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

[Pantorrum]

Dark Star
Attack on the Watchtower

Dark Star was in his base preparing for an attack on the Watchtower. He had everything he needed- the box to open the boom tube, the appropriate weapons for the attack, the gas canisters, and the C-4 for plan B should he be unable to trap the League. He was ready for the attack, and had gotten into the right mental state for it. One does not simply attack the Watchtower without extensive preparation, both of the body and the mind.
He moved to the elevator, activating it and ascending to the surface. Once outside, he turned invisible and began to teleport. He needed to be somewhere remote to ensure the box could not be tracked back to his layer if activated. He trusted Luther, but he didn't know where he got the box from and it would have been unprofessional to ask. Eventually reaching an underpopulated area in upstate New York, he activated the box and spoke.
"Take me to the Justice League's Watchtower." Suddenly, a large, swirling green portal opened in front of him and he stepped through, appearing on the other side within the Watchtower. He tucked the box safely away, a smile hidden on his face.
All to easy. Now I just have to shut down the Zeta Tubes and take control of the computers. Then, I kill the League. Completely invisible, he phased through a wall into a central room, housing multiple monitors and the Watchtowers large mainframe. This was where his attack would begin. The Tower would fall system by system, starting with the Computers and the Zeta Tubes. Everything was coming into place.
The first piece of the mission would go smoothly, easily connecting to the Mainframe and transferring control to his suit. He had full control of the systems now, but he knew there would be a chance that they could be taken back. It was something he simply couldn't allow. Silently, he placed multiple charges around the Mainframe room. Should the need arise, he would blow the room and destroy the Mainframe for good. It would bring down all systems and terminate their ability to effectively operate. Next, while still invisible, he began planting charges all around the Watchtower. It was crucial that he prepare in the event that plan B needed to be enacted. After placing several charges at key points, he decided to use his wrist control to take over the Zeta Tubes. Pressing a series of buttons, he began to have trouble. After a few moments, he found himself entirely locked out of the Zeta Tube system.
They are to well protected, I cant hack the tubes! I guess that means I destroy them instead.
He moved to the Tubes, preparing to place some small metallic orbs in their vicinity. Before he could place the first one though, an arrow whizzed past his head and exploded on the wall, knocking him back on the floor.
He leaped up, quickly turning to his metallic form. Before him stood Martian Man-Hunter and Green Arrow, working in unison to battle Dark Star.
"Ahh, I wondered when I would see you Martian Man-Hunter. Of all the League members, I fear you the most." Martian Man-Hunter retained a serious expression, holding position and staring at him.
"You have made a grave mistake coming here today. You will never take the Watchtower, and we will fight to defend it. Its not to late to give yourself up." Dark Star laughed at the Martian's comments.
"I don't know how you do things on Mars, but on Earth you don't surrender when you're winning."
He teleported behind him. He attempted to jab his fist into the Martian's back with enough force to crack a bolder in half, but the hand simply passed through him thanks to his Density shifting. Pulling his hand back, he felt the Martians fist make contact with his face. Stepping back and holding his hand, Martian Man-Hunter realized he had just punched an almost invulnerable metal.
Green Arrow fired 3 more arrows at Dark Star, who easily dodged two and sliced the other in half with his now draw Katana. Then a fourth arrow hit him from behind, fired from Speedy. It exploded, sending acid all over Dark Star. Falling to his knees in pain, the acid slowly burned away at his outer metal body.
"Ahh, damn it!" He fell to his hands as he bent over the floor, Martian Man-Hunter sending him flying back through a wall with his telekinetic powers. Turning invisible, the acid on the surface of his body fell through to the ground, melting deep into the floor rather quickly.
"Got some new arrows, have we now? Well, you'll be sorry you did." Pressing a button on his wrist, the doors exiting the room closed shut and sealed.
"Now you're trapped with me, and I promise you that is not desirable."
Turning back to his metal mode, he flew forward at alarming speeds. His fist slammed into Speedy, knocking him unconscious as he flew into a wall. Attempting to stop another attack on the now defenseless Speedy, Green Arrow launched an electric net at Dark Star which wrapped around him. It delivered a powerful shock, knocking Dark Star once again on his back in pain.
Unbelievable! These League members should not have such an advantage!
Rolling in pain as the net continue to shock him, he finally turned invisible and the net dropped through. Teleporting behind Green Arrow, he went to chop his hand down on him and crack his skull. Unfortunately the man rolled out of the way, the attack hitting the ground as Martian Man-Hunter pushed him into a pillar with his telekinetic powers. Falling to the ground, outmaneuvered again, Dark Star began to become enraged. Another arrow fired at him, and he quickly grabbed it from the air and turned around, tossing it back at Green Arrow. It exploded just in front of him, sending him falling back as smoke rose from his seared clothing.
"Enough!" Dark Star yelled, rising into the air after resuming his metallic mode. Lasers shot from his eyes at green Arrow, but Martian Man-Hunter blocked it with a piece of rubble.
"You can't win this fight, give up now before its to late." Ignoring him, Dark Star stared in anger at the duo.
"Don't pretend you have a chance. This entire battle has amounted to a chemical burn on me, and already two of you are basically down for the count." Green Arrow slowly rose to his feet, bow in hand.
"Don't count me out just yet," he said. Raising the bow, he pulled another arrow to fire. Before it left the bow, Dark Star blasted it with a beam and the explosive tipped arrow exploded. Green Arrow hurled backwards, engulfed in smoke and now unconscious. Dark Star turned to face Martian Man-Hunter, smiling beneath his armor.
"Now its just you and me. Are you ready to be beaten?" Just as he finished talking, Martian Man-Hunter pointed next to Dark Star.
"Not just you and me," he said. Dark Star turned slowly, as Superman slammed his fist into the assassins stomach. He flew back into the wall, wincing from the blow. Even in his metallic form Superman was capable of injuring him.
"Oh great, another pricker in the bush." Dark Star rose to his feet, firing his lasers at Superman from his eyes. Alarmed and surprised, Superman was struck by the attack and fell backwards into a pillar. Dark Star teleported next to him, swinging his fist at full strength into the man of steel. He staggered back a few feet before rapidly delivering multiple blows to Dark Star, causing him to lose his guard. Several blows struck hard, knocking him down. Superman flew up, falling down on him with great speed to bring his foot right into contact with Dark Star's chest.
Losing his breath, Dark Star lay in the crater, his anger building.
He teleported behind him, holding out his hands and firing a massive volley of energy beams. For several seconds, he fired hundreds of small beams at Superman. The cloud of smoke engulfed the room, the attacks dealing little damage to the Kryptonian. Of course, it was the cloud that Dark Star wanted. Landing next to him, he quickly slammed the collar around his neck.
"That collar wasn't mean't for you, but I guess it has to be that way." Dark Star smiled as the smoke cleared, and Superman turned around. He tried to punch Dark Star again but only injured himself.
"The collar negates your powers. Not so super now, huh?" Striking a blow to the Kryptonian, he flew back across the floor, laying on the ground unconscious.
"And that's that." He turned to face Martian Man-Hunter. "I am tired and badly injured. I must say, if not for that collar I would have been defeated shortly from now. Fortunately, your ace in the hole is down for the count and now you will soon accompany him."
The alien quickly shot forward, flying behind him and placing his fingers on his temples. He was attempting to take control of Malcolm's mind, but he wasn't able to act fast enough. Teleporting behind him, he kicked him down to the ground with a direct blow to the back.
"That's about right where you belong, face down on the floor." Flying down quickly, he tried to strike the Martian but he vanished into the floor, Density shifting away.
"Damn it!" Dark Star was about to lose his mind, but he couldn't just yet. He hadn't been able to destroy the Zeta Tubes, and now he was running out of time. Thing's wouldn't be just like Savage wanted, but he would get the job done. He quickly placed some charges on the Zeta Tubes in a sloppy fashion.
I don't have much time now. I need to cast Luthor's message and release the toxins.
Turning invisible, he flew through the wall and into a computer room. Sealing the doors with his wrist controls, he went to the central terminal and overrode the security codes. He began transmitting his image across the world, using Justice League tech to take control of the airways.
"Hello again to all. I believe I warned you that I would be back if the SRA wasn't repealed. Well, here I am. And unfortunately for the Justice League, the UN had to pass the HERO Act. This defiance of my demands will not be tolerated." The screens all would cut to images of Superman on the floor, along with Green Arrow and Speedy as he used the Security Camera's to get the live feeds. He continued speaking as the images were shown.
"As punishment, the Justice League will pay the price. Today, in exactly 20 minutes, every member of the League will be dead. And you have this HERO Act to th-" His words were suddenly cut short. Batman leaped down from the Ventilation System and kicked Dark Star back from the console. Tossing a bat-a-rang at him, it stabbed into his arm and exploded. He was sent flying back, smoke billowing off of him. The explosion delivered a serious injury, as he had not been in his metallic mode.
He groaned and ached as he slowly rose from the pile of rubble, his suit badly damaged in some spots. Batman walked forward, beginning to speak.
"I was just on my way out, but Martian Man-Hunter caught me in time." He looked at him with a serious tone. "I don't support the HERO Act, but I don't support terrorism either. You're going down, regardless of my thoughts on the reason behind your attack. Justice will be done here." All the while the Console was still broadcasting live video.
"I think you are mistaken, Batman. There is no Justice anymore." Teleporting, he appeared behind him. Batman had mysteriously vanished and appeared next to him, delivering a few punches on Dark Star and knocking him back. He was so weakened now that he couldn't transform into his metallic form.
He teleported back from Batman, barely standing.
"I hate to say it, Batman, but the League has actually gotten the better of me." He staggered back into the wall.
"Nothing went as planned. My employer will be dissatisfied at best." He coughed, still looking at Batman. "In this condition, I am less than a match for you." As he said that, Wonder Woman and Flash arrived in the room. "Oh great, just great. Now my plans are definitely ruined." He back up into the corner as the hero's converged around him, Batman at their center.
"Your finished, there is no escape." Batman was about to leap forward when Dark Star let out a terrible laugh.
"No, you are the one who is trapped." Pressing a button on his wrist, the Watchtower shook as the explosives were detonated. The mainframe was destroyed, cutting the live video feed to the world. Pillars came crumbling down as the violent explosions rocked everything in the Watchtower.
With the explosions buying him a few moments, he opened the Boom Tube and returned to Earth. Falling on the ground unconscious, the boom tube close behind him.
He didn't know yet that the explosion failed to destroy the Watchtower, only delivering serious damage. One Zeta Tube also remained operational. He had far from succeeded, but the League was just to much for him.

[Finland SSR]

Hiroshi:

This was possibly the worst way this whole affair could've turned out. It was bad enough the Saiyan woman had the gall to strike him moments after he'd healed her, but now she had fled into the forest. Which meant they now had to hunt her down, which was the last thing the Hybrid wanted to do.

"Y-Yeah." Hiroshi said finally, shakily finding his feet." I don't know who she is or why she's here, but as it stands, she is far too frantic to be roaming free."

The blow had been entirely unexpected, a quick diversion of energy having saved him from a nasty bruise, or worse all things considered. Normally, getting punched in the face was no cause for concern, if not for several factors. Firstly, was the frenzied manner in which she had struck him. She had been terrified, like she had been expecting someone else to be standing over her when she came too.

Subconsciously moving a shaky hand up to brush away a trail of crimson from his lip, Hiroshi lifted into the air. Secondly, these events were all too odd. A Saiyan female arriving in critical condition, following what could only be described as a breech in reality? Preceding the very same event? Even the Halfling couldn't deny the similarities of these events, and the idea made his stomach drop.

Lucien Gediminid

Huh.

Well, this whole event chain is quite confusing. It doesn't help that I arrived when it was already ending, too. But at least some things could be made out - we found a person that crashed here or something, it was in seriously life-threatening condition, we found a healer, then the person, instead of thanking us and explaining what happened, ran away in fear. Was there someone scary behind us? I looked around to see if that was the case. No, not really. And, even though it was a Saiyan, I wasn't all that familiar with the aura... but it still felt a little like something I've already sensed before.

Weird. The other Saiyan agreed to us searching for her, and I nodded in reply, then closed my eyes to focus on the ground below me. Ki sense is not going to cut it here. ... Wait. There's some light tapping on the earth, moving away from us at a rapid pace. The ki of the woman was somewhere nearby of the steps, too. It must be her.

"I think I found her!" I exclaimed, then opened my eyes again. I don't think I can catch her in my normal form, but Super Saiyan should be more than enough. And thus, I quickly clenched my fists and amped up my aura, powering up greatly and transforming into the golden supposedly legendary state, and shot forward, towards the target, at full speed.

[Siliarba]

Rin Tarla

It took a while but eventually I regained my composure, some deep breaths, forget what just happened and focus on the current situation, there's an intruder, and you're an expert at finding everything. Seemed like finding wasn't that important any longer, the intruder was already found, by some of my teammates. The intruder sounds mechanical, ooh, maybe she'll freak out if I make sounds of mechanical failures. I focused on the area they were in and began throwing sounds in that room, sounds of computer errors, sounds rusty mechanical parts would make, electrical malfunctions. Anything I could imagine that and something to do with the malfunction of either a computer or a mechanical system.

While I did this I ran downstairs to the location of the intruder, the room was closed by the towers protocols and I wasn't about to randomly open secured doors that were closed to contain the intruder, so I just ran to the closest possible location and kept making those sounds while listening to everything that was going on.

[Charmera]

Rin Tarla

It took a while but eventually I regained my composure, some deep breaths, forget what just happened and focus on the current situation, there's an intruder, and you're an expert at finding everything. Seemed like finding wasn't that important any longer, the intruder was already found, by some of my teammates. The intruder sounds mechanical, ooh, maybe she'll freak out if I make sounds of mechanical failures. I focused on the area they were in and began throwing sounds in that room, sounds of computer errors, sounds rusty mechanical parts would make, electrical malfunctions. Anything I could imagine that and something to do with the malfunction of either a computer or a mechanical system.

While I did this I ran downstairs to the location of the intruder, the room was closed by the towers protocols and I wasn't about to randomly open secured doors that were closed to contain the intruder, so I just ran to the closest possible location and kept making those sounds while listening to everything that was going on.

At first this tactic might seem to work. The Cyborg seemed completely distracted from whatever Cat and Nico were saying. She paused, seeming to do some sort of diagonistic check. She then turned in the direction that Rin was, and sprinted towards the closest door that would get her to Rin. She slammed her sword into a secured door, which seemed to somehow cause the system to open it. She seemed to be able to move through the doors easy enough, but the iron barrier around the exit seemed to give her trouble.

"Come on!" Spoke Cat "She's after Rin." Cat ran towards the cyborg, causing it to spin around and swing it's blade in a horizontal slice. Cat quickly bent her back to dodge the slash, the blade just missing the bridge of her nose. She then bent back upwards, only to get punched in the face with a matal hand. She was staggered by the blow, surprised by it's strength. Meanwhile the Cyborg seemed to be heading towards Rin.

[Siliarba]

At first this tactic might seem to work. The Cyborg seemed completely distracted from whatever Cat and Nico were saying. She paused, seeming to do some sort of diagonistic check. She then turned in the direction that Rin was, and sprinted towards the closest door that would get her to Rin. She slammed her sword into a secured door, which seemed to somehow cause the system to open it. She seemed to be able to move through the doors easy enough, but the iron barrier around the exit seemed to give her trouble.

"Come on!" Spoke Cat "She's after Rin." Cat ran towards the cyborg, causing it to spin around and swing it's blade in a horizontal slice. Cat quickly bent her back to dodge the slash, the blade just missing the bridge of her nose. She then bent back upwards, only to get punched in the face with a matal hand. She was staggered by the blow, surprised by it's strength. Meanwhile the Cyborg seemed to be heading towards Rin.

Rin Tarla

Well, that didn't work, she's already looking through my trick. And she's even able to locate me, charging straight to my direction, thank god there's doors to prevent her from reaching ... Did she just cut through one of the safety doors?!? When she came closer and closer all I could do was panic, especially when I heard her fighting my teammates, so in a moment of panic I panicked really loudly. I took a deep breath and let out a scream with enough power that the ground, walls, ceiling and even the metal doors around began to break or buckle, it was even loud enough to cause something that resembled a small quake as everything in the tower shook for a moment. As fast as I let out the scream I stopped however, this wasn't hurting just my target, but everyone in the tower, friend or foe alike. The only one who'd be resistant to this attack was Xyri who seemed to be extremely resistant to nearly immune to my sound attacks.

But everyone else was probably getting a terrible headache from this, considering it caused the metal door near me to buckle I can only imagine what it did to everyone else, even if they were a lot further away from me. I didn't really know what to do besides say throughout the tower "Sorry ...".

[Charmera]

---

Sarah nodded at her younger sister as she told her that she had to rest and recover before even thinking of growing stronger and defeating the wizard. Sam was right; in her current condition, she wouldn't be able to accomplish much, and she'd probably be a burden if something happened. Of course, she didn't expect to take long to heal up, a fortunate side effect of her powers, but even so, she had to stay calm for the time being. Seeing Roy approach her and assure her that he would do what he could to help rescue John, the pale woman shook her head before looking at the boy. "It's not your fault. You don't have to do anything." She said, before patting him on the head. "You should go back to your family or your friends. They might be worried, if news about this incident spread." She stated, before looking at her sisters. "And on that note, we should get out of here. I don't want to deal with policemen, much less if they happen to recognize us."

"You've always had trouble with the law, haven't you girls?" Spoke a feminine voice from nearby. A taller woman with golden locks appeared, walking towards the sisters. She smiled, seemingly familiar with them, though that was less notable than her fox ears, tail and her aura of almost supernatural beauty. She seemed to have a supernatural grace too, her movements too precise. It made almost anyone else seem clumsy by comparison. Her smile widened, containing some warmth.

"Miss Koto!?" Asked Hannah, suddenly transforming back. Feeling a tad dizzy. "What are you doing here? The last time we saw you was in New Orleans!"

"Ah, got tired of pretending to be a Voodo witch. It was fun for a bit, but it's not as entertaining without a few people with fire and pitchforks. That tends to make for a good chase." She shrugged. "Ah well, Not everywhere can be like Salem." She paused. "As for what I'm doing here. I'm here to help you."

[The Rebel Alliances]

Of Titans and Men-Part 2

Daniel Carter/Killswitch-24-Praetoria

My blocking the uppercut did little to actually stop the force of the attack, as it sent me reeling into the clouds. Steadying myself out, I dropped my rifle to the earth beneath me as it was clear that the velocity of a bullet was far to insufficient to deal with Xander effectively. No matter the ammunition. Slowly I unsheathed the adamantium katana and threw myself back at Xander at speeds I had never experienced. Positioning the blade to stab straightthrough the Emperor, He managed to catch the blade with both hands as he grimaced in pain, the blade managing to cut into his palms, but only as a flesh wound.

"You must think me some amateur, if you expect me to simply give my client up." I retorted as I planted a kick into his gut just powerful enough to have him lose his grip on the weapon. But as the blade slipped through his fingers, he grabbed out at my feet and then whirled me around, then, throwing me back into Praetoria.

Wrecking through several buildings as mutants and inhumans scattered. I picked myself back up from the rubble, dusting myself off as Xander blitzed me once more, keeling me over as his powerful fist sank itself into my gut. The armor held, for now, but the sheer force still caused some pain. Recollecting my breath, I retaliated by slicing into his side as his hold on me tightened as a result of the pain.

With his other hand wrapped around my throat, I was barely able to speak at all.

"Whats wrong...Xander?" I breathed. As crowds of terrified and some relieved citizens surrounded us, many of them cheering thinking I was defeated.

"Your still holding back...afraid of killing me? Of the bomb going off?" I then broke his choke hold by bringing my own right elbow down on the inside of his outstretched hand, then slugged him across the jaw with a left hook. The blow did little more then piss him off, but I was now free to stand on my own.

"So far this battle has ammounted to some superficial cuts on you, and some rather nasty bruises for me. I do have to admit though Xander, I could get used to fighting with power like this. Now that we have established that you can bleed, lets see if we can go further."

I was met with a frightening silence. My guess was that he was starting to see that negotiation was not an option. His gaze shifted from me, to the scurrying citizens around us, and judging the risk to localsvtoo great, he decided to remove me from the area with a punch that ejected me from the city entirely, and blasting into an unpopulated mountain side like a hundred thousand tons of dynamite. Pulling myself out of a newly created cavern, I looked through the now cracked mask which covered my face.

Well, I'll be damned.

Xander then landed opposite of me with his blonde hair and cape flowing, eyes glowing and arms crossed.

"This new arena will do nicely." He uttered in an ominous tone.

"Now, when I pull you limb from limb until you scream everything you know. The little children won't get nightmares." He continued to threaten me as I pulled myself from the opening in the mountain we had forged.

"The serum only grants you a fraction of my powers. And that last attack was not even five percent of what I can do. I always hold back, otherwise I tear reality apart." Then his voice softened up just slightly, as if he was hoping he had finally knocked some sense to me.

"You have balls Killswitch, whoever you are. To stand there and face me. But it's over, it was over as soon as you arrived. Look, I may be willing to overlook the fact that you are an assassin. You won't escape punishment, but surely you have something to lose. A family perhaps, a girlfriend...a damn dog, I don't care what it is. But there must be something that makes losing your life here not worth it." My mind flashed to Rebecca, and for the briefest moment, if he could see my face. He would know that for an instant I considered his offer.

But finally I spoke up in a somber tone.
"No. This, is what I have. What I am, and I can be nothing else. A sob story has no place in business. But this is business, it may be hard for you to understand Xander. After all that I have done, but I have nothing against you. That being said, I cannot back down. If this battle ends with me dead? So be it, as an Assassin it's part of the package. But I assure you, I...am not done yet. And that you...." I then shot behind him, delivering furious ninjutsu strikes with the power of the serum.

"ARE NOT A GOD!"

[New Rnclave]

Tomia:

The world around her passed in a haze as she ran away from her captors, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she struggled just to breath. They'd found her. She didn't know how, but after all of this they had found her. Jumping timelines had proved feudal it seemed, as they had just tracked her here.

Which of course raised the question of who they were.

She didn't know where she had dialed into, but there had to be Saiyans here, someone she could warn maybe, someone who could save her. It was so hard to breath, and her legs burned from-

Tripping, the Saiyan sailed forward, her frame slapping against the hard earth unceremoniously. Looking skywards, she immediately saw two golden blurs rocketing towards her, her ragged breathing intensifying as frenzied breaths pulled into her lungs, her eyes squeezed shut as she quivered helplessly.

[Jeinasi]

David was flying towards the power he felt earlier. 3 or 4 distinctive powers, all of them outclass me, but there is one that is stronger than them all,He thought. The wind flew by his face I wonder what that saboteur from yesterday was doing? He thought, I suppose he was against the Justice League, for whatever reason. David saw a humanoid figure,and he landed right in front of him. "This must be it,David thought. His golden hair glistened in the sunlight. "I'm sorry," David asked the figure, "But who are you?"

[Pantorrum]

Dark Star
Upstate New York

Dark Star had been unconscious on the ground for some time, but due to his enhanced healing capabilities, most of the wounds were healed. To be exact, he had been laying there for 2 hours and 26 minutes. Not until now did his eyes ever open, and he slowly rose to his feet. The Watchtower had been dealt a serious blow, with no computer systems and all but one Zeta Tube operational. Unfortunately, Malcolm realized the Watchtower was not brought down. Never the less, Vandal would hopefully be at least satisfied. He blew up the Hall of Justice, destroyed the Computer Systems of the Watchtower, and caused millions in damages. Maybe billions, considering the size of the mainframe and the expense of the Zeta Tubes. He took on 4 League members, defeating three of them and one running away. He showed the World that a single villain could do some serious damage with the right skills, and successfully threatened the world from the HQ of their treasured defenders.
The only objectives that were not obtained are the destruction of all the Zeta Tubes, transferring control of the Watchtower to Vandal, and the elimination of the League members. Aside from those failures, he had done more damage than any other agent Vandal had hired for the similar task. As a matter of fact, his case file showed that none of them had even made it to the Watchtower. Getting there alone deserves merit.
He began teleporting for a good while, returning to Savages hideout in distant mountains. He would give the report and receive, hopefully, most of the money agreed upon. Of course he did not expect to receive all of it, as he had failed the most important part of the mission.
After traveling through security, he reached Savage in his penthouse. Dark Star's suit was still torn and ripped, his helmet cracked and half of his abdomen and chest was uncovered. Savage turned to see him, eager to hear the results of his plan to eliminate the League.
"I have not seen anything on the news yet about the Hall of Justice or the Watchtower. I did, however, hear the address Luther told you to give. And I seen you get defeated by Batman. I didn't see any toxic gas released before the feed was cut." It had been two days since he left to begin his mission, so it would probably not be on the news for a little while as the occurrence was fairly recent. Dark Star remained very serious in his response.
"The League was to great for me to defeat alone. I was attacked by Green Arrow, Speedy, Martian Man-Hunter, and then Superman. After narrowly defeating them, I rushed to give the address to the world but was unable to finish as Batman arrived. Had he not been there, I would have accomplished the mission." Vandal sighed, turning to look out the window again.
"If you had not stopped to give the address, you could have released the Gas and left." Dark Star quickly replied.
"Yes, but as you are aware Luther gave me the means to get to the Watchtower and asked only that in return. Without his assistance, I would have never arrived. I am sorry for my failure in eliminating the League, but many other victories were achieved." Vandal didn't turn back to face him, still looking out the window.
"Like what?" He asked after a moment.
"I destroyed their computer mainframe entirely, leaving them unable to address the world or effectively operate. I destroyed all but one Zeta Tube, and caused monumental damage to the Watchtower. I feel that not only did we render the Watchtower little more than a orbiting building, but we also humiliated the League by defeating some of its well known members." Vandal nodded, agreeing with that statement as he turned around to face him finally.
"That is true. However, because you did not finish the mission, I will only give you half of the rest of your payment- 25 million." Dark Star nodded, accepting the payment. "I may have more work for you at some other time. I will be in touch." Nodding, Dark Star left the complex and eventually returned to his home. Despite healing, he once again was worn out from teleporting such a vast distance. He would need to rest before his next job. He had received a message from Lex Luthor about a job involving SHIELD. It would have to wait, though. He desperately needed to recover.

[Krytonus]

G R A V I T Y

New York

13 DAYS EARLIER

How long had it been?

It felt like an eternity since that day when I promised Rebecca Carter I would find her brother. How many fruitless months had I spent desperately trying to latch onto something, anything that could help me find him?

I had found the registration of the helicopter that Killswitch had taken that day; not fake, but the helicopter has been scrapped in Mexico. I had "contacted" the mercenary company Carter had worked for: they knew nothing. I had combed through the rubble of the battleground, desperate to find something. Every time, nothing. He had covered up his tracks well.

And then, a few months ago, activity. Rumours spreading through the underworld of a new assassin on the scene. Highly skilled, highly lethal. And his name was Killswitch. He wore highly durable armour, painted half black, half yellow. Masked his face. Barely human, but no mutant. I could handle him, if I could find him.

The next few months had been tough. Every time, I missed him by a hair. He was always already gone: I never even saw him. Once, I missed him by a few seconds, but he had some good tech to keep hidden.

But now, I had him. Despite all my efforts, all my work, I had come to one conclusion. The only way to find him was to have him find me. I had hired a PI to contact the assassin and get him to kill me. I'd come up with dozens of plans, but I wasn't a genius. This was the only surefire way to get him.

I stood atop the Empire State Building, looking down at the city below. The sun was setting, and the brilliant orange was reflected in the glass towers of New York.

At least if I die, it'll be in a beautiful place.

I clenched my fists and waited.

[Finland SSR]

Tomia:

The world around her passed in a haze as she ran away from her captors, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she struggled just to breath. They'd found her. She didn't know how, but after all of this they had found her. Jumping timelines had proved feudal it seemed, as they had just tracked her here.

Which of course raised the question of who they were.

She didn't know where she had dialed into, but there had to be Saiyans here, someone she could warn maybe, someone who could save her. It was so hard to breath, and her legs burned from-

Tripping, the Saiyan sailed forward, her frame slapping against the hard earth unceremoniously. Looking skywards, she immediately saw two golden blurs rocketing towards her, her ragged breathing intensifying as frenzied breaths pulled into her lungs, her eyes squeezed shut as she quivered helplessly.

Lucien Gediminid

Alright... Yes! This weird earth sense thingy didn't fail me! I see the rogue female Super Saiyan's aura now. By the looks of it, she is still running away from us. Perhaps she saw something evil in us. I don't think I know her, though... Alright, full speed! And mere moments later, the woman tripped and slammed into the ground in front of her. Ouch, that must've hurt.

She doesn't seem to be trying to run away now. There's the chance! I turned off my ki flight and immediately leaped down. I think I should keep the Super Saiyan transformation up, in the case that she tries to do anything stupid, like attack me and blow up the planet. And thus, merely a few seconds later, I touched down on the earth, a few meters away from the rogue Super Saiyan. She looks really scared. I still don't know what's up with that.

"Hello there!" I spoke in an innocent voice, smiling and closing my eyes. "My name is Lucien, who are you?"

[Beir Buaidh]

San Francisco

Dream State had spent several hours inside the assassin's mind before he returned to the real world. Certain that she was indoctrinated he released his grip on her mind and waited to see what she would do. Shaken she shook her head and tried to gather her thoughts. Her memories were intact, but something was different. Like an infection had spread throughout them and caused her mind to overheat.

"water", she managed weakly.

Dream State obliged and handed her a bottle from under the sink. She seemed calm, but exhausted. When your brain had been through as much as hers it was to be expected. After she inhaled the bottle she seemed to regain her senses. "Where are my weapons," she inquired although they were in plain view. Dream State handed her the pistol, knives, and grenades without a word and sat back down on the couch. He waited for her to speak in silence. Several minutes passed in silence before she said anything "why am I here?"

"The United World left you for dead. You failed your mission. I saved you."

"I can't remember", she struggled before he continued over her.

"Don't worry. You work for me now. No harm will come to you."

"Who are you"

"I am your master. You already know my name"

She whispered "Dream State", with a slight hint of surprise.

"Yes, very good."

"They will try again. I was only the first assassin."

"I know, and now you are going to lead me to the rest."

"The man who hired me is in the city. I was supposed to meet him in China town to collect my cash."

Dream State rose from his seat and patted his spell book three times, "then it seems we are late for our meeting. We mustn't let them live longer than they must." Triệu Ẩu followed him out the door and toward the subway station.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

San Francisco
China Town


Near the outskirts of the small division of San Francisco Triệu Ẩu stopped outside a small antiques store, "this is the place".
It was a small unassuming building with a sign in Chinese characters and a white dragon eating a white globe. The windows were cracked and all the merchandise in the windows seems dusty. Even for this sort of store. Dream State peered through the window to see a sole shop keeper behind the desk typing on a computer. A computer which looked extremely new and cutting edge. He prepared himself and walked into the store first. The store keeper looked up to welcome him until he saw Triệu Ẩu step out from behind. Immediately he ducked under the counter and rose again with a double barrel shotgun. Triệu Ẩu was a few seconds ahead of him and fired two shells which slammed into his head, dropping him to the ground. Two thugs with sub-machine guns from the back appeared in the doorway straight behind the counter. Dream State held his hands up and chanted "rerex tiem sum", and seconds later the thug on the right fired a short burst into his partner before eating the gun himself. "Let's go have a chat," Dream State smiled to Triệu Ẩu, who for the first time smiled back at him.

[Krytonus]

G R A V I T Y

New York

He was fast. I cursed, clutching at my bloodied arm. Luckily, the bullet had gone through my arm, but it was a painful reminder to who I was dealing with. If it weren't for a lucky duck, that would have been my head. Worse, it had burst through the steel-kevlar as if it was nothing.
Killswitch wasn't messing around, wasn't making it personal.

This was just another hit to him.

I twisted around in the air, desperately trying to find my assailant. The bullet had hit so hard and so fast, I couldn't even tell which direction it came from. Worse, what I had first thought was a clever place to stage the fight, giving me space to manouver was a terrible choice. I was little more than game out here in the air, and as beautiful as the sunset was, it was really getting in my eyes. Another bullet whizzed past me and I turned, spying the glint of a barrel in an opposite building. I shot forwards, zigzagging left and right as well as creating a sort of gravitational barrier to at least slow any bullets down in front of me. Another bullet uselessly bounced against my suit and I burst through the window, arms outstretched to grab Carter.

But the room was empty. At the window was an automated sniper turret. Strapped to the bottom was an unhealthy amount of C4. My eyes widened and I ripped up a piece of the flooring to try and shield myself as the explosives were remotely detonated. I was launched backwards.

I woke up a few moments later, a fierce ringing in my ears and a few pieces of shrapnel lodged in my chest, but I had managed to block the worst of the explosion. Dark, thick smoke filled the room and billowed out into the cold New York air through a large, two story hole. I flew out and looked up to where I had been standing on the Empire State building a few hundred feet away.

A man in yellow and black armour looked down at me with what looked like a broadsword in one hand and a UZI in the other.

[The Dark Brotherhood of Deros]

New Namek
Prototype had no clue who this was, nor did he have any clue what he was, but he knew one thing: This beings was strong. Prototype however didn't look concerned on the outside, He wouldn't give this being the satisfaction of seeing him scared. instead He smiled at the creature before them. "We've come for the Dragon Balls of course. You wouldn't happen to know where they are would you?" He asked.

Conundrum however was practically shaking in his boots. This being was none other than an Arcosian, one of the most dangerous alien species in the Multiverse, and Conundrum always made sure to keep away from these aliens for fear of his life.

[New Rnclave]

Hiroshi:

'Do I hear four?'

Tensing as they landed, Hiroshi could sense something familiar about this mysterious lady, and sense something odd about the new arrival. Besides the the familial similarities the younger teen bore, there was certainly some comparisons he could make between the way she controlled her energy, and his own.

Looking down at the teen with a neutral glare, Hiroshi addressed David." I'm Hiroshi. That girl down there crash landed here somehow, and then attacked me."

There was a slight tremble in the teens frame as the Hybrid took a cautious step forward. None of this had ended well so far, and despite the frustration evident on his brow, he couldn't afford to set the Saiyan off again. Not after her volatile reaction to them healing her. Breathing out tightly, he crouched down, sitting on his haunches as he stared quietly at the terrified teen.

"Hey, look at me." Speaking softly, Hiroshi bit back a growl of frustration as she shied away from him.

"W-What happened?' She managed, nervously glancing around the gathered warriors, her emerald eyes pausing on Lucien the longest.

" Someone attacked you." Hiroshi began cautiously." When I... When we found you, you were pretty beat up, and you attacked us when we got you fixed up. Can you tell us your name?"

The Halfling was never one for softness, even with his own daughter, but he could imagine the terror the teen had gone through, especially with the ferocity of whoever had beaten this girl. She'd been brutally beaten for some reason, and given she was a Saiyan, her name could give them an idea on who this was.

"I-I'm Tomia."

[Krytonus]

G R A V I T Y

New York

"Killswitch," I called out. "I've been trying to find you for a long time."

The figure tilted it's head.

"Killswitch?"

He laughed, and leapt off the building into the open air, raising the sword above his head. I cursed and darted out of the way, launching a shockwave in his direction. It hit him in the side and sent him spiraling away, but as he fell he gripped his wrist and fired a wire into the side of another building. He gracefully swung to the edge, firmly placing his feet to the wall. Two lights on his boots flashed blue and he began scaling the building towards me. I flew over and switched the gravity on the side, standing on the wall as if it were the floor. I walked towards Killswitch, who was still slowly climbing towards me.

"Please, stop this Daniel!" I shouted. "Your sister is worried about you! There must be better things you can do with your life! When we fought that day in Baravia, I saw good in you!" I pleaded.

He raised the Uzi and pointed it at me.

"I'm not Killswitch, kid," he said as he opened fire. I ripped up some stone to block the bullets, but he had anticipated my move and tossed a grenade forward. It sailed upwards until it reached my gravity bubble, falling to my feet. I kicked it out of the way and it exploded somewhere in the air, but that was all the time the assassin needed to get close to me. As soon as he entered the gravitational bubble, he became much more comfortable. He fired a quick, focused burst of bullets which I was able to block with my suit's forearms, but as soon as he had stopped firing he was charging towards me with the sword. He swung at me and I pushed against it with an arm roughly as heavy as a train, easily parrying the blow. But, the block exposed me and he kicked me in the stomach, winding me. I jumped back, doubling over and quickly switching gravity again, launching him out of my field and into the open air. He fired the grapple again, but this time it embedded itself into my shoulder. I hissed in pain and tried to swat at the man as he was pulled towards me, but my attack was clumsy and easily dodged. The armoured killer ducked around my fist and drove the sword into my stomach. The armour that should have easily protected me was pierced like paper, and the thick blade was driven into my belly. The pain was burning hot and intense, but not a lethal wound. I choked on blood. The masked figure leaned in towards me, allowing me to see the bloodshot eyes behind his mask.

"My name is Deathstroke."

[Mavorpen]

snip

Jamal's eyes shot open, and he found himself sitting cross legged. He looked around at his surroundings, seeing nothing but what appeared to be an endless void of whiteness. "Worldmind?" He called out as he stood up. Almost immediately, Worldmind, in the form of Ruby, appeared in front of him.

["Here."]

"Dammit, not again." Jamal sighed.

["Couldn't be helped. I needed to preserve your mind or else you would have been suck in a permanent sate of limbo."]

"Well, what about my body?"

["Well, it hasn't moved yet, so--"]

"Wait, what? Why would it be moving?" Jamal frowned. A large screen appeared to his right and to Worldmind's left. On the screen, he saw countless stars and galaxies off in the distance. He examined them closer and immediately recognized certain reference points. "Yeah, my body definitely is in the same place. But I don't see why it would be moving in the first place."

["It would appear that something has bonded to you. It not only stabilized your condition, but it also healed you completely within seconds. It also seems that it has taken control of your body, though it has yet to even move even the slightest for the past 10 minutes or so."]

Jamal stroked his beard as he mulled over the situation. "Do you think it has any hostile intentions?"

["I'm not su--"] All of a sudden, the screen changed. It had done so so quickly that Jamal wouldn't have noticed it under normal circumstances. However, he quickly realized that the reference points had shifted.

His eyes widened. "We're in an entirely different star system!"

["Yes. Specifically, we are approximately 21 light-years away from our previous position. It seems we teleported."]

Jamal watched as his physical right arm raised and blue energy began emanating from his hand. A bright light covered the screen and then quickly disappeared and replaced by a ship that Jamal recognized immediately. "Dassu Hann" Jamal growled through gritted teeth. Out of nowhere, Jamal began hearing the crime-lord's voice echoing around him, as though he was in the same room with him.

"What do you mean we've been pulled out of hyperspace? And what is that?!" Almost immediately, the weapon that had attacked him down to his very DNA emerged from the ship and fired at him. As his body was engulfed in the wave of energy, there was absolutely no response for a few moments. "Why isn't it working?!" Jamal heard Dassu Hann shout. Calmly and without hesitation, his right hand held out in front of him formed a fist, leaving only the index finger pointed at the ship. The finger glowed, and almost instantly, the ship exploded. The explosion wasn't a violent one, however, as it was picked apart by its molecules and forcibly dispersed outwards. Then, the crime-lord as well as the men who rescued him in the first place were pulled towards Jamal's body. Fear and panic were plastered on their faces, as well as confusion as to how they were surviving in the vacuum of space when they had always been unable to do so. "W-what are you?" Dassu Hann stammered. He revived no answer, and the group immediately disappeared, seemingly teleported away.

"...Okay, so this is possibly a very bad situation." Jamal said. "What is it?"

["I'm pretty sure it mentioned something about 'Captain Universe.'"

"Wait, seriously?!" Jamal exclaimed. Worldmind stared at him as a brief silence fell over the two. "Oh, nevermind. Thought I had something. I feel like I know something about it, but I can't put my finger on it." He then groaned in frustration. "Dammit, this is one of those times I really wish I had Karnilla here. This is clearly something beyond me. And I was gonna go back home to take a break, too." All of a sudden, the screen shifted again as his body teleported. Jamal's eyes widened as he realized that they were now in his room back in Los Angeles.

["Well that's certainly not good."]

"Shh. What's it doing?" Jamal pointed at the screen as he watched his body look around the room and float up to the dresser beside his bed. It reached down and picked up a framed picture of Jamal and his family during their Christmas reunion, with Death standing beside him. His body stared at the photo for a few seconds when the bedroom door suddenly opened. He turned to find Ruby standing in the doorway.

After staring at him for a few seconds in silence, she said, "Food's ready. Come on." She then walked away, and, after a few moment's hesitation, was followed by Jamal's body. Ruby led him to the living room of his apartment and sat at the dining table. She began eating and after a few seconds, she raised her head and looked at Jamal's body, which was simply floating in the air across the table from her and staring down at the plate of food. It then looked up and stared back at Ruby.

["What's she doing...?"] Worldmind asked.

"She's thinking." Jamal replied. Suddenly, Ruby stood up and walked over to Jamal's floating body. She stared into his pure white, glowing eyes before abruptly kissing him on the forehead. "Of course!" Jamal quickly exclaimed. "You're a genius, Ruby."

["What? Do you have a plan?"]

"Of course I do." All of a sudden, his body teleported away.

"Good luck." Ruby said as she turned around to sit back down at the dining table.

Jamal found himself then floating about 30 feet in the air and immediately heard the sound of shouting and gunfire. "It worked. Perfect." He said.

["What did you do?"]

"Apparently, it's not completely in control of my body like we initially thought. It's responding to my own thoughts and desires. I basically just gave it repeated suggestions to go somewhere that can fulfill my current desire. Now...where is she?" His body looked down to see two separate groups firing automatic weapons at the other. A gang war. "There you are." He grinned. Then, time froze and his body descended until he was a couple of inches above the ground. He floated forward, through the myriad of bullets suspended in the air in place, and approached Death from behind. She turned and flashed him a smile.

"Hey, Jamal. New look? I like it." No response came, as his body simply cocked its head slightly and stared at her. Death's smile faded and it was replaced by a frown. "Oh, for fuck's sake. Seriously?" She raised her umbrella above her and opened it. Space twisted and turned as a figure suddenly appeared before them. It stood 40 feet tall and loomed over them as Death and Jamal's body looked up at it. Jamal's eyes widened as the figure spoke, it's voice booming with Earth-shattering power.

"WHO DARES SUMMON ETERNI-" Eternity quickly stopped himself and he stared down at Death, who wore a very unamused expression on her face. "Oh." He said.

"Yeah. 'Oh.' Care to tell me what this is?" Death asked, pointing at Jamal's body.

"I...erm--"

"Look, I don't really care, to be honest." Her frown deepened as she pointed up at him. "Just give him back, now. I don't have a problem with ending you about 80 billion years early."

Eternity focused his gaze upon Jamal's body. "Do as she says."

"...Very well." The material above Jamal's neck receded, and he immediately found himself in control of his body once more, with his consciousness now fully intact. He then looked down at his body and then back up at Eternity.

"Um... I'm still wearing this...outfit, I guess?"

"The Uni-Power remains bonded to you. It appears that it has taken a liking to you. If you prefer to be rid of it permanently, I can remove it for you." Eternity said.

Jamal hesitated as he mulled over the suggestion for a few seconds. "No, I'm fine. Thanks."

"There is no need to thank me. I understand the distress and frustration that comes with having a loved one harmed."

"Speaking of which, how is the Never Queen?" Death asked, her expression and tone having softened to a significant degree.

"She is doing well. If that is all, I will take my leave." With that, Eternity disappeared.

Death turned to face Jamal and he immediately asked, "Who's the 'Never Queen'?"

"Eternity's lover. She's quite nice. So... wanna tell me where you got the Uni-Power from?"

"Well, I kind of...almost died, and then it bonded to me. So, I suppose I should be grateful to it."

Death flashed him an inauspicious smile. "Yes. Grateful. Well, in any case, it's all over now. You two should find a way to work together so that I don't have to save your butt again." Her smile grew more affectionate and she kissed him on the cheek. "See ya." She then disappeared from view, and time immediately resumed. However, the suspended bullets surrounding him remained frozen, to the surprise of all of the gang members around him.

"Jamal?" Jamal whipped around due to both the fact that his name was called and the fact that it was a voice he recognized. He turned to see a black male around the same age as him approaching him with a confused and upset expression. "Is that you? What the hell are you doing?!"

Jamal frowned. "I could ask you the same thing, Adrian. What are you doing in the middle of a gang war?"

"Oh, there you go again." Adrian said, throwing up his hands and scowling at him. "Listen, some of us don't got the luxury of being a big shot superhero. Some of us got families to feed. Or did you forget what that feels like already?"

Jamal's eyes narrowed "...Of course I haven't. Which is why I have to do this." His eyes glowed for a brief second and almost immediately, Adrian's cell phone began ringing. He took it out his pocket and answered it. After a couple of seconds, his eyes widened and he bared his teeth as he was overcome with rage. He punched Jamal in the face, who didn't flinch nor move in the slightest.

"YOU FUCKER! You burned our stash?!" Adrian shouted at him.

"No. I burned all of them." Jamal said, and suddenly Adrian's phone began ringing again and repeatedly pinging as he received several texts back to back. You know, you're right in a sense. I became a superhero to run away from my past, hoping I could make up for it and put it all behind me. You just reminded me that life's not that simple." Jamal then raised his voice so that all of the gang members could hear him. "If I catch any of you dealing or fighting again, I'll put you in jail myself." He then disappeared.

Two Hours Later...

Jamal stood on the moon, lost in thought as he stared at the Earth. "What is the problem?" Jamal turned his head to the right and saw a blue, glowing orb floating in the air.

"So now you're talking to me, huh?" Jamal said.

"Given that we are going to be bound together and I have been ordered to hand over full control of your body to you, it is necessary that we communicate."

"I agree wholeheartedly. Now then, while we're on the subject, let's set some ground rules. First of all, no taking control of my body without my permission. If I feel like handing control over to you, I'll tell you beforehand. Second of all, don't interfere with Worldmind. Third, how I use your power is my decision and mine alone."

"I accept your terms."

"Good. As for what's troubling me..." Jamal turned back to face Earth. "I can't help but feeling guilty. I'm just now acknowledging how much I've neglected Earth. And, well, part of me feels that I'm stupid for feeling guilty. After all, the universe as a whole comes first. But still, part of me also feels that I've failed. Sure, I got into the superhero business partly to run away from my past, but I also genuinely did it because I believed that it would allow me to protect not only my friends and family in the long term, but also everyone on the planet."

"If I may, I agree with your sentiment that the universe as a whole comes first. Though, admittedly, I may be biased. The duty of Captain Universe is to protect all life as well as Eternity itself. If you are suggesting that you should limit your efforts to Earth, then I must protest. The universe comes first in priority."

"I agree, but I also don't. To me, that line of thinking will lead me to forgetting that the people I'm saving aren't just numbers. They're individuals with their own lives. The reality is, I can't save everyone."

"I disagree."

Jamal sighed. "Look, I don't think you understand. I have no intentions on 'saving everyone'. Death is necessary."

"Are you sure you aren't saying this merely out of personal bias?"

"A little, admittedly. Still, my point stands. I have to stop neglecting Earth."

"What do you have in mind?"

["Yes, tell us."]

"Well, first, I'm going to have to make a call."

...

"I hate getting dressed up for these live press releases..." Ruby grumbled as she straightened her business skirt.

"Same here, but hey, we have to look professional." Jamal said, straightening his tie and looking his suit up and down through the mirror in front of him.

"Five minutes." Their aid, a woman in her late 20s, called out to them, prompting the two to turn and face her.

"Well, let's go and hopefully not make fools of ourselves." Jamal said, and he and Ruby followed the aide through a series of hallways in the building until they reached a doorway that led into the room of the press release. They walked straight forward and walked up a small set of stairs and across the stage until they reached the podium in the center. Ruby stood behind the podium and Jamal stood behind her at her left, with his hands behind his back.

"Hello, everyone." Ruby began. "I know that many of you have questions as to the motivation of the actions I have undertaken these past few weeks--namely, the buyout of several large-scale corporations. Well, there are two reasons. The first, was to get your attention. The second, is that it's a necessity from a practical standpoint. My partner--whom I will hand the stage over to--is the mastermind behind the goals we have set forth and will reach using my newly obtained capital."

Ruby then stepped aside and Jamal stepped up to the podium and stood behind it. "Well now, 'partner'? I appreciate that, but to be honest, I'm more of her bodyguard." This garnered a small chuckle from most of the reporters. In any case, the rest of that is correct. What Ruby and I are doing is ultimately my brainchild. You see, it's no secret that I'm what you consider a 'superhero,' though if you asked anyone else from one of the thousands upon thousands of planets containing sentient life, they'd say that 'cop' is a more apt description. My job is to police the universe. And over time, I've realized that I really, really hate Earth." Confused, shocked, and angry murmurs permeated through the crowd. "Now, don't get me wrong. I also really love Earth. It's my home, after all. But that's just the problem. I've visited thousands of planets. Some very primitive. Some so advanced that Steven Hawking would be placed in the equivalent to the third grade should he decide to attend school on one of these planets. Others, however, used to be advanced, whether it be to our level or higher. These are the ones who destroyed themselves because they, to be blunt, couldn't get their shit together. I've saved my fair share of civilizations, and it always hurts the most when I save the ones who nearly destroyed themselves. Because it reminds me of Earth. Now, I realize that this sounds like a prelude speech of a superhero about to turn supervillain, but trust me, that's not the case. I want to work with the system, because that will make it easier to change it. And so, we will be consolidating all of the corporations Ruby has obtained ownership of under one brand: GEM Inc. And our goal is simple: to address fundamental issues where the typical tactics of superheroes have failed. Our first target is a subject that is personal to me: drugs. The War on Drugs is a failure; that's something every competent researcher has concluded. My plan is simple: anyone who is addicted to drugs or simply wants to obtain it, can obtain it through GEM Inc. for free, provided you are okay with using under a controlled environment. The addicts will undergo treatment for their addiction and we will also provide job training to help anyone who needs it to get back on their feet. Furthermore, we have established contracts with the federal government in order to move all nonviolent drug offenders currently housed in prisons--private or public--into facilities that are currently being created in undisclosed locations. And before you ask how we managed to convince them to do that, it was quite easy. We just charge at a rate 1/3 that of ay private prison. Now, this doesn't necessarily wipe away the damage that's been done to the country due to the War on Drugs, nor does this mean that it has ended. But hey, it's a step in the right direction. So, any questions?"

As expected, every one of the reporters immediately raised their hands and began shouting to get his attention. Jamal randomly pointed at one of the reporters, who stood up and proceeded to ask their question. "How are you funding all of this, exactly?"

"Well, I can't give you exact details, but to put it as simply as possible, there is a species in another dimension whom produces a substantial amount of gold. However, they have no use for it. But, conveniently enough, they consider nuclear waste as an important and rare resource. Next question?"

Again, more hands went up. Jamal was about to pick another journalist before Ruby discreetly pushed him aside and pointed at someone. "You." Jamal raised en eyebrow at her choice considering that the man was a writer for a gossip magazine.

"Yes, what's behind your shades? No one has ever seen you without them." The man said. Jamal nearly facepalmed and picked another person, but Ruby suddenly removed her shades, to his surprise, revealing her left iris to be blue and her right to be red.

"As you can see, I have a rare heterochromia. Throughout my life, I've been pretty...ashamed of it, and as such, it's been a sensitive topic. Well, I might as well reveal it now so that it doesn't distract from everything we're trying to accomplish." Then, with her voice breaking, she said, "Excuse me..." and walked out of the room.

"Erm...no more questions." Jamal said before rushing after her. He caught her just as she was putting her shades back on while walking through the hall. "What was that about?"

"Nothing much." Ruby replied, her voice as calm as usual. "The woman you were about to pick was going to ask you about the Superhero Registration Act, so we needed to get out of there ASAP."

"The what now?"

"Government is going to register and maintain control over superheroes."

Jamal facepalmed. "That... I could make a novel using the list of reasons why that's a stupid idea."

"Yeah, well, let's hope they don't pick a future that dooms us all."

[Confederation of imperial states]

Dark Knight

Chicago, Construction yard

A Chicago mobster, backed by 5 of his men, walked into the dark, half finished building. The Mobster took a puff of his cigarette, before dropping it onto the ground and stamping it out with his shoe. "Wonder where those Gotham freaks are?" he muttered, "we're right here" A gangster in a black mask came out of the shadows, holding a briefcase and backed by 2 of his men. "You with Sionis?" the Mmobster asks, hands in his pocket staring the gothamite down. "And you have the dough?", the Sionis gang member asks, the Mobster holds out a hand, one of his men places a plastic bag full of stacks of 100 dollar bills. The Mobster opens up the briefcase, revealing an extremely advanced rifle, "That's the kinda stuff we like, shall we begin". The Mobster snaps his fingers, 2 of the men quickly grab a nearby folded up table, setting it up with 2 chairs, as the Gothamite and Chicagoan sit down and begin.

Rooftop nearby

A Large, Black VTOL soars through the sky, moving fast but staying largely silent through it's route. [We're nearing the site sir], "Good, adjust the speed, and prepare for jeteson once we're above". The VTOL changed course, flying above the Chicago construction site, Dark Knight pulled a handle, opening up the cockpit, and the Vigilante ejected out, opening his cape and beginning his slow descent down. Dark Knight used his infrared to see the men in the construction site, ["Sanza give me a read out from the Security Cameras on the site"], [Processing, 7 hostiles on the 2nd floor just below you, and 8 more below them, including the 2 criminal represenatives]. ["Contact brakenbrook, I'm moving in"], Dark Knight then closed his cape, soaring straight down as he aimed for the half finished glass skylight on the building. Dark Knight opened his cape at the last second, smashing down through the window, and throwing down a smoke pellet, dousing the area in smoke.

"Sh*t, He- *koff* he's real, Kill him!" one of the thugs yelled, as he attempted to scram for his pistol, but it was too caught in his belt. Dark Knight quickly grabbed one thug, heaving him over his head, he slammed the thug down, breaking the wooden floor immensely. Dark Knight then charged at one thug as he picked up his rifle, slamming the thug into the nearby wall, breaking the fresh plaster, he then smacked him across the face with his knuckles. Dark Knight kneed the thug, he then shot his grappel gun, wrapping around the arm of a thug holding his pistol and pulling him towards him, Dark Knight knocked the thug onto his back by hitting him with his free arm, stomping his foot down onto his head knocking him out. Dark Knight then charged at 2 thugs, kneed one forcing him to take a knee, then propelling himself off of the Thug's knee, knocking the other thug down. Dark Knight slammed down onto the thug, punching him straight in the jaw, then grabbed him and tossed him at the last thug, knocking him over.

The Mobster and Gothamite gang members quickly stood as the noise from upstairs died down, the Gothamite grabbed his revolver as the Chicagoan put the rifle together. "I thought this guy was a myth!" the Gothamite shouted, the other black mask gang members forming together in a group, "then you listen to way too much news". The Mobster finally clicked the stock of the rifle together, and as he aimed it around at the dark areas of the room, Dark Knight's hands smashed up through the wood of the floor, grabbing the ankles of 2 chicago gang members dragging them down, "He's under the floor!" the Mobster shouted as he fired into the hole of the floor, just as a grappel shot out from it, dragging the Mobster in, causing him to drop his rifle. The Black Mask gang member grabbed the rifle, but before he could even aim it, Dark Knight smashed through a nearby wall, grabbing 2 of the Black Mask members and pulling them through, their screams sounding out throughout the site. The Chicago gang members immediatley drop their guns, "Screw this!" one of them yelled as they ran, "Come back here you cowards!" the black Mask gang member yelled.

The Black Mask Gang member aimed the rifle at the retreating Chicago Gang members, but a Knightdart was shot into the barrel, exploding and destroying the rifle. The Criminal screamed as he dropped the rifle, grasping his injured hand, he was caught offguard when Dark Knight grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, lifting him and bringing them to eye level.

10 Minutes later.......

A Chicago Police patrol car pulls up on the construction site, the 2 cops climb out of the car, shocked as they see the 16 Criminals, tied up and dumped infront of the half built building. Badly beaten, but still very much alive.

---

Chicago News

"After a recent incident at a Construction yard just outside of the downtown, Police have captured and arrested 5 Black Mask gang members, and 9 Chicago Mob thugs. Police have commented that this might be the 'Last nail in the coffin' for the dying Chicago Mafia. When questioned as how exactly the Police were able to apprehend the Criminals, Police said it was a bit of Inginuity, however when asked if the still debated 'Dark Knight' Vigilante had any play, they made no comment. We will chart more news as it's revealed, This has been Chicago News at 9, giving your source for city wide news.".

twitter Feed: @Jamie97 what is @SionisIndustries doing in Chicago?, @Swaggermcjagger GET OUT OF OUR CITY #Black Mask, @MatthewSmith It's the #DarkKnightofChicago calling it right now

[Pantorrum]

Dark Star
Operation Belle Reve

Dark Star had completely recovered now. His suit had regenerated its damaged areas, now completely whole again. The armor he wears is truly unique in a number of ways. It was engineered by The Reach, the same alien race that engineered the Scarab that Blue Beetle possesses. The suit is part of Dark Star, connected to him through his nervous system. Therefore, when the suit is damaged Malcolm feels the pain. That is why it cannot be removed so long as Dark Star is alive. The suits abilities are energy projection, biokenesis, and flight. Because it is joined with Malcolm through his nervous system, these abilities are completely controlled by him.
Upon the suit being fully regenerated, Dark star was ready to accept Luthor's contract. It was a whole different kind of deal, though. He listened to the video Luthor had left him, which was a much faster way to do things than going all the way to the tower and speaking in person.
"I have a new job for you Dark Star. You have probably heard of SHIELD, the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. They possess a number of heavily secured installations around the United States and elsewhere. These locations would probably fall easily to you, but that is not the objective. Its a dangerous game I need you to play, but the pay is fair. Your mission is to attack a SHIELD location in New York City, dealing moderate damage to the facility. You must be captured by SHIELD Agents, seemingly failing in your objective. You will make it look like the attack was another retaliation against the HERO Act, like the attack on the Watchtower. It will look like you have finally been brought down, and I have made prior arrangements for you to be sent to Belle Reve Prison. Once you are there, a collar negating your powers will be placed on you. Everything will seemingly be negated. Flight, Invisibility, Superhuman Traits, Energy Projection, everything but your skills. Now, if I am familiar with your armor it was made by The Reach, associates of mine. It's abilities are technically its own, and from my relationship with its makers I know those abilities to be Flight, Energy Projection, and Biokenesis. The Prison does not know that these powers are derived completely from the Suit, thus the collars are not going to be able to negate them. With these powers, you should be able to take control of the prison and free all of the inmates. That is the true purpose of this operation." He paused for a moment. "Once inside, a contact of mine will meet with you to confirm the plan. I have already wired 5 million into your account, and another 5 million await the completion of the mission."
The video ended and deleted itself. Dark Star sat back, thinking. It would actually be pretty easy then, unless the League got involved. He was confident it could be done.

[Empire of the Siberian Flaming Eskimos]

Dalton entered the police station dragging his heels, a defected frown on his face. He had sulked the entire ride back from the crime scene, disappointed in himself for letting Del get away so easily. Hughes berating him or his actions didn't help his mood either. It had taken him a good ten minutes to finish yelling at him for being an idiot and running off on his own without backup. "You got guts kid, but guts don't help if you get yourself killed," he had said. They had finished the ride in silence, Hughes satisfied that his point had been made. Now Dalton found himself walking back to his desk, mentally preparing for the weeks he would have to endure trying to find the vigilante again. At least he would have had to, if she wasn't sitting on his desk.

The redhead who was unmistakably Del sat cross legged, reading one of the files from Dalton's desk. She had traded out power armor for a light sweater and skinny jeans. Looking ups as Dalton approached, she smiled at his wide eyed look of bewilderment. She quickly stood up and walked over to him, stopping in front of him with an amused smile still on her face. "I would prefer it if you didn't blab to the entire department that I'm here," she said as Dalton opened his mouth to speak. His jaw closed as he looked her over, trying to figure out what she was trying to do.

"Why are you here?" he asked, suspicious of her intentions.

"Trying to figure out what type of police officer just saw my face and can ID me now," she replied. "I wanted to know who I was dealing with, so I came to the most logical place to do that. Now if you're done trying to read me, could we please talk somewhere with less cops?"

Dalton was surprised by the strait forward answer, but he wasn't satisfied with it, and he was definitely not ready to just go somewhere with "less cops" as she had put it. "Uh, no thanks. I'd rather stay in sight of armed men for now."

Del gave a sigh and shot him an annoyed look. "I'm not going to kill you if that's what you're afraid of. We can go somewhere public if that makes you feel better. I just don't want anyone from the authorities to overhear us as I try and convince you to keep your trap shut."

Dalton considered it for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Fine, but I choose the place," he said with a defiant air to his voice. He truly believed that she was trying to do good, but that didn't mean he trusted her blindly. It would take some more time for him to do that after what had gone down earlier.

A simple shrug was all he got in response. It didn't make a difference to Del where they went. All that mattered was making sure her identity didn't get out. Her history was just too complicated to tell people yet. No one outside of the JQ's for that matter. For now she would stay in the shadows, trying to solve the ever growing problem of HYDRA hunting for her to join them again. "Just don't pick Rikkers," she said, "It's a dump and I'm not in the mood to deal with drunk assholes right now."

"That's ok," Dalton replied with a poor attempt at a nonchalant shrug, "I wasn't planning on going there anyways." In truth that was exactly where he was planning on going, and it showed. Cop bars and run down places like Rikkers were his usual haunts and there wasn't much else he went to.

Del rolled her eyes as he tried to play off the fact that she had shut down his few options. "You really need to get out more," she said disapprovingly.

---

Despite Dalton's limited knowledge on public venues outside of cop bars and run down sports bars, the two eventually found a decent cafe where they sat down for a drink as Del explained the situation to him. As much as she was willing to at least. They spent some time talking before ordering drinks and sipping as Dalton mulled over everything Del had told him. "So let me get this strait," he said after several minutes of silence, "you're going around helping people for no clear reason, you don't have anything to do with that shooting that happened earlier today or the death of the sniper, and you want me to keep my mouth shut about your identity and what little information you've told me." He raised his eyebrow at Del, waiting until she gave him a nod of confirmation. "Well why the hell should I do that? You know more than you're telling and I don't even know your name. How am I supposed to trust you when you're keeping me on a leash?"

Del gave another sigh as she leaned closer and took another sip of her drink. "Things are just... complicated," she said with a furrowed brow. She truly understood his reservations, but there was too much about she was afraid to tell. No sane person would trust her if they knew everything, and that was what she needed from him at this point. "I don't have all the answers and the ones I do have just lead to more questions. I'm trying to figure it out and find a way to keep people safe from my problems, but I can't do that by asking for help from the police or anyone else. It's my fight and you'll only get hurt." Dalton's only response was a roll of his eyes. "I'm serious!" said Del at what was almost yell. Anger burned on her face as she glared at the unconvinced police officer.

"Why don't you just contact the Justice Queens?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "We practically have them on speed dial and they can handle something like this."

"No!" she replied hurriedly, an expression of panic starting to take hold, "I mean, I don't want to drag them into this. It's something I have to do. Just keep them out of it." At this point she was getting close to begging for Dalton's compliance. She needed this to go her way, and if he didn't play ball then things could turn very bad, very quick.

Seeing the true anger and desperation on her face, Dalton finally relented. "Fine, I won't tell the police anything. Don't get your hopes up to high though," he said as he saw her expression and posture relax, "If things start getting ugly and you're connected I will tell them everything."

"Thank you," said Del with a sigh of relief. She stood up, done with her beverage, and moved to leave. "If things get bad enough I'll let you know what's going on. The name's Del, by the way."

"What kind of name is that?" scoffed Dalton as he watched her move away.

"What kind of name is Cob?" shot back Del with a cocky smirk as the smile drained from his face.

Meanwhile, unknown to either of them, a camera snapped away at the scene coming to an end below it. The images were quickly sent to another place, where a man watched them light up the screens in front of him. A smile came to his face, and the darkness around seemed to writhe in anticipation. Del would try and stop him, she would try to stop HYDRA, and she would try to protect the people around her. But she was always a step behind, and nothing she could do would change that.

[Tomia]

"You've always had trouble with the law, haven't you girls?" Spoke a feminine voice from nearby. A taller woman with golden locks appeared, walking towards the sisters. She smiled, seemingly familiar with them, though that was less notable than her fox ears, tail and her aura of almost supernatural beauty. She seemed to have a supernatural grace too, her movements too precise. It made almost anyone else seem clumsy by comparison. Her smile widened, containing some warmth.

"Miss Koto!?" Asked Hannah, suddenly transforming back. Feeling a tad dizzy. "What are you doing here? The last time we saw you was in New Orleans!"

"Ah, got tired of pretending to be a Voodo witch. It was fun for a bit, but it's not as entertaining without a few people with fire and pitchforks. That tends to make for a good chase." She shrugged. "Ah well, Not everywhere can be like Salem." She paused. "As for what I'm doing here. I'm here to help you."

Sam turned in surprise when she heard a voice behind them, relaxing when she saw it was someone friendly, but she was still surprised by who it was. Miss Kano was someone that the Grimms' had met along their travels across the country. She was a mysterious and sometimes unnerving character, but she had helped the Grimms before. "Hi Miss Kano, how did you find us?" Sam asked, surprised but keeping her tone even. "You're here to help us? How?"

Meanwhile Roy decided that Sam and Sarah were right and that he would head back home instead of following the Grimms. He would miss Hannah, but she clearly had a lot to deal with, and he missed the Justice Queens. Still, he was hoping he would get a chance to see her again soon.

[Pantorrum]

Dark Star
Operation Belle Reve

Dark Star had his plan. He was going to strike SHIELD hard at a key scientific research facility Luthor had located, and he knew just the best way to do that. He was going to utilize those gas canisters he had failed to use at the Watchtower, which would work perfectly for what he was planning.
He departed his layer in the usual fashion, teleporting across the landscape. New York City was not far from Gotham. As a matter of fact, in just under a minute he was in New York City, working towards a building that Shield operated out of, located in an outlying industrial zone. The research facility was an excellent target, employing some 80 people. The attack would probably draw attention, allowing him to be arrested and taken away. He would have to make it look good, though. In order for suspicion to be avoided, it was absolutely necessary that he appear to be trying his hardest.
Arriving outside the two story building, he phased through the wall into a lobby. A woman in a white lab coat sat behind a desk in the front Lobby, unsuspecting of what was soon to occur. Unlike his prior engagements, he would be acting in the shadows at first. At the UN, he initiated with a large scale assault. Here, he would release the gas without actually engaging anyone right away.
He phased through the floor, arriving beneath the facility where the A/C was located. He would utilize that system to release the gas into the facility.
Malcolm shot a laser thinner than a hair at the conduit that led into the rest of the facility, carving three perfect holes just large enough for the toxic gas canisters. After putting a canister half way into each hole, he pulled some putty from his pocket and sealed the tiny spaces around the canisters. He then turned the valves, releasing the gas into the system.
Malcolm then left the basement, phasing through the floor and then into the second floor where he would begin his engagement. He made himself visible, and the guards immediately recognized him.
"This is security, Dark Star is on floor two! I repeat, Dar-" He was cut short as a dagger pierced his neck, leaving him limply dying on the floor. Two more guards began firing, Dark Star side stepping most of their shots. He then pulled his Katana, slicing three more shots off to his side. Reaching in his belt, he tossed a small metallic ball that exploded and sent smoke all over the room. Using it to hid advantage, he dashed into the cloud and quickly killed the two men with his Katana.
He then turned to face the scientists, all 8 of them rushing for the door.
Pulling his pistol, he delivered precise head shots on each one in under 2 seconds flat. Dark Star hoped there were going to be enough people to attract someone to his location.
Just as he began to doubt whether or not he could make it feasible that he might be caught, Batman descended through the roof after blowing a hole in it right over Dark Star. Turning into his metallic mode quickly, the debris hit him and still knocked him down. Rising to his feet, he turned to face the Batman. Dark Star drew his Katana as he turned to face him, but before he could react, Batman had kicked him square in the face. He stepped back a little from the blow, giving Batman time to deliver three more punches to his abdomen and side kick to his ribs. The blows didn't hurt due to his metallic form, but to Dark Star's surprise he wasn't trying to lose. He genuinely couldn't counter Batman's blows.
He swung his Katana at his chest, but Batman dodged back and tossed a Bat-A-Rang at Dark Star. He cut it in half before it could reach him with his katana, but it exploded regardless of cutting it in half. The explosion knocked the sword from his hands and he fell back a few more feet. The short pause gave Batman yet another chance to strike. He tossed a canister at Malcolm that exploded before he had regained his balance. The explosion shook the building and sent Malcolm onto his back. He rose again, only to see Batman's fist coming straight for his face. Malcolm dodged the punch, stepping to the side and tossing a small metallic orb at Batman. Reacting quickly, he tossed it back at Dark Star just in time. It exploded right in his face, sending metal shards clanking into his solid exterior. The loud ringing in his ears from the multiple explosions around him caused disorientation, allowing Batman to throw three more Baa-A-Rang's at him. Each one exploded on contact, knocking him back into a pile of rubble. Shooting his grappling gun into the ceiling, Batman swung up and shot down at Malcolm. He landed right on top of him with one foot, kicking him back down just as he was about to stand up.
Angered, Dark Star teleported behind Batman, delivering several blows to his back and sending him falling into the rubble now. Before Batman hit the ground, he caught himself and spun around. Batman threw a punch at Malcolm, but he easily caught it. He then spun on one leg, bringing his foot around to strike Malcolm. He raised his forearm, blocking the attack. He counter with a karate chop to the leg, knocking Batman down as he held his leg. Unwilling to give up, he tossed a Bat-A-Rang into the floor which exploded in a cloud of smoke, giving Batman a chance to get up. When the smoke cleared, he was no where to be seen.
"Oh, come out wherever you are little bat!" He walked down the room, looking around for Batman. He fired a beam at a column, causing it to explode. It revealed nothing, so he shot at 4 more in less than a second. Those pillars all exploded, revealing nothing once again. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he seen Batman move to a different pillar. He fired at that one, but Batman had moved to another one. Again and again he dodged to a different pillar, executing a brilliant plan. Before Malcolm realized it, he had taken out to many beams on this side of the building and half the room fell in on him. The entire side of the building he was standing on crumbled down immediately after, leaving him buried deep in a pile of rubble. Batman had managed to make it to the other side of the building, keeping him safe from the collapse.
Suddenly, Malcolm shot up through the rubble. He was obviously angry, and shot a look right at Batman. He had switched out of his metallic mode now, as he was about to turn invisible and teleport behind Batman. it would give him the element of surprise again.
"Clever one you are. I have to give it to you, you are a formidable opponent. I just don't think you realize that I am far to durable for you to do any damage to me. I was hoping for a stronger hero to find me." Just as he finished, Robin jumped up from behind the rubble pile and struck Malcolm in the back with his battle staff, knocking him down back into the rubble pile. Taking advantage of it, Batman leaped down and tossed two Bat-A-Rang's that landed right next to Malcolm on either side. Both exploded and sent him flying across the ground in a heap of smoke. The two had injured him now, considering he wasn't in his metallic form. His suit had been damaged again with a few holes in it.
Dark Star rose slowly, changing to his metallic form. The spots where his suit was ripped did not turned to metal, leaving Batman intrigued.
Boy Wonder ran forward, bringing his battle staff down on Dark Star's shoulder. The attack did nothing to Dark Star, who grabbed the staff and swung Robin into a wall with it. He then smacked him unconscious with a single blow, using the kids own Battle Staff to do it.
"Well, Batman, looks like the kids down for the count. Now, I'll make you a deal. Surrender, and I will kill him quickly. Sound good?" Batman didn't answer, planning to use the wholes to his advantage. He shot forward, ducking below a punch from Malcolm. He delivered a full powered blow to one of the bare spots over Dark Star's stomach, knocking his breath out of him. He then spun around him, swinging his foot into his back where another bare spot was. It knocked Malcolm down on the ground where he began to lose consciousness. His vision was blurry and he was struggling to remain awake. He shot lasers from his eyes at one of the three Batmen he was seeing, but it wasn't the right one. Batman struck him in the stomach again, knocking him down on the floor. Dark Star quickly reached into his belt, tossing a card with a Black Card on it before Batman struck him again. Now unconscious, the authorities arrived and slapped a collar on him right away.

[Confederation of imperial states]

Guardian
City's Guardian

Downtown San Andres

A speeding subway train crossed from under the tunnel, onto the elevated high rails, making it's trip to it's next stop. the Train was silver, gleaming in the sun as it traveled onto the elevated rails, the conductor a bit more relaxed while managing the gears on the train. Out of the calm morning, the front breaks of the engine of the train broke off when the Conductor tried to apply them, causing the train to jolt as it went into free run. "jesus!" the Conductor said as she tried tried to use the emergency brakes, which were compliant as she desperately tried to stop the train. The people within the train started to panic as it went faster and faster, seemingly with no stop. "Emergency, Emergency, we're out of control and need immediate assistance!" the conductor called into her radio, whilst grabbing and jamming down on the emergency break.

The train was nearing a sharp turn, only meant to be taken at slow speeds, and now gaining on 110 mph, the train was in no way going to stop. The conductor stopped trying to use the emergency break, and instead sat back as the train neared the turn/ Then, out from the right side of the train, a flash of Dark grey flew by the windows as the train jumped a it, and it's speed started to cut down drastically. The Conductor's eyes widened as she stood up, looking down, as the train finally stopped, she saw Guardian the City's protecto, stopping the train easily with both hands on the front of it. Guardian took his hands off, standing off he simply smiled and waved to the conductor as he jetted off.

a few hours later....

San Andres Secretary offices

Connor morales sat back in his chair as he watched the morning news, his co workers sitting around them,

San Andres National News
"In a very Daring and grateful helping hand, The protector of San Andres, Guardian, stepped in to help an out of control train today. The train's breaks broke while on a routine stop, and when the emergency breaks stopped, Guardian stepped in. Witnesses say that none were harmed thanks to the Hero, however if he was not stopped, Casualties could've risen in the hundreds. In other news, more reports from Chicago about captured criminals sparks up more debate, as to whether or not the Chicago Vigilante protector exists, and whether or not he should register into the Superhuman Registration act.

More news at 9"

---

Twitter Feed: @Oliver125 Hell Yeah! #SanAndreasGuardian / @Kristen673 #GuardianSanAndres is a Hottie! / @MarcusTheMan Who would win in a fight? #GuardianSanAndres or #TheDarkKnightofChicago ?

Connor shook his head at the ending report from chicago, "Out of control vigilante" he muttered, taking a drink from his glass of water". one of his co workers continued working on their laptop, "Hey, he's cut down crime by 55%!", Connor deadpanned stared at him, "Over the course of 10 years". The Co worker held his hands up, "well sorry, maybe if Guardian would stop saving kittens out of trees, he'd get near that himself". One of the Female co workers grabbed a stack of papers and walked out of the room, "That's even if The Knight exists", The other looked up from his laptop, "He does you Know", "No he doesn't" she yelled from the hallway.

Connor shook his head, "Whatever his gains are, he's a crazy, violent Vigilante who's terrorized Chicago for a decade, Even you have to admit that Jonas" Connor said to him, as he continued to stare at his Laptop. Jonas shook his head, "and what? You gonna go over there and shake your tie at him? no one cares about Connor Morales taking on the Dark Knight". Connor shook his head, taking his dress coat and putting it on, tucking in his tie, "Maybe not, but someone's got to stop that maniac". Jonas looked up from his laptop, "What do you think of that other woman, Titan" Jonas turned his laptop around to show a picture of A woman in a Metal Suit. Connor shrugged, "she's shown to be capable enough", "enough?" Jonas asked turning his laptop around, She's been taking out a large portion of crime in San Andres while Guardian only gets about a third. Connor Sighs, "Remember that out of control Demon?", Jonas nodded, "Mmhmm and remember that Cartel? she took care of it".

Connor put his hands up in joking surrender, "Whatever Jonas, all I'm saying is that when it comes down to it, someone needs to take down the Insane Vigilante atop the Willis tower" Connor said walking out. "It's the sears tower" Jonas said as he exited, "No it's not", "WILLIS IS A SHAM".

---

Gotham, Sionis Penthouse

Black Mask sat at his chair, staring out at Gotham city infront of him, taking a drink of his whiskey from the table end beside him. His secretary came waling up to his side, holding her file like always, "Mr Sionis, there's a man here to see you". Black mask nodded, making a gesture with his hand, "send 'em in", the Secretary nodded and left. A few minutes later, a man walked in, 'jesus, the way the guy's weight sounds with each step on my tiles, must weight like a truck. "Please sit" Black Mask gestured to a chair to his left, the man complied and sat down, Black Mask caught the silhouette of him in the darkness of the penthouse, "you wanted to see me?". "Yes, Mr Sionis, I've been hearing you've had problems with a certain Dark Knight..." Black Mask remained silent, letting the man continue. "I've also had problems with the same Vigilante, and another superpowered hero, who've been breaking up my Criminal networks", Black Masked raised an eyebrow "and you came to me because?". The Man leaned forward, I believe together, we can take down our Hero problems, 2 birds, one stone". Black Mask looked at the man, "who are you?", the man reached over, and pulled the chain on the lamp between them.

"My name is Stahl".

[Finland SSR]

Hiroshi:

'Do I hear four?'

Tensing as they landed, Hiroshi could sense something familiar about this mysterious lady, and sense something odd about the new arrival. Besides the the familial similarities the younger teen bore, there was certainly some comparisons he could make between the way she controlled her energy, and his own.

Looking down at the teen with a neutral glare, Hiroshi addressed David." I'm Hiroshi. That girl down there crash landed here somehow, and then attacked me."

There was a slight tremble in the teens frame as the Hybrid took a cautious step forward. None of this had ended well so far, and despite the frustration evident on his brow, he couldn't afford to set the Saiyan off again. Not after her volatile reaction to them healing her. Breathing out tightly, he crouched down, sitting on his haunches as he stared quietly at the terrified teen.

"Hey, look at me." Speaking softly, Hiroshi bit back a growl of frustration as she shied away from him.

"W-What happened?' She managed, nervously glancing around the gathered warriors, her emerald eyes pausing on Lucien the longest.

" Someone attacked you." Hiroshi began cautiously." When I... When we found you, you were pretty beat up, and you attacked us when we got you fixed up. Can you tell us your name?"

The Halfling was never one for softness, even with his own daughter, but he could imagine the terror the teen had gone through, especially with the ferocity of whoever had beaten this girl. She'd been brutally beaten for some reason, and given she was a Saiyan, her name could give them an idea on who this was.

"I-I'm Tomia."

Lucien Gediminid

The other Saiyan that followed me was really rash, but, thankfully, it didn't scare the woman off this time. She just stared into us, frightened, almost as if she saw something in us. There was one more person who came along with us, but I barely noticed him - I was focused on the woman and what she is going to say.

And she finally said something - that is, her name. Tomia. Hey, it's also the name of the person I am training with! I promptly bowed - a sign of respect to the person who's introducing himself - and replied:

"Nice to meet you, Tomia! I always thought that it's a weird name, but I've met two people with it so far, so maybe I just haven't noticed how common it is..."