Disclaimer: Cryptic Studios owns the rights to City of Heroes, a massive multiplayer online game. Used here without permission. Information on who owns each individual character can be found at the bottom of the document. . .
Note: Although based on the same world and characters, these stories take place in a totally different timeline than my "Collection of introductions" stories... This story is set in the past, where as those contain more current information. I'll stop including this notation after chapter three's intro..
Editorial assistance by Superbabe founder Testarossa Superbabes- Nominated for Supergroup of the year (Virtue!)
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Wilde found the area he arrived at both awe inspiring and clean. Much cleaner than the city's reputation lead Wilde to believe was possible. Atlas felt safe. It obviously wasn't- Wilde had seen a hero battling a toy clock and something out of his nightmares already just on the way over. But it felt safe, at least.
Then there were the heroes and normal citizens zooming around, making for a surreal sight. A couple of them seemed to have horns and tails. A small pale ninja looking girl buzzed around an eight foot tall pile of muscle with an ebony battle axe and dark red skin.
The tip of the proverbial iceberg, Wilde guessed. Something caught his attention in the distance. Some kind of commotion.. It wasn't long ago Wilde has senses as sharp as a tack. His hearing, sense of smell, vision, and his most basic intuition were above average, if not downright stellar. His mutant powers only extended this. Soon after he developed the ability to switch the temperature in the substance he produced from his hands, either adding pyrotechnical or cryogenic properties, allowing him to alter the temperature of the foam like substance he could create and emit from his hands and wrists..
The experiment cleared all of those attributes away, for the most part, dulling his senses a bit, mutant or otherwise. His body now produced a stronger, non substantive form of energy which Wilde had yet to understand.. it changed him, in many ways. He was stronger than ever- and suffering from it. Still, a hint of his old power surfaced every now and then.. something drew his attention to a dark ally that everyone else seemed to conviniently not notice..
Wilde: with a sigh Guess I'll be late for dat meeting.
Wilde felt the energy responding in his body, sending painful waves through his arms and chest. The pain slowly subsided as Wilde crotched down, walking towards the ally. Strange, but it almost seemed darker than should be possible for a sunny Paragon City noon.. Wilde's throat was dry, and not just from releasing the energy through his body... the smell of sulphur caught Wilde's nose as he closed in on the corner. Wilde had smelled it many times before in Chicago, along the nastier parts of the "Great Mutant Divide" that cut through the heart of Chicago.
About eight thugs filled the middle of the thin alleyway, from a quick count. Most of them had their backs to Wilde, but one was apperantly acting as a lookout. Wilde blasted him before he got half a word out. The others turned, surprised to be under attack. Wilde could feel a damning heat rising from them.
They weren't anything impressive looking. Bandanas, leather jackets, and jeans. Whoopie doo. But a couple of them had guns. Another one had a knife. The bigger looking one actually had a sledgehammer.
"Another Skull!"
"What the hell? That ain't no Skull!"
"Who cares! Blast" That's all the third thug got out. Wilde blasted him as soon as he took aim with the gun, sending him slamming into the brick wall. They landed near what Wilde assumed were their two victims. They looked a bit snazzier with the silver, and whoa, she was cute! Not counting that way too realistic skull mask she had on.
Wilde avoided a wild swing from the sledehammer maniac. His momentum sent him into the path of the other guy with the knife. As soon as he turned around, Wilde connected with a sideways kick to his midsection. Things were happening so fast. Wilde just threw himself into the moment in response, letting his uncanny instinct guide him. A couple of them were in front of Wilde. One caught the right side of his jaw with a hard fist. It hurt. It burnt. But it didn't slow Wilde down from dropping the thug with an energy boosted right of Wilde's own. The others scattered. Wilde turned his attention to the other gang members.
Maybe they were gang members. With the outfits, they might have been heroes for all Wilde knew. Somehow, he doubted it. The other guy was trying to pin Wilde against the wall so his friend could get an open shot with that knife now. That was enough to focus Wilde's attention back where it needed to be. Fortunately for Wilde, the knife wielding thug spent previous few seconds posing, rather than taking his opportunity. Wilde rammed a knee into the midsection of the thug holding him, enough to get a hand free. He summoned the strange energy that now ran through his body and blasted the second thug with it, catching him square in the jaw. The thug with the knife fell again, this time for the duration of the fight.
"Come on, guys, are you gonna let some punk nobody pick on the Hellions!"
Wilde: Like you gotta choice?
It only took a couple more blasts to render the next to unconscious. The other guy with the guy had apperantly turned tail and vanished. An energy punch left two thugs standing, and one hardly able to stand. Wilde went for the injured, slamming him head first into the wall. The display was enough to send the two un-engaged thugs running for their lives.
Wilde: Losers.
"Yeah.. losers!"
A young, angry female voice. A voice Wilde could immediately relate to. A voice that betrayed a very hard life. Wilde turned to see her about to collapse. The mask was discarded, giving Wilde an even clearer view of her bloodshot eyes. He also noticed a pair of sharp claws protruding from somewhere on her hands, and felt a strange energy emitting around her.
"Stupid holier than thou attitudes, stupid relics.. And what the hell are you starrin at!"
Wilde's voice almost got stuck in his throat. It wasn't later until he realized how nervous he felt.
Wilde: I'm Wilde Tanke. Who da hell're you?
Her eyes narrowed as she looked Wilde over, obviously trying to judge weather he was a threat, an annoyance, or something else. She decided it didn't matter what he was. She made a decision to do something that didn't seem possible to do anymore- trust him.
Jennifer: Call me Jennifer.
Wilde: How 'bout Jenn?
Jennifer: Now bout 'no?'
She flicked her wrists, showing off those claws for effect. Whatever Wilde was about to say was immediately forgotten when his side exploded in pain. Wilde's body immediately went numb as he realized he'd just been stabbed in the side. Wilde staggered back, his other hand exploding in a fury of energy at the attacker. The Hellion had apparently returned for another round, and decided to go for Wilde instead. Wilde watched, half in shock, as the girl launched herself forward, slicing clean through the side of the Hellion's leg with those claws. Any scream Wilde might or might not have let out from his own pain was quickly put to shame by the Hellion's terrified cry.
Wilde: Whoa.
It took everything Wilde had not to double over in agony on the spot. His insides were burning, and the stupid wound didn't even look that big. Good thing the thug didn't have time to aim. The knife almost missed Wilde altogether. Just hardly caught him, but even then, his golden tshirt was swelling up with blood. Half his body felt numb. The right side of his body, where he'd gotten stabbed, felt like it was on fire already.
Wilde forced himself to fight over the dizzying sense of pain and nausea long enough to pull the power to his good hand. He quickly grabbed at the girl's hand as she threatened to deliver the killing blow to the thug. Jenn paused several seconds, as Wilde's hand laid on her, the energy seeping through her claws. Slowly, the psychotic look of anger vanished, her emotions apperantly calming down. Wilde found the effects both fortunate and surprising.
Certainly better than what he was expecting- for her to turn and gut him for trying to interfere. Instead, she seemed confused. Puzzled.
Jennifer: What's that sensation.. It feels sooo.. nice..
Then, Wilde's grasp went limp, as he slumped forward. Wilde glanced down at the wound to see more blood than he expected. A good deal more. No wonder he felt so light headed. Or maybe the room really was spinning?
Wilde: Hos.. hospital?
Wilde wanted to whisper something a bit more eloquent, but that was all he could muster. In a horse voice, at that.
Jennifer: You're kidding, right? If I go near those things, I'll get zapped by some hero wanna be, no way! Jennifer paused, looking the situation over But you do need some help. Him we can leave for dead.
Wilde: N.. no.. can't..
Jennifer: Why not? Trust me, no one will miss them. It's better to put them out of OUR misery!
Wilde shook his head meekly. Trying to stop her was out after that knife wound, so talking was his only option. Not much of an option either.
Wilde: Don't matter. Cause it's not up to us to take out the people dat don't deserve it. Sides, anyone can change, ya know? Wilde swallowed air, feeling fainter by teh second Just gotta.. stop makin' da wrong decisions.. Ya know..
Jennifer: I guess.. but who cares? Who says death's a bad thing? We believe that killing someone is the ultimate gift of freedom. Besides.. (she flicks out a claw) Killing Hellions is kind of fun. Who says it's the wrong thing to do, after what he did to me?
Wilde: Coz it's not right.. Ah won't let you..
Jennifer: Oh, please. If you can't take a little knife would, do you really think you'd be able to stand up to these babies?
Jennifer flicked her wrist, then let out a moan.
Jennifer: Hey! It's wearing off!
Wilde: What is?
She looked little worried, wincing in slight pain.
Jennifer: Whatever you did a second ago, isn't working now. Do it again!
Wilde: What?
Jennifer: Please! Whatever you did with your hands.. That made my claws not ache. Do it again!
Wilde: thinking to himself Did with my hands? Does she mean the energy? Is it possible it might have actually felt good to her?
Jennifer: Or else, I'll.. ..
Wilde reaches for her hands, then pulls back.
Wilde: Fine, Ah'll do it, but first, no threats. Second, you help me get myself, and him to a hospital. Third.. nevermind, Ah only got two.
Jennifer growled. Wilde shrugged, trying to sound, non challant or at least trying not to sound terrified for his life.
Wilde: Kill me, help me, wha devva you want. Might wanna do it quick, though, Ah think Ah'm about to pass out from da blood loss. . .
For a second, he thought she was listening. Then, for a second, he thought she was going to kill him. Then- nothing but blackness.
Wilde's last conscious thought was to wonder if he'd see Terri soon. . . .
My characters: Wilde Tanke (plus the ideas for the Chicago gangs are mine)
Other players' characters: Jennifer Delong
City of Heroes NPCs: Antonio Nash, Clockwork, Skulls