Prologue
It was overcast. A light breeze passed by, pulling the clouds across the sky. The sun was slowly eclipsed by the large gray bodies.
Nine individuals stood just outside the perimeter of a small town. They were an odd bunch—and one didn't even look vaguely human. But most oddly, was a young man who looked out of place between the familiar faces.
He had dark brown hair, light skin, and was of White/Asian descent. His clothing consisted of a maroon t-shirt, forest green zip-up hoodie, black shorts, and gray running shoes. Compared to the eight others, he was of average height: around 5'5".
The young man looked at the town with a dispassionate gaze; eyes roamed across the blaring lights, scattering civilians, and an influx of law enforcement.
"Are you ready, Morgan?" A tall and slender man leaned over Morgan's shoulder, murmuring in his ear. "It's time to take your first step towards making a difference."
Morgan barely glanced back and nodded in affirmation. The slender man took a step back and motioned the rest of the members to do the same.
The man in red and green walked forward. As he got closer and closer, the police officers at the town entrance's barricade grew nervous. They watched as Morgan slowly approached with bated breaths.
When the man stopped, the officers were unsure whether or not to attack. No S9 hunt had ever gone quite like this, but the Slaughterhouse Nine weren't exactly predictable in their methods of chaos.
It was then that the ground began to shake. Comparable to a magnitude 7 Earthquake, the infrastructure of the town struggled and cracked under the unexpected pressure. Buildings were topped, cars were smashed, and fires were spread.
But the quake left as soon as it came.
There was a moment of calm as the faint sounds of crumbling and cries could be heard. While massive damage and destruction was wrought, there was a surprisingly low number of casualties.
That statistic would be rectified.
When everyone thought the man's power had finally passed, they were proven wrong. The entire town started to descend. It was as though everything was being pulled by an invisible force. What was once the ground became walls of dirt as they appeared to grow upward. Pipes and wires were torn and water spewed into the streets.
Fast and faster did the area go. Down and down until you couldn't even see the bottom. The walls of the hole were ringed with small platforms and flat surfaces, almost like an incomplete floor. Each level was progressively larger than the last.
Morgan stepped up to the edge of the hole and stared at his work. It was almost satisfying to see such a magnificent display of demolition.
Three of the members moved to stand next to Morgan to join the view. A featureless ceramic figure towered over the man, tilting his head at the now vacant zone. Next to the mannequin-like member stood a shaved and noticeably scarred man. Behind them both was a monster.
The black monster breathed down Morgan's back. It was wet and acidic: an unpleasant sensation. "Is that it?"
It seemed to be disappointed. By what, it was hard to tell, but Morgan responded almost instantly.
"No, it isn't." Morgan's voice expressed almost no emotion, like he was trying to suppress something. "You see each floor? The further you go, the more dangerous it becomes. I doubt even you could survive on the ground floor."
With what could be perceived as excitement, the beast turned its deformed head to their leader, asking a silent question. The slender and tall man, on the contrary, wore a complicated expression. He glanced at his remaining companions; the blonde girl, zebra lady, scarred woman, and the walking glass dress.
He pondered, waiting for something to occur. The leader anticipated, but he couldn't piece together what it was. A sixth sense that told him it wasn't over. That made him worried, because he was sure that he had done everything right up until that point. Nor was there a chance anyone truly powerful would come by.
So why did he feel that the group's newest and weakest link was a danger?
It was then that a massive hand reached over the edge of the hole.
The gray hand was the size of a house, easily dwarfing the scaled monstrosity. It was as the leader feared. The appendage reached out with impossible speed and…
…grabbed Morgan in a crushing grip.
The eight watched with shock (or apathy) as their newest member was pulled into the abyss. Before the slender man could even react, the monster snarled with frustration and glee as it leaped into the darkness.
True and utter silence followed.
The leader gave himself a moment to compose himself. He knew that the man's powers were volatile and enigmatic in nature, but he hadn't foreseen this. To lose him so abruptly, possibly along with their strongest changer; he could summarize the situation with only one word.
"Shit."
A/N: Cross posting this from Spacebattles.
