Blood and Rain
Demacia
Ugh… rain… Quinn thought with annoyance as she rode alongside Garen, Lux, and Lucian through the wet streets of Demacia at night. The downpour hadn't even started half and hour ago and puddles of water were already forming on the cobblestone.
"Squawk!" Valor chirped from his perch on her arm, forcing Quinn to ride singled-handed. This bites. How am I supposed to see anything from distance in this? He complained. The blue bird was covered up by cloak to keep him dry in the rain.
"I hear you… this weather is terrible for scouting." Quinn nodded to her companion. Good thing they weren't actually out scouting though.
"We're here." She heard Garen's rough voice as he brought his horse to a stop and dismounted. Quinn hopped off her horse and re-adjusted Valor's cloak.
"Squawk." Thanks.
Quinn smiled in response. Although that smile faded quickly as she remembered why she was out here in the streets of Demacia at night in full combat gear. Ahead of them was a now abandoned guard post with a crowd of soldiers assembled outside, all wearing cloaks to keep themselves dried.
Without a word, Garen approached the crowd, prompting Quinn to follow.
"Everyone seems so… on edge…" Lux said with a tense voice that really didn't fit her. "I wonder what happened?"
"Must be something big if they needed all four of us." Lucian huffed in response as the pair of them trailed behind Quinn and Garen.
The four of them passed through the crowd, provoking some guards to salute them.
"Their here, we'll be fine now." Quinn heard one of the nearby guards say to someone with a relived voice.
Whatever happened, its really put everyone on edge… Quinn thought somberly.
"Squawk." Valor said. Everyone looks like they just had the biggest scare of their lives…
"Hmm…" Quinn bit her lower lip. Something was telling her, this was going to be a rough night.
The four of them approached the front of the building, where Quinn could already see what was wrong. The door was lying on the street, and looked like it had been blown right off it's hinges.
"Doors totally messed up…" Lucian mumbled as he saw it too.
Quinn looked back in the direction of the guard post, spotting a familiar figure by the entrance leaning up against the building's exterior by the entrance. Even with the figure's face hidden under a cloak, Quinn had a sneaking suspicion as to who it was thanks to the curious blade that was hanging from the figure's hip.
"Is that… Fiora?" Quinn asked, but she was certain it was. The Grand Duelist herself was here? Why?
"Fiora?" Lux asked, which she followed up with a groan. "Aww, why is SHE here…" She mumbled.
Before anyone could answer that, Fiora noticed them approaching and stood up straight.
"About time." She scoffed at them with her unusual accent.
God, I hope Garen does all the talking… Quinn had to refrain from rolling her eyes.
"I was not aware you would be here Fiora." Garen responded with his usual gruff tone, clearly paying no heed to Fiora's provoking attitude. "What brings the head of House Laurent to this site?"
Fiora crossed her arms over her chest. "I was passing by when the door suddenly flew off and guards started pouring out into the streets, looking as if they had just been visited by Nocturne all at once." Fiora explained.
"Where are they?" Garen asked as Quinn, Lux, and Lucian crowded around the two of them, Fiora glancing between all four of them, but scowled slightly at seeing Lux.
"Gone." Fiora responded briskly, stink eye still on Lux for a moment before returning her gaze to Garen. "There off getting some medical attention. I had them explain to me what occurred," Fiora nodded to Garen, "So that I may relay that back to you."
"I'm assuming its not going to be good news…" Lucian mumbled, "since it warrants all five of us to be out here this late."
"Squawk!" Valor spoke up. Six of us! I'm here too moron!
"Indeed." Fiora nodded, before glancing at Lux and giving her a sour look. "It's past a certain someone's bedtime."
Valor squawked loudly. Oh quit being a bitch…
Quinn sighed slightly and shook her head at Valor's response. Here we go again…
"Hey! Now-" Lux was about to protest to the insult clearly directed at her when Garen interrupted the argument before it could continue.
"Enough." Garen said with authority. "What happened?"
"According to the guards who made it out, someone had brought in a little girl with a strange dress and a mask." Fiora began, moving one of her hands to brush a strand of stray pink hair from her eyes. "When the girl got to the back rooms, she started singing and dancing in a strange sense."
"She started singing?" Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's not normal behaviour for a child…"
Fiora shrugged. "Apparently it was a rather ominous song. But I believe it was more then simply a chilling song."
I'm getting a feeling that we're not going to like this…
"Go on…" Garen urged her.
"Apparently while singing, all the shadows in the room came to life, and suddenly attacked every living being within sight." Fiora informed them all.
That got various questioning reactions from everyone.
"Their shadows? Sounds like some black magic stuff to me." Lucian shook his head. "Where's Vayne when we need her…"
Quinn glanced back over a Lucian, raising an eyebrow again. "Wait, aren't you good at this kind of thing too?"
"Hey," Lucian raised both his hands in the air, palms open. "I deal in the undead, not black magic. Contrary to popular belief, there are some differences."
"A singing masked girl, murderous shadows… was that all?" Garen questioned.
Fiora shrugged. "For the guard's explanations, yes." She motioned her head to the guard-post's entrance. "I went to check it out inside, but it was too dark to see anything. That, and it reeks of death in there."
"Well…" Garen nodded and walked past Fiora. "Lets take a look. Come everyone."
With a nod, Fiora turned away from them and walked in, the rest of them following.
As soon as they entered the dark building, Quinn could already tell something dreadful had occurred in here.
"Squawk…" Valor muttered. I'm staying outside, it stinks in here! I'd rather stand in the rain. "Squawk!" Have fun!
And with that, Valor lifted off Quinn and flew outside, nearly clipping Lucian in the head on the way out earning a "hey!" from the Purifier.
"What's wrong with Valor?" Lux asked with a hint of concern on her face, although it was difficult to see her face in the dark.
"He's chicken." Quinn chuckled, saying it just loud enough for Valor to hear outside.
"Squawk!" AM NOT!
"Lux," Garen spoke, "Can you give us some light?"
"Sure thing!" Lux replied with her cheery voice, and her wand lit up brightly, acting as a powerful torch.
Quinn took a quick look around. The five of them were in the lobby, which seemed perfectly normal. The only exception was a chair or two that had been turned over, likely from when everyone scrambled out of the building.
That, and the boot-prints on the cobblestone in blood.
"Nothing really strange here, so what blew off the door?" Lucian asked.
"The door being blown off was one of our own mage-guards." Fiora answered, looking back at them all over her shoulder. "Apparently whatever occurred in here was so terrifying that the guards didn't want to bother opening the door the normal way."
Fiora motioned to a door behind the reception desk. Unlike the outer door, this one was hanging on by a single hinge. In the doorway, there was a body of a Demacian guard, face bloody and eyes wide open.
"That door looks like it was forced open…" Lucian observed, "By that poor bastard's body."
"Ugh," Quinn groaned, taking in a sniff. "This next room is going to be rough."
"Yes…" Fiora nodded, "That's the common and office rooms, I've been told that it is where the slaughter took place."
"Lets go." Garen motioned for everyone to follow as he walked into the next room first, with a noticeably tighter grip on his sword. Lux and Fiora followed right after him, with Fiora drawing her sword.
Quinn waited a moment before following, looking over her shoulder at Lucian who had drawn both of his light pistols.
"Can never be too prepared." Lucian said as he walked past her, "No one ever said the one responsible had left."
Right…
Quinn unclipped her crossbow from her waist and checked to make sure it was loaded. Satisfied, she followed after Lucian and joined the rest of the group in the common room. She didn't have to walk far, as the other four had hardly taken any steps in without stopping.
Quinn only had to take a half-glance around the room to see why: there was blood, everywhere. On the walls, on the tables, on the chairs, everywhere.
Bodies littered the room as well. Some had their limbs cut off, others had very clear and noticeable wounds on them. Some of the dead bodies' faces were frozen in a fearful state, while others looked surprised, as if they had no idea they had been killed.
Furniture was thrown around the room, tables turned over, and weapons scattered. All covered in blood.
It was a nightmare.
Quinn immediately had to cover her nose as the smell hit her. Lux and even Fiora doing the same.
"Ugh…" Lucian groaned. "Any chance that Lux can turn the lights back off?"
"...I-I think going to be sick…" Lux moaned, the color from her face fading along with her usual cheery attitude.
"Well… this explains the smell…" Fiora mumbled.
Quinn wanted to voice her opinion too, but she was too busy trying to keep herself from barffing as well. She had seen dead bodies before, but this… this was something new altogether. Trying to keep herself together suddenly became harder when Lux lurched over and threw up, making a gross and very unladylike sound as she did.
"S-sorry…" Lux mumbled quietly as she finished empting the contents of her stomach onto the blood soaked floor.
The only one who seemed completely unaffected was Garen, who took a few good looks around the room before slowly walking in deeper, Lucian following with his light pistols at the ready and scanning the surroundings.
"You think she's still in here? The girl?" Lucian asked.
"I don't know, but keep your guard up." Garen responded, holding his with two hands now as the two of them ventured in, boots stepping into the blood soaked floor.
Quinn and the other two girls remained back for a moment. After a few seconds, Lux let out a groan and followed after her brother, Fiora doing the same but with a noticeably tighter grip on her sword. Quinn steeled herself and gripped her crossbow with both hands, trying to ignore the smell (and failing).
The young knight scanned the room, stepping over the body of a young woman as she did.
"Did they mention is was THIS bad?" Quinn asked, directing her question to Fiora who caught on.
"No… but I should've guess…" Fiora mumbled. "None of our shadows are attacking us yet so maybe the girl is gone?"
"She's supposed to sing first right?" Quinn asked as she glanced from body to body, trying to piece together what exactly happened here. "Before the shadows came… right?"
"That's what they said." Fiora nodded, giving one of the bodies a nudge with her foot.
"Lux, give us some more light." Garen called back to them, having stopped moving. "Lucian, Quinn, Fiora, check each office, see if the perpetrator is still here."
"Yes captain." Quinn nodded, followed by an understanding affirmative from Lucian, and a reluctant one from Fiora, who was clearly not too pleased with being ordered around.
"What are you going to do?" Fiora asked as she walked past the captain of the Dauntless Vanguard.
"I will remain here and keep watch." Garen began, before glancing down at one of the dead bodies. "And… recover, our fallen."
Fiora looked like she was going to scoff at first, but then nodded in understanding.
Quinn joined the two of them, but not before giving Lux a supporting pat on the shoulder as she walked past her. She looked like she needed it, since she was clearly trying NOT to look at the blood-stained and body-ridden floor.
"So…" Lucian began as the three of them entered the first office. "Who do you think this girl is?"
"Does it matter?" Fiora scoffed as she carefully checked under a desk.
"Well, little girls tend not to just attack guard posts at random." Lucian pointed out as he scanned the next room with his Lightcasters out and ready.
"Little girls also tend not to slaughter entire groups of soldiers either." Fiora retorted.
Quinn remained silent while the two of them speculated. Instead, she moved to check a new office that was thankfully open towards the common room, so Lux's light lit the dark and foreboding room up. Quinn checked a name plate on the door before entering.
Sergeant Mathew Jarrson… never heard of him…
Quinn took a quick look around the office. The body, of who she was suspecting to be the late sergeant, was lying in a pool of blood on the floor with his head severed from his body.
Gross… Quinn thought as she cringed, taking a quick look over the body as she checked under the desk. He never even drew his sword… his… shadow? I guess must have taken him off guard.
As Quinn stood back up and got ready to leave the office, she noticed a report on the man's desk that was open to a certain page. Curious, she gave it a quick look over.
... Hang on… Quinn's brow furrowed as she read, recognizing the report. This one is on the Ascension…?
She felt a pang of fear rung through her. The news about the Ascension was everywhere since last week when Bilgewater was nearly leveled by an attack. It also came as a shocker when it was revealed that outworlders were responsible for the mass disappearances.
It also sent everyone at command for a loop. Quinn thought back on the events of last week. Like… how the heck are we supposed to fight against something like that?
Quinn looked away from a report and noticed a different sheet of paper on the desk, but it was stained with blood. Her scouting curiosity got the better of her and she picked it up. Thankfully, it looked like the sergeant had only just started writing the report and the blood stain only covered the bottom.
Quinn quickly read it over, but as she read, her eyes widened in realization.
"To King Jarvan III of Demacia,
This is a matter that I believe warrants your immediate attention. One of my guards brought in a strange little girl with a black dress and a mask in the middle of the night. The girl bears a tattoo on her back that is identical to the one described in the Ascension Report. We suspect she is a mute and-"
And the letter cuts off there, followed by blood stains.
That's as far as he got.
Quinn's eyes froze on the word Ascension, and a single word formed in Quinn's head.
… Shit…
"Captain…" Quinn called out, a bit nervously. "You're going to want to see this!"
Jackhammer
Ionia
Hitomi opened her eyes slowly with a slight groan.
Ugh….
Everything was so blurry… she couldn't make it out where she was. She closed her eyes again and shook her head, trying to clear it.
Ugh… what…? How…?
Then she suddenly remembered the ambush, that nightmare of a ninja, and then…
JACKAHMMER!
Hitomi's eyes shot right back open, only to see darkness.
What?
She tried to get her barrings. She was lying down on… something. She also heard… the sounds of wheels? Hooves?
I'm so…. Confused right now… Hitomi lifted her hands slightly and the object that was covering her helmet's visor lifted with ease. It was a blanket… and judging by the weight, more then one blanket. Hitomi glanced around her now that she could see a bit, and discovered that not only were their blankets above her, but she was lying on top of several too. All in assorted colors, and some wrapped up nicely.
This looks like… a bunch of linen cloths… assorted colors… am I in some kind of shipment of sorts? What the hell is…
Hitomi rolled onto her side and looked ahead, only to see something else blocking her sight. She also heard voices now coming from that direction.
She reached out and tapped lightly on the object in front of her, trying to figure out what it was.
Wood? She tapped it again. Yep, that's wood…
She inched forwards towards the wooden bar in front of her and lifted the cloth over her head a little bit higher. Light poured in, nearly blinding Hitomi for a moment before her eyes adjusted. Once they did, she saw green scenery passing by slowly, proving that the sounds she was hearing was her (and the linen cloth she was lying in) were in motion. But what really got her attention was the two figures in front of her with their backs turned, with a pair of horses just in front of them.
Hitomi finally figured out where she was. She was in a wooden cart, carrying a large supply of linen cloth, being pulled by a pair of horses.
What….. what the… kuso?
Why was she in a wooden cart? Why was… what?
And who the hell were the two people in front of her?
Hitomi slowly lowered the cloth back down over her so only a small crack of light got through, just enough so that she could look out and watch the individuals in front of her who (she was assuming) were driving the cart.
Sure enough, she saw the figure on the right raise his hands in the air just enough for Hitomi to make out (what she assumed) were reins for the horses.
"Are these really the best disguises you could come up with?" The man on the right asked with a tone that clearly displayed his disbelief. It was hard for Hitomi to hear them, but thanks to her enhanced senses as a meta-human, she could.
"Come on, you worry too much." The man on the left responded, waving his hand around as he disregarded his companion's worries. "It's not like theirs wanted posters so some old fashioned shit around here. Not to mention they've never seen me outside of my suit."
Why do those voices sound familiar...? Especially the one on the… wait…
Hitomi tried to move around a little bit without making any noise, trying to get a better angle to maybe, just maybe, see the faces of the figures in front of her.
She didn't have to.
The figure on the left slowly turned his hooded head around…
And looked back over at the shipment Hitomi was hiding in.
Hitomi froze, hoping that she hadn't lifted the cloth high enough for the figure to see her lying underneath it.
But that hope was dashed the moment she saw the figure's eyes right on her.
Of course, this gave her the best look at the man's face.
… Jackhammer…?
Without a doubt. The man on the left was Shadow Team Sergeant Raymond Grayson… aka, Jackhammer.
Who was supposed to be… dead?
He looked a little bit different from the last time Hitomi saw him when she was in training. As opposed to his usual clean shaven face and shinny shaven head, he had a beard on the go and a few centimeters of hair on his head. Aside from that however, he hadn't changed a bit appearance wise.
Hitomi's fears were lessened when she saw Jackhammer give her his usual smile that displayed his perfect white teeth. As he gave her a re-assuring look, he brought one hand up to his lips in the universal "Shhh" gesture.
"Raise and shine Princess… keep it quiet back there will yah?"
"Hmm?" The other figure driving the cart glanced back over his shoulder, allowing Hitomi to get a look at his face too.
She recognized him as the mysterious saviour from when she was attacked by ninjas… the man with the very odd clothing and the massive ponytail.
What was his name…? Jackhammer called him… Samurai Jack?
Of course that HAD to be a nickname… Jackhammer always gave people weird nicknames…
Hitomi had a load of questions she wanted to ask both men, but this was clearly not the place or time. As if to put emphasises on that, both men turned away so that they were back to driving the cart with their backs turned to Hitomi.
"Why do you call her that?" Samurai Jack asked, the volume of his voice was rather low, but Hitomi was still able to hear it.
"Because she is a princess." Jackhammer replied.
Hitomi felt her face heat up. No! What the hell are you doing?! Don't tell random people that!
Samurai Jack turned his head back towards Hitomi's direction, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Oh?"
"That's right." Jackhammer stretched out a bit. "Her great, great, great grandfather was the emperor of a country called Japan. Can't remember the guy's name. But anyways, that makes her some kind of princess, so we call her that." Jackhammer glanced back over his shoulder to give Hitomi another wide smile. "That, and because it annoys her whenever we poke fun at her former upper class, rich girl lifestyle."
Oh, Hitomi was annoyed all right… also pretty embarrassed since one of her former training sergeants was spilling the beans on her somewhat secret background.
Jackhammer… you… grrrrrrr….
With that, both men turned away again and resumed driving the cart. Time passed by slowly, with only the odd small talk between Samurai Jack and Jackhammer every now and then. Aside from that, the only noise Hitomi heard was that of the sound of the cart moving along roughly and the sound of the hooves of the horses. The greatest enemy Hitomi faced now was boredom. And the fact that she was getting pretty hungry.
After a little bit, she heard the two men talking again.
"Are you certain these disguises are going to work?" Samurai Jack questioned.
Hitomi heard Jackhammer scoff. "Of course! With your hair down like that you look completely different. As long as I don't get unmasked or something we're fine. I stand out like a beer drinker at a wine tasting convention on this damn island."
"Well, maybe you should consider taking off the rest of that suit of yours!"
"Nah, its hidden under the disguise. I was talking about my skin color. I haven't seen another black guy since Scotty beamed me up onto this rock."
"Who… I'm not going to ask."
"Yeah, yeah, Earth reference to… Earth stuff."
Hitomi stopped listening to the now completely de-railed conversation the two men were having. No conversation stays on subject long with Jackhammer around…
She killed time by going over her suit's systems. Thankfully her armor had self-repaired itself, but a good deal of her suit's systems were still offline. Shields? Nope. Long range COM systems? Nope. GPS? Nope. So on and so forth.
She thought about her squad. What happened to them? She knew some of them, like Jacob and Matthew were dead, but what about Ryo? Had Connor survived?
She felt her eyes start to sting with tears as she thought about them. She had been with her squad… her friends… for months. Some of them, like Ryo and Connor, since training started three years ago.
And what did all that training do for us? Nothing!
All that time on the firing range… the drills, the close combat sessions, the meta-human power training… nothing. All nothing. In the end, here, on her team's first mission… she might be the only survivor.
Hitomi felt her entire body shiver at that thought. Sole survivor…
No, there MUST be others… Ryo… maybe at least one of them is still alive!
And in the end, her own powers did nothing… she would've been killed if not for Jackhammer and his strange companion's intervention.
In the end… what was it worth…? It was the invasion all over again… when the Ascension forces took Japan by storm… and destroyed her previous life.
Hitomi's thoughts were interrupted when she felt the cart come to a stop. She was about to move the cloth covering her again so that she could see what was going on, but she heard other voices.
It sounded like someone had stopped the cart, someone who wasn't Jackhammer or his friend.
She could make out Jackhammer and Samurai Jack's voices, but not what they were saying. After a few seconds, she felt the cart start moving again, but the sounds were different.
It sounds like were on a different surface… did we enter a city or something?
Hitomi felt herself getting slightly irritated. She was going stir crazy.
"Told you." She heard Jackhammer speaking again.
"I can't believe the disguises worked… those guards must not be paid enough." The other man said.
"Baby, you just gotta BELIEVE!"
"I am not baby… I do not…. Swing that way as you called it earlier."
"Hah! Your loss pineapple-frow. Where I'm from, no issues with liking both the pussy and the donger. Used to be, but not no more."
Hitomi felt her face heating up. Is he SERIOUSLY making sex jokes?! Now?!
….. Never mind, it IS Jackhammer…
She tried to stretch her body out without making too much noise or reveal that someone was in the cart of assorted linen cloth. As she did, she felt her arm hit something that was too hard to be a bolt of cloth. Curious, Hitomi felt around the harder object and grabbed it, bringing it right up to her face so that she could see it in the dark.
It was a helmet… not just any helmet, she recognized it as Jackhammer's helmet.
With nothing better to do, Hitomi inspected it. It was a little different from hers. Her visor covered most of the front of her helmet. To be more exact, it covered her entire face.
Because I'm SUPPOSED to be a recon specialist… Hitomi thought. That meant she needed to see better then others, she needed the field of vision to do her job. That meant, larger visor, less protection.
Jackhammer's helmet had a smaller visor, barely a slit, since he was a demo and heavy weapons specialist. Unlike Hitomi's straight black helmet, there were several vertical red strips painted over the rest of the black helmet. Some sort of personalization Hitomi guessed.
That, and there was a picture of a Jackhammer on the back of the helmet.
Hitomi thought about that a bit. Not the picture, but the helmets. TRANS-Ops had a very strict policy on the suits, they were, after all, multi-million if not billion dollar suits of armor. They had to be colored a certain way that as uniform with the rest of TRANS-Ops, and they were not allowed to be personalized or tampered with at all.
At least… they were supposed to be.
When it came to Gammas, like Hitomi and her squad, they had no say. They HAD to follow the rules. They were soldiers now after all. No, more then that, they were META-HUMANS now. Their old simple lives, regardless of what they did or were before the Ascension War, were gone. They were no longer ordinary humans.
OF course, Hitomi, like all the Gammas had chosen that path. Betas like Isaac and Raymond… were never given that choice. They were also way stronger.
Because of that, TRANS-Ops was a little more lenient on the whole policies regarding suits when it came to Betas and Alphas… like Blitzkrieg, one of Isaac's and Raymond's squad members (at least, as far as she could recall). Since Betas and Alphas were around before TRANS-Ops was formed, they didn't have some kind of total allegiance to the cause.
The Ascension War changed all that, causing TRANS-Ops to be formed.
From what Hitomi remembered in the classrooms at the Gamma training facility she had been at, all Betas and Alphas had three choices: Join TRANS-Ops, do nothing, or join the Ascension.
The second choice kind of vanished partway through the Ascension War, with most un-aligned meta-humans having chosen a side by then.
The whole situation was pretty complex… even Hitomi had a hard time wrapping her head around it at times. After all, three years ago she was just a student at school. All this meta-human stuff was just rumors and conspiracy theories.
Then Ascension Day happened.
Hitomi was so deep in thought that she didn't realize the cart had come to another stop. Suddenly, the cloths and blankets covering her up were thrown off, and Hitomi nearly jumped out of her skin.
She was now in a room of a wooden structure somewhere; the cart had apparently been parked in here. Standing over her, was none other then Jackhammer and his companion.
Although she was still wearing her helmet, Hitomi gave the two of them a sheepish grin, still holding onto Raymond's helmet.
Said individual reached down and plucked the helmet from Hitomi's hands. "This… is mine." Raymond said with a grin as he removed his hood and placed the helmet on his head, leaving the visor up.
"Before you ask…" Samurai Jack began as he also removed his hood and began to tie his mass of hair back into a ponytail of sorts, "We're on a boat."
Huh…?
"Yeah… the cart is parked on a boat now." Jackhammer grinned. "So we're stuck here until we get back to the main island of Ionia."
Ionia…. What?
Jackhammer leaned down over Hitomi and offered her a hand up. "So… you hungry kiddo?"
Hitomi blinked and just looked at his hand. She couldn't wait any longer. She took a deep breath in and then proceeded to shout in her native language.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"
Samurai Jack's response was to cover both his ears and groan, while Jackhammer just shook his head.
"English, Hitomi…" He sighed before grinning again. "English… I don't speak kamikaze."
Hitomi rolled her eyes and responded in English this time. "Ok… that was raciest…"
Jackhammer laughed. "And after watching you basically go kamikaze on those ninja-boys back there, I think it's a more accurate raciest remark now then ever before!"
He reached down and offered a hand to Hitomi, who took it. Her stiff legs groaned from having to support her body again, but it felt nice to stand up again after lying down for who knows how long.
Jackhammer turned around and stepped off the cart. "I know this is going to come as a shock… or not…. But you've probably realized that this ain't anywhere you've heard of before."
Hitomi stepped off the cart and onto the wooden surface. She glanced around and saw that the three of them were alone in this… I guess a cargo hold of a ship?
Who makes ships out of wood these days?
… Hang on what did he just say?
"Umm… that doesn't make any sense… sir…." Hitomi shook her head in confusion.
Jackhammer turned to face her again, still grinning as usual. "Oh it made perfect sense! You girl, just ain't thinking about it right. Tell me… where on Earth would you find a ninja ambush in this day and age?"
Hitomi closed her eyes and shook her head lightly, trying to think of something. "Uh… I don't know! An… anime convention or something?!"
She didn't realize how stupid that sounded until after she said it, and after Jackhammer started laughing. Meanwhile, the man who was still Samurai Jack, since she didn't know his real name, just looked on at the two of them like they were aliens.
"Oh Princess… you just keep running that stereotype up its tree… you know that right?" Jackhammer laughed as he walked up to Hitomi. As he was within a foot or two of her, Hitomi remembered how she was originally intimated by the man when she had met him in training. He towered over her like a parent over their child.
"But in all seriousness…" Jackhammer's grin started to get a little smaller. "No where on Earth… right?"
"No…. none that I can think of…." Hitomi shook her head again. None of this was making sense! There was absolutely no where on Earth where a ninja ambush would take place! No where on Earth where a nightmare ninja would appear out of no where and be able to take on a meta-human one and one and win! No where…
Wait…. No where on Earth…. No where… Earth….
Hitomi's eyes slowly went as wide as they could be as the realization dawned on her. She slowly raised her head and looked up at Jackhammer.
Who was looking down at her with a sad smile. He placed a hand on her shoulder with enough force to shake her entire body.
"Figured it out huh?" He grinned. "Welcome to the new world kiddo."
Hitomi had only one word for him, and that word was in perfect English.
"Bullshit."
Another Departure, Another Mission
Noxus
Katarina clicked her tongue as she stood in her foyer of her family's manor. She didn't like this, not one bit. But she had to go with it.
"Come on sister…" A girl standing in front of her dressed in a traveler's garb smiled at her. "I'll be fine."
Katarina crossed her arms and looked away from the girl, feeling suddenly slightly embarrassed. "I didn't say anything."
The girl giggled slightly. "No, but you were clicking your tongue again."
Curses…
Kat let out a sigh and returned her attention to the girl in front of her. The person of interest before her looked similar to herself, with similar red hair that was cut short in a bowl-cut. Unlike Kat's own scarred face, the girl's face was spot-less and beautiful. And unlike Kat's scowling face, the girl in front of her was wearing a warm smile.
"I'll be fine sis!" The girl in front of her remained smiling as she spoke. "You worry to much."
"How can I not, its not like you're going vacation or something?" Kat shook her head. "Its Ionia. If they find out who you are…"
"They won't! I haven't been training forever for nothing after all."
Kat narrowed her gaze for a moment. "Don't be over-confident."
I know what happens when you get overconfident…
The girl in front of her gave a more nervous giggle this time. "Well… I'll be fine."
"Please…" A new, sultry voice spoke up from behind Kat, accompanied by the sounds of something sliding along the floor. Kat looked over her shoulder to see her youngest sister, Cassiopeia, slithering up next to her. "Seraina will be fine."
Cassiopeia slithered upright next to Kat, causing her to tower over the other two. "I didn't know you were such a softy Kat."
Katarina scowled slightly. "I'm not! With what's been happening out there, of course I'm concerned!" She snapped back at her youngest sister, referring to the mass abductions and now… the Ascension.
Cassiopeia shrugged half hearted in response. "Well then, just avoid any inns at small villages."
Before Kat could retort, Cassiopeia turned her attention away from her and to the other girl. "Don't mind the worry-wart Seraina. I know you'll be fine."
Seraina smiled again in response. "Of course I will! I'll be just fine."
Kat sighed, knowing that no matter how against this she was, it wasn't her call. The least she could do for her sister was do a double check.
"Ok, how's your accent?"
"Quite good." Seraina replied with a Piltover accent.
"Your identity?"
"Madison. No surname as I am an orphan. I'm a travelling bard." Seraina nudged a violin case resting on the floor next to her slender legs. "Touring Ionia because of it's beautify and for inspiration." She said, maintaining her fake accent.
"What is your real goal?"
Cassiopeia rolled her eyes. "Come on sister, she knows-" She began but Kat cut her off with a loud hush.
Seraina giggled slightly at her sisters bickering. "I'm after Archangel. If he is still alive when I arrive at Ionia, I'm to convince him to come to Noxus." Her arms appeared from underneath her traveler's robe, holding a vial of poison in one hand. "By force if necessary."
"And…?"
"In the event that Archangel has perished, I am to locate the other armored figure and get him to come to Noxus. I am also to collect whatever information possible on the Ascension while I am out there."
Kat nodded. That was good enough she guessed. Not much else she could do.
Cassiopeia lurched forward and wrapped herself around Seraina, earning a light yelp of surprise in the process. Cassiopeia giggled sultry and patted the other redhead on the head.
"Come now… you worry too much. Our sister will be fine." Cassiopeia chuckled.
"Of course I am! I learn from the best after all!" Seraina laughed, but tried to wiggle free. "Come on Cass! Lemme go!"
Kat rolled her eyes at the two. Those two I swear…
While Katarina and Marina were years apart, Serania and Cassiopeia were born with roughly a year between, so the two of them had grown up closer then the rest of them.
"Well… isn't this a loving scene." Marina's voice called from the second floor, looking down at the three of them.
Speak of the devil…
"Isn't it time you were on your way sister?" Marina asked suggestively to Seraina as she descended the stairs and approached the three of them
"Yes." Seraina nodded, giving a slight sigh of relief when Cassiopeia released her. Marina nodded and walked up to Seraina, and the two embraced for a second before Seraina took a step back and waved at them.
"I'll be off then." She said as she picked up her violin case and waved again. Kat, along with her sisters returned the gesture, and Seraina left the manor with a smile.
After she left, silence fell over the three remaining Du Couteau sisters.
"Will she ACTUALLY be fine though?" Cassiopeia finally voiced her own concern.
"I'm sure she will be." Marina nodded. "She is doing this for Noxus after all."
As much as she wanted to agree, Katarina couldn't help but feel a chilling sensation creeping down her back.
Alphas and Betas
Ionia (city), Ionia
A knock at the door roused Irelia from her sleep. The young captain of the guard yawned as she shook herself awake the knocking at the door repeated itself.
Someone at the door at this hour?
If someone was at her door this late into the night, that meant news. And good news never came at this time, good news always waited until the next morning.
Dressed in her night wear, Irelia approached the door to her home before stopping in front of it. She eyed her weapons near the door, ready to come to her on her command.
"Who is it?" She asked through the closed door, trying her best not to yawn again.
"Captain," A female voice responded from the other side, "You asked to be informed the moment Archangel's ship arrived."
They're back.
Irelia's mind quickly began to wake itself. "Where are they?"
"Archangel and his companions were taken to a clinic near the docks, they arrived under and hour ago. But…" The voice on the other side of her door trailed off.
"But? What?" Irelia shook her head awake again, trying to fend the sleep off. Ever since she had her meeting with Archangel, she had been having issues sleeping.
It's the fear, the fear that I won't be able to protect Ionia…
That fear only got worse after word of the attack on Bilgewater reached her.
The insomnia got worse after that too.
"The rumors about the second black armored figure are true. He arrived with Archangel."
Any sleep fatigue that remained in Irelia's mind vanished at that.
"Soldier, prepare my horse and get Akali." She ordered, turning away from the door before waiting for a response.
With haste, Irelia striped out of her night clothes and equipped her armor. As she armored herself, her mind never stopped racing.
Another armored figure… he has to be one of his squadmates…
The news reports about the attack claimed Archangel was fatally wounded, will he live?
Can the Ascension make another attack like that so quickly?
Questions, questions… and Irelia was damned determined to have answers. She would NOT have this new armored figure try to blow them off, or Archangel.
Assuming he was going to live.
Not when Ionia's safety was at risk.
And then there's the issue of Zed…
Irelia bit her lower lip in frustration at it all. She had wanted to take on Zed and his Order of Shadows with the might of Ionia's army. Well, what was left of it.
They had tried rebuilding their military after the war with Noxus ended, but all things take time.
Still, Irelia was confident that she had enough soldiers under her command to be able to bring the new ninja order down. The only obstacles in the path of her objective of assaulting the former Kinkou Monastery, were the Elders and Shen.
Shen would be easy to convince. Sure he was determined to keep the location of the Kinkou monastery a secret, but the threat of the Order of Shadows was not something he was willing to ignore. And with the Kinkou Order in it's weakened state, it was unlikely that he would refuse help in retaking the Order's former headquarters.
The Elders on the other hand…
Irelia snarled as she approached the door, waving her hand around in the air. At her command, her blades flew to her, forming up behind her as she walked.
The Elders are unwilling to start a war within our own borders. Yes, the agree Zed is a danger, even more so now that he has started making power moves and raiding villages, but right now the Elders are more concerned with the disappearing people.
As far as the Elders were concerned, Ionia's military had to remain on the defensive with the dangers lurking in the shadows. The Ascension's attack on Bilgewater only fueled that idea.
Even Karma was now opposing her in that decision.
The only things we agree on right now is that Ionia needs more soldiers, and that the Ascension is the greatest threat.
Irelia sighed as she opened the door to her home and stepped out into the night. I guess Zed will have to wait…
Awaiting the captain of the guard were five soldiers, and seven horses.
And Akali.
Irelia nodded to her troops and again towards the ninja. "Let us make haste." She said and took the reins that were handed to her by one of her troops.
The seven of them mounted up and galloped through the empty night streets of Ionia.
"So the rumors are true then?" Akali asked as she rode next to Irelia.
"It appears they are." Irelia answered.
"Do you think he will help us if Archangel is unable to?"
You mean if Archangel dies?
"He will." Irelia responded with confidence, but a threating edge to her voice that she didn't bother trying to hide. "Our enemies are the same. I won't allow Ionia to suffer the same fate as Bilgewater."
"If the Ascension posses more of those… air ships, then I doubt any size of army will succeed against it." Akali stated in a matter of fact tone.
Irelia wanted to argue with the ninja, but she new that Akali was right.
A flying ship that took out half of Bilgewater on its own. And Bilgewater's navy was completely useless against it.
It was a threat she could not ignore. It never was.
First the disappearances… now they are moving up to full assaults…
Just like Archangel had said…
"The Ascension possess technology that's more advanced then what my world's militaries possess, maybe even more advanced then this suit of armor I'm wearing…"
"The Ascension has weapons that can turn and entire city district to ashes…"
"The Ascension would just need to come in guns blazing and that would be the end of it…"
Irelia had lost many hours of sleep thanks to those words. But what had scared even the Will of Blades was that Archangel could not have been more correct.
They came in guns blazing on Bilgewater… and nearly turned the entire city to ashes…
The rest of the journey to the clinic in question by the docks was done so in silence. As soon as they arrived, Irelia dismounted.
"You five remain here." She ordered her troops. "Akali, watch from the shadows."
"As you command." Akali replied and vanished into thin air.
Irelia pushed open the double doors to the clinic, causing every set of eyes inside to look her way.
Inside, were at least a dozen soldiers, and a very stressed looking staff member. As soon as they realized who had entered, the soldiers snapped to attention.
"Ma'am!" One of the male soldiers addressed her. "We've been standing guard, waiting for your arrival."
"Good work." Irelia nodded to the sergeant. "Where are they?"
The sergeant pointed to the clinic staff member who clearly looked overworked. "She will take you to them."
The staff member nodded quickly and motioned Irelia to follow and lead her into the back rooms of the clinic. As they walked in silence, the passed a large open room that was occupied by several figures, many of whom she recognized.
Ezreal was sitting on a bed, being tended to by a pair of doctors. The young explorer had clearly seen better days, but he didn't appear to be in any really serious condition.
Irelia was surprised though, to see him talking to Galio of all people. Or thing, depending on who you asked. The stone gargoyle had his back turned to the door, but he did appear in conversation with Ezreal.
On the other side of the room were a few of the soldiers that Irelia had sent along with Archangel, all of whom were being tended to by the clinic's staff, Sona, and again to Irelia's surprise, Nami. In the corner of the room, hunched up against the wall, was trickster Fizz, who appeared to be sleeping.
Sona, Nami, Fizz, and Galio… Irelia thought, I'm glad there here, even if they work for another nation.
That meant Demacia also recognized the threat of the Ascension. Why wouldn't they? Every nation in Valoran was in danger now.
As they passed out of sight of the room, Irelia felt something tugging at her mind.
Why does it feel like someone is missing?
Not Archangel… but someone else?
Irelia and the staff member rounded a corner, and she was met with yet another familiar face albeit a much less pleasant one.
"About time." Shyvana greeted her in a not-so-friendly tone. The blue skinned warrior was leaning back against a wall next to a door with her arms crossed.
"Greeting to you too Shyvana." Irelia responded in a professional tone. She and Shyvana didn't really have much of a history, but Irelia knew quite a bit about her.
Always ready for a fight, looking to vent her rage… I suppose it comes with being a half-dragon.
The staff member who was escorting Irelia pointed at the door that Shyvana was seemingly guarding. "In there." The clinic staffer said.
"Thank you." Irelia nodded to the staff member, who quickly scurried away.
Irelia turned her full attention on Shyvana, who was watching her closely with her inhuman eyes.
This will get no-where if we're on edge against each other.
"Is our outworlder friend inside?" Irelia asked, trying to get on a topic, which also just happened to be the most important one.
"Both of them." Shyvana replied, before snarling slightly, "Although they are NOT our 'friends'."
"They are on our side, are they not?"
"For now." Shyvana snorted. "This is nothing but an alliance of necessity between us and them."
Irelia frowned. "And if we are constantly at each others throats, then what? You were at Bilgewater. You saw what the Ascension can do."
Shyvana glared at her for a moment before looking away. "They… the Ascension… they really are a threat. Not even my dragon form was able to do anything against that machine." She growled, likely irritated at her own powerlessness.
Irelia shook her head likely. "From what I've heard, none of us would have faired any better."
Shyvana only grunted in response. "The big one knows you're coming." She motioned to the door with her head.
"What?"
"The big one, the other outworlder."
"What about Archangel?"
Shyvana gave a chuckle, the tone of her laughter was a bit ominous to Irelia. It sounded as if she was enjoying the idea of Archangel being wounded. "The smaller outworlder will live. IF anything, I'm disappointed. I was under the impression he was some great warrior, but he had his arm lopped off in the battle like it was nothing."
Irelia's eyes widened. "He had his arm chopped off?"
"One of the Ascension outworlder's did it. We sowed it back on and Sona did her best to heal it, but it's unlikely to be as effective without some greater healing." Shyvana shrugged.
Irelia frowned. This was not good news. If Archangel wasn't as capable as he was before…
"I'm going in." She said with authority, walking past Shyvana and grasped the door handle.
"Good luck." Shyvana snorted remained where she was.
Irelia pushed the door open and entered the room, taking a quick look around as she closed the door behind her.
Archangel, was lying on the sole bed in the room. Some of his armor had been stripped off, but at least half of it was still attached to his body, more specifically his legs and right arm. His torso was laid bare, with bandages wrapped around his chest. There were also bandages wrapped around his left arm, covering his elbow and shoulder, which Irelia concluded was the arm that he had apparently lost during the battle at Bilgewater. The arm in question, however, had been reattached.
They likely stitched it back on with assistance from Sona's magic. Irelia concluded in her mind at the sight.
His helmet was also off, but Irelia couldn't get a very good look at his face from where she was standing.
However, her attention was quickly brought to the second figure in the room. Like Archangel, this one was covered head to toe in black armor that was nearly identical to Archangel's, but looked like it was made for more of a shock-trooper role. This new figure however, was much larger, much more broad then Archangel. This was made even more apparent since the other figure was standing with his arms crossed next to Archangel's bed, looking down at him.
Irelia also noticed that this figure had guns similar to the one Irelia had found and given to Archangel strapped to his waist. From what Irelia recalled, the guns the outworlders had were far more advanced and powerful then her world's firearms.
"Captain of the guard, I assume?" A voice, which Irelia assumed came from the newcomer, acknowledged her presence first before turning to face her. There, Irelia could see that his helmet was slightly different then Archangel's. Still, it covered the individual's face entirely, leaving Irelia with a cold impression from the figure.
The faceless expression, the towering height, and the bulky armor combined all made this new outworlder even more intimidating then Archangel.
"Yes, I am Irelia, the Captain of the Ionian Guard." Irelia responded in a serious and professional tone, as she walked into the room. She thought back on her first meeting with Archangel.
Archangel was incredibly cautious, almost to the point of paranoia. I wouldn't be surprised if this individual is just as cautious. If worse comes to worse, Akali is nearby… I wouldn't be surprised if she is already in this room with me.
"Are you… Jackhammer?" Irelia asked, remembering the name of one of Archangel's companions from their previous conversation.
The larger outworlder followed Irelia with his head, face hidden behind his advanced helmet. "Nien." He replied.
Irelia furrowed her brow in confusion. "Nine? What does…"
"It means no, in my homeland's language." He shook his head slightly. "Sorry, bad habit of mine."
Curious… well, I do recall Archangel mentioning that his world had over seven billion people on it…
Irelia tried not to think about that too much, should could hardly imagine a world with at least a billion people.
"So, if your name is not Jackhammer, who are you? I'm aware that Archangel came to our world alongside several companions. I take it you are another one of those?"
The much larger man nodded. "Looks like you know your stuff, captain." He said that last word with a tone that didn't sound all that respectful, but not to disrespectful either. "You may call me Blitzkrieg, and I'm actually Archangel's superior in rank." Blitzkrieg said, turning his body to watch Irelia as she approached the side of Archangel's bed opposite of him.
Irelia looked down at Archangel's resting face. She had never seen his face before, since he always kept it hidden under his helmet. He was younger then Irelia had expected. In fact, based off of his appearance, he was around her own age. His black hair was short, and there was the beginnings of a beard on his face, although Irelia suspected that it was due to him being unable to groom himself.
But the most noticeable features of Archangel's face were the numerous scars. They didn't make his face appear deformed, instead, Irelia saw the scars as proof of Archangel's long years of battle.
He likely has been through more hardship then me…
Opposite of Archangel's bed, Irelia heard a quiet chuckle emitting from Blitzkrieg. "You know, there's a saying on my world, that chicks dig scars." The larger man said with a tone of amusement to his voice. "Judging by what I'm seeing, that appears to be true here too."
Irelia paid the comment no heed. "I had heard that he lost his arm." She began, gaze falling down to Archangel's bandage covered arm, before wandering over to his chest. "But it appears his injuries are far more."
Blitzkrieg gave a humph in response. "If it wasn't for that music girl and the talking fish, he wouldn't have made it this far." He unfolded his arms as he talked, "You know, people on my world would kill just to see real magic, let alone use it as freely as the people in this world do."
"I've been told," Irelia looked up from Archangel and looked Blitzkrieg in the eye (at least where she suspected his eyes were). "In fact, Archangel suspects that it is because of magic that the Ascension is targeting my people."
"The abductions." Blitzkrieg nodded. "I've heard about that problem. The… Demacians? I believe, have it bad too."
Their conversation was interrupted by a small blue ghost-like figure appearing out of the air over Archangel's body. Irelia recognized the… thing, as Archangel's companion, Mute. The previously cheery and professional appearance the armored creature had had during their last encounter, Mute had a concerned and tired expression on her face, and she seemed exhausted.
"As much as you want more information, miss Irelia…" Mute interrupted with a professional yet strained tone, "Archangel's condition hasn't improved since he fell into a coma. We were told that you had a very skilled healer in Ionia that would help us."
She must be referring to Soraka…
"Yes, there is someone I can get to help." Irelia nodded. She could easily summon Soraka, she was visiting the city at the moment after all. "Who did this to him? I thought Archangel was one of the best?"
Mute's expression turned to one of disgust that didn't fit the previous image Irelia had of her. "Another meta-human named Altar…" She almost spat out. "Thankfully, Archangel killed him, which will be a costly blow to the Ascension."
Another meta-human? That means he was like Archangel…
"I see…" Irelia looked down at Archangel's scarred face again. "How is his condition?"
Mute sighed and shook her head. "Not good. Like Blitzkrieg said, without the aid of magic, he never would've survived. His left lung had been punctured and his ribs and rib cage had been completely destroyed around the injury. Then there is his arm…" Mute bit her lower lip for a moment before continuing. "We managed to reattach the severed limb and heal some of the damaged tissue, but the weapon used to sever the limb has caused irreparable damage to the nerves. On top of all of this, Archangel disabled his inhibitors, which allowed him to make full use of his powers during the battle."
Mute shook her head again. "However, they are in his body for a reason. Without them, Archangel's own powers damage his own body. Because of that, he fell into a coma as soon as the battle ended."
Dark matter…? I've never heard of it… wait…
Irelia furrowed her brow again. "Wait… so Archangel's own powers… they can kill him?"
Blitzkrieg was the one to respond. "Sadly, yes. The human body, no matter how much we enhance it, isn't mean to be exposed to pure, consternated dark matter. Its just as dangerous to the user as it is his enemies. In fact…" Blitzkrieg tapped his helmet right at the temple. "Nearly ever meta-human has an inhibitor or two installed in our bodies to help regulate the use of our powers. Archangel's are just more important then most since his powers are much more difficult to control."
Irelia looked from Blitzkrieg to Mute, and then back to Blitzkrieg. They are being rather open to me… before it took a serious effort to just get any information from Archangel, now they are sharing so much more without me even asking.
"Why are you sharing this with me?" Irelia asked, confused. "Before Archangel wouldn't tell me anything about himself or… meta-humans as you call them. Why the change?"
"Simple kid…" Blitzkrieg crossed his arms over his chest again. "After that whole fiasco in Bilgewater, we can't really afford to be all secretive and distrusting to one another. Even if that means sharing a little bit more intel then I should."
Mute nodded in agreement. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, as I believe they say."
"In fact, mon amie, we are willing to share much." A voice Irelia never heard before said.
A new small, ghost-like figure similar to Mute appeared. However, this one was covered head to toe in armor similar to that of Demacian knights. The new figure dropped one arm down to his lower body and bowed.
"Greetings ma'dam. My name is Goth, Blitzkrieg's personal artificial intelligence extraordinarii!" The figure greeted Irelia.
Artificial intelligence… what? Irelia had never heard of such a term before.
"He's the same as Mute." Blitzkrieg quickly said, interrupting the already forming question on Irelia's lips.
"Ah…" She replied. That really doesn't help, I still have no idea exactly what Mute is.
It's probably something too complicated for me to understand right now, and I doubt it would really help in the long run. Irelia justified to herself, trying not to think about it too much.
"Anyhow…" Irelia steered the conversation back on course. "I'll send word to Soraka right away to come and help Archangel heal." Irelia turned to walk out of the room, but turned back to look at the three aliens. "When I return, I hope you will tell me more of these… meta-humans."
Goth, Mute, and Blitzkrieg all responded with nods.
Meanwhile, in a different room from Irelia, Ezreal suddenly stopped his conversation with Galio.
"Hey…" He suddenly said loudly, getting the attention of nearly everyone in the room, including a waking Fizz.
"Has anyone seen Jinx?"
Goth's Meta-Human Lecture Number One: Adam Ito, Halcyon, and the Creation of Meta-Humans
"Like we said before… humans on Earth posses no magic. No strange powers, no nothing. They are all just… human. Nothing extraordinary. But humans have always fantasized about such power."
"However, what the humans of Earth did have is science. And as the years went on, more and more scientific breakthroughs in the fields of medicine and human study allowed some people to theorize the possibility of giving humans unnatural powers. One of these individuals was a man named Adam Ito."
"Mr. Ito was both a gifted scientist, doctor, and businessman. He owned his own company called the Halcyon Corporation, which specialized in genetic research, not that I expect you to understand what that means. Lets just say… they studied the deepest parts of the human body."
"Eventually, Mr. Ito made a breakthrough in human genetic engineering, and he saw the possibility of creating a superhuman… or trans-human if you will. However, he could only get so far with ethical research and methods, so Ito used his company's wealth and the poor state of the world's affairs to… for a lack of a better term… acquire... individuals to test."
"After some testing, Ito found the answer. Granting humans superhuman abilities WAS possible. However, the methods required for such a transformation were unethical, and would undoubtedly be seen as monstrous by the rest of the world. This was because superpowers could only develop during a human's youth, while they were still growing. And the methods required genetic tampering and manipulation, as well as some very dangerous and seemingly cruel treatments and modifications."
"But, Mr. Ito and the Halcyon Corporation, had a goal. Superhuman soldiers. More specifically, superhuman mercenaries. Governments would pay fortunes to be able to field such powerful individuals, individuals who could turn the tides of any war."
"To the Halcyon Corporation, they saw this as their chance to become the wealthiest company on Earth."
"So yes… meta-humans were born not of good, but of one man's greed, and that of his corporation."
"Through a variety of means, Halcyon acquired… see? There's that word again. Oh how English completely lacks a proper word for this that doesn't sound so foul. Explaining this in French would be much better!"
"Sorry, where was I? Oh yes. Halcyon "acquired" nearly five hundred children from around the world to be the first batch of their new super-soldiers. However, the journey from human to trans-human is wrought with peril, no thanks to the methods Halcyon employed against these children. By the time the first children had begun displaying superhuman abilities, nearly half of their starting number had perished in the terrifying experiments."
"Of those that survived, however… they became the first meta-humans. The Alphas. Mon amie Blitzkrieg is one of those first meta-humans."
"Oh… mes amies, if only Adam Ito and the Halcyon Corporation knew that they were setting the stage of a terrible play that we would one day call the Ascension War…"