(Warning: This chapter contains sexual assault, racism, and murder. You have been warned)

Clark blinked his eyes, surveying the surroundings with suspension and confusion. His mouth parted in shock as he continued to look around the dirtiest alleyway he had ever seen...were those..used needles? He shook his head as he tried to make sense of the situation at hand. Only for him to suddenly notice one small problem.

Why is my body so... hard?

He frantically stood up, padding himself down his eyes, growing wider and wider as he did so. For some reason, he was wearing an armored body suit. It was black and jagged and looked like it had seen better days. Grabbing some nearby shattered glass with an armored hand, he shook as the pieces finally clicked.

He hadn't noticed, but he was even wearing a helmet. Although, for some reason, it felt more like an extension of his body. The helmet was shaped almost like a wolf. A beast? No. Whatever it was shaped like it was terrifying. Especially as the sockets of the helmet glowed an ominous red.

"Berserker armor..."

Clark laughed at the absurdity of it all. First, he got kidnapped and dumped into some fucking alley. Now he's wearing berserk armor? Honestly definitely has to be the most realistic rendition of said armor he's ever seen. Especially since it feels like it's actually made with real metal and steel, it must have cost a fortune, no doubt.

He reached up to the helmet and pulled -...he pulled -...HE PULLED- PULL, PULL, PULL!

"What the fuck?" Clark's voice comes out different from what he's used to. It was deeper and had a sort of beastly growl to it that would have made him shiver if it hadn't been his own "off! Off! OFF!" His armored hands pulled on the helmet with all the strength he could muster up, which was surprisingly a lot more than he was used to

It's not like it helped.

He stopped as soon he felt a twinge of pain radiating from his neck. Almost like he was trying to pull his head off instead of a helmet. "Fuck did I get drugged" he wondered, his hands falling to his sides "This feels like a fucking fever dream" With a huff, Clark decided to at least try and figure out where he was. The armor must have been welded into his flesh or something cause he couldn't take anything off.

For all intents and purposes. The armor may as well be his body at this point.

Stepping out of the alley, he blinked as he looked around the empty, dark street. The darkness of the night crept in as the nearby lampposts were destroyed or just not working at all. Walking along the street, he froze as he noticed the graffiti on the brick wall of one of the buildings he passed.

" A swastika? What the fuck? Why the hell haven't the police already taken this shit down? It's right out in the open!?" Clark gulped suddenly feeling a little anxious as he continued to walk through the street. The anxiety heightened as he wondered why he hadn't seen even a single person yet.

"Well it does look like a pretty bad neighborhood and it is nighttime...well fuck this place doesn't look like anywhere I know of it does kinda look like an early 2000 American neighborhood through"

He froze. However, he couldn't exactly explain it, but he suddenly felt a weird shift in his gut. A wave of disgust and anger bubbled inside of him. His brain felt like it had taken the back seat as his body suddenly crouched down his feet, digging into the street like butter before taking off

He had no idea why he was running or where he was going. But an instinct seemed to whisper in his ear. It started forcefully moving his body before regressing to just simply nudging him in the right direction once he started to listen to it.

He sprinted and sprinted, leaving the streets. He went back to the disgusting alleyways from before. He turned in different directions through them almost as if they were a maze left, then right, then another right, then a left, and then!

BLANK

...

Angela

Angela ran and ran. Her feet and calves burned with exertion, yet she never stopped. Her heart and lungs felt like they were ready to give up on her. Ready to Wilt and whither away. A line of drool that would have usually made her embarrassed dripped down from he mouth as she panted. She couldn't stop. She wouldn't stop.

Angela knew she shouldn't have taken that damn job. Working as an accountant, while boring, did pay well. At least in the area that she worked at. And considering that she had siblings to feed... she got desperate. Short-sighted greed blinded her from the fact that said job was dangerously close to the outskirts of the empire territory.

Being a minority, especially a Jew, made you a prime target for those skin-head neo nazis. Being black wasn't much better, of course, which was why she was running now that she had noticed the group of bald-shaven men trailing behind her.

Running through the alleyways was a risky idea. But the only option she had. They were faster than her and were no doubt going to catch her if she just ran blindly in the streets. And she doubted a hero was going to be on patrol in this specific area.

She ducked and weaved and made sharp turns through them. Hoping to lose them in the alleyway's complicated maze-like system. Only for her to gasp as she suddenly hit a dead end. "No...no!..nonononono!" She turned around in hopes of backtracking only to freeze as the skinheads caught up with her. The older and more experienced members held onto some knives and spiked bats. The younger ones, the ones who looked like they could be her sister's age, stood behind them, making her heart freeze as she realized what was about to happen and what they planned to do.

An initiation...

Anyone who joins the empire has to go through an initiation, a twisted rite of passage where the more experienced members pick out a minority, whether it be Jewish, Asian, Arabic, or black. It doesn't matter as long as they're not white; they're on the chopping block. The joining members would have to kill, rape, or torture a minority in front of them to show True "dedication" to the cause.

Only then would they be allowed to join the oh glorious empire...

Angela's head spun. Her heartbeat was ringing in her ear as the horrifying realization that she was going to die. Die. She was going to die. Her siblings would be left all alone. Poor Dina would have to take care of her brothers all alone. Maybe even sell her own body to make ends meet. It's not like it's uncommon. The very thought of her bratty younger sister in such a position made a gurgling, disgusted sob bubble in her throat.

Her brain shut down.

The skin-heads...no the monsters mouths moved, yet no noise was heard, her brain tuning out their words as it started to shut down. She could barely feel a stinging pain on the right sight of her cheek. And the feel of a hand on her shoulder as she was pushed to the ground, the back of her head slamming onto the ground listlessly. She knew what was happening as the young boy, most likely only in his teens, spread her legs. Yet she didn't stop him. She didn't feel anything.

The only emotion that she felt was a gnawing sense of emptiness that settled deep within the pit of her stomach.

The other bastards laughed even without her ears working. She could tell that they were encouraging him. Encouraging him to hurt her. A person who hasn't done anything to deserve this. She just wanted to help her siblings grow up healthy and well-fed. Happy and content. She wanted to watch them grow up. Make mistakes. Be frustrated. She wanted to watch them have little versions of themselves with their partners. Cute babies that would call her auntie.

She wanted to spoil those critters. Be the fun, cool aunt, rather than the strict, no-nonsense sister she was to their parents. Who knows. Maybe she would have even had her little adorable bundles of joy?

Is that too much to ask?

Oh, who was she kidding? This was Brockton Bay, and unluckily for her and her siblings, they just so happened not to be white-blonde or blue-eyed. She closed her eyes as she felt the cool air hit her legs. Her pants are being ripped off by the overzealous teen. Her hands were held above her head by the other older initiate. His disgusting penis rested on her stomach. It should have made her want to vomit or at least feel disgusted, yet all she felt was emptiness.

Like a puppet that had its strings cut. Her body was there, yet her mind wasn't. It didn't feel real. It was all a dream.

"Yes, a dream... all a dream that's what this was"

Her eyes remained shut as she waited for the monsters to forcefully violate her body. Yet it never happened, warm splatters...of something on her body. The disgusting hands of the monsters were suddenly gone, which made her open her eyes in shock.

The sight was horrifying yet so beautiful at the same time.

It stood at an impressive 6 feet at least. Its armor was sharp and jagged. Yet it seemed to be the most complex piece of equipment she had ever seen. Even more than those tinker hoverboards that one of the wards had. The armor looked alive. Especially as the blood of the monsters dripped down its arms. And onto the lump of metal that was shaped into a broad sword.

The helmet, however, was the thing that caught her eye. It had the shape of a...beast. Wolf? Its mouth was wide open, sharp metal teeth making its appearance, yet the inside was completely dark with no tongue.

Its reddish glowing eyes turned to her. And by all accounts, she should have been terrified. Especially since this person was most likely a cape. And well...capes don't have the reputation of being the most stable of people.

Safe.

Yet she felt so safe...like she was looking at her guardian angel. After all the person had saved her. He wouldn't want to hurt her, right? If he wanted to do so, why save her from the monsters in disguise?

The person walked up to her. The other monster's brains and guts splattered around as he killed them. He looked down at her with terrifying eyes before slowly extending his bloodied hand an offer to help her up.

And she grasped it with no hesitation. Standing up, her legs shook and shivered as her entire lower half was only covered by her underwear. "T-thank you," She said lowly she gripped his hand tighter as her brain started to catch up on the situation. "Thank you...thankyouthankyoythankyouthankyouthankyou!"

She broke down. The emotions that she had been suppressing swirling inside of her brain. Making her feel like a lunatic as she sobbed. Any words she tried to say came out gurgled and slurred as if she was drunk as she continued to cry like a baby. The cape grabbed her and pulled her into an embrace.

It wasn't like some of the books she had read at all. The hug was awkward his armor was sharp and poked at her skin. The metal was cool and wasn't warm at all. His murmuring words of comfort came out awkward, his inexperience showing as he rubbed her back with his metal hand.

It was horrible. This guy had no idea what he was doing. Yet, at that moment, it felt perfect.

...

Clark

Killing those bastards was surprisingly easy. No, it felt instinctual, like he was bestowing judgment down on some worthless shitrags. Bastards like that didn't deserve to live no matter what anyone else said. That's a stance he'll die for.

What shook him up was the fact that he hadn't hesitated for even a second. Sure, they were monsters, but he had never taken a human life before. So why was it so easy? And fuck why did it feel so right?

"Philosophical questions later. Girl crying on your chest dude. Focus!"

Clark continued to awkwardly rub her back as he hugged her. Her sobs gradually calmed down into quiet sniffling. Her arms still wrapped around him which made him both happy and extremely awkward. What was he supposed to do now? Does he strike up a conversation?

"Feeling better?" He asked almost flinching from how grim and gruff his voice now sounded. "Do you have a phone on you?" A small nod was her reply "Could you call the police I Uh...need some help and so do you"

She pulled her head back from his and grabbed her phone her hands shaking as she dialed in the number. Her face was still blank like she was disconnected from the world, yet her body betrayed her in that regard. "Yeah, no," gently grabbing her trembling hands, I took the phone from her "Here, let me, okay?" Dialing in 991, I waited for an operator to pick up, and thankfully, they did.

"991 Brockton Bay," a smooth female voice sounded out from the phone. "What is your emergency?" He blinked. The name is a little confusing but he ignored it

"Uh I'd like to report an attempted gang rape"

"...Noted you mentioned attempted where are the culprits?"

"...uh they may or may not be kinda...dead"

"...and am I right for assuming that you were the culprit, sir?"

I couldn't exactly blush but that doesn't mean I couldn't feel both embarrassed and horrified at the thought that I had killed someone. Only for that feeling to be suppressed once more somehow. "Yeah, it was me. But in my defense, they were literal nazis, so uh...do I go to jail for that?" He hoped not. He probably did the world a favor honestly.

"Officers are dispatched to your location. Is there anything else?" She said completely ignoring his question. He hummed as he thought before his eyes glanced at the black girl leaning up against a wall. Her knees pulled up, and his eyes wandered a little lower before he shook his head. "Get it together! Don't ogle the hot, half-naked, traumatized girl, you perv!"

"Uh yeah, pants and a shirt for a...taller than average girl, thanks" With that, he disconnected the call and sat down a couple of meters away from her leaning up against the wall; he closed his eyes as he thought about what a fucking fever dream this all was.

"Oh well, I'll wake up soon."

The sounds of police sirens seemed to not agree with him though.