Θεϊκός 1.1

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The jingling bells of a café door opening were heard as Hannah felt a small smile appear on her face. Bereft of the suit that she used in her work, which at this point was starting to become a second skin, she allowed the much more comfortable simple jacket and shirt as her getup this time around. Mostly because it was for her to blend in, and so she could separate much of her identity as Miss Militia and Hannah at the same time.

The café she visited was probably her favorite spot to visit in Brockton, besides her own profession of course, because despite the stress and sheer frustrations that her job entailed, she found the camaraderie of her comrades and co-workers a comfortable place for her to just be herself. So much so that when she was pressed for moments like this, where she had more privacy, the silence was just typically lonely and oftentimes it allowed her mind to reminisce of things that she chose to bury further in. For this specific visit, however, she found herself more at ease and relatively happy after such a grueling week. Her favorite café blend was particularly helpful in making her settle down both when she came out of work and when she was off it.

It helped that the place itself was quite situated in one of the more peaceful parts of Brockton. It overlooks the better part of the scenery lending itself towards the Bay. The sun was casting a nice, warm glow over the horizon as the decent number of clouds gave a cozy feeling as some of that mitigated light bounced off towards her position near the windows.

The steam steadily casting a foggy but comfortable sense of warmth entered Hannah's nostrils as she breathed in a very peaceful sigh. Her head cleared out from all the turbid thoughts as she leaned against her chair.

Until the door to the café opened audibly as Hannah's eyes opened again after closing them earlier. Her eyes suddenly focused with such intensity on the person who just arrived.

Specifically, for how… odd and overwhelming his presence was.

"G-Good morning sir, will you be ordering?" a café employee nervously said as she was the closest to the man who looked downwardly at her due to the significant enough height difference.

"Yes. I believe so." The man said, each word oozing out of it exuded an otherworldly quality to them as if they were above some others, which was a feeling Hannah never thought she would make. She was a person that believed in equality, regardless of race and it was never an issue for her at all when she did her job to the fullest. She always despised those who proclaimed themselves better than others, but for this specific instance… the aura that this man exuded was just something else.

Oddly enough, even with just the sheer awe, there existed…

"…" she shifted within her seat.

God, she was acting like a dumb teenager. She quickly shook her head as her training kicked in. The presence and aura alone that she could only describe as something far, far stronger, and a lot more prominent than Victoria's own. If anything, she thought that it was a Master power. One that she knew would cost her a whole week or day just to double-check if she was affected.

Regardless, even in her civilian identity, she had to know what this man's intentions were.

His build, aura, and air told her enough that this entire situation needed a level of focus and seriousness. His entire presence screamed Parahuman, and she had to keep watch knowing that this could entail another piece into the mix that comprised Brockton's already chaotic scene.

Her hand also lingered on her phone that was placed on the table. Ready in case for any bad occurrence to happen regardless of if the man had bad or good intentions.

Strangely though, even with the overwhelming aura that the man exuded, the tension and atmosphere of the café did not change. Nor did it even escalate. The man looked reserved enough that he kept to himself, confidence came out of his form, but he seemed oddly quiet. He gazed listlessly at his table far from Hannah's position and was seemingly deep in thought. His focus looked keen, his literally handsome and chiseled face-

Hannah mentally turned herself off again from this sudden bout of interest coming from her. She had experienced dating someone before and admittedly had a crush when she was younger, but it had been a long time since then, priorities changed, and focuses dwindled towards more important things. However, she could not deny that the man's face was certainly handsome for lack of a better word. His entire build while big was lean in a fighter's build sort of way and while he towered over most people even while sitting, his overwhelming presence seemed… friendly, to a point.

There was an edge that lingered. The kind that seemed very suspicious but at the same time held back within reason. Just the posture of his entire form, how he moved, made Hannah keenly recall Alexandria with how many subtle messages their presence seemed to convey without saying much of anything.

All these factors led to a conclusion on her part that she needed to write out as many details as possible through this observation for later. Her perfect memory would help immensely in identifying the man for later should push come to shove.

However, it felt tasteless making every detail of the man's face as information for later. Hannah was a person who followed orders to the letter, almost without question, but taking advantage of the identities of other parahumans for their own gain was still problematic for her. Especially with this man, who seemed unbothered that he was not being subtle at all, and that his face was perfectly open for anybody to see.

"Excuse me."

Hannah's entire form perked up the moment she heard those words. She had not been facing the man directly, only allowing small, very subtle glances as she sipped her coffee, but she essentially froze knowing that the voice was aimed at her.

Slowly, she turned her head with a friendly, simple smile at the man, who was now looking at her with a very neutral expression. The tension of the café rose by a minimal level as Hannah found her eyes exchanging looks with the man's very vibrant own. Irises filled with a near golden or bronze color with them that seemed to feel both beautiful and aging at the same time. As if the man had broad experience throughout many unknown decades of service, the kind she was very much worried about knowing.

The sheer focus took her out of the real world for a moment and the man seemed to have noticed it.

"Is there a problem with my face, miss?" the man asked.

Hannah composed herself quickly as she looked at the man. "N-No… I apologize for staring, sir." She blurted out, her voice slightly trembling at first, another note that she had to write for later. That subtle aura was invasive, probably a lot more dangerous than it seemed if it had affected her this drastically in the span of mere minutes.

"Very well… though, I cannot help but feel you are strangely interested in me." The man intoned, his voice a bit flat. His tone towards the word interested was less so as an innuendo, but of clear suspicion… towards her.

"N-No… I'm sorry if it seemed that way." She said, trying to explain to herself as the man suddenly stood from his seat and walked towards her. His towering presence made her gawk inwardly as his shadow eventually covered hers, and his face remained unchanged with that specifically neutral expression.

"May I be blunt?" he suddenly asked, respectfully this time.

Hannah did not know how to respond as she slowly nodded her head.

"You have been shifting in your seat since I arrived, your eyes trail my presence like a hunter tracing their prey, and the item that you are hiding behind your hip has shifted into different forms within the span of seconds."

Hannah felt her instincts get riled up. Her alertness doubled as her eyes shifted into a manner that made her ready for anything. If her identity was compromised this badly and the man had detected it despite her admittedly poor but convenient enough attempts to hide her presence, then she was sure that he could take advantage of this.

"What of it, then?" she challenged. Ready as she moved her fingers close to her phone. The man's gaze still focused on her face and while she was sure that he could see what she was doing, she hoped he knew that if he tried anything, a response would swiftly come, especially this close to the Bay where the Protectorate and PRT presence was more felt.

"You have heart. The bravery to face anything despite the odds. I commend that." He said as his lips curled into a small, impressed smile as he looked at her. The sudden shift in tone turned the interaction quite awkward, but Hannah kept her hand on her power just in ready as the stare-down continued.

"What do you want?" She asked, her tone a bit heated as she looked at him.

"Nothing, I just wish to give some amount of respect for a fellow warrior." He proclaimed as Hannah's fear was confirmed. The man seemed to notice her tensing at his words in the form of a frown.

"I mean you no harm. It was a simple observation, one that we both unintentionally brought against each other." He explained as Hannah kept her focus.

"That doesn't make me comfortable… sir." She intoned as the man's frown turned to that of understanding as if a small amount of guilt had appeared on his face.

"I see… but my point still stands. I do not mean you and the rest of this city any harm. I'm merely here trying to understand why I was called upon."

Called upon? That had a lot of implications. Implications that Hannah did not want to entertain. Her alertness skyrocketed from that alone.

"What are your intentions for this city?" she couldn't help but ask.

"That's not a question you should ask of me, but there is a threat that lingers in your abode. I have no understanding of it yet but understand that I was brought here to deal with it."

Hannah was about to speak only for her to be interrupted when the waitress came back and brought the man's order. The man intentionally looked friendly, he exuded that sense of honor and respect so much even with the questionable remarks he said during their interactions earlier. He was about to leave for his own table, only for her to call him.

If only to make sure that there would not be a scene in this café.

The man looked surprised at her sudden invitation, but Hannah was surprised that he did not argue against it as he sat down without issue, even thanking her for it. It was off, how strange this man's demeanor and personality were, but perhaps it was just Hannah's own suspicions, paranoia, and doubt that seemed to make this entire ordeal a lot more problematic than it seemed at the start.

Or perhaps she was right to keep that paranoia up, given how perceptive he was, to begin with.

"I believe we should start over… given the nature of the heroes that protect this city, I understand that identities are a sore aspect to talk about." Hannah's eyes widened until he raised his hand to explain. "I will tell you right here and now that I will honor that agreement, even if just for your safety."

"Please understand that I have my doubts. Even if, admittedly I did not mean to bother you in the first place." Hannah said as the man nodded with a small smile again.

"I concur, I'm a stranger, but if I must prove myself to make that an assurance, then I will gladly do so." He then looked at the window, once again looking pensive. "I don't think proving myself would take long, just the air around this city feels as if a storm is about to arrive soon."

Hannah then realized something, given his words and actions.

"You don't know who I am, don't you?" she asked, her voice tense and concerned, yet curious.

The man tilted his head slightly.

"No?" he said, confused.

"Oh. L-let me get this straight… are you new to this city? Or perhaps, this country?" she asked, wishing to confirm a growing suspicion.

The man looked at her and thought about it. "In some way, yes."

Ah. So that's what it was. A bit of relief funneled over her seeing that the man was actually genuine with how he physically and emotionally appeared to her when addressing that question. Whether it was true or not, remained to be seen, but the honest aura he had with himself made Hannah trust it.

If only a little more than simply doubting it word for word.

"You haven't heard about me… at all? Or at least the heroes stationed in Brockton Bay?"

"No… as for the others, I just arrived. Which is why I wish to know more about the local scene."

Hannah frowned a bit, she was one who did not care much about her popularity but given she was one of the country's very first Wards, and was quite popular in the Bay, he would have at least heard about it. Then again, he seemed legitimately clueless about the others too.

"If it's not too much, I would like to know where you came from, if possible." She started as the man perked up. He wiped his lips slowly as he sort of fathomed the question. Like how best he could answer it. It was there where Hannah began to notice smaller details about the man, especially with how tight the shirt clung to his form, which made her suspect the man stole it from somewhere, or the fact that he carried nothing else in his person aside from his trousers.

Yet his air was simply different. She felt as if he could make do even without a weapon in the first place, and she was sure he could do well with it. She mentally added brute in her notes for later as she looked at the man.

"I hail from the Mediterranean. Born from one of the provinces within what you now call as Greece. Though the story of how it became so, is a complex one. One that I would wish to keep for myself."

"Can I ask why you're talking in a manner that feels… I don't know, old?" Hannah asked, strictly curious this time of a detail that was less so serious from their earlier tension.

"I don't know what you mean. I always speak this way, if not in my mother tongue, but through this language. Is it… disrespectful, perhaps to your ears?" he said, almost innocently as Hannah gave a small smirk.

"No, it's just odd, yet interesting to hear."

"I see."

Hannah then sighed as she tapped her fingers on her cup. "Do you have a name?" she asked. Unsure of how to continue the conversation, the man looked at her.

"I have been called by many names before. Some I could not even recall nor understand the origin of, but… if it's fair to you, I wish to be known as Archer."

"Archer, then… it's good to meet you despite the misunderstanding." She offered as the man shook her hand. "I'm afraid I can't really share any more details about myself, too… but I would advise you to speak with the local authorities in an official manner. If you are truly here with good intentions, I don't see how they would not accept you in a peaceful manner."

"Hm." The man hummed as he crossed his arms. "I will assume given the offer that you are part of these local authorities."

Hannah nods.

"Very well, I will meet with you once I am ready, for now, I merely wish to understand my surroundings. To better prepare for what's to come." He ominously said.

"I can be of assistance with that, with my contacts I can make sure it would be easier, for both our sakes." She said, not wanting to lose the man entirely from just going rogue.

"I do not doubt it, but I have my own objectives that need finishing first."

"What objectives?" she asked.

The man did not answer, and suddenly her phone began ringing.

"I believe you need to answer that."

"Y-Yes…" the man then stood up. "W-wait-

"The length of our conversation has reached its end, miss. You will meet me again, that much I can promise. For now, we must part." He respectfully said with a small smile as he began walking away.

Leaving Hannah to herself.

The entire conversation was simply strange. Awkward, stilted given the oddness of it all, but the man was sincere with his words. Dangerous, scary even… but part of her did not doubt his drive so much so that his last words for her felt like a promise. Narrowing her eyes with the conflicted thoughts surrounding the whole ordeal, she looked at her phone and answered the caller.

"Yes?"

"We have a situation down the docks."

Velocity's tone made her go alert.

"How bad?"

"We don't know yet, but the Director's ordered us to go in. The others are too preoccupied with the whole incident with Weaver's daughter in Winslow." He said as Hannah frowned. Weaver was a good friend and she got along with the woman's husband too, to hear that something bad happened with her little girl made her feel guilty that she was on a day off.

"The Wards?" she asked.

"Similarly occupied, though if things go south with what I've found, the director can authorize them as a temporary backup." Hannah began finishing her coffee as she stood up.

"Gang-related?"

"None that I could confirm so far… no. Though, I can't rule it out."

"Give me five minutes." Hannah finally said as she ended the call with haste and left the café. Walking away, she thought about the strange man from earlier and hoped that the ominous words he said were false. She hoped, dearly in this case, that the danger he warned was merely fiction.

Shifting within her gear, she walked towards Velocity who was talking with their PRT comrades as they began surrounding the building with haste. The warehouse looked dilapidated but still functional. Yet its current aesthetic and look had a strange… foreboding quality to it that Hannah felt a tad bit morose.

If only for the warning from the strange man from earlier taking root within her head.

"Anything new?" she asked as Velocity welcomed her.

The man's shoulders were also drooped slightly as if feeling the same honest feelings as her while they looked at the building. Its darkened walls and slightly aging exterior make them both feel a sense of negativity that emanates from it. "Yeah… and I've already called it in, but you need to see it."

"See what?"

Velocity did not answer her question, instead urging her to follow as they walked to the side of the building, where a lone truck was parked. The truck resembled those delivery units that would move dairy products or freshly cut livestock within their own in-built refrigeration mechanisms. The truck in this case, however, was ill-maintained. Its once white coloring was now mired with bits of brown sheens, and the overall vehicle itself looked dusty, abandoned, and slowly withering in a place like those cars in impound lots and junkyards.

What took Hannah's notice though, was the fact that there was a stamped symbol on the side of the truck's main container unit, and it was one that she was familiar with.

"How long has it been since they last appeared at all, in the Bay?" Hannah asked as she looked at the logo. Recalling the last time, the owners of said logo 'streamed' their services. Velocity stared at her as he urged her again wordlessly to follow. She was beginning to feel a lot more alarmed at this as even the PRT personnel around them looked easily as disturbed as her.

"I think it's at least been more than a month, but… I don't think Uber and Leet would go so far as to do… this." Velocity said as he led her to the back of the truck where the container's doors were open. The temperature dropped considerably as the icy vapors were now much more visible to her eyes. The moment she did in fact see what was inside… she almost fell in place.

Just from sheer shock.

"Oh God." She slowly said.

The vapor lapped against her skin as she saw the nearest limb that was dangling against the edge of the container now blackened to a degree that it was close to being dark gray in color. Frozen faces, expressions mired with horror and stark pain were preserved entirely as piles upon files of cramped, used bodies both open and disgustingly mutilated were stacked against each other… like a demented image of overstuffed sardines.

Hannah could not help but slowly cover her mouth from the horror as even Velocity wished to turn his eyes away. Hannah could not even fathom the cruelty displayed here. It rivaled even the worst that the 9 had done, even after the Founders had effectively made them defunct years before.

It chilled her to the bone, literally as she saw that even children were among the deranged mosaic.

What caught her eye after staring so long for a few seconds just through the macabre nature of it was that the bodies were attached in some manner to each other. Not through the sheen of the freezing temperatures the container had but of a strange substance that seemed to be seeping through each crevice. It had a black-like sheen to it but when exposed to any light it adhered a greenish-crystalline-like color that made Hannah wince, just from the sight.

Without nobody noticing it, her weapon shifted on itself, as if it glitched out of reality before reforming back within an instant.

"Has the director been informed?"

"Yeah, Battery and Assault have been recalled to aid us. Dragon's on standby in case we need further assistance." Velocity replied as the PRT personnel returned to inspecting the entire truck on their command.

Hannah began walking away as she tried to make sense of what she just saw.

Velocity followed her as she began leaning towards a nearby wall. Trying to process everything as she tried to maintain her breathing on top of everything that was already happening. She felt Velocity's hand touch her shoulder as she tried to calm down.

The entire scenario triggered a memory deep inside of her.

A memory of similarly piled stacks of corpses that were black and pale due to the massacres of her original homeland. She tried to make those memories go away into the background but instead, she recalled the man in the café's ominous words earlier.

"Militia?" Velocity spoke, clearly worried as she faced him.

Only for them to suddenly hear a scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUGHH!"

The loud shriek of pain was voluminous enough to shatter glass around the building's proximity as Hannah and Velocity covered their ears. The shriek continued to persist, yet it continued to turn into something else… something inhuman.

It had an invasive and painful quality of tone to it like an electronic tone parsed in severe errors.

Then, Hannah's eyes opened wide as she and her comrade looked up to the sky and saw a beacon-like surge of green to deep blue-like energy soaring out of the warehouse's roof as their vision began turning fuzzy, not in a natural sense, but in a vaguely computer-like sense.

As if their minds were being hacked as the pain seemed to hit their brains.

Yet they continued to stare as just as suddenly as it appeared, the surge disappeared into nothing and the unnatural shriek had vanished.

Heavy breathing affected Hannah as she looked at Velocity.

Robin was similarly struck to all fours as he seemed far more affected than her.

"D-Did you see that?"

"S-See what?" Robin asked as the entire area they were in, shook.

They all became alert as a degree of panic and fear seemed to invade those who were near the building, Hannah included. The pavement around her cracked and rumbled as panicked shouts of fear from the men and women of the PRT that were surrounding the area started to grow in an increasing number. Electronics, of all manner of types strapped to each and every person present started to go haywire. Then…

…%?eNgAgE?%….

An underlying feeling coursed through Hannah, her legs almost giving out before she was caught by Robin who looked similarly weakened from something that was activated around them. The painful ringing in her head that was there before when the screech occurred had vanished.

CRACK! BRWOUSH!

Suddenly two mechanical hands, rising to two stories into the air burst out of the warehouse's roof. Without further interruption from the shock and surprise of everyone close, it grabbed onto the sides of the holes it had just broken out of and forced itself out.

BRWOOOUUSHHHHH!

The entire front of the building burst into dust, debris, and heavy smoke as the force from the action threw most of the PRT personnel that were near it backward. Some were utterly crushed by the larger chunks of the debris, ranging from cement and metal railings as screams proliferated from the growing chaos. Weapons started to fire around them as the smoke hid the mechanical creation that loomed within like a shadow.

Its singular 'eye' glowed in a bright, emerald-green light that seemed to pierce through the smoke as the sounds of servos and whirring gears started to become much more prominent. Hannah raised her arms to summon her power to swap her on-standby handgun…

Only to watch that nothing had materialized on her hands.

BWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRR!

A powerful yellow ray of light fired off from the smoke as it torched everything down to nothing in a small arc in front of it. Just in a span of seconds, half of the people that were present were vaporized out of existence as the smoke parted and revealed the full-blown profile of the mech that was in a primarily dark purple color scheme. A gun was what constituted their left arm and a normal five-digit arm in the other. Each step shook the ground around them as what made up its 'head' was a single green light that evoked the look of a mechanical cyclops.

What added to the fear surrounding it was the fact that it produced a sheen of energy around it like a visible, green aura that sparked with lightning arcs that were strong enough to burn patches of the ground close to it.

The sounds of the menacing mech's servos started to rise in volume again…

As it raised its gun towards their direction. Its ominous, single 'eye' seemingly stared deep into their souls as Hannah recalled how powerless she was as a child before she was saved long ago.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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AN: Sorry for the delays! I was so busy last week that I was unable to most of my stuff, even missing Lonely Star's weekly updates. For now, yeah! We've finally started and I'm quite excited where we're heading heehhehehehehe.

Oh and yes, the mech is based on Shockwave, G1 version. With the yellow 'eye' replaced by an emerald green glow.