First I will start by saying that I don't own anything. Second it's my first time writing so please be indulgent please. Third I'm a lazy procrastinator and I will try to write one chapter a month but I promise nothing. Fourth I need proof reader so pm me please. Fifth I hope you enjoy yourselves.
Chapter 1 spark 1.1
10 April 2011
The street was quiet, shrouded in a heavy silence that contrasted heavily with the scene that happened a few minutes ago. In my arms was laying the only truly important person in my life. Daniel Hebert, Head of the Dockworker Union, and more importantly my father, was nothing more than a pile of black charred flesh and cloth. A horrifying smell that reminded me of road kills left for days under the sun drifted from him and I could clearly see that the pieces of fabrics that didn't end up into ash had fused with his skin. His eyeballs had been melted, his right arm reduced to a bit of brittle bones and I barely caught myself before I saw more and looked at his head. On his face a hideous smile was present; I could read some pain and relief in it, despite his burns.
"Don't worry little owl, everything will be fine"
These few words, more than the rest brought tears to my eyes.
"You can't die dad. You can't leave me alone. Without you and mom I won't have anything left."
"I'm sorry Taylor" said a voice in my head "If I had personally intervened from the beginning it wouldn't have happened"
"Just tell me. Why didn't you do anything? Why did you stay passive during the fight?"
"I wanted you to reconsider your choice. I wanted you to take a little beating and then intervene. I never wanted to drag him into this"
I didn't pay any more attention; I knew perfectly that it wasn't her fault but mine, just like with mom.
"You can't say that Taylor" weakly responded the dying, weakening rapidly "you must be strong … And live your life as you want. Sadly, both Annette and I won't be able to see you grow into a woman."
"No,no,no,no!" I started panicking as I felt his life weakening with each second "I will bring you to Panacea and she will heal you."
"It's too late. I have a few instant at most. Please, listen to me one last time. Whatever you want to do, don't give up and be happy"
I could feel his breathing becoming nonexistent. If I ran at my max speed I should be able to bring him to the hospital and save him.
"It's useless Taylor there isn't anybody else that can help him."
"SO WHAT!?" I shouted aloud "Are you telling me to give up my only family? Are you saying that I should just wait and watch him die?" I sobbed, crushed by the brutality of the truth as I knew that I couldn't do anything for him.
"I just said that nobody else could help him. But I can."
Two hours ago
I was really excited today; after all it was my first night out as a cape and I really, really wished that I wouldn't mess up or something. I prepared for two months before today and I was able to obtain some equipment for myself as well as some training in fighting. Despite all of those preparations I still couldn't find a name for myself. I really didn't want to have P.H.O dump me with a shitty name.
"I still think that it's a stupid idea that will get you killed."
And there went my good mood. That deep and strangely androgynous voice had accompanied me for the three last month after the locker incident. Its owner called herself Ashkael and that was the only thing that I knew about her. At first I wasn't sure if that person was real or if I had some kind of personality disorder. The truth quickly came out after it helped me doing my homework and trained me in the art of swordsmanship and pyromancy.
"I already told you that I didn't care about your opinion; and I don't think that trying to make the Bay a better place is stupid"
"I call Bullshit"
As much as it bothered me she wasn't wrong and we both knew it. We already had the same conversation a few dozens of times after all.
"I do it to make the Bay a better place, for personal satisfaction and because years of bullying and a low self-esteem made me borderline suicidal. And before you say it; yes, I know that going out to fight criminal while wearing a disguise is ridicule."
"At least you learnt to be honest with yourself, but did you forget that if you die I die with you?"
"From what I know you would be dead without me so you've got no right to complain. Moreover I'm quite strong so there shouldn't be any problems."
"There is always a bigger monster" mumbled Ashkael, ending our conversation.
After a bit of patrolling during which I didn't encounter anything, and I really didn't know if I should have felt happy or disappointed that nothing actually happened, I arrived at a place that seemed a bit more … agitated. Down in the street were a group of people, easily identifiable as member of the ABB, which seemed to prepare for some gang (and thus illegal) activity. Thought I couldn't be sure since I didn't understand what they said their tension could be felt from where I was. My doubts were completely crushed when I saw all the weapons. Damn, there were twenty-one gang members and all had some blunt or bladed weapons while sixteen possessed handguns and three even carried freaking submachine-gun!
"Are you sure that the armor is bulletproof?"
"No, since I never fought against someone using one. But if everything we researched was accurate then they would need higher caliber or explosive to break through."
"Well that's reassuring."
"Even in the best case this armor is at most a third rate product and wouldn't hold against sustained fire. Can't you reconsider this? Wait until we are more prepared, until you can use more of my power? I'm not saying this to scare you but something isn't quite right here."
"I already waited three month for this, I am more prepared than the majority of the new cape and there are just some baseline humans with small firearms, just five minutes will be…" I stopped abruptly, finally understanding why her danger sense was tingling. As the gate of the building opened, a tall and shirtless man came out. He wore a stylized dragon mask and possessed an impressive musculature. Everybody in Brockton could give you is name: Lung the Dragon of Kyushu. He was tall, a bit more than one hundred and eighty centimeters, and his naked torso was covered in tattoos. I was overwhelmed first by a feeling of both terror and then by relief when I realized the deathtrap I just avoided.
"Thank you for holding me back, if I actually went done I would be dead for sure."
Preparing to run away a.k.a stay alive, I suddenly heard something that sent chills down my spine.
"And don't you dare hold back because they are kids, if you see the little fuckers, you shoot. And once they are down, you get close and shoot the head to be sure. Now we are going before they can run away."
No-fucking-way. Even Lung wouldn't be so low as to target kids. He's supposed to have some sense of honor after all. Thoughts were spinning in my head and I could clearly see some elementary school kids being shot by the ABB and devoured alive by the Bastard.
"Shit, no choices" I said in a low voice while I started to run.
"Taylor! Stop!" but it was too late as I already jumped. Lung had a kill order and was planning to murder children and so I was prepared to kill him. I was ready to swing my blade at his head when, either because he heard me or was warned by some animalistic instinct, he throw himself on the right where nobody blocked his movement. My strike missed its original target and opened a deep gash on the back of the thug preceding Lung, cutting flesh and bones and showering me in blood.
" It's a cape!"
"Where did he come from?"
"Matsuda! Shit!"
I felt ill and during my moment of hesitation the asian parahuman got back on his feet and throw a punch at me with an angry roar. I was able to avoid the hit thanks to my enhanced reflexes but the gap in experience was immediately shown by the difference in our reactions. I suddenly received a hit in the head that nearly sent me sprawling on the floor with what could only be a crowbar. "Right", I remembered, "there are still the minions". Thinking quickly despite the ringing in my head, I found a way to get rid of them and put some distance between me and the rapidly growing beast before me. I concentrated on the feeling of power inside me and I pulled, forming a fireball of thirty centimeters in my right hand. I compressed it to a size of ten centimeters and pitched it at Lung just at the time when the thugs finally aimed at me. You see, when you are shown an explosion on TV it tends to produce a giant flame and nearly no shock. It didn't happen like that this time. The impact was colossal and projected the Dragon trough the wall behind him and probably some others. I just had the time to brace myself and stab my sword in the ground before the impact reached me. While I mainly charged the attack with kinetic energy, the temperature reached roughly six hundred degree Kelvin and I was sure that quite a few of the goons had burns along with ruptured eardrums and concussion. Feeling sick and deciding that I had attracted enough attention for my first night, I jumped with all my strength and was able to latch on the emergency ladder before climbing and throwing myself on the building. I got on my feet just in time for the roof to literally blow up and project me over the edge, on the street. How the fuck did he knew where I was!? Scratch that, how did he get back up that fast? His regeneration is supposed to be weakened while he's not transformed!
"This isn't something that you can fight by yourself, the last impact cracked the armor and without it you will not be able to take even one hit from him. Moreover you're no longer insensible to heat and fire, only resistant"
"You seem awfully calm."
"Make war for more than a thousand years and you will learn to always remain calm. Be careful, he's coming."
Just after the warning I saw a form moving in the dust and I quickly jumped backward as the beast smashed the asphalt where I was an instant ago. The fight started not even five minutes ago and the bastard was already three meter high with metallic scales covering is body and claw sprouting from his fingers and toes. He was hunched with his arms reaching nearly the floor and his mouth extended from ear to ear and, filled by razor sharp teeth. The reptilians' eyes looking at me were filled with wrath and scorn .Lung, for the first time this night, actually talked to me.
"Did you really think you could escape after sneak attacking me?" spat the Chinese "You killed my men, hurt me, and you thought that I would let you escape? I will enjoy your cries."
Lung slowly walked toward me, waiting to be close enough to strike at me while I tensed up and prepared to try to cut one of his legs to slow him down and escape. Just as I decided to restart the fight, a truck which the approach has been hidden by the dust and sound of the collapsing building, violently slammed into Lung and sent him flying in a second building across the street. I looked dumbfounded as the conductor of the vehicle jumped from the cabin and ran toward me. It took me all five seconds to recognize my father and one of the trucks used to move shipments a few years ago.
"Dad?" I was so shocked that I forgot to scream." What are you doing here?"
"Quick, we need to flee…"He never got to finish his sentence.
The world slowed down as a monstrous screech echoed in the street, breaking a few windows, and a literal pillar of flame engulfed both the truck and my dad. I could hear his screams as the flames consumed him, I could see his form falling on the floor while contorting in pain. Lung got out of the burning building looked at my father and he laughed, the sound reminding one of a chainsaw on rocket fuel. I didn't care. My dad was dying, burning like a match. I ran to him, not daring to touch him in fear of hurting him even more. Lung took his time and slowly walked toward me. He talked to me when he got close enough to tear me with his claws.
"You bore me little girl"
I then looked at him, all the anger, despair and self-loathing concentrated in a single word.
"Die."
A second wave of flame, dark red, erupted from me and rushed at the beast. At first the dragon looked smugly at me but his face changed quickly when he realized two facts: he was truly burning and he was not healing. He started screaming again, but in pain this time, and was uselessly flailing his limbs around before actually bolting away, fleeing from me, and disappearing in the night. Not paying attention to him, I got closer and took what was left of my father in my arms while he started telling me his last words.
I'm not dead just lazy. My inactivity aside I rewrote this chapter and changed some elements that didn't go well with the story (Taylor definitely doesn't have enough strength to jump to the top of a building and I also changed the date to fit with the original timeline). I think I will do so for all the chapters, especially the 3.5.
Have a good day.