The dark apartment suddenly sprung to life, the lights in every room illuminating at once. The reason for this was simple; the occupant had attached a simple motion sensor to every light in the house, except for the ones in the bedroom. After five minutes without motion, the lights would shut off.
The current occupant, Raziel Zonoran, was entering through the window. This fact alone was somewhat odd. What was even odder was that the window was actually a good twenty stories above what, in scientific terms, is technically known as 'The ground.'
If this wasn't enough, his current attire was sure to draw some eyebrows; essentially, a lot of leather, torn, bloodied, charred, you name it. By some odd miracle it managed to cover all the, um, vital areas, but aside from that, a lot of skin was open to the air.
The skin underneath was also bloodstained, though there were no injuries to suggest where the blood came from; any would have assumed it was perhaps the blood of another. But, no, they would be wrong, it was his blood.
A muscular body was panting slightly from the exertions of flight, and the body's owner wasted no time. He lunged for the bathroom, literally tearing the scraps of clothing off of him and leaving them in his wake. A moment later, the sound of a running shower filled the small apartment, along with a loud sigh of relief.
The relief turned into a yelp as the water, as was common in apartments, suddenly turned ice cold.
Despite the drop in temperature, Raziel was tempted to remain in that shower for a few weeks… sadly, he knew that he had little choice in the matter… he had just come back from BioTech laboratories, which had been attacked by the Council less than an hour earlier. Hostages had been taken, and placed to prevent any heroes from getting inside. The plan had been, in essence, perfect.
But there was one variable they had not been able to anticipate… and that variable was Raziel himself.
Raziel also went by the name Comet Fist, a semi-famous hero with a security clearance level of thirty. Blessed with enhanced speed, strength and stamina, Raziel was capable of throwing a mean roundhouse kick…
He could also wield an energy that he simply called the Darkness… it had some defensive, and even offensive uses, but he used it quite rarely, because it tended to tire him out…
Thinking back, though, he cursed himself for not having used it when he should have… after effectively saving the hostages and forcing the Council to fall back, he had been facing the mastermind of the attack, an Archon named Drayax… he had won, after a real pummelling, but then the Archon had promptly changed into a werewolf.
Still weary and weakened from the earlier battle, Raziel had essentially been beaten to a pulp…
The scraps he had worn had been a stolen Council uniform, which he had used to disguise himself while hunting through the building… still, by his tally, he had been hit by a total of four pulse blasts, been struck with a grenade, and finally bashed about like a rag doll. It was in tatters, and he doubted a dry cleaners could help it any…
Once he had rinsed the blood and grime off of himself, he immediately bolted out of the bathroom, dripping wet and in his 'birthday suit,' starting to root around for his costume.
His victory had not been absolute; Drayax had still escaped after thrashing him, and with him went designs for a new innovation in cold fusion technology, something that would provide massive amounts of power… Raziel had gotten the coordinates the plan had been sent to, however, and for that reason he was going to go and get the plans. Forcefully.
Still, he needed to make a call…
Grabbing the phone, he dialled a number and listened as it rung. After a moment, there was a click and a deep, rich baritone. "Hello?"
"Marco!" Raziel shouted, then willed himself to keep his voice down when the voice on the other end gave a startled shout. "Sorry. It's me, Comet Fist. Marco, I need a hand."
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Listen, just find some heroes, try and keep their clearance level at 29, at the very least…" Finding the spandex pants he wore under his actual costume, he sat on his bed and put them on, pulling fiercely… damned things always stuck when damp…
"Oh? Then what?"
"Send them to…"
Rattling off the coordinates, he listened as Marco considered it. He was a contact, a fairly good one, and he usually catered to heroes in the same class as Comet Fist.
"I'll see what I can do…"
"Marco, you have no idea how much this is worth to me. Thank you."
"Take care, buddy…"
There was a click, and then silence. Hanging up the phone, Raziel rooted around some more. The spandex top was found, then added. Finally, Raziel started to find his actual costume.
A dark red and black, thickly padded top, something that had metal ribbing inside and a symbol of a falling meteor, went on, followed by pants with the same style and boots and gloves that, again, same style. The entire thing was quite fetching.
The cape was something he was particularly proud of. The inside was a dark red. The outside started dark red at the top, then eventually blended to a dark blue by the time it reached the bottom…
Raziel didn't bother with masks; a slight concentration made his eyes begin to glow a brilliant crimson… it was something he had just recently been capable of, and it made him look even more foreboding…
Another focusing caused a device deep inside him to activate, one he had gone to a lot of trouble to get his hands on. When activated, the device activated, focusing his power…
Blue, shadowy flames started to flicker from his body, the flames doing no damage to much of anything; but it was enough to distort his features somewhat, making him look older and a bit different. He hadn't done this in the Council Base for a simple reason; he had wanted subtlety. Flames from the body was not subtle.
Once he was certain he was fully dressed, he stepped back to his window, peering down at the streets below. The coordinates were relativity close; the base was in Independence Port, while his apartment was in Steel Canyon, only one tenth of a mile from the IP entrance.
Pushing from the windowsill, he flew forward at full speed, his glowing eyes filled with determination.
-------
Drayax was displeased.
Usually, such a simple state of being would result in an execution or two, mostly to those who had caused this displeasure… however, that tactic of instant gratification was somewhat beyond his grasp for a few reasons…
One, the cause for his displeasure was not here. In fact, though Drayax feverishly hoped that man was dead, he was willing to bet against such a satisfying ending…
Two, the thing that kept him from just rounding up a few soldiers and popping a few rounds into them was the simple fact that he needed every man he could get his hands on; the next twenty-four hours would be a vulnerable time…
The data they had, the data they needed to update to their main Database, was more important than a simple Fusion Generator…
A few months ago, the Council had been engaged in a massive operation… literally. A giant Mech Bot, one who's power would have tipped the scales in clear favour of the Council, had been under construction in the inactive volcano in Striga Isle…the thing was supposed to be indestructible.
However, before its power system could be constructed fully, a rather large force of heroes had stormed the volcano, effectively obliterating every single soldier, the Archon in charge, and damaging several systems. The Auto-Destruct system, designed to prevent theft of the android, had activated, effectively obliterating the entire complex.
The Council still had the needed blueprints, and a second mega-droid was being constructed at a classified location… the only one that knew its location in this base was Drayax himself…
However, the initial power source needed to supply the Droid's considerable energy needs had been destroyed when the base had self-destructed; the needed materials to produce another was too sparse to be obtained. The Council required a new way to power the prototype. Conventional nuclear sources were too feeble, and too unpredictable to be depended on.
This fusion drive technology was unlike anything ever produced before, and it would be more than enough to power the droid… it was sad that the Tritinite had been lost from the meddlesome hero's efforts, but more could always be appropriated later down the line…
Nursing his still-sore ribs, remembering his near-defeat at the man's hands, he gave a low growl. He had only survived because of his inherent werewolf transformation abilities… his wounds were still in the process of healing.
He had every man available patrolling the cave-like location of the Council base, and they were all heavily armed… if anyone arrived, the Archon was sure they would fail…
Still, he was displeased…
------
Raziel finally arrived at the proper location, swooping down upon the dark streets like a large bird. His cape fluttered prettily as he touched down on the ground, looking about for a moment… he wasn't entirely sure where the base was, so it would probably take a bit of scouting…
Wondering if his contact had managed to wrangle him up any hero support, he called out briefly; "Any capes out here?"
"Cape? Ha!" A voice called from the shadows. As Raziel turned towards the source, a man stepped from it, a wry grin on his face. "Terrible, stuffy things those capes are…"
A delighted grin spread across Raziel's face as he stepped forward, sweeping the slightly shorter man into a monster bearhug. "Rector! It's great to see you!"
Rector had the classification of blaster, a rather useful man to have in a fight. His body was capable of accelerating the electrons and protons in the air in front of him, resulting in powerful energy blasts. By accelerating the atoms in his surroundings and even his fists, he could throw a devastating punch, even increase the strength of his blasts.
Raziel had met Rector when he had first been starting out as a hero, and had helped him take down Frostfire when the Hollows had been their stomping ground. Since then, the two had fallen out of touch…
Rector didn't really bother with any kind of costume; he wore a black muscle shirt that accented his well-built frame, and bell-bottomed pants. These pants were black, with dark red flame outlines running up to the knee. Simple black gloves completed the ensemble.
His hair was somewhat spiky, and a brilliant blond… Raziel doubted this was any sort of random pick; he knew that Rector was a big fan of Dragonball Z comics, and energy blasts would suit the look…
"Aie… c'mon, big guy, we're not all as durable as you…" Rector croaked, managing to squirm out of the hug. Nonetheless, he still had a cheerful grin on his face, playfully punching his friend's shoulder. "Heard the oh-so-great Comet Fist needed a bit of backup, so I came down to offer my support."
"That's great," Raziel replied with a grin; "What security level are you at?"
"Twenty-nine, and you?"
"Ha! I'm at thirty."
"Lucky dog. The device they give you any good?"
"Yeah, as you can see with these flaming bits of fire that surround me."
"Very pretty."
"So," Raziel said, looking about. "I guess you're the only one here?" Despite the excitement of seeing his old friend again, he felt a slight pang of disappointment.
"Well, I just got here, so maybe we've got some more guys on their way," Rector replied, shrugging slightly. "Should we wait?"
Raziel considered it… after a moment, however, he nodded. "Yeah, we might as well wait ten minutes… I'm willing to bet the target's going to be very well defended… oh, I suppose you want to know what the mission is?"
When Rector nodded, Raziel started to fill him in on what had happened. The Blaster's reactions were mostly grunts, nods, and the occasional gasp. When Raziel recounted the somewhat disastrous battle against the werewolf, he groaned, almost as if he could feel the injuries himself. "Sucks to be you, man…"
Raziel grinned in reply, and was just about to check his watch when he heard rapid footsteps behind him. Reflexes clicking in, he spun, dropping into a defensive crouch. Rector stepped forward, his hands starting to glow lightly.
The oddest man was jogging towards them. He seemed to be entirely dressed in military clothing; combat netting, camouflage clothing, various odds and ends that the army men always seemed to carry… on his back was a large and rather impressive looking gun, one with many different barrels...
Stopping briskly, he stood fully at attention. His face was brusque, looking like a combination between Bruce Willis and the Rock, and he wore dark sunglasses. His head was completely shaven, not so much as peach fuzz, as was the rest of his face. His frame was large and densely muscled under his combat outfit, and his back was as straight as a broom handle.
"At ease, men!" He barked at Rector and Raziel, who gave each other hesitant glances.
"Er… right… are you here for the mission?" Raziel asked, stepping forward unsteadily towards the imposing man.
"Sir, yes sir! Blaster with a level twenty-nine clearance, sir!" When he whipped out the massive gun, Raziel nearly fell backwards with shock, immediately lifting his hands as if expecting the man to shoot him.
"Don't…" Comet Fist said slowly; "Don't do that again… it's a little sudden…"
Still standing at attention, massive gun cradled in his arms, the man blinked behind the tinted lenses of his glasses, tilting his head. "My apologies, sir, I was merely demonstrating my readiness."
"Hey, shine-skull!" Rector called, eyebrows raised. "Why the hell do you keep calling him 'Sir'?"
"Unless I am mistaken, he is the team leader, no?" The man asked, lifting a dark eyebrow. "He certainly does appear to possess more of a leadership aura than anyone else standing here."
The insult took a moment to register with Rector. He wasn't used to being insulted. The energy wielder blinked a couple of times, but once it clicked, his eyes narrowed, scowling. "Hey, did you just insult me?"
Ignoring the ticked off Rector, the man with the gun simply turned back to Raziel; "Awaiting your commands, sir!"
"Er… right…" Raziel replied, shooting Rector an apologetic glance. Then, turning back to the waiting army man, he tried to act equally efficient and military… hard to do when you're wearing a costume… "What's your hero's alias… er, Soldier?"
"Classified, sir."
Raziel blinked, Rector just staring in disbelief. After a moment, the scrapper opened his mouth to try and press the question diplomatically, but Rector just bowled right over him, storming over to stand inches from the much larger man. "What the hell is your name?"
"Classified." The man repeated, looking a bit annoyed at this point.
"I dun give a damn how secretive it is, tell me your name!"
"It's Classified!"
"Tell me!"
"Classified!"
"I'll blast you, I swear I will!"
"Classified! It's Classified! Classified, Classified, Classified!"
"Fine!" Rector snapped, poking the man square in his Kevlar-vested chest. "Be that way! We don't need your stupid name, you stupid bald guy! You're so damned stupid, we'll just call you… er… stupid! Yeah!"
Raziel chose this moment to step in, gently placing his hand on Rector's shoulder. "Er… Rector?"
"What?" The aggravated superhero snapped back, still glaring at the man, who just stared back coolly. Both of their jaws clenched and both their eyes burned.
Raziel sighed inwardly. Rector tended to get a bit… ahead of himself, sometimes. And, while that hotheaded behaviour made him unlikely to give up a fight, it sometimes meant he would bowl right over the obvious subtleties of the English language. "I think his name is Classified."
"Yeah, I know he's being a tighta-!" He started angrily.
"No, no, Rector?" Raziel interrupted soothingly, wondering how well the man was going to take this. "I think his actual ALIAS, the name he goes by, is in fact quote 'Classified' end quote."
Rector almost missed the meaning of the statement. But, just as he opened his mouth to continue his tirade, it clicked. Looking between the patient Comet Fist, and the smirking Classified, you could almost see the light click on in his eyes. There was a long silence as he considered this, then glaring up at Classified, he said in a frigid tone; "Well, why didn't you say that to begin with?"
The smug smile vanished as Classified glared right back. Before they could start shooting each other, however, Raziel quickly stepped in, starting to fill in Classified on what he needed to know about this particular mission.
"So, to wrap it up," He finished; "Just trash anything that looks like a computer or a transmitter… this is a case where the soldiers are not our top priority. All right?"
"Yessir…" He replied, all-business as he nodded briskly; "I happen to possess proximity mines that may perform such a task! I could adjust them on a timer setting if need be."
"Good," Raziel replied, feeling quite pleased that the situation was getting back under control. Rector was still glaring at Classified, and the solder-based superhero definitely looked quite smug, despite his professional exterior. "Let's start to look around for the entrance."
It wasn't long before they found it. The cave entrance was blocked by a rather large stone, one that a normal human would have been completely unable to budge. Raziel didn't find it very difficult, though, his superior strength easily sliding it aside.
"Okay, guys, absolute silence…" He whispered, looking inside. The cave was dark, but illumination could be seen around a corner about a dozen yards away.
"Wait!"
"I said quiet!" Raziel snapped, glaring at the other two, but they just shrugged.
"Wasn't me," Rector whispered.
"I did not utter a word," Classified added, tilting his head.
Raziel looked between the two, eyebrows lifted. "Well, if you didn't say anything, then who…?
A loud clanging noise was suddenly heard just above the cave entrance. Simultaneously, all three heroes looked up, eyes widening as they saw the source of the call.
Standing on top of the entrance was someone that looked like he had stepped out of the world of Camelot; he was a slim man, but covered from head to toe in brilliant silver armour, the breastplate covered in various engravings and a helm that covered his entire head. In the centre of his chest, a small symbol of a sword pointed upwards. On his back, a large broadsword was hung, the hilt and handle covered in various precious jewels.
Needless to say, this man made the rest of them look like kids dressed up for Halloween. He seemed to just embody power and skill, to be what a hero was all about.
Taking a moment to regain his thoughts, Raziel said, rather hesitantly; "Um, are you here for the mission?"
"Yes!" The man replied, and it seemed like his every syllable was emphasized… oddly enough, Raziel found himself associating it with Internet chat speak… "I am here to defeat all the people who try and attack us!"
"Ah, well, that is not actually the purpose of the missio-"
"They will fall before my sword and feel my wrath!" Out came the sword, with such a shrill noise that the other three heroes jumped slightly.
After a moment, Raziel spoke hesitantly. "Right." This guy wasn't looking so super anymore. "Could I please get your name?"
"I am-" And then he did something that Raziel had not done since he was a level three hero. The man struck a heroic pose- a heroic pose, for heaven's sake- and spoke reverently, as if pronouncing himself king; "The invincible Pwnage!"
Raziel blinked. "Er, sorry, the invincible what?"
"Pwnage!"
"Ah." Raziel cast Rector a pleading glance, and in return the hero grinned. Unlike Raziel, he was quite a fan of chat sites; considering the odd hours he worked, the only form of human interaction he got was on chat sites.
"Pwnage… it's a word for utter overkill, completely dominating something… basically, another word for all-powerful," He replied, winking.
"Invincible," Classified mused, then looked up at Pwnage; "So do you possess invulnerability, then? Such a power would provide a great tactical advantage…"
"No, I can heal myself quickly!" He replied proudly.
"Ah. Then why is invincible n your title?" The gun-wielder asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Because…" Pwnage began, then struck the pose once more. "I am the best!"
There was a long silence.
"Riiiiiight…" Rector said after a moment, then, glancing at Raziel briefly, he spoke hesitantly; "Er, what level are you at?"
"Thirty!" He replied proudly.
Rector winced at that, then leaned over and murmured in Raziel's ear; "Yeah, he's a bit of an oddball, but we could use an extra hand… in the end, you're the boss, though."
Raziel took a deep breath and let it out. He had a feeling he was going to regret this… "Okay, you can join. Let's go."
-----
When they first entered, the cave passage was surprisingly deserted… they had expected more guards to be posted at the entrances, at the very least a token defence to warn the inner lair of intrusion.
But no one ever said that villains were good with making strategies; it was likely they had planned to focus all their men on guarding the equipment anyway.
The passage they followed had no branching paths, and it opened up into a rather large cavern after only a few moments. This cavern had definite signs of Council occupation; the banners hung from the walls, there were several computer consoles, and about eight or nine soldiers walked among the systems, occasionally calling up or inputing data.
The heroes hadn't been seen yet. Gesturing quickly, Raziel led the rest of the group in a quick retreat a few dozen meters down the path they had come. Once they had done so, he talked in a low whisper; sound carried around here.
"Okay…." Raziel mused, thinking. "We can't take any risks… so, to the extent, we'll need a plan."
"Perhaps a diversion will-" Classified began to say, but then Pwnage virtually steamrolled over him, shaking his fist so that his silver armour clanged loudly.
"We don't need a plan! We will beat them!"
"Er, we appreciate the confidence," Rector said, for once opting for the diplomatic route; "But we do in fact need a plan…"
"I will go get them! Wait right here and I will beat them!"
Before the other three could even think of providing an argument, Pwnage was running back down the cave path, armour clanging all the way. The three remaining, apparently sane heroes exchanged glances.
"Now what?" Rector asked, his tone filled with disbelief.
Before Raziel could even think of an answer, a loud voice was heard further down the corridor. It was the somewhat overzealous Pwnage.
"Council soldiers!" It called, booming through the corridor. "Prepare to meet your destruction at the hand of the invincible Pwnage! Your days are now numbered, and you will all die by my great sword!"
This was swiftly followed by shouts, gunshots, metal-on-metal, and battle cries, all of the latter from Pwnage by the sounds of it.
"We don't do anything," Raziel said after a moment, sighing heavily. "We've got to get those plans, that is our first priority… they'll already be on heightened alert because of this, but if they only think one invaded…"
He found himself once again interrupted as Pwnage came running back around the bend, His armour was somewhat dented, and there was a bloodstain on his breastplate. He was waving his similarly bloodstained sword as he ran towards them; "Superheroes to me!"
"Aw hell," Raziel muttered as eight Council soldiers came running around the corner, one of them limping slightly. "Rector, Classified, full attack!"
Charging forward at full speed, Raziel saw and heard bullets and energy blasts whiz by him. Several Council members dropped like stones, some with skin scorched by energy, some with bullet holes than leaked their lifeblood onto the stone ground.
The moment Raziel ran by Pwnage, the sword-wielder turned around and ran forward as well, still waving his sword and yelling defiance. Truth be told, it was starting to give the martial artist a headache…
Crouching low briefly, Raziel pushed off the ground with both feet, soaring over two Council soldiers that were still standing. As he passed by, his hands reached out, pinching nerve clusters at the base of their necks. They swiftly dropped like stones.
Pwnage charged at the remaining Council soldier, but a hail of bullets from Classified caught the villain first, finishing him.
Raziel felt himself relax. The battle had gone quite well, considering. He turned towards Rector and Classified, opening his mouth to offer congratulations to them.
Before he could however, Pwnage stormed over to Classified, poking an armoured finger in his chest. "You took my kill, stealer!"
Then he stormed back down the tunnel, leaving the other three heroes gaping after him. By the time they had re-emerged in the cavern, the sword-wielder was already vanishing down one of the tunnels at the far end, sword drawn with a purposeful walk.
"Classified, set up your mines," Raziel said with a sigh; "Rector, you and me had better guard the tunnel… the guy's probably going to bring more foes down upon us before the day is out…"
Classified reached into one of his pouches, starting to withdraw several metal disks. As he hurried off to place them, Rector and Raziel strode to the tunnel Pwnage had gone down, taking position on either side.
"So," Raziel muttered, glancing at Rector; "What do you think of Pwnage?"
"He's a loose cannon," Rector replied automatically, scowling. "A total nut… I bet the only reason he got to level thirty was because he had been sidekicked with a powerhouse, and just got an easy ride from there…"
"Probably," Raziel agreed, nodding slightly. "What should we do about him?"
"Well, if he keeps this up, he'll have to go," Rector replied reluctantly. "From what you've told us, this is too important to be screwed up because of a-"
Footsteps. A lot of footsteps…
"Superheroes to me!"
"Awwww, here we go!"
-----
Twenty minutes, eighty seven gunshots, seven energy blasts, two roundhouse kicks, three side kicks, a palm strike, three grenades, two sword hacks, one retreat, eight swear words and seventeen Council soldiers later, Raziel, Classified and Rector were all glaring at the back of Pwnage who was, of course, running back down the corridor in search of another fight.
"Lemme at him…" Rector growled, hands glowing as he started to storm off after the swordsman. His muscle shirt was covered in cuts and dirt, some blood staining the materiel.
Raziel, nursing a rapidly mending twisted ankle, all but lunged for the blaster, stopping him with sheer weight. "Don't get rash, Rec…"
"Rash! You're calling me rash?" The young man demanded angrily, giving a half-hearted attempt to shrug Raziel off. The man hung on, however; even with his injured ankle, he still had more raw strength than either of the other men put together.
"Listen, I'll have a talk with him…" Raziel replied, then glanced back at Classified, who was loading the many lording ports on his gun. His camouflage uniform was badly torn in some places, revealing heavy Kevlar padding underneath. "Are your mines set?"
"I have prepared a spread that will optimize the blast radius to deteriorate the-"
"Yes or no?"
"Yes."
"Very good." Raziel tested his ankle once more, then when he was sure that it would support his weight, he released his grip on Rector, starting to move down the corridor after Pwnage. "Detonate them when we're a safe distance away."
-----
Drayax sat at a desk, one that was quite a bit deeper in the caverns than the four heroes' current position. As of yet he was ignorant to the invasion in progress, his eyes focused on the monitor in front of him. On it, a long string of translations were there…
He was nervous with the data they possessed being so vulnerable, and even now was attempting to calculate a way to send the data to his superiors sooner. The computer he used was pretty much a monitor; a wireless linkup hooked it to a bank of computers near the lair's entrance.
His musings were interrupted, however, as a slight tremor filled the earth. It was small, and a normal human would have failed to register it at all. But the Archon's supersenses picked it up quite easily…
At the same moment the tremor sounded, his screen went blank.
Blinking, Drayax felt a worm of apprehension wriggle through his gut… removing his communicator from his breast pocket, he tuned it to the signal of the men working at the computer banks his monitor had been linked to. "Patrol, my screen has just faded… is there a malfunction in the linkup?"
Static was his response.
The worm turned into a python as he adjusted his communicator. "Terren, this is Drayax?"
The response was immediate, and more than a little nervous; Terren was hardly in Drayax's favour, and the Adjustant knew it. "Terren here, sir."
"Gather a team and investigate Quadrant B… we may have some unwanted guests, and if so I want them captured… or, at the very least, neutralized."
Terren's voice lost some of its tension, relief filtering through the small comm device. "Yes sir, I will attend to it immediately."
"Terren…" Drayax leaned forward in his seat and squeezed his hands, picturing the Adjustant's neck between them. "Do not fail me again…"
"Y-yes sir, I won't…" Terren replied, and despite his attempt to sound confident, Drayax could have sworn that he heard a loud gulp on the other end before the link was terminated…
-----
"Come on, you must be brave and powerful, like me!"
The last two words from Pwnage were what really did it. Raziel liked to think that he had an even temperament, and that he could be patient. But here, in the bend of a corridor, confronting Pwnage alone as Classified attended to a rather bad bullet wound in Rector's side, he felt his patience snap like a dry twig.
But he did not yell. Instead, the room temperature seemed to drop ten degrees as he glared at Pwnage. Rector, wincing as Classified worked on extracting a chance bullet that had lodged in his flesh, recognized that look. Raziel had given Frostfire a similar look what seemed like an eternity ago…
Frostfire probably didn't enjoy the beating he got in the next few minutes after that glare…
"Brave? Powerful?" Raziel voice was tight, and he seemed ready to tear the armoured man to pieces. "You're not brave, Pwnage, you're stupid. A moron. Because of your love for blindly rushing into everything, Rector is lying there shot through the gut!"
"Then maybe he is not worthy of joining my superteam!" Pwnage replied, giving a sort of mini-pose, obviously oblivious to Raziel's steadily mounting rage.
"Your superteam?" Raziel asked quietly, eyes glittering dangerously.
"If you do not agree, then I will fight you to show that I am the worthy one!"
"Of all the macho-" Rector groaned, wincing as Classified finished extracting the bullet. His wound started to heal a moment later, the flesh knitting back together.
"All right," Raziel replied, jaw tight. "If you insist."
"Then we will pre-!"
Before Pwnage could get another word out, Raziel sprung into action, a swift sweep of one leg knocking the sword-swinger on his rump. A powerful sidekick struck his metal breastplate, forming a large dent and knocking the armoured hero flat on his back. A moment later, Comet Fist's heel was placed firmly against his Adam's apple.
Pwnage was so surprised, it took him several moments to formulate the words. His voice was quite hoarse, partially from Raziel's powerful kick and partially because of his confined throat. "Not fair, I wasn't ready-!"
"You never are," Raziel replied, eyes filled with disgust. "That's why you dump this all on us… this is too important to waste on your damned stupidity."
"What on earth are you talking about?"
Removing his throat from Pwnage's throat, Raziel stepped back, crossing his arms. "Get out of here. You're no longer welcome."
Pwnage got back to his feet and tried to muster his bravado; "Ha! You leave, I will deal with these weaklings myself, you pathetic excuses for heroes! You have no bravery!"
Raziel spoke again, voice calm; "Leave."
"I refuse!"
"Now."
"No!"
Raziel sighed, then shook his head. "Very well… I'm sorry we have to do this…" Glancing at the other two heroes, he gave them a brief wink, one that Pwnage did not see, then settled into an offensive crouch, fists extended.
Catching the cue, Rector held his palms a few inches apart, melodramatically building an energy sphere, while Classified switched the safety off of his weapon and brought it to bear in Pwnage's direction.
Well, Pwnage might have been foolish, but he wasn't foolish enough to think he could take on all three heroes. Averting his gaze for the first time since they had met, he headed back down the corridor, the way they had come.
Once he had left, Rector sighed and dissipated the sphere. Looking at Raziel, his eyes had mild guilt. "Would you have attacked him?"
Raziel averted his gaze from his friend. "Would you have?"
"I don't know…"
"Neither do I…"
Classified found himself with the duty of having to get them organized once more. Clearing his throat, he spoke quietly; "We should continue."
"True…" Raziel sighed, then looked back down the corridor. He felt a lot older all of a sudden… "Let's go…"
-----
Terren knew he was running out of lifelines. Though the partial defeat at the laboratory had not been his fault, really, he knew that Drayax was just searching for a reason to put a bullet in his brain…
He had with him a force of six extra men, each that were quite a bit more powerful than him; though he had weaponry just as advanced as theirs, their supersoldier treatments were much more developed than his own…
He could not help but feel apprehension, wondering what may have happened to the guards that had seemingly vanished… even as he and his squad hurried through the winding paths, leather uniforms making rustling noises at their hurried pace, he pictured what might have happened to them… torn apart, perhaps, or struck with radiation?
He was so wrapped up in his thoughts of doom, he did not notice the three heroes just rounding the corner until one of his men cried out in surprise.
There was a moment of silence, both sides staring at each other, dark thoughts brewing on both sides… neither side moved, neither side so much as breathed, as if waiting for the starting gun to go off.
Terren realized it was up to him to deal with this… he had to redeem himself in Drayax's eyes. Thinking that their advantage of numbers would prevail, Drayax quickly cried; "Full assault!"
Gun barrels shot up, but before any of them could even begin to squeeze their triggers, energy blasts and bullets from the opposing force sent many of them flying, the rest dropping low to the ground to avoid the deadly fire.
Terren took aim at the hero dressed in red, squeezing off shot after shot. But the man was fast, inhumanly fast, his agility helping him avoid all of the Adjustant's gunfire with ease, bounding across the corridor in what seemed like micro seconds. Then he was there, right there, fists and feet smashing soldiers left and right.
The battle was over before it had even begun, and soon Terren was the only one left standing. The hero in red stooped down, gripping his collar and easily hoisting him high into the air. A blue flame seemed to coat his body, and his eyes glowed a menacing red.
"Where is the data?" He demanded angrily, and out of the corner of his eye Terren could see the two other heroes approaching, looking quite fierce themselves.
"W-what data?" He stuttered, and was rewarded by a swift shake.
"If you don't tell me…"
Terren, not the most courageous man even conceived, found himself telling them everything; where they could find the data, down to the most detailed directions, and what resistance they were likely to find there. The man listened, silent, then put down the Adjustant, even brushing him off a bit.
"Go. Leave this fortress, and don't even think of-"
But Terren was already gone, fleeing from the group as fast as he could… but he did not truly flee from them. He fled from Drayax; he had betrayed information, and failed once again… he knew that his time in the Council was at an end, and was now more interested in preserving his own life.
-----
"Think he was telling the truth?"
Raziel glanced at Rector and shrugged, managing a wry little grin. "Maybe. I don't know… but, hey, it's the best lead we have right now, so we might as well investigate, at the very least…"
Classified, who was peering down the corridor, interjected; "In that case, I recommend we hurry… it is likely reinforcements will arrive soon…"
The three heroes bustled quickly down the corridor, opting for stealth instead of confrontation. Oddly enough, they did not run into any more guards or soldiers… in fact, they found no confrontation in any way, shape or form.
On top of that, the room that the Adjustant's directions led them too was poorly guarded; only three guards in total… at first, Raziel considered that they had indeed been deceived…
Hidden around a bend, Classified came up with the most reasonable explanation; "It is likely that they wish to prevent attracting any attention to that room, so any heroes that manage to fight their way to this point would overlook it."
"If only we knew for sure, though…" Raziel muttered, shaking his head.
Rector looked between the two; "Well, I know a thing or two about computer hacking; maybe I could try and break their password, find out what kind of data that system stores?"
Raziel considered that for a moment, then nodded; "Okay, Classified, you stay here and stand guard, if any large number of soldiers show up, try and hold them off… Rector, let's you and me go and take care of the three guards."
They had the element of surprise, and a few energy blasts later, the three soldiers were lying unconscious on the ground and Rector was at a computer terminal, a look of profound concentration on his face as his fingers flew across the keyboard.
"How long?" Raziel asked, looking over the other hero's shoulder.
"Just a minute or two…" Rector replied tensely, data scrolling by on the screen in front of him. "Just to warn you, there's no way I can crack into the system without someone detecting the intrusion; if the data is in here, we'll have to move fast."
"All right, do what you can," Raziel replied, jogging over to join Classified. "Get your mines ready, find your optimal blast pattern or whatever… I'll stand guard."
Nods were exchanged, and a moment later Classified was among the computer banks, giving each of them a critical eye as he moved about, calculating to his heart's content. A whoop from Rector indicated that he had gotten into the database, and another triumphant yell indicated that it held the needed data.
Classified set the charges in record time, Raziel now more focused on their efforts than the corridor outside. This proved to be a mistake, because when he turned to look back down the corridor, he saw a sight that made his throat clench…
Approaching them at a fast pace, dozens of soldiers flooded the passageway, weapons aiming at the young scrapper. Even as bullets whizzed through the air, Raziel was leaping into the computer room, rolling on the ground and getting back to his feet.
Rector and Classified were approaching, grins on their faces vanishing as they saw the flash of bullets striking hard stone. Classified held the detonator for the mines in his hand, and Raziel looked at it.
"Soldiers," He said shortly. "Only a few seconds away… we don't have much time…"
"How many?" Rector asked, hands already beginning to glow.
"Too many for any chance of beating them…" Raziel gulped. There were no other exits from this room… turning to Classified, he spoke slowly; "When those mines go off… how far do we have to be?"
Classified gritted his teeth. "Much further than this room will allow…"
Raziel sighed. He did not know how to tell the others this, how to tell the others what must be done… fortunately, he did not have to. Rector and Classified both nodded, understanding forming within their eyes.
"We can't let them stop the data from being destroyed…" Rector said hollowly, glancing at Classified, who winced. "This is gonna hurt…"
Classified nodded his agreement, then looked to Raziel; "I suppose we will meet again… in the hospital…" He grinned slightly, then shook his head. "Now, I suppose?"
Raziel nodded. "Now."
Slowly, Classified held his thumb over the button… then pressed it.
Pain, light…
Then darkness.
-----
Paragon's City Medical Teleporter's Computer, the computer in charge of sending badly injured heroes to the hospital for treatment, made three of the hundreds of decisions it made every moment; the bio sensors in three heroes suddenly sent signals indicating serious injury.
With the speed of thought, the MTC calmly and coolly triangulated their position, calling upon three transporter devices. Feeding the needed coordinates, the MTC activated the transportation devices, monitoring the process.
Before it could bring in the heroes, however, another transporter interrupted, snatching the biosigns… their position changed suddenly, only by about five hundred yards… however, when the MTC compensated and tried to lock on again, it found that the transportation systems were blocked…
This was highly irregular…
A moment later, it decided that it could do nothing. It had no programming for this eventuality… so it simply cleared the coordinates and got back to work…
-----
"I see… so the data is lost…"
Drayax nodded grimly, though the gesture could not be seen by the man on the other end of the link; the satellite he had been waiting for was finally overhead, but with no data to transmit, he had only been able to send a report of the attack, and now was in a voice-only, encrypted conference with his immediate superior… the man's name was not known, but he was one of the most influential commanders in the Council…
"I am afraid so, sire…"
He expected anything from a reprimand to an execution… but the Archon was shocked when the voice on the other end sounded almost… chipper…
"Well, I suppose we will have to make do without… and you said that you had succeeded in capturing the heroes responsible?"
"Yes, sire… our teleportation device intercepted their medical transporter and brought them into our brig… even now, they are blocked from any attempts of teleportation."
"Very good," The voice on the other end purred. "I read your report upon the abilities of the heroes… in particular the one with control over energy…"
"Yes, sir?" Drayax felt curiosity fill him.
"I want you to bring all three of them to the coordinates I will be transmitting… protect the energy wielder above all other, however…"
"Yes, sir…"
"We may yet salvage something of this… we may yet salvage something…"
-----
The Commander ended the link, a small smile on his face… he had given up his name a long time ago, many decades… now he only had his rank, his title… and his power…
In front of him, three files lay, showing information on the three heroes that had nearly ruined everything, including pictures… there was also a computer screen, on which a schematic glowed. The schematic looked like the one needed for a Zenith Mech Man, one of the android models the Council used on some of their bases; however, the scale was much, much, much larger…
There was only one thing missing. Idly removing a laser stylus from a niche on the monitor, The Commander leaned forward, beginning to make a sketch in the centre of the diagram's torso. The torso was blank in the spot that the power core should have gone… before the new fusion drive had been drawn in, but The Commander had erased it when the fact that it was beyond their reach set in…
Now he drew a simple outline… arms… legs… a head… a torso…
Smiling, he looked at the little figure drawn inside the spot, then at the picture of the one called Rector. After a moment, he raised the stylus and added some spiked hair to the little figure…
There was still hope yet…