Loud, blaring music blasted out from all angles. The stage was filled with massive booming boxes that unleashed waves of sound so fast and so loud that they would instantly drive any normal human deaf. The sound was able to send the sand flying back at super speeds and tear down trees. Even a Super likely wouldn't be able to listen to it for very long.
For Roulette, though, it was still too quiet. It never seemed to be enough. No matter how loud, he turned the volume up. The old man rested in his lazy-boy chair with his feet kicked up. His rifle rested across his lap, and his arm was outstretched, holding onto a remote that pointed at the stage in front of him. He kept turning the sound up louder and louder, waiting for someone to come and demand that he stop and turn it down.
No one ever did.
No one ever would.
Not anymore...
The stage was a massive soundboard that could play hologram images as well as music. Currently, it had Pretty Face's loudest song on full blast, the newest Enforcer member going ham on a series of guitars and drums as he screamed into the microphone. Roulette had been gifted the sound stage for his one hundred and twelfth birthday party. Backup had been the one to build it.
He used to hate all of Backup's inventions.
Now, what he wouldn't give just to see that young man create something new.
Roulette pressed the button on his remote, causing the stage to shut off. The lights flickered all the way off, and he remained in his chair, staring at it with blank eyes. He was old. He was so old; he was from a time when heroes didn't even wear costumes. His suit mainly just consisted of what he liked wearing most. Despite that, he had still been handed the title of hero and was still allowed to fight alongside his fellow team members in the form of the Watch Dogs. He had been one of the first people to join the group, being even older than Old Dog, who he trained with at the time.
Roulette felt his old bones begin to pop and creak as he struggled to his feet and stood up. He grabbed his hunting rifle and placed it down into the sand. He used it as a cane and began to walk, heading through the island.
Watch Dogs didn't own a base inside of a realm. Old Dog had never liked the realms, so they instead created a physical island. It had many places across it, though now only two truly mattered anymore.
Roulette stepped out of the wooded area and found himself standing in what looked like a makeshift resort area. A pool was built in the center, and all across it, passed out in the waters, Duplicity resided. There were around ten of her in total, each one totally unconscious. Roulette sighed and shook his head. He took a moment to create various beds made out of bullets. Rubber bullets that were bouncy and soft so that the bed would be at least semi-comfortable. Once that was done, he walked around and scooped up each Duplicity before placing the girl in the bed. He made sure each one was tucked in before he moved away.
"I swear, you take worse care of yourself than I do." Roulette grumbled. "I'm an old man, and I ain't got much time left. I should be the one being doted on all the time."
One of the Duplicity's muttered something in their sleep and casually rolled over, snoring softly.
It was just the two of them.
They were all that was left of the Watch Dogs. The other members were...
Roulette walked forward with his makeshift cane, and he went around the island gazing out at it once more. The trees were almost pure white, and snow rained down from above, thanks to Bad Wolf's power. Soon, though, that power would come undone, and with Bad Wolf gone, it would never be able to be recreated. The winter wonderland that made up the strange beach island would be broken. Until then, though, he'd enjoy the sight while he still could. It was beautiful. He knew that it would also be the final resting spot he lay at.
He could feel it in his bones.
Old Dog had described what it was like rotting away, and he was sure the same fate was finally starting to reach him. Even if it had taken a bit more time than previously expected.
He wasn't really sad about that fact, though. After all, he had lived quite the life.
Roulette found himself stepping into a new area of the island. It held a somber tone to it, being covered in a field of flowers that stood up even with the constant snow. A large stone pillar rose out of the ground, one that was carved with various names across it. The old hero waddled over to it, and he placed his hand on the pillar, rubbing it softly. The stone bit at his hand, but he ignored it, and his eyes scanned each name that was across it.
"Levithan, Stone Captain, Kraken, Oil, Motor Man, Tidal Wave, Lava Cat, Edge, Law Maker, Old Dog, Bad Wolf, Backup." So many members had come and gone. Duplicity would likely be the last name added to this list. He hoped her name wouldn't be on it for a hundred more years. She was still a great hero, after all. "It's been quiet since you all left us, you know. I've been having trouble sleeping lately. I'm used to the sound of explosions from all your inventions blowing up, Backup. I hope you're keeping him in check, Bad Wolf. You know how he can get. I also hope you're doing well, Old Dog. It's been years since you've seen your wife, so the two of you should spend as much time together as you can. I look forward to getting to shake your hand once more, Edge. It'll be real good to see you again. Soon. Very soon, I think."
Roulette closed his eyes and bowed his head down. He kept his grip iron-tight on the butt of his gun and said as many prayers as he knew. He had never been one to pray a lot; that had been something Oil always did, but he found himself praying a lot more. It was lonely sometimes.
He hated the thought of leaving Duplicity alone, but he also knew he didn't really have much choice. Maybe with him gone, maybe with her as the last member of the Watch Dogs, she would move on and be that great hero she was meant to be again.
Roulette suddenly stopped when he heard a loud sound. It came from the other side of the island and caused him to raise his head. It was a barking sound. It was quickly followed by another, and then a whine. The dogs were all howling at something.
They had taken in all the pups as a request from Motor Man. Motor Man always had a soft side and couldn't help it. Even after his death, they kept doing it, bringing in any dog that had been affected by powers and couldn't be changed back. This island served as a safe place for them. Though he didn't know what Duplicity would do once she was the only one left in charge. He hoped she remembered to feed them all.
Roulette gripped his gun tighter as he heard the whining get louder. He marched toward the noise as quickly as his slow body would allow and found himself stepping out through the woods near the edge of the beach where the dock resided. The sands were filled with dogs, some massive, some tiny, some bigger than even a truck, all seemingly barking and growling at the same thing.
Roulette stared into the sky where his dogs were looking, and for a moment, he felt a jolt go through him.
Wings. Long and golden, they flapped out, sending a rain of feathers down. Angelic in nature, for a moment, the old man found himself reaching out for one. Then he noticed who they were attached to.
It was a young-looking man. One who came down from the heavens themselves, floating softly to the ground. The man had blonde hair that was hidden beneath a fancy-looking hat with the symbol of a butterfly on it. They were dressed in an extremely expansive-looking suit and wore a long coat. From their back, massive golden wings jutted out before they slowly pulled themselves back into the man's back and vanished beneath his flesh. The man reached up and tipped his smile.
Roulette felt his teeth grind together, and he lifted his gun, pointing it toward the person in front of him. "Calvin-"
"Michael." The younger man corrected with a sly grin. "Archangel Michael, member of the Immortals. Right-hand man of Lucifer." Michael's grin grew larger as he stared into the anger-filled eyes that glared back. "It's been a while, hasn't it? Little brother. You and I should have a long conversation."
Something was about to begin.
Something that would change the world forever.
The Murder Games were soon to start...
***
"Pallet Boy Red has arrived!" The hologram of Rowan had his hands on his hips and a smile on his face as if he had done something good. "I'm programmed to let you know that while he isn't the best Mental-based Super out there, he should be more than enough to fix the battery issue. Simply show him the hood of the van and let him tinker on it for a bit! It should only take him three hours-"
"Three hours? You said the battery dies in one hour! And then it blows up!" Alexander said with wide eyes.
"I guess Rowan didn't consider that when he built this." Hope rubbed her forehead and resisted the urge to curse Rowan out. "This ride is a prototype, after all. I'm starting to see why he didn't make more than one."
"Stop acting calm." Kevin jittered and jumped up, his backpack form growing out dozens of long tendrils. "There is someone on our roof! Now isn't the time to act so casual!"
"Kevin's right." Hope folded her arms and nodded. "Do you think it is someone from the group you used to be part of, Kevin?" She knew Kevin likely didn't want to think back to his time in the Wandering Coin, but they were the only group she could think of that had access to the Pallet Boy's tech.
Kevin's backpack form created a small head that shook. "Not a chance. You guys destroyed all the tech we kept."
"The one you kept?"
"Yeah. I found out later, but apparently, Doc sold a majority of what he didn't need to random buyers in Hell Land." Kevin explained. "So, basically, what I'm saying is that it could be anyone up there."
"What is Hell Land?" Alexander asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Now's really not the time, Dad."
"Sorry."
"What's going on?" Jane finally managed to walk back, and she entered the area they were in to see them all staring up at the roof. "Did you find out what was with the alarm?"
Hope didn't say anything for several seconds. Instead, she kept her gaze fixed up above her. Whoever had landed didn't make any more noise. Even with her enhanced senses, she couldn't hear anything, so whoever it was, they were quiet. She wasn't able to see them through any of the windows or mirrors either. The person was placed at just the right angle to be totally out of sight. She'd have to open the door and step out if she wanted to see them. Made all the worse by the fact that they were still in the middle of the ocean, driving across it.
She wasn't really confident with her ability to fight underwater.
"What's going on?" Her mother asked once more, this time in a much more stern tone.
"Nothing." She reached out and grabbed Kevin. He didn't need to be told what to do; in an instant, he and the Pod wove over her body, instantly creating her hero costume once more. If worse came to worse, she'd just use him to create wings or something and try to fly that way. She wasn't too sure if something like that would work, but she didn't have any other choice. "Stay here." She stepped past her mom and entered the hallway outside. "I'll be right back."
"Hope-"
"It's okay." She turned back to her mom and managed to force a smile, giving a thumbs up. "I'll be okay. I promise. Besides, I already one-shot Cyber Horse earlier today, so when it comes to tech-based heroes or villains, I can handle myself."
Jane didn't say anything for a few moments. The woman just stared at her daughter's face in silence. Finally, though, Jane took a seat and nodded. "Alright. If you're sure."
"Of course I am!"
She couldn't have been any more unsure.
There was a terrible nagging feeling in her gut. One she had been suppressing, but she couldn't deny the terrifying thought. What if this was Avalon? It would be just like him to show up, and if anyone could use Pallet Boy tech, that man could surely figure it out. The thought of him being on the roof sent shivers down her spine. If Avalon was here, then that meant the Emperor was likely close by as well. She really wasn't ready for that just yet.
"Are you sure we can handle this?" Kevin whispered as they stepped away from where the Lauren's resided. It seemed he was thinking the same thing as she was. He was also aware of the danger that could be above them.
Hope brushed a strand of her hair back and pulled up her hood as she made her way to a different hallway. "I'll manage." She stated. The van had one hallway that led to a set of double doors, which would take her out the back way of the car. She used that hallway and made her way over to the doors, pushing them open. Outside the doors, she saw the endless sea around them, and saltwater rose up to meet her, chilling her down to her bone. She ignored it, though, and took a deep breath. "Alright. Let's do this."
"Just so you know, if it is someone dangerous, I'm ditching you and running away." Shift stated flatly.
Cinder rolled her eyes and stepped forward. As soon as she felt her body begin to fall out of the van, she spun around and grabbed the top of it. With inhuman strength, she pulled her entire body up and landed on the roof down in a crouch. "I don't know who you think you are, but you have a lot of explaining to do- Wait! I know you!"
Instantly, all the hostility she had built up faded and flickered out as she stared at the person on the roof of the van. She had been expecting someone like Avalon or even a total weirdo like Red Ape. This person was actually at the bottom of her list. What were the chances she'd be seeing them again so soon?
"Great," Kevin muttered out. "We got the nutjob. How did she even find us? Better question actually, why did she find us!"
The person who stood on the roof of the van was a young girl around her own age. They had long gray hair that had been tied back, and they wore what looked almost like a strange military uniform. A rapier hung at the girl's waist, and she was currently crouched down, fiddling with the roof of the van with her hand. Meta, the girl she had met during Hell Land, had somehow shown back up. Either this was good, or it was very, very bad.
"Meta?" Cinder found herself taking a step back, and she nearly fell off of the van's roof. She had to throw her hands out and steady herself as she stared at the other girl. "What are you doing here?"
Meta's head finally looked up. The girl cocked it to the side, and her eyes were as blank as ever, holding almost no emotion. "You were screaming for help." Just like her eyes, Meta's voice lacked any tone to it, being simply flat and to the point. It still creeped her out a bit, especially as she could still recall Meta's last words.
"Are you talking about the signal?" She asked hesitantly.
"Yes." Meta ran her hand over the van's roof again, as if she were almost petting it. "This ride was crying out for help. Begging to be seen by me."
"Huh?"
"My power," Meta said flatly. "I can hear voices in things that don't talk. The signal you were letting out came to me like a wailing baby. This thing isn't quite ready for field testing, yet you still brought it out? You even pushed it so far." Meta glanced down at the front of the van, which was still partially caved in. "There, there." The girl patted the van as if soothing a sobbing child.
"I didn't build it; it was a gift-" She shook her head, getting her mind back on track. "Wait! It told us the Pallet Boys were coming! Did you steal any of their gear!"
Meta finally stood up and casually dusted herself off. The girl raised her sleeve up and showed off a small watch wrapped around her wrist. "This is what picked up your signal. I guess it did belong to some heroes at one time or another. I found it in the junkyard behind Hell Land recently when I was visiting it." So apparently, Meta and Metal Ronin had a few things in common. "You were the one asking for help, you know. You're kind of being rude." Meta's fingers gently wrapped around the sword handle at her side and got ready to raise it up. "I don't like rude people-"
"Wait! I'm not rude, Meta! It's me, remember!"
"No." Meta drew her blade. "I don't remember. I don't think we've ever met. Sorry."
Cinder let out a squeak and pulled her hood down. "Ruby! I'm Ruby! I was at Hell Land, remember!"
Meta's hand twitched, and in a flash, the girl sheathed her sword. She almost let out a sigh of relief but was stopped when Meta grabbed her by the face. Meta gripped either side of her face and stared at her with a blank look. She could tell the villain was studying her. Finally, Meta let go and spoke once more. "Growth spurt?"
"Not exactly. It's complicated." She sighed.
Meta nodded. "I see. Hope. Your name is Hope? Ruby was a fake name."
She winced a little. Kevin was the one who had said her real name in front of Meta during Hell Land. It was thanks to him that this creepy girl knew who she really was. "Yeah... My name is Hope Lauren."
Meta kept looking her up and down for several moments. "I see." Meta's hand seemed to twitch for a moment, almost going for her sword once more, but it stopped. "Cinder."
She winced again. "Yep." She said awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm Cinder- Whoa!" In an instant, Meta's sword was aimed at her again, placed directly under her chin. The girl was seriously fast, maybe even faster than Battery. She hadn't even been able to see the movement. Meta's head was cocked to the side again, and the girl's finger toyed with a trigger that was attached to the handle. "Wait-" She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting to feel searing pain, but it never came. When she did open her eyes again, the blade was still just pointing at her neck.
Meta was eyeing her up again and finally seemed to make a choice. The girl pulled the sword away and sheathed it once more. She was starting to get a heart attack from how often that sword nearly impaled her. Meta finally showed a bit of emotion by letting out a scoff. "You're not Cinder. Don't lie. Bad girl. Don't say false things to your elders."
"Bad girl? Elders? We're the same age- Hey, wait a second! I am, too, Cinder! I'm a good girl!"
"No, you're not. You're a bad girl for lying." Meta casually turned away from her. "The real Cinder would have shattered my sword and then knocked me out in one attack. You're not the Lord of the Sun; don't lie to me like that. Your costume doesn't even look right." So Meta was also a Cinder fangirl, as it turned out? She was really unsure if that was a good thing or not.
"Why do people keep saying that my suit isn't right? It's called getting an upgrade!" Cinder took a deep breath and placed both her hands on her hips, puffing her chest out. "I'll have you know I'm the real deal. I'm Cinder—a proud member of Pantheon and, yes, the current Lord of the Sun. I just... Happen to be a bit weak right now." She deflated a bit and fought off the urge to drop her head.
Meta turned back to her, raising an eyebrow. "Weaker?"
"I lost a lot of my power during the Beast fight." She explained. "That was why I was all tiny when we first met. I wasn't actually a kid; I was just in a depowered state that was all shrunk and stuff."
"Uh, you sure it's a good idea to be saying all of this?" Kevin hissed into her ear. "This bitch is freaking psycho, Hope. Just look at that dead-eyed expression."
She nearly winced. Kevin was right. Meta's weird way of acting had made her not think straight, and she had basically announced the fact that she was way weaker than a villain—one who could have been part of some evil group and seemed to have it for her.
"So your power isn't what it used to be?" Meta let out a soft hum. "I see. So you are Cinder, and you are the Lord of the Sun; you're just weaker now."
She tried not to say anything but finally just sighed in defeat and nodded. "Yeah. Can you keep that fact to yourself?"
"Sure."
"Seriously?"
"Super seriously." Meta rubbed her chin, and the girl looked up at the sky above, not seeming to care about the fact she was staring straight at the sun. "That's an issue, though. You being weaker and all. Cinder can't be weak. She needs to be strong. Stronger than me. The Lord of the Sun needs..." Meta shook her head. "Is there a way for you to get your power?"
She shrugged and shook her head. "No?" This was really weird. This wasn't a normal conversation. It was way too casual for what was going on. Meta was just one big oddball. "Why do you seem to care so much?" She narrowed her eyes.
"Because." Meta glanced back at her and held a soft frown on her lips. "I need to see Cinder. You aren't Cinder. Not until you have your full power back. Right now, you're just some girl running around claiming she's the Lord of the Sun. That makes this all much worse for me. I was hoping I'd get to meet her, the real you, before the start of the games. Guess I'm out of luck, though."
"Start of the games?"
"It's nothing." Meta's entire form seemed to almost slump a bit, and the girl looked like she might be pouting. Meta turned away from her and began to walk to the edge of the van, seemingly getting ready to jump off. "I guess I'll just have to see the real Cinder for when you get your powers back. Give me a call or something, okay? I'd really like to meet her."
"I'm the same person you know. With or without powers. Unless... You're talking about the Brightest Star." Meta didn't look back at her, but she knew she was correct. It wasn't really her that Meta was interested in. It was the Ego within her. The power that could talk. Something almost no person should know about, yet this girl did. That just made her more worried. "Earlier, when we first met, you told me that you were a very bad person. Are you evil?"
"I'm a villain. That much is obvious, isn't it?"
"But are you evil?"
"If I am? What will you do to me, Hope?"
"Cinder. I'm Cinder when I'm in this costume."
"Until you have your power back, I don't think I want to call you Cinder, nor do I think I'll accept you being the Lord of the Sun." Meta still didn't look at her. The girl just kept staring out at sea. "As for what business I have with the real Lord of the Sun, that's my personal privacy. I don't think you have any right to question that."
She sprung forward with her enhanced speed. Meta barely had time to turn around before she delivered her attack. It stopped inches away from Meta's face, the wind blowing the girl's hat off and sweeping her hair back. She moved her fist back, stopping the attack at the last second, just as Meta had done for her. "When I was in Hell Land, you went out of your way to help me escape. You even helped Kevin. You had no idea who either of us was, yet you still helped. Then, today, you show up out of the blue after you hear the signal. You also didn't seem to know it was me. Were you planning on helping again?"
"I was going to do what I could before you started being rude to me." The girl said casually.
"I just don't get you at all." She pulled herself away and folded her arms. "You're a villain; you say you're evil, and yet you keep helping people? You know things you shouldn't and are acting all shady. You're like a younger, girly version of Mr. Larison."
"Evil is subjective, you know." Meta also folded her arms. "I told you that during Hell Land. Not all villains are evil, and not all heroes are good guys."
"Well, what are you?"
"You should answer first."
Her reputation was in the dumps, and she was being hunted by the Hero Branch, so in a way, that did make her a villain, but she definitely wasn't evil—at least, she didn't think she was. "It doesn't matter, I guess. I just can't read you at all." This time, she was the one to turn away, and she casually waved her hand. "Take care, Ms. Meta. Maybe one day, when I have my powers back, we'll meet again, but don't get your hopes up on me being the Brightest Star. I intend to stay in control of my body-"
"Wait."
She stopped suddenly when she felt a hand grab her wrist. Meta gripped her sleeve, and she looked back at the girl. The villain stared at her with no emotion in her eyes as Meta patted the top of her head. "What?"
"My hat."
"Huh?"
"My hat is gone." Meta stated dryly. "I liked that hat. You blew it away, though."
She processed the girl's words and rubbed the back of her neck gently. "Okay? What do you want me to do about it?"
"Take responsibility. You owe me a new hat."
"Seriously?"
"Super Seriously. It has to be a cool hat also."
Her eye twitched a bit as she stared at the odd villain. "I don't have a hat for you, though."
"Oh." Meta cocked her head to the side once more. "Okay. Then I want to see the inside of this van and fix it up. It keeps crying, it keeps crying, and it makes me sad. I'm going in."
"You will not!" Her eyes went wide, and she raised her arms up. "There is no way in hell I will ever let you inside of this thing! My family is in there."
"Cool." Meta brushed past her and made for the double doors. "I guess I'll get to meet your mom and dad then."
"Hey! I said no!"
"Do you have a hat for me?" Meta questioned.
She looked down at her suit for a moment. "Don't even fucking think about it," Kevin said flatly. "I ain't about to become this psycho bitch's hat. I'd rather stick with you than her."
"Then I guess it's settled." Meta lazily flipped her hair. "Until my brother comes to pick me up and gives me my hat back, you will have to let me stay here."
"I don't think I agreed to that..." Meta just ignored her, and the girl was already hanging off the side of the van. "Seriously. This girl is just the weirdest."
A few minutes later, Hope found herself sitting in the backseat next to Meta as the van drove forward, both her parents sitting up front. Her dad kept eyeing the new girl up with the rearview mirror, his eyebrow raising more and more as Meta's face remained totally blank and expressionless. Her mom also kept looking back, waiting for Meta to do or say anything, but Meta didn't.
The villain just remained in place, staring straight ahead. It was hard to tell if Meta was even breathing, and she wondered if the girl might have fallen asleep.
"So," Jane raised an eyebrow and looked back at her daughter. "Who's your new friend, Hope?"
"I have no freaking clue."
"I am Meta." Meta said quietly, "Where are we going?"
"We were kind of just heading in a random direction." Her father said awkwardly. "At least until the van dies, and we have to leave it."
"Dies?" Meta frowned softly. "Oh. You mean how the battery is running out? Not an issue. I will take care of that. In return, though, I'd like to be dropped off at Daisy."
"Daisy? Why?"
"Because I said so."
"Okay..." Alexander shot his father a look, but she just shook her head.
"Alright then." Hope sighed and looked away from Meta, staring out the window. "Next stop is Daisy, I guess."
"My, my, you look quite ticked off, friend. Did something happen?" Arvin Ros, head of Daisy's Hero Branch, had an amused smirk on his face as he stared down at his laptop.
On the other side of the screen, Dean Ward ran his fingers through his hair. "You said this would all be under control." Ward hissed.
"When did I say that?" Ros questioned.
"It was you who came up with the fake Cinder plot, to begin with!" Ward hissed. "Your family are the ones that capture most of the Emperor's monsters. You use them for your own means and agenda. I was turning a blind eye to it since this time it helped us, but now your little pawn is gone, and we have the real Cinder running around once again."
Ros lazily tapped his finger down on his desk. Unlike Ward, who was still quite young, Ros was an older, plump little man who had seen a lot during his time working for the Branch. "I'll admit things haven't been going the best for us recently. It all started with that new villain, Battery. I never considered he'd pull his stunt. Not only did he manage to beat the Victorian, he even threw every hero out of their city. Worse yet, he's been doing a better job than we have. We'll need to get it back under control. I'll also take the blame for what happened to Skin Walker. I've used her as an agent for fifteen years now. Her powers made it a good way to come up with cover stories. This is the first time she's run away, however. It's quite worrying, as she seemed very loyal to whoever was in charge. It makes me concerned about what happened to her." Ros let out a sigh and shook his head. "If only we had a button that we could push that would just magically fix everything."
"We do have that button!" Ward yelled as he slammed his fist down into his desk, shaking his computer.
"We do?"
"The Victorian is supposed to be our dog." Ward hissed out. "She obeys us without question. Even now, she should be following our orders! So what if she lost once? It was a fluke. She won't lose again, I'm sure. Especially if the other heroes help her."
"That's likely true. The Victorian could swoop in and solve our little Battery problem. There's just one issue. Nobody can get ahold of her." Ros pulled out a cigar and lit up as he leaned back in his chair. "In the past, she remained in Rose at nearly all times. This made it easy for your mother to get in contact with her. When the Victorian wasn't in Rose, we had Boy Genius who could find her. Now, not only is she not in Rose, but Boy Genius has seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth as well. We simply haven't been able to give her any orders, so she's still doing her own thing until then."
"Will she even obey now that she isn't the number one hero?"
"Her father would. Just remind her of that fact, and she'll fall in line. She's still a good dog." Ros huffed out a stream of smoke.
Ward sighed again. "Why couldn't we have Full Monarch? Every Lord before now was actually worth something. Now we're stuck with all these useless fools. This Lord of the Sun is pathetic, as is the Sea. The only ones worth a damn in this generation are the Sky and Land."
"Speaking of the Lord of the Sky, Gladiolus City is still the only city not under Battery's control. We've managed to move all the other Enforcers over there. I've been working with them to come up with a plan. Mister Man and Lady Time are trying to get ahold of the Victorian, so we might be able to wrap up this Battery issue sooner than we thought." Ros stated. "In the meantime, though, what do you plan to do with the Lord of the Sun?"
"Hope Lauren? I was just going to throw her to the wolves." Ward shrugged.
"How cruel."
"No. What's cruel is her very existence. It's such a cosmic joke. She dared to be born with only a faction of Full Monarch's power. If she truly cared about us, she would never have existed. Worse yet, she got everyone's hopes up during the Beast fight. She actually made us all believe that she could live up to his legend. Now look at her. Depowered and weak once more. Barely above common trash like Golden Weaver. I had a few agents I've placed in Oleander, some of them living amongst Paragon's people, and I managed to overhear the issue of her powers. They believe they could return, but it's been days, and she has shown no sign. We don't really have time to wait for her now, do we? Honestly, it would just be a lot faster if she died and we got a new Lord."
Ros snickered at Ward's rant. "Come now, friend, even a broken toy can still be used. We both know the reason you're really mad. She humiliated you on live TV."
Ward's little talk with the hero Cinder had been filmed and broadcasted by dozens of people and was going around the news now. Everyone and their mother saw the man announce that Cinder was the fake, and most people were willing to believe it. They also saw as the fake Cinder casually threw the van near Ward, nearly making the man wet himself, before one shotting two of his Supers and blowing up his car.
Ward had been so flustered by the end of it he had called his mom to whine. Sadly for him, Madam Ward was a bit busy dealing with Battery in Rose City.
"We need to get rid of Cinder no matter what," Ward growled. "She could reveal the fact we propped up a fake. That was why I did what I did. I'm helping us, you know. If you don't want to go down with the ship, you should also focus on taking her out."
"Am I really in the same boat you are?" Ros cocked his head to the side. "After all, how does anyone know that it was me who hired Skin Walker and not you?"
Ros watched Ward's face twist to anger once again at his suggestion, but before either of them could say anything, the door to Ros's office slid open, and an unpaid intern ran in and began to whisper something into Ros's ear. Ros's eyes widened for a moment, and his grin grew.
"Really? You don't say. That's interesting."
"What is it?" Ward asked through clenched teeth.
Ros looked back at his monitor lazily. "A van."
"Huh?"
"A van is approaching my city. On the water."
Ward leaned back in his chair and stared at the other director with narrowed eyes. "What are you going to do about it?"
"Me? Nothing. I have no issues with the hero Cinder. She did save an entire city, after all." Ros tapped his finger down on his desk and stared back at the camera. "You, though... Well, I'm willing to bet money you'd like to have it dealt with, so why don't we cut straight to the point? You want Cinder dead or captured since she's currently depowered. What will you give me if I do it for you?"
Ward gritted his teeth, and they ground together so hard he could almost taste the flakes of a tooth on his tongue. "I thought you didn't want her to die."
"Well, logically speaking, if her powers don't ever return, she would be better off dead so we could get a new Lord." Ros shrugged. "I'm willing to let her live to see if the powers do come back, but as it stands now, not only is she seemingly against us, but she is also in a state where a villain could get their hands on her. I simply don't want that happening. More importantly, though, I also love the idea of you owing me a favor. So, what will it be?"
Ward let out another angry huff. "My father used to run the Branch, and right now, my mother is the one in charge! I don't need your help! I'll handle this matter myself!"
"Will you now?"
"Yes!" Ward slammed a hand down onto his keyboard and disconnected from the call. His screen went back, and he gripped his hand into a tight fist. "I don't need any help. I'm the son of the great Ace Ward; I'm the one who should rightfully rule the world. I'm the most human."
It was starting soon. He could feel it. Supers were reaching too far. With people like Battery or Cinder existing, the world as Ward knew it was on the verge of a change. A change that wouldn't allow someone like him to walk down the path he desired.
He was still in control.
For now.
***
Alexander gasped and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. He winced a bit as he stared down into the toilet bowl. It had become mostly red after he was done throwing up.
He had let Jane take over with the driving after Hope, and that new girl had come back inside. He had felt the sharp pains in his stomach, and that had been his cue to leave. Luckily, most of these rooms had built-in bathrooms, so finding a spot to puke up his guts hadn't been too hard.
Alexander let out a weak chuckle as he tried to steady his breathing. The world was spinning, but he had been through this enough times to know it would eventually settle down.
When he had been in Oleander, he had Paragon to help him. Now, though, he was mostly fending for himself. He had basically forced Paragon to stay silent about it and not say anything to his wife or daughter. He was well aware that this trip was likely going to be his last. He intended to enjoy it. He wasn't stuck in the hospital after all. He was free. Free to go where he wanted and be with the people he loved. He couldn't have been happier.
"Come on, Alex." Alexander slapped at his face a bit as the world finally quit spinning, and his body calmed down. "Just a little bit longer. You can do this."
Physically, he was fine. The Dead Virus that had existed within him had been utterly removed, and he no longer needed to worry about it. The damage he had received, though, during his time while he was infected had been another matter altogether. His body was at the end of its story, slowly coming undone. The truth was, he should have been dead years ago. The day he had been touched by that vile villain should have been his last day on Earth. It was a miracle he had made it this far.
A miracle he wasn't going to look down on.
Alexander left the bathroom, and once he was done cleaning up his mess, he stretched a bit and made his way up front to where the others were. That alarm hadn't stopped. It was still going off, saying that they were low on battery. That Meta girl had assured them though that the van could run for a bit longer even when the battery was so low. The alarm was more of a warning, and they weren't quite at the empty stage yet. Once they reached Daisy, they'd be able to stop, and Meta would take a look at the van and see what she could do to fix the battery issue.
It mostly went over his head.
"Are you okay?"
Alexander looked down at his daughter as he stepped into the room. She was still in the car seat, sitting next to Meta. Jane was up front, doing her best to drive the strange car that they were in. He reached down and messed with his daughter's hair. "Of course I'm fine. I used to be a sailor, you know. Being out on the water has never bothered me." He joked.
"If you're sure." His daughter didn't sound too certain.
"I am."
It had been almost a full hour since they left Lillian. The van wouldn't have much more juice left at the rate they were going, but luckily, they didn't need to go much further. "Is that Lillian?" Jane asked.
Alexander looked out the window as he saw the city they were approaching. Daisy was sort of like Lillian and Oleander in a way. It was connected to another city, that being Gladiolus. Whereas Lillian and Oleander were mostly the same, though, Daisy was totally different from its sister city.
The sun was still high up, painting the city in a golden glow that made it hard to really see any of the details. Massive towering Giants walked around, just like the others. A large bridge connected the city, which went across the waters to Gladiolus. Unlike Daisy, Gladiolus seemed to lack any of the Giants.
Just as they had done in Lillian, they drove out of the ocean and landed on the beach of Daisy. The beach was slopped down, going mostly into the water, and around Daisy was a large hill with a big stone wall going all the way around the city. Daisy also didn't seem to have any massive skyscrapers, so from where they were, it made it impossible for any of them to actually gaze at the city. They all piled outside of the van, and Meta finally took a look at it.
"Shh, shh, it's okay." The gray-haired girl rubbed her hand on the car's hood. She was certainly an odd one. He wondered just who the hell she was. A friend of his daughters. Meta pulled the hood up, and a wave of steam and smoke came blasting out, but it didn't even cause the girl to flinch. "Oh." That was all she said once the smoke was gone.
"Is that a good oh or a bad oh?" Jane asked nervously.
Meta looked down at the engine, not saying anything for several moments. The engine was formed from what looked like trash. Discarded scraps of metal that were practically glued or taped together. It shouldn't have worked, yet it did, thanks to Metal Ronin's weird power. All Mental-based users could sort of use other gear crafted from other Supers, but it would require them taking apart what they were messing with and rebuilding it so that it would feed off of their power instead. The more complicated something was, the harder it would be to take apart. Thankfully, Metal Ronin's didn't seem too bad.
"It's using a spacial rift to generate the pocket realm that is inside of the van," Meta explained casually. "It's actually using several spacial rifts that are all stacked on top of each other, hence why the inside can rapidly change in length. This also is what allows the van to move. It actually hasn't been driving in a traditional sense. Instead, it has more or less been going forward in space, teleporting rapidly. Doing this to a human body isn't really healthy and could be dangerous, so I guess that is why he made this thing so big, giving it some shielding. It does make me wonder where he got all the stuff to make these things, though."
"I think he got it from the Watch Dogs." Hope finally spoke up. "They had this boat that could fly and stuff, and it also was larger on the inside like this van."
Meta nodded her head. "I see. Backup had an ability that allowed him to use spatial tech similar to the stuff Avalon used to make the original realms. I'm guessing what was left over from that ship you mentioned was rebuilt by Metal Ronin into this stuff."
"I think he used it in one of his suits as well." Alexander piped up. "He has this new suit that just sort of summons stuff for him. I saw him bust some of his gadgets out of thin air a bit ago when I was teamed up with the Sub Enforcers."
"Am I the only one who is totally lost?" Jane asked flatly.
"Nope." Kevin let out a sigh. "I always just tune out the smart mumbo jumbo. It doesn't have to make sense as long as it works. Powers are bullshit like that."
"Can you fix whatever issue the van is having?" Hope asked, folding her arms.
Meta nodded her head. "Of course. It'll be quite easy. As that hologram mentioned, the battery is low. I'd say less than one percent. We're lucky we got here when we did. Now that the van is off, the battery won't be at risk of draining as fast. I'll start with it, undo the engine, and remake it myself. This will allow me to power the rifts inside of it so it won't die. That said, you should know I don't plan on staying with you all for very long. I have some things to do in this city, so when I'm done, I'll take my leave. Without me, the van would eventually run out of power again. It might be able to last a day or two at most, but you'll need to find someone else to fix it again."
"That's fine." Hope shrugged. "I just need it to get to Gladiolus, which is close by thankfully."
"Gladiolus? What are we doing there?" Alexander asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought we were heading to Rose?"
"We are. I told you, though, I had something I needed to do first." Hope explained. "There is someone in Gladiolus I'd like to speak to first before I go and see Mr. Larison."
"Larison?" Meta cocked her head to the side again. "You are Hope Lauren, so by Larison I would assume you are talking about Battery, correct?"
"You know Mr. Larison?" Hope asked a little taken aback.
"No. We've never met." Meta shook her head. "I did hear a lot about him from my father, though. He talks about the one called Jack Larison a lot."
Hope frowned a bit. That was a little ominous. She doubted Meta would explain further, though. The girl had a bad habit of not saying enough. "How long will it take you to fix the engine?"
"Not too long. Maybe about an hour." Meta shrugged. "The battery should last now that the van is turned off."
Hope nodded her head. "Okay. In the meantime, I guess I'll go take a look at Daisy."
"Is that a smart idea?" Jane asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, you did sort of tick off the Hero Branch."
Hope just shrugged. "Maybe, but at the same time, I really wanna see what Daisy looks like."
"Fair enough, I guess." Jane zipped up a jacket she was wearing and stepped forward. "I'm coming with you in that case, and I won't take no for an answer."
Alexander let out a soft snort. "I'll stay with Meta and the van. You two go have fun."
Hope glanced back at Meta for a moment. The gray-haired girl was already tinkering on the van and didn't seem to be paying any attention to them. Slowly, she took her backpack off and tossed it over to her father. "Keep Kevin company also. I won't need him."
"Are you sure?"
"I don't plan on getting into any fights; I just want to go take a look, is all."
"Yeah, but it's you..." Alexander let out a soft chuckle when he saw his daughter's cheeks turn a little red. "You seem to have a bad habit of drawing the wrong sort of people to you at the worst times. Seriously, stay safe. Try to keep a close eye on her, Jane."
"If any fighting starts, I'm pretty sure I'll be the one relying on her." Jane giggled.
Hope rolled her eyes and began to march up the hill. "I don't get into that many fights. The bad guys start most of them." She grumbled. She was followed closely by her mother.
Alexander remained behind and watched his family leave. He held the backpack his daughter had tossed him awkwardly in his arms, and he leaned up against the side of the van while Meta worked on the engine. It was hard to really tell what the girl was doing. She didn't have any tools. Instead, she would wave her hand, and a weird greenish glow would come out. Screws and other such things in the van would come undone and pull themselves out before putting themselves back in place. It didn't really look like the girl was changing anything about the van either. He supposed it didn't matter, though. Just so long as she made sure the damn thing wouldn't randomly explode on them.
"So, Meta, was it?" Alexander asked awkwardly.
"That isn't my full name. It isn't my real name either." The girl barely spoke up and didn't turn her head, keeping it under the hood as she worked. "I gave Ruby that name when I was in Hell Land as a nickname."
"Ruby?"
"That was the name your daughter gave me in Hell Land."
"You keep mentioning Hell Land? What is it?" Alexander asked.
"The name says it all." Alexander nearly jumped as the backpack he held grew a mouth. "It's basically hell on Earth, my dude. Cinder saved me from that place."
Alexander looked down at the backpack and gave it a once-over. "So, you're a friend of my daughter's, right?"
"Nah. Just someone using her to get what they want. Don't worry, though. I couldn't hurt her if I wanted to. Even without her other powers, I think she'd kick my ass. I'm not much of a fighter, as it turns out." Kevin muttered sadly. A few tendrils on his body glanced at Meta. "What's your deal exactly?"
"I'm waiting on my brother to come pick me up," Meta responded in her usual flat tone.
"Your brother is that guy I saw in Hell Land, right?"
"Yes."
"He creeped me out." Kevin shuddered a bit. "Same way you do. What's your story? What is it you even do?"
"My brother and I repurpose Super tech." Meta waved her hand and caused several pipes to pop out of the van before they spun around and put themselves back in place. "Unlike other Supers, my power is specifically made to copy and rebuild Mental tech. For others, it takes them a while to understand, and they need the tech in front of them for them to rebuild and use it. For me, though, once I figure out how something works, I can remake it as many times as I want. This includes biotech as well. That was why my brother and I were at Hell Land. We were selling some drugs I had created."
"Drugs!" Alexander stepped back in shock, his eyes going wide. "What kind of hero are you!"
"Hero?" Meta slowly looked at the man.
Alexander felt an uneasy feeling in his gut as he stared into the girl's blank eyes. "Y- Yeah. You know... The good guys. You're a friend of my daughter's, so... You're a hero, right?"
Meta stared directly at the other man before she slowly turned and got back to work. Kevin let out a small sigh of relief at the fact Meta didn't do anything drastic. "Trust me, man, just ignore her the best you can. There's a reason your daughter left me with you."
Alexander could feel his throat become dry, and he cleared it, stepping further away from Meta. "I'll just stand over here while you work on the van."
"Okay," Meta said in a bored tone.
He took a moment to look back at the direction his daughter and wife had left toward. "Between beating up Golden Weaver, running from the Hero Branch, and now letting a villain hitch a ride with them, I'm starting to get worried," Alexander muttered. "Just what the hell are you trying to achieve, Hope?"
Over at the wall, Hope reached it and placed her hand on it. It was a large stone structure that circled the entire city, blocking it all. The wall went up about as big as most skyscrapers, and since most of the buildings inside of Daisy were fairly small, it made it impossible for her to actually see anything about the city.
"How do we get in?" Jane questioned. "And how do its people get out?"
"I'd imagine it has a gate or something." Hope shrugged her shoulders. "I bet if we were to keep walking in a random direction, we'd arrive at the gate and be able to get in that way."
"Judging from the way you said that, I'm going to take a wild guess that we're not about to enter through the front gate-" Jane was cut off when her daughter grabbed her. She let out a loud squeak as she was flipped onto her back and held in her daughter's arms. "Hope?"
"Up we go."
"Hope!"
Hope crouched down and then fired herself up as hard as she could. Her legs bounced her up, and she went flying into the air, jumping as high as she could. She kept a strong grip on her mom, who screamed as loudly as possible, and in only a few seconds, she reached the top of the wall. She came down softly, landing on it, still clutching onto her mom, who was shaking.
"W- Warn me next time-"
"I'm jumping again."
"Wait-"
This time, she stepped off of the wall and plummeted down. She kicked part of her leg out and used it to slow her fall, grinding against the wall until they came to a soft landing on the other side from where they started. She finally sat her mother down, who grabbed at the ground, still shaking.
"You're worse than that Battery guy! Why can't you Supers learn to carry normal people more gently!" Jane yelled.
Hope sheepishly rubbed the back of her head and giggled. "Oh, come on, that was so cool, wasn't it?" Her mother just shot her a death glare. "Well, I thought it was cool." She poked her tongue out and then turned to finally take a look at Daisy. "Whoa. Not what I was expecting, honestly."
Cities could be weird. Not all of them were very modern-looking, and not all of them looked as if they should make sense. This is mostly because each great city was built at a different time by a different team of Supers back when Mr. Sini first created Sinicorp. Violet City was the closest thing she had seen to Daisy. Violet had been the city Fable protected, and it was more like a village or old-looking town that you would see in a novel about knights and princesses.
Daisy wasn't Violet City but likely had been built by the same person or at least influenced by it. Like the other cities, the Giants stood at either side, each one towering above the wall. They all had the familiar threading of water attached to the back of their heads that led to the center of the city, where a massive castle resided. It wasn't any normal castle, though. It was forged from glass and white marble and sparkled. Many of the houses actually looked to be made out of gems or glass. The street was a bright yellow, being pathed by a golden brick road that stretched out, and despite the fact it hadn't rained at all and was still the middle of the day, dozens of rainbows stretched out in the sky, which hadn't been visible until they arrived in the city.
Since it was the middle of the day, people were walking around. They, in a way, reminded her heavily of a cosplay convention. No one was dressed in normal clothes. Instead, it was men wearing heavy suits of armor or women in dresses or cloaks. Some guys walked around in gray robes clutching staves, and others had bows and arrows on their backs. There were still cars and other such things that you'd see in a normal city, but it all had this fantastical feel to it.
She had seen a few people from Daisy a time or two when people would vacation in Oleander, so it wasn't the first time she had seen them so oddly dressed, but it was kind of cool seeing so many. Daisy hadn't always used to be like this. It was a rather small city in the grand scheme of things and had only expanded and changed style after Lady Time took it over. The Enforcer had apparently been really into high fantasy, and so each year had added more and more to it over the course of fifteen years until Daisy had ended up the way it did now.
Honestly, the Giants really didn't stand out all that much. In fact, they looked like they belonged here. The people had apparently accepted them or grown used to them, as several decorations or offerings had been placed at the feet of the Giant, and as a person would walk by, they'd bow their head. Out of every city, Daisy had the lowest crime rate, with the exception of Rose. Lady Time would mostly spend her days modeling or teaming up with Mister Man or the Victorian, so it was unlikely the Giants had actually done anything in days.
"This... Wow." Jane said with wide eyes.
"Yeah." Hope's own eyes were wide as she looked around at the grand city. She suddenly felt very underdressed since she was just in her T-shirt and pants, and her mother was wearing a heavy jacket and jeans. They stood out and were already getting several odd looks, though that could have also been from the fact she literally dropped off of the wall. No one was calling any cops or anything on her, though, and she didn't see any Hero Branch vehicles that were coming her way. "Man, why couldn't we have lived here? This place is cool. I mean- Oh my God, a sword shop!"
Her eyes suddenly flashed, and she found herself being drawn to a small glass-looking building that was placed on the curb. Past the window, she could see what looked like a small little man that, in a fantasy series, would have likely been a dwarf. He stood behind a counter, and there was a wall of dozens of handcrafted swords hanging up. Her eyes were stars as she stared at them. "I want one."
"With what money?" Her mother snorted.
"Good point. We're totally broke, aren't we?" She sighed and deflated a bit.
"Just a bit."
She shook her head and began to walk away from the sword store. "Momma will be back for you when she's rich!" She promised as she glanced back at the many blades.
"So what are we doing exactly?" Her mother asked as they began to walk down the street, mixing in and out of the crowd of oddly dressed people.
"I dunno." She lazily shrugged. "I really just wanted to kill some time before Meta fixed up the van. My ADHD brain can't just stand by and do nothing, you know. Figured it'd be cool to look around." She looked at all the different buildings that resided around her. "So far, I'm not disappointed."
"Well, I will admit this place is quite pretty."
"Yeah, it is! I'll have to take some pictures and show Sky. I bet she'd love this stuff. She told me that she likes to look at pretty things since she can see again!" She said cheerfully. "Now that I think about it, though, I also need a new phone-" She was suddenly cut off when her enhanced senses picked up on a loud cry that came up ahead.
Her mother couldn't hear it but took one look at her face and just sighed. "I don't like that look, Hope-" Her mom once again let out a loud yelp as she picked the woman off and took off running at a high speed.
She moved past the crowd, going faster than the human eye could follow, simply vanishing to the other people's point of view as she followed the direction of the cry. When she finally arrived, she came to a sliding stop in front of a large park. It had strange blue-colored grass and dozens of trees with colorful leaves scattering off of them. Also in the park was a little girl who was crying and staring up at the top branch where a cat was stuck in a tree.
"Huh." She said, a little surprised. "New city, same side quests."
She had started her hero career by saving cats in trees, and that was something she doubted she'd stop doing anytime soon. She placed her mother down and, with a single jump, used just enough strength to appear next to the cat on the branch. It meowed at her as she scooped it up in her arms and dropped down to the grass below.
"My kitty!" The little girl took the cat with shaking arms.
"You should be more careful with him." She teased. "You don't want him running off again and getting stuck. I might not be there next time to get him out."
The little girl nodded her head. "I'll be more careful!"
Off to the side, Jane watched the display with a small smile. That smile faded though when a voice spoke up next to her. "My, my, my. Saving cats in trees. You really are a girl after my own heart, aren't you, Cinder?" Jane felt a hand on her shoulder as someone seemingly appeared next to her.
Hope froze for a moment when she heard the voice, and she frowned. "What do you want?" Slowly, she turned around and came face to face with the hero Purrfect. "And get away from my mother."
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT