Infinite Justice: Beyond (Marvel,DC,DBZ X/Over, IC, Open)

[The Templar High Council]

---

Jamie was relieved when Cora said that they would head out right away, but when she heard the sound of police sirens surrounding the forest clearing in which they stood, she visibly paled, not knowing what would happen next and not too eager to find out either, her panicking mind not pausing to wonder how exactly the police cruisers had gotten past the trees so quickly. Hearing Cora tell her and Marybeth to simply let themselves be taken away, the black-haired girl's hopes for getting out of there sank further. She knew that they were heroes and that they had been right in what they did, but she also knew that the cyborg factory was owned by the government and that people could be really corrupt sometimes, and she was not looking forward to prison, or whatever usually followed an arrest. What she feared the most was being forced to meet her parents once more, as they had not been on good terms when she last talked to them and she did not want to see them again, but either way, she was very adamant towards the idea of being arrested.

Amidst her silent panic, she had a moment of lucidity, and while the others put their hands up, she slowly raised her hands as well, but with a different intention. "I-I'll go get help." She whispered, before taking off her shades. As expected, the enchanted object caused everyone around her to be unable to recognize her as the Final Boss anymore. Instead, all that they saw, with the exception fo Cora and Marybeth of course, was a short teenage girl with black hair and a purple hoodie, perhaps not the living image of harmlessness, but fairly close.

"Step away from the suspects, miss." One of the police officers told her, gesturing with his pistol, while the others kept their weapons trained on the two remaining Justice Queens.

"A-alright..." She mumbled, only half-acting, as she was pretty scared, though not for the same reasons as the other children. Blending in with the released prisoners from the cyborg factory, she used her ring's power once again, and as her Archetype changed, her hair turned a snowy white. Using her new abilities, she caused time to freeze, and then darted out of the crime scene, running until she found herself on a familiar street, and finally stopping and allowing time to flow freely once again. Leaning against a wall, she began patting her jeans' pockets.

"Where is that thing..." The girl grumbled, before pausing, shoving a hand into one of her pockets, and pulling out her cellphone. She sighed in relief, and then stared at it for several moments as she thought of who to call for help. She remembered that Cora didn't want Katie finding out about their little mission, she hadn't heard of Valancy in months, and Naja was probably off in Praetoria or something, not that she had interacted much with the latter two anyways. Eventually, she settled on calling Kylie, but as soon as she decided that, another problem surfaced.

"...I DON'T EVEN HAVE THEIR NUMBERS!" Jamie shouted, facepalming and then putting her cellphone back in its pocket before darting off once more.

After a while, she found herself in the reception of the Justice Tower. Walking up to Mindy while trying to do her best to dissimulate her shortness of breath, she put on a fake smile and waved politely. "Hi. Could you check if Kylie's home? I need her for something." She said. Mindy raised an eyebrow, seeing right through Jamie's half-assed facade, but not saying anything.

"Of course, miss Mason. One moment." The receptionist said, before picking up her phone and calling upstairs.

Dozens of floors up, a phone in the JQ's living room rang. It rang once, twice, thrice, before any attempt was read to retrieve it. "I'll get it!" Kylie shouted, racing out of her room, sliding down the banister, and leaping for the phone sitting solitarily on a table. She grabbed it, brought it up to her head, and answered calmly: "Justice Tower, Justice Queen's residence. Lady Lantern speaking, please state your emergency."

"Ms. Perceval," Mindy began from over the line. "Ms. Mason is down in the foyer requesting your assistance. Please come down quickly, it seems to be of some urgency."

"Right-o, I'll be down in a sec." Kylie hung up the phone and called her rings to her, the multicolored objects streaking towards her. The red ring was again not put on, only placed in her pocket, and it somewhat worried Kylie that it stayed in her possession. Caliburn glowed with a silver light as it flew to her hand, formerly just a slightly tarnished silver ring, now another weapon added to Kylie's arsenal. And it sounded just like Ser Perceval did from Camelot. Regardless of how much jewelry she had, Kylie proceeded to step into the elevator and quickly descended to the foyer, not noticing Del and Val in the kitchen having a conversation.

"What's up, Jamie?" Kylie asked happily. "You look like you just ran a marathon... everything all right?" Kylie didn't know of Cora's mission, she only told Jamie, then Marybeth. As far as she knew, Cora was still upstairs in her room, or out having lunch, or something.

[Galnius]

---

Cora merely gave a grim smile as Marybeth's words, noticing that Jamie somehow managed to escape arrest, as she was not being forced into the police car along with her and Marybeth. This made Cora feel a little better at least. She had brought Jamie into this, and didn't feel like the mutant should be punished for it. Cora was silent as they were driven to the police station, ignoring the questions of the officers in the front of the car. After a little while of a drive the car stopped outside a local police station. It was a small place, much different than the NYPD buildings. They were then led inside the building, small crowds were gathered around staring at them.

Cora ignored the staring the best she could, but it made her feel like a freak. She was glad once they were finally inside and a police officer approached them. "Alright, we're going to need your names, fingerprint scan, and mug shots. But first, we'd like to talk to you about what exactly went on over there." The officer said. Cora merely shrugged, "Fine, if you want to talk then we can, I don't regret what we did and won't hide from it."

When the officers brought Marybeth into the car, shackles and all, she couldn't help but sigh. The ride in the back was long and stifling. Apparently air conditioning want a thing for these people. The kicker for Marybeth, however, was at the police station when they started taking her knives.

"Hey, no, don't touch those. Watch it, that's sharp. Oh you are a smart one, aren't you", she said, criticizing their every move. One guard almost cut themselves, which usually would've made Marybeth laugh quite loudly if it wasn't for the fact that it was HER knife the idiot was touching. Then came the fun part.

"Alright, we're going to need your names, fingerprint scan, and mug shots. But first, we'd like to talk to you about what exactly went on over there." Marybeth almost screamed. These police.... We're idiots. She stopped herself from talking as Cora began, as she felt like it wouldn't go over very well if she said "Will officer, it seems like someone set off a bomb with a bunch of kids around. You should look into that. " After Cora got done, Marybeth rolled her eyes. She's too honest. One of the officers seemed to find that suspicious, and asked Marybeth to accompany her to another room... Alone.

" Alright, I'm going to ask you the same questions while doing the basics." The female officer began. Marybeth could no longer hold in her laughter. "And what is humorous about this situation?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing. You should probably fingerprint me." Started Marybeth, holding out her hands. "I'm sure you'll find it incredibly helpful in your investigation. But please, detain the people who saved the kids, that will work WONDERS." The officer frowned, taking fingerprints. When she was finished, she looked at the prints. Then she looked at Marybeth, glaring. "Oh, I'm sorry, is there a problem?"

[Confederation of imperial states]

Guardian/Dark Knight 4
"Day vs Knight"

Guardian jetted top speeds towards Chicago, he was caught under Malanor's thumb, Knowing he wouldn't be able to get out he'd need Dark Knight's help. Guardian flew over to where the floodlight was shining upwards, whatever metal was over the Light it created a Shield Symbol, Guardian used his Supervision to see Dark Knight standing there, in his Power Suit, ready to fight. Guardian stopped midair, looking down at Dark Knight, he didn't need his Supervision to see Dark Knight, he dropped down to the ground below the old Precinct that Dark Knight's light was on. Dark Knight dropped down, stepping off the roof he dropped down onto the ground, the suit protecting him, but cracking the ground he landed on immensely. Dark Knight turned the corner behind the dumpster, walking into plain view of the open Lot, Guardian stood up and walked towards him.

Dark Knight smirked underneath his helmet, "Well.." Dark Knight placed his two hands outwards to his sides, "Here I Am"

.


"Marcus, I was Wrong, I need your help" Guardian said walking forward, as Dark Knight stepped backwards away from him, "it's Malanor, he-" Guardian then stepped onto a pressure plate in the empty loy. Out of the ground, 2 Hypersonic emitters sprang up, taking aim at Guardian they let loose a huge amount of powerful hypersonic blasts, dropping him to the ground. Guardian gritted his teeth, he was caught offguard when he saw blood coming from his nostril. Guardian reached down, grabbing hold of some of the asphalt, he reipped two chunks, throwing them at both emitters destroying them. Dark Knight stared Guardian down as he stood up, wiping the blood from his nose he continued walking towards Dark Knight, "Dark Knight that's enough", Dark Knight shook his head "This is just the beginning", Dark Knight walked towards Guardian, meeting him face to face. "Fighting is useless Knight", "Fighting for the thousands who perished in Detroit isn't, Fighting for those who've lost their lives and have lived onder your Godlike rule Isn't" Dark Knight leaned forward at Guardian, only to have Guardian lightly push Dark Knight, sending him flying back and landing on his back with a [CLANG].

"You need to listen to me", Dark Knight sat up "No" he said coldly, pressing a button on his belt, causing 5 High Powered defense turrets to appear out of the ground. The Turrets started to fire at Guardian, showering him in a high amount of bullets, shells, and other munitions, Guardian shielding himself until he realized they'd have no effect. Grabbed a nearby metal pole, he threw it destroying one of the turrets, Guardian then precisely waited and grabbed 2 munitions shells, he threw them back at the Turrets destroying them. Dark Knight stood up, breathing deeply from the toss he looked back to see all of the turrets destroyed, Dark Knight braced as Guardian came walking through the fire of the destroyed equipment, Guardian flew into Dark Knight, flying through the wall of the abandoned precinct, and through the floors, smashing upwards until they broke through the roof. Guardian threw Dark Knight, colliding with the makeshift Knightsymbol, Dark Knight's heavy suit broke it, Dark Knight rolled a few times before smashing into the edge of the roof, stopping by bracing himself.

Guardian landed 20ft from Dark Knight , Dark Knight began to stand up, the suit dented from the impacts it had taken "Stay Down, If I wanted you dead, you'd be 6ft in the ground by now". Dark Knight shoot his head, 'Arrogant' he muttered, turning to Guardian he produced a Smoke cannister, pulling the pin, and tossing it to the ground, it created an enormous amount of smoke between them. "A Smoke Grenade? Really?" Guardian said trying to use his Supervision, it had no effect, as the smoke strangely blocked his Supervision, "the hell.." Guardian muttered, jetting forward into the smoke at Dark Knight. Guardian was surprised when Dark Knight was nowhere to be seen, he looked around, then noticing him in the corner of his eye as the smoke dissipated, Guardian turned halfway to see Dark Knight, aiming a Military Grade Grenade Launcher at him. As Dark Knight fired a round at Guardian, Guardian caught it, raising an eyebrow "really-". Guardian was cut off when the Canister exploded, releasing a high amount of some strange gas/smoke, and releasing Filaments, all of which Guardian inhaled, causing him to wheeze and call to one knee.

Dark Knight too a few steps, staying at a certain radius from Guardian, but walking around him a few steps, "Breath it in, That's fear, that's What Brave people like us feel everyday. Our Mortality". Guardian stood up angrily, "And you're saying *cough* I'm not BRAVE?! I'VE SAVED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE" Guardian charged Forward at Dark Knight, "You're not Brave....", as Guardian threw a swing at Dark Knight, he blocked it, Guardian gave a dumbfounded, and worried look, "Men are Brave". Guardian looked at Dark Knight's block, then stared at him, as Dark Knight wound back and punched Guardian square in the face. It hurt, something that Guardian doesn't usually say, Guardian was staggered back, as Dark Knight charged forward, punching Guardian Again, Guardian threw a punch, which simply slammed against Dark Knight's chest piece, hardly moving him. Dark Knight kneed Guardian in the chin, then wound up his foot and Kicked Guardian, causing Guardian to fall back onto a window arch partly breaking through. Guardian gasped, whatever was in that Grenade Canister round was hell on his system, Dark Knight walked towards him, "You lord over us like you're some God, You never had the chance to learn what Mortality, or life is", Dark Knight stopped dead in his tracks. "And I think it's time you learned what it means to be a man", Dark Knight jumped, the heavy Power suit slammed down onto Guardian, smashing him through the window, and through a floor of the precinct.

Dark Knight stepped off of Guardian, he grabbed him by the front of his uniform and the back of his head, and slammed his head into the wall. Guardian fought back, pushing Dark Knight as he attack, Dark Knight pushed Guardian against the wall, his back smashing halfway through it, and with his other hand Dark Knight began to lay down a series of punches. Guardian took each punch, a thud after each one, however Guardian started to simply stare at Dark Knight, and Dark Knight stopped, once his hand simply just hit Guardian's chin without phasing him. Dark Knight took a few steps back, bracing himself as Guardian hovered up, and flew down at him, smashing them through the floor, and through a wall, Guardian landing on one side, and Dark Knight landing on the other. Dark Knight took a few breaths, before standing up, seeing he was in a bathroom, he turned, seeing Guardian through the large hole in the wall. Dark Knight charged at Guardian, and Guardian returned the favor charging at Dark Knight. Guardian threw a punch at Dark Knight, Dark Knight caught it, then using his free hand to smash Guardian through a bathroom stall divider, Dark Knight took Guardian's head with both his hands, and smashed it halfway through a toilet seat, then used his right Power Suit boot to smash Guardian through the toilet. Guardian took a knee, he punched Dark Knight square in the Power Suit's chest piece, throwing him back, through the now fairly broken wall dividing the mens and womens rooms, Dark Knight slammed against the far wall.

Guardian staggered as he stood up, Dark Knight quickly taking out his Grenade Launcher, and hastely loading a Grenade Round, Guardian saw and charged at Guardian, "RAAAAAAH" Guardian yelled as he jumped and lunged at Dark Knight. Dark Knight loaded the Grenade Launcher and fired a round at Guardian at close range, hitting him and detonating, Guardian smashed into Dark Knight, pushing both of them through the wall. Guardian slid, finally stopping, laying on his stomach, coughing as this time he took the full dosage of whatever was in that Grenade Round. Dark Knight stood up, seeing Guardian was feeling the full effects of the Dylithium mix, he grabbed a hard Porcelain sink and ripped it off the wall. Dark Knight walked over to where Guardian was, trying to stand on his hands and knees, Dark Knight smashed the Porcelain sink down on him, causing him to fall flat on his stomach with a painful grunt. Dark Knight looked down at Guardian, grabbing him by the back of his uniform he dragged Guardian on his back through the nearby door, out of the hall, to a circular area, Dark Knight looked down, as the now broken Bannister showed a long drop. Dark Knight grabbed Dark Knight and heaved him off of the Bannister, causing Guardian to fall down. Guardian hit 2 Chandeliers while falling, causing him to hit the ground, falling on his back, with the broken remains of the chandeliers falling around him. Dark Knight shot his grappel, catching the main part of the ceiling fixture above him, he lowered himself down, landing 7ft from Guardian.

Guardian coughed up blood, laying on his back, on the broken remains of what was the police Precinct pillar, Dark Knight shook his head looking at him. Dark Knight walked over to where a large metal pole stuck out of the ground, grasping it with hsi right Power Gauntlet, Dark Knight ripped it out of the ground, revealing it was actually a spear with a Radioactively charged Electrical Platinum Shard. Guardian attempted to stand up, but was pushed back down when Dark Knight pressed his left power boot on his neck, as Dark Knight took aim with the spear at Guardian, Guardian managed to tighten his Larynx and yell "Knight, Marcus, Save Cellina". Dark Knight paused, his once angry face visible through the half broken Helmet now confused. "what?", "Save.....Cellina", "What does that Mean, Who's Cellina?", Dark Knight eased up the pressure of his left foot on Guardian's neck, Guardian gasped for a second before saying "Malanor...Rex, He kidnapped her, tried to have me kill you to save her, he wanted us to fight for the death". Dark Knight's face, through the now broken and damaged helmet of his Power Suit, was visibly shocked, "No...", Dark Knight stepped off of Guardian, Dark Knight processed this information turning away, his face grew angry as he yelled out, throwing the spear, it's hard spearhead smashed through a wall, sticking outwards.

[The Starlight]

A Burning Martian with a Greek Name comes to Visit

"Well hello there," Craig responded out loud, using his wrist teleporter to exit the Imaginarium and stand before the visitor. "Usually, visitors knock on the front door before entering, but I'll excuse these circumstances," he said, gazing up at the giant, "not like I couldn't do so." His eyes turned an electric blue as he consulted the Orb of Cognition for a few moments before his normal dark eyes returned to their normal chocolate brown. "A Burning Martian. I shall have to create some psionic headgear for the team, to prevent mind-reading in the future." He said, surmising how the Martian had gotten the location of their HQ.

"Anyway, where are my manners? Welcome to Travenios. You know my name, but I am afraid I do not know yours. And you said you wanted to talk and help us? What's your interest in this War of ours, and why do you want to take part?" he asked, leaning against a wall.

[Confederation of imperial states]

Black Hand - Anarcho - Sony

Black Hand's Bunker

Black Hand rubbed his forehead through his mask as he looked down at the war table, placing his two hands on the edge. Many of the Iron Mountain Targets previously listed on it were crossed out with red X's, many of the drug routes in The projects, downtown, and all around the city had been cut, around with many of their Security Firms had been trashed from their constant raids. Black Hand shook his raids, "We're not Doing enough" he said standing up, Anarcho came walking in around the corner, holding a bag of Burger King in his hand. "Not doing enough? Dude have you SEEN the carnage we've given to them!" Anarcho gestured to the table with his free hand, Black Hand stared up at him, "There criminal empire is still standing. We've gotta go Big", "Wait, Does that mean We're finally gonna?-", Black Hand nodded. Anarcho quickly tossed the bag of burger king in a nearby trash bag, running the opposite direction of the table, he stopped at a metal railing, looking down into a large open area of the bunker. "SONY, Tub a Wub, We're gonna smash Titan's Skyscraper. Get Ready!".

A few hours of prep time later...

Black Hand loaded his pistol with an extended magazine of ammunition, placing it in it's holder, he instead started to load his Crossbow with readied bolts. Anarcho was preparing his ungodly amount of weaponry, His Samurai sword he'd confiscated earlier was sharpened and readied, along with his Axes, his Sub Machine Guns, Light Machine Gun, and more. Sony didn't actually have anything to prepare, seeing as his gigantic amount of strength was their edge against the Iron Mountain Forces, he sat on the couch, the middle dipping severely as he waited politely for Anarcho and Black Hand to finish. "Alright, here's the Plan" Black Hand said once they were done, walking over to a large blueprint of the skyscraper on the wall, "Titan's Skyscraper might seem like the Economic peaceful structure the city knows it as, but in reality it's a Paramilitary fortress inside". Black Hand pointed to a Red Line, leading into and up the building, "We'll be heading in through the main entrance, smashing our way in We'll carve through the iron Mountain Private Army they'll have waiting for us. We'll head to the back loading dock, where we'll take the service elevator up around halfway, it's max length. From there we'll fight our way up through the staircases, making our way to Brandon Titan's Office. Once there We'll try to take Titan in, knowing his ego he won't go down without a fight, so we'll be forced to take him down". Black Hand turned to Anarcho and Sony, "Any Questions?", Sony and Anarcho looked at each other, "So, like, After we're done. Do we get to keep the Skyscraper or what?". Black Hand shrugged, "I Don't see why not", "Alright", Anarcho took out his SMGs, swinging them on their fingers once, "Let's do this".

---

Armored Truck, infront of Iron Mountain Skyscraper

Black Hand peered at the Iron Mountain lobby with his binoculars, the left side of the truck facing the building caused Anarcho to peer under Black Hand's arms, and for Sony to peek through the ports in the Van. "Blackey Boy, what've they got?" Anarcho asked, trying to peer under Black Hand's arms, "You have eyes", "Yeah, that're blocked by your arms holding Binoculars, now Tell". Black Hand slightly shook his head, "They've got the Lobby Locked down, Paramilitary soldiers armed with full combat suits and an allotment of weapons". Anarcho loaded his Light Machine Gun with armored piercing rounds, Black Hand placed the Binoculars into his glove compartment, "I've got a better plan, Sony, Anarcho, get out". Anarcho and Sony promptly hopped out of the Armored Truck, Black Hand turned the Truck, the front pointing straight at the lobby, he grabbed a cinder block from the back and dropped it on the pedal. the Truck went speeding off, smashing through the front of the Lobby, Black Hand pulled out his pistol "Move in, Now!" he yelled as Sony and Anarcho followed him through the smashed open lobby doors.

Entering, Black hand promptly shot a Security Personal who attempted to grab his rifle while he was down, shooting him straight through the head. Anarcho took out his Dual SMGs and began to fire at a group of surviving guards, flipping sideways over a toppled column, he ran forward, sliding and continuing to fire at the guards killing the rest. A Guard attempted to throw a Frag grenade at the group, Black Hand Caught it, tossing it up Sony simple ate it. There was a small 'Boom', and Sony cracked his head, showing he was unphased and unhurt. Black Hand shot the Guard straight in the head, just as Anarcho reconvened together with them, "Where to now?", Black Hand looked around, seeing a closed, gated off hallway to the right of the Accountant's desk, "There, that's the way to the shipping area. Sony smash it". Sony charged forward, smashing through the gate, Black Hand and Anarcho following him, as they entered into the truck area, 3 Guards took aim, but were punted by Song with a simply swipe of his arm.

Black Hand looked left to the large Maintenance Elevator, "There let's get going" he said darting towards it with Anarcho and Sony following behind. Just as they neared it, The door lifted up, revealing a brutish armored Iron Mounatin Security Personal, carrying a Minigun, "MINIGUN" Black hand yelled rolling off the platform to cover, the barrel rotated and Anarcho took cover behind Sony. Sony used one of his hands to easily shield Anarcho from the bullets. Sony charged forward, though the constant stream of bullets was slowing him, Black Hand snuck behind the Iron Mountain merc, firing a few bullets. The Merc turned around and fired his Minigun at Black Hand, who took cover behind a Stone pillar. As the Merc firing his Minigun, he looked up as a Shadow formed around him, to just shortly see Sony holding a shipping container above him, before Sony smashed it down ontop of him. Black Hand quickly came from behind the Pillar as Sony and Anarcho climbed over the container, "Nice work" he said entering the elevator. Anarcho and Sony climbed into the Elevator, Black hand pressed the button to go the max height, about halfway up the Skyscraper, as it climbed, Incredibly cheesy Elevator music played.

Near to the halfway point for the building, the Elevator stopped at a floor, shutting down and stopping, "What the hell happened?". ["High boys, yeah, as much as I'd LOVE for you to come up here and have a chat with me, I'm gonna have to pass. Now, play nice with the attack choppers!"] Brandon Titan spoke on the Elevator's speaker before cutting out, "I really f*ckin hate that guy". Sony forced open the Elevator doors, to a fairly clean and well kept casual area outside the elevator, the large, clear windows visible ahead. Black Hand placed his Pistol away and took out a Crossbow, loading an Explosive bolt, as he did, he heard the sound of Chopper engines from outside. "Choppers, Get down!" Black Hand said diving to the left along with Sony, as Anarcho dived to the right behind a wall outcropping, as 2 Attack choppers took aim and fired into the building at them. The Attack Choppers let loose with Gatteling Gun fire, cutting through the glass and churning up the nice lounge area. From behind Anarcho, 7 Armed guards appeared and began to fire at them, Anarcho returned fire with his Light Machine gun. Black Hand looked around, seeing behind him there was a large metal Gerdur, Black Hand looked over to Sony, "Big guy, I'm gonna shoot one of the Gunships with an Explosive bolt, while it's recovering, grab that Gerdur and lug it at them".

Sony nodded as he picked it up, readying it over his shoulder, Black Hand took aim and fired an Explosive bolt at one of the gunships catching it off guard and stopping it's bullet fire. Sony then javelin tossed the gerdur, it stabbed straight into the heart of the chopper causing it to spin out ["Mayday! Mayday!"] the Chopper pilot yelled as it collided with the second Chopper, causing a huge explosion which threw the remaining guards attacking Anarcho off their feet. After Anarcho finished riddling the Guards, he loaded his LMG, Black Hand and Sony quickly ran past him towards another Elevator, "Aw Come On! Wait for me!" Anarcho yelled attempting to catch up. Climbing in the Normal Elevator (with Sony being forced into the back of the Elevator), the trio took a needed break, reloading their weapons, stretching, and all around waiting while the Elevator climbed to the top. "Gotta say", Anarcho said looking at Black hand "This has been some fun crap", Black Hand nodded, "Sony wanna have vacation after this". As the Elevator reached the top level, ANarcho eylled as he charged out, aiming his Dual SMGs, Black Hand took out his Handgun and Crowbar, and Sony smashed out of the Elevator, the shocked Secretary sitting at her desk just outside of Brandon's office.

Black hand stopped at the desk, "We need to see Titan", The Secretary, with wide eyes, simply pressed the button unlocking the doors, "Thank you". Sony smashed through the large double doors, with Black hand to his left and Anarcho to his right, they entered the office, to see Titan at his desk and Tyrannt at his side, aiming a high powered assault rifle. "well, I've got to say, you boy shave been persistent" Brandon said smugly. Black Hand aimed his pistol at brandon, "Brandon Titan, you're under Arrest for Murder, Theft, Fraud, Criminal trafficking, Criminal Conspiracy, the list goes on". Brandon snickered, "as much as I'd love to go to jail boys, I can't let you do that, but these lovely gentlemen would love to". brandon pushed a button on his desk, 4 panels from the ceiling infront of him opened up, and 18 of the same Futuristic Samurais dropped down and readied their weapons. "Samurais Again!", [Huh, didn't expect to see them again], [TIME TO KILL], Black Hand paused to a moment, "Sony". Sony looked at Black Hand, "Smash", Sony roared, and charged at the Samurai, Anarcho dived behind a couch, firing at them, and Black hand began to fire at the Samurais. The Samurais began to slice and attack Sony, though they climbed all over him, Sony was able to smashed them all over, making a mess of Brandon's office.

Anarcho began to jump all over Sony as well, fighting the Samurais simultaneously, along with firing around senselessly. In the middle of all of this, Black hand pressed the Barrel of his gun against Brandon's head "I guess taking you in won't be an option for right now", before Black hand could fire, Tyrannt grabbed him by his neck, and threw him across the office, smashing him into a cookcase and sending Black hand ducking behind a couch. "You just don't get it, do you?" Tyrannt said firing his rifle at Black Hand, "You stupid, burn out Vigilantes are useless, and it's time you bow to your Tyrannt". Tyrannt grabbed the edge of the couch, with his strength he flipped it over, and aimed his rifle at Black hand, "Say goodnight". Before Tyrannt could kill Black hand, Sony grabbed Tyrannt in his hand "Bad Man!" Tyrannt made eye contact with Sony, "Go to hell you Rejected Science project!" Tyrannt said, hitting Sony's hand with the butt of his rifle. Sony growled, tossing Tyrannt out one of the side windows, sending him flying from Sony's enormous strength. Brandon got up from under his desk, surprised, "that was unexpected. Well then, maybe you boys would be interested in a buisness deal", Black Hand loaded his crossbow, nodding to Anarcho. Anarcho fired at Brandon with one of his SMGs, riddling his stomach with bullets, before Brandon could collapse, Black hand fired an explosive bolt at Brandon, sending him flying out of the window. Brandon screamed as he flew down, he flailed in the air until he stopped......by being punctured through his stomach by his own statue of him, pointing a sword into the air.

Black Hand walked to the edge of the window, Sony sat down on one of the couches, curling up "Sony tired", "Yeah, yeah. Get some sleep tub a wub". Black Hand turned to Anarcho, "What now?", Black hand walked forward to the desk, using his crossbow to knock off Brandon's name plate "Keep what you kill".

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

A lone figure walked daintily through the streets of Jump City, enjoying the breeze and taking advantage of the less transitioned hallways of the living asphalt labyrinth that was the city that once housed the Teen Titans and now housed the Young Bloods instead. The figure in question was a teenage girl, with dark skin and long black hair, who wore a plain white dress and held a similarly-colored parasol in her hand. She was barefoot and held an appearace that would not be out of place in a fairy tale, and in the same vein, perhaps the more striking thing about her was the pair of colorful butterfly wings that protruded from her back, giving away her origin as a supernatural being. Fortunately for her, what few men and women were traversing the streets at the time were unable to see her, thanks to the mystical properties of the shroud she wore over her shoulders.

The girl was merrily exploring the corners of Jump City, doing what she could not do when street and sidewalk alike were packed with creatures of flesh and of metal. Her friends were likely staying in their tower, and rightly so, for they had no business outside of it recently, which was always a good sign, but she enjoyed being outdoors and so, there she was, looking around, not minding the feeling of hot asphalt under her feet. However, as she explored, she felt the spirits of the deceased talking to her, telling her of a strange occurence not far from where she was. Curious about this, she decided to check it out, and guided by the spirits, she headed towards a nearby alley.

What she found there, she had not expected: it was a young man, clad in dark clothes and with dark hair. He seemed to be crying, and so, she walked up to him.

"You shouldn't cry alone." She spoke softly, before revealing herself to him, cancelling the abilities of the magic shroud she wore for a bit, not even bothering to hide her wings, as she felt more comfortable by letting them be seen, since she could always hide again at a moment's notice. Crouching a little next to him so that their faces were at an even height, she placed a hand on his shoulder while the other one gripped her parasol. "What's ailing you? Maybe if you talk about it, it will not hurt so much anymore."

---

---

Black Sun frowned a little when she heard Gelus laughing at her words, but said nothing else and simply directed a glare towards him as she listened, noticing the edge in Prototype's voice and glancing towards him, slightly concerned at how tense he seemed to be. She noticed that he was trying to pick a fight with the five warriors, and she began worrying for him, as she wasn't sure if he could really take them all on, what with them being five and him just being one. She also hadn't seen the extent of his battle prowess back at New Namek, as they hadn't really fought much more than what amounted to cannon fodder from the PTO, but from what she could see, he was at least partially outclassed by the beings in front of her, and especially the one in blue, who was currently revealing his synthetic nature to Prototype. Not that she cared where the conversation was going, now that it was revealed that these five were indeed the bad guys they were here to stop. She was only concerned about how Prototype was proceeding: while fighting them was an inevitable thing, fighting them all at once wasn't really very wise at all.

After a moment, however, the female cyborg simply shook her head in disbelief, very relieved and very surprised at the same time, trying to hold back a chuckle. These beings in front of her, she concluded, were unbelievably stupid. Having the opportunity to just gang up on Prototype, they instead went, apparently, in pairs, and while it was still better than just fighting him one on one, it was still a complete waste, since there were still three of those aliens just standing idle and watching their two buddies fight. But of course, she wasn't going to tell them any of that, content to see that they were too dumb for their own good, and so, she simply relaxed and settled for watching Prototype fight the two Arcosians.

That was, of course, until he asked her for help.

"...You want my help?" The white-haired girl scratched her head. "If you wanted my help, why didn't you check with me before picking a fight with these guys? There's this thing called strategy, you know." She admonished him as she lazily walked towards the battling parties, one hand on the hilt of her immensely powerful viridian sword, while the other charged a sphere of solar energy about the size of her fist, glowing brighter and brighter. When it was ready, she fired the attack towards one of the Arcosians, a beam with the power to destroy a satellite, concentrated over a rather small area.

---

---

As she waited either for Mindy to tell her that Kylie wasn't available or for Kylie to come down to help her, Jamie leaned against one of the walls of the reception, one hand tucked into her pocket and the other holding her cellphone, her thumb swiping through more or less randomly as she tried to feign nonchalance, though the intensity of the stare she was giving her cellphone easily gave away that she wasn't calm at all. She was very nervous, for obvious reasons, and dearly hoped that Kylie would be available, as she was by far the most laid back person in the team, in her opinion, though even then she was not looking forward to having to explain what happened.

Either way, the hooded girl was so focused on her task of making it seem like she was okay--a task which she was failing miserably--that she didn't notice Kylie arriving downstairs and approaching her until the older girl was practically in her face, greeting her cheerfully and asking if anything was wrong. Jamie jumped a bit, startled, and let out a little yelp, blushing furiously afterwards because she was making a fool of herself.

"A marathon? Oh no no, I'm fine, don't worry, I ran a few dozen marathons but I'm healthy as a noodle." She babbled very rapidly before laughing nervously, rather embarrassed. The black-haired girl then took Kylie's hand and began dragging her out of the tower. "Anyway, wanna go take a walk while we talk a bit? It sure is hot in here, isn't it? No wonder I feel so winded right now!"

Once they were outside, Jamie let go of Kylie's hand and took a deep breath, before turning around and staring up at her. "Okay so... You probably think I'm acting all weird, but I needed to talk to you to, um... Uh... I... Need your help with something, you see... Er..." The girl said, twiddling her thumbs as she tried to think of how to explain the situation to Kylie, wondering if the Green Lantern might even get angry and scold her or something, even though she would've quickly reached the conclusion that such a thing was unlikely, had she been in a calmer state of mind at the time. As it was, she was just thinking of a lot of things that could go wrong. Eventually though, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

When she opened them again, she spoke. "Cora took me and Marybeth on a secret mission to free some kids from a government facility and blow it up because they were being turned into cyborgs and we rescued them and blew up the place but when we were getting out of there lots of cops arrived and arrested Cora and Marybeth and I managed to get away but they're probably in jail right now and I don't know what to do." She said very quickly before pausing for breath, feeling like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, though she still felt fairly fearful, and looked away from Kylie once her explanation was done. "...You're not angry, are you?" She asked very quietly.

[New Neros]

Madworld
Laboratory of War Eagle

-Killswitch

Deep within the halls of Cathedral Terra, below the surface and next to the massive power generators that supply the palace with enough energy to survive and thrive, lies the various laboratories of the Science Guild, where their experiments can be conducted away from the prying eyes of the public, with vast resources and energy dedicated to their research. However, rather than diving into the theoretical, Maxwell stood before the carcass of Daniel Carter as it floated in a vat of liquid, kept in a state of near-death, as War Eagle put on the finishing touches on his cybernetic enhancements on a table nearby. "Details, Horus, I want details." The Mad King said, in the midst of a conversation.

"In the simplest terms," The scientist and engineer said through his beak-like helm, "I must rebuild him from the bones out. A more durable, shock-absorbing skeleton, and then cybernetics on-top of that to give our friend that kick. I will preserve what humanity he has left, but even in the state we've kept him in, his tissues were still dying. A fully cybernetic brain and optics, all wired to his senses to give him the best sight, smell, hearing, and touch on the battlefield. Taste, well, it's a start." War Eagle joked, "But all in all, it's pioneering at it's finest. It may just put him on the levels of that Celestial device the Lithuanians have hidden so well."

"One could hope." Maxwell replied, "What chance would there be of returning him to his original body?"

"What for?" War Eagle asked, genuinely surprised at the notion.

"The longing for humanity and the feeling of being in one's own skin again, Eagle." Maxwell politely informed his colleague. "Could he ever return to flesh and bone?"

"Well, his tissues would have to be cultivated for some time. Some even cloned, his brain is mapped, but we'd have to build an organic one. That part, we could leave cybernetic for the sake of simplicity. He wouldn't know the difference..." War Eagle explained, Maxwell staring at the chucks of flesh and barely recognizable form of Daniel. "But regardless, what we have here will make Killswitch into a being surpassing man and Paraman alike. A high-resistance to electrical shorts and technopathic control should help him ride out pesky counter-measures, but they aren't failsafes. His power source is well-protected and could last for hundreds of years with high usage in mind. A body of Nth Metal and Neutronium, he will be virtually indestructible, even against blows from a Kryptonian."

"Nearly a perfect war machine, War Eagle." Maxwell replied, "But there's always the human element. He's not a machine, I will implant a loyalty failsafe, but I'm tempted to not use it." Max said with a smirk, "There's a bit of a rush when the assassin doesn't want to follow orders exactly to the nail, or tries to undercut you or re-negotiate. Are almost ready?" The King asked, growing impatient looking at the chunks of assassin floating in biological goo.

"Yes, yes, I'm just about finished. Begin draining him and put him in the harness." War Eagle asked, Maxwell pressing a series of buttons on the control panel for Killswitch's vat of liquid, draining the goo out the bottom, but at the same time, a series of clamps and forks emerging from the top of the tank. Grabbing onto Daniel's remains and holding it upright as the liquid was washed away fully, more sets of arms and clamps emerged all around the sides as the glass panel was lowered as well. War Eagle was watching the robotic arms in motion, extending out and grabbing the pieces of technology and cybernetics he had planned for Daniel and holding them outward.

It looked like a jigasaw puzzle before it came together, with the remaining pieces of human flesh within the final picture being the odd-ball shapes. A series of drills, saws, taps, and other hardware was unleashed on the remains, tunneling through the bones and replacing them with durable, yet light metals and re-enforcing them with support columns and cybernetics. His blood vessels were pumped full of microscopic robots that converted his tissues to better synthesize with the new parts. As that was going on, new pieces of the metallic skeleton was assembled and attached, with layers of synthetic muscles, nerves, and blood vessels all coming together like clock work.

Max and War Eagle watched the process with extreme interest, War Eagle glancing at his tablet now and again as his plans were followed step by step by the overhanging robotic arms, as if Daniel was inside of a car factory or something. The pieces of flesh that remained were added where they could fit, but were given a final coat of metal over them to act as armor. As the process was finishing, the two men stood before an almost entirely metal man, save for his face above his cheek bones, with his bodily flesh mostly hidden within the cybernetics. "He'll be able to scan environments, see in most wavelengths, and interface with his own weapon systems, and even other pieces of technology to gain information on the fly."

"Amazing work, Horus." Max said, placing a hand over his mouth as he stared in disbelief at the assassin that stood before him. Walking forward, Max extended out his hand and touched one of Killswitch's smooth metallic legs, a soft glow coming from his palm, Mad Max transferring the life force he had taken from Daniel when Max picked him up, fluffing it up to full capacity. "Turn him on." Maxwell commanded, "I wish to speak with him." War Eagle nodded, disengaging his robotic apparatus until only the ones holding up Killswitch remained. Surging power through some cables connected to the assassin's skull, War Eagle booted him up.

His eyes opened immediately, well, one eye, as Daniel had kept his biological left eye yet had his right replaced entirely. He lulled a bit, looking as if he was going to pass back out, but a snap from Maxwell's fingers brought him back to attention. "Wake up, Killswitch." Maxwell cooed, "We have much to talk about. What did you see on the other side?" Max joked, "Or perhaps this is the first thing you saw after everything went black. What a horrible feeling it must to wake up and see me, mistaking me for God." Killswitch's eyes became a bit annoyed at the comment, but Max waited until he could respond.

Slurring his words and stammering for a bit until he got the hang of talking, Daniel Carter began, "Every thing hurts."

"That's a side effect, it'll go away soon." War Eagle announced. "I'm setting you down." At the press of a button, War Eagle lowered Killswitch to the floor, his metallic feet clinking against the linoleum, surprising the assassin. Looking down, Daniel's eyes grew wide. "Don't panic." War Eagle stated quickly, "Before you ask, we saved your life and turned you into a cyborg."

"W-Why?" Daniel shouted, "That wasn't part of the deal. What the fuck did you do to me?" Daniel declared, looking at his metallic body, walking over to another tank and looking at his reflection in the glass. He touched his face with a metal hand, feeling his mouth go from metal to flesh. "This was your doing, Maxwell?" Daniel asked, turning to face the Mad King.

"Indeed. However, I brought it to a vote before the Godbreakers, before you think I did this on a whim. We voted, and they voted for this to be done." Maxwell explained, "We have a war coming, and you are too valuable to just die on in some gutter. You made a god bleed, Killswitch." Maxwell explained, but Daniel didn't seem satisfied. "Rebecca... She doesn't know yet. About anything, as far as I know. However, there's another lady that wants to help you cope with your new body." Maxwell continued, the sound of soft footsteps signaling her arrival. "There she is now."

Entering the lab, a soft smile on her face in stark contrast to the grim and blank faces of Maxwell and War Eagle, was Rebound. Clearing her throat, she announced, "Killswitch, if you could follow me, that'd be great. A little walk and talk, I'll explain things on the way. Let's just..." She said, looking around with some discomfort, "Let's just get you out of the lab." Walking closer, she latched onto Killswitch's metallic arm, pulling him along. Maxwell watched the scene with a small grin, keeping the knowledge that Rebound kept him alive by her vote a secret... For now.

[Finland SSR]

Maria,

When you land in Denver, make sure to contact one of my employees, who should be waiting for you in the airport - he will drive you to the industrial convention. The number is 861155012. Have a nice day!

Sincerely, Dad

In the meantime, Bryan was dressed well in a suit while idling outside the Denver airport. He stood beside a limousine, his limousine technically. Bryan worked as a chauffeur for people who didn't want to drive themselves places, but wouldn't be caught dead in a taxi. Today, he was hired to drive the daughter of a "Russian oil magnate," as he asked to be referred to jokingly, to wherever she needed to be. The driver wasn't privy to these details until he needed to be, which was a real bitch when it came to planning travel time.

Bryan stared longingly at his cell. He was supposed to be home right now to greet his new adopted daughter, but work was keeping him out until later tonight. Stephanie would have some choice words to share with him, but for the time being he had a job to do.

Maria Anastasna Zhukova

As soon as the doors of the plane opened, hundreds of passengers poured through them, finally getting a breath of fresh American air. The attendant nodded and wished everyone good luck through the microphone, while everyone was busy hurrying towards the check-in station. Even though Maria was carrying the least of the whole group, only the Cube, she trailed last, not bothering to increase her pace or rush to the terminal. It's not like she had overly important places to be in.

The green-haired teenager simply walked through the terminal, not bothering with the check-ups, vaccination or luggage departments. VIP persons don't need to deal with that pain, after all. Only about ten minutes later, Maria finally left the airport to see a busy parking lot in front of her, with dozens of taxis and other methods of transportation waiting to pick someone up.

Now, where could my driver be- aaand found him. The limousine and the driver were standing a bit farther away, but they were clearly distinguished from the rest of the vehicles nearby. Maria quickly turned towards the direction the person was at, walked up to it, then took out the identification card to show that the woman in front of the driver was, in fact, the one he was waiting for, then spoke:

"You know the place."

[Charmera]

Addison frowned as she looked ahead. Staring at the window of the car that had carried her from the adoption center to her "new home". She sighed as she turned to look that the house she would be staying in for and indeterminate amount of time. She sighed. Annoyed.

"Come on. You'll have a big sister. She's near your age so you can play together." Spoke the social worker Mandy, who happened to have a cousin who worked in the JQ towers.

"Someone to boss me around and pull my hair. Wonderful. I go from superheroes to this..." She bemoaned. "You don't think Fury will take me back?"

There was a pause. Addison did not need to see Mandy's face to know the answer.

"Never mind. Let's get this over and done with..." She muttered. Addison was still grumpy after being searched for explosives when she left the helicarrier. Turns out shield metal detectors could sense dynamite.

"Who knows? They may just kick me out before I get past the front door... Wouldn't be the shortest adoption I've had." Remarked Addison. She then knocked on the door.

Stephanie opened the door, expecting to see her husband. She was quite surprised at the sight of a woman in a suit in place of Bryan Strauss.

"Oh, are you from the adoption center?" Steph asked, looking down to little Addison. "Hi Addison! I'm your new mommy, Stephanie. Leslie is inside watching TV, go say hi to her." Steph ushered Addison inside, and invited Mandy as well. "Come in, if you'd like. Is there any more paperwork to fill out?"

"I am from the adoption agency yes." Mandi replied nodding with a smile. She spelt her name with an I, unlike her cousin. She smiled as she eased her way inside, squeezing past the grumpy Addison, who was now looking at her "new Mommy" with a look of annoyance.

New Mommy, New Daddy. She had heard if all before. She'd stick around until the social service people pulled her out. Of course Addison was not the most co-operative little adoptee, but the parents she had before didn't help matters. They were either too strict or too forgiving. Of course she had her share of creepy foster parents. Like that woman with all those cats... Her real parents were not too much better,

Then there was the time she had been in SHIELD. She wished she could go back now, and had not thrown the temper tantrum she had. Now she had to wait until she was 18 to join back up.

"Whatever," She muttered as she slugged off to Leslie.

Mandi looked at the little girl, noting her reluctance. She smiled nervously. Then frowned slightly. "She's not had the most... stable upbringing." She adjusted her glasses. "As for paper work, of course. There are some... things we need to discuss too with regards to Addison."

---

"Hey" Addison spoke, taking a place on the sofa next to Leslie. She then paused, long and awkwardly. Not even really paying attention to what's on the TV. She didn't really know what to say, so settled for nothing for now.

[Siliarba]

Rebecca Carter

In the middle of my tantrum a tall woman with flowing hair and ancient looking armor which partially reminded me of Wonder Woman. She began rattling off on something about anger and pulling me away. At first I struggled to break her hold, not really a fan of being manhandled. It became apparent however that escaping was just not an option. Finally relenting I inquired as to where she was taking me. "Where are we going?" I whined as she answered while still leading me like a pup on a leash. "Somewhere we can speak freely." Conceding defeat I trailed behind her until we finally emerged on a wide balcony. A vantage point on Cathedral Terra that allowed us to see the entire capital city it seemed. High enough too look like I could touch the clouds. The view alone almost seemed to calm me, until I realized that I was just kidnapped...

again.

Sighing deeply as I closed my eyes I collected myself as the woman introduced herself. "I am called Lysia, an Amazon. I have been in Madworld for some time. Where while I struggled to aid the refugees, I met a man. One skilled. Determined. And...troubled" I huffed as I tried to blow her off with sarcasm.

"Congratulations, want some dating advice? Don't." She did not seem to pick up on the sarcasm. "You misunderstand. The man doesn't mean anything to me. However, I suspect he means much to you." It was clear as to what she was driving at.

"So, you met that asshole too huh? Suppose he tried to kill you?" The woman answered in a deadpan tone.

"Yes."

"Oh..." I breathed.

"Well, you caught me. That assassin who just left is my brother. The worst part is...if you would believe it. He actually isn't an asshole. That's what makes the way he lives his life so damn frustrating. If he was simply the ass his job makes him out to be, I would have forgotten him years ago. He could be more...he is more." I just found myself venting to this strange woman as I needed someone to talk to right now.

"Do you know what it's like Lysia? To watch someone you love...someone you know loves you to just walk down a path of self destruction? Feeling helpless to stop him? That if he continues down that road it could kill him, but at the same time knowing if you try to save him he could end up hating you?" I began to choke as tears created waterfalls upon my face. My knuckles turning white as I clutched the rails on the balcony. Then, slowly turning toward Lysia.

"Or you ending up hating him?" My cheeks were now flush red as I desperately reached out to the Amazon.

"What...can I...do?"

Lysia

I listened intently to the story of this woman, she had a lot of issues and no clue how to tackle them, she needed a friend, matter of fact I haven't had one myself in a century, perhaps I need one to. "The options are actually rather simple, either you confront him and talk some sense in to him, if that doesn't work you confront him and beat some sense in to him. If you can't do that either then you let them self-destruct and then you be there for the reconstruction. A person can't be changed when there is no potential for change, but when they're hollow they can be molded and restored to how they should be. If that doesn't work either then you move on. And if you feel helpless, then make you're goal becoming someone that can help."

I slammed the rails of the balcony with my open hand in a moment of revelation, perhaps a bit to hard as the steel railing buckled and bended under the pressure. "And for whatever option you chose you'll need a friend to speak to. And I haven't had a friend in a century, so I've decided we shall be friends, I shall listen to your troubles and help you with them as much as possible. Or beat the problems in to a pulp. But first, we shall celebrate our new friendship, usually I would suggest we take down a dangerous creature to forge a bond through the hunt. But considering that isn't an option we can either spar, feast, ..., all though a feast would require we eat what we kill so that would lead back to the hunt. There's always the option of a spa or something like that where we can bathe together and relax. I'll let you chose, I'll see you with your decision downstairs." And just like that I jumped over the railings down to the street. As I landed the ground broke open and a small crater had formed, now to wait for my new friend to get down.

[The Dark Brotherhood of Deros]

Prototype
Prototype glared at her. "I wasn't expecting them to put up a fight like this! Now get over here please!" He exclaimed, delivering a punch to Glace's face, which sent him flying backward. Cier saw the blast from Black Sun, and dashed to the side, dodging the attack by a hair. The two Arcosians then regrouped while Gelus and the others looked on. Conundrum felt helpless as he wasn't powerful enough to fight these beings, so he decided to fight with words. "You're just letting them fight alone?" He asked Gelus. Gelus grinned. "Trust me. There is no sense in wasting energy on your friends. Glace and Cier can handle them just fine on their own." He said confidently.

Glace dived at Prototype, clipping him in the jaw, while Cier swung around the android, delivering a kick to the small of his back. The android was downed by this attack, and he hit the ground hard. Glace and Cier then dashed at Black Sun, attempting to use the same maneuver on her.

[Urran]

---

A lone figure walked daintily through the streets of Jump City, enjoying the breeze and taking advantage of the less transitioned hallways of the living asphalt labyrinth that was the city that once housed the Teen Titans and now housed the Young Bloods instead. The figure in question was a teenage girl, with dark skin and long black hair, who wore a plain white dress and held a similarly-colored parasol in her hand. She was barefoot and held an appearace that would not be out of place in a fairy tale, and in the same vein, perhaps the more striking thing about her was the pair of colorful butterfly wings that protruded from her back, giving away her origin as a supernatural being. Fortunately for her, what few men and women were traversing the streets at the time were unable to see her, thanks to the mystical properties of the shroud she wore over her shoulders.

The girl was merrily exploring the corners of Jump City, doing what she could not do when street and sidewalk alike were packed with creatures of flesh and of metal. Her friends were likely staying in their tower, and rightly so, for they had no business outside of it recently, which was always a good sign, but she enjoyed being outdoors and so, there she was, looking around, not minding the feeling of hot asphalt under her feet. However, as she explored, she felt the spirits of the deceased talking to her, telling her of a strange occurence not far from where she was. Curious about this, she decided to check it out, and guided by the spirits, she headed towards a nearby alley.

What she found there, she had not expected: it was a young man, clad in dark clothes and with dark hair. He seemed to be crying, and so, she walked up to him.

"You shouldn't cry alone." She spoke softly, before revealing herself to him, cancelling the abilities of the magic shroud she wore for a bit, not even bothering to hide her wings, as she felt more comfortable by letting them be seen, since she could always hide again at a moment's notice. Crouching a little next to him so that their faces were at an even height, she placed a hand on his shoulder while the other one gripped her parasol. "What's ailing you? Maybe if you talk about it, it will not hurt so much anymore."

Yoshi was equally surprised by their meeting. He had no idea where he was or why, he only remembered falling, falling, falling into some sort of portal or gateway into another world. Whether it was from his extreme shyness, fear of the unknown, or some other third thing, or perhaps a combination of all three, Yoshi abruptly sat up and fell back, crawling back a few feet on his hands and knees. His eye was the size of dinner plates, the whites filled with red veins, tears streamed from it and ran down his cheeks. He did not look his age at all. One would have never guessed just by looking at him that he was 26.

At any rate, there was obviously something special about him, when he had jumped at the touch of the strange woman, the few scraggly, wilted, brown and dry plants in the cracks in the alley's pavement had instantly sprung to life, growing many times in size, twisting and spiraling skyward, or fanning out across the ground. They were now lush, fresh, green. Some had sprouted flowers, a few seed pods. But that was nothing compared to the change in the young man. A pair of massive white angelic wings, like those of an eagle and sprouted and fanned out from his back. When he had crawled back, they had vanished just as quickly as they had sprouted, he did not want his abilities to be known.

He continued to stair, wild eyed at this newcomer, eyes shimmering a bit. "W-w-what d-do you w-w-want from m-me?" he managed to squeak out, fearing the worst. Of course, he had every right to be terrified of the unknown. The world was a wide and scary place. For all he knew, this could be the end.

[The Templar High Council]

In the meantime, Bryan was dressed well in a suit while idling outside the Denver airport. He stood beside a limousine, his limousine technically. Bryan worked as a chauffeur for people who didn't want to drive themselves places, but wouldn't be caught dead in a taxi. Today, he was hired to drive the daughter of a "Russian oil magnate," as he asked to be referred to jokingly, to wherever she needed to be. The driver wasn't privy to these details until he needed to be, which was a real bitch when it came to planning travel time.

Bryan stared longingly at his cell. He was supposed to be home right now to greet his new adopted daughter, but work was keeping him out until later tonight. Stephanie would have some choice words to share with him, but for the time being he had a job to do.

Maria Anastasna Zhukova

As soon as the doors of the plane opened, hundreds of passengers poured through them, finally getting a breath of fresh American air. The attendant nodded and wished everyone good luck through the microphone, while everyone was busy hurrying towards the check-in station. Even though Maria was carrying the least of the whole group, only the Cube, she trailed last, not bothering to increase her pace or rush to the terminal. It's not like she had overly important places to be in.

The green-haired teenager simply walked through the terminal, not bothering with the check-ups, vaccination or luggage departments. VIP persons don't need to deal with that pain, after all. Only about ten minutes later, Maria finally left the airport to see a busy parking lot in front of her, with dozens of taxis and other methods of transportation waiting to pick someone up.

Now, where could my driver be- aaand found him. The limousine and the driver were standing a bit farther away, but they were clearly distinguished from the rest of the vehicles nearby. Maria quickly turned towards the direction the person was at, walked up to it, then took out the identification card to show that the woman in front of the driver was, in fact, the one he was waiting for, then spoke:

"You know the place."

Bryan took the card, and verified that this was the daughter he was paid to drive. "Um, actually, I don't know the place," He replied, returning the card. "I was only told that I'd be your driver for today, wherever you happened to want to go." Bryan opened the back door of the limo and gestured for Maria to enter. "So where would that be, miss?"

---

Stephanie opened the door, expecting to see her husband. She was quite surprised at the sight of a woman in a suit in place of Bryan Strauss.

"Oh, are you from the adoption center?" Steph asked, looking down to little Addison. "Hi Addison! I'm your new mommy, Stephanie. Leslie is inside watching TV, go say hi to her." Steph ushered Addison inside, and invited Mandy as well. "Come in, if you'd like. Is there any more paperwork to fill out?"

"I am from the adoption agency yes." Mandi replied nodding with a smile. She spelt her name with an I, unlike her cousin. She smiled as she eased her way inside, squeezing past the grumpy Addison, who was now looking at her "new Mommy" with a look of annoyance.

New Mommy, New Daddy. She had heard if all before. She'd stick around until the social service people pulled her out. Of course Addison was not the most co-operative little adoptee, but the parents she had before didn't help matters. They were either too strict or too forgiving. Of course she had her share of creepy foster parents. Like that woman with all those cats... Her real parents were not too much better,

Then there was the time she had been in SHIELD. She wished she could go back now, and had not thrown the temper tantrum she had. Now she had to wait until she was 18 to join back up.

"Whatever," She muttered as she slugged off to Leslie.

Mandi looked at the little girl, noting her reluctance. She smiled nervously. Then frowned slightly. "She's not had the most... stable upbringing." She adjusted her glasses. "As for paper work, of course. There are some... things we need to discuss too with regards to Addison."

---

"Hey" Addison spoke, taking a place on the sofa next to Leslie. She then paused, long and awkwardly. Not even really paying attention to what's on the TV. She didn't really know what to say, so settled for nothing for now.

"Hi," Leslie looked over and stared at the new girl. "Are you Addison?" Her inquisitive gaze looked over Addison from head to toe. Her pink hair, diminutive stature (ever smaller than Leslie), and the definite uncomfortableness she was feeling right now. Before asking her anything else, the name would be good. "My name's Leslie."

[The Templar High Council]

---

As she waited either for Mindy to tell her that Kylie wasn't available or for Kylie to come down to help her, Jamie leaned against one of the walls of the reception, one hand tucked into her pocket and the other holding her cellphone, her thumb swiping through more or less randomly as she tried to feign nonchalance, though the intensity of the stare she was giving her cellphone easily gave away that she wasn't calm at all. She was very nervous, for obvious reasons, and dearly hoped that Kylie would be available, as she was by far the most laid back person in the team, in her opinion, though even then she was not looking forward to having to explain what happened.

Either way, the hooded girl was so focused on her task of making it seem like she was okay--a task which she was failing miserably--that she didn't notice Kylie arriving downstairs and approaching her until the older girl was practically in her face, greeting her cheerfully and asking if anything was wrong. Jamie jumped a bit, startled, and let out a little yelp, blushing furiously afterwards because she was making a fool of herself.

"A marathon? Oh no no, I'm fine, don't worry, I ran a few dozen marathons but I'm healthy as a noodle." She babbled very rapidly before laughing nervously, rather embarrassed. The black-haired girl then took Kylie's hand and began dragging her out of the tower. "Anyway, wanna go take a walk while we talk a bit? It sure is hot in here, isn't it? No wonder I feel so winded right now!"

Once they were outside, Jamie let go of Kylie's hand and took a deep breath, before turning around and staring up at her. "Okay so... You probably think I'm acting all weird, but I needed to talk to you to, um... Uh... I... Need your help with something, you see... Er..." The girl said, twiddling her thumbs as she tried to think of how to explain the situation to Kylie, wondering if the Green Lantern might even get angry and scold her or something, even though she would've quickly reached the conclusion that such a thing was unlikely, had she been in a calmer state of mind at the time. As it was, she was just thinking of a lot of things that could go wrong. Eventually though, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

When she opened them again, she spoke. "Cora took me and Marybeth on a secret mission to free some kids from a government facility and blow it up because they were being turned into cyborgs and we rescued them and blew up the place but when we were getting out of there lots of cops arrived and arrested Cora and Marybeth and I managed to get away but they're probably in jail right now and I don't know what to do." She said very quickly before pausing for breath, feeling like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, though she still felt fairly fearful, and looked away from Kylie once her explanation was done. "...You're not angry, are you?" She asked very quietly.

"Healthy as a... what?" The first thing Jamie said was already making no sense. Not to mention that the building was air-conditioned, so it was definitely cooler than outside. "Uh, sure. Let's talk..."

After exiting the building and walking a block or so, Jamie told her story for Kylie to hear. It started out kinda weird and worrying, but by the time Jamie had finished Kylie's mouth was agape. "Cora did WHAT? Turning kids into WHAT? And they got arrested!?" Kylie grabbed her head and groaned. "Why did she need to do this without telling anyone? Why just you two? I mean, no offense, but what was she thinking?"

Kylie didn't say anything for nearly three minutes, pacing back and forth on the sidewalk while talking to herself. To Jamie, it just looked like she was thinking. "Why ask for me then? Why not just come upstairs and tell everyone? Because you know they're going to hear about this, right?"

[The Rebel Alliances]

Daniel Carter/Killswitch-24 Yrs-Cathedral Terra

A Mad Cyborg Awakens

The pain was still pulsing through my body, despite most of it now being artificial. As we stepped through the wide halls of the Science Guild I focused on the sound of Rebound's voice as if it was a soothing wave. Not much is these days regardless. Her wavy chestnut hair bounced left to right as she strutted through the halls. Her hips rocking seductively as she explained that she had been assigned to oversee my rehabilitation after the operation. My 'eyes' scanned her as if I was still human. While they intended to keep me as human as possible, only a cynic would call what I am now human. "The Godbreakers...myself included voted to revive you. It was steeply divided. It all came down to a single vote. I won't lie, most of us were motivated by the prospect of-" I cut her off with my now synthesized voice.

"Me killing for you?" She stopped in her tracks as she turned and gazed into my human eye. I could see that there was some regret in her eyes. So I moved to ease it. Catherine is not the one I have an issue with. "Relax Rebound, I killed for others for a living. Thats not what is pissing me off. It's the circumstances that I have a problem with. Among other things." She seemed genuinely confused as she leaned against a cold wall.

"I don't understand. If you killed for money before, and we want you to do so again...then what is the difference?" I looked down on the young woman. My cybernetic eye displaying a HUD which analyzed the parahuman. "The difference is that before I worked for Max of my own accord. I could decline any contract if I so desired. In short, I was an equal partner. Now, I am little more than a upgraded cybernetic pet for him to command, with a bone thrown in every so often If I behave." She started to defend her king.

"I don't think Max-" But once more I cut her off.

"Wouldn't he? Don't tell me that you actually believe that he would order me reconstructed. Costing an untold fortune, with enough artificial power to bring down nearly any foe with no strings attached or no loyalty program installed? You must still look under your pillow for the Tooth Fairy's money."

She now seemed rather cross with me. I thought about how I was wrong before. When he contracted me to kill Xander, I had wondered why he had never offered me the Anti-Matter Emitter. At first I believed it was simply to have me kill Xander and die in the attempt so he could avoid paying me. But now, only after the picture was finally painted did I see his plan in full. He needed me to die so he could turn me into...this. So he could use a superior assassin to do his bidding secretly. Well played Max...

Well fuckin played.

As I fantasized ripping Max's spine from his body Catherine's voice woke me back up.

"It's only temporary you know." I refocused on her as she repeated herself. "Your...cybernetics. It's only temporary. It will take time to clone and grow you a new human body. But Max deemed that he needed your skills ASAP, hence why you are the way you are now." She could see that I did not believe it, but she continued regardless. "Listen, perhaps now you don't have much choice, but help us win this war. Then you get your body back..." Her voice trailed off almost as if she was trying to convince herself rather than me. "Everyone wins." I could see that she did not deserve my contempt, and I felt ashamed for being hostile to her in the first place.

"Cathy..." I began sincerely. "Do you trust Max to honor his word?" She seemed to think to herself, as she spoke up.

"I know that you will get nothing should he lose." I then nodded, she was right...for the moment. I then motioned for her to continue leading me.

"I suppose that will suffice, for now." As she walked out in front of me, she giggled to herself. Somehow getting into a good mood. Interested, I commented on it.

"What has you so giddy?" She gave a girlish laugh as she placed a hand over her mouth.

"Oh nothing, you just called me by the pet name you gave me." I thought back, as I recalled that I did refer to her as 'Cathy' before I left to Praetoria.

"Suppose I did." Satisfied with my response, she announced that we were almost at our destination. But before we arrived, I addressed one more issue.

"Before, Max said that Rebecca did not know anything about this. I want it to remain that way." I had expected her to be shocked, but as she looked at me. She nodded slowly, knowing that I had no desire for Rebecca to see me like this. And that for the first time, she would be free to live her life free from worrying about me.

"I understand." With that finished. She finally informed me that we had arrived at our destination. My eyes beheld what seemed to be the Parahuman twist on a Gladiator's Colosseum. A wide modern arena which she proudly displayed.

"Whats the meaning of this Catherine?" She then led me into the battleground explaining.

"This is where the Godbreakers spar. Either for practice or to settle bets or disputes. I sense some tension, so I figured that you could use a more...proactive stress release." She cooed.

I clenched my fists, if I could give a arrogant smirk right now, I would.

"I'm game."

[Charmera]

Jane Wolf strode into the grimy arena, her feet and fists both bare. The underground fight arena she took part in every Saturday didn't really have a dress code, so she came in a baggy T-shirt and some exercise pants. She also knew for a fact this fight club didn't have any rules and people tended to talk about it. It was as big as an illegal event like this could possibly be. In a large abandoned warehouse converted into an arena, large metal containers cut in half and serving as seating. The ring was surrounded by a metal cage, with two metal doors. Only one of those tended to open at the end of a match, with the looser left in the ring to either drag themselves out or bleed out there. Despite the almost grandiose nature of the ring, it was rarely cleaned.

"So this is Wolf." Snorted her opponent, a big overmuscled goon. A self styled supervillain calling himself "Mister Doomsday". Arrogant, he spoke as if Jane's very presence offended him. "I thought I was gonna fight the state champ, not some little girl!"

The audience laughed. Though a few who had seen Jane fight before did so a little more nervously. They were not as certain of Mister Doomsday as the others.

"Your pre fight trash talk could use some work." Jane retorted. "Next time, don't let your brain damage write your lines for you."

Mister Doomsday curled his lips into a grimace. "I'm going to crush you girly. I was gonna go sweet on you. Let you leave with your pretty face. But I'm gonna end you now!" He spoke, and then charged. He rushed Wolf, whom merely stood there. Then just as he almost reached her, she quickly stepped to the side and slammed her knee into his gut with considerable force. He stumbled backwards from the blow, then coughed out some blood. While he did that, Jane went on the offensive, slamming her fists into his face before he could even tell what was happening. Then she finished him off with a kick to the gut. He groaned as he slid towards the exit of the ring on his side. He looked up, then looked forward. Mister Doomsday decided it was probably best to stay down.

The crowd watched in stunned silence. Then there was a lot of booing from disgruntled betters, fans of Doomsday, and people pissed they had paid twenty bucks to see a fight that lasted less than a minute.

Jane sighed, rolling her eyes as she turned to leave. "Call me back when you have someone who can last for a minute at least" but then a voice amplified by a microphone stopped her.

"Alright. Since that round was so short, the Champ will be given an extra challenge: Fight the remainder of her challengers. All at the same time."

Jane raised an eyebrow, then turned. This could be interesting.

On the other side of the ring, behind the door of the cage, she could see four more big burly guys, one female contender whom was nearly as big as the guys, and several others whom looked more colourful than the goons. One dressed in leopard skins with a mustache and black hair, one with a green vulture suit and one with a black and white bulls-eye on his head.

She paused, sizing them all up. Then she smiled ever so slightly, then got into a defensive pose.

[Tomia]

Cora
Cora was led into an interrogation room in the police station by a male officer, who looked almost uncomfortable around her. He clearly knew what she was capable of, and was possibly wondering why she hadn't just escaped already. Cora had thought of that option herself. That would certainly be easier, but it would be wrong. She had to take responsibility for the actions and choices she made, and couldn't let herself just use her powers to avoid the consequences.

Still, she was clearly not happy about being under arrest and sat down at the table, staring at the officer who sat down across from her. "So, who exactly are you? I mean, you're not just some average terrorist. No normal human could have done that to a government facility."

"I'm not a terrorist. That place was a living hell, I did everyone a favor by getting rid of it." Cora said, in a icy, angry, tone. "As for who I am, I prefer not to say. Just someone who cares about justice and decency, more than the government it seems."

The officer stared at her, "So you're admitting to the crime? And you think that was justice, destroying a government facility? What gives you the right to decide that?"

This made Cora incredibly angry, standing up so quickly that the chair shot back against the wall. "I WENT THROUGH THAT HELL! THAT'S WHAT GIVES ME THE RIGHT!" She shouted, nearly flipping the table in anger before catching herself. She spoke again to the clearly frightened man, trying to calm her anger.

"I won't answer anymore question. Leave me alone." She said, much more of a demand than a request. The man left, and soon as the door closed behind him Cora let out a scream of frustration and smashed the table in front of her, sending her fist into the outer wall as well. She hoped this would subdue her anger and make her feel better, it didn't.

[Finland SSR]

Maria Anastasna Zhukova

As soon as the doors of the plane opened, hundreds of passengers poured through them, finally getting a breath of fresh American air. The attendant nodded and wished everyone good luck through the microphone, while everyone was busy hurrying towards the check-in station. Even though Maria was carrying the least of the whole group, only the Cube, she trailed last, not bothering to increase her pace or rush to the terminal. It's not like she had overly important places to be in.

The green-haired teenager simply walked through the terminal, not bothering with the check-ups, vaccination or luggage departments. VIP persons don't need to deal with that pain, after all. Only about ten minutes later, Maria finally left the airport to see a busy parking lot in front of her, with dozens of taxis and other methods of transportation waiting to pick someone up.

Now, where could my driver be- aaand found him. The limousine and the driver were standing a bit farther away, but they were clearly distinguished from the rest of the vehicles nearby. Maria quickly turned towards the direction the person was at, walked up to it, then took out the identification card to show that the woman in front of the driver was, in fact, the one he was waiting for, then spoke:

"You know the place."

Bryan took the card, and verified that this was the daughter he was paid to drive. "Um, actually, I don't know the place," He replied, returning the card. "I was only told that I'd be your driver for today, wherever you happened to want to go." Bryan opened the back door of the limo and gestured for Maria to enter. "So where would that be, miss?"

---

Maria Anastasna Zhukova

"Definitely not a bordel, this country has none that are good quality." Maria muttered out in comment to the hired driver's question, then sat down in the back seat as soon as he gestured to enter and then took out the phone to check on the address. Which one first? Work or wi-fi? Work or wi-fi? Work or wi-fi?...

"Bozhe moj, how do you people spell these words?" the woman quickly muttered. "No worries, I think I got it... Champa Street. 15. What?"

[Deminis]

Search For Greater Minds

Damian Ocult Jaxon Aredia Jerimiah Carbio Velicia Other

As the days and weeks passed, Jerimiah stayed at the local in and watched the various engineers, clock makers, and other various inventors. As he studied their works he noted a single control in every project, a unnecessarily sturdy design in built into every project, whether it be the vials of a chemist or the cogs of the clockworks, every project was built to be sturdy and durable, and yet they were surprisingly skeletal in design. Jeremiah was constantly taking notes of the the simple thing his own people often overlooked.

After a month of studying the intelligible man had filled several notebooks with scribbles, ideas and changes for a few of his currant devices. Yet despite his success in his studies, Jeremiah was failing at finding his apprentice. A race as stubborn as the Taurens truly were unwilling to betray their racial pride.

---

Damian fumed as he ended his finally stored episode of Onepeice. The computer dared for only a moment to interupt, Sir "WHAT!" We have arrived within Aedian Contact range one hour ago, the Landing sequence will begin in ten minutes... Would you like me to contact the planets spacial control? "Yes." Damian answered having calmed down, a calm voice cleared from the speakers, Aedian planetary control, For what reasons do you wish to land? "I am in search of an apprentice, in engineering or applyable science. Any assistance would be met with graditude." a few moments passed before the control replied, It is suggested you change your heading North 14 degrees, East 20.5 Degrees. A major city, Gafor, is an major supplier in mechanics and various other sciences.. "Thank you, Over and Out"

"Computer change our heading to follow those settings... and find me a diner, I'm hungry" Yes Sir

---

[spoiler=Way of the Unknown:WIP] A darkly clothed man waits in a dark corner of a small country tavern, his hands and face covered in similar wrapped black bandages, covering nearly all of his skin, His thick leather trench coat hangs off the booths wall light, adding to the darkness around him. His dark blue eyes glare where his drink is, though it is evident its not what he is focusing on as he lifts his drink and take a hefty swig emptying it and holding it up for a moment before setting it back down. The bartender steps away from behind the bar with a bottle of cheap whiskey, refilling the shadowy figures glass before returning without a word.

The unknown man simply nods at the barkeep, noting himself to leave an extra for the tip jar, he takes another swig of the now full glass. what am i even waiting for... the man thinks to himself, i am a soldier destroyed by what he protected, i gave my life, my mortality, and my humanity to save this country, and now the government wants me destroyed for it... I guess i figured out why i need to remain, just another... Unknown Soldier[/spoiler]

[The Republic of Atria]

Evan ran. He ran as hard and as fast as he could. The ground shook and cracked with each step he took. His home was five miles away. It took 2 minutes to get there. He didn't even bother opening the front door, instead just smashing through it. Things could be fixed. The Inhumans Medusa sent were already beaten, but they stalled the Evolved just long enough for Evan to catch them on their way way out. "Get back here you sons of bitches!" He shouted taking off after the three men. Two of them were carrying his parents, and the other one was obviously for defense. They moved with incredible speed and agility. Leaping up the sides of buildings, despite carrying a heavy load. Evan followed as best as he could. I was hard for him to not be impressed with how his body handled the extreme stress of the movements he was preforming. Leaping with extreme precision, reflexively grabbing and swing upon obstacles like he had been doing it all his life.

The Evolved finally took notice that they were being followed by a very angry looking man with claws that looked much like their own. The one not carrying one of Evan's parents broke off to intercept him. As the group leaped from one skyscraper to the other, Evan jumped to make it across the gap, only to have the man smash into him midair, sending the both of them plummeting to the ground. Evan was more shocked that he wasn't a smear across the ground. Right up until he got kicked in the face, sending him bouncing across the ground and shocking him back to reality. "Alright. Who're you?" He asked Evan as he recovered and stood back to his feet. "You're an Evolved..." The soldier mentioned and grabbed the top of Evan's head. "But you're not in the hive..."

"Yeah. My card." Evan replied and smashed his head into the soldier's, following up with a nasty roundhouse kick that he didn't even know he could do. But it felt good to feel the impact of the soldier's cranium on his foot, and even better to see him smash into a car. "I'm only going to ask once, so listen carefully. You and your friends just took my parents. And you're going to tell me where they are, or I'm going to gut you like a goddamned fish." He still had his claws out, only because he didn't know how to make them turn back to his normal hands.

"Wait! Wait! Calm down and let me explain first." The soldier said and put his hands up. "First off, put those away before you hurt yourself. Second. This is all a big misunderstanding. We figured Medusa would kill you on sight so we went for the next best thing. I'll take you. If we knew that you were the man we were looking for, this would have been much easier. I'll explain everything you want to know on the way. Let's go, we're attracting attention." He didn't give Evan any chance to disagree, and instead jumped to the top of a building. Evan didn't feel like he had much of a choice. He jumped after the soldier and managed to keep up. "You're quick for a freshblood. Most people don't get that fast until a few months have passed."

"Start talking. Why were you after me and my parents?"

"That's... Complicated..."

[Confederation of imperial states]

Dark Knight 5

Dark Knight shook his head, he clenched his power suit's fist, looking at it, he promptly relieved it.

"Malanor Manipulated us", Dark Knight turned around to face Guardian "He set us up".

Guardian coughed, before regaining his strength and standing up, "And now he's Cellina held hostage somewhere, and if I don't 'bring the head of the Dark Knight', He'll roast her alive". Dark Knight thought about it for a minute, "I'll track down and save Cellina, meanwhile you go back to Rex and Stall Him". Guardian nodded, turning to jet away Dark Knight stopped him, "Guardian", Guardian turned to Dark Knight outstretching his hand, which he returned, "I Promise you, Cellina won't die". Guardian nodded, jetting off, Dark Knight quickly hurried through to one of the exits of the precinct they were at. Guardian jetted upwards out of the building, then flew towards New York at quick speeds, 'I don't know what's stranger, that Me and my former enemy are now teamed up, or that I trust him to save my Friend's life like my brother' He thought whilst flying back to New York. Dark Knight exited the Precinct, quickly looking around, he pressed a button on his gauntlet, "Sanza I need an armor container for the Power Suit, and bring the VTOL", [Already there sir]. Dark Knight's VTOL landed, the back hatch opened up to show a metal cylinder container, Dark Knight quickly grabbed two turning knobs on his belt, turning them the Power Suit's plates quickly started to unlock, allowing Dark Knight to take them off.

A Few Minutes Later...

The VTOL hovered upwards, then flew off into the night sky, ["Sanza I want you to track Malanor Rex's Latest communication calls"], [Of Course Sir, Processing......Latest calls were to: Lexcorp National Bank Depositories, Enoch Therapy New York subsidiary, and to an Unmarked Warehouse in the Chicago Ghetto]. Dark Knight locked onto the last one, the unmarked warehouse, on the edge of downtown chicago, 'The wharfs, if I had a nickel for every time someone kept hostages here' Dark Knight thought as he jetted off towards the warehouse, 'I'd be richer than Bruce Wayne'. Dark Knight arrived at the Warehouse, outside there were an array of different vehicles, surrounded by a large amount of Thugs, 2 of them noticed Dark Knight's VTOL and mounted on 2 of the turrets on the trucks, firing at the VTOL. [Their rounds aren't thick enough to pierce the VTOL's Armor], Dark Knight handed over control remotely to Sanza, "Take control and drop me off, then take care of them", [Yes sir]. The Pilot's hatch for The VTOL opened up as Dark Knght climbed out, in his regular Armor, The VTOL scanned the warehouse and hovered torwards it [30 Hostiles on the 4th floor along with Cellina Mathers in a side room, dropping you off below them]. Dark Knight jogged and jumped off the edge of the VTOL, smashing through the windows into the 3rd floor.

The VTOL then turned, the 2 Twin Gatteling Guns unlocked and took aim at the men, [Hard Riot Suppressors Engaged] The Gatteling Guns started to lay down suppression fire on the horde of men, sending many of them ducking for cover.

Cellina Mathers regained consciousness as she picked up her head, she was tied to a wooden chair, she looked around, to see 1 man holding a large Machine Gun, and another man infront of her holding a flame thrower. The Flame Thrower user walked twoards her, stopping infront of her, "well, well, well, You better hope Guardian killed Dark Knight, or we're gonna roast you alive". Cellina scowled at him, "Guardian is going to come here, and then you'll all be dead". The man chuckled, "Sadly, we just got a report of Guardian leaving an abandoned precinct after some sh*t went down there, you better pray missy". The man was interrupted by the sound of glass being broken on the floor below them, and then the sound of Miniguns firing and many of the men screaming in terror. The man turned to the Machine gunner, "the fuck was that?", "Guardian?' he asked nervously as he locked the door and pressed a door against the handles. Cellina smiled, "Guardian doesn't need guns, and you're in Chicago". The Man quickly let his flame thrower nozel rest hanging from it's strap, using his Radio to contact the men in the room next to him. ["Boys, we got company, Secure the entrance and prepare to fire"], the 30 men in the room all took aim at the door, spread out and taking positions both standing, kneeling, and otherwise, they had their safety off and prepared to fire on the door.

The Air was quiet, then, the floor in the middle of the group of men shattered and collapsed, causing many of the man near the center to fall, and a few to fall through a large hole. Dark Knight grappeled upwards, quickly making his way to the ceiling supports through the darkness, 5 of the men took aim and fired into the hole, Dark Knight loaded and shot 3 Knightdarts, each hitting a rifle, causing it to explode and shatter, injuring the users. Dark Knight then dropped down onto the other 2 men firing, , smashign their heads into the hardwood of the floor. 3 men charged Dark Knight, Dark Knight caught one man's punch, grabbing his arm with his other hand, and breaking his elbow. Dark Knight threw the man into another knocking them both down, Dark Knght then countered one man who charged at him, grabbing his arm with both hands and throwing him over his shoulder, the man was sent flying, crashing into a pile of construction materials. Another guy with a lead pipe attempted to swing at Dark Knight, Dark Knight grabbed the pipe end with one hand, and broke his grip with the other, Dark Knight kneed the man, then used the pipe to slam down onto him knocking him out.

"GRENADE!" one man near the entrance on the other side of the room yelled, producing a grenade and pulling the pin, Dark Knight shot a Knightdart hitting the grenade out of his hand, then threw the pipe tripping the man's legs. The Man's wyes widened as he attempted to reach for the Grenade, but it went off, just as Dark Knight Back hand fisted one man across the jaw, Dark Knight then caught a man's swing with his left hand, then used his right hand to lift him up, then slam him into the ground. Dark Knight shot his grappel gun at a man, using the return he pulled the man over to him, Dark Knight used his right man to trip the man causing him to fall back. Dark Knight then stomped down onto he man's head, knocking him out cold. Dark Knight watched as 2 thugs attempted to dig through one of the metal crates listen "Assault weaponry" as two others took out knives, Dark Knight then ran towards them, jumping over a crate, Dark Knight grabbed one man who was standing nearby by the throat, and slammed his head down onto a crate. Dark Knight rolled one he landed, tripping one of the men by the assault crate, Dark Knight then rgabbed the other man by the leg, and threw him over his shoulder, slamming him onto the ground, and twisting his knee, breaking it with both hands.

Dark Knight watched as the two Knife weilding men, along with 2 others rushed him, Dark Knight quickly kneed one, the used his gauntlets to counter the two knife swings, Dark Knight then broke the blades of the knives with his hooks on his gauntlets, then punched them both across the jaw. Dark Knight stomped his right foot down on one man's leg, shattering it sideways, then grabbed his head and slammed his halfway through the plaster of the wall nearby. Dark Knight then kicked the other man away. as The man charged at Dark Knight, he punched downwards, causing the man's head to slam into the floor.

Cellina, The man with the flame thrower, and the machine gunner listened as the sounds of 30 men being beat down was heard. The Machine Gunner continued to aim through the door, his eyes set and his face stern, His demeanor dropped, when all of a sudden, it went silent. The Flame Thrower man grabbed the nozzel of his flame thrower and pulled his mask over his bearded face, walking behind Cellina. "What the hell?-" the Machine gunner muttered, but was cut off, when Dark Knight smashed through the wall behind him, grabbing him. Dark Knight and the man struggled, but Dark Knight was able to get hold of the machine gun while still in the man's hands, Dark Knight wresteled and finally was able to take aim at the other man, who had his Flame Thrower aimed close at Cellina. "I'll Do it" he said, his teeth gritted, Dark Knight continue to aim the Machine Gun towards the man, "DON'T MAKE ME, I'LL FRY HER A**!" he yelled, Dark Knight meet the man's gaze, "I have no doubt". Dark Knight pulled the trigger, firing a bullet at one of the man's cannisters, causing it to spark and Start to leak. As the Man panicked, Dark Knight slammed the machine gunner's head on the wall knocking him out, before diving, grabbing Cellina and pulling his cape over her.

The Man aimed his flamethrower at Dark Knight, pulling the trigger, it didn't fire, only caused it to explode, incinerating the man and causing him to erupt into a fireball. There was a pause, the room was half charred, Dark Knight dropped his cape, the outer half steaming, however not burnt from the fireball. Dark Knight tooka knee, bracing Cellina with his standing leg, he looked down "Don't worry" he said, using his free hand to straighten out his voice modulator, "I'm a friend of your Boyfriend". Cellina smirked sitting up straight, "I could tell" she gestured at Dark Knight's chest, "from your outfit".

[Charmera]

Maria Anastasna Zhukova

As soon as the doors of the plane opened, hundreds of passengers poured through them, finally getting a breath of fresh American air. The attendant nodded and wished everyone good luck through the microphone, while everyone was busy hurrying towards the check-in station. Even though Maria was carrying the least of the whole group, only the Cube, she trailed last, not bothering to increase her pace or rush to the terminal. It's not like she had overly important places to be in.

The green-haired teenager simply walked through the terminal, not bothering with the check-ups, vaccination or luggage departments. VIP persons don't need to deal with that pain, after all. Only about ten minutes later, Maria finally left the airport to see a busy parking lot in front of her, with dozens of taxis and other methods of transportation waiting to pick someone up.

Now, where could my driver be- aaand found him. The limousine and the driver were standing a bit farther away, but they were clearly distinguished from the rest of the vehicles nearby. Maria quickly turned towards the direction the person was at, walked up to it, then took out the identification card to show that the woman in front of the driver was, in fact, the one he was waiting for, then spoke:

"You know the place."

Bryan took the card, and verified that this was the daughter he was paid to drive. "Um, actually, I don't know the place," He replied, returning the card. "I was only told that I'd be your driver for today, wherever you happened to want to go." Bryan opened the back door of the limo and gestured for Maria to enter. "So where would that be, miss?"

---

"I am from the adoption agency yes." Mandi replied nodding with a smile. She spelt her name with an I, unlike her cousin. She smiled as she eased her way inside, squeezing past the grumpy Addison, who was now looking at her "new Mommy" with a look of annoyance.

New Mommy, New Daddy. She had heard if all before. She'd stick around until the social service people pulled her out. Of course Addison was not the most co-operative little adoptee, but the parents she had before didn't help matters. They were either too strict or too forgiving. Of course she had her share of creepy foster parents. Like that woman with all those cats... Her real parents were not too much better,

Then there was the time she had been in SHIELD. She wished she could go back now, and had not thrown the temper tantrum she had. Now she had to wait until she was 18 to join back up.

"Whatever," She muttered as she slugged off to Leslie.

Mandi looked at the little girl, noting her reluctance. She smiled nervously. Then frowned slightly. "She's not had the most... stable upbringing." She adjusted her glasses. "As for paper work, of course. There are some... things we need to discuss too with regards to Addison."

---

"Hey" Addison spoke, taking a place on the sofa next to Leslie. She then paused, long and awkwardly. Not even really paying attention to what's on the TV. She didn't really know what to say, so settled for nothing for now.

"Hi," Leslie looked over and stared at the new girl. "Are you Addison?" Her inquisitive gaze looked over Addison from head to toe. Her pink hair, diminutive stature (ever smaller than Leslie), and the definite uncomfortableness she was feeling right now. Before asking her anything else, the name would be good. "My name's Leslie."

She turned, then nodded. "I'm Addison. I'm supposed to be your new little sister or something..." She spoke, then frowned. She had had a few older brothers, and they had always felt like bossing her around and telling her what to do, which she didn't like. "Don't think you can boss me about just because I'm shorter and younger than you, okay?" Addison spoke, "I don't like it when people do that..."

Claudia paused as she looked at the saiyan. She was not sure what to think of the saiyan anymore. Anger was disapearing as she was reminded of the reasons why she came to be found of the Saiayn. She would have smiled, but she was also reminded of other memories. She was reminded of how much it hurt. Mixed feelings. Never good. She decided to distract herself with conversation. "Hey Hiro." She spoke. She paused as she wondered if Hiroshi knew about her recent offer from the government. "Hows... things?"

Hiroshi:

Two tired onyx eyes looked ahead to see Claudia, slowly watching as a cocktail of emotions flashed across her features. Truthfully, Hiroshi could've bypassed any arguement by simply teleporting into their shared bedroom and falling into the embrace of sleep. But, they couldn't just keep putting this off. What the Hell even were they? Were they a couple again? Were they simply watching after Tomia? He certainly didn't know, and they wouldn't until they stopped this stupid dance.

'Besides, even if she drives me crazy I... Well I.... Fuck it, I can't even discern by own feelings when I'm fully awake, why try when I'm tired?'

Despite himself, Hiroshi felt a brow raise at the anxiousness he could feel rolling off her. Finally, the Demi-Saiyan smiled as he shook his head, dispelling the thought. Because what else could he do now? What purpose did getting down and frustrated serve?

" 'Bout as same as always." Hiroshi remarked back." Apparently there's some inter-dimensional coming to our universe to destroy us. Bright side of it all is I got to meet a few other Saiyans, which is a plus... I suppose. How are things with you?"

"Alright I suppose... I may or may not have a new lead on where the heck Tomia is. Depends whether or not my chain is being yanked again..." She spoke, putting her hand through her head, before sighing. She walked to the kitchen to see if there was any food she could cook up. She was starving. "And that sounds about normal. As normal as it can get for people like us I suppose." She spoke, looking in the fridge and grabbing assorted things, then a large pan and some cooking oil.

[New Rnclave]

Tomia: IJ Timeline

Everywhere hurt, and every step was an entirely new battle. Her Uncle Oniyo, which she had only recently learned of, was far above her in almost every regard, and still berated her for being slow by lowering his own power to her level. It was nigh impossible to land a blow most of the time, and when she did manage to slip through his guard, it was usually by sheer boredom on the older Saiyans part.

But now as she slowly limped through the forest, towards her training partners, she felt a sense of foreboding enter her.

'Lucien was with Dad earlier today, and three others. Where did that other power even come-

Before she could finish her thoughts, she noticed another being hanging around where Lucien was. She could almost guarantee the other figure was Master Frank, but she couldn't be or sure yet.

Energy sensing was still a new skill to her.

The air shifted around her as she took to the sky, her eyes firmly locked forward. Lucien didn't look very happy, he almost looked... nervous actually. Whatever had occurred between today certainly hadn't been good by any stretch she could assume.

" Hey Lucien, Master Frank!" Tomia cut in, waves of force rolling off her as she stopped in the sky.

Prince Lucien

Almost immediately after Frank finished his sentence with "...you can probably go there to train alone", Tomia's energy signature appeared on my imaginary ki sensing radar, which was followed with my sparring partner's voice reaching my ears. Here she is - above us, in the sky. I didn't say anything at first, only waved my hand, while Frank commented with:

"You know, when I said 'soon enough', I did not mean 'immediately', but hey, I appreciate the discipline."

I quickly flew up to reach the same height as the flying Tomia. She definitely doesn't look like she's in her best condition - maybe something happened to her while I was busy with the other person named Tomia. Perhaps explanations are in order.

"You missed quite a day, Tomia..." I spoke.

Tomia: IJ Timeline

Cocking her head, Tomia blinked at him." What happened? I was just training with... I mean I was just practicing the moves Master Frank taught me. I did feel Da-Hiroshi earlier today though, does it have anything to do with him?"

Tomia knew she trusted Lucien, but even now, she had a problem revealing things like this to anyone. She felt impotent. Lucien always did so much better then she did in spars with Frank, and even if she had improved by leaps and bounds, she was by no means 'catching' up to the older Saiyan.

'I feel kinda like I'm hitting a wall.'

[New Rnclave]

Bryan took the card, and verified that this was the daughter he was paid to drive. "Um, actually, I don't know the place," He replied, returning the card. "I was only told that I'd be your driver for today, wherever you happened to want to go." Bryan opened the back door of the limo and gestured for Maria to enter. "So where would that be, miss?"

---

"Hi," Leslie looked over and stared at the new girl. "Are you Addison?" Her inquisitive gaze looked over Addison from head to toe. Her pink hair, diminutive stature (ever smaller than Leslie), and the definite uncomfortableness she was feeling right now. Before asking her anything else, the name would be good. "My name's Leslie."

She turned, then nodded. "I'm Addison. I'm supposed to be your new little sister or something..." She spoke, then frowned. She had had a few older brothers, and they had always felt like bossing her around and telling her what to do, which she didn't like. "Don't think you can boss me about just because I'm shorter and younger than you, okay?" Addison spoke, "I don't like it when people do that..."

Hiroshi:

Two tired onyx eyes looked ahead to see Claudia, slowly watching as a cocktail of emotions flashed across her features. Truthfully, Hiroshi could've bypassed any arguement by simply teleporting into their shared bedroom and falling into the embrace of sleep. But, they couldn't just keep putting this off. What the Hell even were they? Were they a couple again? Were they simply watching after Tomia? He certainly didn't know, and they wouldn't until they stopped this stupid dance.

'Besides, even if she drives me crazy I... Well I.... Fuck it, I can't even discern by own feelings when I'm fully awake, why try when I'm tired?'

Despite himself, Hiroshi felt a brow raise at the anxiousness he could feel rolling off her. Finally, the Demi-Saiyan smiled as he shook his head, dispelling the thought. Because what else could he do now? What purpose did getting down and frustrated serve?

" 'Bout as same as always." Hiroshi remarked back." Apparently there's some inter-dimensional coming to our universe to destroy us. Bright side of it all is I got to meet a few other Saiyans, which is a plus... I suppose. How are things with you?"

"Alright I suppose... I may or may not have a new lead on where the heck Tomia is. Depends whether or not my chain is being yanked again..." She spoke, putting her hand through her head, before sighing. She walked to the kitchen to see if there was any food she could cook up. She was starving. "And that sounds about normal. As normal as it can get for people like us I suppose." She spoke, looking in the fridge and grabbing assorted things, then a large pan and some cooking oil.

Hiroshi:

Smiling half-heartedly at Claudia, Hiroshi negotiated his way into the kitchen, aiming to at least the to help Claudia. Honestly, the Saiyan really didn't want to fight whatever was coming. Fighting meant more conflict, and more conflict meant more time he had to spend away from Claudia and Tomia.

Sliding over to Claudia, Hiroshi hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arms around the larger woman and leaning into her, sighing quietly. Stopping for a moment, time seemed to jump backwards as he was somewhere entirely different. He was on the lookout, embracing Claudia before he went to avenge his daughter.

'How much has changed since then...'

Part of him felt guilt tugging at him as they stood quietly in the small capsule house. There was some sort of liberation in knowing that everything had changed because of him, but that same liberation was overshadowed by how it had changed. He had cheated on Claudia with a woman he hardly knew. He had failed Tomia time and time again. For what? Battle? Was he such a battle junkie he would trade all this away for more power?

" I-I'm tired of fighting Claudia..."

[New Neros]

Madworld
The Praetorian War

Maxwell awoke early, the sun just rising over the distant horizon in Madworld. Sliding out of bed and into the shower, he stayed under the warm water for a few minutes, thinking of the coming battle at hand. The night before, he issued out scramble orders and general mobilization of Forever Knight, Royal Guard, and Fleet forces following a steady stream of information from his intelligence sources in Praetoria. Xander's own country had walked out on him, a country of millions reduced to hundreds overnight due to the actions and broadcasts of Killswitch. It was an act of brilliance, Mad Max reasoned, to use a single assassin to destroy a nation.

What followed after, though, was a show of force unlike any other. Throughout the Civil War up until this moment, the Strategist Supreme avoided direct conflict with Xander and the Praetorians, preferring to wait and see, with Craig already launching forces in the United States to support the Anti-Registration movement there. Maxwell had wanted to catch the Praetorians with their pants down, as he could control and guide the battle better than a direct confrontation. He wanted the Praetorian Emperor to overextend his forces around the globe to make a direct strike far more brutal, but 99% of the Praetorian population up and leaving? It was nothing short of a miracle.

Exiting Cathedral Terra, the assembled fleet stood high in the sky like a thousand metal beasts ready for the fight, even more small aircraft buzzing around the SyNth Metal leviathans like flies to elephants. One of which veered toward the royal palace, approaching the fearsome Mad King and his assembled posse behind him. Coming to a halt and landing beside him, the craft was large enough to fit a few hundred people, but it's size was insignificant compared to the titans above. Maxwell climbed on board, followed by Czar-Mir, Shatterstar, and Wildstar. Four Godbreakers, all of whom possessed incredible power or martial abilities to lead. Transferring up to the larger battleship, their flagship for the battle, Maxwell and his associates took their places with hardly a word.

A lavish, technological throne sat at the center of the ship's command deck, where the Strategist Supreme could watch and make commands at a moment's notice. Shatterstar and Wildstar departed to other vessels, Wildstar to command Forever Knight legions, and Shatterstar to prepare for ground assaults by special teams. At Maxwell's side was Czar-Mir, who watched the screens of the ship carefully. "There seems to be such little crew, my King." He commented, looking at the intense connections made between the suits of armor that sat before screens, as well as the one Maxwell sat at.

"These ships are very automated. They don't require thousand-man crews, all can be accomplished with an artificial intelligence guided by several inputs from only a handful of Parahumans. From flight to fighting, it's all controlled here." Maxwell said casually, "The product of the Science Guild and my late father's blueprints and handiwork, not to mention Daud and the Ultra Corps' vessel and it's abundance of technology. We rapidly built this fleet for a singular purpose: War with Praetoria."

"A bit redundant, seeing as how they once had Kryptonians in their number, before they left of course...Wouldn't they just smash through these ships?" Mir asked, folding his arms in and looking at the screens as they flashed with technical jargon and numbers.

"Our energy absorption shields could drain their cells if they approached within the absorption zone, their eye beams would be absorbed as well, and if they attacked the hull, our SyNth Metal would ensure that damage would be kept at a minimum. As I said before, these ships were designed with Praetoria in mind." Maxwell repeated, Mir nodding as he accepted the answer. "Today, however, marks the end of an empire. Praetoria will be no more, as I command. All ships," He said, speaking to his entire fleet at this point, their responses transmitted to Max's feed instantly, "Prepare to make the jump to Praetorian airspace."

Mir watched closely as a rectangular, amber green gem appeared in front of their vessel, whose name he found out was the Indomitable. Curious, Mir looked to Max to answer his question without a word. "Known as the Siege Courageous, it allows teleportation across the Earth, but with some modifications, it can be used for space-time. It was once in the hands of the X-Men, I liberated it and copied it's technological wonder for our own use. It will take us to Praetoria's doorstep, with surprise and without triggering an alarm until we're there." Maxwell explained, but remembered something. "I almost forgot. Indomitable, prepare a message for Craig Thomsen of Travenios."

"Message ready."

"Craig, this is Maxwell, my fleet is preparing to engage Praetoria. It's at it's weakest and little time remains for this strategic opportunity to completely knock Xander and his few out of the war. Reports suggest only a few hundred of Xander's faithful remain, compared to my four hundred thousand Forever Knights and my hundred-ship armada. This fight shouldn't last too long, but Xander will fight tooth and nail every step of the way. Victory is certain, and I will remove the fleet to Travenios after the battle to re-distribute her to secure victory." Maxwell stated clearly and with some excitement, closing the message with, "Indominus Rex."

"The stage is set." Mir replied, holding a tight frown as he prepared for battle. "Xander has allies, no? What of their interference?"

"Let them provoke the wrath of a Mad King." Maxwell replied, "Their ships cannot hold against ours, their soldiers inferior to my Knights, their willpower nothing like my own. Shatterstar will be preparing special teams and Wildstar will be commanding his legions. You, Mir, will be assisting me with Xander. I have faith in your abilities, enough faith that I left Val and Otto in Madworld to oversee the Kingdom. Should you lack faith..." Maxwell began, turning to look at Mir, "I have replicated a set of Nega-Bands to allow you to parry the attacks and defenses of Xander."

Swallowing hard, Mir refused. "I don't need them, my King. I will fight with my own two hands, with the powers Madworld had given me. Thank you for the offer." He proudly declared, a smile flashing on Max's face. "I'm ready for anything."

"Good." Maxwell replied, turning to face his armada, to give a speech before making the plunge. "To all of Parahumanity, we stand at the cross roads of infinity, a realm of endless dimensions and possibilities. From here, we can enter a golden age of life across the stars, or fall to the raging sea below like Icarus floating too high to the sun. But, my people, we do not have wings made of wax. Our wings are made of metal... In all things, be humble for you are made of Earth, but be noble, for you are made of stars. Our nobility is mistaken for hubris, and our power is said to be limited. I declare the opposite, that are limitless, with heads held high and fists raised to the skies, we are not Praetorians. We are not Supermen. We are not monks astute in their faith, pigs basking in filth, dogs itching for a fight, or soldiers praying for war. Matter of fact, we are Parahumans. Madworlders. Refugees, Mutants, outcasts and shut-out from the world. We are dreamers, believers, and beyond what it means to be human. Regardless of bloodline, race, power, or genetics, we are united, we are Para."

Tears welled in Mir's eyes as a flood of emotions came over him, hearing the Maxwell's speech inspired a sense of patriotism and loyalty unlike any other. Mir came from nothing, the slums of Mad City, and now he stood beside the very King of the Parahumans, and it made him realize that dreams were possible, that regardless of birth, one could rise to whatever challenge they faced. Whether Mir lived or died in the slums, he knew now what it means to be not just a Parahuman, but what it means to be a Madworlder. Maxwell's face with slightly red from the speech, but he was stoic in his command. "All ships, begin the jump to Praetorian air space."

---

Going through the massive portal, the hundreds of air ships all simultaneously appeared out of the thin blue sky some ways from Praetoria in the southern hemisphere, the the floating city a little ways away but visible on the horizon. Mir's gut tightened at the sight, stifling back a sense of familiarity, that Praetoria shared a likeness to Madworld, that one floated on the ocean while the other floated on the clouds. His ears heard Maxwell giving out orders to his ships as they entered another jump of the Siege Courageous, putting themselves into positions the Mad King had thought of ahead of time, slowing advancing toward the sky city, but Mir was too focused on the events to come. He was no fighter like Val or Max, but he was a soldier at one point, yet a diplomat by choice.

"Broadcasting to Praetoria..." Maxwell said to his screen, waiting for the on-air signal. "People of Praetoria, this is Maxwell Morningstar, King of the Parahumans, and I come in search of peace, bringing an armada of warships to promote that cause." He thundered, poking fun at his reasoning. "The Civil War is in full swing, and I am distinctly against Registration, something Emperor Xander seems to champion. I've come to start a dialogue on... Shifting circumstances in relation to the Empire of Praetoria, that perhaps we can advance our relationship and start the process of re-interpreting National Registration across the globe."

"Should our discussions break down..." Maxwell continued, "Then I shall bring the Civil War to Praetoria, and bring Praetoria to the ground. I will be waiting for you, Sol Invictus." Maxwell said with ominous intent, clicking the on-air off, and breathing a deep sigh, his eyes trained on the screen, shaking slightly. Mir could sense it, but he wouldn't dare comment on it. It was just so strange to see - Maxwell looked afraid, yet he said things he would usually say. A tone of condescension and thinly veiled threats, yet, Mir realized it was bluff, that the Mad God feared the Golden God. Mir wished he could ask for the Nega-Bands now, and wondered just how powerful Xander could be if Mad Max was scared of the coming battle.