Unite
An Amber Force Story
By: Eternal Heart
Kobe walked down the deserted highway in the dead of night, the wind billowed around him and a cold breeze brushed over his semi-transparent skin. He drew his jacket tightly around him and pulled the hood up over his face, his sensitive ears picked up the sound of a car in the distance. Kobe ducked out of sight and waited for the car to pass, he was getting close to a city, he could hear the pulsing of late night traffic flowing through the streets, "Amber City," Kobe whispered to himself, he stood up and faced the distant lights of the city, "here I come."Storm soared high above the clouds, her glider's wings taunt as the wind pulled and tugged on them, her hair waved in the breeze and her skin prickled with the cold. Storm was a quite unusual girl, she was complex, curious, and had a knack for getting into trouble. But that was hardly what made Storm different, what made Storm different was her powers. It just so happened that she could control the weather, which explained why she could fly, Storm had a fold up glider strapped across her back, all she had to do was unfold them and direct the wind under them, then she became airborne.
Storm didn't really have much of a life, she just traveled from place to place, not staying long and never talking with people. While visiting a city not far from where she was, Storm had hear about a place called Amber City, with nothing better to do, she set off to see what this place was all about. The wind shifted and Storm began to spiral to the ground, the lights of Amber City wavered in the distance.
Zan rubbed his eyes and shivered as the cold wind bit into his skin, traveling was getting on his nerves, the continuous walking, the ever-changing places, and the feeling of being so alone. Zan was a very social person, not many people wanted to talk to him on account that he was albino, his hair was white and his eyes held no color pigments. It wasn't just that that separated him from the rest of the world, it was the power he held.
Zan had the power to walk through solid objects and fade completely from human sight, it was useful, but rendered him as an outcast forever. Zan had simply been wandering around for almost four years now, he had no home and no family. Zan crossed a sign on the road that said,
Amber City
½ mile
Zan sighed, "I guess I'm going to Amber City," he said to himself and continued down the road.
Jess stood on top of a high building in the center of Amber City, she had been living here for almost a week now, and still she was alone. Jess did a perfectly fine job at keeping the city streets clear of robbers and gangsters by herself, but once word spread that there was a new hero in the area, major villains would soon arrive, Jess was sure of that. And once the villains arrived, Jess would need a team to back her up, but there seemed to be no one around with the right skill to be on a team.
That wasn't the only reason why Jess wanted a team…she was lonely. Jess was use to fighting in a group, she had begun her career as a hero with the Teen Titans, five juvenile heroes that had pulled her out of her dark past. And now that Jess was out on her own, she desperately needed some company. She wanted someone to talk to, someone to celebrate victories with, and someone to be by her side when she was in need.
Jess frowned and climbed down from the roof of the building, her feet hit the ground and she set off down the street, with only the moon to light her path, Jess patrolled the streets with a wary eye. Suddenly the moon was blocked out as if a cloud had moved in front of it, Jess glanced at the sky absent-mindedly…and did a double take.
Silhouetted against the moon was a large flying contraption, there was two makeshift wings that spread out over ten feet wide, in the center of where the wings connected, the small body of a girl could be seen. The glider swung around in the sky and made for the wide-open space of the park, Jess watched as it landed gently on the ground, after a slight pause, Jess went to investigate.
Jess walked suspiciously up to the air craft, the girl that had been riding it had taken it off and left it landing not far from where Jess now stood, the strange figure was standing with her back turned a few steps off, she turned around a met Jess's eye, "I can park this here right?" she asked. The girl had a slender form; her limbs were long and wiry and seemed to bend in the most impossible positions. She had tangled blonde hair and bright blue eyes, her skin was taunt and peachy colored, a hidden light danced in her eyes. She wore faded jeans and a worn red t-shirt, the sneakers she were battered and dirty.
"I don't have a license to fly this thing," she said, "so don't ask." Jess shook her head, "It's fine," she said, the girl smiled and held out her hand, "My name's Storm," Jess shook Storm's hand, "I'm Jess," Storm nodded and looked around at the city, "So this is Amber City?" she asked, Jess bobbed her head and gave Storm a quizzical look.
"How did you get that thing to fly?" she asked, "There isn't the slightest wind," Storm shrugged, "I just make the wind go under the wings and once it's in the sky, I ride the thermals," Jess shook her head, "What do you mean 'make the wind go under the wings'?" she asked, Storm smiled, "Well, as weird as it may seem, I can control the wind." Jess's heart missed a beat, "You're kidding?" she smiled.
Storm shook her head, "Not only that," she said, "I can control rain, snow, lightning, thunder, and hail. Basically I control the weather, I'm kind of like Mother Nature." Jess laughed out loud, Storm frowned, "I knew you wouldn't believe me," Jess stopped laughing and wiped a tear away from the corner of her eye, "No," she said, "I believe you," Storm's face lit up, "You do?" "I use to live with people like you," Jess explained, "People like me?" Storm asked, "Yeah," Jess said, "People with powers."
Storm shifted her eyes, "Are you one of them?" she asked quietly, "Well, I don't have powers," Jess started, Strom's face fell with disappointment, "But I do the same thing they do." She added, "What do they do?" Storm asked, "Well," Jess said, "We fight, you know protect the city, and all." Storm gave her a questioning look, "I could tell you about it if you want," Jess suggested, "Sure," Storm said and smiled, "Uh…where do I put this?" she asked motioning to her glider, "Just leave it," Jess said, "We won't be that far away."
Jess lead Storm to one of the park benches and they sat down to talk, Jess's heart was in her mouth, I've found someone! She thought, Maybe she might be interested in joining a team…
Zan strolled down the quiet streets of Amber City, his shoes tapping lightly on the cement, he had been walking around for almost an hour now, looking for any place to eat that was still open. Zan stopped at the entrance of an alleyway and looked down into its dark expanse, the alley seemed to get very dark near the center, Zan squinted in the dim light, "What are you looking at?" a voice from the alleyway growled. Zan jumped back, his eyes focused, the black spot that was in the center of the alleyway was a human.
"Uh…nothing," Zan muttered, the figure moved into the light and Zan got his first glimpse of it. It was a teen, he was tall and held an air of dread about himself, his skin was almost transparent, his veins could be seen underneath, he had black hair that stuck up in disordered spikes. His ears were slightly pointed and a pale scar cut across his right cheek, but what really caught Zan off guard were his eyes, they had no pupil, just he black of the iris.
Zan stumbled back a few steps and gapped at the person, "Get out of here," the boy snarled, "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the coffin," Zan mumbled, the boy stared at him fiercely and seemed to be thinking hard, "You're not worth it," he muttered and retreated back into the alleyway. Zan followed him, "What's your name?" Zan asked the receding back of the stranger, "Get out of here," he answered.
Zan darted in front of the boy and held out his hand, "My name's Zan," the youth pushed past Zan, completely ignoring him, "Hey! What do you got against me?" Zan asked and ran after him. The teen stopped and spun around to face Zan, "Do I look like a people person to you?" he asked, Zan hesitated then shook his head, "There you have it," the boy said and continued walking, "Um…I still don't know your name." Zan said and continued to chase after him, "You can call me Kobe," the boy said sharply.
"So you fight the bad guys protect the city?" Storm asked, Jess nodded, Storm seemed very interested in the way Jess lived her life, and this gave Jess hope, "It's really fun," Jess added hopefully, "You get a place to live, food to eat, and you get to fight all the time…that's a bonus." Storm looked up at the stars, her brow furrowed, "How does one…become a hero?" she asked slowly. Jess's heart leaped, "Anyone can be a hero," she said.
Storm chewed her lip thoughtfully, Jess made it sound so fun, Storm had the power, she had the skills, she just needed some guidance, "Why don't you have a team?" Storm asked, "I've been looking for one," Jess responded, Storm looked at Jess thoughtfully, would she be interested in training her? There was a long silence, "Uh…why don't you show me some of your powers?" Jess suggested.
Storm, glad to be doing something, leaped up from the bench, "See that tree over there?" she asked and pointed to a tree at the far end of the park, Jess nodded, "Watch this," Storm said, she stood up and pointed her hand at the tree as if she was going to reach out a grab it, a bolt of bright yellow lightning shot from her fingertips and danced across the sky, it hit the tree with a loud snapping noise.
"Wow!" Jess exclaimed and leaped off the bench, the tree became a roaring beacon on fire, "That was incredible…" Jess's words died on her lips, the silhouettes of two people could be seen against the bright flame, the tree began to pop and crack, and the people were right under it…
Zan continued to bombard Kobe with a number of questions, Kobe never answered but just kept on walking, Kobe's temper was growing short, and grew shorter still as they drew near the Amber City park. Two girls were sitting on a bench at the far end of the park, Kobe made his way to one of the trees and retreated into its shadow, Zan followed. Kobe turned on Zan, his eyes ablaze, "Would you leave me alone?" he bellowed, suddenly the sky was lit up with a bright flash of yellow light.
The tree they were standing under erupted into flames, Zan yelped and stumbled back a few steps, Kobe spun around and stared in horror at the tree. The stump began to pop and crack, as if in slow motion, the flaming tree split away from its trunk and fell in a blazing arc…right at Kobe and Zan.
Zan stood and stared at the tree, transfixed as it hurled toward them, Kobe grabbed Zan's arm and threw him out of the tree's range with inhuman strength. Zan hit the ground and rolled a couple of times, shaking, he leaped up and watched with horror as the tree fell toward Kobe, then it engulfed him.
The two girls that had been sitting on the bench ran up to Zan's side, "Oh, my…" one of them gasped, "Kobe!" Zan shouted and started toward the flaming tree, Zan didn't get two steps before a dark figure shot out of the flames and toppled right into him. Zan fell to the ground with the figure on top of him, he smacked his head and stars danced before his eyes. When his sight came back Zan knew immediately who had came out of the fire, "Kobe?" Zan gasped and got to his feet.
Storm helped Kobe to his feet, "I'm such an idiot!" she shouted at herself and examined Kobe, he had black marks all over him but none of them were serious, Kobe pulled away and brushed himself off, "If anyone's an idiot around here," he mumbled, "It would be Zan." Zan looked at the ground sheepishly, "Sorry," he muttered, Kobe turned on him with surprisingly strong ferocity, "I told you not to follow me!" he shouted, "I told you to leave me alone! But no, you just had to stick to me like glue!"
A low inhuman growl came from within Kobe's chest, "You're luck I don't tear you apart!" he yelled and lunged at Zan, a strong hand held him back, "Calm yourself," Jess hissed by Kobe's ear, Kobe pulled away and glared at Jess. Jess looked at each of them, "It was an accident," she said strongly, her eyes resting on Kobe, "It was no ones fault." Storm frowned deeply, "I shouldn't have done it," she sobbed, "Done what?" Zan asked, "It's not like you set the tree on fire or anything like that."
Storm broke into tears, "Yes I did!" she wailed, Zan frowned, "Oh…" he seemed lost for words. Jess put her hand on Storm's shoulder, "It's alright," she said reassuringly, "Wait a second," Zan said suddenly, "How did you set the tree on fire from clear over there?" Storm stopped sobbing and wiped a tear away, "I can control the weather, I was just showing Jess my lightning, I didn't think any one was around…" she stopped short.
"You control weather?" Zan said excitedly, "How cool is that! Your like me!" Storm looked at Zan, "What do you mean?" she asked, Jess's heart quickened, Zan smiled and suddenly disappeared, Storm yelped and jumped back a few steps. Zan reappeared, "See?" he said, "We both have powers!"
"I don't believe it," Jess breathed, she then introduced herself and Storm, "My name's Jess, and this is Storm," Zan smiled, "I'm Zan, and this," he said gesturing toward Kobe, "Is Kobe, I think…he won't give me any other name." Kobe shot Zan a look and Zan fell quiet, "Well," Jess smiled, "One that controls weather, and one that can turn invisible," she then turned to Kobe, "And you," she said, "No normal person could have thrown Zan that far, or survived from having a flaming tree fall on them," Kobe frowned, "I don't like to talk about it," he mumbled.
Zan gasped, "How come you didn't tell me you had powers?" he asked, Kobe rolled his eyes and glared at Zan, "I have no powers," he mumbled, "only a curse." And with that, Kobe walked away from the others, the dying embers of the blazing tree highlighting his features until the night swallowed him up.
Deep in the pipelines of Amber City:
Under ground pipelines of Amber City dwindled in water flow from lack of rain, mud build-ups had begun to form and the rats had come out of hiding to scurry up them. But there was something apart from the rats that existed in the pipelines this day, a popping, bubbling, lump of warm brown mud like substance gurgled and blocked the main pipeline. At first glace this lump would look just like another pipe buildup, but it was something else, the mud was actually alive.
No one knew where it came from, no one knew what it was, but it was there. It had no face or eyes, just a gapping hole of a mouth and the slick muddy body that twisted and constantly formed itself into new shapes. But there was more to it than what met the eye. A large gray rat with yellow eyes, crept close to the lump, its curiosity winning over fear. The rat sniffed it and slinked a bit closer, the lump sprung forward engulfing the rat as it squealed with protest.
Then as if the rat had dissolved the lump fell still again, but subtly it started to change shapes. It sprouted gray hair and yellow eyes, a long tail grew out of its back, and in no time, the mud monster had taken the form of the rat it had engulfed. The newly formed rat sniffed the air and darted up the tunnel toward Amber City, an occasional plop of mud fell from beneath its stolen fur, the only showing sign that it was not a real rat.
The rat emerged from a gutter, it was daylight and the streets were busy, a dog spotted the rat and barked at it. Suddenly the rat seemed to melt and the blob was back, only this time it was bigger, it lunged at the dog and engulfed it. Now in the shape of a dog, the monster trotted off down the street.
Jess, Storm, and Zan sat on a makeshift table in the center of an abandoned warehouse, this was the place that Jess had made her home, until she found a team, she saw no reason to build a proper place to live. Storm's glider was in the corner, it had taken them a long time to drag it down from the park, in the end, Storm had just flown it to the warehouse.
Jess looked at the other two thoughtfully, they both had amazing powers, yet chose to live life as outcasts, it was confusing to her, why hadn't they joined a team earlier? "You guys can stay here for the night if you want," Jess said and stared out the window at the city, now bustling with people, "What's it like?" Storm asked, "fighting, I mean," Jess sighed, "It's the most wonderful thing in the world."
"There's always that sinking feeling you get when you first set out," Jess said, "But then you see the people you fight with, your team, and knowing they always got your back is the most wonderful feeling in the whole world." Storm could just imagine what it would be like, "I use to work with a team," Jess added, "Back at my old home, in Jump City. I will always remember how much I enjoyed fighting alongside them, it always amazed me to see them fight. It was as if they all knew how to work together in perfect harmony…" Jess's voice faded as she sunk into her memories.
"Who were they?" Zan asked, Jess let a little smile play at her lips, "They were called the Teen Titans, there were five of them all together," Jess counted them off on her fingers, "There was Robin, a wonderful leader that always understood, and Starfire, she was at all times there to put a smile on your face. Cyborg, loyal beyond belief, Beast Boy, funny and a great person to hang around with. Then there was Raven, always so quiet but she would never let you down."
"They sound wonderful," Storm said, Jess turned to her and handed her something, it was a round transmitter with a big T printed on the front. "They made me an honorary member," Jess said, "I can always contact them if I need to." Zan looked over the transmitter with interest and handed it back to Jess, "How did you find them?" he asked, "They found me actually," Jess frowned, "Saved me from a horrible fate…" she stopped short, "I don't like to think about it." She added quietly.
Zan sighed, "Do you think you'll ever find your team?" he asked, Jess smiled, a light danced in her eyes, "I think I'll be finding them before I know it," Storm stood up and walked over to the window, "I hope that Kobe characters okay," she said, "He'll be fine," Jess assured them, "He's a fighter at heart." She said, Zan snorted, "That is, if he has a heart." Storm and Jess laughed lightly, "He reminds me of Raven," Jess said absentmindedly, "Deep and secretive,"
Kobe walked stiffly across Amber City, he cloaked himself in the thronging crowds, nobody noticed him. Kobe slipped away and walked quickly down an alley, there was a dog digging through a garbage can, Kobe paid him no attention. The dog pulled it's head out of the trash and growled at Kobe, Kobe growled back, the dog sunk into the shadows. Kobe frowned and continued walking, the dog followed him, Kobe turned back to study the dog. It was really muddy, mud clung to its fur and dripped off its snout, the dog even seemed to have mud leaking out of its mouth.
"Shoo!" Kobe shouted and waved his arms, the dog stepped forward a few paced, "Get out of here!" Kobe hissed, suddenly the dog melted and was replaced with a huge lump of mud, Kobe's heart skipped a beat and his eyes grew wide. The lump shifted revealing a gapping hole that was supposedly its mouth, the mud lump lunged forward and wrapped itself around Kobe's feet.
Kobe tried vainly to shake it off, but it clung and began to creep up his legs, Kobe grabbed a nearby pipe from the trash and plunged the end of it into the center of the brown blob. The lump shrieked and let go, Kobe dropped the pipe and ran as fast as he could away from it, the blob took back the shape of the dog and gave a chase.
Outside the storehouse was a loud clanging noise, the three teen that were lounging about inside leaped to their feet and ran to a window to see what had happened. What they saw was Kobe, he had picked up a nearby trashcan and hurled it at a dog that was snapping close on his heals. Jess opened the door of the storehouse, "Kobe!" she shouted, Kobe changed his course and darted inside the door, "Shut it!" he panted. Jess shut the door right on the dogs face.
"What's the matter, Kobe?" Zan asked, "It's just a dog." Kobe shot Zan a look of hate, "That was no dog." He said, just as he finished the door bent over double and the sound of cracking wood filled the air, Jess threw all her weight on the door and it snapped back into place, "What is it!" Storm shouted and added her weight on the door, everything went quiet and the banging on the other side of the door stopped. The four juveniles stayed deathly quiet, Jess looked down at her feet, warm oozing mud had started leaking under the crack.
"Ugh!" Jess shouted and jumped away from the door, Storm did the same, the puddle of mud grew bigger until the entire thing had made it through the door, "Stand back," Jess commanded, Zan, Kobe, and Storm retreated to the far side of the warehouse, their eyes fixed on Jess and the blob. The mud monster reared up to Jess's size, it seemed to be looking her over, it made an odd plopping noise and began to transform.
Jess stared at the thing that was standing in front of her, the monster had taken the shape on none other than Jess herself. Now standing in the middle of the warehouse was two Jesses, they stared at each other. The original Jess made the first move, she lunged forward and lashed out with her fists, her hand hit the blob with a wet slapping sound and sunk into it, Jess pulled back but her hand stuck.
The blob smiled and began to creep up Jess's arm, Jess pulled back and her hand came loose, she stared at her hand which was now covered with brown ooze, "Gross," she mumbled, the other Jess lunged forward, and original Jess skipped aside quickly. The two look-alikes danced around the storehouse in a whirl of movements, the three others backed up against the wall could no longer tell who was the original and who was the fake.
Suddenly without warning one of the Jesses stopped and started to change shape, now it looked exactly like Kobe, and the fight continued. The real Kobe's face drained of all color as he watched Jess fight the blob, it seemed to be having difficulties working with a human body, and so it took on its natural form. But the small mud lump had grown increasingly over the short amount of time, now it was almost three times bigger than Jess, and it was still growing.
The blob opened its massive gapping hole of a mouth and spat out a mud like substance, Jess wasn't quick enough and got splattered with the repulsive slime. It threw Jess to the floor, when she tried to get back up, Jess found she couldn't move, the mud that covered her was sticky. The blob advanced on Jess, "Storm!" Jess called, Storm stared at her with horror, "Hit it!" Jess shouted, Storm looked around wildly, "With what?" she yelled, "Lightning!" Jess called back as the blob towered over her.
Storm stepped forward and planted her feet firmly on the ground, the lightning shot from her fingertips just as it had done at the park, the bolt shot over the blob, missing it by inches. Storm took a deep breath and let another bolt fly, this one hit true, the blob exploded in a bright flash of light, it spattered all over the walls, and the teens. "Ew!" Zan sputtered, "This is so gross!" he set to work of removing the slime.
But he didn't need to, the slime that had littered the walls and the kids slithered off them and regrouped in the center of the room, the blob was back, and bigger that ever. Jess tugged at the sticky mess that trapped her to the floor, "Come on!" she urged it, but without affect. Storm made as if to hit it with lightning again, but the blob spat out more of the sticky substance and it hit her right on, rendering Storm useless.
The blob turned on Zan and Kobe, Zan looked around and saw a row of pipes attached to the wall, he grabbed the smallest and tugged hard, "What are you doing?" Kobe yelled as the blob changed shape, pretending to be Jess again. "We have to hit it with something!" Zan responded, Kobe remembered how he had stabbed it in the alley and helped Zan pull on the pipe. The metal snapped the water gushed out of the broken pipe, Zan threw the wet pipe at the blob as hard as he could.
The pipe hit the blob and made a sizzling sound, the blob screeched and rolled on the ground, "What? So it burns when metal hits it?" Zan asked, Kobe thought hard, "No," he said suddenly, "It's no the metal, it's the water! We have to wash it away!" Kobe pressed his hand against the biggest pipe, sure enough, water roared just under the surface, "We have to break the pipe somehow," he said partly to himself.
Zan perked up a little, "What's your power?" he asked Kobe hastily, "I told you I don't like to talk about it…" Zan cut in, "Now's not the time to worry about being uncomfortable! What is your power!" Kobe hesitated, "I morph," he said quietly, "You morph? Tell me, can you morph into something big?" Zan asked as the mud lump bore down on them, Kobe gritted his teeth, "I only morph into one thing…" Zan cut in again, "Is it big!" he shouted, "Yes!" Kobe yelled back.
The mud blob spat out more of its goop, the substance flew over Zan and Kobe's head, missing them by inches, "Morph!" Zan shrieked, "Morph and break the pipe!" Kobe shuddered, his hidden power was in fact morphing, but he could only morph into one thing, it was big, and strong, he knew that in his other form, Kobe could break the pipe easily. But it was hard for Kobe to control himself when he morphed, when in normal form he had no troubles, but when he changed, it was as if his body had other ideas…
"Kobe!" Zan yelled, Kobe gritted his teeth and began to morph, his skin grew dark and started sprouting long black hair, his chest grew broader and his legs more powerful. In not time the process was complete, Zan turned to look on Kobe, his breathe caught in his throat and his heart skipped a beat. Where Kobe had been now stood a monster, it was at least three times taller than Zan and twice as long, long black hair covered its entire body and it must have weight about 700 pounds. It had the rough shape of a wolf, the only thing that remained to prove it was Kobe was its eyes, they were the same.
The beast's mouth split open reveling rows of sharp white teeth, a roar escaped from deep within its chest, "Kobe?" Zan voice squeaked with fear, behind him Jess stared at the Kobe with wonder and Storm screwed her eyes shut in fear, the blob stopped dead in its tracks. Kobe wrapped his massive arms around the pipe, his claws dug into the metal and he pulled, the metal twisted and broke apart, water gushed all over the floor. Kobe bent the remaining pipe so it rained upward like a geyser, the blob howled as the water hit its skin.
Seam vented off the mud cover abomination and it began to shrink, soon it had reduced itself to its first form, a lowly sewer rat with gray fur and yellow eyes. The rat squeaked and darted under the doorway, then it was gone. The sludge that had rendered Storm and Jess powerless dissolved, setting them free. Kobe subtly morphed back into human shape, his face was drawn and white, he looked positively drained.
"Wh…what was that?" Zan stuttered and gaped at Kobe, "I never found out what it was," Kobe sighed, "I call it Saber." Jess walked up to Kobe and placed her hand on his shoulder, this time he did not pull away, "I owe you my life," she said, "Thank you," Kobe smiled halfheartedly, the four youths stood in the middle of the wreaked storehouse, "We make a great team," Jess said, "Team?" Zan asked.
Jess smiled, as did the others, "If it's a great team we make, then it's a great team we'll be." Storm said, "And so it starts," Jess whispered, "I've found my team."