Author's notes: this interlude took somewhat longer than I expected. it's longer than the one that I written down on paper, and different things happened than the original script of the interlude, but hey, I guess I just thought the initial Interlude was a bit too short.


Interlude

Pov: Armsmaster

Location: The Rig

Today started off with an anomalous energy signature coming from just between the moon and earth. Said energy signature then, approximately an hour later, produced a gigantic portal that then spat out something. Colins wasn't sure, he was a cape not an astronomer.

But then it became apparent that the something was akin to an asteroid or something, and that it was on a crash course with the Atlantic Ocean. But that wasn't the main problem… the main problem being that it would crash just right off the course of Brockton Bay. Several tsunamis could rise if nothing was done to slow the object down or if the object didn't just break up in the atmosphere.

This of course was when the protectorate and the PRT were involved when it was discovered that the asteroid appeared to be artificial. So, the heads of the PRT and the protectorate of Brockton Bay, including the protectorate sponsored capes such as colins himself, decided to have a meeting about said "artificial asteroid". Dragon was also there, and she was able to provide images of the asteroid, which then immediately got the asteroid reclassified as an Unidentified Destroyed Craft, or UDC.

This got an interesting reaction from the director.

"What the FUCK is that? Is it some kind of Tinker tech machine? Or something…" Director Piggot stated everyone's thoughts. Everyone was shocked that it looked like something made and crafted.

Then Thomas Calvert spoke up, "It appears to be what's left of a space station… a very large one at that." He was right, the thing seemed to share the same size as the Titanic.

Colins then got distracted from calculations and the thoughts on the station and all the possibilities of the kind of technology, he then asked Dragon an interesting question, "Dragon, do we know who built it. Any Tinkers who could possibly have constructed it?" he asked.

Dragon, who was using one of her robots to be a part of the meeting, shook her head. "No, I have nothing that could connect any known tinker, and something as big as the UDC would require a massive number of resources that could've been tracked, so it shoots down any possible new tinker. I do have a hypothesis on who could have built it, though admittedly it sounds crazy, but I want you to not judge me on it alright." She stated, to which everyone stared.

"As long as your hypothesis doesn't revolve around aliens. I mean seriously, I've seen what the conspiracy theorists already say about the end bringers being sent from God, and Scion being an alien or the next Jesus. Seriously cowboy is insistent that a friend of his is getting Love letters from the Simurgh herself, that's just ridiculous right?" Stated Assault as he then took a long sip of water. Everyone just sighed at the conspiracy theory that was, getting love letters from something that drives people insane? Ridiculous! Absurd!

"That… does sound absurd… But anyways, Dragon, you can have my promise that I won't judge your hypothesis." Colins told her. Dragon then nodded and then spoke up.

"I have reason to believe that it is alien-." To which then Assault then spat out his water, before Dragon continued, "But before you say anything, I do have a second hypothesis that this UDC is from another universe. But you could combine both hypotheses saying that the UDC is alien in nature as it came from an earth inhabited by humans who are more advanced than we are and currently don't have the problem of an end bringer in orbit that prevents space exploration, and this version of humanity may be entirely different to either aleph or bet." She Proposed. Then Dragon made a noise and then made a declaration, "The UDC just entered the atmosphere… and it's breaking apart… and one part of it is on a crash… course… for the city." That made the entire room silent.

Then, Colin spoke up, "How large?" he asked… to which Dragon then paused as she calculated… and then she spoke up.

"it's roughly the same height… as Lung… and… Oh my goodness, I don't think it's just any normal debris…" she pointed out. This confused everyone.

"What do you mean by that, Dragon?" the Director asked. For a moment the room was silent.

'What could possibly make this object different?' Colin thought.

"The piece of debris is in the shape of what could best be described as a person." Dragon stated.

Everyone was quiet, so there was a survivor… and they were on a crash course for the city…

"I volunteer to intercept the… person…" Colin volunteered. To which then everyone then stared at him.

Then the director sighed… and then spoke, "Fine Armsmaster, you can go and investigate the stranger amongst our midst's. we'll get another group of tinkers and other capes to investigate the crash site, while you go and investigate our… 'visitor'." She spoke.

'Wait…. WHY DID I SAY THAT?' I yelled internally.

Ten minutes later…

Colins was now having… a day… one of those days that a part of himself regrets that he missed out on all that (possibly) Tinker tech. But it was something he had to live with.

As Colin arrived, he realized that the crash site was… within an abandoned warehouse… probably one of the merchants… he then got off his motorcycle and approached the building.

As Armsmaster approached the building, he started hearing… a piano… and banging. When he got closer, Armsmaster realized that the banging was coming from where the door of the building was located. Then when he was in front of the door, the banging stopped and, when he opened the door, the music ended, and in front of him… shocked him to the core. In front of him, was a creature wearing armor that looked as if it had gone through a battlefield and back. And the armor itself… was more akin to power armor that tinkers are normally seen wearing. At first, colin thought the creature was dead… but as he knelt, he could hear it breathing, but the breathing was heavy, as if the creature was gasping for air. And then he noticed the trail of blood coming from the crater.

At this, Armsmaster raised his hand to the side of his head, "Dragon, I need you to call Panacea, and tell her that she's about to receive a new patient… we do have a survivor from the crash." He spoke.

"Alright, I've notified her that you're on your way with a patient. So… who, or what is our guest like so far?" she asked. I observed the creature.

Two toes on the one leg that seems to have survived. And six fingers on his hands. A tail… "unlike anything I've ever seen, that's what. Might be a case 53, but my scans indicate that the subject is emitting an air borne virus… don't worry, I don't think it's anything too important to worry about now… just make sure to tell Panacea to prepare for a special case." I told dragon as I activated the built-in gas mask I had installed in my armor.

As he hoisted the creature upwards, he noticed that the creatures helmet appeared to look like a triceratops, only that its horns were on the frill instead of pointing outwards. Another thing about the helmet was that there was a hole as well. It seemed that they took massive damage from the crash landing. And from what the hole revealed, showed that the creature appeared reptilian in nature. Armsmaster just wished that he had gotten here sooner… maybe to ask some questions as he helped this creature.

"don't worry, I got you…" he tried to reassure the creature even though it was obvious that it was knocked out.

When he finally got to the hospital, he checked up on the creature's pulse… still alive, thank scion. He then proceeded to pick the creature up, holding them bridal style… and found out that they were surprisingly heavy.

Armsmaster managed to walk a few steps in front of the hospital, before several of the staff of the hospital came running from the entrance, with a gurney, thankfully the hospitals had developed ones for brutes who weighed a lot more than regular gurneys were used to, ready for the creature to rest on top of. Armsmaster then lowered the creature to the gurney, then realized that the armor was going to be an issue for the doctors to operate on.

"Hold on, I'm going to use my Halberd to remove him out of the armor, so stand back." He warned the doctor's and staff as he prepared his halberd. Then when the halberd hit the armor, he found that it was slightly harder to cut through the armor. But it didn't mean that it was impossible at all.

Time skip to when he finally removed the armor off him…

As Armsmaster finally removed the armor off, it was revealed that the creature really was more reptilian in nature than he initially thought. The creature had a head crest on top of its head, running down the back the head, it was separated by different plates, making each plate their own plate. And the skin was nothing but scales. And the face was different to that of a human. Scaled eyebrows, a nose reminiscent to a European dragon nose, as well as bigger eyelids meaning bigger eyes. And then running down from the bottom of the chin to the lower body were large scales like a dragon's lower body, but he wasn't well versed I dragon biology. Armsmaster then waved to the staff that they could move him into the hospital.

So, the creature was then rushed off into the hospital, and Armsmaster slowly followed the staff and the creature from behind.

'Today has been an odd day. Let's hope Panacea can save this… man? I couldn't tell' Armsmaster thought to himself.

Pov: Panacea

Location: a hospital

Today was a day for Amy Dallon, or Panacea as the public knew both her name and her cape name since she was a public open cape. First, there were the normal patients that needed her services. Next was a giant space thing falling from orbit and crashing into the ocean, thankfully it didn't create massive tsunami's that could've cause massive casualties that would've been put on the same scale to the casualties of endbringer attacks. Then Armsmaster, waltzed right on in, with a survivor from the crashed space thing, who apparently thought it was a good idea to jump out of the space thing while it was falling through the atmosphere, and was in dire need of her services.

Safe to say, Amy was exhausted… and when she went to observe the new patient, she was surprised when she saw it. It looked like a… hybrid… or a dinosaur, but evolved… or bio-engineered like one of Nilbog's creations…

Armsmaster was just right outside of the room, holding something up in his hand. Panacea then approached him, intent on asking what he knew and discovered.

"Armsmaster, I see you're here. What is that your holding?" she asked him. He was distracted, but when she spoke up, he turned his head towards her and acknowledged her presence, before returning his attention on the device.

"It's a data pad… I'm trying to figure out how to operate it… and there!" he replied, as he got it working. Then an image was projected on the wall that armsmaster was facing… and what it showed was… new to them.

"that's a picture of a planet… with orange gashes and… black clouds, and… I think I see some purple clouds… and what are those things in orbit around the planet?" Panacea observed, she was kind of curious as to what this picture was of.

"I don't think that's just any planet, Panacea… if Dragon's theory is right… then that planet… is his earth… and if my thoughts are correct, those debris floating around the earth… are debris from space operations and some of the larger ones might… be spaceships." Armsmaster pointed out. That paused her for a moment.

An earth that seems to be more advanced than earth bet or earth aleph… but it looked as if it had been through a war that was more devastating than what anyone could imagine. And unlike earth bet, this earth possibly didn't have scion's intervention, and didn't have any capes at all… Panacea shuddered at the thought of a world destroyed not by an endbringer's hand… but by humanity's own devices.

Panacea then shook herself, and shoved that thought to the side, focusing on the patient in mind.

"Do you know anything about the survivor, or what can you give me on them?" she asked. Looking through the window that viewed the patient currently being attended to by several doctors and nurses that were trying to get the patient stable.

"I believe that they were a soldier… and There was a virus being emitted off them. If I, were you, I would make sure that other patients and staff are seen to just to make sure they're not infected by this mysterious virus. I don't want to know what the symptoms of it could possibly be. That's all I have." He stated.

'A virus? That couldn't be good whatsoever.' She thought, before nodding.

"I'll go see to the patient and heal them." She told the veteran cape.

As Panacea walked into the room, she noticed that the patient had a tail reminiscent of a dinosaur… but she ignored that, as she focused on the surface injuries.

A bruise on his chest, puncture wounds, some bone and muscles showing, flesh torn off, and wounds that seemed to have been inflicted from a blunt object that may have been spiked, so quite possible a mace of some kind. The patient must've been in battle to get some of these wounds. And then there were the injuries that seemed to have been the result of them crashlanding into the ground. And then there were facial scars, as well as bruises on the face as well. A head crest plate seemed to be missing a chunk from it. And then there was the missing leg… It looked… wait there's something there… that looks like something to attach a prosthetic leg onto.

All in all, on the surface, the patient was in critical condition. So, Panacea moved to heal the patient… and then a flash flood of information came hitting her as she touched the creature's arm. This wasn't just a vat grown creature, no, they used to be a human, there were fragments of DNA that seemed to be left untouched that signaled that they were changed biologically from an average human to… a hybrid. And then Panacea found the cause… a virus. But not just any kind of virus, but a virus that forced evolution onto human cells. Thankfully Panacea was immune thanks to her power, but there could be a slim chance that the staff and other patients of the hospital could have been exposed as Armsmaster pointed out. But that wasn't the only thing about the creature's DNA, the DNA that wasn't human, were a mix of several DNA that were… akin to several species of birds… but not quite. These DNA… seemed to be older versions of those DNA, from an… age long gone.

Panacea then moved to heal the Injuries, and she also noticed that the patient had an extra organ, but she noticed that his lungs were puncture. So, she moved to heal the damages internally as well. But when she was finished, she looked back at the extra organ, and looked at what the use could be. And then she found that it was an organ that specialized in fire breathing. But Panacea then noticed that the body temperature was blazing hot, probably a result of having an organ specialized for fire breathing. This might explain why the patient didn't have any burns whatsoever.

As Panacea finished up everything, she took one last look, and a peak at the creature's brain. And to her surprise, it appeared to be modified with the DNA that wasn't local to a human brain and could possibly suggest that the creature's brain was more advanced that the average human brain and that the creature was theoretically smarter than your normal human.

Panacea then staggered backwards as she finished her healing, gasping for air. And she then got ideas… ideas based on changing and adding onto the biology of humans. This… man… was… odd and different from everything she knew about… well, biology.

As Amy left the room, leaving the patient unconscious, she turned to face Armsmaster. And then she spoke up.

"The patient is now stable and is… asleep. But there's something I need to tell you about them." She told him.

He stood up and looked at her, and responded, "What is it?" he asked, curiously.

"He's… well… he used to be a human himself from what I saw on his biology… and now… he's a hybrid… and from what his biology told me… if he was healthy and didn't have any life-threatening illnesses… He could live up to four hundred years, longer than any human there is." She reported to him. Armsmaster seemed to have gotten the message and nodded.

"Alright then… I'll… call the director, you're free to g-." before he could finish that sentence, Panacea interrupted him.

"Can I join you and the director when you go and ask the patient questions, when they wake up, please? I kind of have questions for him that I'd like to have answered." She interrupted him, acting kind of awkward.

To which, he sighed. "Alright. That can be allowed." He accepted her plea.

POV: ?

Location: ?

As the ship slowed down to a halt, after making sure that Me and my ship wasn't detected by any of the primitive scanners, I groaned.

'Claw, you overgrown crocodile! You just had to drag me into that rift with you as I was on my way to rescue you. For fagla's sake, you keep on making my job of guaranteeing your survival a pain in the neck… even though my neck was made of metal instead of organic tissue, you somehow give me such pain that I shouldn't even be feeling right now.' I thought to myself.

Well, I guess I have no other choice but going on a wild goose chase for a while… or whatever a goose is.

'Ok, where did you yourself crash land, Claw?' I calculated… and found that he crashed into a nearby city. 'Annnnnnnnd you just made this all more the difficult… what's the saying the humans use? Just one person just has to go and ruin everything else for everyone else? I think that's how it goes.' I thought, as I got up from my pilot seat and putting on my jacket and grabbed my faceplate that could cover what I truly looked like, 'Welp, looks like I have to go and get to the crash site that Claw crash landed in.' I thought as I grabbed my trademarked dual dark energy pistols, before speaking.

"Claw, you just have to spice up my long-lived life. Heh, I might owe you a drink or two." I said, with a voice modulator disguising my voice, as I pushed the button to open the door.

Let's see how different this earth is from the earth I know.


Authors notes: And now our second character has been introduced, and to warn you... he's going to be a glorified murder Hobo, no doubt about it. And yeah, that's going to be it. I hope you all have a nice day.