City of Heroes: The Center

Copyright Cryptic Studios and PlayNC. Characters are copyright by their respective owners.

Chapter 1

Dynamic Duo

“You know, you really don’t get it, do you?”
“Don’t get haughty with me. Just ‘cus I didn’t answer a question on nuclear physics correctly doesn’t mean you could answer a pop quiz on the art of the sword.”
“Oh, please don’t go all Japanese on me.”
The white haired figure stopped. “Come out of your suit and say that.”
“Go to Hell.”
A beeping sound drew their attention from Atlas Park below to the mechanical wrist unit on the armored being standing there. A compartment opened up and a small screen came to life. A background emblem displaying the Freedom Corps insignia blinked from the static, and the resolution solidified into a picture of a red armored man, his upper face covered. He looked pissed. “I just got the report from one of our operatives who was on hand to watch the seizure of the Council weapons cache.”
The pair looked at each other.
“Kuroda Yuuki, you were responsible for seven limb removals that totaled over thirty-nine hours of surgery. You even… Jesus, man… removed a man’s appendix… while he was still standing!”
Kuroda looked at his friend, who he could feel staring at him through his visor. He shrugged.
“Over here, boys. Radiant Beam, you caused massive skin lesions on over fifteen assailants, and caused several… what was the word the doctor used? Oh, right… ‘genetic irregularities.’” He flipped through some paperwork off-screen. “Come on you two! I send you in there to be discreet and professional and you,” he pointed at Radiant Beam, “practically drop a nuclear bomb on them.”
Dr. Michael Scotts, “Radiant Beam,” huffed in annoyance. “Come on, Manticore. First of all, every soldier in there was using pretty advanced weaponry. Even an Archon was there, grenade launcher and all. What’d you expect us to do? Sit there and say ‘you
have the right to remain silent?’ Second of all, no one died, right?”
Manticore gripped his temples in frustration. “Psyche’s right… I gotta’ lay off the coffee. Well, in any case, our operative managed to capture something strange during the fight. Video on the way.”
The screen shifted and the face of the Freedom Phalanx member disappeared, giving way to a frozen picture. The movie buffered and finished its load time, starting with a jump. Below in the park, flashes of green energy leapt at the Council shouting orders. A black and white streak carved a path through several of their ranks, jumping between groups and dispatching them with all but invisible strikes of a razor-fine sword.
Kuroda whistled. “He was that close to the fight? Man, their cloaking technology is really improving.”
“I know, I designed it.”
“Of course you did, Rad.”
The screen began to move, arcing away from the fight. It passed over a set of trees and rocks, and then stopped, reversing direction. It hovered over the spot, then began to slowly zoom in. The pixilation of the screen became finer, and there, under the trees, stood four tall men, dressed in silver-green armor.
“Ascendant Archons.” Rad noted.
“They’re just standing there.” Kuroda titled his head. “They could’ve turned the tide of the fight.”
Rad nodded.
The Ascendants abruptly walked away, disappearing into the park.
The video finished and Manticore, stirring a cup of coffee, stared up from his files. “What do you make of it? We’ve seen no more than fifty Ascendant Archons in the past ten years, but there’s four of them, just idly standing by.”
Kuroda rubbed his beardless chin.
“Maybe they were… watching us.” Rad said slowly.
“Genius.”
“Shut up.”
“Now, now,” Manticore said, “he’s right. They weren’t fighting and they didn’t seem to be giving instructions to anyone. They were just watching. Kind of strange, right?”
“Very.” Kuroda shifted his black armor padding and body suit, getting it snug against his body. “So where to now, boss-man?”
The red archer sighed. “We got another lead on a Council operation right here in Atlas. We got about two hours before they clear the place out and move it to another location. It’s a large unit, so you might want to bring another person. You game?”
Rad and Kuroda looked at each other. “Sure,” they said in unison. The armored radiation user looked at the screen through his visor. “You coming for this one, Manticore?”
He opened his mouth on the screen, than stopped. He looked around, and laughed. “Psyche says I’m disposed at the moment.”
“That’s one scary lady.”
“She’s not so bad once you get know her.”
Kuroda pulled out his katana, examining it. “Please. The last time you thought something bad, she mind-threw a desk at you.”
“Oh, yeah.” Manticore stared thoughtfully. “Well, in any case… she wants me. Report back when you’re done.” The screen shut off and the wrist unit sealed again.
Radiant Beam brought up his communication system while Kuroda stretched. “Find someone fun.” The white haired ninja chuckled.
Scanning the Protector mainframe, a holographic display of all the active heroes in the city ran across the inside of his visor. “Guitar Raven is up.”
Kuroda huffed. “I can’t handle his voice. Next.”
“You’re so picky.”
After a few minutes, Rad gave up. “I got to remind Manticore to switch our channels. Protector is barren nowadays.”
Kuroda nodded. “I see a few muggings going on. Head to the coordinates we got, and teleport me there. I’ll handle them.” He bent at his knees and leapt off the train station roof, rocketing up into the sky, than arcing downwards towards the seemingly endless chaos that was Atlas Park.
Rad engaged his air-jets, his feet lifting off the ground. While his suit had many nifty gadgets at its disposal, it was nonetheless a prison. He often wondered if any villain would attempt to hit him ever again if they knew what would happen if it was breached. Unlike Positron’s condition, an explosion would be a god-send compared to what would happen if his power was released.
“You would poison the very atmosphere a thousand miles in every direction, Dr. Scotts.” Positron had told him. “The radiation would kill tens of millions.” He heard pity in the hero’s voice.
“Hell.” Rad said inside his helmet and air filter, pointing towards the horizon. He shot forward.

====================================================

“Woohoo! Baby, you light my fire!” The Hellion waved an axe about, holding the trembling woman with his other hand. She was trying to back away from him when another one, bigger, bulkier, and wearing a horned mask, came up behind her.
“Now, now, missy. Don’t go screaming, or we’ll have to make you our new flame, got it?”
Before the woman could nod, Kuroda appeared from thin air, slicing through the axe in the smaller Hellions grasp. Its metal head fell to the ground, and the gang member was gone and around a corner within a few seconds. “You guys have the worst clichés ever.” He glanced at the woman, who crawled away.
The Damned grinned underneath his mask. “No luck for you today, cape!” The hole in his mouth spouted a wave of intense fire, burning the air as it crawled towards the man with white hair.
With minimal effort, the ninja swept his sword up, the current knocking the flame away and dispersing it into the sky. “Really not your day.”
“I’ll show you!” The Damned roared and gathered two balls of fire in his hands.
The sword shot out and sliced his hand off. The fires died instantly, and both the Hellion and his hand disappeared in a flash of light, the Freedom Corps tracking systems coordinating with the Emergency Medical System to teleport him to the nearest hospital.
Sheathing his sword, Kuroda walked over to the woman. “You okay, ma’am?”
The raven haired beauty was still trembling. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“That’s good. Give me your number so we can get you on the witness stand.”
“Sure… yes… okay.” She began to pull out her cell phone. When she looked up, her savior had vanished.
Kuroda hit the rooftop with a gentle thud. “You son of a bitch! I was about to get this beautiful woman’s number!”
Radiant Beam closed his EMS hacking program, powering his teleporting systems down. Manticore and he had developed the hacking module nearly two years ago, allowing them to teleport anywhere they could see and upload their vision to the GPS satellite tracking them. Rad was able to use greater power to bring others to him, thanks to his suit; Manticore relied on his own small device, which had limited capacity.
“So angry.” The good doctor mocked.
Kuroda sighed. “This the place?”
“Would I have brought you here if it wasn’t?”
“Yes.”
“Well, this time the warehouse is right across the street.”
“What is the plan?”
Rad finished tapping information into his wrist, and shut the console down. He straightened himself up, nearly six and a half feet in his armor. His large forearm units whirred and the fingers glowed with a green aura. “Straight up the middle”
Kuroda twirled his katana about. “Great.”
Rad brought his arms down, a haze of stripped electrons erupting from his palms. It dissipated slightly, a few pieces of the cloud reforming with the air to become stable particles. Most of it, however, slammed into the door of the warehouse, first cracking the wood, than destroying part of the wall. Cement and mortar collapsed and the hole became the size of a large truck. The green mass disappeared into nothingness, oxygen retaking the electrons.
“After you.”
Kuroda nodded and leapt off the building, becoming a blur. Rad followed a half second later.

====================================================

The bullet pinged loudly off the blade, deflecting into the ceiling above. The marksmen bent to reload his rifle. Two grenadiers moved to his flank, covering him by lobbing two fragmentation grenades at the intruders. Before the deadly explosion tore them apart, Radiant Beam created two beams of intense energy, emanating from his eyes and refocused by the visor hiding his features. The grenades ignited between the two parties; Kuroda steadied himself while dodging a piece of shrapnel, Rad letting the small chunks bounce ineffectually off his armor.
“The new plastic-titanium weave I installed really works.”
“I can see that.” Kuroda dusted himself off.
The grenade cloud settled, and one of the grenadiers was lying unconscious on a now ravaged computer console; he disappeared to the hospital. The other was leaning against a wall, trying to lift another weapon. The marksman was aiming again, sighting Kuroda’s head.
From a hip compartment, the ninja withdrew a small throwing knife, side-arming it towards the Council soldier. It lodged inside the barrel just as he pulled the trigger, causing a backfire. Slumping to the floor, the marksman was gone before he hit the ground.
The last grenadier pulled the pin on his explosive, and rolled it towards the duo. Kuroda moved, tossing the weapon with the tip of his blade. In midair, he sliced it in half, spilling the ignitable fluid and rendering the object useless.
Another set of eye beams lanced through the Council members’ armor. He flashed away.
“Pretty stiff resistance for just a supply depot.” Radiant Beam growled, his voice hollow from the artificial vocal cords in his throat.
Kuroda huffed, regaining his breath. “Thirty three so far, and according to the blueprints, we’re not even halfway through.”
“Where’d you find blueprints?”
The white haired man jerked a thumb to the wall. “I find them everywhere.”
“Strange, that.”
“Indeed.”
The ground trembled.
“What the Hell?” Rad turned his flight engines on, hovering over the floor as it shook again.
His comrade steadied himself. “I didn’t like that.”
They come around the corner, a hundred if they were one. They came… and came… marched until the ground cracked beneath their mechanical feet. Black armor with white stripes that blended with one another, like zebras in the Serengeti. Deadly claws rotated, energy weapons priming.

Chapter 2

Rabbit Hole

“Shit. Zenith’s.” Kuroda whispered.
Red optics stared back at them. As one, the front line raised their left arms.
Rad bellowed. “GET DOWN!” And threw both arms over his head. A wall of green gas erupted from nothingness in front of the Mechmen, a fog as dense as any West coast morning. Kuroda dropped to all fours, settling into a martial arts form Radiant Beam was unfamiliar with.
Laser fire burst from the cloud, scorching the air where Kuroda had been. A blast took Rad in the chest, but it deflected away, bouncing off the high-tech armor. The concussive force staggered him, but he recovered and thrust his arms forward. The wall of particles wavered, and than moved. It pressed into their ranks, disrupting their targeting protocols and causing their neural networks to flutter with the robotic equivalent of a nervous twitch.
The machines groaned with forced movement.
“They’re not stopping.”
“Cut them down!” Kuroda leapt straight at the enemies from all fours, dragging his katana behind him as he shot through the green gas in front of him. With sleek power, like a pine needle piercing a tree during a tornado, the sword cracked the cranial armor of one of the robots, carrying onwards into a flip-down splitting motion, nearly cutting another artificial soldier in two. They exploded in a harmless lightshow.
Behind the front lines, the rear ranks were mostly unaffected by the cloud of charged particles. Rad saw this and watched as their combined laser fire nearly hit the speeding ninja, who was vaulting from one soldier to the next. One more shot, and they’d have him. The vents on his forearms opened up, and he raised his hands once more; instead of a loose radiation cloud, green energy gathered in his palms. It finished coalescing and Rad stood motionless for a moment, than literally hurled the ball of antimatter into the back guard. It smashed into one of them, exploding with an acidic hiss. More than two dozen of the machines malfunctioned, their armor boiling and popping off the frames.
There were still over fifty left. Rad and Kuroda retreated around a corner, the machines stumbling over themselves to get through the radiation cloud.
“We got about ten seconds before they get through.” Rad breathed heavily.
Kuroda let out a gasp of air, then leveled his breathing. “I’ve got plenty of fight left in me.”
“We could pull them onto the street.”
“We could.”
Radiant Beam turned and made for the impromptu hole he had created earlier, Kuroda close behind. Rad lifted his arm, the communications system coming online. “All heroes in Atlas Park, come in! This is an emergency! Freedom Corps code ‘broadcast.’ Level fifty security clearance hero, Radiant Beam, sending an emergency request for assistance at 4445 Jacobs Avenue! Any and all authorized heroes, report to this location immediately! We need backup!”
The hole revealed daylight, and daylight revealed Atlas Park.
“No one’s here yet! Shit!” Kuroda spat.
A few people walked by, stopping and starring at the armored hero and his katana-wielding, black leathered friend.
A figure descended from the sky, her form lithe and fit. Across her back, in a large scabbard, hung an equally large broadsword. It seemed too overbearing for her small frame. “I got the call. I’m Hardedge. I have three people from the Paragon Justice Hall coming to help out. What’s the situation?” She stared at the hole.
Kuroda moved silkily toward her, keeping his eye on the entrance. “About fifty Council Zenith mechs are going to pour out of that building in twenty seconds.”
“Holy…”
“That’s what we said.” Radiant Beam hovered next to them. “Who do you have coming?”
Hardedge withdrew her broad sword, which was gold with white runes etched into it. She rested it on her shoulder as if it weighed no more than a feather. Her tight body suit had no markings, just a black-grey hue to it. “Burning Tide, Space Splicer, and Guitar Raven.”
Kuroda winced. “Yikes.”
“Get ready. We’re going to have to hold this line until the other three get here.”
The swordsman got into a high guard stance. “Oh, this is really bad.”
“Reading their energy output. Incoming at fifty feet.”
Hardedges’ grip tightened, bringing the weapon to her right, ready for the first strike.
Rad primed his electromagnetic field inducers, which stored the massive amounts of the machine disrupting energy, turning it into a usable weapon. Against the Zenith Mechmen, it would ravage their internal processors. “Ten fee-” Before he could drop the last syllable, Rad was tumbling head over heels towards the hole. Kuroda bounced as he was dragged forward, grabbing onto a thick tree limb and steadying himself. Hardedge merely planted her sword and kneeled behind it, using it as both a shield and leverage.
The air tossed and turned, churning like they were in a spaceship that had been compromised and was venting atmosphere; it was like a hole had appeared from nothing, and the Earth was attempting to fill it.
It dissipated quickly, blown out like a candle.
Rad let go of the light post he had been grappling with, an unseen but very visible look of confusion splayed across his concealed face. “That was weird.”
“And you’re a doctor. Awesome.” Kuroda glanced at the silent hole. “So?”
Hardedge spat. “What the Hell was that!”
“It was like,” Rad checked his wrist unit. “One moment they were there, and wham, there was nothing but empty space.” He checked the air pressure readings on his mini-computer. “They’ve been displaced. Or, rather, their not there and the atmosphere rushed in to fill the void. Had to have been teleportation.”
“But the hospital system doesn’t do that.” Kuroda kept his sword out, twirling it, ready for a fight.
“It was a long range move, outside of Paragon City. Very imprecise.”
“What do you mean?”
Rad tapped a few more figures on his wrist. “Well, most people with teleportation capabilities deconstruct their organic cells into atoms and subatomic particles, than move ahead however far they want to go. Now, when you teleport someone else, you, or whoever is doing it, extends an invisible lasso of energy or light particles that acts as a guide for the incoming body. So, the long range systems have to map out at greater distances but finer detail; at such lengths, they collide with air particles and pick them up. A group as large as the one coming would not only displace a Hell of a lot of space, but actually remove an amount of atmosphere equal to their area.” Rad crossed his arms, satisfied with that explanation.
Kuroda blinked. “You sounded like Positron right there.”
Hardedge whistled. “Nice sentence structure.”
Rad sighed. “Idiots.”

====================================================

The inside of the Freedom Phalanx headquarters felt both agoraphobic and stifling at the same time. The ceilings were vaulted and high, but the various computers, defense mechanisms, and pieces of furniture came at the observer from all sides. Perhaps this was purposely done, or maybe flying heroes didn’t care about ground clutter.
Manticore’s intelligence center was located next to Positron’s main lab; the entrance to the area was guarded by two modified police drones. They lacked sirens, and their temporal lasers were replaced by stasis field generators, as Manticore would want to meet said intruders personally.
Inside, the archer was standing in front of a large flat screen, nearly twenty by twenty. In front of him, holographic representations of the world, Paragon City, and various Council bases danced in and out of existence. He made a few notes on a notepad and went back to his desk, a mahogany masterpiece that seemed oddly out of place in such a high tech office.
As did the black and white armored figure whose hands illuminated the room with a subtle green and the black leather-clad swordsman. They were visitors, truly, but felt at home in this place.
Manticore leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. “These Council guys never play a regular hand. They are always up to something.”
“You mean the disappearance of fifty Zenith’s from right in front us?” Kuroda raised an eyebrow.
“Please.” Manticore leveled his gaze at them. “While it’s rare, mass teleportation isn’t unheard of.” He typed on his computer for a few seconds. “Another group of Ascendant’s was there. Same four as we can figure.”
“Bullshit.” Kuroda rubbed his eyes. “We would have seen them. This isn’t some park filled with trees, it’s an urban setting.”
“Exactly.” He reached for a remote and pointed it behind him, the large screen turning into a still frame. “Got these pictures from a reporter at the scene; when Radiant Beam here made a new door, she was snapping wide angle pictures looking up. Check this out.” He pushed another button, and a highlighted box came over the skyscraper a few blocks away. It zoomed in and fixed the pixilation.
Four green Archons stared back at them from four different windows.
“What the Hell?” Rad huffed.
Manticore turned the screen off. “I just can’t figure it out.”
Kuroda leaned his back against the wall, brooding. “So, what do we do?”
“Well, I’ve just gotten a report of a new forward base in Independence Port. Fairly large; mostly a supply and restocking station.” He filed something, sighing despondently. “I’m coming this time; Psyche, too.”
Rad thought for a moment.
The door opened. “No, Dr. Scotts, I won’t be throwing things at you.”
The red-headed psychic walked into the room, smiling slightly. Her green body suit left little to the imagination; you’d be damned if you used said imagination around her, anyway.
“Reading my mind?”
“No need to. You, however, are a pervert.” She pointed at Kuroda.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You don’t-”
Kuroda chuckled. “Have to say anything, yes, I know.” He waved her off.
She turned to Manticore. “These two need to rest before we go.”
“I’m fine.” Rad said slowly.
“Don’t argue with me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The doctor’s voice betrayed a hint of ruefulness.

Chapter 3

Midnight Dreary

Sister Psyche sat on the desk, Manticore constantly gazing at her. They had a thing, true, but exactly what kind of thing it was he was unsure. Both of them had a lot of mental attributes that they did not like to share with others; yet somehow, they had inadvertently shared them with each other with near-death experiences and psychic mishaps.
She brushed her hair aside, the short locks falling back into place almost instantly. “So, this is our team?” She put down the notepad.
He scratched his chin. “Yes. I’m not sure on Hardedge, Burning Tide, Space Splicer, and Guitar Raven, but Rad and Kuroda are top notch heroes.”
Psyche blinked, thinking. “You know, Dr. Scotts scares me, a little.”
Manticore sighed. “Me, too. You know, you’d really think Positron and he would’ve gotten more into it than he and I. They are so alike.”
“Not really.”
“Why’s that?” He raised an eyebrow.
She held up the file. “Dr. Michael Scotts. Born in Tampa, Florida, graduated top of his class. Received bachelor degree in both physics and electrical engineering from California Technical. Got his masters in mathematics and applied nuclear technology from MIT, and got a double Ph. D from MIT in fusion technology and engineering… all before the age of thirty.”
He whistled. “Wow. Still, sounds like Posi to me.”
Psyche smirked. “Listen.” She flipped the page. “Responsible for over one hundred deaths during the Alexi space-station accident. Designed a containment seal wrong, and the thing went critical. Gave him a cumulative dose of over fifty thousand grays.”
“How many does it take to kill a human?”
“Ten to fifteen, give or take. He crashed when the station came down in the Australian outback… safety countermeasures kept the reactor from exploding and contaminating the atmosphere. Crey was outsourced for the cleanup. Four agents boiled inside their containment suits when they found him.”
“Yeah, I read that part.”
“Did you read this?” She handed it to him.
Manticore’s eyes darted back and forth. After a moment, he put it down. “Damn.”
“That kind of pain, all the time. Knowing at any moment your suit could breach and melt everything in a block radius, and poison the air of an entire country.” She closed her eyes. “I dare not even dive into his mind.”
He leaned closer. “Why, Shalice?”
She touched her forehead. “Intense physical pain can manifest into mental energy. I’m afraid nothing could compare to the agony he experiences.”
Manticore took her hand. “Come on. Let’s go for a fly, Shal.”

====================================================

Unlike Kuroda, Radiant Beam slept less than twenty hours a week. Most normal humans could go three to four days without sleep; that is, after about four days, they pass out. Although its true biological purpose is still unknown, sleeping refreshes the body.
Rad’s body refreshed every hour. The only reason he slept was to have a chance for his brain to take a breather.
His leg began to spasm, and he straightened it, flexing the vibrations out. It always started in his muscles, and made its way to his skin. The radioactive dose had been absorbed by every inch of his body, including the marrow; now the intense energy radiated from between his bones.
The top of the Atlas statue gave a breathtaking view of the city, especially at one o’clock in the morning. The spotlights by the office district and the hospital stabbed the darkness, illuminating the clouds above. In the distance, the war walls glowed with protective energy.
Rad detected motion to his left. He glanced and saw Sister Psyche, Manticore in tow, flying into the night sky. He huffed.
“I can only imagine what happens in the bedroom.”
Kuroda appeared next to him, seeming to phase in from nothingness. This was his special ability: Kuroda was one of the fastest men on the planet, rivaling Synapse in sheer speed and easily beating him in agility. Add to the fact that his sword was built of a lightweight, super-strong steel alloy, and Kuroda Yuuki was lethality embodied. Good thing he was a good guy.
Rad stared upwards. “Manticore has changed a lot, huh?”
Kuroda sat down on the stone, shifting into a lotus position. “Yes. He’s redder.”
“Come on.” He chuckled. “He seems to have less weight on himself these days.”
Kuroda nodded. “He does seem more relaxed nowadays, true.”
“You all should count yourselves lucky.” Rad commented. “For someone with a normal body, you sure don’t get out much.”
“Au contraire; I have a date tomorrow night with a very nice lady from Freedom Corps.”
The radioactive hero audibly snickered. “You always were a sucker for the tight suits.”
Kuroda laughed lightly and settled into his meditation.
Radiant Beam also settled into his form of controlled breathing, which basically was turning on his air jets and enjoying the sensation of weightlessness. For hours the two sat in silence, one imagining his breath leaving and entering the world beyond his place, the other contemplating the simplest of things about the fabric of the cosmos. The moon rises high in the sky and begins to dip; still, they sit.
As the moon reaches a point between apex and horizon, the doctor stirred in his gravity defying thoughts. “We have company.”
Kuroda opened one eye, looking to the right. Two figures, a strange, but pleasant, pink glow surrounding them, flew closer and closer towards them. They quickly resolved themselves into Sister Psyche and Manticore, the former holding up the latter with her psychic abilities. “Welcome to the party.” Kuroda waved nonchalantly and stood up.
They stopped in the air a few feet from them, hovering soundlessly. “So tell me, gentlemen, have you ever done a stealth op before?” Psyche smirks.
Kuroda swept his hair back. “I believe the phrase is: ‘been there, done that.’”
Rad shook his head. “I glow green. Stealth is not my strong point.”
“Couldn’t fit a stealth module on that thing?” Kuroda smirked.
“Ran out of slots, matter of fact.”
Manticore snapped his finger. “Do you guys have ADD or something?”
The two heroes looked ready to throttle him.
“Sorry, sorry. Are you guys ready to hit Independence Port?”
“What’s the scoop there?” Rad began typing away on his wrist-pad.
“Large gathering of Council. My scout was on hand to witness some large troop movements in the area.
“You seem to have a scout on hand for every occasion, Manticore.” Kuroda frowned questioningly.
“You don’t do what I do without being well informed, Yuuki.”
Sister Psyche stepped in. “Swan just sent me a message.”
Kuroda laughed. “Cell phones just keep getting smaller, apparently.”
Psyche brushed him off. “Funny. She said Synapse saw the Council hauling in Black Violet. Seems they got to her.”
“Shit.” Manticore spat. “Tell Synapse to stand by. We’ll give a signal.”
“Who is Black Violet?” Kuroda felt an electrifying sensation coming from his feet and rising to his head.
“The spy I’ve had trailing you.” Manticore got out before Rad swung his arms up, a field of light overtaking them and sending their broken down particles arcing over the war walls and towards Independence Port.

====================================================

Independence Port was not the kind of place one would want to tread lightly around, especially after the sun goes down. The Family runs the inner city near the docks, demanding a toll be paid every five feet, while the Council recruiters stand on their soap boxes, preaching to the masses and, failing in that, kidnapping them. In fact, the port had an unofficial curfew of about eight ‘o’clock, after which nary a civilian soul could be found outside.
Then again, most people aren’t walking around with one of the most powerful psychic’s in the world, an archer who could put William Tell to shame, and a swordsman that can move faster than you can blink.
“I can’t believe they got Violet.” Manticore whispered.
Kuroda peaked over the edge of the building, looking down at the seemingly normal warehouse. “Where’s Synapse?”
Psyche smiled. “Oh, he should be coming along soon.”
As if on cue, the blue bullet appeared next to them, an aura following behind him, trying to catch up. “Howdy, Manticore. Shalice.”
“Synapse. I believe you’ve met Doctor Scotts, and his companion, Kuroda Yuuki, before.” Manticore motioned to the duo.
“Good to see you two again.” Synapse half-waved. “There was some kind of disturbance earlier, and a stray grenade hit Violet. Friggin’ one shot in a million, man. Anyways, it tore her cloaking device to Hell and they got on her like white on rice.”
“What were they firing at?” Rad questioned.
“You know, Doc, I don’t have a stinkin’ clue. All I know is that from what I saw, they got enough firepower in there to take down an entire legion of Longbow.”
“Well,” Kuroda unsheathed his sword. “Let us get down to business. Synapse, lets makes a hole.”
“With pleasure. Race ya.’”
The two became blurs of light, running down the face of the building and towards the warehouse.
“Come on. Gotta’ make sure the boys don’t do anything stupid.” Psyche formed spheres of psychic energy around Manticore and Rad.
Rad chuckled and took to the air, arcing up and over to the warehouse. Behind him, Psyche and Manticore hovered for a moment, discussing something, than followed.

====================================================

Archon Mueller watched as his men repaired the damage the earlier incursion had caused. Mainframes twisted, weapons scattered, and a few of his men were critically wounded.
They were sent by the Center, I know it. No matter, even if they have figured out what we are doing, they will not be able to stop us. Requiem won’t stop after coming this far.
Mueller gazed at the beauty before him. Unlike his grey skin and red eyes, this woman had a tan complexion and beautiful blue eyes, which suited her classical blonde hair, which was cut short. Those same eyes now stared back at him with unflinching hatred.
“I hope you find your accommodations peaceful, my lady.” He hissed.
The blonde jerked at her restraints, trying to free herself from the wall mounts. “Let me out of here and I’ll show you how peaceful I really am, Mueller.”
The Archon smiled wide, baring yellow-white fangs. “A spy! Oh, how us Vampyri love spies. We never get a chance to really use our abilities.” The mutated Archon moved closer, placing his hand on her shoulder. She attempted to jerk away, but the claw with yellow nails held her steady, beginning to crush her arm.
Mueller shut his eyes, enjoying the sensation. “Black Violet… Elisha Rhine… I see. Let us see what else we can find in there.” His talons drew blood, and a line of sweat formed on Violet’s forehead.
“What’s this?” He tensed, pushing his will onto her. “I will break you!” He roared and energy began to ripple off him. Something snapped between them, and Black Violet screamed, her voice echoing down the halls.
Mueller finally broke through her mental barrier. Strong one, too. Her pain must be intolerable. Let us see what we can find in here. Oh, the-
Get out of her mind, SCUM!
From every mental direction, a pressure was pushing him out. The pressure turned into a tsunami of force, ejecting him from her subconscious and rocketing him back into reality. “What the Hell!?” The Vampyri roared and jerked back, grabbing his head.
Black Violet’s scream finally subsided, her chest heaving as she gasped for air. “They…” She caught her breath. “Are here.”
An explosion rocked the warehouse to its foundations, causing the lights to flicker. Mueller growled, wiping his eyes. He talked into his headset. “What happened?!”
Static, and then: “Someone’s here! We can’t stop them! Jesus, they’ve already taken out Squad Gamma! Send reinforcements!”
“Copy that, Mueller out.”
The Archon turned to narrow his eyes at Violet. “I’ll be back for you, later, Ms. Rhine.” He ran off, shouting into his comm. What could possibly be going wrong, now! This is not my night. First those Center fools show up, then I can’t read that spy’s mind, and now this. “Report!”
“They hit the dead end in sector C! We’re cornering them as we speak!”
“Roger that. Be there in three minutes.”

====================================================

Rad brought up his arms and batted aside another laser bolt, minimizing the damage. He fired a blast of radiation, knocking another Council agent to the ground. Quickly, he was replaced by another soldier, this one brandishing a large chain gun. It erupted with fire, and the bullets impacted his armor, whittling his protection down.
“Grenade!” Synapse yelled and speed-kicked the explosive, sending it into the throwers head where it exploded, scattering the line of troops. More rose up to meet them.
Kuroda deflected another sniper bullet with his sword, shrinking away and going on the defensive. “This is getting old!”
Pink energy radiated from Psyche’s forehead, sending half a dozen Council into spasms as it dug into their minds. “I can’t keep this up much longer! There’s practically an entire battalion in here!”
Synapse dodged another shot, an arc of electricity jumping from his hand and impacting a soldier, taking him down. “I’m running out of juice!”
Rad maneuvered behind Psyche. “Give me cover for a few seconds!”
Manticore took out a blunt-headed arrow. “Cover your eyes! I’ll give you some time!” The team all held their eyes tight as Manticore launched the projectile. It exploded in mid-air, an impossibly bright light burning like a newborn star. Screams filled the air as some of the Council, wearing their light amplification goggles, had their eyes seared. Others merely were blinded for a few moments.
That was all Radiant Beam needed. He leapt over the group, a green vapor rising from his armor. He shouted for everyone to get down, and for Psyche to put all her power into her shields.
Psyche ducked as the others shielded themselves from what ever Rad was about to do. Only Kuroda actually knew, and he was already angling to support himself; even with the aid of the psychic’s shields, anything could happen.
The Council mini-army began to get their bearings.
Something grew behind them. It began as a loose cloud of green particles, but quickly coalesced into something more solid. A large square, easily fifty feet in every direction, took shape behind them.
The soldiers aimed at Rad, who was motionless, arms pointed at them. Like a collective hive, they fired; bullets, small grenades, lasers, flames, and icy shards bearing down on the armored hero.
Two balls of green light spawned from nothing and grew exponentially. Another square of yellow-gold erupted in front of Rad, solidifying into a concrete-textured piece of matter, opaque but still slightly translucent. The various projectiles smashed harmlessly into the barrier, some of the bullets managing to pierce through, only to fall inches after their exit. The explosions from the grenades were absorbed into the sheet.
Rad trembled for a moment, and the squares began to dissipate. He roared and pushed forward, the radioactive wall behind the men slowly grinding forward. It bumped the last man in the group, and he turned. It took a moment for the logic to settle in his mind before he screamed for a retreat. More of the men screamed as both walls moved inwards, already causing them to bunch up.
“DO IT!” Kuroda screamed.
Rad’s clenched fists unfurled, and he let it go. The stability of the walls was lost, and the powers kept inside them let loose with all the fury of a hurricane. The green mist seethed and boiled, shooting to all corners of the hallway and beyond. It impacted Psyche’s shields, testing their boundaries, washing over them like water. The Council troops fell to the ground as their Kevlar armor melted and popped, burning their skin and destroying their weapons. Their breathing apparatus’ fell apart, liquid plastic scolding their faces and going into their throats. Like one giant mass of trees, they fell, writhing. A flash of blinding light, and they were gone.
Rad hovered for a moment, his own armor radiating a dull red, then fell to his knees.
The group had to wait a moment for the swirling effigies to calm before they could make any type of movement.

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