powers, earlier in the year, he had met a girl who was also named Sabrina. Like him, she also had super powers and nearly sliced him like a Thanksgiving turkey in front of thousands of people at Fisherman's Wharf. When he thought he had her defeated, she changed from a being of highly reflective metal skin, to perhaps, one of the prettiest girls he had ever seen. However, she was just temporarily knocked out as she quickly came to, grabbed him by the throat, and hurled him into a Historic F-Line Streetcar. When he did finally defeat her, he remembered her whispering a 'thank you' after vanishing.

"Here it is," June called out, walking back into the kitchen, photo in hand.

June handed him the picture and Tyler examined it, his eyes shooting open. Mouth slightly ajar. No way. It's... her.

"I know. She's a beautiful girl," June smiled. "Her grandmother, Harriet, just goes on and on about her. Kinda like I do with you. Sabrina's quite the little dancer and singer too."

"Yeah..." Tyler weakly said, his eyes affixed to the photo of the hazel eyed, bronzed tanned, blond haired female who nearly killed him when she went by the moniker of Lithium Flower.