Adriel Killian (V2)'s Story

"Uh - ??" Andy reacted. "H-Hey, if this is about our librarian, no one's been able to convince him that locusts aren't our protocol against unannounced barging-ins!"

Adel approached Andy and Kaia. "Just proceed," he said. "If there's anything any of us can share with him, we may as well provide it."

"(?) Have...we met?" Kaia asked.

"Oh! Right. Adel Torrez. I transferred here from Fantasma last year."

"Well, this day gets better and better..." Nankoro grumbled as she proceeded along with the others.

"May want to order your men to free any people trapped in nets they see around here." says Death's Head, walking up to Crane. "I caught a lot."

Crane nods, gesturing to other officers to spread out throughout Sanctuary, and leads Andy, Kaia, Nankoro, Adel, and Riley to Sanctuary Prison's interrogation room. Guards drag Quintus after them.

Death's Head begins freeing anyone nearby that was caught in one of his nets, while Killian's cellphone suddenly begins ringing.

Killian answers the phone, too busy recovering from the sights of today to check caller ID.

"This is Killian," said Killian.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the city by the ocean, Cole managed to pull himself out of the water and back onto dry land. After having to swim his way back when the airship crashed, he finally got himself out and was now soaking wet and exhausted. He found a light post to sit up against and was now trying to catch his breath. A minute or so afterwards was when Tempo showed up carrying both of their sets of equipment.

"Maybe I didn't get the short end of the stick," Tempo chuckled. "You look you about ta pass out."

"Whatever," Cole dismissed. "Where is everybody? Why's it so quiet now?"

"Heck if I know. I guess someone stopped the bombing and whatever it is the bombing did to those people." Tempo said, shrugging his shoulders. " Don't know where any of the other guys went."

"Okay," Cole said, taking a moment to get his breath back. "We need to get back with Rita. We'll find a hotel or someplace to meet up, compare our findings, then go from there."

"I'll go find a place. You can just chill right here." Tempo said, dropping Cole's bag right by him. "See ya in a minute." Then he skated off.

"This is Uldrich." says the voice on the other end. "I just heard about how Coronoach's bombings were stopped. You're a hero, Killian!"

...

Count Amsel and Hopscotch are in an alley Tempo skates by, having taken refuge there during the bombings.

"You know, Count, I really think we should get out of this stinky city." remarks Hopscotch. "With all the craziness that's been happening, plus if they find out what we can do...!"

"Yes, Hopscotch, that would most certainly be for the best." replies Amsel. "Violence and madness have overtaken this city like a rushing tsunami! I only pray that we can make it out with little problems."

"I only did what any good citizen would have done," said Killian. "Had they the resources, of course."

"I'm sure the people of Haven will see it differently." replies Uldrich. "I also trust that I can count on your support for the strike back against Coronach for this savage attack?"

"Oh, naturally," said Killian. "I personally would have preferred an investigation, but you're the senator, not me."

Meanwhile, media vans start pulling in around the radio station.

"And speak of the devil," said Killian. "Here comes the media circus."

"What is there to investigate?" asks Uldrich. "Coronach has declared war on Haven with this atrocity, and war is what they shall have! But regardless, I'll leave the reporters there up to you. Talk to you later, Killian."

And with that, Uldrich hangs up.

Cole was still sitting by the light post when he saw a news van drive by.

"Uh oh, what're they gonna say about this?" It was the news reporting about what happened in Haven with the White Platoon that brought him out here in the first place and that report gave him an uneasy feeling, especially the speech made afterwards by the senator guy that started this Superhuman Registration Act. He never had any powers to begin with but the implications of control it had made him nervous.

Deciding he had enough rest, he got up, picked his stuff up, and ran the same direction he saw the van go.

Killian hangs up, puts the phone away, and turns to the gathering crowd of reporters.

"Good people of Haven!" shouted Killian. "I stand before you today with a heavy heart. The attacks today cost hundreds of good lives. They cost the lives of police officers patrolling the streets, inspection officers working bus stations... but most importantly, lives of common people like you. And I am partially to blame."

The reporters gasp.

"You see," said Killian. "The nanites that were dropped on Sanctuary today were made on my order. They were being experimented on at Fantasma's Shafton Research Institute. I had hoped to keep it a secret from competitors, but now, it seems, someone has stolen the nanites and used them as weapons, forcing my hand. I was developing these nanites to grant ordinary men and women, like yourselves, superhuman powers!"

Another gasp, this one more of admiration than shock.

"The plan, as initially formed," explained Killian. "Was to offer injections of these nanites for a modest fee to anyone who so desired powers, but was not lucky enough to be granted them. Unfortunately, it seems like whatever took the nanites from the research station was more intent on forcing powers on everybody. I presume this was a protest against the Superhuman Registration Act, but if it is, it certainly went too far! So to make up for this, I shall offer removals or stabilizations of the nanites in any affected, paid for out of my own pocket."

The crowd applauds.

"While these nanites are indeed controversial, with the recent Superhuman Registration Act," admitted Killian. "I thought long and hard and remember that the act is merely one slip of paper. And what is one slip of paper, compared to the chance to soar through the skies, to blast all enemies of this great planet with energy, to heal the sick with a mere touch? What is a slip of paper compared to the chance to get the power this world has so selfishly granted others, and not you? What is a slip of paper compared to a chance for glory!?"

The gathered crowd cheers wildly.

"Now, if you will excuse me," said Killian. "It's getting late, and I need to get to work on fixing this mess. But I promise you - soon, very soon, you all will have the chance to be superhuman."

Killian hobbles off, entering a Killian Co. limo and having it drive him back to his house in Haven.

Cole managed to get to the crowd in time to see the speech from Killian. He didn't take out his camera but he felt he didn't need to. That speech sounded like it would end up on TV around here soon enough. When Killian finished his speech, Cole was just about the only person who wasn't cheering. He simply watched Killian leave, shook his head, then walked away.

There has to be some kind of ulterior motive to this. Cole thought. Something like what's basically super serum being made available to the public. I know some people will want to take advantage of that. If there isn't some hidden motive, there'll be one soon.

That was when he got a text from Tempo. It was the address to a nearby hotel he managed to find. When he and Rita got there, they would be able to try putting together the pieces of this puzzle.

"I hope the place he picked is cheap," Cole said as he walked off.

Dawn arose and Killian stretched awake, slowly grasping onto his cane and getting out of bed to prepare himself for an early morning interview. The people of Sanctuary wanted to know what was up with the experimental nanites of Killian's design that were dropped on the city the other day. So Killian took the time to set up a conference with several news stations to explain his situation.

Auguste Perrault, meanwhile, is already up, having spent little time sleeping. He called up Killian during the night and set up a plan for his day, which involved an early morning interview/demonstration, with Perrault as assistant, and followed by a swift departure from Haven. He didn't give a reason why, but Killian knew always to trust Perrault's judgment.

An hour or so later, Killian and Perrault arrive at a makeshift hospital room/soundstage, where Killian's secretaries (recovered from their traumatic experience), a few doctors, and several news crews already are.

"Less of a crowd than I expected," said Killian.

"Exactly as much as I expected," said Perrault. "With a high-profile execution like the von Koopas'."

Killian just smiles and steps onto the soundstage, waving to the crowd, as Perrault follows him, not even looking at the cameras.

"Good morning, people of Haven!" said Killian. "And welcome to the official demonstration of Killian Co. Brand Nanites! I trust you're all familiar with the unofficial one..."

The reporters laugh - not loudly, since it's a bit too soon, but enough to make Killian not feel uncomfortable.

"So I'll make this brief," continued Killian. "You see, these days there is an unfortunate rise in superhuman crime. Uldritch's attempts to rectify it with the Superhuman Registration Act have become unpopular with many superhumans across this great planet, and I suspect that superhuman crime will only rise in protest of this act. But it is not the lawmaker who suffers because of this crime, no! It is the common people, who do not have the power to fight back! And so... I offer you these nanites, to give you superpowers, to give you that chance!"

The gathered crowd cheers.

"And how do you get these nanites, you might ask?" asked Killian. "Simple! You report to a hospital, or a registration center, anywhere in Haven, though I plan to branch out to other continents later. Once there, and after paying the fee, you fill out the Registration form as per law, and you get two injections - one to inject the nanites and one to stabilize them, to synchronize them with your body, as it were. Of course, these nanites are still being developed - soon you might need only one injection!"

The crowd mutters amongst itself.

"Now, I wouldn't make these claims without something to verify my claims," said Killian. "So here to demonstrate how easy the process is is my friend, Dr. Auguste Perrault!"

The crowd applauds, but Perrault doesn't react. He just sits in a chair and holds out his arm. The doctors cuff it to reveal a vein.

"Now, as you can see," said Killian, pulling out a certificate. "Perrault has already filled out a Registration form to speed up this demonstration."

The doctors inject Perrault twice - once with nanites, and once with a stabilizing agent. They then uncuff him from the chair and Perrault stands... then hovers in the air. Then the chair hovers along with him.

"And behold!" said Killian. "Control over gravity made easy!"

The crowd applauds again.

"Now, I'll be taking a few questions from the audience," said Killian. "But only a few. I've got a plane to catch."

The cloaked lady isn't present at this demonstration. She is instead looking toward Coronach. Just...watching.

"Mr. Killian, with the harsh opinions you've expressed on super-powered beings in the past, it's quite a bit of a turnaround for you to be providing the technology for anyone to gain powers." remarks a reporter. "Why the seeming change of heart?"

"We hold these truths to be self-evident," recited Killian. "That all men are created equal. From the declaration of independence. Of course, those who wrote that weren't aware that, with an onslaught in the coming years of 'chosen ones', super-powered individuals granted powers for no particular reason, or that have those powers and lord them over people who don't, that they were wrong. Not all men are created equal. One of the most powerful, most well-known sentences in the English language is a lie. I found that out firsthand when the super-powered terrorists known as the White Platoon broke into my house, then broke my leg, demanding information on an organization that I knew nothing about, which later turned out to not exist. They were eventually punished, yes, but for months, my attempts to contact the authorities were in vain - 'they're superpowered', they told me. 'We can't do anything about them,' they told me. So I began development of this technology to right one of the greatest injustices of our time. Not all men are created equal. But I intend to give humanity the tools to fix that."

Many members of the crowd begin clapping and cheering at this. Not really surprising, given recent events.