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Forged in Fire
re·gent
/ˈrējənt/
noun
- a person appointed to administer a country because the monarch is a minor or is absent or incapacitated.
"...The past decade has only strengthened the trending increase of superhuman infractions. If we required all active superheroes, as defined by the Petersburg Accords, to operate as a unified unit under Argus we could more effectively combat forces such as the Tarot and the Immortals. Forty-four superhumans registered as "civilians" have been arrested so far this year for using their power in an illegal manner. One person was killed, and almost twenty were severely injured by these violations. Argus has been lenient in allowing Superhumans to live ordinary lives, but they have required us to operate under a different justice system. An enraged type B mutant can hardly be trusted to show up in court and be sent to prison without getting the urge to bend the bars and walk out..."
The Argus representative continued to explain that Argus didn't have enough of their own superhumans to enforce "super" law. Cypher sat with his face hidden behind his ever-present mask and his arms crossed. He had elected to wear a suit instead of his combat gear, and his guns were understandably taken at the door. Wayhu was likewise clad in a suit, with was a bit strange given his blue skin and mountainous size. Not wanted Wrath present, Cypher had dispatched the other Regents to help Argus with the hostile Extraterrestrial in Colorado.
Under his mask, the gentle glow of his eyes illuminated Cypher's face. He had recalled to memory the different incident reports the Rep had mentioned and quickly scanned the pages. He was listening carefully to every word the Woman said, but he was doing so much more. He was analyzing the waveform of her voice, noticing her micro-expressions, and watching the reactions of the Security Council members. This was a battle like any other, except it was won with words and not bullets. Well, it could be won with bullets, but it would take more rounds and do more net bad if that plan was acted upon.
"Thank you, Mrs. Mullen. The Security Council would now like to allow Cypher, the leader of the Regents, a chance to argue against the proposed legislation."
A mixture of applause and animosity erupted from those present. Some saw him as a hero, other's as dangerous and a near-anarchist. In Cypher's personal opinion, both were inaccurate descriptions. "Thank you, for giving me a chance to inform you of the mistake passing this legislation would be." The Argus Rep's jaw tightened almost unnoticeably at Cypher's words. Slightly encouraged, Cypher continued.
"It is true that the number of incursions against the Petersburg Accords has been inconsistently increasing over the past 11 years, but it is pertinent to remember that it has only been twenty-four years since they were enacted. The level of activity made illegal by the Accords was astronomically higher than it is currently. For example, in 1970, there were 79 "non-villain" superhumans charged for abusing their abilities. Furthermore, the death Mrs. Mullen mentioned was caused by a weapon discharged by an Argus agent when he tried to fire upon Mr. Gregory Brehm, who has powers of intangibility. I concede that there does need to be a change in the current way justice is applied to those with superhuman abilities, but placing all active superhumans under Argus control will only result in an increase in incompetency. I have submitted an alternate version of the bill for the Security Council to review. In essence, it authorizes sanctioned teams, such as the Regents, to take the role of Argus in capturing meta and superhumans when they use their powers in an illegal matter. Currently, "heroes" are only allowed to intervene when asked by Argus, or when the threat is being caused by "Villains". I hope you carefully review my full report, thank you."
As Cypher walked away from the podium, he nodded at Wayhu who rose from his seat and followed him out. "I thought you had planned a 22-minute monologue?"
"I did, but something's come up," Cypher replied as they walked through the hallways of the UN building.
"I don't suppose you plan to share?"
"Not yet. I still can't quite articulate what's wrong, but something was off." Wayhu could tell that Cypher knew exactly what he noticed, and what it meant, but he wanted to be sure before voicing his concern.
"Where are we going?"
"For now, let's just meet up with the rest of the team." Cypher turned down a hallway that would lead them to an Osprey-like vehicle that had brought them there. As he approached the aircraft, Cypher noticed a reflection coming from a nearby rooftop. From Cypher's perspective, Time slowed to a standstill as he ran the probability it was what his instincts feared it was.
"Sniper!"
Without his pistol to intercept the bullet, Cypher dove to cover as Wayhu lept forward. The shot rang out but harmlessly impacted Wayhu's hide. "What's the plan, Cypher?"
We can't catch him; by the time we get airborne and over to his position, there are over a thousand different routes he could have taken." Cypher looked over to the crumpled bullet and picked it up. "I'll see if I can get something from this. Whoever wants me dead knew I was going to be here, and that I'd be unarmed."
"I don't think they anticipated my presence, though," Wayhu added as the climbed into the aircraft.
"We're three minutes out," Peregrine called from the cockpit of the Torus. "Alright, everyone get ready! We're down one heavy hitter, so let Wrath and Miss Liberty have room to operate!" Animus shouted to the rest of the Regents. In his absence, Cypher had placed Animus in charge. Ntier checked the nozzles of his suit and Animus performed some last minute equipment checks as Wrath stretched. "Ever dealt with an E.T. other than Wayhu?" Animus asked Miss Liberty. "They can be tricky, so be careful. Let Wrath go in first, then move in after he starts to get his ass kicked."
"Thanks, Clayton." Wrath muttered. A faint red glow was starting to gather around his hands: it was normal procedure to poke fun at Wrath to help him start to build up his power.
"We're touching down behindArgus' perimeter. The hostile is half a mile North East of our position." The dropship landed with a gentle thunk and the rear cargo ramp lowered to the ground.
An Argus agent in combat gear rapidly approached but stopped at the bottom of the ramp. "Thanks for coming so fast. We've been completely ineffective in stopping its advance. It's destroyed multiple armored vehicles and killed more than a dozen of my men. We have no idea what it's made of, but it's not steel or titanium."
"The mission report stated that it's using axes?" Animus asked as the team walked towards the edge of the perimeter.
"That right, two of them. It has some sort of superheated material along the cutting edge, the things slice right through metal and people. But that's not all you have to worry about; it can create some sort of high-energy blast. It can be deadly to humans: fries their nervous system, and it knocks tanks around like they're made of paper."
"Liberty, fly overhead and get us a visual, the rest of you on me." Animus ordered as he took off at a quick pace towards the silver enemy.
"Good luck."
