An Age Of Heroes Or Darkness: A Meta Human Timeline

Chapter 7: Go Down Moses
Ace would have preferred it to be the night it made it easier to operate in than the evening; then again, he wasn't exactly Reaper at the moment but rather as Ace Ward, just another observer to the woman currently parting the river across the border from him a crowd of thousands and hundreds of riot cops and national guardsmen. Ace smiled as he saw the woman crossing the river.

24 hours earlier…

"I don't know how you managed to both suffer from jet lag and glider lag at the same time congratulations Master Ward, that's quite the accomplishment if I do the say so myself." joked Xander in his best Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as he handed Ace a tray for breakfast Pancakes, bacon sausage, rice cakes, and cheese grits."

"You were supposed to have hash brown, but fatty heat ate it all." joked Destiny.
.
Xander looked embarrassed for a quick second before switching towards comedy. "Hey, what can I say? I and my metabolism love your cooking, Destiny."

"Well, I'm glad you just stuck to making tea." smiled Ace.

"My cooking isn't that bad," said Xander, to which Destiny laughed at. "Xan the man, there are a lot of great things about you, but cooking is not one of them."

"I'm not that bad."

"Xander buddy, you burned cereal; I still don't know it under how you turned cold milk hot."

"Speaking of hot, you know who is coming to town this after, and she already called three times asking for you," said Destiny.

Ace took a sip of his tea"Destiny, that can be at least 5-6 people, not counting the other mask I hooked with the other night."

"Speaking of which, she texted you saying "are you still in Vegas? I am drunk, lonely, hungry and sad and looking to make bad decisions.". Now, while I think that all great aspects in a woman, we were talking about an actual ex-girlfriend of yours, Andrea Dollyanne Belmont." said Xander placing extra emphasis on the name as Ace was quite for a second that felt like forever as the name rang out in his head. Andrea the Southern Belle, the one he thought he would marry, the one he lifted due to the pain of the loss of his father, ironically enough the only girl he dated long term that his dad approved him dating. Pictures of her and him still covered parts of his desk in his personal areas, and he, every now again, would buy a magazine just to see her face. He would never be able to throw it away, allowing it to sit away until Xander or Destiny put it away or threw it out. Her name is said, flooding of emotion with it.

"I'm going to be busy; a border town in Texas is gonna have a mega human arriving there."

Destiny and Xander looked at each other, then back to Ace.

"So what do we tell Miss-"

"Tell her I will be out for the next day or so, because I am joining the protest in support of the sand woman."

"So I am guessing you don't want me to play copycat Reaper this time?" asked Destiny.

"'No, because the three of you are coming with me."

"We are?" asked Xander.

"The three of us, I already ask Maxwell to hold down the fort while we go out there; what's the matter?"

"Um, Ace, I can't just get and fly across the country on a whim." said Destiny "My mom would probably kill me or, more than likely, my dad first for agreeing and then me. If it was a weekend in thing then yeah, I could probably lie to my mom about spending the nights at Maxwell's house or something."

"Right right, your mom hates me, and for some reason, she thinks I am a bad influence on you.".

"Well for one, I am kinda adding a billionaire vigilante."
Destiny laughed

"Speaking of which, I took the liberty of running the thumb drive, and thank god I did too, the thing bricked my laptop thank god it wasn't contacted to anything, from what I could tell, the virus on it was meant to lock down police coms throughout the city. Not just that but it seemed to also try and wipe out any information on the laptop. I think the revenant was trying to shut down all police computers, not just coms. Fucked up thing it would of worked too, basically destroying a lot of files and sending APD back to the 20th century."

"You can explain the rest of the computer speak once we get on the plane." said Ace "you are joining me at least of am I flying solo."

"I'm sure my dad would let me go, but I'm not all that keen on going to a war zone.". said Xander as he clicked on TV to the news.

Video of riot police holding back rows of protesters screaming at armed national guardsmen armed to the teeth looked across the shimmering river.

The feed cut too many people huddling together walking towards the border town; CNN even put a little a timer for the estimated arrival time.

"Ace, are you sure about this?" asked Destiny.

"As much as I am sure about most things," said Ace

"In that case, I will call up the plane and tell them to chart a flight for two," said Xander.

Twenty-four hours later, the two boys stood there among the people with little more than baseball caps and darkly tinted sunglasses hiding their faces.

Officially Bishop was here on assignment for his new job unofficially Black Power was neat by just in case one of the border pigs or the gravy seals didn't act out of pocket. He promised himself that he wouldn't intervene unless nonlethals looked like they were going to be deployed to the scene. Otherwise, he would try to keep himself back, but something in his mind question if he could really stand back and watch a group of refugees gets beat with billy clubs and tear gas simply for trying to cross the border for a better life.

That was the struggle for him, knowing when to act and when to be an observer to things in the world. Yet, at every moment of injustice, he felt that need to act. Bishop could feel something heat up behind his eyes before there were flashes of memories taking him back to his childhood.


Butch slammed Kelly into the locker, scuffing up her freshly pressed school blazer for the middle school chess team. "Where do you think you are going, freak?".

"Leave me alone!" said Kelly.

Butch brother Dutch "Damn Butch, pops was right; these folks do smell different."

"Go away." demanded as she tried to struggle free but to no avail.

"How about you go away back to Africa," said Butch pulling back his right arm like he was about to punch her but right before he was about to swing on the defenseless girl, a hand grabbed it, spinning him around to see Bishop face for a brief second before his light got punched out by Bishop. Dutch looked at Bishop, then at his brother before running off down the hallway.

"Around five and a half minutes later, the two kids sat in the principal's office as the school staff told Bishop and Keke had "Suddenly and without warning attack Butch and Dutch, while they were on their way to have a nice lunch together.". Bishop was already good enough at the time to heat through the door at what the principal and old Nam vet who after leaving the arm joined up in the national guard to keep own busting heads during the riots of the '70s, before retiring and becoming a principle all of which were thing Bishop had picked on with his hearing of from noticing different things from his many visits to Mr.Kent's office.

"If your kid keeps acting like a wild animal, you can keep him at the farm, but I will not have him acting like that in my school; this isn't the damn jungle."

"Thanks, Castle," said Kelly kissing him on the cheek.

"Don't mention it," he joked back.

Then it was college; at first, he was there to become an engineer, but then the scandal happened. It had all started with him snooping around Professor Middleweight to find his laptop, but what happened after he found out that his prof had been secretly making weapons for the mob changed his life forever. Bishop discovered the clues and evidence of the crime that helped bring him to justice that set him on the right track. Not just with him becoming a reporter but him becoming Black Power, even if that name still sounded ridiculous in his head.

Back in the present, Bishop gazed upon the woman crossing the river. The huddle masses follow her. The image of this conjured up the stories of Harriet Tubman leading men, women, and children to a better life. However, the bus thought turned towards the ICE vans and bussed only a few hundred feet away from him like wagons of the slave catching vigilantes of the not-so-distant past. His eyes so focused he didn't see his boss or Sammy, who was just beside him.

The first thing that hit Spader was of course the smell of it all; whatever chemical used in the explosives that blew out the penthouse seemed to be an industrial-grade or at least close to it. 

The bomb itself, at least the mechanical component to it, wasn't all that well put together from the way the penthouse was still holding up, minus the large hole in the side of it which Spader landed through the police tape.

He looked around for clues; if he was being honest with himself, he didn't know what he was looking for Spader was a lot of things, but a detective wasn't exactly one of them. Yet he had listened to enough true-crime podcasts to know that he should probably start. Spader nearly fainted hover when the light flipped as soon as he entered the too show, a woman may be in her mid to early '20s in a tight black dress, and a dull emotional red glared at Eric as the moonlight shined down onto her brown skin. Her voice, like her long hair, was like silk.

"I wondered when one of you would show up." said the woman "better you than the walking A-bomb, no pun intended. I'm guessing you are to investigate the mess. Here," he tossed him a small clear plastic baggy with green nail covered in some type of algae-like foam.

"One of us?" asked Spader catching the baggy, confused as he finally began to recognize the woman as none other than Tamika Lang, the head of his arch-rival company."

"Tamika?" asked Spader before the lights flickered again, and she was gone.

"I really need to learn how to do that," said Spader looking at the nail inside the baggy. The green stuff seemed to move on its own, almost like it was…alive.

Eric landed through the open skylight of his apartment to a waiting Susan setting down on a nearby chair, looking at him more like his mother did after catching him in his youth sneaking into his home after a long night out.

"What did you fine?" she asked.

"More like who did I find, would you believe if I said Miss Lang was there?"

"Wait, did she-"

"No, at least I don't think so, Susan. I doubt the bomber would wait for some random guy to fly in only to hand them a clue. My best guess is that she was investigating this too." Spader pulled out the green-covered nail still safe within the bag, " Which brings me to this little number. It looks like it might be alive. I also could smell heavy chemicals someone might have been trying to make a homemade WMD."

Susan's eyes widen. "If it's bio-related or chemical-related, then this is bigger than one person. A disgruntled ex-employee decided to mail in a pipe bomb to his boss's place is one thing, but making what could have been a dirty bomb is a whole other ball game. One that might just be out of our league."

"I'm going to have to step to the plate; with great power comes great responsibility and all that other stuff."

"Speaking of which, you might want to see this," said Susan as she turned on the tv to the news from Texas.

The night was old as Emilio sat on the edge of Dream Land, looking down at the pool and the woman in it. She was stunning, yet he could not tell anything else about her. Not even the clothes she was wearing or what she even truly looked like, yet he knew he wanted her.

She sat there swimming in the pool all by herself all night long, or at least what it had seemed to be all night. Things felt different looking at her like he had entered into a strange yet very familiar world. Everything was a very liminal space around her, a mixture of rose-tented nostalgia on the subject he didn't know anything about. It only increased when she spoke her voice like that of a choir but from one single voice.

"Upon one summer's morning, I carefully did stray
Down by the Walls of Wapping, where I met a sailor gay
Conversing with a bouncing lass, who seemed to be in pain
Saying William, when you go, I fear you will never return again.".

Emilio could hear her calling him, the angelic call of a siren. Its voice twisted around him, warping him in a self-assured comfort. He closed his eyes as the next lyric came from her lips and the air whistle passed him on his fall into the pool.

My heart is pierced by Cupid
I disdain all glittering gold
There is nothing can console me
But my jolly sailor bold

The water came up to meet his face as his body quickly followed, diving deeper and deeper into what was supposed to be a pool, but now as Emilio regained control and looked around, it was far too large to be anything but an ocean.

My name it is Maria, a merchant's daughter fair
And I have left my parents and three thousand pounds a year
Come all you pretty fair maids, whoever you may be
Who love a jolly sailor that ploughs the raging sea
While up aloft in a storm, from me his absence mourn
And firmly pray, arrive the day, he's never more to roam


The shot of fear turned into horror as he gazed up towards the watery blue sky above him, the surface miles away. Then in a single glance down the shot of hot racing fear-based adrenaline turned to ice as his blood ran cold. There was no bottom, nothing more than an empty bottomless pit of inky blackness. The voice wrong out again, so near yet so far away. Emilio could feel something out there, just outreach something far too large and impossible in its shape.

My heart is pierced by Cupid
I disdain all glittering gold
There is nothing can console me
But my jolly sailor bold


It began to get darker and darker around him, as he could somehow feel the shape of what it was wrapping around just out of his reach like a boa slowly constricting its kill. Emilio used his lightings to flash for a second in order to see the thing. What it showed was nothing but the coils of a sea monster far beyond his imagination in scope it scales shining with a madding light in colors beyond that of men's minds. As coils grew closer and closer, it quickly became darker and darker as the song grew louder.

My heart is pierced by Cupid
I disdain all glittering gold
There is nothing that can console me
But my jolly sailor bold

Emilio's eyes shot open as he nearly jumped out of his soaking wet bed. He looked around

"I gotta stop fuckin drinking." He said as he turned the tv on to the news from Texas.

Amanda pushed her way through the crowdedschool hallway; she had woken up late and had to skateboard to class to avoid being late. Staying up all night being "a kick-ass vigilante" was something that ate up her sleep schedule. Infact between school, homework, her part time job working at a pizza shop, and being a superhero, Amanda had taken a massive toll on her social schedule in addition to her sleep schedule. To the point of her friends began to notice that she had over the last few days been increasingly absent a grew concerned. Amanda also started to feel like she was abandoning her friend. She asked cap about it the night before, and he told her "To grow a pair and bottle up that bitch shit, like a man.".At least her mother was too busy flying across the country on Business trips to pay attention to her and her newfound hobby. 

Amanda fumbled with the combination of her locker when

"You know you don't have to wear that, right?" asked Stacy Smith. Like her initial subtlety  suggested, the blue eyes flat body of the American flavor of wonder bread was the closest thing a person can be to a walking talking microaggression. Stacy was that oh so rare type of special bully that only the American education system could make. The all-American head cheer bitch of a mean girl. The type that would make comments about not being able to see Ammand when the lights cut off or touching her hair without consent only when Amanda inevitably confronted her about her passive-aggressive bullshit all Stacy had to do was turned on the waterworks or make a sad snap story post, and then suddenly Amanda was the bad guy.

"What are you talking about, Stacy," asked Amanda biting her tongue, trying her best not to say anything rude.

"You know that shirt." She said, pointing at Amanda's death-stroke T-shirt.

"What's wrong with my shirt."

"I get that you wanna have boys, but honey, you don't have to be such a pick me to get one. Sometimes it's ok to be normal like the other girls."

"You know Stacy, you're right," said Amanda faking a smile.

Stacy was confused but smiled anyway "I'm usually am."

"And you don't have to be a slut who lets the football team run a train on you to be the popular girl," said Amanda, her voice changing to an almost wolf-like growl. After a moment, both her and Stacy's eyes widened at the impact of what Amanda had just said hitting them.

"W-what did you just say." stuttered Stacy in almost pure disbelief that someone, let alone Amanda, would talk to her like  it wasn't just her. The entire hallway went quiet after what she had said

"What that you let that you are for the team?" joked Amanda at this point, rage from years of Stacy's bs spilled out of her. "Oh honey, did you think they could keep that a secret? You know what they say boys will be boys. Oh, and I'm not rocking this death-stroke T-shirt because I want to be picked. I wear it because he is a fucking badass. You, on the other hand, lock like you're queen shit because deep down, you know once you hit that wall, and not even your stepdaddy would want to touch you.". Her lip cut to a smirk, but her mind was in a code red panic. The words she just said wasn't her's. There were all things Slaughter had said when she vented about Stacy to him.

"Fucking bitch!" Stacy exclaimed, throwing a very telegraph punch that Amanda dodged with little to no effort at all. Stacy threw another to which Amanda dodged again then again. She was bobbing and weaving just how Cap Slaughter taught her. After what must of been a minute, she just stopped deciding to let just let Stacy get one hit on her to see what would happen. Stacy's fist struck the side of Amanda's head, only for Stacy to scream out in pain, falling to the ground holding her hand.

"Need a hand?" joked Amanda as she stepped over Stacy and past the crowd of people recording it. Amanda's phone rang as she walked towards the front office. It was an unknown number.

"Hello, Amanda," said none other Ace Ward.

"Oh my god, Re-I mean Ac-I mean Mr.Ward!" exclaimed Amanda

Ace sighed. "I hope you weren't in public when you said that."

"No sir, well not really, I don't think, but sir, is there something wanted? If it isn't that finds too-"

"Have you been watching the news?"

"The News, sir?"

"The sand woman is currently at or near the border ."

"I heard about, pretty cool, right."

"It can be dangerous; there is a chance someone, be it ICE, Protesters, The National Guard, or your pick of paramilitaries could start something . I'm arranging air travel for you; it should arrive at Bergstrom in the next hour; I have already notified Cap he will meet you there."

"Mr.Ward, I'm in sc-"

*click*

Amanda thought about things for a moment already figured she was in deep shit, so skipping school wouldn't be any worse by this point.

"Hey Amanda, wait up!" said Brad. Brad Wellman, captain of the football team, the closest thing she had to a crush and Stacy's ex's "You left your bookbag. It's pretty cool, by the way; it's Deadpool, right I love that movie?"

"It's act- thank you," she said.

"Hey, I'm sorry about Stacy she can be "

"A bitch?" joked Amanda.

"I can't disagree with you there, but I see you about to skip. I got to practice today, but if you wanna hang out this weekend, snap me."

Amanda almost fainted. "Um-sure." was all she managed to say as she turned back around, heading through the school doors.

Once out of sight of the school, she began to skate down the road towards the airport, her eyes wide, and so was her smile.
….
Mia gripped her walking stick as she looked across the river; the reflection of the national guard clad in their body armor and holding less than lethal weapons shimmered in the water. There was nothing truly different between what she was doing in the Middle East and what she was doing here, protecting people against soldiers. Yet this felt different; maybe it was the camera seen hadn't seen so many before all of them pointed at her. It dawned on then why things felt different. This would be the first true showing of her power that wasn't blurry new footage for the first time the world was going to meet her.

Mi sighed before turning around to face the caravan, many of which were recording her. There were even some newscasters from the United States on her side of the banks filming.

"I say this now in front of the most high and the world. There are no borders except those of man. The lands of the creator are of all things, both among paradise and among man's land. The earth is not pieces of meat meant to be craved away by the powerful; it is garden land for all people, genders, creeds, and people. There is nothing between the grounds of the global north and the global south. These so-called imaginary lines across the desert drawn up by the rich and powerful to break up a man from his fellow man are meaningless as the sand it rests on. There is no land but God's land. There is no kingdom but the one of Allah. There is no ruler but Yahweh! We are all our father's children. The action I take now is out of his will, not my own. There is no power but the ones of the creator; I am no one. He is the greatest!" Mia said, then she turned around back to face across the river, saying to herself quietly, "I trust in you, my father.".

The walking staff went into the water as the ground began to rumble. In front of thousands and televised to millions, more dirt began to rise up from under the river pushing back the water, parting the waves. Tremendous shock, fear, and jubilation went over the crowd on both sides as quietness went out as Mia began to walk between the parted river, followed by the rest of the caravan.

Around the world, heroes, metahumans, civilians, presidents, generals, CEOs, and kings saw the image of a young parting the waves. Many cried it a miracle, many watched in fear, many remained silent. 

At the edge of the American bank of the river, no sooner did Mia's foot touch the sand did the national guard moved to arrest her. Yet with a single glance, their weapons were blown away by a gust of sand. Some of the militia folks took a shit at her hitting her directly center of mass. Yet the bullet went into her body as it would to a sand pile; Mia kept walking on sand winds wrapping around her enemies, burying them to their necks but not killing them. In a matter of minutes, the caravan was on the other side of the river, which began to flow normal yet again as the refugees from South America began to disperse across the sand, some to cars, others to busses, and some on their feet. One girl with her mom hugged Mia tightly, the mother saying in Spanish

"I don't know who you are but thank you."

Mia smiled, looking down at the dirt under her feet. "I am sand. I am Desert; I am no one; The creator is all."
 
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Cap does seem to resemble Johnny Lawrence personality wise. I double approve the "mental casting" of William Zabka as Cap, because of the personality resemblances. A physical resemblance would be the icing on the top.
 
Cap does seem to resemble Johnny Lawrence personality wise. I double approve the "mental casting" of William Zabka as Cap, because of the personality resemblances. A physical resemblance would be the icing on the top.
A lot of Cap's personality comes was inspired by Johnny from Cobra Kai, Peace Maker, and the Comedian from Watchmen. I do plan for him to become more sensitive as the story goes on thanks to his mentorship with his side kick Amanda. I don't want to give to much away but there are some major similarities between the two that will be revealed later on.
 
Only Human
Alexandria Albrecht looked at the screen with a bored expression, wondering what to write.

Elliot, her sidepiece and a handsome young man was massaging her feet as she remarked "Damn" he asked "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you're a fucking angel, it's just that I have no clue what to write" she tells her dear Elliot "Really?" he almost thought she was joking "Your ex just died and gave everything to the—"

"Their grandson, and not even the eldest grandchild, the son of the middle child" she said

"You telling me there isn't inspiration in that?" Elliot asked, watching as she simply smiled

"There is" Albrecht said "I'm just trying to remember what part Terrence didn't write about".

...

Polly woke up early that morning to the sound of her dad in an argument over the phone…

She figures he is arguing with her uncle, Hugo.

"Look, why don't you ask Florence about this?" Malcolm asked him, clearly annoyed by it all "Who do you think I tried asking first?" Hugo asked him "She gave me the exact same bull—" "Fuck" Polly uttered quietly to herself, clearly having heard enough of their arguing, before she had decided to text the only other person who she knew would be up around five to six in the morning, other than their dad and uncle.

"You awake?" Blue answered their text "Yeah?".

He would be there faster than a lightning flash, he was about to say something, before Polly held up her hand, gesturing him to be quiet, before he too was able to hear their tense call

"So where to?" he asked her quietly, and she suggested "The Museum of Art" Blue asked her "You mean the Rocky one?" she shrugged musing "Yeah… There's probably nobody there".

They'd relax on the third row of steps, the two of them sitting back, watching as the famous city of brotherly love slowly wakes up, the lights either turning on or off inside some of the buildings, meanwhile the isolated car headlights are joined by more and more streaming by as the sky slowly changed to a light and pale grey blue, meanwhile Polly had asked them

"So… How does it feel t'be rich?" Blue admits to her "Yeah, I still don't know how to feel…"

"How so?" Polly asked Blue "I still go to school"

"Really?" she asked him "You don't go to some, rich person school or something like that?"

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" Blue said, though he admitted to her "I still get the weird looks".

Blue had always got the odd look, maybe it was because of his eyes, or maybe because they never really had a clique to belong to, he was a bit of a nerd, but never found himself in any of their cliques, mainly because he never came to them, and he was far from an athletic kid.

He was an outsider in almost every group, quiet and meek, keeping to himself…

But now?

He didn't want to admit it, but he was the centre of attention, and he was scared of attention.

She didn't go to the same school as him, but the two of them gossiped about each others.

Polly already knew some of what his high school life's like, she new some of the characters.

And Blue trusted her enough to tell her he could teleport, so he could've told her anything.

Almost anything, but still just enough to gossip

"You know Chet, right?" Blue asked Polly "Well, the dude is trying to get in my good graces".

Chet "The Tank" Turner looked a lot like his name should have been something like "Chad".

He was the jock, and burly and shredded like a pro footballer, and was more than certain to go pro someday in the future, either way, he used to pay little to no attention to Blue, now all of a sudden he's acting like their best friend.

Then there was Kato Hachidori, this Japanese exchange student, a quiet and nebbish young woman when she wasn't hanging around with Richie Bolton, this geeky black teen, who was quick to befriend her and show her around, he was already in speaking terms with Bolton, and he was friendly to Hachidori, both of whom would come to him, Hachidori telling them something that went along the lines of "I know what it's like to have cash and eyes on me".

And then there is Pink "Pink as in the rockstar?"

Polly asked him this "Not 'P!nk'" Blue told her "Pink" referring to the rebellious Pink Richter, who was this punk chick with long and dark hair with long streaks of bright pink, and a resting bitch face that refused to leave her face.

She rarely ever go excited, and she still didn't, but she did seem a little excited when Chet had brought up the idea of holding a party at Blue's new place, which had once belonged to Terrence Weaver, the brownstone he and Polly snuck out of, teleporting to the top of a tower.

"For real?" Polly asked him "Well… Is that gonna happen? I mean, that could be pretty cool"

"I don't know yet" Blue admitted "Anything could happen" which brought a laugh out of her

"I mean, look what happened this year alone" Polly told him "Literally anything can happen"

"It's almost a threat at this point… 'Anything could happen'… So should we be scared yet?"

"Why should we?" Polly asked Blue, he wasn't sure why, but something was reassuring in the way Polly said it, making Blue smile a little.

The two of them went quiet for a little, the sky lighting up a little more before she asked him

"So are you gonna actually hold a party someday? Because I legit wanna see that happen"

"Maybe" Blue said laughing, but unable to shake away the feeling they were being watched.

...

"Fuck" Hugo said upon ending the phone call with Malcolm, sitting alone at a table in some restaurant, a lone light shining above his head before somebody tapped on his shoulder…

Hugo Weaver needed that money, or else he was gonna have himself a problem, a big one.

And that problem was, to his surprise, no longer in Los Angeles, but sitting across from him.

"Hey Ivan" Hugo said with a shit eating smile that was hiding the fact that he was terrified.

Ivan Zmei was an unshaven, unkempt looking man, older than Hugo, hairier too, he had this long face with a heavy stubble, close to a prickly beard, and a pair of round yet usually bored eyes, yet he couldn't shake away the sensation that the older man could snap at any time…

"Let me guess, you are here about the money?"

"Well where is it?" Ivan asked him "That's a funny story, so you know that nephew of mine?"

"You should consider yourself lucky, that you are not my uh… My top priority here, Hugo" he almost breathed out a sigh of relief, but he knew well that he wasn't out of the woods yet

"So, what brings you? You wanna fight Rocky?".

Ivan chuckled as he began to pick away at the hot chips, before commenting to Hugo that

"This here? This is a brave new world we are in"

"I mean, we've got ghosts, superheroes, a fucking crazy black guy running around the place"

Ivan meanwhile shrugged this off, telling them

"The world hasn't changed" Hugo was a little confused by this, before Hugo had asked them "How so?" to which he said "'Power', that's still the name of the game everybody is playing"

Ivan explained that "From the clowns in costumes to the clowns running little nation states, it's all just a game of power, ruling over others, except this time? The power is more literal"

"Yeah, you are still sounding pretty vague Ivan"

"Let it put it to you like this… 'Superpowers' are a hot commodity, people with superpowers, one man armies basically, could you imagine what people like that could do in the hands of, lets say, an African warlord wanting to carve their line in the sand and protect it, maybe even a gangbanger or two in Chiraq or the hood who wants to be taken real seriously by the cops, very soon, superpowers can make or break a man who wants to run shit… You get it now?".

Hugo nods, shrugging a little bit "S'why here?".

Ivan smiled to himself "…To make sure my guys have an eye on you, and so y'get shit done".

Ivan was handed a glass of water, one which he'd take a sip from before offering it to Hugo, who was worried to disappoint him, however, the moment he touched the glass, he drops it

"Ah! Fuck!" he cried out, as that glass was boiling hot to the touch, and was unnaturally so…

Meanwhile Ivan simply chuckled, commenting on how "The universe is a real funny thing" how it "Worked in mysterious ways" as Hugo began to think about how almost funny it was that Zmei was a name used for slavic dragons…

...

They didn't recognise that old man down there in the storm drains with them, the old man whom began eating their food, dressing in their rags and acting like he was one of them, that is, when he wasn't wandering about almost aimlessly like a lost tourist up in Las Vegas.

The old man did have money, so there was that, and he's more than willing to throw it away. Although, his willingness did put into question where he got it, and why he didn't care for it.

The old man had himself a heavy, pale grey stubble and a head of unkempt hair like he was a mad scientist, he certainly gave off the vibes of one, especially the mad bit, one could have seen it in his wild blue eyes, though he kept quiet, and he dressed nice for the most part, he had himself a blue Hawaiian shirt underneath his greying suit coat and matching suit pants.

His toes meanwhile had room to breathe in the sandals he was wearing as they wandered…

Whoever he was he's new around these parts…

Blue made his way to school that morning, and the moment he came up the steps, he could feel the slowly making their way eyes over him, though the eyes were scattered all about, all the while the schools news report was playing over the radio, hosted by the blonde girl scout known as Cindy and the far more funky Mona, with Cindy informing the students about how

"As the holidays are approaching, we and the teachers at Rivlin High would like to wish you all a merry Christmas, a happy Hanukah and a…" she paused for a little while, Blue himself was confused for a second "And as I've been informed by Mona, a joyous Kwanza… Laters!".

Then suddenly, Chet catches this football, and he turned to Blue, and he asked him smiling "What would y'do without me?" Blue remarked

"Sleeping better?" unable to not sound at least a little awkward, before Chet had asked him

"Like, what is that supposed to mean anyway?"

Blue didn't answer "I mean, I just saved your life" Chet tells him, Blue joking to the Tank that

"Yeah? Well there's still no way you're getting in my will" as Chet spun the football around, the much larger, bulkier young man having appointed himself Blue's bodyguard and agent.

Blue didn't mind having a bodyguard and all, but he much preferred it to be someone else.

Kato Hachidori and Richie Bolton came around


"Sup?" Richie asked Blue "I'm asking for Hachidori" who would comment in broken english

"I didn't say 'Sup', I asked him how he was going" Richie joking "Well he's going that way"

"You know that's not what I meant" she frowned "Come on, I was joking" he said, seeming genuinely afraid to have hurt her feelings, something she's well aware of, smiling on Que.

"Everything's fine" Blue said, Tank asks Richie

"Your not trying t'get into his graces are you?"

"What? And be called 'Richie Rich'? Nah man" Richie said, thinking about what he would do with all that money, or at least a little piece of it

"Look, I'm not just handing out the money" Blue tells them

"Good" Pink said after suddenly showing up beside them

"Because that would honestly be pretty fucking stupid" before she asked him

"So's the party actually happening?"

"What party?" Blue asked her "The one Chet had been hyping up and asking me to come to"

Blue shot Chet a look "What?" Chet asked Blue.

He needed some fresh air, so the first opportunity he had to himself, he proceeds to teleport.

But little did he know that he was being watched, and not just by the four teens whom had wanted to get in his good graces, but by the same silhouette watching him at the museum.

...

Slowly entering the office of Mustafa Bashar, this feeble and young assistant did so quietly.

The room was darken, and the chair was turned facing the window, its back to the assistant

"Mr. Bashar?" the man asks across their silent room

"Yes?" he heard from the darkness "Well I've… I've got those files you sent for me t'fetch…"

"Put them on the desk" he said, the assistant was just able to hear the sound of papers in the hands of the shadowy Mustafa Bashar, and could also hear what sounded like quiet reading.

Upon putting the files on his desk, which itself was a mess, one covered in manuscripts and piles of paper, a laptop amongst the mess, he could just be able to make out this one stack of papers, one which wore the name of… "Weaver".

"Are these his unpublished manuscripts?" he asked Bashar

"If you do mind me asking, sir—" they almost jumped out of their skin the moment the television turns itself on, startling the feeble assistant, as it began to play the news, said news being about the Mexican border… And the girl crossing it, the girl who parted the river

"'Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land… And the waters were divided'…"

Mustafa said this out of the blue "You know… Weaver, he wrote of this" he had commented "Sir?" the assistant asked him "What exactly are y—".

The assistant pauses, as he watched that chair slowly spin around to face him, in the dark he was just able to see him, his face lit by the glow of the television across from the two of them

"My boy, Weaver wrote of this very thing happening, this very… 'Situation' of ours, my boy"

"Sir?" they asked once more "Of super humans… And of gods amongst men, you see that?"

"Uh… Yes, he wrote of that, but so did Stan Lee, Grant Morrison, Alan Moore, what made h—"

"Did they write of a woman parting the sea? Or of some 'Red menace' flying over Ukraine?" the assistant was confused "Sir… I don't think you're okay, I think the stress is getting to y—"

"Boy" Mustafa tells him, those glasses of his' reflecting off the light, almost glowing like a pair of headlights in the darkness "…Why don't you simply read that top file in your hand?".

Slowly he looked down at it, and he had gone silent

"The feeble, young Wednesday slowly enters the office of Bashar, the feeble, assistant did so quietly, stepping forth into the dark of the office, the chair turned towards a closed window".

He had never met Weaver in his life, yet he somehow knew that his name was Wednesday, he was about to read on, only to hear

"He wanted to warn me" the assistant asking the man "Warn you of what?" to which Bashar chuckled "Of what I was about to become, Wednesday"

"…Well what's that?" he asked as the lights came back on, Bashar nowhere in sight "A god".

...

Nashville, Tennessee, Officer Nashton was in the bar, looking up at the television showing "Desert" or whatever the hell her name was, crossing the border, a sight which pissed him off, which boiled his blood and made him want to commit a crime, though he wouldn't call it that, after all, if he was the law, then it wouldn't be a crime to bust a mans skull into a pulp.

...

Las Vegas, Nevada, Jinx, Oracle and the rest of the Dreamland gang were watching the news. Emilio would come in drying himself off.

Jinx asked him if he had himself a shower, to which he joked "Nah, just a really wet dream"

Rick rolled his eyes, Bree giggled, and Xavier hushed them as they watched that Arabic girl.

...

Somewhere about to be demolished, the genderless, devilish Maybus watched as their crew, their superhuman crew began packing up shop, loading a vast plethora of belongings into trucks, the black and white girl with the red lips commenting to them as they emptied a rack of old guns and pistols "Things are beginning to fall into place, y'seen the news on Mexico?"

"I've seen it before" Maybus had remark

"In 1250 B.C.?" the woman known as Violet asked them as she found this particular pistol, one which Maybus took from their hand:

A gold, almost ornate Walther PP, one with this pair of initials upon the ivory looking handle. Maybus didn't answer, instead they look at the pistol, appearing to think back on their time using it long ago, and a hundred or more times, all the while Violet had went back to work, as the man with red glasses, otherwise known as simply "Red" came up to help her move a heavy chest, one which looked as if it was snatched out of a sunken pirate ship or a fish tank.

"Where's the tuna girl anyway? This is her shit we're moving" Violet comments, Red answers "Neva? Since when did y'care about carrying her weight?" she asks "Is that a euphemism?"

"Well, I saw her getting out of the pool—"

Violet shot him a look "And why were you watching her getting out of the pool Honeybun?"

"Dax told me to check on her" he answers, his tone was straight to the point, not annoyed, though one could hear a hint of it, either way the two of them shared a smile, Violet saying

"Oh, I can't blame you… After all, we have already explored her uh… 'Davy Jones' Locker'"

"You Scots know I'm right here, right?" Dax asked them, to which Violet told them to bugger off.

...

Las Vegas, Nevada, everyone were glued to their screens, watching as a river is split in two…

And among those watching is an old man, one whom used to be known as Terrence Weaver.

And a laugh escaped him as he watched.
 
A Very Long Day
"This is Jacob Trapman with an Evening Bulletin Report. Today at 5:30 at the US Mexico border what can only be described as something biblical had just occurred. The woman only known as Desert parted the Rio grand river allowing several thousands migrants many from Central America to pass through across the US border which she seemingly denounced in a speech stating that "There is no land but God's land. There is no kingdom but the one of Allah. There is no ruler but Yahweh." The mention of all three aberhamic names for god had baffled some experts, many of which thought her alignment was to Islamic groups. The President is reported to be preparing a statement on the matter.``
-Jacob Trapman New Moons NewsDecember 6th, 2024

"While of course I think that we should work within the confines of the law when comes to immigration when the system is unjust as what is currently happening at our borders between unarmed migrants and what amount to an army of national guard, ice, police, and paramilitaries there is no wonder people will began to take actions into their own hands."
-sen AOC December 6th, 2024

The KKK Has Reportedly Experienced A Resurgence In Recent Months Many Members Attribute It To The Fear Of The Meta Human "Black Power".
-MSNBC December 6th, 2024

Bank Robbery Stopped By Masked Shroud Justice Vigilante!
-Vena Today December 6th, 2024

More Footage of the Russian Superhuman Raid in Occupied Eastern Ukraine Shows Him Taking A Direct Shot From A T-72 Before Destroying It.
-RT America December 6th, 2024

HBO Casper To Release On Christmas Eve
-Buzzfeed December 6th, 2024

"What happened yesterday was nothing short of a damn invasion of the USA by an ISIS sand woman. Terrorists scum like her are not heroes,but criminals. If it was up to me I would ship these terrorists and their supporters off to gitmo. I am all for supporting real superheroes though, like the Reaper, Captain Slaughter and that lovely Mrs America! Now that is a true American right there rocking the red white and blue with the cow girl boots! We need more of people like her not terrorists Cypto Islamic Socialist!
-The Real Mansfield Podcast December 6th, 2024

"I'm not surprised at all that black robe public menace Reaper has some supporters in white ones!"
-Beverly Mashale The Free People Voice podcast December 6th, 2024

Hey everyone y'all can stop sending me the clips of the podcast. I honestly don't know if to laugh or cry about this guy liking me. Most of my folks are from Mexico on my mom's side and my granddad was really into the civil right movement apparently. I asked Cap about Mansfield and he called him a Pog whatever that means and several other slurs I don't know or want to know the meaning of, pretty sure he made up half of them on the spot. Which is weird anyway Reap (Reaper nickname I gave him..it?) is an actual ghost (at least I think he is).. . I doubt it cares for politics and I am kinda middleish. I guess a lot of people are calling here. Does that mean anything political?
|
01_The Real Mrs_America_1941
|
Wait so Reaper is like an actual ghost?
|
GreyTheChad27_27
|
Don't know def not human that's for sure saw him walk through walls disappear and fly.
|
01_The Real Mrs_America_1941
|
Wow he sounds much more unique than the other guys on here.
|
GreyTheChad27_27
Exchange on hero watch December 6th, 2024

"The "Sand Woman" has been adopted by an estimated 250 different protest movements from New York to Tokyo yet we no so little about the woman herself. Join me tomorrow night as we investigate Desert.
-Angela Angle New Moon News December 6th, 2024

I stand with the No Reparations No Vote movement if the politicians of this country wants to continue to count on the votes of Negro People and yes I say negro or Black people because the last 400 years in the country have proven we are any but Americans, but I digress if the white poltical establishment think they can feed us crumbs and still get our votes they have another things coming.
-Imani V. Clair interview on African Diaspora News Channel December 6th, 2024

Batman The Live Action Reportedly Casting For A Female Joker Zazie Beats.
-Screen Rants December 6th, 2024

Breaking News A New York Head Of Land Development Firm Has Been Arrested Over Fraud and Extortion Allegations.
-HLN December 6th, 2024

Is Emma Alkebulan Being Groomed To Lead Vena?
-New York Times December 6th, 2024

The Rise Of Political Based Vigilantes Like BlackPower Uncle Sam and Liberty Have Some Analyst Worried About More Revenant Styler Terrorist Attacks.
-New Moons News December 6th, 2024


Inside Ace Ward Revolutionary Plan For "Urban Homesteading" To Combat Housing Crisis "If you willing and able to help build it I will help foot the bill."-Ace Ward
-CNN December 6th, 2024

Crime Waves In Los Vegas Grows
-CNN December 6th, 2024



The First Venan To Plot A Rocket Into Space From Vena To Happen Today.
-New Moons News December 6th, 2024


You expect me to believe that those savages to actually get to space on their own this has chicom and (((them))) written all over it.
-nick fuentes (America first app) December 6th, 2024


Imani V. Clair Arrives In Montgomery Alabama To A Crowd of Hundreds
-New Moons News December 6th, 2024


"People are always talking about fighting the Russians or our brothers and sisters in Vena talking about fighting for democracy. Ain't that a bunch of bull, when have Black folks seen democracy in this country the Russians or the Venan ain't my enemy and we as Black folks ain't got no right to lift our hands to strike them out when the pigs here are putting their knees to our collective necks. Negros ain't got no place fighting a white man's crusade against African or tribal beef between other Europeans over scraps of lands. If we wanna see war we only have to look out to the ghettos of this country at the occupation by 12 against our community. The colonized should only fight against the colonizers, not for them. If they wanna send a bunch of no color grey boys off to die in Eastern Europe then so be it, but that ain't our fight our fight is right here and right now."
-Imani V. Clair (Montgomery Alabama). December 6th, 2024


"You know I do miss Ace more so than anything in the world, but not in that way, not really. I think the most tragic thing was that our friendship grew cold, not just our love."
-Dollyanne interview with teen vogue when asked about Ace Ward December 6th, 2024

Hey guys I think someone might have got superpower in Harlem check this red and blue light out. So um shout out to whoever the lucky SOB that got it.
-Tom_TheMan_Tobby Hero Watch December 6th, 2024

What Happened To The Desert Woman?
-Popular thread on Hero Watch December 6th, 2024



"Yes sir, but we don't have anything on him. We don't even know his name. We checked everything like he just ap- yes sir I understand sir, I understand sir but- yes sir I understand."
-part of leaked conversations between an FBI agent and an unknown higher up regarding the Revenant December 6th, 2024



Why The Depression Is Actually Great For People Looking To Get In The Housing Market As Landlords.
-MSNBC December 6th, 2024


Black Woman Accused Of Being Trans Kicked Of Florida High School Team.
-TYT December 6th, 2024


Georgia Republicans Accuse Ace Ward Urban Homesteading To Be A Communist Plot.
-Fox News December 6th, 2024


A Skirmish Between The New Deacons For Defense and Three Percenters Leave Five 3% Lightly Wounded In Missouri
-CNN December 6th, 2024

So can we power scale some of these heroes?
-Thread HeroWatch December 6th, 2024

Texas Republicans Attempt Interduce "Anti Jihad" Bill. One It's Provisions Allowing Schools to Ban Hjabs.
-New Moons News December 6th, 2024


The funniest thing about being called a Soros agent is that somehow I am on his payroll when I am 20 times richer than the old geezer, not to mention I am better at golf than him.
@AceWard (twitter) December 6th, 2024


"Fellow people of Vena I come before you today an announce that what happened today was a tremendous victory for Africa and socialism. We have put a man into orbit. This is the combination of years upon years of struggle against the tide of gravity and western imperialism, but today my comrades we stand at the foothill of something greater. We will not and can not stop at orbit, by the year ends we shall put Venan on the moon, and with the Gods, Sprits, and Ancestors as my witness we will have a man on mars by the end of this decades!"
-Venan Premiere during speech to the General Party Congress Council December 6th, 2024



Itohan Val Becomes The First Venan In Space.
-RT December 6th, 2024



Red Russian "Superman" Spotted Hovering Over Red Square.
-CNN December 6th, 2024


Radical BLM Activist Imani V. Clair Plans To Met With Black Islamist Louis Farrakhan. After Giving A Speech Telling Blacks To Prepare For War.
-NewsMax December 6th, 2024


Eye Witness Report Major Lighting Storms Near Miami.
-Weather Channel December 6th, 2024

While I don't think what is going on in the streets of our community as an occupation and think that kinda talks come from privilege and overlook the real suffering that happens elsewhere in the world, Sister Clair did hit some great points. Why should a farm boy from Mississippi go die fighting in the Donbass? Why should we cheer on what could lead to us playing fallout IRL, I'm not saying don't arm the rebels and stop sanctioning Ivan to hell and back, but personally I don't want my friends and family dieing for another man because Flint still doesn't have clean water. Maybe that is selfish of me to say that, but that's just the way I feel."
-Crime and Order With Kelly Hatter December 6th, 2024

The Ward Communist is currently the head of one of the biggest factions of cyto satanic forces. As of this moment after the death of Biden infighting is happening between the forces of darkness. Ward seeks to secure his place upon the metaphysical dark throne. His hometsnading plan is a way of building power. They will steal children from god loving real Americans and sacrifice them to power up the throne.
-Qmetaprime December 6th, 2024

You know this Imani girl came out of nowhere and nowhere and now she is backing the No Reparations No Vote. I can smell a russkie plant when I see one.
-Rachel Maddow MSNBC December 6th, 2024


Loud Explosion Heard In DownTown Manhattan A Tech Expo
-CNN December 6th, 2024



We are approaching, wait is that green gas supposed to be wait hold on-HOLY SHIT THERE IS ANOTHER-
-audio log moment before first responders are blown up by a secondary explosion December 6th, 2024



We have major news in from New York City there appears to have been a bomber by a yet unkown group.
-CNN December 6th, 2024



"Everyone please get back please, I got to move this ruble."
-Black Power on video moving ruble (twitter) December 6th, 2024


Oh yes your precious optimism how much do I forget you are still old. I thought the same thing a long tike ago when I was old.
-the other December 6th, 2024



Black Power Is At The Bomb Site Unkown Yet If He Is The Cause
-Fox News December 6th, 2024

"Help, I can't move, I want my mommy."

"I got you."

-Exchange captured on a news live stream between Black Power and a little girl as he effortlessly moved what looks to be half a building that had collapse around the small child. Shortly before three other meta humans would arrive December 6th, 2024


"It appears that while first responders are being cautiously standing back due fear of other secondary and tertiary IEDs the masked vigilantes known by the Internet as Black Power, Ace of Spades, Columbia, Liberty, Zetaman and Uncle Sam have begun what appears to be a rescue operation of their own."
-Jacob Trapman December 6th, 2024


Even at 60 seconds to midnight oh how hope still shines like a light, what makes a hero a cape or tight, perhaps to fly against the dimming sacrificial light perhaps we don't need to fly to turn back the hands of time.
-Dandy Girl Flight
 
All right the next update is a bit larger than I originally had plan, but it should be out some time this week or at the latest the beginning of next week
 
Totally Not Ace Ward Fan Fiction
The first thing and the last thing Jacquees Jones saw for the next few hours was a girl dressed in a tattered trench coat, a Captain America shield T-shirt, jeans, boots, a cowgirl hat, and a red bandanna holding a bright orange riot shotgun leveled at his face. Well, technically, the last thing he saw was the less-than-lethal bullet smacking him into his face, even if he didn't have time to really process that before he went out like a light.



"This is gonna be fun," Amanda said to herself as another thug rounded the corner, this one holding an Uzi with a drum mag, letting it spray wildly across the hallway, most of which missed Amanda almost like a cartoon forming a near outline of Mrs.America on the door behind her. Amanda looked behind her, letting out a laugh as she smiled and turned around to face the goon who had not managed to hit her a single time with one out of a 50-round drum magazine.



"Holy Stormtrooper, aim, dude," smirked Amanda before lining up her riot shotgun for another shot. "My turn" the shotgun fired a bean bag round straight into the man's crotch region. The thug let out a scream that resembled the ones from the old Tom and Jerry cartoon shorts as he dropped to his knees, holding his manhood in pain.



"Fuck You!" the man cried out as Mrs.America walked toward him.



"Something tells me after what just happened, you aren't gonna be fucking anyone any time soon, and if I'm being honest, you aren't my type, honey." She said to the thug and dropping him with a hit from the stock of her shotgun. However, she didn't have as much time to celebrate as another person; this time, a woman slammed her through the hallway wall into a kitchen table that collapsed as Amanda fell on it and then through it. That was when the pain hit; she may have been pretty much indestructible. Even so, pain tended to be the main roadblock to her becoming a walking tank. Sure being slammed through a wall may not have actually hurt her that didn't mean that Ms.America did not feel the pain even if the injury wasn't there. Thankfully the pain only came in a flash before the adrenaline kicked in.



Jumping up and dodging an attack by the woman who had pushed her into the wall, she landed right in front of another thug who broke a metal baseball bat on her head. Amanda started the motions to bring up her shotgun but realized she had dropped it when she was shoved through the wall. The thug was still confusingly holding what was left of the lower end of the bat in their hands, baffled how the hell was that even possible to react fast enough to stop Amanda from reaching for her sidearm, a taser gun with a shot at center mass the man was down for the count. Amanda then tried to run for her shotgun, only to be stopped when a jacket was wrapped around her neck choking her.



No fucking way I can't be hurt by a bullet but a jacket around my neck. How the hell does that even work anyway? So unfair…oh god, things are getting dark. What should I do? I-wait Arkham Knight!



Mrs.America began to elbow the woman in her side, which seemed surprisingly hard, like she was hitting stone before Amanda head-butted the woman, dropping her for good. Turning around to see her unconscious body, Amanda almost screamed; her skin was like a snake, covered in white interlocking scales. Almost like those weird albino gators she saw on a discovery channel documentary the other day. She mentally kicked herself for comparing the poor woman to an animal, but she didn't have time to ruminate over the whole thing because a second later, she got a call from her earpiece.



"Mr.-Reaper?"



"Is the building secured?"



"I think so; people stop shooting at me; does that mean it's secured?"



Amanda could hear a sigh from Ace on the other side of the comlink. "Yeah, probably listen; Amanda, do you see any money there?"



"Why are we looking for money? We already cleaned the place, right?"



"Because this place is what amount to an illegal bank for the city's gangs and most of that money is gonna be seized by the police then some corrupt cop is gonna sell the money back at twenty for per hundred and pocket the rest, so the money stays on the streets we going to hit these people where it truly hurts their wallet.."



Amanda looked around the room, but there were no money bags anywhere.



"I don't see any in the room I'm in; I'm gonna go check upstairs if that is ok, sir,"



"America, you don't have to call me s- never mind, the bag is probably upstairs."



Amanda crept up the stair of the trap house, there were beyond rickety and felt like they could collapse at any moment, but that wasn't what was slowing her down; no, it was the pain sitting in from being thrown through a wall, beaten, and shot. She had to keep going after what seemed like an hour, but only, in reality, it could not have lasted any longer than half a minute. Once on the upper floors, Amanda cleared each room just like Cap and showed her how to only days before, finally leaving only the last room down the left hall to be searched. Mrs.America took a deep breath and prayed not to get shot again; she kicked open the door to find a room with two medium to small size duffle bags of cash.



"Holy Fort Knox Reaper! That's a lot of money-," said Amanda over her comlink,



"Good, good, take the money and meet us at the bunker."



"Don't you mean your Graveyard get it because like you're the Grim Reap-"Amanda was cut off by the sounds of the police pulling up and kicking in the front door.



"SHIT SHIT SHIT!" Amanda yelled, looking around the room for a way out; all the while, the sounds of police rushing up the stairs and down the hall were coming closer, getting louder with each passing second. There was one option.



"Here goes nothing!" screamed Mrs. America as she jumped through the window, crashing the grass at the exact moment Lisa Monroe broke through the door behind her. Amanda landed in thorn push and rolled over into broken grass outside the home before picking herself up and taking off, running duffel bags slung around as she sprinted for her life. Lisa wasn't far behind her, jumping out the window, clearing the thorn bush, the glass crunching under her policemen boots as Lisa hit the ground running, drawing her pistol and radioing Danny,



"We got a mask, don't know what is in the bag, most likely drugs or money. I am gonna need you to cut her off, and we are heading southeast from the trap house."



"FUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!" screamed Amanda, still running at her top speed. She turned around to see if she had made any distance between her and the cop; she had only gotten closer!. Ms.America kept running and running and running to the point where she wasn't even trying to avoid walls other than running straight through them; the pain was quickly replaced by adrenaline; soon enough, she had left Monroe in the dust. Covered in dirt and grime, Amanda limped back to the automated Tesla and collapsed in the backseat.



Ace found Aramanda balled up in the fetal position in the back seat of the Tesla. The pain and panic of the raid had sent her over the edge of a panic attack.



Ace smiled, not enough to seem fake but just enough to be compassionate, and spoke softly, "Mia, it's gonna be ok." the billionaire said to his friend, holding out his hand for her to grab, "I'm gonna need you to take some deep breaths, ok we are gonna for ten." reassuring the poor girl. Amanda gripped Ace's hands tight and breathed and counted.



"1"



"1"



"2"



"2"



"3"



"3"



"4"



"4"



"5"



"5"



"6"



"6"



"7"



"7"



"8"



"8"



"9"



"9"



"10"



"10"



"Good, can you walk? Do you need help getting out of the car?" asked Ace Amanda shook her head; the pain was still too much. "Don't worry, and I got you. Can I pick you up?" Amanda nodded, still not being able to speak fully. Ace, with no effort, scooped her up in her arms and carried her inside his manor. Amanda clinged to his chest, Ace's body heat helping and the gentle thud of his heartbeat to calm her down. She couldn't help but be embarrassed by her panic attack. She hadn't had one in years, but the shame of it washed over her as soon as she saw Ace look at her. Yet as he patted Amanda on her back and reassured her with, "Don't worry, everything is gonna be ok." Amanda could not feel any negativity coming from her teammate. It was a while, maybe 15 to 20 minutes, he began to let her down; at first, Mrs.America fought it, but then she realized she was being put down to a bed and slowly let go of Ace.



Ace tucked her into the bed, almost like how a dad would do, and asked, "Are you gonna be ok?"



Amanda finally managed to speak again.



"Don't te-"



"I wasn't counting on it." Ace joked before taking a knee beside her, "Trust me, I know how these things can be. When my dad was kil..taken from me, I would wake up in the middle of the night just screaming and gasping for air due to the night terrors being so bad; even after I got my powers, I would have them pretty often, well, often enough that Xander, Max, and Destiny would have to sleep next to me for the first few weeks after. These things happen, but it's not the fear and panic that defines us; it is how we learn from them and how we overcome them.



I do not doubt in time, Mrs.America, you will be giving the bad guys panic attacks. Tell you what, once you are rested, hit me up so we can sneak some ice cream from the snack bar. If you need anything until then, I'm just a call away." Ace said, smiling before getting up and leaving the room; before he closed the door, Amanda called him one last time.



"Ace?"



"Yeah?"



"Thank you."



"You're welcome, Amanda," said Ace as he closed the door behind him.

While Amanda was closing her eyes, Mia was opening her for the first time in days. It was as if she had woken up into a dream; things felt different, softer yet more vivid at the same time. Perhaps it had something to do with this being her first good night's sleep in a very long time, or maybe it was the bedding she was laying on. That is when she realized she didn't know where the hell she was; the bed was far too comfortable to be a cell, and the walls were far too bare to be a hotel. The place was open, one part mine one part bunker. Mia was no stranger to these sorts of places, but this was far more elaborate than the places she was used to hiding in. It was also a lot larger and far more open than anything she had seen. In the distance, she could see a bunch of people, young people around her age, huddle around a computer, looking at something. At first, Mia figured they were studying her, trying to see what made her tick, but as her vision began to clear up completely from the foggy haze of sleep, she saw they…were watching Netflix eating popcorn. She recognizes one of them as no other than the so-called "Skin Walker." The rest of them was unknown to her. Their conversations, at least from what she could overhear, wasn't sinister or even about her powers, just a group of friends hanging out around the computer watching Netflix. The whole screen of friendship was foreign to her; Mia understood the concept but witnessing it was indescribably strange.

Mia snapped her head to her side as she heard the sound of water being poured beside her. He saw him; the boy was stunning, the kind you would see on television or in a fitness magazine. Then it was that smile, that damn smile, the kind that would and could and was currently was lighting up the whole room. His soft blue eyes almost matched the warmth of his smile.

"Good, you're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked straight into that Imperial ambush." joked Xander finishing pouring her a glass of cold water and setting it down by a nearby nightstand.

Mia was silent for a second, lost in Xander's eyes



"Wait, you probably don't know what that means. It's a meme about this game that came out a-"



Mia giggled and smiled back at him. "Skyrim right?".



Xander just about melted at the sounds of Mia's voice was smooth like a waterfall and sweet as sugar.



"Y-yeah,"



"I always wanted to play it; the game seemed fun.".



"Well, Ace's had a supercomputer built for modding just that game upstairs if you would play it."



"Some other time maybe, but right now, can I ask you a few questions?" Mia said, looking around the bunker again. "Who are you, and where exactly am I?".



"Right, right, my name is Xander Evanswoods, and would you believe me if I said you were in a renovated bunker meant to withstand a near nuclear strike built under a mansion.".



"I been through weirder I'm guessing this place belongs to you?"



"No, actually to my boss..well, friend Ace, see, he is a superhero too."



"Right," said Mia sarcastically as she thought to herself, why do all the cute ones have to be liars. That was when she noticed the case towards the center of the bunker. The hooded cloak layered over what seemed to be a lightweight ballistic armor. "Wait a minute; your friend is the?"



The walls right in front of her began to open up, show a staircase with a young man at its foot.



"The Reaper, but you can call me Ace.".



"Ace who?" asked Mia. "Don't tell me the Reaper is some kid with too much money.".



Ace actually smirked at it. "You don't know who I am?"



"Am I supposed to? Right now you're just some dude with a cute friend claiming to be a ghost and also the man who kidnapped me."



"Kidnap saved from being taken away by the Feds after you collapsed three minutes after crossing the water tomato tomato." joked Ace.



"Cute friend?" asked Xander.



"Cute, but not cute enough to buy whatever your boss here is paying."



"Boss?" asked Ace.



"Yeah, the guys backing you, and I'm guessing the guys who want me to join whatever on this small special forces team you got here. I'm guessing the CIA is seeing how you guys are all Americans," said Mia. By now, everyone was paying attention to her.

Ace laughed so hard he nearly tumbled over.



"What's so funny? It's not like you guys are just.." Mia paused as something crossed her mind. "Wait, are you guys just a bunch of kids with superpowers?"



"Well, some of us are adults, they aren't here right now, and I wouldn't say we are a team or anything he'll. I just met a lot of these people about a week ago," said Ace.



"One thing for sure." said a booming voice as Slaughter came into view as he descended the secret staircase into the bunker. "We ain't getting any funding from the Feds, sweetheart, that's for sure," the man was in digital camo pants, a plain white t-shirt, and a plate carrier rigged over the top. Some of the patches on his carrier were strange, ranging from punisher skulls to a Hawaiian-colored igloo with a palm tree beside it.



"Who are you supposed to be?" asked Mia.



Captain Slaughter rolled his eyes and spoke, mocking Mia's accent, "I aM No OnE." How about that, Princess".



"Knock it off, Slaughter," said Xander. "She has been through a lot."



"By a lot, you mean help a lot of illegals cross the border, then yeah, but honestly, right now, the only thing I cared about is my rent, so where is the money so the kid and I can be on our way ."



"Money?" asked Ace.



"The shit Amanda took from those damn pushers, don't play slow with me, Ward."



"That money isn't for us," said Ace.



Slaughter, visibly upset, "Yeah, right, don't you have enough money? You gotta take more from the working man?"



"About half of that money will be for charity. The other half is going to be burned. We figured that the homeless folks could put it to better use than the bangers." said Xander.



Mia perked up at this. From the way these men were talking, it was a lot of money, and they were about to burn half of it and give the other half away. Across the room, Sammy and Destiny looked at each other



"You think it's gonna come to blows?" asked Destiny.



"I hope so; if only we had a mud pool now, that would be a lot more fun, to watch," said Sammy grinning at the idea.



"What combination of daddy issues made you like this?"



Sammy laughed. "Depends on which daddy?"



Back with the boys and Mia.



"Yeah, that's just grand. Give the money to fucking bums, so they spend it on shit to shoot up and put the cash right back into the thug's pocket, a solid plan," said Slaughter.



"A lot of those people out there aren't druggies. Even those who use drugs don't deserve to starve because of it. You know, I thought you of all people would be more compassionate about these things at least a quarter of those people out on the streets are vets."



"Yeah, that's why I'm trying to make money so I don't end out like those nimrods who couldn't crack it back in the real world."



"If it's about your rent, I can wire you the money, but it will take a few days.".



"I don't want your money, Ward! I want equal share from the job," said Slaughter leaning in towards Ace. Slaughter was taller than Ace by a few inches, and he tried to make that work to his advantage.



"What happened today wasn't a damn job, Cap, it was a duty, and if you are talking about an equal share, if it's going to be any share, it would be with Mrs.America. After all she did all the work while you were still hungover!" said Ace stepping towards Slaughter. The teen knew the man was a strong fighter and that his healing factor was insane, but he was also sloppy and arrogant still when it came to strength Cap was very much still human a simple sweep of the leg or flip to get him on the ground and then restraining him would only be a matter of endurance a battle that Ace would certainly win, but it didn't come to that however instead Xander interrupted the two.



"Guys, there is a simple solution, Cap; take what you need for rent, and the rest we burn and give away to the homeless."



"Fine, I guess I will be on my way then. How long until you can get that jet of yours pointed towards Austin, or will I have to pay for me and Amanda's gas money too."



"It will take a few days for me to chatter a separate flight back to Austin. If I do it right now, it may look suspicious with me taking so many flights to a certain area. I trust you can find yourself comfortable in one of the manor's bars until then." said Ace.



"Yeah, whatever, smartass," said Captain Slaughter storming off as Ace turned her attention to Mia.



"I'm sorry about that, but tell you what, Mia, how about you stay around the manor for a while. I got a meeting with a few friends, but maybe tomorrow we can actually have a proper introduction with each other," said Ace.



"And what makes you think I will stay here?" asked Mia.



Ace looked at Xander and smirked. "Something tells me you will find something to keep yourself entertained," Ace checked the watch on his wrist. "Now, if everyone can excuse me, I have to be leaving right about now." said the Billionaire as he turned back around, waking up the staircase while the wall covered it up behind him.





Sammy got up and stretched. "So who's good to eat around here.".



"Is that supposed to be an innuendo or…?" asked Mia



Skin Walker just winked at her.


The bookcase wall opened up as Ace stepped out of it. He was about to leave the house when he bumped into Amanda.



"Hey Amanda, it's good to see that you are up; you feeling better?" asked Ace.



"Yeah, so long as you don't tell Cap, then yeah, I don't want to hear about that on the flight back today ."



"Don't worry, I didn't tell your pop anything, but that flight will probably be pushed back a week."



" Cap isn't my dad, I'm just his sidekick, and yeah, it's cool my school's took final last weeks, so no one is really caring about attendance anyway. Plus, it helps that the staff tend not to notice me no one those?"



Ace raised an eyebrow. "What?"



"What? Cap isn't my dad is that weird or something?" asked Amanda



"I'm just trying to figure out the last part of what you just said."



"Oh right, sure people notice me when I am in this," she waved to her costume, "but not everyone is popular outside of their mask."



Ace smiled at that. "You know someone should change that," Ace paused for dramatic effect. "Go get dressed. We are going shopping.".



Amanda smiled. "Really?"



"Yes, really, now hurry up before I change my mind; I decided not to let you drive."



"Drive?"



"You heard me," said Ace with a twinkle in his eye.



"Sir thing boss," said Amanda with a wide eye with a smile. A short while later, the two were pulling out of Ace's drive in a bright red with black leather interior 1967 mustang fastback. Amanda was in love with the car handling it well as they drove into the city, eventually ending up ending at the high-end shopping area of the city. "This is so cool, I always wanted a car like this, but my mom is set on a BMW."



"Yeah, I always had a thing for classics; I guess I got it from my dad," said Ace pulling out his phone and looking at what was open today in the city. "Hey, what's wrong with BMWs? Those are pretty nice.".



"I always wanted a classic mustang; my grandma had one for me, and she used to work on it a lot when I was younger always thought it would end up being mine; after she passed, mom soiled it, I guess she didn't see the value in it. Unless it's new and or flashy, she doesn't see any value in most things.".



"I'm sure she only wants the best for you," said Ace.



"In her own way, yeah, but her best and my best aren't always the same, you know. She wants me to be the prom queen and be on the cheer team like she was,".



"Do you want to be that?" asked Ace.



"Yes..no, kind of I don't know if I am being honest with you, Mr.Ward. A part of me wants to be noticed and seen by people, but another part doesn't want to be seen as you know."



"A rich brat." joked Ace. "The grass isn't always greener on the other side; there are times when I feel trapped. No matter what I do, there will always be someone looking at me judging me. That's one of the fun parts about the Reaper; I get to be someone else for a change, someone other than Ace Ward."



Amanda let out a laugh that turned into a snort for a second as they began looking for parking spaces to go shopping.



"What's so funny?" asked Ace.



"Nothing, it's just that I used to write fanfics about this."



"Really, I didn't know you were that big of a fan of me."



"Not of you, but this whole superhero part meeting famous people being friends with people like you guys.".



"You guys?"



"The syndicate, a few weeks years ago I was just some girl from Austin Texas writing self insert Batfam fanfics and trying to shift to an avenger DR. Now it's like my dreams actually became a reality some nights I'm legit scared to go to sleep because I still think this could all be a dream. Those that sound crazy, it probably does."



"The only crazy part is how similarly I feel about it all a lot of the time. This whole mask thing still hasn't actually felt completely real, or it always feels like a daydream; I don't know if that is a good thing or not.".



"I think there's nothing wrong with dreaming, Mr.Ward; that's where hope comes from, and from the looks of it, this world is gonna need a lot of dreamers," said Amanda as she parked the car. "Hey, Mr.Ward, can I ask you something?"



"Yeah?"



"You not upset with my kind of stealing Ms.America from Marvel, are you? It was Slaughter's idea to call me that in the first place I'm pretty sure he doesn't read comics. I don't want to make the brand look bad or an-"



"No, not at all. You do the character justice; I'm not going to go all captain marvel on you, Amanda. If you're still nervous about the whole name thing, just spell it with a K or something." said Ace.



Meanwhile, back at stately Ward Manor, the teens had made their way out of the bunker into the mansion proper.



"You sure this place isn't a government building?" asked Mia looking around the huge mansion lobby.



"It hosted a few presidents who came to visit, but this house belongs to Ward's family. Well, it's just Ace now, really beside when we stay the night," said Xander.



"So he lives here all by himself. It must get lonely," said Mia.



"Trust me, I'm with him almost every night; dude is never lonely," said Destiny pausing as she realized how that must sound. "No, not like that. Xander is here too; we just help him with superhero stuff most of the time!" Destiny said frantically, trying to clean up what she had just said.



"How did he die?" asked Mia. "Ace's dad, I mean if that ok to ask.".



"Alex Ward was killed during a speech last year."



Mia took a seat at one of the tables in the main lobby. "So it's political."



Destiny and Xander shared a look. The latter was the first to speak, followed by the former, "Not as far as we can tell."



"They never got the guy or girl who did it; our best guess is that Ace's dad wasn't even the target but was hit by stray bullets when the bangers got into a fight nearby.".



"Bangers?" asked Mia.



"Banger is a term the kids use for scum nowadays; apparently it is short for gangbanger," said Slaughter walking into the lobby.



"Oh, speaking of names, I never caught yours?" said Mia looking at the man. He may have been drunk, but he still had that arrogant swagger of most western soldiers.



"Captain Ricky P. Slaughter," said Ricky plopping down onto one of the sofas, turning to face the Christmas tree of that was the centerpiece for the room, at least for the holidays anyway. The tree was massive, easily as tall as most trees that adorn the lobbies and grand hotels of major cities. "Now, can I ask you something,"



"Go ahead. It's only fair," said Mia.



Slaughter shook his head and pointed at Destiny. "No, not you, Ace's chick."



"First off, I'm not his chi-" started Destiny before slaughter cut in with, "Yeah, I don't really care how yall weird love triangle or whatever funny shape it is works. What I want to know is who the hell put up that tree? I don't really expect Mr.Bleeding Heart Ward to drive a pickup truck or whatever hippy electric thing you geeks drive today down to Home Depot to pick up someday help.".



Destiny rolled her eyes at Cap due was almost a walking microaggression. "Ace carried it inside. Of course, we had to move most of the stuff in its way, but Ace did all the heavy lifting.".



"Bullshit that things look like it ways more than my car. You expect me to believe monopoly boy did that." Cap exclaimed.



"I'm gonna climb it," said Sammy.



"Please don't." Xander said as Mia leaned into him, whispering, "Is she ok? I don't want to be rude, but she seems off.".



"I'm from Montana," commented Sammy, still gazing at the tree, thinking to herself: I could totally climb it in less than a minute.



Mia and Xander looked at each, astounded that Sammy had overheard them. SkinWalker pointed to her ears, saying, "Super hearing, duh." as if it was a normal answer.



"What the hell is a Montana?" asked Mia



"It's a state, but that doesn't really explain her; it's best we don't talk about it." Xander answered.



"Mamma always said crazy is what crazy does." mumbled Sammy, still looking at the tree.



"So what do you folks have fun around here," asked Cap.



"Mostly not hang around 50-year-old men with guns," said Destiny.



"So I look young for my age." joked Cap.



Mia's stomach growled. "I don't wish to be rude, but is there any food here? I haven't eaten in a few days.".



"Oh, we can order out and watch some movies," suggested Destiny.



"Ward Burger makes pretty good Hala Buffalo wings," Xander said, looking at Mia.



"Ace owns a food chain?"



"The Wards, or I guess just him now, have their hands in everything from food to space ships," said Sammy.



"Well, I never had Buffalo wings before, so I'm down for it," said Mia.



"Cool, Xander, do you wanna show them to the Theater while I make the call to Ward Burger.".



"Cool, but I don't want that vegan hala whatever the hell you mentioned; just get me the double bacon extreme burger with extra nacho cheese on the fires," said Cap.



Destiny found herself rolling her eyes once again because of Ricky but was cut off guard when Sammy spoke up, "Ground beef.".



Destiny raised an eyebrow. "You want just cooked ground beef. Do you mean a taco?"



"Cooked?" asked Sammy.



"Ok…if everyone can just follow me, we can be on our way to the Theater," said Xander ushering the group off towards the nearby elevator as Destiny called in the order, still baffled as how she was going to have to explain what the order was to the clerk.



The elevator led back under the house, not half as deep as the bunker, just the third-level basement which housed the cinema's section. The third basement was set up like the luxury theater of Atlanta, but instead of rooms for different movies, each room was set up to play a different genre. The halls that led to each room were practically a museum to the style of media with props and framed movies of some of the all-time film greats. The group stops at a room with two statues, one of Ironman and the other of captain America striking heroic poses. Above the door, red in neon block letters Marvel Comics.

So he has a room just for Marvel movies?" asked Mia.

Xander opened the door for the women in the group. "To be fair, he doesn't own Marvel now, so it only makes sense.".

"I guess in a weird crazy rich way, yeah." said Mia before asking, "So what we watching?"

"The entire MCU?" suggested Destiny.

"Sounds cool to me." joked Sammy as she walked into the room.

Back at the mall, the two teens had a hell of a time window shopping. Not for lack of money, obviously, but Ace had the devil of a time convincing Amanda to buy anything. Amanda had felt pretty bad about spending someone else's money. Ace finally got her to consider buying a red and white letterman jacket with an American flag patch on the sides of the arm and some red and black all-star hi-tops when he felt a pat on the back.

Andrea smiled as Ace turned around. "Hey, there, Tiger.".

Ace's eyes widened, and his heart rate increased as a sudden rush of memories and emotions hit him. It took Ace everything to hold back the tide of feeling just below the surface, just deep enough for those scars not to show.

"Hey, Mr.Ward, I think I found what I-" Amanda paused as she realized who Ace was talking to. "I'm-I'm probably gonna try these on another few times...just to um make sure yeah make sure".

Ace just nodded as Amanda backed away towards the dressing rooms.

"She's cute," joked Andrea, still smiling at Ace as her hand reached over to touch his almost out of instinct Ace's finger interlocked with Andrea's. Ace looked down at sight Dolly lightly colored white, pink and blue nails and backed into Andrea's eyes before saying, "Amanda is a friend of mine,"

"Of course she is; the eyes always give it away; I know that you aren't that type of guy, and she isn't your type."

"Isn't my type?" asked Ace. "I wasn't aware I had one.".

"She is far too innocent for you,"

Ace, the emotions under ask skin began to rumble more and more. "And you weren't?".

"Not according to a lot of people; according to them, my biggest crime was just trying to exist as who I am.".

"A lot people are ignorant." responded her ex-lover as she brushed the side of Ace's face as his emotions threatened to blow up into a passionate kiss right there in the mall.

"Unfortunately for those who are affected by it, their ignorance is not bliss, but you didn't come here to hear my sob story. I'm going to be in town for the time being, until this time." Andrea kissed Ace on the cheek, saying "See you later, Tiger.".

A few moments later, Ace could hear Amanda "Mr.Ward, that was awesome; it was like a scene out of a movie. I know Acestiny is normally my OTP, but holy moly the chemistry you and Dolly have is amazing." said Amanda not noticing the bittersweet look of nostalgia on his face until she heard it spoken from his lips.

"We did." was all Ace said; his voice twinged with the sadness of days past and time forever lost for only a moment, a single solitary second, before it gave way to a much happier tone. "Hey Amanda you don't mind if I stop by my school real quick gotta sign some papers. It's just came up while we were shopping?".

Amanda smiled like a schoolgirl. "Going to high school with Ace Ward, how can I say no to that, plus, if it means I get to drive that baby of yours, I'm down to go anywhere.".

"We aren't taking the mustang." said Ace to the shock of Amanda. "What? Why?"

"Because I having it prepared to be sent to the airport." Ace said nonchalantly before adding, "After all, we gotta get it ready to fly back with you guys to Austin.".

"Wait, why are you flying-" Amanda stopped as it hit her like a tone of bricks. "Y-you're giving me the car?" she's asked to which Ace nodded as they walked out of the mall.

"Mr.Ward, sir I can't take that it's your car; I can't just take it for free.".

"Why not? I have three others already; beside I wanted to test out a new pony anyway," said Ace pulling out his phone and pressing an app. Suddenly at breakneck speeds, a car came around the corner, breaking just in front of the two teens. It was something that Amanda had never seen before, a retro-future hybrid of prime 1960s muscle and modern super car styling "I get the drive this time." said Ace as the car's hardtop slid back, showing off the black leather interior, which complemented the dark orange exterior. The doors opened up on their own as the two got inside. Amanda was reminded more of a fighter jet than or a car when looking at the tech inside of it; as the car rumbled to life the display screen came on, showing the name "Fire Maker" on it.



Amanda could see people taking pictures of them, but it seems like Ace was cool with it and for some reason, that made Amanda cool with it. "This is a prototype of what is gonna be my company's flagship sports car. All electric with speed to match, but affordable enough for most people to enjoy.".

"It still doesn't beat the classic stang." joked Amanda, which made Ace smirk. "How about now" he said, stepping on the gas's, sending them flying down the road. Amanda screamed the kind one would do while riding a roller coaster. "Ok you might have a point." She said,

"You know this Tony guy is pretty badass," said Slaughter getting another handful of fries from his cheesy fry bucket while the end credits to iron man rolled on.

Destiny looked at the man with a strange mix of disgust and amazement at the man stuffing pound after pound of food into his gullet. "How aren't you fat?"

Captain Slaughter took a break between bites to say, "whenever I gain weight, I just cut it off," before going back to eating.

Meanwhile, Mia and Xander had struck up a conversation. "So this Ace is like Batman, no?" asked Mia.

"There is definitely a lot of overlap between the two of them. We kinda joke about me being his Alfred; it's kinda true, except I don't do the whole cooking and cleaning part, thank god for the self-cleaning systems.".

"You don't mind that? Play second place to Ace?" asked Mia.

"What? Are you kidding me? Alfred is like my favorite member of the Batfamily. Besides the whole saving the world, things is for supers.".

Mia leaned in closer to Xander "you know everyone can a be a hero,".

Xander could feel something inside of him turn and twist like butterflies were twisting themselves into knots inside his stomach. It hit so hard, and so fast that Xander didn't have time to properly state his next statement, instead blurting out "you can stay here if you like,." The instant Xander said those words, he tried to run them over with a clarification "like a home base, you know, just a place to come back to every now and again.".

Mia sighed. "I guess this is the part where you ask me to join the syndicate.".

"Not at all; he just likes you," said Sammy from behind them, making the two in front of her jump nearly out of their chairs.

"Holy shit, Sammy stop doing that!" exclaimed Xander.

Sammy placed a small clump of raw meat in her mouth. "Doing what?".

"Sneaking you on, people." said Xander.

Mia giggled. "Wait, what is this about you liking me?" she asked Xander.

"I-I have n-"

Sammy kicked her feet up as the next movie started to play. "Yeah he is totally into you, and if he isn't your type like his friends is in the sack, you hit the jackpot.".

Mia winked at Xander "In that case, I might consider staying."

Xander didn't say anything to Sammy but the looks could talk the one he gave Skin Walker would be one of thanks.

Across the city, once again, Amanda was getting still getting looked at by people, this time by students at Ace's high school while she waited for him in the car. A part of her loved the attention that came with being with Ace, but another part was worried about being caught, not as Mrs.America, and not even being seen across the country by her mom. Her mother would have probably been ok with this if she knew who she was hanging out with; maybe she would give her a high five. No, Amanda was worried about what her friend Haily and Bison would think. She hadn't spoken with them in days only to pop up in tabloids with Ace Ward. Now that would give them one hell of a reaction to being what probably looks like Ace Ward's latest eye candy.



My eye candy, yeah, right, she thought to herself. Amanda didn't consider herself ugly, but she also didn't consider herself all that pretty at the same time. So the thought of her dating Ace Ward was pretty funny. Besides, Amanda was sure they both thought of each other as friends due to the whole Reaper family thing. That didn't stop her from worrying about what her friends would think; she made a promise to herself that no matter what happened under her mask, she would always be there for her friends, but she also made a promise that she would do anything to keep them safe, Amanda worried how much this would conflict with them. However, her time of reflection was ended by a girl dressed in the school cheerleader's uniform.



"Hi, you must be new here? I'm Yazmin, but most people just call me Yaz or Yazzy.".



Amanda noticed she recognized that smile on her face all too well. It was the same plastic smile that Stacy from back home gave out, but this time it had a little bit more warmth to it, like the kind that Stacy gave to people who she thought mattered. Amanda remembered Stacy as she forced the same fake all-American smile back to Yazmin, modeling it off her own bully. "Cool, I'm Amanda; I'm just a friend of Ace from Texas.".



"That's like super cool; my sister is totally gonna try out to be a cheerleader for the Cowboys next year, so like, how did you meet Ace?"



Amanda didn't know why the next part came out the way it did, but it was the first thing "Superheroes…I mean we are like both into comics.".



Yazzy's smile actually grew wider, and there seemed to be a hint of genuine joy in it. "No way, I'm totally into comics; I've been trying to convince Ace to send some of my art and writing to Spader in New York," she said, pulling out her phone and showing off her Instagram filled with Oc's fan art, cheerleading, gymnastics, and cosplays. One of the drawings caught her eye. It was an Alex Ross-style drawing of…Amanda, or at least Ms.Amerika.



"You're Ms. Amerika's fan, huh?" asked Amanda.



"I think she fun to draw mostly because we actually got a few views of her, unlike our local urban legend here. The whole cape and cloak are sexy but damn hard to draw. Amerika is my favorite of them."



"Of them?" asked Amanda's



"You know the real-life heroes, it's like 8 or 10 of them now, but Ms. Amerika is the only online who interacts with people online. I know Black Power Zetaman are the closest to superman, but I get the more truth justice and a brighter tomorrow vibe from Amerika.".



"Really?" asked Amanda, her smile growing with some genuine emotions too.



"Plus, she is really pretty; say, um, I got class in a few, but if you wanna hang out, what your insta or snap?" asked Yazzy.



"I-I don't have run, but we can exchange numbers," said Amanda as she handed Yazmin her phone, and Yasmin did the same.



"That little stunt you pulled, Maxie boy coasted me a fucking letter grade!" said Massy as he slammed Maxwell against the wall of the empty hallway. "All you had to do is slide me some answers for the history final, but Nah, you wanna be a smart ass now I'm gonna have to slide my foot up to your ass.".



"Let him go, Mass!" yelled Beverly, trying to shove the massive jock off her boyfriend. Massy laughed. He was almost three times the size of the girl trying to shake him off of this little punk. "Fuck off, commie. Don't you have a place to firebomb." joked Massy before slamming Maxwell against the wall again. "Listen, Maxiepad, I tried to at least be cordial with you new money types, but if you tech freaks think you can do anything you want around here you are, but I got news for you, Maxie there are certain rules here, and if those aren't followed-"



"What happens if those aren't followed?" asked Ace, appearing from seemingly no well as he walked down towards them. "And what are those rules anyway I certainly don't remember attending any class meeting about any new school codes. Did I miss something? Or were you just trying to threaten a friend of mine because he wouldn't let you copy his work?"



"N-no Ace, I was j-just-" Massy started to stutter, dropping Maxwell to the ground.



Ace smirked. "Good because I would hate to be the one to personally call your dad to tell them that lucrative deal between our two companies got axed all because his son couldn't keep his hands to himself." Ace glared daggers into him as Massy spoke again, "N-n-no, I-I wouldn't want that-a-at."



"No, I wouldn't want that; what?"





Massy hung his head and sighed. "No, I wouldn't want that, sir.".



"That's a good boy. Now get the hell away from my friends," said Ace, his voice slipping near the low growl of the Reaper as Massy stammered off.



Ace then rushed over to his friend, helping him. "Max, are you ok?" the concern for his friend breaking away from his anger at Massy.



"Yeah." said Maxwell, and starting to walk off, Ace found himself once again rushing after his friend as Beverly followed closely behind him. "Maxwell, wait," called off Ace catching up to him, but he was met with a shove; Ace acted like it had more force than it actually had on him, faking a slight stumble back. "I-I just need to be alone," said Maxwell as he walked away. Beverly turned to Ace. "He didn't mean that Ace,"



"I know Bev, but I think he gonna need you right now.".



"Ace, you're best friend.".



"And you're his first love, that a kind of bond I just don't have with him.".



"He told you that?" asked Beverly



"Somethings doesn't have to be said, Bev," said Ace as he got ready to turn around and leave.





Ace was silent at first when he drove out of the school parking lot.


"Hey Ace is everything ok?" asked Amanda.



"Yeah, I was thinking about what to do next? You aren't afraid of heights, are you?"



Amanda eyed Ace. "I hope you are not asking me to ride on that Hoverboard with you?"



"No, I would probably have to charge for that ride," joked Ace. "But there is this fun little rooftop arcade place in the city that I may or may not have the power to rent out for the day completely.".



"In that case, the higher, the better," responded Amanda. "Just don't kill us on the way to get their speedy.".



"I would never," said Ace as he floored the gas.



"It's a good thing I'm indestructible," Amanda said to herself.



The air on top of the roof of the building wasn't as cold as Amanda would have thought it would be when she was looking up at the building; that being said, her new jacket probably helped with that a lot; it apparently had some cool insulation built into the lining to keep her extra toasty on cold days or in the case at more frigid heights. The top of the building while field with all the games someone would want to play, from the standard claw and booth games to the consuls and even a few simulated roller coaster rides. Yet the place was empty besides for the two of them and the odd staff who kept some of the non-automated rides running. The two teens had a time and a half playing around with the games and even did some karaoke. Amanda was pretty nervous with the singing part, but it turned out she had a better voice than Ace did, which he kinda got embarrassed over it, which Amanda did tease him about. They must have been up there for half the day because by the time their stomach started to growl, the sun was setting. Luckily enough, the rooftop had a small table and chair prepared for an afternoon meal.



"Hello, my name is Macy, and I will be your server for the evening. What can I get you guys?" asked the waitress Ace could practically hear her heart racing, and the nervous crackle gave it all the way. "First day, Macy?"



"Yes, sir, it is, although my dad works for the marvel in the toy assembling line, so I guess working for your runs in the family." joked Macy.



"Hmm, do you plan on following in his footsteps?" asked Ace, trying to be personable or at least enough to calm her down a bit.



"Yes, sir, I am, actually, but I wanted to get into design."



"Well, in that case, how I think I can put in a good word and see if you can get an internship."



"That would be great, sir," said Macy, her eyes lighting up like the fourth of July and the stress of whatever had been troubling her almost melting away. "So, what can I start you guys off with?"



Amanda and Ace looked at each other



"It's your city, so you should go first."



"Sweet tea mozzarella sticks for an appetizer and a stea-hamburger stuff.".



"Sounds good, and what would you like, ma'am?" asked Macy.



"Um, root beer and chicken tenders and fries with some honey mustard on the side, if that's ok?"



"You can't go wrong with chicken tendies, don't worry, guys; the mozzarella sticks should be right up for your appetizers, and I'm gonna go ahead and put your main order in," said Macy as she practically skipped off.



"Did you really just offer that girl her dream job?" asked Amanda.



"I mean, yeah, she seems pretty cool; what's the worse that could happen.".



"Is this like an everyday thing?" asked Amanda



"What? Offering Jobs?"



"No, well yeah, I mean the whole changing people's lives.".



"The people of this city have done so much for my family it's only fair for me to give back, even if it's just a little bit. Plus, the more the people of this city are happy, the less of my side job I have to do.".



"Wait, Ace, I thought you liked being a mask?" asked Amanda.



"I do; I would be lying if I said I didn't love parts of it. The flying above the city, the hide speed chases, and whole larping as a comic character will always be fun, but sometimes the most fun options aren't always the best. It's one thing to stop a mugging to make the thief think twice before robbing a store, but when you also have the power to help prevent someone from being forced into crime, if you have that power, then you should do everything; you can for that to happen."



Amanda thought about those words for a second, letting the words soak in. "Did you just "With Great Powers Comes Great Responsibility" Me?"

Ace smiled for a second "Maybe maybe not.".



Meanwhile, back in the Mansion, the gang was halfway through Thor when Destiny noticed something. "Where the hell did Sammy go?"



"Oh, she said something about leaving her coat in the bunker," said Cap eating a handful of popcorn that was soggy from the sheer amount of butter that it was drenched in. Destiny stood up, a flair of anger gracing her once calm face. "I will be right back."



"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Xander.



"She didn't bring a jacket." Destiny found Sammy accessing files on Ace's bunker computer.



"Quite the collection he has on us all," said Sammy, not even turning her head from the computer.



"Listen, Sammy, I know that looks bad, but you gotta trust me when I say Ace has it for a good reason."



"I don't doubt that, just jealous."



"Of what?" asked Destiny



"That his files are bigger than mine,"



"So that's why you snuck down here; we could have just emailed the files?"



"I didn't sneak,"



"Yeah, you totally didn't sneak; you simply lied and left the room without no one noticing.".



"Exactly.".



Destiny shook her head "So why are you back down here then?"



"Suit design," mumbled Skin Walker as Destiny gazed at the computer screen.



"The horns are a bit much, but I like the cape.".



"They are retractable, based on his designs for you."



"Well, at least someone is getting some use out of it; I keep trying to tell Ace the whole cape and cowl thing is his things, not mine.".



"The war always needs more bodies," said Sammy turning off the computer.





"You don't call it a war," asked Amanda as the two began packing any leftovers into to-go trays and doggy bags.



"Because it's not, well, not really. A war on crime doesn't work. You end up with the same cycles of violence. The fight is against the systemic issues of the system that help breed crimes for a large part. Crime is just the symptom of larger societal problems.".



"What about people like The Revenant? It doesn't seem like he would be happy with a white picket fence and all?" asked Amanda.



Ace paused for a moment the mental imagines of his tape sent to the media, the bodies of klansmen hanging from a lamppost, the sights of smoke after bombings, and then the mutilated corpse of poor Charlotte. "There will always be exceptions to every rule, but for the most part, Amanda, people will choose good over evil when it comes to the brass tax of things.".



"You believe that?"



Ace finished packing his food and placing a few bills on the table for a tip, not looking at how much it was before getting and leaving with Amanda. "I do, what about you, Ms.Amerika? What do you believe in?" asked Ace as they entered the elevator.



"I don't know. Cap said that some people just need their ass kicked, so they don't hurt the good ones. Personally I like your idea more than just the whole Black and a White idea.".



"Me too," said Ace, more to himself than Amanda. As the two were getting ready to leave, Macy rushed out behind them. "Sir, your money," she said, trying to hand back what had to be almost 600 dollars in cash that Ace had left on the table.



"What? Is there something wrong?" asked Ace.



"The money you gave is too much," said Macy. "It's two of my paychecks.".



"Then they should raise the minimum raise around here; keep the money, Macy; you will probably find more use for it than I would," said Ace rejecting the money but accepting the hug that Macy gave him. "God bless you, Mr.Ward."



"Your welcome, ma'am," said Ace with a smile.



"So what's the plans for tonight, a movie with the rest of the Reaper Family ReapFam? Or…"



"I actually have something else in mind.".


Amanda was thankful for her coat as the cold winter air brushed against her. Reaper seemed to be warm under all the layers of armor and cloak he had on, or at least he wasn't showing. Tyler, the person who they were currently handing off the duffle bags, didn't try and hide his emotions and a mix of surprised and joy at the sight of the two. The man was apparently the local guy in charge of the hill, one of the larger homeless camps in the city and the place the two heroes found themselves. The hill was a collection of tent and shanty houses built behind thickly wooded underbrush that bordered a highway and an near abandoned park which could only really be accessed by a tight trial or the air in the case of Reaper and his glider.



"So Reaps, is this some type of Batman and Robin thing?" asked Tyler handing off the bag to one of the other unhoused persons but not taking his confused eyes off of the brightly colored masked cowgirl.



"No, she is just visiting from Texas," said Reaper his echo like electrically augmented voice unrecognizable from the warm summer tone that Ace spoke in outside of the mask



"Right, listen, thank you, whoever you two are under those masks. Thank you. This means a lot to us." said Tyler, but Ace wasn't paying attention towards the edge of the encampment where a person could just see the end of the trail that led into the old park. It was there where Ace saw two people leaning against the car holding a brown envelope just out of reach of another, a woman standing nervously holding a suitcase filled with money. At first, Reaper assumed it was a drug deal until he saw the woman's face.



Dolly? It was the only thought that managed to cross Ace's mind before a massive fireball ripped through the brush into the edge of the camp. Followed by the sounds of semi-automatic rifle fire. Three men, two carrying AR15s and one with a homemade flamethrower, the road through the brush on top of dirt bikes, firing at random into the camp, yelling slurs about the "dirty homeless" in their "Antifa Ward War Camp." The scream of the people who had found themselves under attack drove the two heroes into the heat of battle. Amanda began to try and move people out of the path of the shooters taking a lot of their fire while Ace charged at the man with the flame thrower. Narrowly jumping above a secondary blast of fire aimed at him from the flame-based criminal. The heat of the fireball scorched the edges of his cloak. As his feet lifted the air, he longed at the man turning the leap into a high kick to his face sending the wannabe mass killer into a tree. The unconscious body of the man slumped against the old oak tree. Ace had thought he had killed the man at first until he began to regain consciousness trying to pick himself up, but before he could fully do so, Reaper reached into his cloak and pulled out bolas, then, with one solid throw, had them wrapped around the man and the tree.



Amanda, for her part, had been trying to draw the men's attention away from any of the civilians, moving the innocents out of the way while returning fire with her riot shot gun and taser pistols. This made the men focus on her, their bullets raining off her indestructible skin as they began to circle around her. Amanda found herself in a stalemate as while their bullets did nothing to her, the men had on some type of body armor, and thus the less than lethal rounds did nothing to them. That was when she had a brilliant idea. Amanda may not have been able to hurt them, but their bikes were free game. Ms.Amerika aimed her rifle low and squeezed the trigger sending the round into the mechanics of the lead dirtbike circularly around her, causing it to spin wildly and careening into the other bike, taking the both them out.



"Yeah, how you like that fuck nuggets!" said Ms.Amerika as the pain was starting to set in but hardly noticed it as her blood was still pumping hot. Amanda kicked one of them in the face before pulling out zip ties.



"Reaper, I got the guys-" Amanda called out to her fellow heroes, but he was in the air flying towards the park. There was only one thing on Ace's mind, Dolly. Yet the only thing that remained once he got to the park was footprints from Dolly running from the gunfire and skid marks from the car that had pulled off in a hurry. Ace was about to scan the area to see if he could find where the hell Dolly would have gone, but before he could drop a drone from his gilder, the impact of a sniper round struck his chest before exploding, sending shards of shrapnel through a few the few weeks spots in his suits. Reaper lost control of the gilder, and his body fell off, tumbling to the ground nearly 50 feet below, landing on the grass of a sandbox.



Ace moaned to himself; he could tell some bones were definitely broken, but nothing seemed deadly.



"Well, well, well what's dark brooding and bloody all over?" asked a woman skipping into Ace's view. Clothed in blue jeans patched with dark red flannel, chest armor, and a military jacket, what was the most noteworthy thing about her was the wide black and red smiley face drawn onto her rig under the face, the words "I'm having a killer time how about you?" was written. The woman was now standing over Ace now. Her face was spotted with white face paint Reaper could make out the collection of political pin buttons. Some seemed too real, others, and others were satire. "The Reaper!" said Nat as she pulled off a knife, stabbing in through another weak armor point, this time where the armor's and chest joint met. "Don't worry your head, ghost man I ain't gonna kill ya. I don't wanna ruin our fun, and plus Revy kinda has a man-crush on ya! But I am gonna hurt you tho!" the woman exclaimed cheerfully in an almost childlike tone as she twisted the knife deeper into the Reaper's armor before pulling it out. "Don't look so grim, Mr.Reaper, man, we are gonna have a world of fun with each other" the woman giggled at that "get it, Grim, because your name is a Reaper, sometimes I just crack myself up." She said as she skipped away, singing a tune "I don't give a shit because I don't give; if I gave a shit, wouldn't give fuck because I don't give a shit."



Reaper lay holding his side, confused and in pain, wondering what the hell had just happened to him.



"Mr.Reaper, are you alright!?" screamed Ms.Amerika



"Besides from the extreme pain, yeah, pretty much," said Ace, finally picking himself up off the ground as the sounds and sights of flashing red and blue lights could be heard in the distance. Ace stumbled for a moment before being caught by Amanda. "We gotta get out of here" Ace pressed and button on his gauntlet calling back his glider, stepping on it, and offering Amanda his hands "you might wanna hold on tight.".



By the time the two entered the graveyard, Ace was starting to feel already better, but Amanda insisted on patching him up. Ace didn't protest much so long as Amanda didn't wake anyone up with the news about the night and kept it to herself until the morning meeting; he didn't feel like hearing Destiny lecture him about being reckless that late into the night.



"Thanks for helping out tonight; we worked well together.".



"Well, you got shot. I let you get shot." Amanda's voice was heavy with regret and her eyes low.



"You did the right thing Ms.Amerika; the people who you saved from being shot probably would have died tonight; I can recover from this by tomorrow morning." Ace said as Amanda finished patching up the last of Ace's cuts, "You pretty good at this, Amanda, better than Xander, and that's saying something.".



"My grandma taught me how to; she was almost as good at fixing up cars as she was people.".



"She would have been really proud of you then," said Ace, standing up on his own and heading up to the bunker's staircase.



"Mr.Ward," Amanda called out, "Thank you."



Ace simply smiled. "Good Night Ms.Amerika.".



Ace went upstairs to his room, taking a long hot shower. As the water ran down his body, Ace reflected over the day's events or rather the night's events in his head. The words that the woman said to him haunted him like a warning of things to come. Whoever the woman was, she was working with the Revenant. Xander and Destiny had been right; the maniac wasn't working alone. They were planning something Ace knew that based on what the woman had said to him, but another part of the sentence sent a chill down his spine "we are gonna have a world of fun with each other." Somehow someway, Ace knew they were up to something larger and that he was a part of it.

The teen stepped into his bedroom only to notice the doorway to the nearby balcony being open halfway, and the sound of whispering could be heard coming from the outside.



Ace recognized that voice. "Sammy, is that you?"



"Probably why?" answered Sammy.



Ace walked towards the door, opening it to show Sammy wearing a short black silk lace nightdress. "Um, why are you talking to yourself on my balcony." If he was honest, Ace didn't really mind the fact she was in his home; there was no doubt that Sammy was at least as crazy as she was beautiful.



"I'm talking to Andrew; he's my old friend.".



Ace raised an eyebrow. "Is Andrew in the room with us now?".



Sammy sighed, pointing at the sky. "I'm not crazy, he was a friend of mine until recently, and now he is up there. It feels good to talk to him some time; I'm sorry if that's too crazy to understand.".



Ace approached her. "That's actually one of the sanest things I heard you say.".



"Thanks…I think," said Sammy as he leaned in towards Ace as he spoke again. "So that leaves one other question left? Why are you in my room?"



Sammy ran her hand down Ace's chest feeling the cuts and bandages and his warm skin before whispering in his ear, "I want a new suit.". This took Ace out of the moment in a snap of a second "W-wait, Sammy; you don't have to sleep with me for a suit.".



Sammy laughed, "Bullshit, c'mon, Ward, you don't have to carry on that bleeding heart bullshit with me. Can we just skip the Pretty Woman role play? Well, never mind on that last part.".



"You will get your suit, but I think you should leave my room," said Ace turning around.



Sammy looked into Ace's eyes at that moment while she once again placed her hand on him, this time over his heart; Sammy's eyes closed as her eyes.



"You actually believe the shit you talk," said Sammy shocked. "I don't know if you are idealistic or naive; not gonna lie, both are kinda hot." Sammy leaned before Ace stuck his arm out to push her away.



"You tend to forget that I am stronger than you ghost boy." joked Sammy.



"Listen, Sammy, if you're gonna stay, I don't want it to be like this," said Ace.



"Fine, ghost boy, I saw that you had a few games up hear so that we can do that instead of the actual fun stuff," said Sammy walking off back inside Ace's room.



Ace shook his head. Sometimes his life truly did feel like a badly written fanfiction.
 
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1967 Ford Mustang fastback? Is it purple?

May I suggest adding the 1969 Plymouth Duster in royal purple to Ace Ward's car collection.
 
1967 Ford Mustang fastback? Is it purple?

May I suggest adding the 1969 Plymouth Duster in royal purple to Ace Ward's car collection.
I actually have plans that involves a 69 duster. I'm sure Ace owns one his car collection is more similar to a museum than an actual garage. Imagine jay leno's garage but on steroids. But the car he gave to Amanda was bright red.
 
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He returned making a bit of a stumble, and would quietly leave the school bathrooms, only to damn near have a heart attack when he ran into Tank, Hachidori, Richie and Pink, all of whom immediately ask Blue "How?!".

It took him a little while to get what they were saying, as they were asking in different ways and at the same time, but he realised relatively quickly that they knew his secret, his powers

"You had fucking superpowers?", "How long could you do this?", "Y'rich and y'got powers?", just a couple of the questions asked…

But one managed to get his attention:

"You too?" Pink was the one who asked him this, and it wasn't long before her stopped and asked her

"Wait… What d'you mean 'You too'?".

Pink awkwardly glanced about with her wide eyes on her face, then she tells them to follow, Blue was just about to ask her what she was talking about before she grabbed him by the sleeve of his shirt, the rest of the gang swiftly following after them, Tank musing about how Blue was one lucky bastard, however they would proceed to find something about the girl called Pink, and about each other too.

"Listen I, I don't want anybody knowing about this, about me having powers okay? Like I—"

"We won't tell if you won't tell" Pink said, which confused Blue "…What?" Blue asked Pink.

Her eyes began to glow a hot colour before she raised her hand, which held this pink fire…

"Whoa, whoa!" Blue said backing into Tank "You've got powers too?" he asked them "Three"

Hachidori, with superhuman speed almost vanished before their eyes, brushing pass them, Richie would do almost the exact same thing, though he needed to actually run before he could actually do so, and he left a trail in the air before their eyes when he used his speed.

Blue couldn't believe it, meanwhile Tank told him "I'm like, super strong, like I recorded it" he went looking for his phone, intending to show Blue a video he made, one that showed the fact that he had super strength, showing him lifting a car, even doing so with one hand.

"This is big like fucking X-Men big!" exclaimed Blue, Pink eyes grew wide as a thought raced through her mind

"So what are we calling ourselves?" Chet asks "Ourselves? I'm just Tank"

"No you brute she means our team" said Hachidori

"Obviously we have superpowers we have to team up, it's just a thing that happens… Is it?"

"Happens where? You guys are jumping a lot of hills right now" said Tank, clearly skeptical

"In comics when a bunch of people get superpowers who already know each other they always team up and save the world, it's just what those people do, like the Fantastic Four"

"Who said we're gonna be superheroes?" asks Tank

"I mean do you want to be a villain? That probably means we are gonna go to jail at a certain point and my" asked Pink

"Yeah I'm too pretty to make it out alive in lock up" said Richie recalling many late night marathons of watching Beyond Scared Straight clips on Youtube "Listen we can talk about this later, but right now I think we all need to play it cool until we can find a safe place to actually talk about this, this isn't exactly the best place to be mapping out our new Cinematic Universe…".

As Blue left high school later that afternoon, he did so expecting to either take the bus or find himself somewhere to teleport away to, somewhere where he would not be spotted…

Then he noticed the car waiting in front of him, the car which Tank would point out to Blue…

It was Hugo in their midnight blue Bugatti Chiron, that car wasn't really hard for Blue miss.

"Hey kid, I'm dropping you home" Hugo said casually with a sly smile on his face "Come on"

Blue seemed nervous, Chet's asking him "Is that your fucking car man? That is sick as hell"

"Told your ma I'd give you a ride, so get in" Hugo said presenting the car to the young boy…

"Why not?" Blue thought, deciding to add some coolness points by getting into the Chiron. "How they hell did you get this thing?" asked Blue fastening his seatbelt "Money" he said "Which you have a a lot of thanks to gramps".

Blue was confused "Are you… Are you asking me for money?" he asked him, to which Hugo chuckled a little before he casually answered

"Come on… You're like, sixteen? I mean… What're you going to do with all of that money, it's better to let it sit with me until you are old enough to make smart choices?"

Blue asked "You mean like buying a supercar, I'm not just gonna give you the money, Grandpa gave it to me for a reason… And whatever it was, I'm gonna figure that bit out, with or without you"

"All I'm saying man is that, bad things can happen when people fall into a lot of cash, a lot of bad things can happen… That being said, if you wanna keep gramps' money it's fair game, but at least have somebody close watch over it, just so you don't blow it on some dumb chick or something… Of course that doesn't mean we—You can't have fun with the money"

Blue demeanour changed a bit as he relaxed well as much as could wild speeding down the streets far above the speed limits

"…You know what I think you're right about that last part".



The brownstone apartment was one of the oldest in the city and was also one of the more expensive homes at that, after all, it had been originally built and owned by none other than the Ward family as their resting home for whenever the family would frequent Philadelphia.

However the days in which apartment was built people of coloured was rarely allowed into those areas for anything other than working for the rich and powerful, so when the Wards moved in there was a great deal of controversy over it, so much so that the home was built with two guards both at the front door of building as well as what amounted to sniper nests just on its roof in order to provide protection.

The Wards had learned their lesson after their first manor in Atlanta was burned down by the klan, and they made sure that it would never happen again even as they rebuilt the current Ward Manor over the top of the old one…

Of course Blue didn't find that bit too important.

The most important bit of backstory for Blue, at least in his early youth, were the story's of hidden doorways and even a treasure room built by the Wards that he used to spend countless hours searching for but to no avail.

Polly could have told you that, as she too was among those who also went looking with him.

"The last thing I want is one of those early Facebook or Myspace parties where a shit ton of people I don't know come in, wreck my house and kill my cat… Hell, I don't even have a cat" said Blue as he let his friends into the apartment.

Blue had been attempting to move some of his grandfather's belongs into storage until he could find a proper place for them after the party.

And his friends almost immediately began to help him with out Blue even needing to ask.

"Well you getting any pussy is pretty par for the course" joked Tank as he picked up a large wooden box with no visible effort at all, but something pretty large slipped out of the boom due to Tank's recklessness

"…You gotta be shitting me" said Pink looking at the old poster.

Blue went to get a better look at the old poster for a band, one from the early seventies, "Arkham's Dumb Witch" whose lead singer looked oddly familiar to her, before she held Blue up next to the picture, almost comparing the two, and clearly noting the resemblance

"Yeah… Before he got into writing, he had a band, they only made like, two, three albums, apparently it fell apart after gramps girlfriend at the time ghosted him, either than that, I—" "

Your grandpa was a fucking rockstar?" she asked him "Yeah" he said, sounding surprised by her notable surprise, before she asked

"Blue, d'you have any idea what this means to me? they're like, one of my favourite bands"

"Really?" Blue asked her "Well, I would ask him to give you and autograph, but he's dead"

"Fuck" Pink said pacing about, looking at the album cover art they had framed on the wall.

The three albums, the self titled "Arkham's Dumb Witch", "Innsmouth" and finally "D.M.M.", the initials standing for

"Demented Mental Machines" otherwise known as something that the writer H.P. Lovecraft called for the people living in Chinatown…

Because Lovecraft was also an eighties, after school special level of a racist pig, and more of a caricature if anything.



The party wasn't project X, which was a good thing, Blue hated the film, but it wasn't exactly dead too, just enough to be bump Blue and co. up the social ladder, but thankfully not enough to ruin his new home…

He also saw Pink make out with another girl, so there's that.

However all was not well as just down the street Hugo watched on from a Dodge Challenger as two Russian men entered the party, both of them branded with dragon tattoos, one with it on his right hand and other on his neck, Hugo having decided to have called up a few of his friends, really friends of his friend, to put the fear of god into Blue, and maybe find the cash.

Meanwhile at the party, a question is raised

"Blue… I need you to tell me if you would chose fuckin Rita Dalí over Emma Alkebulan dude, if you want to give an answer, just do it, if anyone tries to judge you, I will personally kick their ass, I'll throw 'em out the fucking door" slurred Tank sloshing his cup around spilling beer on Blue's shirt before he had turned his attention to Polly, asking the meek girl

"S'what about you? Ward or Spader?"

"Dude, really, I'm not playing political smash or pass with you" said Polly before she up and vanished off into the partying

"Nice job Tank, you managed to run off another girl" said Blue

"Screw you Blue, just answer the question: Emma or Rita!"

Blue sighed before he tells him "Fine, just define what you mean" Tank asked "Blue, what the fuck are you talking about?"

"Like am I just sleeping with them or I am dating them?" so Tank clarified for them "Dating"

"Oh, then that's simple: Emma" said Blue, to this Tank nearly spat his drink out, asking Blue "WHAT?! WHY? SHE COULD KILL YOU!"

"Nah, she has the vibes of a yandere character, you know? if It was just sleeping, then it would be Rita, because there wouldn't be a chance that if I did something right I would die horribly afterwards, but if I'm dating Emma, then I've gotta be doing some right then"

"You need to touch some grass my dude, it's Rita all the way… Or both" Tank said, joking

"You probably have a thing for strong girls, or girls who'd slit your throat while your asleep".

In a far more quiet scene at the party, passing by Hachidori and Richie, Polly would go and find herself a wall to stand against, all the while she began casually reading a Lilly Star book, all the while "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" was playing, fitting, as her stories were scary stories.

Lilly Star was sorta like Lovecraft in a way, minus the racism, wrote for a common audience, yet wasn't afraid to delve into the bizarre and the otherworldly, most of her monsters were either misunderstood, or incomprehensible, yet delving into every phobia one could have… Suddenly, an arm's over her shoulder.

The hand the arm is attached to had itself a dark dragon tattoo on it "You reading a book?" they asked Polly "Reading at a party?"

"Uh… Yeah?" Polly said "What's your name girl?" slurs the man, clearly drunk, and Russian

"None of your business" Pink said rolling her eyes, these guys had to be total lames to crash a high school party when they were obviously years after graduation, one of the men, the one with the neck tattoo pulled Pink in close saying

"Well it's about to b—" he stopped as Pink kneed him in the nuts "Fuckin Bitch" he said back handing her to the floor as the room went silent almost as if it was a scene from a movie, but "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" played on.

The one with the neck tattoo picked Pink up by her collar with one hand and with the other struck her again

"Who the fuck do you think you is bitch!" he said about to hit her again as Blue and Tank ran into the room, having noticed the commotion "What the fuck's going on?" Tank, not thinking charged at the men before he was unceremoniously shot in the chess at point blank range by a desert eagle, the shooter being the Russian with the hand tattoo…

The sound of a gunshot alone was enough to cause the kids to flee the house, running over each other in a stampede to the door, some even jumped from open windows to get away from the shooting…

Blue look down at Tank wheezing from the gunshot then back up to the shooter…

A second later the Russian's hand was gone, not chop off but just clean cut gone.

Blue heard a strange wet thud behind his head as he watches that screaming Russian man.

Then a flash and the teens were all gone teleported to what could only be described as a safe room crossed with a museum.



The walls were soft blue with stacks of shelves filled with dusty books and antiques dating back what seemed to be centuries…

One such collection was a collection of masks from around the world by a fireplace that acted as the centre piece of this room.

"Whoa" Pink said as she looked all around, one mask in particular caught her eye, some old Japanese fox mask, one she'd tell Tank to help her get "Are you kidding me?" he asked her, right around the time that he noticed "Holy shit I'm not bleeding out! Fuck"

"Your bullet proof?" Blue asked him "He's concussion proof too?" Pink asked, musing how

"If that's the case, then he's the worlds greatest football player, somebody give me a boost".

Yet among the masks it seemed one of them was missing before Pink had got there, Bolt asking Blue "Where the hell are we?"

"Hey um Blue you good?" asked Tank "Also, do you know where the hell exactly we are?"

"We never left" Blue mumbled quietly

"Hey um don't tell me whole 'Beam me up Scotty' thing fired your brains man" joked Tank

"For real does anyone know where we are because the whole being shot thing made me very very hungry…"

Blue shook his head and pointed up towards the ceiling where chiseled into the very room itself was the Ward family crest

"Yeah… I think we just found the answer".

The young Blue's mind would have exploded at that point, then he would've pissed himself.

"Be not afeard" the voice said, almost ringing inside of their heads, bouncing about inside of their skulls before telling them once more

"Be not afeard" as Blue looked up and saw him standing before them, a hooded individual, at first appearing as a silhouette before turning to face them within a featureless mask

"Be not afeard" echoed like a faint whisper as Blue looked into the dark eyes of their mask.

The mask a pale colour for the most part, cold and white, save for the two eye holes and the symbol over it, a blue horseshoe shape, one that he soon recognised as an Omega symbol.

"Who the hell are you?" Tank asks him

"Your call to adventure" he tells them, before saying "I am Omega… And I am here to help"

"Yeah?" Pink asked "Well, if you're talking about the creeps, you're a little too late for that"

"The Russian 'Creep' you're referring to is a speck of dust to the problem that I seek to solve" Omega would explain to them

"…I am here to give the world an example to strive towards. And you dear children, are that example which I seek to introduce to the common public"

Blue and the others are visibly confused, and Omega seemed to have noticed this detail…

"The world is a dangerous place… Ghosts in Atlanta fighting crime, a 'Woman on the moon', a woman who can control the desert sands, superheroes and supervillains, good and evil"

Omega tells them "And for whatever reason, fate has chosen you to be a part of this battle"

"So what is this?" Richie asked him "What you want to become our Professor X, our Batman or something like that? Cool story bro, but like… We don't even know who the hell you are"

Omega smiled "For lack of a better word, yes" he said undoing the straps to the back of his mask t'show his face "Now you know".



There was collective gasp among the children before Blue spoke up "Holy shit" his eyes are wide with a kind of shock and terror…

"This is insane" Pink said "Why would you want to lead us anyway?" before he had answered

"Why the Arab girl? Why the Russian? Why the boy with blue eyes? Fate had demanded it".

Blue gazed into the eye of the man they seemed far too old to belong to someone like him.

Those eyes shining with powers and possibilities beyond the scope that any men should ever venture yet so alluring no one could possibly refuse its offer, strengthened as he spoke "Let's not delude ourselves, our world stand on the precipice of Armageddon the likes of which have not been seen since the days of Noah… As we speak now the Middle East is becoming increasingly unstable, the edges of Europe are burning in a endless brush war, there is unrest and unease in the west and the hands of the doomsday clock is ticking down as nuclear war threatening to plunge this world into dark age we may never recover from…"

"And let me guess it your duty to fix all of that?" asked Pink, as the man smiled, telling them

"No… This is yours… We are what the future needs even if it's isn't the one it deserves…" Omega would tell them

"Just as in the times of the ancient came myth of legendary heroes to champion mankind so shall the supermen do the same in our age" he'd leave them with "Now, consider my offer children… Because it may not be one that comes easily next time".

Smoked engulfed the man wrapping around him before he vanish into thin air leaving in his place a chest filled with materials, cloth, pads, helmets, body armour, and even some modern weapons even though there were plenty of older weapons mounted on the wall however most of those seemed to be far past their prime "Weirdest… Fucking party… Ever".



"Blue?! Blue?!" he heard someone calling, it didn't take him too long to recognise that voice

"It's Polly" Blue said "Holy fuck it's Polly! We just left her back there… Oh shit… Holy shit"…

It was just after fetching the gear that Blue, with a heavy sigh decided that they should leave.



"Blue—" they'd teleport in front of her.

"Holy shit… What happened to you?"

"Long story, I'll text you it later… What happened to those creeps?" Blue had asked Polly.

The Russians had made a run for it not long after one of their hands had suddenly vanished. Hugo was of course a little surprised.

"What the fuck is going on?" he asked, right before noticing that one of them was missing their hand, he was surprised, but not terrified, more annoyed by the bleeding if anything…



They kids would all go home after this, Blue having told Polly everything "Fuck" was all she could say, all the while Blue had carefully went to pick up the severed hand with a Sheridan towel, staining it as he went to look for somewhere to hide it, as he cleans around the house.



"Okay… So we're doing this…" Blue thinks to himself as he begins to work on his costume.

Said costume wasn't anything remarkable, just a blue hoodie and matching pants, and this scarf he had borrowed from Polly some time ago, said time being long ago, to the point that he wasn't even sure if Polly remembered it, she certainly never brought it up to Blue at all…

"You got a reaction… You got a reaction didn't, you? You took a white orchid"

Pinks boot boot cladded foot was almost tapping along to the music as she calmly prepared a costume

"You took a white orchid and turned it blue; Something better than nothing" the phone sings on, she was actually the first to finish her suit which seemed to be a combination of very light ballistic and ceramic riot cop armour, some of it fetched from the hidden room…

She'd make use of the Japanese mask.

Pink sprays on her mask what essentially anti-surveillance art, seemingly random shapes, mainly pink, black and white, though mainly painted over the eyes, though she thought that it made her look a like a glamorous, glittery, frankly flamboyant rocker from the 80s.

Pink did not mind their look "Bitchin"

"How dare you, how old are you now, anyway? How dare you, how old are y'now, anyway?".

With hardened fingertips, Tank carefully sowed a bright yellow letter 'T' onto a red shirt, one which showed off his arms and would hug his limber and muscular figure, meanwhile he'd make himself this red face mask using some tutorial video on Youtube made back in 2020.

Bolton would repair this old, sound and motion activated, LED hoodie which he had bought years ago, the blue hoodie lighting up in vibrant neon lights once he had clicked it back on.

He'd also speed about his room wearing different types of goggles, trying to see which ones looked and felt better on him running.

Kato Hachidori tried on this black leather domino mask, checking herself out in the mirror.

She's wearing held old school uniform, her one from her time living in Japan, pondering a superhero name, one fitting for someone like her, someone with superhuman speeds, that's until she received the text from Bolton

"Hey Hummingbird, check this out" it was a video of his suit in action, the LED's lighting up the hoodie as they played some music

"Hummingbird" was a nickname Richie used for her, a rough translation of her name, really... Either way, she liked the sound of it.
 
Snow On The Bluff
"In a virtual speech today infront of the United Nations Emma Alkebulan took aims at the US lambasting several anti trans laws in Texas and Florida calling for and I quote here "The international community to place sanctions against this rogue regime as it represented a threat to global liberty.".

The adopted white daughter of the Venan Dictator would go on for nearly two hours about the and I quote again here "the abhorrent crimes against humanity which includes genocides of natives Americans and the enslavement African and the largest prison labor system in the modern age." before ending her speech with a call to "Place UN peacekeeping boots on the ground in order to help anyone in need within the confines of this rogue regime which is the greatest threat to freedom loving people since the days of the axis.".

Her speech of course has anger within many pointing out her country's own human rights abuses. This also comes on the heels that the current Venan may be grooming her to rule the African country, something which is regarded as offensive by a sizable chunk of the Venan population as highly offensive. If she is to take power it would mark her as the third woman in modern Venan history to lead the country.".
-Jacob Trapman New Moons News December 7th, 2024

"I myself don't see a damn thing wrong with the speech sister Alkebulan gave today. Even if the so called allegations against Vena government is true which I have a great deal of reason to doubt, it would be small chump change to what the United States of America have done to People Color.".
-Imani V. Clair Imani Speaks:The Podcast December 7th, 2024


Video Of Myanmar Federal Forces Reportedly Using Napalm Against Rebel Control Village Rumored To Housed Gen Z Army Meta Human.
-Popular Front December 7th, 2024


Causes For Harlem's "Blue Lighting" Storms Are Yet Unknown. .
-Weather Channel December 7th, 2024


Villain Punk A Radical Leftist Sub Culture That Praises People Like Zero and Hannah HellFire.
-Kelly Hatter New Moon News December 7th, 2024


California Legislators Propose New Laws Targeting Masked Vigilantes.
-CNN December 8th, 2024


Clashes in Artsakh Stokes Fears Of Another War Between Armenia & Azerbaijan

Who is Amanda Diaz? Ace Ward new friend or lover?
-tabloids December 8th, 2024


MASSIVE PROTEST IN DC IS NEEDED TO STOP ELECTORAL FRAUD!
-Ron DeSantis (Twitter) December 8th, 2024


20 School Girls Kidnapped By ISWAP Reportly Saved By The "Splinter".
-The Atlantic December 8th, 2024


"Proud Boys found beaten and hogged tied near reported homeless encampment to be charged after several unhoused people claim that they attempted to "burn the encampment".
-New Moon News December 8th, 2024


The FBI Has Confirmed That The Vigilante Known As Skin Walker Is A Person Of Interest In Serval Murders.
-CNN December 8th, 2024

Alpha and Omegas Sell Out Of Shelves In Wake of Plane Crash and Rise Of The Supermen.
-the Guardian December 8th, 2024



10 Arrested After Militant linked to the Illinois White Holy Knights Of The KKK attempts to fire bomb a Black Mosque ends with a one sided shoot out between them a the meta human Black Power. This marks a stark escalation in Klan violence in recent years.
-SPLC January 18,2022 December 8th, 2024



Ace Ward is an anti American Vena plant
-random Twitter user
|
Take that Mr.Ward is a great man!
-Ma_Cy09 (twitter) December 8th, 2024


Inside The Pro Choice "Underground RailRoad.".
-Vice December 8th, 2024


Fire On The Mountain Canceled From Production By Amazon
-Buzzfeed December 8th, 2024


Mrs America? Merica? MsAmerica? Ms Amerika? Debate Ranges On What To Call The Texan Vigilante.
-Fox News December 8th, 2024


Batman The Live Action Series To Be Streamed On HBO Max With Budget Of 20 Million Per Episode
-Buzzfeed December 8th, 2024


Massive Fire Destroy Housing New York Development Kills 10 NYPD Have Yet To Release A Statement
-BBC. December 8th, 2024


Woman Lynched In Sudan After Reports Of Her Being Able To Control Wild Dogs.
-News24 December 8th, 2024


Qanon Protesters Clash With Security Near Ace Ward Community Homesteading Model Project
-News2Share December 8th, 2024



I got footage of "Captain Slaughter" beating up some boneheads who were attacking some trans women in Atlanta.
Man_The_Can_37
|
So that's what he was doing while I was out with Reaper huh.
-The_Real_Ms_Amerika
|
So you can confirm that was him based af! If you can you get Cap to post on here and talk about it. Also did you change your username or something?
|
Grey_Ghostie
|
Yeah I thought it would be cooler with the K honestly, but I can try and type out word for word what Cap says he isn't good with computer total boomer syndrome. "What do you techno geeks know?"
The_Real_Ms_Amerika
|
Did you know the women were trans before you helped them or was it just a spur of the moment?
|
Grey_Ghostie
"What the fuck is trans? Is that like some star sign strategy bullshit? Listen I saw some fucking punks putting their hands on chicks, so I beat their ass. Any man who try and attack innocent women are fucking pussys and losers."
-The_Real_Ms_Amerika
Exchange on herowatch.com which viral as a meme December 8th, 2024


News Footage Shows Uncle Sam and Liberty Seen Adding Victims In New York Apartment Fire With First Responder Collaborating With Them.
-CNN December 8th, 2024


"We have a probable cause to belive the fire was in fact was an act of terror"
-NYPD press conference December 8th, 2024


Texas Lawmaker Draft "Supervillain Bill" Which Propose Giving Longer Sentence To Those Using "Extra Human Powers". Some Have Already Called It An Act Of Discrimination.
-MSNBC December 9th, 2024


The Vena Premiere Announced That The Government Will Grant "Refugees Status" For Any Trans Persons From America.
-New Moons News December 9th, 2024


"They Are Just Friends" -Says Ace Ward Ex Girlfriend Dolly Anne On Amanda Diaz
-Tabloids December 9th, 2024


Blue Lighting Storms Strike Powerline Near Harlem
-Weather Channel December 9th, 2024



How the Desert Woman Has Become A Symbol Radical Youth In The Global South.
-The Scarlet Wire December 9th, 2024


Zazie Beetz Confirmed To Play The "Joker" In HBO The Batman tv show.
-New Moon News December 9th, 2024


Maxim Corp Strikes Lucrative Government Contract With William Massy After Business Venture With The Ward Company Unexpectedly "Axed" By Ace Ward.
-Bloomberg December 9th, 2024


First day at my internship wish me luck guys
-Ma_cy 09 (twitter) December 9th, 2024



Follow the crumb trails, the birth of the supermen are not a sign of the end but an evolutionary step towards true enlightenment. The prophet has already given the herald of these times but his words fell upon deaf ears as fantasies.
-first post by The_Omega on 4chan, Hero Watch, 8chan, Reddit, Twitter, Gab,and Facebook December 9th, 2024.
 
Excellent and far better then DCEU and Marvel:
The Bilionare Super-hero is actually aware of the Social Problems and tries to solve them.
Vena is a much more realistic and darker Wakanda equivalent.
The American politics are depressive, but Realistic

You got yourself a reader and a fan!
 
You got yourself a reader and a fan!
That's truly means a lot old sport.
The Bilionare Super-hero is actually aware of the Social Problems and tries to solve them.
That was something I really wanted to do when creating Ace. I didn't want him to be the twitter meme depiction of Batman where he just take out his trauma on poor people. A lot of Ace values comes from Destiny and Maxwell as they grew up in both sides of the class spectrum so a lot of their consciousness rubbed off on Ace and Xander.
Vena is a much more realistic and darker Wakanda equivalent
A lot inspiration of Vena relationship with the US comes from the 2000's BET Black Panther series.
A little side note Vena is actually inspired by two fictional nations from marvel Wakanda and Latveria. I have some major plans Emma and Splinter (the two children of the dictator of Vena).
The American politics are depressive, but Realistic
I try to frame fantastical events within how people would probably react to it in our world. Realistically if people like Black Power and Uncle Sam started showing up and breaking up neo Nazis marches or stoping police brutality they would be treated like criminals themselves. Another thing I try to give is different political ideologies. Cap is far more skeptical towards the community aid side of being hero preferring to just kick ass and take names while someone like Ace try to compromise Bishop and do both.
Excellent and far better then DCEU and Marvel:
Honestly I kind of took the watchmen approach when it came to some of these heroes. For example Sammy is based off of Rorschach with both of them being unhinged vigilantes/conspiracy theorists.
 
Chapter 8: The Days Of Tomorrow
The sound of a large metal door thudded to the ground rung out as an up-armored MRAP used its attached battering ram to drive it down. Across the fallen door came the clambering of heavy jackboots belonging to a soup of half a dozen different federal agencies backed up by NYPD SWAT teams and counter-terror units. Clad in body armor and armed with night vision lenses and M4s with a mounted flashlight, the agents unveiled themselves from the darkness to see scores of corpses thrown about all over the dirt and blood-covered floor of the abandoned factory. It was like slaughterhouse blood pooled around the agent's boots as what was left of the Neo Nazis Bikers' faces gazed back up to the agents through their lifeless eyes, frozen forever in a single moment of terror.

An Asian American man walked into the room behind the officers. The tall man stood out like a sore thumb; the only thing his outfit, a collared shirt, blazer slacks, and Jordans, shared with the rest of his men was the color black.

Walking passed the shaken men, agent Yin looked down through his round tinted sunglasses at the bodies; he sighed; Yin was gonna need new shoes.

"Jesus fucking Christ, are those bite marks!" exclaimed one of the bodies armored clad swat officers, pointing out the chunks of missing flash from some of the intact bodies. "The fuck did we walk into, sir! What the hell happened here.".

"She was hunting," said Yin.


"Hunting?" asked one of the policemen.

"Officer, tell your men to fan out and secure the doors and windows of the plant. I don't want her escaping."

"Her escaping? Wait, whoever or whatever did all of this is still in here with us!".

"Do not fire at unless fired upon." was all Agent Yin said as he began to follow a blood trail, the agency, or rather the proto agency that had put him in charge of this task force, made it very clear that his mission was to make contact or at the least conform Skin Walker existed and if possible make contact with her. Someone with her set of skills could be all too useful to the US government or to one of her's enemies.

Walking his own path following the trail of blood, Yin would find what he was looking for in a dark corner of the building where the sight and sounds of a shapeless blob hunching and slashing away at the corpse made him take a step back; the agent pressed a button on his earpiece saying "I got her.". The thing paused its movement at the sound of Yin's voice before it rose up to face Yin. At first, the thing was far shorter than he expected, although that began to slowly change as he crept forward towards him.

The figure was now just in the slight view of the light enough for Yin to see its costume; the main body was black as night with the only thing breaking up the dark silhouette was the scarlet red upside-down triangle at its center with a deer skull being the centerpiece of the shape. Flanking the body was a black cape with a deep red inner lining. On its head were matching crimson horns. Foe, a brief rows of razor-like rows of teeth, rippled across its otherwise featureless head in a wave as it let out a low growl like that of a wild dog before the teeth vanished and its face began to morph yet again. Yin took a step back as he saw his own eyes looking back at him. Then in his own voice, it spoke.

"I got her" something was off about the voice. It was like someone was playing a recording of different words he had spoken to make a new sentence. The face was also deep inside the uncanny valley; it was off and unnatural as it mimicked Yin's voice.

Yin regained his composure, walking towards the figure, and was about to speak when a red dot appeared on Sammy's chess, followed by dozens of more red dots from the swat team.

"DON'T MOVE!" they seemingly yelled in unison, which pissed off Yin to no end; of course, the NYPD would get trigger happy." Stand Dow-"was the only thing Yim managed to say before Skin Walker dodged out of the way of the hell of bullets. She moved like a mist, weaving in and out of crossing gunfire before latching onto the wall and scattering along its sides like a lizard as the bullets began to close in on her. The lead shower followed Skin Walker until she managed to find an exit through the old abandoned smokestack.

The cold air of the night blew Sammy's cape in the wind as she leaped from building to building using the latter more than her feet or her grapple gun. Her new outfit was something special made by Reaper originally for Destiny; Ace's project shadow found new life as Sammy's new suit. It was near perfect in terms of designs for her. The cape was perfect for gliding and was near bulletproof to most rounds but lightweight enough to not slow her down all too much. The same, to a lesser extent, was true for the suit. It was made with some type of interlocking weave that stiffened and became hard on impact, while any other time, it was highly flexible when in motion.

Yet the most impressive thing about the suit was its "morph factor camouflage." Essentially different parts of the suit could change an aspect of its color or shape, be it done through mechanics like her shoes being raising and lowering themselves to change her height by up to a foot or through more high tech ways, like the color on her suit changing to resemble civilian clothes using a special kind of paint it was coated in that could change preset pattern when targeted with the right amount of electricity. Or that was what she remembered Ace saying; she wasn't paying all that much attention to the details, and Sammy was too busy looking at his ass to hear a lot of his words.

As she latched on to the Spader tower, her cape began to fold around her changing its color to something that resembled a brown trench coat as his boots morphed into high-heeled leather boots while her armored black bodysuit stayed the same minus the symbol on her chess. It didn't take her all too long to climb the building up to the penthouse apartment balcony, where she could gaze at a sleeping Spader from an open window.



The sight of fire surrounds Spader as he desperately claws away at the rumble of the bomb outbuilding, but the fire is too much, and as the cries of the victims only grow louder and louder…Spader jolted up in his bed, falling off it at the sounds of someone taking a step into his apartment.

"Nice landing," Skin Walker joked; her voice was far more human than when she spoke to Yin, which stood in very stark contrast to the black featureless void where her face should be.

"S-skinWalker?" said Spader pulling himself from the floor as he tried to recover his coolness. "You were supposed to be in the city hours ago.".

"I was," said Sammy taking a seat on a nearby sofa. "Got hungry had biker for lunch."

"Is that like a restaurant or.."

"More like a buffet," said Sammy, right around the time Spader noticed that she was covered in blood and currently sitting on a sofa that cost more than a brand new SUV. "This isn't a booty call, and no offense, you're not my type, so let's cut to the chase.".

"Find, but I need to tell you the story first; it may help explain things.".

….
A few hours earlier, Spader found himself on the rooftop of a run-down apartment building overlooking an equally round-down neighborhood. He had to get out of his apartment; it was all too much, too overwhelming, for him to examine the same evidence over and over again, hoping to find the smallest clue to who had done the bombing. He needed to clear his mind the more time he spent in his lab looking for clues, the more the images of the victims flashed in his mind, and their cry's ringing out in his ears.


"You lookin for the monster, aren't you, angel?" asked a homeless child from behind Spader, catching him off guard. The kid was maybe 12 or 13, obviously strung out with track marks on his arm and dressed in a dirty grey hoodie and an equally unpleasant pair of blue jeans.

"Monster?" asked Spader.

"She ain't up here to bright for things like her, not enough of us to feed to her plants gotta do down deep below the soil if you were looking for her, monsters don't get to close haven Angel you gotta go down deep where the forgotten are." said the kid.

"Any suggestions on how to get to that place?" asked Spader, to which the boy, half nodding out, said, "There is an old floor shop used to shoot up there back when it was a trap till the monster moved in used it as her portal to hell." was the last thing the kid said before nodding to sleep. Spader sighed at the sad state of affairs the kid was in; he looked far too old to be so young. Ace of Spades returned to the air taking flight above New York City. Except for this side of town was far different from the one they showed on tv. It had been only a few years into the economic shit storm hit, and the city already had changed tent and tarp makeshift homes crowded is sidewalks in back alleys stitched together from whatever scrounged up little materials the poor souls who had to call them home could find.

The apartment building wasn't any better as shanty shacks clung around the sides of the building, hitching them precariously onto balcony ledges and roofs like vines wrapped around a tree. Smoke from the makeshift chimneys, fire pits, and stove merged with the smug that rose up from the packed traffic of the roads and trains, making the air hard to breathe as a slush of half-frozen rainwater began to fall from the drearily dark gray winter sky. While hard to breathe in the man-made fog of pollution provided Ace Of Spades invaluable cover for daytime operations.

Eric Spader didn't come to this side of the city often; in fact he the last few years, he may have only visited maybe once, and even then, he stuck to the edges of the "hood ."He didn't know how bad it had gotten, and it looked like something out of dystopian artwork, a dying city built over itself. Spader remembers the poverty of 08, but this was something else, something far worse. The flower shop stood out; like a lot of businesses in the area, it was boarded up in abandoned to collect dust and cobwebs; except there were no unhoused people there taking up residence; it was as if the shop itself was toxic.

Spader landed at the back of the building sneaking in through an open window. The inside of the shop was like a rainforest, hot and humid, with the plant overgrowing everything and a total contest to the outside. Among the thick stocks of flowers and vines, Spader could swear he could see the movement of something almost like a snake stalking him. Through the mini tropic, there was a trail that led to a work access door; through it, Spader found a laboratory untouched by the planet life and even the age and decay of the exterior of the building.

The lab, or rather the mini bomb factory, was something out of a political action thriller filled with explosive materials and other bomb parts, all of which were seemingly homemade yet still probably required a great amount of skill and knowledge to make them.

Spader felt his footstep on something unsteady under a rug. He bent down to remove the rug, only for him to find a trap door. Spader struggled the lift the cast iron trap door open; it weighed at least a few hundred pounds. Eric noted to himself as he struggled to lift the door that may be adding an exoskeleton to his armor was the way to go, even if it did add additional weight to him.

The first thing that hit Eric as he lifted the trap door open was the raw smell of the rushing pungent sewage water that burned his nostrils as Spader gazed at the mess of running liquid filth rushing just below him in the color of brownish water with a toxic green haze bubbling up from its depths. Eric recoiled as the swamp-like steam hit him, but as he did, Ace of Spades saw something tapped to the underside of the trap door; it was a black lockbox. Eric squatted to examine it, reaching out and taking the box in his hand; no sooner did Ace Of Spade do that than did an explosion blow him into the rushing water below him.

The water threw him around like a rag doll, washing from wall to wall, nearly drowning Spader. Eric could see flashes of memories in front of him, yet it wasn't his life; it was the victims of the bombings, their faces, the faces of the children. Then nothing, just darkness; Spader woke back up being dragged out of the water by people. Their hands were dirty and rough, but the looks on their faces were that of compassion and warmth. Their clothes were just dirty as the water they had fished Spader out of, but at least the underground ledge was dry.

"You ok, Angel?" asked one of the unhoused persons who had helped Eric out of the water. He was tall, pretty well built, and with a large bushy beard that made him look like a cross between a powerlifter and Saint Nick; around his neck was a clerical collar.

Spader coughed our water in his throat. "Why do people keep calling me that.".


"It's a nickname, a lot quicker to say than Ace Of Spades, but to each their own, I guess. The name is Pastor Christian, but most people call me Chris around here." said the man fanning his hand across the small little underground shanty town built from the underground sewerage and abandoned subway system. "Welcome to pit city population 250; sorry about the smell; ain't much we can do about that".

"You all live down here like-?" asked Spader before he was cut by a young woman may be as old as Lucus, maybe a little younger she was have starved, and her eyes were a dull blue just like one of the boys he met on the roof "Rats? I know this place ain't haven Angel, but we didn't really get the option to live in paradise.".

"Jessica!" said Chris. "Control yourself; it's not like he is the one who cast us down here. No, that was the work of men in their ivory towers."

"Well, I like Sunny more," she commented.

"Listen, Padre; I just need directions to get out of here."

"Follow the light, Angel; it will lead to a manhole cover; it leads up throughout little exit to the real world." joked Jessica pointing to a string of lights along the sides of the ledge that they were stationed on, which seemed to lead to a ladder which Spader crawled upholding his obvious hurt side refused any aid from the people of the pit as he climbed through a small manhole cover which didn't lead to the street but an empty crypt. Making his way out of the crypt, Spader saw the light of the dying sun as he realized he was at the edge of the hood and better-off part of the city. He could even see his tower from the cemetery that was situated between an abandoned apartment complex and a soon-to-be-open Whole Foods. Covered in mud and guck, Spader pressed a button on his utility belt and waited for his motorcycle to arrive. Soon enough, a heavily modified low-slung Matt black Ducati came to pick him up.

"So you left them to rot?" asked Sammy, her mask remaining on.

"What?"

"The people of the Pit? You aren't going back for them?"

"And do what? I'm a superhero, not a miracle worker.".

Sammy bit her tongue while moving on to the topic at hand in order to avoid biting out Spader's neck. "What's in the box?"

"Your guess is as good as mine; we haven't been able to open it," said Susan walking into the room and handing Sammy the box. "Do you have experience in combinations?".

"No," Sammy's right middle fingertip began to change as what seemed to be a bone-like metal claw broke its way through where Sammy's nails once were; blood gushed from the open wound only for a second before it quickly healed, leaving a single claw at the edge of her middle finger and with this cake sam began to cut open the top of the box like a hot knife through butter.

Susan and Spader nearly gagged at the body horror that just unfolded before them, yet Sammy seemed completely unbothered by it all and continued to cut away at the box.

"Does it hurt?"

"Only if I care," said Sammy as she finished cutting open the push; inside were at least two dozen bound papers. "It's a manifesto, typical of terrorists."

"Oh great, looks like we got reading to do," said Eric.

"You gonna have to read to me," said Sammy.

Susan raised an eyebrow. "Are you blind?"

Sammy rolled her eyes under her mask. "I can see just fine."

That was when it hit Spader "Y-you can't r-"

Spader could feel like Sammy glaring at him through her mask, and if looks could kill, Spader would be in the grave. "Shut up and read."

After about an hour of reading with Sammy asking a question or for Spader to repeat the information from time to time, they were done.

"She is an orphan, more than likely taken in the system, bouncing around homes a lot, but is brilliant, definitely made the news before, probably got into activism in college," said Sammy.

"You got all of that from female Ted K?" joked Susan.

"The constant reference to things being stolen like a child from their parents when she is talking about resources being taken from the earth and comparing earth to a dying mother along with her rants against the CPS system pretty much lays that part out the next part is common sense really." said Sammy "From bomb you described being used it would take a great deal or chemical and mechanical know how to do. We are dealing with a genius with a grudge against the system.".

"So that narrows it down to every smart person who the government pissed off ever," said Spader.

"Wait, I got an idea," said Susan, rushing out of the room.

In the meantime, Spader turned on his tv to the news; another report of a shoot-out between bikers and swat played after the police raided the building over sex trafficking refugees from Ukraine.

"Cover-up for your work?"

Sammy just smiled at that but frowned as Spader spoke his next words.

"You don't have to kill every man who breaks the law; it's ok to send some people to prison."

"Men go to prison; monsters are simply slain.".

"That simple, huh? No trial, no judge, no jury, just an execution?"

"Somethings just need killing," Sammy said as Susan rushed back into the room right about the same time another story began to play on the news.

"We got a match for the owner of the flower shop; it used to belong to the Mr. and Mrs. Summers until 08; they lost it in the crash then apparently moved out west and joined up with some green cult.".

"So we are dealing with cultists?" asked Spader.

"Not quite; Mr. and Mrs. Summers died almost a little over a decade ago" At first, I thought it would be another dead in until I found out they had a daughter," she said, handing over the laptop to speed, showing a young woman blinded hair blue eyes standing at some type of expo.


Spader skims through the page "Flora Summers says here she wasn't just a genius but one hell of an activist for the environment."


"And apparently, she has the arrest record to prove it; unfortunately, she apparently went missing a few weeks ago. I did manage to find out where her girlfriend stays due to some open-source geo-tracking from the pictures taken off her Instagram page." Susan stood triumphantly with her hands on her hip before she looked at the news playing on the tv.

"This is Jacob Trapman at the top of the early morning hour for your sunrise bulletin. One of our top stories is coming in from Augusta, Georgia, where there were heavy sub-bullet clashes between different factions of a pro-choice woman march. The clashes first started online when the organizers of the main march removed controversial activist Imani V Clair. Imani has accused organizers of "Censoring a Black woman who refused to center white women on the issue that had historical ties to BIPOC women." The clashes between the two competing fought for around 15 or so minutes before armed members of the group calling themselves "The New Deacons For Defense" broke up the fight positioning themselves between the protesters."

Sussan sighed. "Way to sink the same boat we all are in.".

Sammy scoffed, "Since when have we ever been in the same boat as you?"

"At the end of the day, we are all women."

Sammy stood up. "Were we all women when women who look like me were being sterilized?" Sammy walked out towards the window she had come in before she left Skin Walker to face Spader. "Seems like that boy was right; maybe you do spend too much time in the sky. If you need me, I will be on the ground." with a flash of thunder, Skin Walker was gone before the sound of thunder could even reach Eric and Susan's ears.

Sammy was disgusted with the city. The flickering glow of neon lights hugged the old buildings, wrapped around them like tight clothes on rotting corpses. That was how Skin Walker saw most major cities as husks of humanity voided of ecology, instead of being nothing more than dead zones of late-stage capitalism where people would work, live and die within less than walking distance without never truly leaving their overpriced pod-like homes paying rent to a blood-sucking landlord. Skin Walker hated cities almost as much as the woman she was currently chasing; in many ways, Skin Walker thought of her and Flora as similar, but there was a key difference, Sammy may have hated modern cities, but she wasn't willing to sacrifice the lives of hundreds of innocent in order to completely destroy them.

"It was a matter of good and evil, and this Flora is a later." thought Sammy to herself as she fired up a mini homemade spot life with a spade symbol over the top of it and waited.

"Really, a spotlight, wouldn't that be more suited for your boyfriend?" said Spader as he landed in a new suit; his old begging halfway blown apart gave him a chance to try a different variant of his suit. It was far less "pointy" with the spikes being shortened. The wings were retractable at the cost of some speed, but what made it truly stealth was its grey and black urban camo paint.

"I just have sex with him sometimes, and we aren't dating.".

"Right Ace, "The forever playboy" Ward," joked Spader as they looked at the apartment through its open window.

Sammy rolled her eyes. "She is in the shower. I have been watching her for the last few hours; we can sneak in and ask her a few questions once she gets out."

"Wait isn't that ille-"but Sammy was already through the window, landing silently; Spader sighed as he followed behind her,

Helen wrapped a towel around herself as she got out of the shower. Helen nearly jumped out of her skin as she opened the door before she was to figure one cloaked in the black and red adorn with horns and the other black and grey with what seemed to be metal wings. In the darkness, the two figures look almost like demons. Yet it only took a brief moment after Helen screamed for her to recognize at least one of the figures.

"Ace Of Spades?"

"Flora, where is she?" said the other smaller figure as it approached Helene. Its face and voice seemed so familiar to her; that was when Helen recognized it as her own face and voice. The young woman took a step back, but suddenly Skin Walker grabbed her and slammed her into a wall. "Talk now, while you still can," Sammy growled out at the woman.

Spader attempted to pull off Sammy from Helen, but he was sent flying across the room like he was nothing by Skin Walker.

"I-I don't know. I swear to god I don't know!"

Sammy's claws dug into the woman, not deep enough to seriously hurt Helen but enough to cause pain. "Not good enough." Skin Walker growled.

"Fine, we broke up a few months ago; she got way too radical for me; I'm all for putting nails in trees, but Flora she went full eco fash, talking about limiting the population and how there were too many breeders for the earth to handle comparing groups of people to parasites. That wasn't my scene, so we broke it off once she fell down that rabbit hole. I haven't spoken with her since I swear!"

Sammy dropped Helen to the floor before walking past Spader and jumping out the window; the two came in. Sammy was across serval rooftops before Spader managed to land in front of her.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!"

"We got the information we needed, or at least all she knew about her. Seems like a good night for me," said Sammy shrugging Spader.

"You could have hurt her!" exclaimed Eric.

"If I wanted her hurt, she would have been wise up, Spader; this isn't some CW shit; every moment we spend is another body that can hit the floor."

"You think I don't know that, Skin Walker, I can't get a night's sleep because every time I close my eyes, I see those faces, but this! Scaring innocent people in order to"

"To save the lives of more innocent! Yeah, that sounds like an acceptable scenario to me. I know urbanites are supposed to be soft but have some balls about yourself. Grow the fuck up, man; this isn't a damn cartoon or one of your comics." hissed out Skin Walker.

The sounds of laughter stop the two of them dead in their tracks mid-argument as both Skin Walker and Ace Of Spades turned around to face a woman dressed in Nike running shoes, jeans surplus 90's era military jacket, ski mask, black beret with a green and black star in the center of it and armed with an m16.

"Now, isn't this a surprise the mechanical angel and the she-devil working together," said Flora walking towards them.

"Drop the gun!" Spader called to Flora, aiming his shock escrima sticks at her.

Flora rolled her eyes before thorn-covered vines from her military coat grabbed Ace Of Spades' arm, yanking the sticks away from him.

The vines snapped the sticks. "What can I say? A girl got tricks."

"And I have claws" she lunged at Flora dodging or cutting away the thorn vines with her razor-sharp talons. Until Sammy was on top, the flora was about to reach out and slash her face-off, but before Skin Walker could end Flora, vines grabbed Skin Walker's arm, driving its thorns into the hero's wrist as the blood dripped onto Flora's face from her mouth came a pink mist as she whispered "Sleeeeeeep," knocking Skin Walker out.

Southside Atlanta Georgia
Ace's glider landed on one of the top of a two-story housing complex near Mcdonough and Moreland. The neighborhood was supposed to be a government aid and subsidized housing, but like most government projects when it came to actually helping the people who actually need it, the place had fallen into disrepair pretty much after a short press photo op and was only trotted out on paper when democratically elected officials wanted to seem to be progressive or when or used by rural Republicans who wanted to make a big show about bringing law and order back to Atlanta while only pumping money into the police but being empty pocketed when it came to actually address the root causes of most crime poverty.

Poverty was the most apparent thing about the complex. Among the trash-filled sidewalks of the prickly dilapidating half abandoned two to three-story multi-unit cramp apartments, rats, the sounds of cats and small dogs fighting for the little straps leftover or dropped by swollen belly malnourished children who wander the dark streets seemingly without parental supervision as a gang leader and "big homies" sit by and watch with hungry as the young boys would turn to pre-teens the age they normally start recruitment at for their organization.

Besides them, the pimps looked at the young boys' little sisters to be their next victims to be brought into the life of back allies and abuse until they were used up or dead from junk shot through their veins. In the dark corners of the mold-covered bandos and trap houses, poor addicts nod off as their dealer sellers of slow death, be it in rocks or capsules, count their money and got high off their own supplies before venturing out for a quick time with one of the victims of the pimps. Among the lots, the homeless camped in their cars and tent if they were lucky or under the drizzle of the moonless sky. In the distance, the sounds of gunshots could be clearly heard while among the buildings, Draco king, mixed rock, and an extreme trap were played as a nighttime lullaby in a neighborhood that truly went to sleep. Draco's voice was truly an amazing thing to witness in collaboration with her music and lyrics, even if it was about a subject that Ace wasn't too fond of. Reaper wasn't here to listen to music; however, no, he was here to talk to the man currently who had his back turned to him.

"About damn time you showed yourself, running a bit light, aren't we? It's almost sunrise", said Marcus Hendrix. Hendrix was a picture-perfect member of the New Deacons for Defense and Justice. Black boots, a black shirt black bulletproof tact vest, a wave cap with a beret over the top of it, and around his neck a crucifix.

"I still got two hours," said Reaper, his emotion hidden away under the static of his voice scrambler.


"I guess you know this isn't a social call,"

"Damn, I was hoping we could have a couple of beers, maybe watch the game." joked Reaper.

"Funny, but right now, I got information on last week's shooting, the one that killed that little boy in the crossfire. We think we found the guy who went throw social media; the son of a bitch was bragging about "Smoking his opp" didn't even care about the 3rd grader he killed", said Hendrix.

"Why not hand it to the police?" asked Reaper.

"Why do you think I am giving it to you? That's your job to do."

"Why me?"

"Because the police don't like or trust us, and the feeling is mutual between the pigs and us.", said Marcus.

"So you assume I have someone on the force," said Reaper trying his best to hide his surprise in her voice.

"I just figured if there is such a thing as a good cop, you would know them."

"I might," said Reaper, "But I need something from you first," said Ace; although Hendrix knew Reaper was lying no matter what, the ghost was gonna give the information to the police.

"What?" asked Hendrix

"Information of the Revenant."

Hendrix shivered something unusual for the absolute unit of me; he was, "One crazy ass motherfucker I heard he got the NPBLA scared out their minds dude is a PR nightmare for them.".

"Really? I thought those types would love him."

"Are you kidding, Reaps? The NPBLA only goes atter the worse of, the worse. It's a lot easier to explain killin a cop who shot a kid nine times in the back than blowing up a random piss boy march; no matter how much I hate those fash fucks, killing them unarmed is bad PR. I don't agree or disagree with the NPBLA going on the offensive, but this Rev guy doesn't care about liberation or defending the community; he just wanna burn down everything and share his pain with the world. Which leads me to something I can't actually confirm; rumors have it the NPBLA had been ripped off apparently."

"He stole NPBLA money?"

"Worse military-grade explosives talking heavy-duty semtex the kind the RA used during the troubles or I guess now the first troubles. I digress NPBLA isn't the only one who got robbed for money; the mob was hit."

"The Italians? Didn't know they were making moves in the A like that?"

"I ain't takin bout no damn I-talians Reaps!" said Hendrix catching himself. "I mean the NBM New Black Mafia."

Ace nearly scoffed at Hendrix, "I don't believe in urban legends."

"Says the actual urban legend."

"I get your point," sighed Reaper, "but I still have my doubts."

Hendrix frowned, "Why? Don't tell me you don't think your own people don't have the skills to move like that even if they are anti-social elements?"

"My own people?"

Marcus laughed. "Yo Reap, you might be dead, but I know for sure you a Brotha dead or not, and you can't cap like you ain't one too.".

"What would make you so sure?"

"Because who else gonna give a damn about us expect us, you Skin Walker and Black Power all we got right now."

"What about-"


"What Zeta, Ace of Spades, or Uncle Sam and his white savior brigade? Please, we all know they don't go outside of the rich side of downtowns except when it's time to showboat." said Hendrix, a bit depressed at the fact he just said that; Marcus turned around to face the city, looking at the glitter inch lights of the rich side of town "You might be a dead man, but you one hell of a man-"Marcus started before he realized Reaper was already gone.
The once loud music of the shark tank club was nothing more than muffled beats within the club "situation room" as Draco leaned back in a nice leather-bound lazy boy reclining chair. The room was dimly lit and was pretty damn bare bone, nothing more than soundproofing stone brick walls, a wooden table, and chairs. They were keeping things bare and analog to make the room harder to bug. In sharp contrast to their boss, the guys who were at least 2 to 4 times the size of Draco were visibly nervous around the teenage girl. The other half looked at her with a mixture of jealousy and contempt, but under all that, there was fear.

That was the way Draco liked it; her dad always thought it was better to be loved by the guys to be everyone's big homie which got him in the link doing big homie numbers; Draco always preferred Machiavelli to her father; when it came to running the "outfit". That was why she kept shooters at every one of her business partners family's homes during meetings like this, they could coup her, but they would lose everyone they have ever loved even if they were successful with their move against her. There was an exception to this rule about three years older and very northern or rather very Italian to this rule, Vinny "Brains" Romano, who was currently making googly eyes at her Draco. Vinny at least looks like the typical muscle-bound jock dressed in a T-shirt and overpriced and equally showing high-end Italian tracksuit and gold chain with a matching Rolex, but he had a brain that seemed like it would fit a different head; thus, the nickname was born.

A part of Draco would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the attention from Vinny, but he wasn't her type, but he could be useful. His family was small-time back in the day when Draco's dad ran Atlanta and some other Italians ran New Jersey, they helped the family re-establish the iron pipeline, and now their family was helping NBM establish the Irish and Corsica link. What Draco wanted right now to was information on the Italians and figured information from pillow talk was still information at the end of the day.

So she started her little charm offensive was born. Vinny's family already liked her, with Vinny's mom had been practically planning their wedding since they were toddlers, and Vinny always joked about marrying his son off to a King, much to the dismay of the old guard mafiosos.

Vinny was a momma boy, which Draco used to her Freudian advantage during the meeting. Wearing a red and black trigger stripe yellow button catsuit matching blood red Louis Vuitton nails and stilettos, Draco looked like the perfect Adriana La Cerva style mob wife well outside of her skin color.

"We gotta do something about this damn ghost!" said Vic, one of her Draco underbosses.

"Right, right, blame your failures on an urban legend." joked Duke before turning to look at Draco. "What about you Drake? You believe in ghost stories?"

"No, but we live in a world now where things like Black Superman and bargain bin Iron Man are a fact of life, so no, I don't believe ghost stories, but a man in a fancy suit and some net tricks is all too believable.".

"So what's your suggestion then?" asked Vic.

"It's pretty simple right now; we don't know how this guy works; all we know this guy can be Superman larping as moon knight, but we can do in the meantime is keep him busy," said Vinny.

Draco was intrigued. "And how do you suppose we make that sug?"

"Start a little war between one of your front gangs and the Klan boom; you ghost boy is too busy dealing with a shootouts to really breathe down your neck. Meanwhile, we can study how the son of a bitch learns what makes him tick and how he fights".

Draco smiled at Venny. "Now what I'm talking about, Vic, have your men get to work on that quickly. Do whatever you have to do to provoke a war with the Klan. Make it bloody, make it gangsta target the leadership, the smart one leave the dumb one alive it will make the war manageable, that being said meeting dismissed." Draco said, standing up from her chair and heading to the side exit, but as she stepped out into the night air, Draco was stopped by Venny. "Thanks for backing me up there.".

"Well, I think we make a good team with these types of things…plans, I mean," Draco said, faking awkwardness and attempting to give a little blush for extra brownie points.

"Tell you what, how about I buy you a milkshake? There is this place near the centennial park."

Draco smiled as she formulated her next words carefully, first something to make him jealous "You mean the yard, me and Ace Ward went there on a dat- to hang out a few times before" Draco watched with hidden glee as the Venny struggled to hide him his envy of the billionaire. Next, Draco said something to recast the line out there to give Venny hope. "But I think it will probably be more fun with you. Tell you what, pick me up after school tomorrow, and we can probably get something to eat there and walk around at the park afterward." Draco gave Venny those soft baby eyes she always kept in her arsenal just in case she needed to have a boy wrap around her little finger.

"T-t-that's nice, Drake," said Venny, practically skipping as he got into the 2025 Camaro, and no sooner did he pull out of sight did Draco's warm face give way to something much colder and emotionless "That has to be single-handedly the dumbest and smartest sucker I met all damn year." she joked to herself, but then someone else responded to her joke someone who wasn't supposed to be there.

"People can be fools for love, blind fools," said Reaper, catching Draco off guard. The teenage crime princess spun around, aiming her 1911 at the ghostly shape now in front of her where night air once stood.

"Do you really think that will work?" asked Reaper.

"No, but it will alert my men that your ass is outside here."

Ace smiled under his mask; "clever girl," he thought to himself

"What do you want?" asked Draco leaning against her sports car nonchalantly.

"I need you to ask for information about a shooting that killed a kid.".

"You gotta give me a little bit more information; people die every day in this city."

"It was the 3rd grader that died in a crossfire between two gangs. A punk who did the shooting is bragging about smoking his apps during the shooting; I believe one of his stray shots hit the little girl," said Reaper handing Draco the folder with the screens shoot of information in it.

"Oh, that one, I guess it's your lucky day he isn't affiliated with my way too loud and sloppy, but yeah, I heard through the grapevine that he was the one who done it.".

"You gave that up pretty fast; I thought you gangsters live by a code."

"We do, but that kid isn't a gangster, just some criminal big difference."

"From where I'm standing, there ain't much in between," said Reaper sarcastically before disappearing into the night.
Marcy locked her cheap Walmart bike into the metal lock on the outside of the gas station. Even though it was another late night coming home, Macy still wore a nice cheerful smile on her face because tonight was her last night of coming home late from the arcade. Tomorrow afternoon was a new dawn of a new life and a new job. So Macy wore her smile wide as she entered the store and was immediately greeted by Mr.Chan-Yeol or Mr.Chan for short. Mr.Chan was an older Korean American man who was almost like a second to Macy, always giving her advice about things and when he could helping her out with school or even giving her ideas for her webcomic.

"Hey, Slap Stick." joked Mr.Chan calling her by the name of her webcomic MC.

"Hey Mr.Chan, how's it hanging?" said Macy heading towards the back door of the story where some of the more sugar-filled treats were sold, Macy had decided to treat herself, splurging the little bit of the money Ace Ward had given she had left after saving or helping put towards bills buying herself a small pack of duplex cookies and a gallon off-brand Hawaiian punch.

"Like a sloth on a tree, it's been a slow night. I heard you got a new job. Proud of you, girl.".

"Thanks, Mr.Chan; I just had a lucky day, that's all; bump into the right person, I guess.".

"You can sure say that again; well, I don't want to waste your time, tell you what take the punch and cookies on me.".

"Mr.Chan, you know-"

"Stick, I got bigger things to worry about than less than five dollars worth of snack that my favorite customer wants; you're good. I'm pretty sure I can financially recover from it," said Chan

While Macy smiled at her friend, she still felt bad about not paying, but she also knew that it would be no use arguing with him Mr.Chan when he wanted could be as stubborn as a mule. After saying her goodbyes and hugging Mr.Chan, Marcy packed began to pack her snacks carefully into her backpack so as not to spill the punch or crack the cookies. Finally, the sounds of running, fast heavy footsteps against pavement followed by the sound of a speeding car and the screeching of brakes, yells of course of all kinds, then the sound of gunfire. Loud screams of hot lead made Macy temporarily go deaf as the bullets flew by her and then blackness.

"This is it, I'm dead" was the first thought in her mind, but she realized she wasn't in the void of death, but instead under a cloak of the Reaper. "Stay down," said
hero as the gun went quiet as their shooters dropped, driving off in fear, and just like that, the dark shroud covering her disappeared, and Reaper was gone.

Lisa Monore closed the door behind them as she walked into her home from her garage. It had been a long night on the job and then off it with Danny. That was one hell of a confusing situation between her and him; on the one hand, she did like him, and for all intent purposes, even if she didn't admit they were basically dating, on the other hand, Lisa wasn't sure about fully committing to someone like that ever again.

Sure she had her fair share of flings over the years since her and Jonathan Masters Destiny's father had divorced, but she hadn't actually felt the way she felt towards Danny towards any of them. Danny being her partner on the force only added to complicate things even more.

The detective let out a sigh which quickly turned into a short yelp as she realized she was the only one in her living room. Lisa went for her sidearm, but her holster was empty; the damn ghost had taken her gun.

"Whatever happened to southern hospitality?" quipped Reaper.

"Whatever happened to knocking asshole?" Lisa began as she eased from the fighting stance she had dropped Immediately, and at the finding out she had been disarmed, she did not relax. "I was gonna ask you how did you find out where I live, but I think the bigger question is why the hell is you here in the first place.".

"I got some information on a shooting; a kid was killed in the crossfire," said Ace handing off the brown envelope from within his cloak over to Lisa, who looked over the pictures inside of the envelope. "I don't make any promises; the higher-ups don't tend to give a damn about these types of shootings; as far as they are concerned, it's NHI, but I will do my best to get this son of bitch who killed this baby." Lisa paused, looking back up at Reaper " I guess this is a part where you disappear like a ghost if you can use my door like a regular person," joked Detective Monroe.
"YOU'RE A WHAT?!" both Zero and Hannah exclaimed.

"As I said before, I am a vampire," said David

"Gee whiz, and I thought we were supposed to be the crazy ones." quipped Hannah. The chain of events that had led up to them being saved from what was probably going to be one hell of an ass whooping by Black Power was as unlikely as it was crazy. The heist, or Bank expropriations as Hannah called them, was going off pretty swimmingly; it was their largest one, yet they must have over a million dollars or near it, that was until Black Power showed up. The masked wannabe superhero had spoiled the fun between the two girls, using some type of nitrogen grenade which was a bitch and a half to get out of, and Hannah was pretty sure she got a cold from it, something that Zero found funny to no end. The only thing that saved the two girls was David and what was apparently a storm of bats.

"So one of you can become a living flame while the other one has ice powers, but me being undead is a bridge too far into fantasy?" said David as fangs popped from his gums. "I just saved you from what amounted to a demigod, yet me not having a heartbeat is insane?" argued David.

Hannah went quiet for a minute, then white like a sheet. "Wait! Wait! WAIT! If vampires are real, that means magic is real, which means religion is real! OH GOD, HAVEN IS REAL! FUCK SHIT, HELL IS REAL!" Hellfire yelled, freaking out.

"Is she going to be ok?" asked David.

"YOUR BOYFRIEND IS A VAMPIRE! WAIT, I HAVE FIRE POWERS. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? OH GOD, OH FUCK, OH SHIT, I MIGHT BE A DEMON! I DON'T WANT TO BE A DEMON!"

"Is she gonna be alright?" asked David.

Zero looked at Hannah, who was now currently running around in a circle while on fire and shrugged. "Oh yeah, she does this pretty often.".

"So, are you ok with this? If not, that is totally cool too," said David, already prepping himself for rejection.

"Are you cool with dating a crazy ice lady?" laughed Zero.

"Don't say that," said David.

Zero was confused. "Say what? Ice Lady?"

"That's you are crazy; in the very short few weeks I have known you, I can undoubtedly tell you that you are the smartest person I ever met, which considering my age is really saying something." said David, to which Zero hugged him "Thanks, and you are the best boyfriend I ever had, well technically you're the only boyfriend ever had, but still the point remains.".

"So uh wanna catch a movie?" David mentally kicked himself in his ass for saying that "I'm sorry you can't really do that with the fed stuff going on.".

"Well, we can always stream something Hannah managed to find a pretty good website to pirate films from," suggested Zero before joking. "What wrong old man forgot that we don't have to spend a dime at the picture show to have a good time?".

David laughed. "Or maybe I just like dark places, with me being a creature of the night and all."

Zero pushed up against her boyfriend. "Don't worry, and you're not the only one who bites."

"Good, I was counting on that."

Amanda sighed as she pulled back into her school parking lot. She would be lying to herself if she had said she wanted to return home from her little trip with Georgia. Being with the "Scooby Gang" felt amazing, like she was living her comic book dream, plus living in a mansion the size of Buckingham palace was a deal sweeter. Most of all, when she was with Xander, Ace, or Destiny in public, she felt like a celebrity; she was someone, but now as she drove her newly acquired vintage mustang into the school parking lot, she thought that she was returning to her regular life, well as regular as a teenage vigilante life can be, oh boy was she completely wrong.

It had not been more than a second after she had parked when other students practically swarmed her with questions. The most prominent of which was "Are you dating Ace Ward," which was something her mom had been asking her since she got back home.

"Why couldn't she be mad at me for skipping town like a normal parent?"Amanda thought to herself as she got out of the car, pushing away the people and answering a few questions. Ace gave her some pointers when dealing with fame, never give a solid answer that she hasn't prepped and if she is forced to give an answer, always be vagued and no matter what, keep the statement short and simplistic so it can not be taken out of context.

Amerika used that advice as she found her way into school, rushing towards her locker, dodging questions ironically better than she dodged bullets.

"Holy shit Amanda! You're freaking famous!" said Haily and Bison in unison. Hailey was a short red-headed computer nerd, and Bison was well built, like Bison, somewhat chubby but strong, almost unearthly so. He always joked and called himself the Kingpin due to his uncanny resemblance to the character from the 90s Spider-Man series.

"Yeah, it's sorta hard to miss," said Amanda looking around at the hall filled with the kids, most of who were filming her and trying to hide it pretty poorly. "Do you think there is somewhere private we can talk to?"

"The library is probably empty seeing how a lot of people are gonna choose to go hang out in the gym or on the football field for the next few days until they let us out for Christmas," said Bison.

"Well, Stacy might be there," said Haily.

"Stacy in the Library, this has to see."

Stacy sat alone in one of the library study rooms flipping through her social media...nothing but hateful comments ever since her fight with Amanda, which after the full video was shared and Amanda suddenly becoming famous for hanging out with Ace Ward led to Stacy becoming the public target yet again. It was middle school all over again. For the first few nights, after she started getting hate, she bawled her eyes out to the point she couldn't even cry by the time she started getting death threats from randoms off of Twitter. Now Stacy was just numb, just completely numb. The once queen Bee of high school took a deep sigh as she noticed who had just walked into her new exiled land, Amanda Diaz, the nerd who had dethroned her.

Amanda hardly recognizes the now ex-cheerleader who had been her personal antagonist for years on end. She seemed like she had gone from this larger-than-life person to this what was almost like a husk of her former self. Gone now were the bright pink colors and replaced with grey and black baggy hoodies and joggers. Her face was sunken with a kind of sadness Amanda knew well, the kind that Stacy used to cause her to have. Even though Amanda knew it was wrong, she had dreamed of a day like this, but now that she was actually seeing it, Amanda felt horrible for Stacy. Yet she already knew what she had to do to fix it.

"Hey, do you want to sit with us?" asked Amanda to Stacy, shocking Hailey, and Bison.

Stacy's head peaked up from the phone that she had tried herself on. "Listen, you won, Amanda, you don't have to rub it in my face. I'm sorry ok, I'm sorry.".

"I wasn't trying to do that. I'm asking you if you want to sit with us, I'm not sure what happened after the fight, but from the looks of it, things went to shit for you. I know how that feels, so if you want to talk about it or just hang out with us, we are all open.".

"Really? Even after all I've done?" asked Stacy.

"Everyone deserves a second chance," said Amanda holding out her hand for Stacy looked at her hand, unsure if it was a trick or not, but at this point in her life, it truly didn't even matter. Stacy had not known yet, but she would back at that moment as the day her life changed forever.

Amanda, later that day, upon getting home rushed past her mom quick as she could, trying to avoid any more of her mom's questions about Ace Ward; a part of Amanda wished her mom would be a normal mom and actually ground her or even just yell at her instead of acting more like the girls at school asking countless questions about Ace Ward and kept own cheerleading Amanda own as Ace Ward new girlfriend. Sometimes it felt like she was raising herself. At least she had made things up with her friends promising them to spend more time with them and even asking Ace to invite them all out to his annual Christmas party later that month.

A part of Amanda wanted to tell her friend the truth about her. Amanda had pulled out her phone to her contacts, one saying syndies her nickname for the other heroes on her team and besties the name for her two friends. She gazed down, wondering if she should text them and tell them who she was, maybe even bring them into the fold as Ace did with Xander and Destiny. Amanda decided against it before working on her latest project; Atlanta had changed her; if she was going to be a superhero, she was going to do it on her own terms with her own suit, not a hand-me-down from Cap. So on her computer, she began to draw. Blue boots flowed up into black tights with a thin red streak on each side of the legs. Her top would be blue, just like her boots, but the sleeves would be red like the streaks, with a blue domino mask. Amanda wasn't sure about a cape, but she was sure about the symbol that would be the centerpiece of the suit, a bright yellow star on top of a shield.

"Hey baby, some mail came the other for you, I didn't go through, but it looks like some comics, probably a gift from your boyfriend." she joked. "I put it under your desk.".

"Holy fuck!"

"What?!"

"Nothing, mom!"
 
What’s New Scooby Doo
Flower Shop Explosion And Sighting Of Ace Os Spades Have Many "Hero Watchers Wondering If There Was A Batte.
-New Moons News December 9th, 2024

Meth Lab Explosion Leaves Five Dead
-Rt December 9th, 2024


"We Defend Us"
-NDFD video (YouTube) December 9th, 2024


The Reaper Sighted Near Gas Station Shooting
-CNN December 10th, 2024

Harris Gun Control Bill Dead In The Water After Conservative Senate Democrats Refuse To Back It.
-NBC December 10th, 2024



Breaking Birthday Party Shootout In Stone Mountain Georgia Leaves Over Five Dead With One Of the Victims Being The 14 Year Old Birthday Boy.
-AP December 10th, 2024



A war is coming as those who refuse the winds of progress will fight tooth and nail to prevent the next stage of human evolution. Call them what you like: globalists, Soros agents, the Illuminati. These are the people who refuse to let humanity advance. Even as we speak, they are organizing against what they see as a new threat to them, metahumans. Names and list of high-ranking members to stay tuned. The first shall be last, and the Omega shall rise. OSR!
-first post by The_Omega on 4chan, Hero Watch, 8chan, Reddit, Gab, and Facebook December 10th, 2024


David Duke Reported Missing
-Fox News December 10th, 2024


Eric Spader Buys The Complete Right To Buffy The Vampire Slayer Amid Rumors Of Reboot.
-CNBC December 10th, 2024


"No, I will not apologize for fighting for the life and liberty of Black and Indigenous bodies. Nor will I apologize for fighting back against white women who remained silent for generations as Black and Brown women suffered under medical imperialism at best and, at worse, weaponized their whiteness in collaboration with their male counterparts against marginalized communities. In short, you can tell the women who are calling to apologize to go straight to hell."
-Imani V Clair December 10th, 2024



"The Green App" Is The Latest Project Of Ace Ward. The App Is a Database Of Review Maps and Location Of Sustainable Black Businesses. The Project Is Reportedly The First Of Many Collaborations with Maxie Corp.
-Bloomberg December 10th, 2024



The Role Of "Batman" In Batman The Live-Action Series Is Still Open & With Zazie Beetz Slatted To Play The Joker, The Line Up For Actors Is More Diverse Than Ever
-Buzzfeed December 10th, 2024



Jim Reeves Stars In Viral SNL Skit Parodying Mansfield.
-MSNBC December 10th, 2024



5 Rumored Leaders Of Georgian Chapters Of The KKK Dead After Their Body Were Found In Trash Pit.
-December 11th, 2024


Hey guys, I'm back! Sorry about being gone so long. Superhero stuff and other life things kept me busy. Anyway, I'm thinking about creating a new suit; check out my design. What do y'all think?
-The_Real_Ms_Amerika
|
Hey, do you? After all, it gives us more cool footage to look at. Also, that is a pretty awesome design, and I like the symbol; it's like a cross between Superman and Captain America.
-Grey_Ghostie
|
Thanks, that was my two biggest inspirations still haven't decided on a cape yet, Lamo.
-The_Real_Ms_Amerika
-exchange on hero watch December 11th, 2024

Shootout Between Idaho State Troopers and Members Of The "Pro-Choice RailRoad" Ends After Intervention By Black Power Leaving A Few Lightly Injured On Both Sides, and No Arrests Were Made
-New Moon News December 11th, 2024

"In other news, today, after half a decade, Katerina Hearts is planning to return to America. Katerina is the heiress to the vast Heart family fortune and Stag industries, making her the richest woman in America at 25 years old. Miss. Heart fell out of the public eye shortly after her parents were murdered when the Heart family was taken hostage in 2007. The billionaire is the only surviving close relative; her Cousin Eric Spader had this to say "We are all happy to hear the news that Katerina had decided to return home.".
-Jacob Trapman New Moon News December 11th, 2024

Masked Woman Calling Herself "Flora" Has Taken Credit For The Manhattan Expo Bombing In Video Many Are Comparing To the Revenant.
-Fox News December 11th, 2024

Widow Of Randy Dixon Woman Shot Dead While Visiting Husband Gravestone.
-NBC December 11th, 2024

Emma Alkebulan Calls Out Land Inequality In South Africa "They should just take the land as Venan People did"
-African Diaspora News Insider December 11th, 2024

Black Power In Idaho
-Number one trending Twitter topic December 11th, 2024

Hey Guys, Check Out The Latest Issue Of; The Villainess Adventures Of Slapstick #20
-Ma_Cy09 (Twitter) December 11th, 2024


Why Some Are Calling Jacob Trapman The Next The Walter Cronkite And What Does It Means For The News Industry.
-CNN December 11th, 2024

Black Power Is The Man "Vigilantes" Like The Reaper Wishes They Could Be.
-Red Fist With Beverly December 11th, 2024



"So we all just saw a Black BLM thug interfere with the due process of law and assault officers in an act of anti-police terror, but the woke mob will, like all other acts of terror against the rapidly decliningpopulation of sane American excuse this while crying about a few drunken guys burning a cross."
-Mansfield while being interviewed by Tucker Carlson on Fox News December 12th, 2024

"What's The Klan Gonna Do"
-Draco King (YouTube) December 12th, 2024



"What's the klan gonna do? David, I heard they came looking for you? They ain't gonna solve that mystery!

Birthday bro try to get up, he can't, left him and his fat ass daddy stank, police running that yellow tape. Now they rolled up with this swisher and this weed!

What's the klan gonna do? David, I heard they came looking for you? They ain't gonna solve that mystery!

la la la la la,
na na na na,
la la la la la,
na na na na

Don't look back cuz I heard they smoke another fool! Like they did at the school!
They got shooters waiting for you!

What's the klan gonna do? David, I heard they came looking for you? They ain't gonna solve that mystery!

la la la la la,
na na na na,
la la la la la,
na na na na

la la la la la
na na na na

What's the klan gonna do!"
-Lyrics To Draco King What The Klan Gonna Do Set To A Cover Of What's New Scooby-Doo December 12th, 2024



Holy shit, I think Draco just declared war on the klan. She just mocked a dead kid and basically told them to get it back in blood.
-TheLegendary_TrapGirlBoss (Twitter) December 12th, 2024


This Is Gonna Be Good
-Dax_W_ Flanagan (Twitter)
 
Cupid’s Arrow
"But you will be here for the party, right?" asked Xander as the two walked down the hallways of Ward Manor. Mia had been staying there for the last few days. Mia had been having a world of a time exploring the manor. It seems almost endless in its expanse, with something new inside the "The keep." itself behind every new door.

Mia chuckled at the question." Xander, we went through this already. I will stay until Christmas evening, but I will have to catch a flight out of town. I'm going to be here for the party.

"Fine, I'm just nervous about things,"

"Aaaaah, you are scared for me. Is that what it is? I can assure Xander I am more than capable of handling myself." Mia said, waving her hand in front of him, turning it into a small mace before turning it back into a hand and fingers. "Something I picked up from that Spiderman movie we watch, the one with the funny dancing.".

Xander rolled his eyes, placing his arms around his girlfriend, "No, I just got a bad feeling about this time of year; my Xander senes is detecting major bad vibes approaching."

"Speaking things into speaking things into existence is bad luck, Xan The Man." said Destiny popping out of the shadows like ghosts, making the two other teens jump. "You like the moves, and I showed the trick to Ace a few weeks ago. apparently, he has been pulling a batman while on his on patrol.".

"Des, cool it with the witchy shit." Xander said before Mia joked, "Language."

Destiny began walking with them. "Alright, alright, alright, but I ain't gotta be a witch to see why the yurl times celebration got you feeling all blue; the Annual Evanwoods Yuletide Family Grinch Fest is upon us,"

Mia looked at them both, confused. "Annual Yuletide Grinch Fest? Is that an American holiday? Am I not familiar with the name?"

"It's far more local than that; it is the nickname of the special time of year where parents completely lose their collective shi-minds trying to have a "Good Christmas; they actively ruin Christmas by arguing about how to celebrate Christmas, thus the creation of the Annual Evanwoods Yuletide Family Grinch Fest.".

Mia frowned at that, but Xander and Des kept a chipper mode about things that helped cheer her up." That sounds horribly confusing and sad for this time of year."

"More than you can even imagine; that is why I am spending the cool dark months with a slightly less cold and dark knight and his old castle." joked Xander. "Spending the last month of the year with teenage batman sure does beat having to listen to a two-hour-long argument about what type of tree topper is going on top of the old plastic pine, which ends in a three-day-long passive-aggressive competition between two grown adults."

"Oh..oh ok," said Mia, a bit concerned and worried about he boyfriend "What about you, Destiny?"

"Oh, I'm just happy I get double presents from my pops and moms. I'm pretty hype about this year's party, though.".

"Apparently, from what I heard, it is the stuff of legends," said Mia.

"Please, legends don't even cover it; there was one time when Ace was-"Xander stopped as they got a notification on their phone that someone had rung the doorbell. Destiny looked down at her cellphone, her eyes widening. "No freaking way! It's happening code green, get Ace! full cupid arrow!"

"Cupid Arrow?" asked Xander as he realized what the words meant; he quickly turned to Mia, "Go get Ace; tell him Dolly is here!".

Andrea stood nervously inside Ace's conservatory. The glass room stood in stark contrast to the light snow painted outside. The room was like a rainforest covered in lush plant life, which seemed to grow both freely and just enough of a pattern to create pathways and a few open spaces where a person could sit and watch the rainbows of different flowers that filled the holes among the green. It had taken years for these paths to grow the way that they did; Alex Ward hired the best of the best designers to ensure that its trial would grow perfectly enough to seem one hundred and ten percent natural.

Cutting through it all was a small clear water creek and waterfall filled with fishes whose scales matched the multi-color of the different flowers that dotted the river bank. This mini-ecosystem was accomplished through a state-of-the-art climate control system that made the room feel like it was late May-early summer, even though it was in the dead of winter, just a few inches outside of the thick glass.

When she was with Ace, Dolly practically lived in this room. She had always found it so calming, like a haven on earth, complete paradise, but it was ruined with the news she would have to tell Ace, which in all likelihood ruin any chance they had of being together, yet she still cared about him enough to say to him to warn him. Andrea stared up at the room's glass ceiling as snowflakes fell onto it like white grains of sands, trapping her in an hourglass counting down to doomsday. These were the last moments she would probably spend with the man who she loved. The once haven now felt like an endless purgatory of waiting for what felt like centuries but was really less than five minutes until-

"Dolly, it's lovely to see you again." he said, trying his best to sound smooth like he was with other women, but his stomach had been a flurry of butterflies since Mia had woken him up and told him, "That a woman calling herself Andrea was here for him.". It was a war between Ace's mind and body to keep himself restrained around her, a battle that he may not win.

"I forgot how beautiful this room was; it was always so calming," Dolly avoided looking Ace in the eyes, knowing she would get lost there, only making what she had to do harder on her. She looked off into the flowers and the cool running waters far away from the billionaire's gaze, knowing it would only bring her pain.

"Then why are you scared?" asked Ace; he could hear heaty racing in fear from the moment he saw her again standing in the garden like a summer rose. Although she hid it well, Dolly was petrified, and Ace was pretty sure he knew the reason why "Did something happen?".

"They found out, Ace; I'm not sure how best guess is my mother got sober enough to blackmail me for money.".

"Shit," said Ace Dolly's mother was a low life but going this low was new even for someone like her. "What all do they know?" asked Ace.

"Everything, the hormones, my past, everything."

"They want money, not from me but you, a 100 million.".

"Fine, I will have Xander write a check-"Ace started.

"They will just come back! It's never going to end. They will never let me be Dolly!" Andrea started to sob as their emotional mask finally slipped as he hugged the woman he loved more than anything in the world.

Ace held her tight as he felt water welling from behind his eyes. "It's gonna be ok, Dolly. I will make this right; I promise you that. God as my witness, I promise you everything will be ok".

"I'm scared, Ace, I'm so scared," Dolly said.

"You don't have to be. I give you my word you are going to be alright."

"Ace I-I-I Lov-"

"I know, I too, Dolly me too, me too," said Ace as a single tear slipped from his eye, and with that, two lovers reunited with a kiss.
...
"Maxwell, open up, please," called Beverly; she must have looked crazy and out of place with her Walmart fashioned senses knocking widely on a door in the closet thing the city had to an ivory tower. "I tried calling, but it keeps going to voice-" Beverly stopped as the door to the luxury penthouse swung open it was Maxwell in a robe with sunken eyes. "Maxwell, oh my god, are you ok?" Bev said, rushing into the room. "I'm fine, Bev," said Maxwell, his past few drinks coming off his breath.

Maxwell's apartment was ultra-modern, slick, and light decorated. It fitted more into an advertisement for a home than a place where somewhere actually lived inside of; the large penthouse apartment was almost like a liminal space in nature, so small in the vast emptiness.

Beverly was now even more concerned. "Have you been drinking?"

"Only a little, mostly eggnog, just enough to cheer me up for the Holiday Season.".

"Drinking isn't the answer, Maxwell,"

"When you are spending it alone, it does."

Beverly took Maxwell's hands into hers." You don't have to be alone, Max. You have your friends, and you have me."

"I'm just a burden to them, Bev, and it's not like I actually fit in with them. No matter what I do, I will always be new money trash!" said Maxwell.

"Maxy, we both know that total bullshit. Boo whoo Massy and his gang of inbred hillbilly wannabe Habsburg calls you names. You are best friends with Ace freaking Ward, a man who has more money than a lot of countries. You are the heir to a fortune 500 that even if it fails, your family will have fuck you money for generations. Most of all, I love you even if all that other shit wasn't true. We were just two normal teens. I would still love you, and that is something old money can never buy; any stupid family crest or being able to trace back your line to shitty nobility can ever come close to touching.

In a few years, Massy will probably still be rich, but he will be nothing more than another old money asshole costing buy in a shitty country club married to a wash-up model at best-raising kids who he doesn't love pass token acts money, all the while we are having an affair with the nanny. I will take my new money trash, Maxie, over that old money bourgie asshat any day of the week, month, or damn year!" she said, kissing. "Now go take a shower because you smell like shitty eggnog and sadness, and we are gonna watch Die Hard."

"Y-y-you said you love me?" asked Max, still in shock at what Beverly unloaded at him like an automatic rifle.

"Yes, you big sexy idiot, I love you; get over and stop acting like a headass so we can watch the best Christmas movie ever put to film and cuddle.".

Maxwell's frown turned upside down. "Fine," he said with a now grin where a once sad face had rested.

"Good," said Beverly checking her man out as he walked towards his bathroom.

"I would hate to see him leave, but I sure do love to see that man walk away.".

"She loves me; she loves me." Maxwell Maxim repeated to himself as he entered the bathroom; for almost his whole life, Maxwell was unsure where he truly belonged; from a poor nerd to the life he lived now, Maxwell was always uncertain of where he stood, but now he knew where he stood, where Maxwell belonged with the scooby gang and most importantly with Beverly, the woman who he loved "And I love her" he said quietly as he stepped into the shower "I love her, and she loves me.".
...
Ace was once again found himself in public housing, this time near the edge of working-class suburbs outer metro Atlanta and rural Georgia, a place that was touted as the next step of public living by the state government converted trailers that, like the houses in the inner city failed the moment the papers stop giving a damn. It was the same level of near third-world poverty, only with a different skin thrown over it.

Instead of Draco country played, instead of the odd AA flag or Red Black and Green, it was the stars and bars of Dixie mixed in with trump and DeSantis election flags. Ace kept his head down and concealed, knowing his skin color here could be considered a uniform, only different the one he currently had on was far less bulletproof.

He arrived at the trailers he was looking for; it was half abandoned, sagging into the ground and smelling of cat piss with no cat in sight; something Ace had learned from his long nights out was a tell-tell sign of meth. It only took a single knock before the door was opened. The smell only worsened as it did; the man who answered it was somehow in worse shape than the horder mini paradise inside the trailer. Ace guessed the six-foot muscle-bound unit of a man was both Dolly's mother's current boyfriend abuser and drug dealer. As he turned his head deeper into the trailer to see the near sticker figure of the woman half-asleep in a drug haze, Ace quickly realized that the man was the one in charge of this shakedown and that too who he handed the check, saying nothing like the man read the review.

"You gave us 10 thousand."

"Which will be far more sufficient.".

"In what? We asked for a hundred million!" yelled the man, to which Ace responded calmly.

"Sufficient in killing yourselves with the junk you are smoking, you probably won't even get to five thousand during your post check binge. The man's face lit up with anger as he lunged at Ace in a split second and grabbed the man by his throat with one hand.

"Now, normally, I blame the drugs, not the user; I blame the system, poverty of the other dozen factors for turning people into criminals." The ace voice was still calm, but now it was as cold as Ace

"Don't hurt him!" yelled Dolly's mom.

"SIT, YOUR FIVE-DOLLAR ASS DOWN BEFORE I MAKE CHANGE!" yelled out not Ace's voice but that of the Reaper before he switched back to being calm, focusing on the man. "I believe, for the most part, with some exceptions, that mankind's natural state is to do good by his fellow human," Ace's hand grew tighter around the drug dealer's neck, "but as I said, there are always exceptions to the rules" Ace moved his finger towards certain pressure points on the man's neck causing more pain but enough that the dealer would blackout.

"People like you, and your girlfriend over there who went after the woman I loved her own daughter; you didn't rob her, you didn't steal her car, you didn't break into her house, no no no, all of those things would be bad, but they wouldn't be completely evil." Ace slammed the man against the wall-shaking the whole trailer. "No, you threatened to destroy her life, toss her out for fascists who will use her as bait for their next moral panic. All for a quick buck so here is the deal." Ace could see the dealer's eye roll back in his head. "You will take the 10k, and you will FUCKING LIKE IT! Do I make myself crystal clear because I am not going to say it again"

"Y-yes-Yes." said the man gasping for air.

To which Ace dropped him down, letting the man fall to the floor before dusty off his hands and saying, "When you wake up, I want you to put all that information you have on Dolly into an envelope, every single copy, and I want you to give it to her to burn by Christmas Eve at the latest."

"W-w-when I wake-"Ace kicked the man in the face before he could finish knocking him out cold before turning to Dolly's mom, curled up in the corner out of terror of what Ace had just done to her boyfriend. "Just in case he forgets when he wakes up, remind him about the last part. I just said ok, good, have a nice life," said Ace walking back out of the trailer.
 
So, Florida Man is trying to start a mini version of the Jan. 6 insurrection and I'm sure some supes will show up. This is gonna get spicy.
 
Someone mentioned an HBO Casper, if this is the Casper I think it is here's the story: The character was created by Paramount, and Paramount sold the character to Harvey Comics. Harvey Comics went defunct, so the rights ended up with Classic Media. Classic Media was acquired by DreamWorks Animation at one point. DreamWorks Animation was in turn acquired by NBCUniversal.


So that raises a question: Why would NBCUniversal partner with HBO, when they could always put a Casper series up on Peacock or the equivalent.
 
Someone mentioned an HBO Casper, if this is the Casper I think it is here's the story: The character was created by Paramount, and Paramount sold the character to Harvey Comics. Harvey Comics went defunct, so the rights ended up with Classic Media. Classic Media was acquired by DreamWorks Animation at one point. DreamWorks Animation was in turn acquired by NBCUniversal.


So that raises a question: Why would NBCUniversal partner with HBO, when they could always put a Casper series up on Peacock or the equivalent.
Casper in this TL was sold off in 2021 I had actually planned on going more in depth with it in a now scraped story. The rights to Casper and Harvey comics were sold off around 2021 in this alternate timeline. I haven't really expanded on the economy as much as I wanted to yet, but a very short summary is that 2020-2022 were far than in OTL. A lot of companies lost a lot of money and are being forced to sell off assets Casper was one that was sold off. The economy isn't depression level but it isn't that far away from it
 
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Chapter 9: Witches, Lightning Flashes, and Vines Oh My
Somewhere New England

The sea fog rose above the clashing cold winter ocean waves upon the cliff's rocky edges of the great manor. It was drifting above shaky ground that gave way to a snow-covered yard. The mansion was as if the dark estates of old England had drifted upon the winds of times to bring them up on the new world. Its dark stone walls and old yet elegant draped windows blocked out the winter light of the early dawn. Among the grand library that spiraled into vast impossibilities so large that if one measured one into the other, they would find even if the home was nothing but bookshelves, the innumerable amount of knowledge kept among the musty binds of papers couldn't still fit within the confines of the house nor all the libraries on the earth.

Situated in the central labyrinth of this ancient and forgotten knowledge was a youthful woman of indeterminable age with pale porcelain skin and even paler blue eyes. Among the mazes of literature long-forgotten, the woman sat typing away at her latest work was the woman known to the world as Lily Star, yet among those skilled enough or more accurately foolish and unfortunateenough, she was known by a different name Mabus, the once daughter of the morning star, a word spoken about in the recesses in the dark corner of the libraries of the magically inclined or shouted about loudly by those who ventured too far into the depths of the unknown driven mad by knowledge of things that men should never know and now rot stricken with the sights beyond eyes and the sounds beyond ears speaking in esotericbabble of the concepts far beyond the reach of this plane of existence. 

She was that of the old blood, the nobility of the line that dare not be named. Dressed in a plaid skirt, black turtleneck, grey tweed blazer, and short lace khaki brown Oxford heels, Lilly ``May J'' Star rose from her pile of books that lay around her. Lilly sighed as the room morphed, twisting in its endless boundaries into a hallway. Lilly passed by many paintings of herself over the decades. One such photo was a black and white shot taken by an early camera depicting an advertisement of a young traveling woman performing magic to a coward of people. Under it was the writing in bold lettering that read, "Come one come all to see the Dark White Witch.".

It was the oldest memory she had of herself. Of course, there were more senior pictures and drawing of herself when she wanted herself before she fell from "ungrace.". The young woman sighed again, waving her hand as the room changed; this wasn't a time for nostalgia. She was on a mission; the curse of prophecy had shown her many paths, yet one frightened the little witch to her very core. A path that could lead to a new age, one of great darkness or something more optimistic, a book that was yet in writing, something far more terrifying to the woman than the paths itself.

The room changed yet again as a cold chill filled the air. The room was now a small study with rounded walls of bookshelves, the tops of which were covered with vines of plants. The roof was the midnight sky under a full moon with twinkling little stars. In the center of the room was a round dark oak stump table covered in a white cloth, and in its center sat a crystal ball. A cat moved from under one of the chairs around the table, brushing against her leg, purring.

"Good boy," said May J moving towards the seat and placing her hands around the ball, and started to chant at first in tongues not fit for the mouth of a human, then into chanting that was conceivable but still strange in its own way. 
"llaF ecnabrutsiD ehT diD lleW hO erehW ,erehW llA seeS ohW llaB latsyrC llaB latsyrC"


The ball filled with mist as the books flew off the shelves flying around the table, their pages spilling open as the room began to shake violently. Blue lighting crackled inside the misty ball while Lily's eyes widened in shock at the images which flooded the ball.

"Nope," she said to herself.

Her cat looked at her, glaring.

"Oh, don't give me that damn look Damien!"

"Meow."

"I told you I'm done, finished, retired!"

"Meow Meow Meow!"

"Don't use that language with me, Mr! Besides, this world has other protectors now. I'm sure they could deal with whatever storm that's coming. They have at least 3 Supermans."

"Meow Meow"

"Fine, fine, I give you that most-"

"Meow"

"Ok, almost all haven't faced magical threats, but what about Santell or whoever the current Hellsing? I'm sure they-"

"Meow."

"What the hell do you mean you already made matching costumes? Where the did you even learn how to weave clothing?."

"Meow."

"Of course, Anansi, I need to stop letting you hang out with that damn spider. He is nothing but mischief."

"Meow.".

"Yeah yeah yeah, I'm getting my broomstick; I want you to know that I am not happy about this, not one tiny bit Damien. I thought after what happened last time; you would be ok with a simple life. Then again, I should have known you better than that old friend."

"Meow"

"Always got to have the last word, don't you?"

"Meow."


December 12, 2013
Just outside of Miami

Bruno Mars, locked out of heaven, rages loudly from the speaker of the Camaro 69 Z28 as Johnny Voltz pressed down on the gas neck and neck with the Dodge Viper. The cheery red viper was fast as its namesake, but Johnny's heavily modified muscle car was faster, and as the needle on the speedometer climbed higher and higher, so did Johnny's smile grew to match it. Just as the edge of Johnny's ride began over to take the viper, the lighting came. At first, it was at a distance; then it came closer and closer and closer…


December 15, 2013

Known hooligan Johnny Voltz is declared missing after he did not show up at his home, school, or work at his parent's restaurant.

March 10, 2014

After over three months of searching, Johnny Voltz's case goes cold, and Johnny Voltz is declared legally dead nine weeks later


December 10, 2015

The first sighting of the Miami Highway "Racer." Reports of a translucent muscle car being piloted by a skeletal apparition surrounded by blue mist. The reports last for only a few months before stopping aberrantly in may.

December 10, 2018

Three years after the first round of sighting of the "Racer," a new spade of reports began to come in. Now it seems that people can now identify the car as a Camaro. A person managed to snap a five-second video of the "driver" of the car. The blurry video shows a skinless man, eyes wide and facing forward. The video goes viral before being forgotten about. Sighting dies off a few weeks after the video was taken.

December 10, 2020

Eric Spader, while driving with Alex Ward from an event, reports having the "Racer" and his car run through his Maserati. The supercar is completely disabled due to malfunctioning electronics but is physically untouched.


December 10, 2023

A single report of the "Racer" happens from the witness's description. The "ghost" has changed again, this time of a young man driving a black Z28 Camaro surrounded by a blue "flame-like mist."

December 10, 2024
Just outside of Miami
The lighting was gone as soon as it had appeared. Slamming on break, Voltz spun his car around to face the distant skyline of Miami, right at the same time the radio reward came back to life. Johnny placed his hand on his heart which had been racing probably faster than his car was going. The young man stumbled out of his vehicle, wobbling to the side of the road, throwing up into the dirt.

"Never eating chilly before a race ever again," he said, standing back up and looking a the skyline. There was something different about it; Johnny had always loved to gaze at the skyline from a distance taking notes of where each of the buildings was and where the new ones were being built. Something was off; buildings that had been on the skyline for years were suddenly gone, while others took their place, and still while others more seemed to have switched places entirely.

"I really need to stop drinking," mumbled Johnny as he stumbled back into his car, driving hungover into the city. As he entered the city limits, he flipped on his radio to static and news, most of which seemed pretty strange, something about a guy named Mansfield, something else about ghosts sightings in Atlanta; there had apparently been a terror attack in New York or something, Johnny flipped the change one more time,

"People are strange. When you're a stranger, Faces look ugly. When you're alone."

The more Voltz drove around town, the more he noticed things were off. The way people dressed were remarkably different than they had only a few hours ago. At least he didn't have to look at hipsters anymore.

"Women seem wicked. When you're unwanted. The streets are uneven. When you're down."

Yet things only got stranger when the streets he had once known, like the back of his hand, were changed or didn't even exist. Buildings were gone, replaced with others, while others still sat the same, but with the names on them changed. Most disturbing of all, his parent's house was missing, not destroyed, not abandoned but missing. His parents weren't even answering his calls. Panicking, Johnny drove to the last place he could think of, his old spot near the dock, and by the grace of God, it was still standing, even if it was boarded up.

When you're strange, faces come out of the rain. When you're strange. No one remembers your name when you're strange. When you're strange. When you're strange


Johnny flipped on the solar generator-powered lights to see that the auto and computer shop was right where he left it only; it was all covered in a thick lawyered of dust. Voltz bolted over to his computer before he even realized it, almost as if he teleported to the place, and with his hands trembling, he tapped on the space bar as the computer powered on to show his Home Screen of him and his girlfriend, but what caught his eyes and his horror was the date December 10, 2024.

"No, no, no, T-this is impossible…."


Jamie rubbed her eyes and cracked her neck as she woke in the bake seat of John Doe Midnight Purple Chevelle.

"Look who is finally awake," joked Santell passing Jamie a Ward Burger bag from the front passenger seat as John Doe, with noticeably fewer tentacles, drove down the road.

"It's an American pancake breakfast, Burrito," said John.

"That sounds ludicrously unhealthy," said Jamie rummaging through the bag.

"Yeah, but it's also super tasty. I had like ten of them already. One of the benefits of being dead I don't have to worry about gaining weight." said Santell.

"Same with Shoggoths," said John.

"Lucky two you all are, but do you mind telling me where we are all?"

" Wyoming," said Jamie

"And why the hell is in bloody Wyoming.".

John smiled. "Witches."

"Or Cults" John took a sharp turn past a sign that read "Welcome To No Place Wyoming."

"tomato, old friend," said Santell as Jamie gazed at the unremarkable Main Street. The only thing Noteworthy about it with how small it was, at most, maybe ten stores put together. "So much for a shopping trip."


"Hey, now they do have a gift shop." said John pointing out a Candy store that advertised "Voted Food Network Number One's Best Place In America To Buy GingerBread In 2006.".


Jamie rolled her eyes at that. "So what exactly have the cult been doing?"

The car drove past downtown to a nearby local hospital. It was small, and if it weren't for the hospital sign outside of the two-story building, a nonlocal would not have recognized the old brick building as one


Upon parking in its parking lot. Santell handed out little slips of paper. "We don't exactly now, but kids have gone missing, so we're gonna have to take things seriously with these guys. If they are willing to go after kids, who know what else these people are capable of.".

Jamie took the card while looking at it. "Point taken," she said as she watched the paper change before her eyes to show a fake ID from the FBI. "Good old psychic paper."

"Well, we saw how well it for you folks from across the pond and decided to copy it," said John.

"We technically copied it from The D-" never mind.".

The three of them entered the hospital; it was pretty rustic, like something out of the 1950s with a very thin layer of modernity over the top of it all.

"Well, isn't this quaint," mumbled Jamie as Santell walked over to the woman currently typing away on an old Dell computer at the front desk. The vampire pressed the bell, getting the woman attention before holding out the blank sheet of paper.

"Excuse me; I'm agent Bella with the FBI" he pointed towards the other two people in the otherwise empty lobby. "Those are my partners, Agents Whateley and Agent Summers; we are here about Lucy." Santell looked the woman deep in her eyes as she spoke the next few words, "We called you ahead of about our visit.".

"Right, right, the poor thing is still recovering from what happened; we haven't been able to get a word out of her. Her daddy has been right by her side, though; the great man he is." said the nurse as she stood up and ushered them down the hall and towards the room.

"If she could just hypnotize her, what was the point of the paper?" whispered Jamie to John, who just shrugged "beats me.".

The Hospital room was more of a closet than an actual room. Inside of it was a little girl in the bed and her dad sitting right beside her nervously.

Santell's voice became calm and soothing. "Hello, we are with the FBI. Do you mind if we ask your daughter a few questions about what happened to her?"

"You FBI, yeah, right." said the dad annoyed at this little girl, whoever she was. "Listen, if this some type of prank by some kids at the school, it isn't funny-"

Santell locked eyes with him as she spoke again, "Hello, we are with the FBI. Do you mind if we ask your daughter a few questions about what happened to her." the man was a hard nut to crack, but it wasn't something she couldn't get on the second time around.

The man's whole demeanor changed as a smile settled on his face, one that made Jamie very uncomfortable "Sure, so long as she agrees." he said, smiling at his still silent daughter, who nodded yes.

Santell sat on the edge of the bed. "That's good to hear that, kiddo. So what's your name? Mine name is Santell."

"Puffy,"

"That's a wonderful name Puffy. Can you tell us what happened to you?"

"The gingerbread men took me when Melly and I were playing."

The child's dad placed a hand on her shoulder. "Now, honey, you gotta tell the truth to these people.".

"But daddy, I did, I did! It was the gingerbread men, and they took Melly to their candy house!"

Santell's face for a second, went to that of pure concern, then back to the soft, calm mask she wore so well. "Can you tell me what these bread men looked like?"

As the little girl went on to describe what the men looked like, both John and Jamie saw the cracks in Santell's mask grow wider until the warm smile was a grimace. The vampire didn't even say goodbye to the child before she signaled the two other investigators to follow behind her.

"Shits fucked." said Santell as they left the hospital.

Jamie was shocked at the sudden change in her aunt. "Wait!why?" but Santell kept walking around to the back of the car trunk, popping it to reveal a massive cachet of weapons, from firearms and explosives to hand-to-hand weapons. "Have you ever read Hansel & Gretel?" she said, grabbing an MP5K and tucking it into her overcoat as she reached back into the trunk of the car and tossed John an MRAD one-handed like it was nothing.

"Wait, hold the fuck on, so what like the fairy tale where the kids are lured into a candy house by some witch?" asked Jamie.

"It wasn't a witch; we are talking about an A-grade harvester demon," said John.


"A bloody harvester demon! That's impossible. The last time a group of people tried summoning one of those fuckers was during….it's the fucking krauts again, isn't it." said Jamie as the realization hit her; she knew most esoteric nazis were stupid and should have figured they were also foolish enough to summon to what amount to a demi-god.


"Here catch." said Santell ironically enough, tossing her a bundle of stielhandgranates which Jamie almost dropped, fumbling before catching the bundle of the very old and more than likely very unstable explosives firmly in her hands. "So how the hell are we supposed to find these goose-stepping bastards?"

John raised a hand. "Well seeing how these guys are targeting children and not one adult have managed to lay eyes on him, my best guess is that they are using a cloaking spell to make themselves visible only to children."

"So back to square one, if none of us are children, how the hell are we supposed even to see where we are going," said Jamie.

Santell chuckled. "You do realize I am a teenager, right? Albeit one who has been dead for around 500 years but a child nonetheless.".

Jamie paused for a moment; it was hard to think of her aunt as a child. Maybe it was due to all the years that she had known her, perhaps it was the memories of her visiting her family in London when she was little, but for some reason, in blatant disregard to Santell's physical appearance, she always had at least in her mind been the cool older sister or the aunt even though now to outside observers it would be reversed "Right I always forget that about you, Peter Pan syndrome and all.".

"Why did you bring up her ex-boyfriend?" asked John, not understanding the reference.

About 30 minutes later and a long hike up a snowy forested hillside later, Santell began to notice something in front of her, the pathway in front of her had started to change from dirt to freshly paved in gold of all things.

"So is it me, or are we not in Kansas anymore because that is a yellow brick road.".

John and Jamie looked at each other for a second before returning to Santell. "Definitely, you aunty, the path is still dirt.".

"Well, that's a good sign; fall back behind me and stick off the path. I don't want them noticing that I'm not alone.".

"Fine, but we are staying in line of sight," said John as the human and shoggoth snuck off into the bushes just within the tree line.

"You worry far too much," said a voice John's voice, only it wasn't out loud but in her head ringing out like an echo.

"How the hell are you doing that? Right, you lot are all telepathic," she thought back. "And I'm not worried…okay, maybe a little, but cut me a break; it's a harvest demon; I thought those things died off ages ago."

"You know what they say? That is not dead which can eternal lie, and all that jazz," thought John as they followed Santell from a distance down the wooded path.

Jamie sighed. "Looks like it's gonna be sometime before we get to wherever we are going, so um, so how did you meet Santell?"

"I was working at a blockbuster video, well I say working to summon a great old one Hastur to be exact…well I say working more like being enslaved by lich due to my gambling debt. To make a long story short, Adze, Angelique, with a little help between Santell and me, managed to kill the weakened Hastur who had entered this mortal realm but had not fully formed yet and was currently merging with the lich who had enslaved me. You know I had heard stories of what Adze could do, but they don't come close to seeing him in action, a half-bread demon like a vampire taking down a great old one. I would have considered it a joke if I didn't see it with my own eyes."

"You know I always heard stories about Adze, mostly from my dad and a few MI6 buddies. Apparently, NATO considered him a possible threat; ironically, so did the Soviets, with them having Drac on their side that saying something.".

"To be fair, humans consider everything you guys can't control a threat,"

"That is not true."

"Need I remind you of the Reggane incident.".

"The fucking Frenchies don't count; they are scared of their own shadow."


"Tell that to Ad- shit, I think someone is coming." thought John and Jamie watched as two men in black tactical gear and gas masks approached Santell. The men wore patches of an upside-down pitchfork with lighting runes at the tip of each fork, all within a circle; seeing this, Jamie swore mentally "Shit, it's Circle Of Tep.".

"I'm guessing that isn't a good thing,"

Jamie began to creep after the men who had taken Santell by the hand, walking her down the path. "The COT was kicked out of the Temple of Blood for being too extreme."


John quickly followed the young vampire Hunter. "How did they manage to achieve that?"

"They believe whiteness is a cursed seal placed upon fallen spirits of old ones and that to become gods again, they must shed their mortal skin via dark magic and reality warping.".

"Fuck reality warpers; we aren't prepared for that kind of stuff,"

"I said that what they believe they haven't managed to get a hold of anything that warps reality until now."

"They don't expect a harvest demon to be powerful enough to warp them into Gods, right? I mean, even if it could do something on that level, why would it?"

"Johnny boy, never underestimate the stupidity of Nazis."

"It's a shame that they have dangerous with their stupidity."

After around another ten minutes of walking, a three-story log mansion came to view; at the end of the trail, it was as large as it was equally run down.

However, Santell saw a different story. The house was seemingly made out of gingerbread like the men who were leading her. The men had been pretty quiet, only speaking in happy tones to reassure Santell that there was a special surprise inside the house meant for her and her alone. While the vampire's eyes and ear may have been deceived, her sense of smell was left untouched; these men's blood was tainted with wickedness, the kind one could only get from playing around with demonic magic. The smell radiated from them like rotting flesh and only grew worse as they entered the house. It took Santell a hell of a lot of effort not to rip open the men's throats, not because of the smell but because they were, well…Nazis.


The house looked to be made out of candy and cake, yet that smell couldn't leave her nose. It only got worse as she began to notice the faces of the men began to change. It would have been better if they had transformed into something like monsters instead of what happened. There must have been an error in the spell as it started showing Santell not just Candy men and cakes but flashes of faces on the men, faces of old memories of old friends and family long since passed.

It got even worse as she was sat down at a table surrounded by men with the faces of the past, yet two stuck-off faces were burly; after all, she hadn't seen them in almost a millennium, but she could recognize the two faces in board strokes. Then the smell can back stronger than ever, this time bringing a rage from within Santell. How dare these goose-stepping freaks use the faces of her parents in their ploy to attempt to kill her? The only thing that kept her calm was thinking of all of the things she would do to these Nazis once it was for time for her to strike. Santell smiled as she noticed a faint red dot appear on what seemed to be the lead Nazi's head.

On a nearby hillside, John and Jamie laid flat on their bellies behind, covered with Jamie spotting for John snipping.

"So what's the plan after this?" asked John as he got ready to take the shot.

"I guess we provide cover for Santell until she neutralizes the rest of the Nazis, then burn the cabin and pray that the Harvest Demon hasn't actually been summoned already."

"No, I meant after the mission.".

"I don't know, maybe just relax and celebrate Christmas; what are you doing for the holidays?" asked Jamie.

"I don't know usually celebrate Christmas outside of hanging out with Santell and Simon, but ever since Adze and Angelique left, it's pretty much just another holiday. I'm not even sure if Santell is even celebrating this year."

Jamie gazed across the hill through a mystical binocular that she had conjured up before they took their position on the hill. "You wanna do something together? I mean just as mates.".


"That would be nice, actually," said John as he took the shot.


Santell watched as the lead cultist's head exploded into a million sugary pieces and smiled as she stood. "Gentlemen, I believe the phrase is "You done goofed."

Santell's face began to change; it became something resembling a cross between a bat and hungry wolf; her mouth peeled back in a Cheshire cat grin filled with sharpening teeth. The spell broke, and Santell saw them for what they were heavily armored men armed with AR15s. Before the man's fingers could click the triggers of their rifle, Santell had leaped over the table, lunging towards and tackling him from the back of the vampire's throat came her stinger stabbing out into the back of the man's neck. The Nazi began to go limp and shriveled up as the blood was drained out of him; all the while, his comrades unloaded round after around of bullet into Santell, none of them sliver, which meant outside of getting her mad they were near useless. The vampire stopped once the man was drained of all his blood, but she knew that wouldn't keep her "new friend" down for long as some of her blood had fallen into his once screaming mouth. As Santell rose up from over the dead man, so did the deadman as a ghoul.


"Oh God, help us." said one of the cultists. Santell could smell his fear, and it was good. The next words she spoke were in Hebrew "There is no God for things like you, only devils and people like me to send you to meet them." The now zombie began to attack his former friends picking up his old rifle, and opening fire on his once friends as Santell spoke again, this time in English, as the last remaining Neo Nazis lay dying on the floor "I want you to know to remember the face of the woman who destroyed your little chaos magic circle jerk. I want you to know that the woman who defeated you came from the same race, your one nut sack having leader failed to destroy 80 years ago, and when you enter the bottomless pit of hell, I want you to report back your Fuhrer I want you to tell them one thing for me. Santell pulled out a book of matches from within her coat, lighting a single one and letting it drop to the floor, catching its own fire. "Never A-Fucking-Gain".

Santell sighed as she walked out of the now burning cabin; she was actually looking forward to fighting a harvest demon, but then again, she never was going to complain about having it easy, and sending some Nazi scum to hell was its own reward.

"Holy fuck are you ok?" asked Jamie as she and John rushed over towards the vampire, John was as calm as ever, but Jamie looked as if she was about to vomit. A solid quarter of Santell's face and skull had been blown completely off; out of the massive hole leaked out brain matter as it moved like a bag of worms trying to put itself back together. The broken edges of the woman's skull were starting to regrow at its tips, and Santell's empty left eye socket was bubbling away as a new eye was forming from the blood. "Yeah, why? I just got shot a few times.".

"Now that is an understatement of the century, now isn't an old woman." said a young woman walking from seemingly nowhere. Dressed in a witches hat with a belt and buckle around it being a rich purple, the theme of black and purple went down to a black trench coat and purple corset vest that was layered over a white poet shirt and then down to her black boots with the heels which the toes and button matched the rest of her purple. Her skin was as pale as the snow where her boots stood, only being outmatched by the bleached whiteness of the pale streak that ran through her otherwise raven hair. The only thing that broke up the drabness of her marvel white skin was her striking blue eyes and purple lipstick.

"You got some nerve showing back up here, May J, after all these years hiding out in your little castle."

"Oh, trust me, this was all Damien's idea," said the Witch to the vampire as a small black cat dressed in a dark blue robe and mini wizards hat brushed between her legs before nuzzling its head against Santell's leg and purring "It's good to see you two little kitty.".

"Meow"

"Well, that explains a lot, but I guess I have equal explaining to do," Santell glared back up at May. "The world has kinda been going to shit in case you have been too busy to notice anything.".

"When hasn't the world been going to shit." joked May J.

Sammy tried to fight them off, but there were too many of them, too many hands. They held her down. She couldn't move. Andrew ripped apart half of his face, cut off living only muscle as a gurgle spelled out from his throat, which slashed so deep he was nearly decapitated. She could see the man on his face, a carved mash of dozens of different skins and dark yellow eyes.

Sammy woke up screaming and crying in a panic; she ripped; off she ripped the IVs off her body and jumped out of the makeshift medical bed in one of the penthouse's guest rooms of Spader Tower. She felt her body patting herself; she was still in her suit, which calmed her down until she felt her face. The mask was gone. Rage refilled Sammy's mind rage as Spader entered the room. The billionaire was thrown into the wall before being lifted up by his shirt collar. "HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!" She screamed so loud Spader could feel blood begin to leak from his ears, "WHERE IS MY FUCKING MASK!" Spader could see that she was crying, almost on the verge of sobbing.

"Here, christ alive, are you ok," said Spader fumbling around in his pocket, handing her mask back to Sammy. "We had to get the mask off you; we didn't know what Flora spiked you with." Sammy dropped him, rushing to our own, her mask again turning away from Spader as she did so. Spader spoke again, this time reaching out to place his hand on Sammy's shoulder. "Listen Skins are you ok-"

"If you wanna keep that hand, get it the fuck off me." hissed Sammy. Eric pulled back his hand, quickly thinking back to the live leak videos he saw of the warehouse the other night. "I-I'm sorry but the mask had to come off. We weren't exactly sure what that Flora woman hit you with, whatever it was, it took you down for a few days.

"Days?"

"Yeah, a few days whatever she gassed you with most of been pretty powerful stuff. You're probably hungry after being out for so long Susan made some breakfast if you're interested."

"I don't have any money," mumbled Sammy.

"Skins, it's free,"

"Yeah, right, nothing free with you people; everything has its price."

Eric sighed. "Suit yourself, there shower a few doors down, and Susan left some clothes in the dresser for you. We do need to talk about our plan on how to deal with this Flora woman sometime today." with that, Spader left the room, leaving Sammy once again alone. Skin Waller did take Spader's advice taking a shower and turning her phone on Spotify while she did. The shower was a waterfall like the one she had used the last time she had the chance to shower at Ace's home; only this one was done in the ultra-modern instead of the Roman bathhouse style.
"What is it with rich people and fancy showers," thought Sammy

The shower itself was one part shower, another part mirror giving Sammy a good look at herself for the first time in a long time. Her make-up around was running, and smudged on her hair needed a good wash too. Thankfully, in addition to soap and body wash, the Spaders had thrown in shampoo and conditioner. As Sammy washed her hair, she listened to "It Could Happen Here." Skin Walker didn't agree with Robert Evans on a lot of things. She rarely agreed with anyone, let alone a colonizer, even a left-leaning one on much these days, but she agreed with enough points of Robert to find his voice bearable to fill the void and keep away her thoughts when she was by herself. She recognized another voice on the podcast; the person Robert was interviewing was Beverly, a friend of Ace's friend Maxwell. The topic, ironically enough superheroes.

"…Of course, when talking about the current rise of Vigilantism in the country, we have to look back at its long dark historical roots in this country, starting with slave patrols which lead to the modern police and also post-civil war branches off into hate group like the KKK which by the way has seen a disturbing rise in membership recently. What makes what is happening now is, of course, some of these people like Black Power or Columbia, for example, different is, of course, them both apparently having actual superpowers, which is whole other can of worms, but almost more importantly them differing from the largely far-right history of vigilantism is the fact these super people seemed to be with exceptions like the public menace of my city and that guy calling himself Tombstone are left-leaning or at the very least centrist enough to be oppressed to fascism."

Sammy chuckled at Beverly's description of Reaper, while Skin Walker firmly believed, even while showering in a penthouse owned by one by their very nature, that billionaires were unethical; the closest one would probably get would be Reaper. It was strange her feelings for him or the mask he wore, but that kind of money belonging to one person made her stomach turn over every time she thought about it.

"Besides, I'm not really his type anyway; he's more into blondes or rich long, time best friend, not emotionally fucked basketcases. The most I might get out of him is a few more fun nights."

"Of course, you do have your more morally grey vigilantes like Black Bat, Captian Slaughter, and, of course, Skin Walker.".

Sammy's ears perked up at the sound of her true name.

"I mean, yeah, there is no doubt these people are the more violent of the masked vigilantes we currently know about; however, they also have been known to be very ruthless towards the far right, even more so than the openly anti-fascist masks."

"That video of Slaughter beating someone Neo Nazis to a pulp in for harassing trans come to mind," said Robert.

"Totally, and let not forget the actions of Skin Walker, who is by all account the most brutal of the maks even among the known killers. Nailing serial rapists to a tree, throwing a militia leader out of the window, and from what I heard, she may have been involved in the mass murder of bikers; I have a source that sent some pretty grizzly pictures. It looks like someone let loose, tiger on those bikers."

"What can I say? I was hungry," thought Sammy as she turned off the water to the shower and stepped out of it. Her Stomach beginner growled. "Speak of the devil," Sammy thought to herself as she remembered Spader saying something about breakfast and smelling the air to see that he wasn't lying.

Dressing in baggy sweat pants, socks, and an oversized family guy t-shirt, she went downstairs to the Spader's breakfast room. However, what she saw wasn't breakfast; it was a feast. Four tall stacks of pancakes covered with butter and syrup, plates of bacon, eggs, sausage, french toast, breakfast puffs, fresh fruits, milk, and coffee. None of which were the substitute versions; everything on at the table was the real deal, even the coffee. Sammy nearly smiled as the smell of the coffee reached her nose, but she stopped herself as her mind began to wonder about how they came ahold of the coffee which she avoided, just drinking milk and eating the bread, fruit, and meat. She hated that it tasted good, she hated that she was eating, and most of all, she hated sitting in an apartment above a city that seemed close to ripping itself apart. Yet she ate. She filled herself on food making up for all the lost time on the road and asleep.

"There is no ethical consumption under capitalism," thought Sammy. "Or is that something I am telling myself so I don't have to deal with being a hypocrite? I can choose to stop eating at any time I want. I hate that I don't want to stop eating, I hate that I am in this city, I hate that I am in this apartment, I hate I agreed to work with this Richie Rich asshole, I hate that I let myself get gassed, I hate that I was stupid enough to go in head first, I fucking hate myself…."

"Hey, Bran and I are gonna meet up at the " Lucus stopped as he realized Spader and Susan weren't the only people in the room. "Um. I will talk to you guys later," said Lucus rushing out of the room.


"What's wrong with him," said Susan as Spader shook his head.

"He was aroused," spoke Sammy for the first time at the table, making Susan and Eric both spit out their drinks. Eric from laughter, Susan from shock.

"Well, that was blunt." joked Spader as he finished his breakfast.

"I prefer it that way," said Sammy before burping. "Do you have a place where we are gonna talk around the table?"

Spader laughed. "My other office" he said as he got up from the table and led Sammy away from the breakfast room, after which they took his elevator up to his public office before Eric smiled, saying, "Watch this," flipping the head of a small statue of himself over and pressing an actual big red button. Across from them, the walls begin to crack apart, revealing a hidden doorway to a panic room. It was at least the size of a regular apartment and housed a small computer, a micro gym area with a treadmill and bench press, and a punching bag. Most of all, along the back wall of the panic room, four sets of armor, with one still being under construction. "It cost a pretty penny to build the room itself. Of course, I had to use separate contractors for different aspects of the room. Then it was a matter of me making the suits, even if my company had already had the blueprints for the prototypes-"

"Am I supposed to be impressed by this?" asked Sammy dryly. "Let's just cut to the chase, bub. How are we gonna get this eco fash bitch.".

Eric smiled as he flipped on his laptop to show a news report of Spader hosting a charity ball. "Simple, we let her come to us.".Sammy struggled to read the words; they were all jumbled together, at least that was how she viewed them, but she did manage to make out a few names, mostly captains of New York's industry, a few high-profile politicians, and celebrities. Sammy ever so briefly smiled up at Eric before joking, "Hey, you're not as dumb as you look. Maybe killing this bitch won't be so bad after all."


Spader grew stern. "We aren't killing anyone, not tonight, not in my city."

Sammy sighed. "I stand corrected, I can understand Ace being naive with us being teenagers and all, but you are a grown man, c'mon."

"You are in my city, so we will do it my way, not yours.". There was a hint of disgust in the last words he spoke.

Sammy locked eyes with him Spader even though Eric was far larger than Sammy's small frame, but there was something about her eyes, the intensity, and anger radiating from them, which unnerved Eric. Maybe even scared him. "You say it like your way is better than my way.".


"Because it is," mumbled Spader.

"Really?" laughed Sammy.

"Skin you left men eviscerated, missing limbs, the news is saying they may have been partially eaten because you mauled them so badly, and you think what you do is good?"

Sammy glared even harder at Eric. "And what do you do? Larp as Spider-Man tie up the bad guys, kiss a few babies, and lets the pigs take the scum away so they can break out again or win at trial, so in a few months, maybe weeks if they get lucky, they are back in the street ready to hurt more innocent people."

"Don't you dare lecture me about innocent people," growled Spader

"Why not? Because it seems like you forgot about all the innocents this Unabomber wannabe human-shaped pile of dog shit managed to blow apart a few weeks ago! Tell me, did you ever take the time to learn their names or the names of children who got blown apart fucking turned into pink mist by the filth you are trying to protect-" Sammy stopped as she was slammed into the wall by Spader.

"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT! YOU THINK I DON'T WAKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT SCREAMING BECAUSE I WASN'T FUCKING FAST ENOUGH, STRONG ENOUGH TO SAVE THEM! EVERY TIME I CLOSE MY EYES, I CAN FEEL THEIR BLOOD RUNNING DOWN MY HANDS! BUT I KNOW IF I KILL, I WILL BE NO BETTER THAN FLORA!" Spader's face was bright red now with anger. He was ready to explode on Sammy, the weeks and days of self-hatred and anger unloading on Skin Walker like a gun.


Sammy just laughed in Eric's face and, with little effort, pushed him off her "Fine, fine, don't get your panties in a twist; we will do it your way, bub." She said, walking out of the door before turning around to face Spader, her voice growing cold again. "But remember this, bub, every drop of blood this little bitch causes when she breaks out of prison will be on your hands because you didn't have the manhood to put her down like the dog she is.".


Hours later, Sammy was still angry but hid it well under a smile, something she wasn't all too fond of or comfortable with. What was worse was that she had to wear a one-shoulder black midi dress, with black high heels. On her, she borrowed a designer handbag from Susan, which probably collectively cost more than her whole life. It made her feel dirty just having it on her arm.

"I looked fucking ridiculous," she thought to herself as she forced a smile on her face at the older gentle passing by her at the charity gala. The whole thing was hosted on the event floor of Spader's tower. It was a massive ballroom with smaller, more closed-off VIP lounges, one of which she currently passed by on her way to the main ballroom when she bumped into someone.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, I didn't see you there. Are you ok?" asked none other than James Mansfield.

"James fucking Mansfield, you have to be fucking kidding me. Of all the damn assholes I have to bump into, it had to be the king of the racist settler shitheads." Sammy thought before smiling and saying, "Yes, am I. Are you trying to find the main ballroom too? This place is a maze," Sammy nearly gagged, saying that in such a typical upper-class New Yorker tone. "Come on, Sammy, just slice his fucking neck open. It wouldn't take long or just lead him to the dark corner and rip out his tongue so he couldn't scream for help as his face was cut off." Sammy shook those thoughts still. She could barely stop her mouth from watering at the thought of hunting such high-profile prey. "Spader, you better hope this trap works, or I will be eating double tonight.".

Eric was laughing it up with old friends. Although Spader did wish Ace was there with him, it would be good to have a chance to talk things out with him and hash out their problems for a bit, but the extra set of super hands wouldn't hurt too at the moment. Then again, he was already having trouble with one emotionally unstable superpowered edgy teen, let alone two of them. Skin Walker, no pun attended, had managed to get under his skin in more ways than one. She was mean as a viper and quick to lash out like one. She wasn't one to not share her opinion that something Eric did enjoy about Skins, Susan always did keep him grounded, but she was well…Susan. In a way, Sammy reminded Spader of his cousin Katerina or at least reminded her of the last time he saw Katerina, the last time he saw her all those years ago.

There was anger, yes, but under all that Spader could tell, there was pain. The type that could only be brought about through loss. Eric didn't have time to ruminate on these ideas and emotions as the lights began to flicker. That was Spader's cue, and he took it, rushing through the party-goers and pressing a button on his smartwatch.

"You know you remind me of an old friend I used to have in the military. She was a lot like you, at least in the looks department, but she was probably more firebrand than you, I think," said Mansfield as he and Sammy walked down the hall

"Oh, only if you fucking knew your pale face, motherfuc-" Sammy started to think before the lights went off and then back on to an emergency low red, and the sounds of heavy boots started rushing in. "Oh, thank christ, a terror attack," said Sammy, happy that she could finally get rid of her disguise.

Mansfield watched as two gunmen entered the room, only to their and his horror, to witness the once blonde hair and blue-eyed All American-looking girl begin to change. Her hair becomes raven black; her white skin turned a light copper color her baby blue eyes change to black. Her body began to shift and stretch, growing longer as her French tip nails bled openly as claws of bones and metal pushed their way forwards from her fingertips. Her dress seemed to change as well; growing tighter around her body, in its center appeared a horned deer skull, and what seemed to be a cape grew from the back of it. Most disturbing of all were the antlers that seemingly sprouted from her head. The lights flickered off again, and then out of the void came the brief flashes and thunder of gunfire, followed by the screams of the men as their blood splashed the wall. Mansfield instinctively reached for his ankle holster, drawing and shooting his P365 right into the face of the third gunmen who had attempted to sneak behind Skin Walker as the light flashed on once again.


"So I'm guessing you're not a natural blonde." joked Mansfield.


In the main ballroom of Spader Tower, the once smiling guess ran for cover as the sound of a gun fired flooded the room, and out stepped at least a dozen men armed with shotguns and pistols. The 12 men flanked a woman on both sides. Dressed in a black bdu with a matching green utility belt and beret Flora smiled as she spoke her words, "Ladies and gentlemen of this abomination to nature you call this overpopulated melting garbage pot of a city, I'm not sorry at all to interrupt your evening-"

"ARE YOU THE REVENANT?" asked one young woman, maybe a little younger than Flora, with bright blue hair.

Flora just glared at the blue hair room with a mixture of hate and outright confusion in her eyes. "Do I look like a huge hulking Black Havery Dent-looking motherfucker to you?"

"N-" the blue-haired woman did not finish her final words as a vine shot from Flora's arm into the room eye socket and through the back side of her skull before zooming back into the body of Flora. "That was rhetorical, you fucking rainbow-haired degenerate." She looked around the room at the captive audience raptured and cowering in fear of her. "Any more stupid questions?" the room was quite beside by the muffled sobbing of some attendees. "Good as I was saying….".


Sammy ruffled through badly injured gunmen and the dead one that Mansfield had dropped, picking up two handguns and tossing Mansfield one of the gunmen, Remington 870. "Hey, when we get to the main ballroom, I am gonna need you to start helping the civies get the hell out of here and waste anyone who gets in your way.".

"What about you?" asked Mansfield

"Just get these people safety, you fucking Ronald Regan wannabe!" yelled Skin Walker as her face began to be enveloped into a black void.

Mansfield smiled and nodded "just like the good old days," the politician thought to himself.


"Spader comes in; it's Susan; where are you?" The voice said into Spader's coms.

"Just got suited up coming in through the window. What do you see on the building's cameras,"

"It's bad Flora just took out one girl and is ranting to the rest."

"Shit, Susana, what about Skin Walker? Can you get a visual of her? Is she hurt?"

"Checking other room's feed right now, I don't see her-wait holy, you won't believe who she is working with! Fucking James Mansfield.".

"I guess those war stories weren't fake news; after all, it looks like we are about to make more wish me luck," said Spader logging off his com and flying straight through the ballroom glass window, landing inches away from Flora.

"Look who just crashed my party, don't worry, I'm not mad, Ace Of Spades. After all, it's my party, and you will die if I want to!" laughed Flora, but that smiling face soon stopped as Skin Walker burst into the door."THE SHE-BITCH! HOW TO PUT ENOUGH GAS IN YOU TO PUT DOWN AN WHALE!"


"Best sleep I had in my life; maybe next time you can give me a recipe!"


"Too bad there won't be a next time for you. Get 'em boys!" sad Flora as six men charged Skin Walker while the other half went after Ace Of Spades.

Sammy was about to reach for her new guns and remember the deal she made with Spader. Instead, she grabbed the arm of one of the first goons to reach her, twisting it and breaking the arm to point bone jotted out of the flesh, and with a quick pull, Skin Walker managed to yank the bone from out within the man body and used it to stab the second goon in the leg before pulling the bone out while ducking to the floor to get out of the way of a punch thrown by the third sweeping his leg and knocking him out with the bone by shattering it on his head. Sammy hopped up to see just in time a shotgun leveled at her chest. In a moment, she was knocked to the ground. Thankfully the round didn't do anything besides knocking the wind out of her, thanks to her armor. Unfortunately, getting the wind knocked out of her gave the fourth and fifth men time to approach her.

"The boss was right. The little bitch is a pain in the ass, but I guess that nothing a bullet can't fix." said the fourth goon aiming his shotgun at Skin Walker's head, but as he pulled the trigger, the gun jammed, allowing Sammy enough time to kick the man in his crotch driving her high heel through his skin and back out again at the time she pulled her gun and shot the fifth man in the foot making him fall to the ground leaving only the sixth man who was now backing away from Skin Walker. The man saw a monster with an empty void where its face was supposed to be walking towards him menacingly. The man dropped his gun and started back away even faster, "Listen I-I-I-"

"I don't care" Skin Walker lunged at the thug, grabbing him with one claw and with her other hand using her grapple hook to swing unto the ballroom's grand chandelier from one in of the room to the other, throwing the man into the group of goons currently fight Spader taking out the three of the six of them before she landed on another one taking him down with a kick to the head.

"Looks like you could use an extra pair of hands or claws." joked Sammy kicking the gun out of the man's hand before proceeding to kick the terrorist in the face cracking his jaw and bringing him to the floor.

"Who me, this is easy mode," said Spader as he prodded the last of the henchmen.

"Damn you both!" screamed Flora as she clamored out the window using her vines in an attempt to get away

"Go get flower power over there; I'm gonna try and get these people out of here," said Skin Walker running off to join Mansfield in helping evacuate people from the building while Spader flew back out the broken window and right into a swap by a vine into the side of the building.

"You don't die easily, do you, little angel, don't worry, I can handle that for you.".

The vine began to wrap around Spader's neck plate, making the armor buckle as Ace Of Spades felt himself gasping for air. "It's now or never, Spader" as he cranked up the power, his escrima sticks to the highest setting and pressed it against the vine sending volts of electricity through the vines shocking both Flora and him as the eco-terrorist screamed out in pain, dropping Ace of Spades who blacked out plummeting hundreds of feet towards the earth. Spader came through just in time to fly up before hitting the pavement below, zooming up above the rooftops of the city. Unfortunately, this was around the same time Flora came to as well.

"I'm going to squash look like a bug!" ragged Flora. Her skin began to shift, becoming hardened and dark ridged brown like tree bark armor had begun to sprout for skin as she kept growing and growing and growing, reaching 40 feet in a shape that could only be described as a mix between a wild oak and massive gorilla.

"Going to have to catch me first, Groot!" Spader quipped, jetting as fast as he could with Flora or the best that Flora had become following quickly behind him.

"You think you can run from me, Spades! I am the trees and the grass! The water and the air! I am the earth itself! A Goddess amongst mere mortals! And once I am down ripping you apart limb by limb, I am gonna kill that worthless sub-human savage of yours and burn this pathetic infested vermin slum that you call a city to the ground! I WILL CLEANSE THIS ENTIRE COUNTRY OF EVERY WORTHLESS BREEDER TO MAKE WAY FOR A WORLD CONTROLLED BY A THANKFUL RACE!"


"I'm almost there, just gotta get to the substation near the " Spader couldn't finish the thought as he was slammed into the construction site just a few hundred feet away from the substation. Ace Of Spade's visor cracked as he slammed onto the ground again. His suit was still holding, but even though armor was made to survive, high falls began to fail as, over and over again, the hero was slammed into the unfinished concrete floor of the site. As Eric Spader was starting to be pulled up once again by the vines, he heard a voice over his coms.

"Still on easy mode?" joked Skin Walker as Spader looked to see her leaping onto the back of Flora.


Sammy's claws shredded through the bark-like skin of the beast as she landed, drawing out sappy blood. Flora, in response, dropped Spader and began trying to shake Sammy off of her.

Sammy held on tight with one claw reaching into her belt with another and pulling out three small round objects before sticking them on the monster's back. "Spader, hope to fucking god this toy of yours works." Sammy let go of the beast, completely disappearing into the fireball as the sticky is bombs went off, blowing a hole in the beat's back as the fire began to spread from the explosions.

Flora violently trashed around from the pain screaming inhuman whales as the monster spun out of control while the fire continued to envelop its body. Ultimately it tripped, falling onto the electrical substation. In a flurry of blinding blues strikes and flashes followed by the thunderous roar that would rival that of the Gods, the beast was no more, and the surrounding blocks went dark.


Hours later, as the early morning began to peak out above the night and Flora, still alive but badly hurt, had been drug away while screaming about how she was "Gonna have my revenge upon Ace Of Spades" and that the "She-Devil will rue the day she foiled my plans." Eric Spader stood alone after giving his last statement to the police and press, who had been more worried about getting sound bites from Mansfield than actual news. "While I still think unchecked unAmerican metas like this so-called Skin Walker are a direct threat to morals of proper American society, I can also acknowledge a lesser of two evils, and with that, for this brief moment and probably for the last time in my life I would like to say thank you to the She-Devil Skin Walker for aiding me James Mansfield in helping these innocent citizens of this city to safety from what was most likely an alt-left terror attack.".

Spader shook his head as he disappeared away from the lights of the press and police finding himself on top of his tower.

"Any word from Skin Walker?" asked Spader over his coms.

"Nothing, Spader. I'm sorry, but she might be "

"I know." said Spader "I know" the last time he had seen the Skin Walker was in that fireball, and with no word from her, Eric had assumed the worse had happened.


"Classic Spader always assumes that he knows more than he actually does." joked Sammy from behind Spader; her suit was slightly damaged, but her mask was completely off her face.

"Skins!" exclaimed Spader, nearly hugging the young woman before she held her hand out, blocking him. "Yeah, we are not that close yet, bub.".

Eric got a hold of himself. "Right so I guess that means you're leaving Skin Walker ."

"There too many bad weeds in this country for a gal to say into one place" Sammy paused as she walked towards the ledge putting back on her mask. "It's Sammy by the way; my name is Sammy."

Spader chuckled, looking at Sammy. "Sammy Skin Walker is one hell of a name for a She-Devil."

"How about one for a friend," said Sammy jumping off the ledge and gliding off into the early morning light.

"Now that's something I can get behind," smiled Spader watching the shadow of the Skin Walker disappear into the dawning of a new day, knowing this would not be the last time he would see his new friend.
 
Why can't the hospital replace their ancient Dell computer with some new equipment? Maybe try and get an HP or something. Unless HP collapsed in TTL's recession.

Skinwalkers? At least bringing in some of the folklore of the Americas is a good thing, although maybe try and get some of the aspects right by consulting with actual Natives. I'd like to see a Wendigo however pop up ITTL.
 
Why can't the hospital replace their ancient Dell computer with some new equipment? Maybe try and get an HP or something. Unless HP collapsed in TTL's recession.

Skinwalkers? At least bringing in some of the folklore of the Americas is a good thing, although maybe try and get some of the aspects right by consulting with actual Natives. I'd like to see a Wendigo however pop up ITTL.
There is actually an in lore explanation on why she is called Skin Walker. Sammy didn't chose for herself the media labeled her that and she kind of just rolled with it.
They called her Skin Walker now, well those who acknowledge her existence did. Sammy's work was pretty lowkey enough to avoid the media, not like the attention whore in Atlanta or that guy in Chicago. Still she wished that they would call her something beside "Skin Walker." It's like they gave her the most generic indigenous sounding title they could
So that's the in lore explanation for why Sammy is called Skin Walker.
 
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