The Time Tunnels
Outside the cracked glass that occasionally dotted the walls of the time tunnels sat the Outer Chronoclasm, a realm of pure chaos and destruction. A black void of a realm, constantly moving with unseen forces and energies that few could make sense of, and fewer could even conceive of surviving. It was a torrent of utter destruction, the likes of which even the roaches had learned long ago to respect.
Two soldier roaches guarded this tunnel, waiting for reinforcements to arrive and do a changing of guard. Word had already spread that a massive assault on the tunnels had cost them hundreds of laborers, at least. Work on their war ships would be slowed to a grinding halt as a result, and the Queen⦠Still living, but the utter disrespect sheād suffered at the hands of those filthy interlopers, it was inconceivable to the roaches, and they would have their revenge.
The two guards chattered and clicked in their insectoid tones, nearly mimicking machines. Topics of conversation had varied from their beloved Queen, the attack earlier, the tastiest fallen comrades theyād consumed, and much more. But soon their talking stopped, having noticed something odd out of their peripherals. Something had been moving strangely, coming from⦠Behind the glass?
The quiet of the hall was erased by an explosion of noise; glass bursting open, the tinkling and crashing sound of it hitting the floor, the mighty roar of the chaos beyond the glass.
Winds whipped around the hall, threatening to pull the two roach guards to a fate that might be worse than death. A heavy thud was heard, causing them to turn their gazes back towards the now destroyed window. There was a figure standing there.
Twelve feet tall.
Muscular.
Bipedal.
Carrying a sword.
Covered head to toe in armor.
Surrounded by a blue, mist like light.
The armor was shaped intentionally to mimic that of what one would see on a knight, but the material was far from simply āmedievalā. It was more like a patchwork of a thousand war zones, across thousands of years. Some of it bore the steely look of an ancient warrior, some of it gleamed as though from some far flung, space-age time. And other parts still looked as if it could have been stone.
All of it appeared to have severe cracks throughout it, but they were fused together, like thick scars or fissures. The same was true of the sword in fact. It must have been shattered into thousands of pieces, yet here it stood in one, monolithic piece. A testament to its long journey. And to its wielder.
And the blue light, a strange substance that seemed to be both at once a sort of intangible mist, and light. It glowed a beautiful, vibrant, soft tone of blue, and when touched it might seem as though it were air, or a cloud. At least that is how it currently would feelā¦
Whoever this individual was, he was what the bugs had seen on the other side. Out of the Chronoclasm. The roaches tried to respond quickly, one opening fire on him nearly immediately, landing every shot on the intruder.
The shots did nothing to the man. He turned to the roach that had shot him, and sent a mighty fist into its skull, colliding the creatureās entire body into the ground beneath him.
The other now began to open fire as it tried to flee, but the towering intruder was able to catch it in only a few mere steps. The knight wrapped a hand around the creatureās neck, lifting it off the ground, before slamming it back down into it. Once. Twice. Thrice.
He lifted it back up in front of him, bringing the roach to eye level with him.
ā*klik* Pitifulā¦. Creature? *kilk* Man⦠Human! What *klik* ever you are⦠You cannot⦠*klik* defeat the Roaches! We are⦠*klik* the mastersā¦. Of the End of Time!ā
The hulking figure was silent a few moments, before a soft, amused sigh could be heard from within his mask. āWell I guess today isnāt your day then, because Iām from the Beginning of it.ā Bright blue light surrounded the man and the roach, as he pierced his left fist through the carapace like chest of the Roach, and pulled at its head with his right, removing it with ease.
As he dropped the corpse of the roach to the ground, he walked back to the other that shot first at him, his feet landing heavily on the ground, body swirling with the bright blue, misty light that followed him wherever he walked. It began to pour forth from him, surrounding the other roach and lifting it into the air, screeches erupting from it as it felt its body being crushed down by some kind of incredible pressure.
āI will only ask this once, āpitiful creatureā. Where is the Artifact?ā
The roach looked to him, what little its eyes could show were showing fear. āIt was *klik* taken by a human, to another time! We donāt know where *klik* it has gone!ā The words were sputtered out as the mountain of a man stood before it, the blue light enveloping the roach pulled it closer and closer to him. āYou *klik* fool⦠You think you can *klik* defeat us? Who are *klik* you to think you can defeat what has *klik* already passed!ā
A moment of silence passed as the tall figure held his sword out, feeling the weight of it as the blue light swirled around them. āIāve fought worse.ā His voice was monotone as he lifted the sword and cleaved the roach from top to bottom, itās thick armor offering up no resistance.
The body fell to the floor, and while the blue light continued to swirl, the giant knight quickly went over his next plan of action. It sounded as though someone either very stupid, or very unaware had gotten their hands on the artifact. Either way, he needed to figure out where they had gone, and quickly. Otherwiseā¦
His thoughts were cut off by the sound of approaching roaches, a group of twenty or so who quickly spotted him, and the remains of their comrades. They lifted their weapons to him, and the blue light cascaded towards them.
No time to waste then.
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The ResortRichard had been on his way to return to the library when he heard some loud noises coming from another part of the resort again. He couldnāt place exactly where it was, but it sounded like there had been some crackling? Like electricity?
He passed by the buffet dining hall, stumbling upon Devon who seemed to be taking advantage of his own coffee routine. But he seemed kind of tired, almost as if heād had a rough night or something. At least mentally. Richard chose to put it aside and gave a wave to the German. āHey, George wants to see us in the library. You should come along.ā
Richard continued on towards the library, passing through the kitchen first, and once again stumbling upon someone, Henry this time. Strange, he also seemed a little on the tired side. Had others been having trouble sleeping or something? Might be a bit of projection on his part though, he doubted Henry had the same reasons to be losing sleep as himself. āHey Henry, sorry to interrupt you, but George wants to see us all in the library, you should come with.ā With that, he exited once again, Henry in tow, and Devon gravitating in the same direction._________________________________________________________________________
George heard a soft, English voice pipe up in the library, and upon lifting his eyes from the pages of his book was greeted by Klaus, a man who had the most interesting timing of any man heād ever met. He smiled back to Klaus, giving a nod in greeting.
āGood morning Klaus, and yes Iām doing as well as can be expected in the circumstances. Thank you for asking. How are you managing? I expect this has taken quite a toll on everyone.ā In fact, George had been weighing that on his mind considerably. Heād speak to the others as a group, but felt it was time to offer them some much needed mental respite; someone to talk to.
Before anything else could be said, a flurry of noise erupted from another part of the resort. Sairynās library. George furrowed his brow and let out the softest sigh one could imagine, the tiniest loss of composure he could muster given his growing agitation.
āExcuse me a moment Klaus.ā George briefly exited the library and made his way to the lab.
On the floor in a heap was Sairyn, Pendleton, and Yue. Standing in the room was a nearly shirtless Alex, and some ball he was holding in his hands. George looked to all of them, brow furrowed slightly, eyes that uncomfortable narrowness of someone ready to scold. But rather than do that, he was very simple, brief, and commanding.
āLibrary, now. Everyone.ā_________________________________________________________________________
The team was now gathered together in the library, everyone capable of arriving there at least. George was seated back in his seat, and Klaus had remained in his for the time being, still enjoying the steaming cup of coffee he had.
āNow that youāre all here, we have some matters to discuss, namely the memorial, and a⦠New Mission thatās come to us. But before we begin, how about you all update me on whatās been happening today. Seems youāve all run a little more loose and wild than I had anticipated.āHis voice carried a little sternness to it, but was not cold or unkind. It was almost like a parent who had come home to find their children drawing all over work documents. Of course, blowing up a chunk of the property was a little more expensive to fix.
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Club Shapeless: Atlas CityMaxwell smirked upon reading the response heād received from Gideon, but chose to disregard the remark. Theyād both had their independent successes, but now they were going to have to rely on each other, work together to get what they wanted out of Atlas City, and potentially beyond.
As each member entered the room, he would greet them with an affirming nod, though under his mask he was raising an eyebrow at Spiderbloodās entrance. What were they riding? Was that a dog in a spider costume? He decided not to address it, there had been weirder things to have happened here.
And Scourge⦠That was a mountain of a man, something he hadnāt anticipated seeing so soon (and in such good condition) from Kiran. But here he stood: The Shapeās response to āBalthazarā, or whatever those Witchfinder nuts called the monster theyād bought.
āThank you for joining me everyone. We have some business to discuss, some of it being⦠Breaking news. Iām sure I donāt need to remind you that what is discussed in this room stays in this room, but Iām going to out of care for our mutual needs.ā
His eyes flicked over to Zeke, Kiran, and Scourge before continuing. āAt times I believe it is essential to remind everyone that a betrayal of each other is a betrayal of me. I expect you all to protect each other as much as you would protect me, and our business operations.ā_________________________________________________________________________
The Memorial: Atlas CityVictor followed Cannonade with his eyes as Cannonade passed by with very little regard for their welcomers. He smirked.
āThereās that famous confidence Iāve heard about.ā He chuckled, speaking mainly to himself and the Attorney General.
She looked on with uncertainty and discomfort. There were other words she could think of than āconfidenceā that would be impolite to voice out loud.
āAnd youāre thinking about trying to invite them to work for us?ā She asked in a tone trying to mask her incredulity.
Victor nodded and smiled.
āAt the very least inviting. Last I heard they were missing a team, so perhaps we can help them out.āāIf you say soā¦ā Was all the AG could mutter back.
The President briskly followed Cannonade, as did his entourage, as he attempted to make friendly overtures to the hero.
āAgain, itās so good to have you here! Weāre inviting some of the heroes who were on the beach that day to speak some words of encouragement to the crowd, is that something youād be up for? We can absolutely get a time slot in for you!ā
The Resort
Richard interjected again to draw George's attention away from the increasingly anxious Akiko, though she did her best to hide that. "The more we know about what's going on, the more helpful we can be. Besides, you have us working for you, so there really isn't any reason to hide things like this from us."
George's eyes darted to Richard again, and the old man let out a soft sigh. "I'm afraid you're mistaken. You are working for me, certainly, but I've reasons enough to worry you could be working for others as well. Namely, the Soldiers in Black. Furthermore, there are other items of business to attend to. Whatever information I have for on this 'artifact', knowing it now won't be of any use to you. If you're going to persist on the issue, I will tell you all more about it. Later. For now, we've other matters to attend to."
Richard, arms crossed, rapped his right hand's fingers across his upper arm. He wasn't entirely pleased with the answer, but perhaps George was right. Maybe it would be better to hear it all later? "Other matters?" He repeated back in query.
George nodded, before looking to both Sairyn and Akiko. He'd noticed the Tinker was being represented by an IV pole mounted screen. The old man felt... Less than enthusiastic about that. But Sairyn was at least 'attending' the meeting, so George supposed it was best to just go along with it. "Mr. Pendrake, we can worry about the Polarity matters later. I certainly believe there are better ways your skills can be utilized in that search, so before we worry about it I'll do some information gathering of my own. I'll make sure you, and everyone else, is immediately informed when we do have more tangible information. Right now however, I have work that you could be of more immediate assistance with. Your NAHLA comrades as well, for that matter. Miss Bong, I will appreciate your assistance in the search for Polarity as well, but the same applies: your detective skills could be of use on this immediate issue. And... We can discuss the artifact later."
Having clarified those matters, he continued with the business at hand. "I received word from the Attorney General just before I called you all in for this meeting. There's been an incident within the city, a warehouse collapsed in on itself, under rather suspicious circumstances. The warehouse was apparently being used as a storage space for weapons used by the Witchfinder Generals. The AG has asked for our assistance in this matter. She wishes to keep this matter more discreet, to avoid public concern, and because of other concerns she has. Concerns of potential 'leaks' within NAHLA."
"Mr. Pendrake, I'll let you and the other NAHLA members decide how you wish to participate in this, though I will say that the AG personally thought your technical skills could be of use as a 'handler', if you will. If you feels that's the best use of your skills, I'll make sure everyone is equipped with the necessary communications equipment. As for the rest of you all, you may either attend to this investigation, or join me at the Memorial Service. I'll leave that up to your discretion."
George raised his hand before anyone could speak to call for a final brief moment of their attention. "Ah yes, and Mr. Pendrake, you've reminded me. Given the circumstances, and all that has occurred, I've taken the liberty of calling in an employee of mine to work with you all. He's a doctor of sorts, someone you can all speak to, open up to. Just so we're clear, it's entirely optional whether or not any of you speak with him, but I hope you will consider it. Perhaps along with Mr. Pendrake's assistance, he will be able to offer some peace and respite from all that has occurred. Though I must ask everyone, let's all be respectful of what is a very personal matter." He spoke to the group, though the last part had particularly been intended for Sairyn.
"Now then, unless there are any further questions, ladies and gentlemen, let's get to work."
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The MemorialThe President felt incredibly uncomfortable at seeing the rather personal matters of interest the Gravity Wielding hero had unwittingly informed him of, but tried to maintain his composure. He began to try to come up with some kind of a response, but feebly stumbled over his words. Cannonade saw a hand gently clasp itself onto the President's shoulder, giving him an easing, reassuring pat on the back. The hand belonged to the Secdef, who grinned confidently and seemingly unafraid.
"I wouldn't say that, not at all! Sure, we can't really get into specifics here, but we do have leads, enough leads we can start pursuing. Perhaps even with a little... Aggression." He sighed slightly as he looked around at the crowds, taking in the mixture of emotions that overwhelmed the people.
"America got a sucker punch to the back of the head. Unfortunately for the person punching, they aren't counting on our ability to punch back with about a million times the force. When push comes to shove... Well let's just say our enemies won't be getting back up from this one."He turned his gaze to Cannonade, a look of sincere concern, not so much for the hero, but for the people they needed to inspire right now.
"What do you think though? What would you need to hear to feel that 'we got this' feeling?"Meanwhile at the stage, Captain Valor waved to the gathered crowds, dismissing a few attempts at autographs by (as politely as he could) reminding the requesters that today was about the victims, not about fame and flashiness. The emcee worked to get the playlist set up and time properly to coincide with the speeches, double and triple checking to make sure they had their very finest patriotic tunes set up for the right moments. It was a mixture of music for mourning the fallen, and empowering and emboldening the American people, letting them know they were ready to fight back in full force.
Richard smirked at some of Devon's quippy remarks, turning to face him and taking note of the similar decisions on equipment matters. As well as the differences. "Well I suppose there's a first time for everything eh? But yeah, the shadows will definitely will help out, kinda wish I was able to do more of that myself, but I guess that's what this is all supposed to be for." He waved a hand across his all black armor to illustrate his point. "Speaking of shadows actually, I kinda remember something weird from that fight at Atomic Anne's where there was some weird, shadowy looking stuff. Wonder what that was about..... Well anyways." He shrugged as his attention was taken by Henry's comment about the 'major player', Miss Vortex.
"Tsk tsk Henry, we've got three of them here! Though I have to say, I felt like our most recent Beach Fight was a bit more... Equitable. Miss Vortex can definitely pack a punch, and it certainly doesn't hurt to toss a little ice in their too." Richard gave a soft smile and a look of approval to Vicki, Sasha, and to Devon, but Henry's next comment stole the smile right off the vigilante's face.
Richard turned his gaze to Macroman, much sterner than some of the more friendly, polite looks he usually gives the group. In White Death's left hand, there was now an ice dagger, and in his right, he held a pistol. He held up the pistol first to give Henry a better look. "Do you see this Henry? This is skill. This took months, years to hone my body and mind to use as effectively as possible. Being able to wield this thing gets hard wired into you, and honestly, short of loss of bodily or brain function, that's never going to leave me."
Next, he held up the ice dagger for Henry to take a better look at. "This came to me when a missile got launched at an army convoy I was in, where I was surrounded by fire, concussive force, and of course plenty of shrapnel. I got this by nearly being turned into a charred, dismembered corpse that would need to be cremated to ensure my family got to have slightly easier sleeps for the rest of their lives. I wasn't born with it, I didn't have to go to a school or camp to learn how to hone it. No, I just had to almost die to get it."
The ice dagger clattered to the floor, shattering into hundreds of little pieces that dripped and leaked the water that made them up. Richard offered a smile again, though this one a little more tired and weary. "I try not to resent my powers Henry, and obviously I'm only to willing to use them. If you've got an advantage, don't waste it. But I also don't trust them either. They came from out of nowhere, and I don't see any reason now to trust they won't leave just the same way. My body, my mind, and a little human ingenuity? That'll be around for a long time yet. I'm not going into any battle without them."
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Maxwell nodded and smiled amiably as the General described his purposes on Earth, feeling a little more at ease with at least the claimed intentions of the guest. "Well certainly some consultation by a third party could be quite useful. I'm sure your unique perspective will offer some valuable insights. Indeed, I'd wager your empire has a wealth of knowledge that could be useful, especially in the strange times here on Earth."
The discussion quickly was distracted by the actions of the General's son who (mortifyingly) had captured a rat. This was an old oil rig, not a cave, was this really normal for them to be here? "I think I owe your son and you thanks General Wolfram. Had I been aware I had such a problem with rodents, I'd have called for better pest control. Though evidently, your son seems to be the more skilled... Hunter?" He chuckled in a friendly cordial way, intending the phrase as a compliment.
"Now, as per your mentions of the 'shared ancestry' of demons, this certainly raises some intriguing research questions. Not for today of course, but in the future. It makes me wonder what else lurks out in the universe. What else lurks in the shadows." He went quiet for a moment as he thought over whether or not what he was going to ask about next was smart or not, but it seemed like this may very well be a good time. He stood from his desk, raising a hand to the General to ask for a moment, as he walked to a nearby coffee table surrounded by rather luxurious looking black velvet couches with white lilies and gold hues stitched throughout. He picked up a newspaper and returned to his desk, setting it down in front of the General.
"I'm not sure if you were aware of the attack on Atlas City, General. But it's got me wondering about what exactly does hide in the shadows. What do you know about this?"
Ren raised an eyebrow at the Yunish man, who thanked him in fairly good Yeuxkyen, with a dialect far better than most foreigners could manage. "Bin qui." Came a response of 'you're welcome' in Yunish that bore the marks Ren's of foreign accent. The rabbit woman's response had been far less formal, leaving Ren cocking a smile and giving a slight bow of the head in response.
Before he could respond further, a Tengu had been thrust in his direction, instinctively triggering Ren to grab at the winged warrior's closest arm. Ren gripped tight as he pulled the Tengu's right arm up and over the Yeuxkyenan's right shoulder. The attacker's chest met Ren's back, and before he could fight back to regain control of his arm, Ren dipped down slightly as he pulled the Tengu up and over his shoulder, slamming him down into the stone street with crushing force.
The arm, already heavily damaged, was finished off by Ren using his foot to break it. He considered mercy for the briefest of moments, but after a brief look of the battlefield realized now really wasn't the time. The swordsman quickly and efficiently drew his blade, pierced the chest of the Tengu, and quickly wiped the sword clean of blood. He let out a slight sigh before having his attention caught by talk of... Treasure?
Interesting twist to all this. The arrival of a prefect helped confirm the import of this attack. Ren almost moved to question the Yunish man, 'Fortune', about the treasure more, but he was interrupted by the roars of the bear beastwoman from the Inn earlier.
He supposed it would be prudent to lend his assistance. Before he did though, he briefly turned to Ro. "Backup? Is there any forces that can help us in taking the tower from them?"
Club Shapeless: Atlas City
Maxwell watched Vicki Vortex and Zeke have their little bout of bickering outside from the computer screen of his office. He chuckled slightly at the sight, finding the whole thing somewhat endearing. Zeke in particular was starting to grow on The Shape, much like Maeve and Kiran had. Spiderblood was still a slight enigma, but also still new and in need of some opportunities to really show off what they were capable of.
He stood up from his desk and walked over to one of the walls of the room, a mirror like floor to ceiling set of black marble slabs. Maxwell donned his mirror mask over his head, finished tying his black silk tie, and buttoned up his red dress shirt. Perhaps a black three-piece with a red shirt wasnāt the correct colors for mourning, but he had other, important matters to attend to.
Upon returning to his computer, Maxwell had noticed that Zeke and Vicki Vortex were taking an elevator? Down to Kiranās floors. He sighed and frowned in mild annoyance. Shouldnāt Zeke have known better? Shouldnāt someone else have told them not to bother Kiran down there? Well⦠Itād be a test of their mettle to be sure. If they could survive all that, Maxwell would certainly respect them, though he wondered if Kiran would.
He left the office, heading in the direction of the conference room as guards and other employees scurried around. One of them seemed to be watching some Western movie or something? As soon as a fellow guard with him saw where The Shapeās gaze went, he slapped his coworker around, telling him to get back to work and not slack.
āSir! SIR!ā Shouting, from one of the guards that worked surveillance around the city.
āYes, what is it?ā Maxwell asked, a little taken aback by the panicked tone the guard had.
āBoss, I donāt want to alarm you, but we NEED to get a team together ASAP. Look at this!ā He showed Maxwell the screen of his phone, images of a collapsed building glowing from it. āWe thought this building was some kind of Witchfinder store house for a while, and it got ripped down today. But not just ripped down! There was gunfire coming from inside earlier, like a firefight! We didnāt have any people able to actually witness the thing, but we really should send some people to take a look quickly.ā
The Shape nodded in agreement. āYes, we should. I think Iāll send some of our heavy hitters out to take a look. Hopefully Maeve and Zeke at least, maybe even Spiderblood. But we need to do a meeting first. Get some vehicles and equipment ready in the meantime.ā The guard nodded and was about to leave, but before he did he handed Maxwell one last thing.
āJust got this today. Some corpo called Menagerie Tech is looking for a high level shapeshifter. Part of me is wondering if itās that one from the parkā¦ā After his boss took the notes, the guard gave a quick bow of his head and went off to get everything in order for the investigation.
Maxwell entered the conference room of Shapeless, quickly punching in a text message to Kiran.
Zeke and Vicki Vortex went down to the labs. Please take it easy on them. And we need to meet upstairs now, got business to take care of.
He sent the text, taking a seat at the head of a long table, with gorgeous black marble on top, and the familiar black jaguar statue illuminated behind him. Maxwell pressed down a PA system button on the table and spoke.
āMaeve, Kiran, Zeke, Spiderblood, and all executives, please join me in the Conference Room now to discuss some urgent business, thank you.ā He sighed and leaned back in the chair as he punched out one last text message, the meeting almost ready to start.
Cousin, the meetingās almost ready. Let me know when youāre ready to join.
Sent.
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The ResortGeorge, still in his office, gazed into a gold framed mirror, with white marble shelf underneath it. On the shelf sat a small box containing a pair of platinum cufflinks, and in his hands was a soft, light blue silk tie. As he finished tying the Windsor knot, the sounds of some kind of explosions rang out from some other part of the property. He felt his heart race as he returned to his desk to quickly pick up a Walther P5, slipping it into a holster underneath his black suit jacket.
As he left his office, a staff member ran at full sprint towards him.
āSir! The ahh⦠Guests have been⦠Sparring outside.āGeorge took the information in quickly and stifled the need to sigh. That was relieving to know it was only that. But by the sounds of itā¦
āThank you for letting me know. Could you please make a call through to one of our construction contractors? And spread word to the staff that weāre going to remain closed a little while longer, so that we can get these repairs finished. If we have to cancel guest stays, go ahead and do it. Tell them we had some āunruly super guestsā.āThe staff member gave a hesitant nod and rushed off to begin the damage control process. George took another moment to let himself be eased out of that anxiety he had felt. Today almost sounded like it was going to be quite terrible, but not so terrible as some kind of attack on himself and the heroes. Before he got to comfortable though, he felt his phone buzz. George pulled it out and took a quick glance over the contents of a text, before yet another sense of anxiety hit him.
It was the Attorney General.
He made his way down the halls of the resort, trying to make sure he was able to gather all others he needed to see. During this journey, he came across one in particular that was littered with room service carts. Sheriās, he believed. He knocked on the door to see if she was in, but with no response coming, he decided she may be out, or unavailable.
The little journey continued until he came to Lizās door. It had been a while since theyād spoken, perhaps now would be a good chance to check in with her. He was about to knock on the door until he heard talking inside, and the sound of⦠Kokomo? George knocked before opening the door to peer inside, greeted by floors covered in sand, tropical heat, and the strong scent of drinks typical to vacation spots with these attributes.
George gazed at the two in the room, Sheri and Liz. The drinks, several of which had been clearly polished off and left around the makeshift beach, were alcoholic. At quite an early hour. While the old manās face was pleasant enough, there was an ever so slight shift in his eyes, a tiny narrowing as he made eye contact with Liz.
āI see youāve both made yourselves quite comfortable, Iām pleased to see. I hope you have been enjoying your stay at the resort thus far.ā Before either could get in another word, he had indicated with his hands back to the hallway.
āIf you both have time, I hope youād be able to join me and the others in the library. There are some matters I wish to discuss shortly.ā He was about to close the door to continue gathering the others, but stopped for another brief moment, turning his gaze to Liz once more.
āAnd Ms. Baker, I believe you and I should also have a private chat soon, when itās convenient.ā His eyes had briefly lingered again over the drinks, both around the room and in the superās hand, before he close the door and continued his search.
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Seemed like just as soon as Richard reached the kitchen, everyone else had disappeared. āJemmaā to go deal with⦠Something? Right around the time some explosions started happening (apparently the sparring between Alex and Silver Fang?), so he guessed it was related to that. Cannonade, everyoneās favorite gravity wielding super, had also disappeared to go to the memorial no doubt, though it seemed a bit early for that still.
In the end, only Richard and Klaus had remained, but the two soon parted ways as well, probably for the best since Klaus seemed to have a lot on his mind anyways. Richard was about to head back to his room, but ended up running into George on the way back. āOh, Mr. Carlisle, good morning.ā He spoke with a little surprise, though admittedly he felt glad to see the old man again, he still hoped to get more answers out of him soon.āGood morning Richard, how has your day been so far?ā George responded politely.
Richard shrugged slightly and gave a bemused nod. āThe other guests are a little⦠Unique, but itās been good otherwise. Are you ready to head to the memorial?āGeorge nodded with a sigh before responding.
āYes, but thereās some matters to attend to first. Iād like you to join me and the others in the library quickly. Thereās matters we need to quickly discuss.āRichard nodded hesitantly, a little offput by Georgeās rather⦠Unsettled reaction? āAhh, sure thing! Iāll shoot a quick text to Klaus, I think heās still here. The others are⦠I think in that NAHLA guyās lab? Maybe?ā He quickly typed up a message to Klaus, telling him to meet in the library, before hitting send.George gave a slight bow of his head in gratitude.
āI appreciate it Richard, see you shortly.ā__________________________________________________________________
Moments later, a knock came from outside of Sairynās lab, with George peering in to those gathered, not crossing the threshold himself.
āPardon the interruption, but Iād like if you could all join me in the library. We have a matter to discuss quickly. Something Iād like your help with.āHe was about to turn away and leave before he noticed something on the shapeshifterās lips⦠Red.
It appeared like it might be blood. Georgeās eyes quickly came to meet both Sairynās and Alexās. He said nothing further, hoping they knew well enough to not make him need to talk with them. Time would tell of course, for now his best choice with this collection of supersā¦
Was to help them grow into something even greater.
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George sat quietly in the library, in a large, red chair next to a fire. Heād momentarily picked up a book to pass the few moments he needed till the others would arrive. Wuthering Heights, sort of a macabre, miserable tale if he was being honest. But he felt a strange familiarity with it, like something in the eerie atmosphere of the book was reflected in the real world.
Terrorist attack at a diner, complete with super drugs and Frankensteinās monster. A towering behemoth of rot and decay attacking Atlas City. The brutal murder of a super on live stream. A Witchfinder warehouse collapsing on the inhabitants.
He believed he hadnāt seen the dead wandering any moors yet, but that could still be yet to come for all he knew.
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Memorial, Atlas City Beach:From all around Cannonade there was shouts and cheers of excitement, a mixture of people calling out the heroās name, along with other heaping praise. The memorial had yet to start, but already people were getting worked up, though at this exact moment more because they could feel safe.
More cheers erupted as some activity near the stage caught the attention of others. Seemed some other big names were here too, including Captain Valor, and none other than Backlash, The Baron, and the other hero to have āsavedā Atlas City: Albrecht von Richthofen.
Before Cannonade truly had time to react though, there were men in black suits starting to make a perimeter around them, almost as if they were about to be arrested, until they could see who was running at them from the stage.
Gordon Ford. The President of the United States.
āCannonade!!!ā He shouted in glee.
āOh Iām so glad you came here to join us! Truly, Atlas City and America owe you a great debt!ā Along with the overjoyed, yet still incredibly boring President, were several other figures. A woman of African American heritage, in about her 40ās or 50ās, with curly dark hair, and an olive green power suit on. She seemed serious, somber, perhaps a little cold, but there was a sense of sympathy and mourning about her. Claudia Burke, Attorney General of the USA.
There was also another man with them, much younger than either of them in only his 30ās. He was tall, quite handsome, and had blonde hair parted to one side and slicked back. He had a smile that could put a Kennedy to shame, but the air of a man whoād be comfortable in just about any setting that could exist. Calm, collected, and very much in control of himself. This was Victor Covistic, the Secretary of Defense of the United States.
āCannonade, pleasure to meet you, and happier to see you made it today.ā Victor spoke in a relaxed, but pleased tone as he offered a handshake to the gravity wielding hero.