"This is Katherine Anderson, and I'm reporting live from a tense scene here in our very own capital city, where the infamous Hellfire Gang has attacked the Annual Congressional Summer Ball. They appeared to be seeking to rob the party goers, many of which are famous politicians and celebrities when--" The camera shakes as an explosion can be seen behind the reporter. Flames rose in the sky outside of the large amphitheater that lay in the background, faint laughter could be heard near the source of the flames.
Katherine runs forward, clearly shaken, "That was an unconfirmed explosion behind, we believe it to be caused by the gang's leader, Inferno. As...as I was saying. The gang was confronted by group of heroes, we've had confirmed sightings of Liberty, Voltra, and Recharge. The crowd has been evacuated, but the battle is threatening to spill over into the city."
Just then a giant blast of water enters the picture, hitting a flying figure in a red outfit and cape, who suddenly fired back with blast of green energy. The collision between the blast and the water caused the air to fill with steam, the figure in red seemed to almost teleport as she appeared in front of the large man with the water cannon, slamming her fist into his stomach and knocking him to the ground.
"This is live footage of the hero Recharge fighting Hellfire member Hydro....This is coverage you can't get anywhere else folks..." After knocking Hydro out, Cora seemed to notice Katherine and the camera crew nearby. She didn't look happy with them, "Get out of here! You're in the way and in dan--" Suddenly Recharge was struck in the back by a sizable explosion, sending her flying off to the left.
Rocks flew off the ground from the explosion, one even nicking the League News camera. Katherine and her crew ran away a few feet, doing their best to keep a safe distance.
"Recharge!!" A voice shouted nearby, the camera shakily pans out to Voltra, her bright yellow costume almost a blur as she moves towards her partner. After Voltra helped the other hero to her feet, the source of the attack stepped forward. Ignition, the co-leader of the Hellfire Gang had a twisted smile on her face, sparks flickering from her fingers as she advanced towards the pair.
At this point the camera started shaking more violently, and the image of Ignition and the heroes became farther and farther away. You couldn't hear what was being said, but it appeared as if Voltra and Recharge were speaking back and forth for a few moments, almost arguing before there was a large spark of electricity and Voltra was gone. Recharge didn't look surprised however, and now was radiating electrical energy, sparks bouncing off her body every so often.
"Wow..." Katherine said after being silent for a few moments. "They must have fused together! This is their signature move, Voltra turns into pure energy and is absorbed by Recharge. It's a very dangerous and short term process, so they must be taking Ignition here very seriously..." Recharge rushed towards Ignition at a speed that barely registered on the television screen. The villain threw her hands up as fast as she could, sending successive blasts of fire towards the blur that was recharge, but the hero was too quick. Recharge slammed into Ignition, landing blow after blow on her struggling enemy, until grabbing her suddenly and flying into the air before just as quickly zooming back towards the ground and slamming ignition into the rubble. Recharge slowed down, so she could be seen clearly once again. Suddenly there was a flash of light and the two heroes separated, both of them falling to the ground looking fatigued.
Meanwhile another figure was approaching near by from the group, a slumped over individual in their arms. As they got closer it became clear that it was the hero Liberty, an unconscious Inferno in her arms. "The rest of the gang has seemed to fled, I've searched the crowd for them but found no trace." She said to Recharge and Voltra. Just then the news crew started running up to the three heroes, their appearances coming closer into the frames.
"Liberty, Voltra, Recharge, congratulations on this victory! You've saved a lot of people tonight, any chance we could get a statement?" Recharge glared at the reporter as she and Voltra got to their feet. A few locks of her flowing red hair had fallen in front of her mask. "You nearly got yourself killed out there, how are we supposed to do our jobs when you're running around out here like its an action movie! You---" She was suddenly cut off by Voltra, leaving a horrified Katherine Anderson grateful for the interruption.
"Sorry about that, we're both a bit shook up from the fight. It was a tough battle, but we're happy we managed to protect the people of the nation's capital." She said trying to pretend like Recharge's outburst hadn't happened.
The reporter seemed willing to move on as well and had recovered from her shock, offering a charming smile, "It's a rare occurrence to see you two working with Liberty, especially here in DC, is this potentially the start of a new super team?"
She tried to turn to Liberty for a comment, but the android super hero seemed very uninterested in answering questions, so Voltra responded again. "I don't think you should read anything into this other than we're glad to have been around and even more glad that Liberty was here to have our backs. That's all for now, we should really get going." With that all three heroes shot up into the sky hastily, clearly not interested in answering anymore questions.
Katherine Anderson looked a little annoyed that they wouldn't answer anymore questions, but turned back to the camera and gave a joyful smile for the crowd. "Well everyone, this has been another live report from League News Live! Now turning over to John Michaels with a report on the Los Angeles Stars..."
Floyd Martin turns off the television after getting bored of the daily "hero" news. He was hoping his old rivals would die at the hands of the Hellfire Gang, but oh well, now he would have the chance to do it himself some other time. He currently sat comfortably in a white laboratory in the deep basement of Westgate prison, his feet on a desk in front of him. He was watching through a glass screen as a group of scientists worked frantically on an arch like machine. Massive wires and tubes ran across it and through it, at the center was a stool that held a strange object. It was clearly a rock, or at the very least some kind of mineral. Floyd never really concerned himself with what exactly it was, but he was assured by his colleagues that it would have the intended effect. The crystal would be able to turn the prison above them into a superhuman factory, and create an army that no league team would be able to handle. It took a lot of resources and favors to pull it off, Floyd in particular was useful, using his connections in the California government to ensure that he would be able to enter the prison unnoticed.
Standing up, he walked toward the glass and pressed the near by intercom, "Is it ready?" He asked in a stern voice, clearly anxious for it to begin. A nearby scientist, who seemed like the lead on the project, spoke nervously. "All of our tests have come back positive... but I've never worked with anything even close to like this before, no one has. So can't be sure what will happen."
Floyd merely smirked, "Life is about risks doc, risks... and making money. And I hope this machine will help me do just that. So fire it up and let's get this show on the road." The doctor nodded solemnly, and him and his staff exited the room, making sure they were at least a few yards away from protective glass just in case.
"Three... two...one"
With a flip of a switch in his hand the room was suddenly filled with a thundering noise as the machine roared to life. Sparks started to fly as massive amounts of power were being pulled from crystal into the machine until there was a huge flash. The scientists shielded their eyes, fearing the worst, but Martin didn't even blink. He stared at the machine, a wide grin on his face. And after the machine calmed down, he waited a few moments until he heard the faint sounds of alarms blaring. He pulled out his phone, pressed a few buttons and was now looking at the security footage from the prison above. Guards were frantically firing their guns, trying desperately to contain the situation. The situation they were trying to contain was dozens of prisoners, ripping off the bars of their cells, some firing lightening or fire as they stormed the prison. It was clear not all prisoners were acting alike however. While some took charge, others cowered in their cells, some tried to runaway, and there were those who were even being attacked by other inmates.
"The inmates are now running the prison." He said under his breath slightly, then to everyone else, "Good work people, time to get out of here, things are about to get messy......"
Mars Asarin cautiously got out of the passenger seat of a vehicle, wondering what he had gotten himself into. The school year ended just hours earlier, and it seemed that most everyone had decided to come together and celebrate it in spectacular fashion. Specifically, a group of well off teens who went to the school decided it'd be fun to throw a party at the site of the old Wonder Warriors headquarters. Mars could hear loud music blaring as he approached one of the nearby buildings.
Normally this kind of thing wasn't Mars' style at all, but he had been convinced to go by an old friend. "Relax man, you look like you're solving a calculus problem right now." Roy Damon said with a grin as he clapped his hand on Mars' shoulder. Roy, also known as "Nightshade", had met Mars soon after he moved to San Diego, and the two became fast friends. Roy often tried to get Mars to lighten up and this was one occasion where he was at least partially successful.
Roy led Mars further onto the island, and Mars had to admit it was quite the sight to behold. There were at least half a dozen buildings set across the island, at the center however was a huge tower. The tower was impressive, with large glass windows surrounded by metal frames, but it was clear no one had been taking care of it for a long time. The party goers were avoiding the tower, clearly not brave enough to venture into it. The party was mainly being had in a large building towards the front of the island. From the looks of it Mars thought it used to be some kind of loading dock, where vehicles and equipment might be stored. Right now however it was packed with people, most of whom were dancing or mingling around the edges of the large building. Towards the back a DJ had set up, he was currently playing the kind of mindless EDM song people like to listen to at parties. There were also a bunch of coolers that had been brought in, most had both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks in them.
Mars felt a little weird about partying on what was pretty much a graveyard, but he couldn't help but feel a little curious about this whole place. As Roy ventured in to the heart of the party to mingle, Mars found a bench to sit on at the outskirts, his eyes looking around the building as he wondered what things must have been like on this island when it was occupied.