RKMBs Forums .::Important::. Writer's Block Hero Revolution [Leave the Past Buried]

This night, the dark dwarf I dreamed many weeks ago has returned, talking backwards and throwing water at me. I didn't understand his words, this time.

But I awoke, and this time, there was not my Eddie near me. I was in a cage made of energy, something in the comics is called a stasis field.

And my memories have returned, too.

Not the memories of my working for the Trust, no.

But what really has happened since my return in Chicago.

My entering, all by myself, in the EPS fortress, in gaseous form. My arrival in Eddie's room. There was a beautiful lady next to him, talking softly to him. I had seen her before, at the Zoo.

But to take Eddie, I had to turn solid.

And that was my defeat.

As I took solid form, the woman noticed me, and I wasn't myself anymore.

I fell in love with her all of a sudden. And then many men where in the room, charginfg at me, and I was powerless, unable to react.

And then I forgot everything, and the dreams began.

Dreams of being able to resque Eddie, dreams of a beating by the EPS in a Sicily straight out from a Hollywood movie of the fifties.

And dreams of dreams.

And then the dwarf arrived and opened my eyes.

And then Walker arrived to my prison.

Smiling, with Eddie on his arms.

"Will you work for us, Cicciotto?" he asked. And his hand kept to stroking eavily the neck of my son.

What could have I done?

I accepted.

The research team ran, and the room was once again sealed of.
Everyone was waiting for him to once again try to escape the way he had done so many times before.

But to everyones surprise, he simply awoke, and smiled.
He sat down on one of the chairs and scowled at the cameras.

"What´s he doing? Isn´t he going to try to escape?"
"Never mind that, why is he smiling?" said the team leader.

Another white robed man ran into the room ans yelled;
"Sir? Doc? We just got a message from HQ saying we have an incoming hostile...and Sir...its from Trutopia..."
"Oh shit!. Get everyone out of here and evacuate all documents and any crew working on any other projects!"
"But what about the other test subjects?"
"Well if you want to fight the people of Trutopia, go right ahead. Me, I want to see tomorrow alive. C´mon people, scramble!"

The teams and crew quickly loaded their trucks with smaller equipment and drove off, just minutes before the army arrived.

Inside, several VR-Containers were still active and running their programs.

The black sphere arrived.
And from it four people emerged.
One totally black, with black eyes, no hair, skinny but immensly trained girl jumped out in mid air and landed softly on the ground, hissing at the tanks. She was called, Cat.
The famous Khan Twins hovered just s few metres above, and then the last man appeared.
The huge red crystaline man known as...Crystal, landed the sphere mere yards away from the army who were waithing for them with weapons and tanks.

He switched on a megaphone so his voice could be heard by everyone;
"You have two minutes to get out of here. We will only get what we came for and leave. Please do not force us to use violence!"

The officer in charge counter replied with,
"This is government property, you have no right to land here. Any intrusion into the facility will be considered an act of war. Leave or be destroyed."

The twins smiled at each other.

And the scared soldiers looked at each other, and knew they were in for the fight of their lives.

The stand off lasted only for a few minutes. Minutes that both parties took to gather their strenght and energies.

Cat suddenly took one great leap onto the roof...
And all the soldiers fired at once.

the twins protective pink sphere made all the bullets loose their inertia, and they simply fell to the ground.
Crystal hardly noticed them and walked towards the closest tank.

The tank fired.
Crystal caught the charge in his chest and smiled.
He bent the cannon upwards and continued towards the next one.
At the same time, the Khan Twins made illusory fire erupt all over the soldiers.

Panic ensued and the order for retreat came soon afterwards.

It was an hour later, when the soldiers dared to go back again, that they found the facility as they had left it.
All the equipment was still there.
The still humming VR-Containers were still packed with the people inside them.
The ONLY thing missing was the black devil like man, that had awoken earlier.

"Sir, why did we stand down? Max Force we could have done a lot of dammage, maybe could have even got a few more soldiers out of the deal."

"Jonathan, while playing chess, do you risk all of your men one by one to catch the king right away. Or do you plan out each move, watching the surroundings very carefully."

"Yes Sir, but-"
"Right now I need not risk a War with another country, one that has just as much power as we. In a few short hours, none of this will have mattered anyhow."

...none of this will have mattered anyhow...

Jonathan Reynolds was taught to question the world around him. He was also taught to follow orders. For some reason, this one simple line scared the shit out of him.

What was his boss' plan? What did he need these metas for?

What importance did 2002 have?

And worse, why does Reynolds have this sudden fear, that maybe he doesn't exist... or better yet, that he will not exist.

One of the walls just exploded and a big man appeared after the explosion.

"Don't try to escape, weaklings! You are nothing to CAPTAIN DEATH!"

Mick's legs are trapped by one of the pieces of the wall. They are also severely injured. Shirley is near Mick. Mick tries to tell her to leave by freneticaly pointing at the door.

"B-But..." Shirley says.

Mick answers her by pointing at the door again, almost desperate. Shirley runs to the door.

"You can run but you can't hide! For I am CAPTAIN DEATH!" the big metahuman says "Ah, I will get the woman later... But now..."

He grabs Mick's body from the floor and holds it in the air.

"So this is the human the sent me to kill, hmm? I'm almost dissapointed! I expected more for the amount they payed me! Ah, I'll just kill the woman for free to make it up to them... or make her my partner..." he says, winking to Shirley.

Mick spits to him in the face. Death gets furious and punches Mick in the stomach.

"You little worm... Nobody spits to CAPTAIN DEATH!" he yells, connecting another punch "Nobody!"

"Mick!!!!!" Shirley yells.

Death throws Mick to the ground and steps on his body with his enormous boot. Mick can feel his ribs breaking.

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!" Mick yells.

A strange sense of deja-vu hits him as the pain makes his severed throat make that sound. He starts feeling a familiar pain inside his brain, like in the circus. "Like in the circus?", he asks himself. Then the episode in the circus comes back to him, followed by another big pain in his brain. He remembers how close he was that time... He was close to... a name... M... S? No, no... X!

"XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX!!!" he yells, using all his strenght, as the pain in his brain doubles.

But there was something else... M... X... What?
Death grabs him once again.

"And now, the master stroke!" Death says, putting his free hand in the form of a fist.

M... X...

Death launches his fist against Mick's face. Shirley doesn't want to look and covers her face.

Y!

The fist is one inch from Mick's face.

"YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!" Mick yells.

A big explosion of light follows. Death is sent to the other side of the room by it.

Death slowly opens his eyes and sees Mick (now Mxy) floating in the air, arms open. A coat and a top hat appeared from nowhere. His eyes are full of the same light from the explosion.
He opens his mouth, like wanting to scream his freedom, but he realizes no sound comes from it.
No problem. He waves his hand and the throat is fixed.

"Aaah! Much better!"

He notices the cracked teeth, the broken legs and ribs, the bruises all over the body, and the small activated chip literally destroying his brain.
No problem. He waves his hand and all that is fixed.

"W-What the hell...?!" Death asks, scared "Th-They told me you were just a human!! The-They said it would be no problem!!"

Mxy waves his hand once again and Captain Death starts floating too. Mxy gets him near him and starts examining him.

"Hmmmmm..." Mxy says, rubbing his chin.

"H-Hey, man! It was nothing personal, man! I-I swear! Th-They payed me to d-do it!"

"You!" Mxy says, pointing at Death "Shall be turned into... A Little Kitty!"

Death apparently dissapears and his empty costume falls to the floor. A little kitten comes out of the costume and runs away, terryfied.
Li'l Jo follows her...

Shirley runs to Mxy's arms.

"Oh, Mick!" she says, as she hops into his arms.

"Oh, Shir-- Mick?!"

As soon as Mxy says that, the lights in his eyes go away, and so do the powers, so they stop floating and fall to the ground.

"What...? Where's that Death guy...?" Mick asks "Hey, look at that, I can talk!"

"You just defeated him, Mick!" Shirley answers.

"I did? I mean, I did!"

"Are you having troubles with your memories again...?"

"No, I fact, they all came back! I just--"

"...because if you are I can cure them with another kiss..."

"..."

[ 02-20-2002: Message edited by: I'm Not Mister Mxypltk ]

"So who's the magician?"

One of the men, subject Kristogar Velo, seemed to be not only looking at but talking directly to Jonathan. Amazing he thought, No one has ever been able to look through the VR Sim. How would a mind from another generation be able to?

Pressing invisible buttons in front of his face, an endless stream of words passed by his head.

Very interesting, Mr. Velo will be one of the men to perfect this very technology. Bring in to new levels, never thought of in his time.

"Put him back in his cell, he is of no use."

"But sir, he has been able to do what no other man has ever done..."

"I spoke Jonathan, that means you listen."

"..."

The boss stared at him for a moment. Jonathan nodded his head and pressed another button, Velo's hologram slowly disappeared. He was returned to his cell, mind and body.

"Who is remaining?" The voice seemed to echo throughout the room.

"Subjects Christopher, Glover and Hearn"

"Very well, status for each?"

"Christopher, Tobias. He has been relatively stable. Somehow, his desire for a woman from his past has been able to over ride the chip's commands. He is experiencing what would be known as a perfect dream, which should be impossible. All the pre-sets have been over ridden by his mind, yet he feels no pain, his brainwaves have also yet to be affected. Possibly a chip malfunction of some sort..."

"No, the chip is fine. I over looked the building of each to make sure no one would foul up."

"Than-"

"His super-fast metabolism. His brainwaves are out of sync with that of the chips, he is thinking on a much higher level. His mind is strong, very strong. If I didn't despise him, I would be impressed. Return him to his cell. Next?"

[ 02-20-2002: Message edited by: GoozX ]

"He is the luckiest man on the planet, I knew him well"

"What?" Reynolds asked, curious as to why all detailed files on Pete Glover and his powers seem to have been deleted sometime ago.

"Nothing important" the boss said. Then his brain drifted back to another time. Pete Glover is standing over two bodies, both men dead. The little guy is furious, his hands shaking, two people he obviously cared much for are dead. A shock of electricity went through Glover's body and emotions overtook him. A hand grabs into his head, knocking him out. A tall figure looms over his fallen body, stabs a syringe into a pulsating vein in his arm, taking out blood. A few moments later, the man injects the blood into his own body. Glover is tossed off a building, the one death that not even luck can stop, hundreds of feet of free falling, hard pavement below. The man snaps back into reality and speaks, "Return Glover to his cell."

"Ok, sir. Hearn is the only one left."

"Danny boy. How has his reaction been."

"He was unconcious for a good portion, but than woke up, feeling very misplaced and freaked out. The Sim worked fine; he was scared of everyone and everything. I would say that he failed miserably."

"I see. Return him to his cell, shut down the program."

"Sir? I mean no offense, but what was the point of this? Shouldn't they be slowly taught both our time and trained accordingly to their power levels?"

"Jonathan m'boy, when you live as long as I do, you learn the true meaning to everything. Sometimes, some rules have to be broken. Now, take a break, you deserve it."

"A break, but-"

"No buts, just take some time off."

"Yes Sir-"

Reynolds left, leaving his boss alone in the main control room. He pulled out a small 3-dimensional disk, and entered it into the hard drive. Words appeared all around him.

"Scan subject Hearn and download all files into subconscious."

Fin.

"Excellent. Return memories to subjects."

Fin.

"Deactivate Chips"

Fin.

"Release Cell Doors."

Command: Cell Door Release . . . Fin.

The boss smiled to himself, not noticing Reynolds ducked behind a booth. The boss presses a button on his belt and slowly disappears into thin air.

He slowly reappears in his office, a huge oval shaped room, decorated with pictures, mainly traditional art. He walks over the Seal of the United States of America which is proudly represented within the floor's carpet and sits at his desk. He smiles knowing that everything is going as he planned.

On his desk, a small American flag, and a name plate, Dr. Charles Elias Walker - President of the United States of America

The fall took only seconds, but felt like a eternity, as he could hear gunshots below.

He landed with a great thud.
Around him, laid the bodies of the circus artists and other visitors...and then he saw his enemy.

Nowhere Man, Eurostar and the others where shooting everything in site with automatic Glock guns.
The sight shocked Naecken.
These were his friends...why were theu doing this?
He walked up to Mick and was about to ask him when he turned and sprayed Naecken in bullets.
Blank eyes and a monstruos grin covered his face.

Naecken took hold of the gun and crushed it. Then grabbed Mick in the neck.

"You have to stop this. What are you doing? These people helped us!"

A giggle was the only response.

Madness.

As soon as he let go Mick reached for the gun and tried to fire it at Naecken again.

Pity showed in Naecken´s face.
Then the rest of the gang charged a couple who Naecken knew where the Wild Animal artists.

He quickly brok the neck of Mick, and with a sad voice said;
"I´m sorry my friend, this seems to be the only way to save the innocent...I shall miss you."

He then threw the body as a shield between the couple and the rest of the gang.
A desperate scream came from within his big chest;

"Nooooooo! Let them be!!!! Shooot meeeee!"
The gang turned as one and proceeded to try to turn Naecken into Swiss cheese.

Naecken picked one of the vans and used it as a club.
It squashed the remaning members and Naecken stopped to ask the couple;

"How did this start? What happened to my friends?"
Throuhg sniffles and tears the man replied;
"We don´t know...they came back from a mission in their black car, and..."
"Black car? We don´t have black car."
"Well, thats what happened anyway, and they started to kill people the instant they got out of the car...It was horrible...we didn´t believe the stories we had heard about you..."
"Stories?"
"Yes...apparently they had done the same thing at different places here in Mandelovia...slaughtered innocent people everywhere..."

Naecken felt dizzy.
This was totally impossible.
He knew for sure that his friends would never do such a thing...
Brainwashing?
Remote telapathic control?
Evil men dressing up as them?...mmmmm

He walked to the van, picked it up and threw ut away.
There underneath were the crushed bodies of his friends...
Their eyes were crushed and wiring could be seen inside.
He picked up the body of Eurostar and examined it.
Apparently someone had built cyber endo-skeletons and cloned a copy of his friends on the outside.
Now that he looked closer, he could see the imperfections and the synthetic materials that had been used to create this murder machine.

Someone had made these to give them a bad reputation.
Naecken knew the government was sure to be hunting for them now.

A sudden thought occurred to him.
When he found his friends again, he had to warn them about this insidious plot.
They had to flee...go to someplace far away from here, to build again...and possibly have a new beginning.

he sat down in the rain with couple, and waited...

I feel like something is burning in the back of my head…

Where am I?

Who am I?

A cellar…

The door is open…

And then my memories are back.

My name is Nadia Vassiljev, I was born in Vladivostok, USSR, the 24 of March of the year 1977.

My father was a general in the KGB. He died in a secret mission in the USA, when I was nine. I followed his paths, and became a secret agent for my country, for my party.

But after 1989, the world changed, and I changed with it. Ideologies died, and the only god, then, was the dollar. I became a professional. A spy for hire. The best on the world.

It was then that grandpa hired me. Grandpa, I called him, but his name was a mystery. He was a Neanderthalian, the last one, and claimed of being 35.000 years old. He was the chief of a secret society, the Encyclopaedia, fighting for the control of the world with two others secret societies, the Hood and the Caped. Complex story, involving aliens, Gods of Order and Chaos, lost civilization, magic, mutants and such.

I was one of the Encyclopedist, one of the chosen to evangelist the people of Earth from the evil machinations of the two orders, preparing to rule Earth after the cataclysm brought by the orbit of the tenth planet.

Now all of that is babbles. Because one faithful day, when I was battling a giant brought in Paris by a temporal vortex, I fell into it, and disappeared from Earth.

From that Earth.

And found myself in Moscow, in the old apartment I used during my Academy days. Only it was slightly different.

I remember looking at myself.

A mirror?

I was screaming. Well, my reflection was screaming, I wasn’t.

Then I felt myself being sucked away. What does it mean?

And nothing.

Nothing until now.

I am outside the cellar, and there are people coming outside similar cellars. Young people, most of them dressed in colourful jumpsuits. And one of them keeps calling me Sonja.

Why?

Then, I feel something invading myself.

Who am I?

Shirley leans on a handrail, over looking the beautiful coastline, the tropical trees off to the distance. A breathtaking site, to say the least.

"I can't believe that this beautiful country is going to be off limits to outsiders in a few days. My Grandma would be so sad, her granddaughter not even able to visit where her roots came from. (sign) But things have changed, freedom stolen the people. A shame."

An arm reaches around her, handing her a drink.

"Thanks Mic-"

Next to her stands a handsome young man, dirty blond hair, and hazel eyes.

With a smile, "Mi name's not Mic, but for you I'd change it"

Shirley covers her mouth with a giggle, a subtle blush forms on her cheeks followed by a smile.

"And what should I call thy princess?"

Shirley lifts an eyebrow.

"My name? Shirley."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Shirley."

"Yeah, thanks."

Shirley looks to her side and back to the young man.

"My name's Sam, ya know, if you were interested and stuff."

"Ah. How old are you? Seventeen... Eighteen?"

"Twenty two."

She cocks an eyebrow again.

"Twenty."

She is still silent.

"Nineteen, it's the truth. I am very much legal, very much so."

"That's nice. (uninterested) Really, it is."

"I like older woman, and I very much am liking what I am seeing right now."

[ 02-21-2002: Message edited by: GoozX ]

"Sorry I took so long, the line was huge."

They kiss.

"No problem hun. Sam, I would like to introduce you to Mick."

"Oh, hey buddy." Mick turns to shake his hand.

"Eh. Oh, hey man."

"Sam was just telling me how he was legal-"

"Ah, yeah, well not for long... I mean with the new laws in place and stuff. Yeah. Ya know, the foreigners ban. Heh."

"Yeah, it's weird how much things can change in a few days."

Mick turns and smiles at Shirley.

"So," Sam continued "Why are you guys still here. In Mandelovia, I mean."

"Well," Mick paused for a moment to think of the right words, "I- we accidentally got split up with my friends. Trying to find them before we leave, yeah. How bout you?"

"Well, I have been studying here for the last two years, I really got nothing left to go back to back home."

"You from the US too?"

"Nah, I mean originally I was, but I have lived most of my life on an island off the coast of the Caribbean. It's gorgeous there."

"Really?" Shirley asked, "Which Island?"

Before Sam could answer a huge bald man grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off the ground.

"...shit..."

"You thought you could leave before paying me the money you owe? Punk! Huh"

"No, not at all... I was just getting it."

"Back off!" Mick yelled in Sam's defense.

"Stay out of this, it's none of yar business. This punk owes me 200 bucks, unless you gonna pay for him, shut yar trap!"

"Hold on, hold on a minute."

Mick pulls out his wallet and opens it.

"Hmmm. How's 8 dollars? Call it even?"

The huge man wasn't amused and grunted at Mick, who stood on guard in front of Shirley. Sam took the time to give the bald man a left hook, which had no effect what so ever. Ok it had a small effect. It did piss off the brute a little bit more. The brute slammed Sam into a table, busting it to pieces.

Mick thought to him self, Ah nuts, not now!

"Look big guy, back off or else!"

Both Sam and the brute turned to Mick.

"Or elses wat? Punk?"

"Or else, or else- something bad!"

"HA, amuse me."

Mick whispered to himself, "...mxy..." as energy surged from his eyes, startling the brute, yet not phasing Sam, who smiled.

"Dude! You're a meta too?"

The brute could only muster the word "too?" before he turned back to Sam and was met with a sledge hammerhead to the face. His body lumped over unconscious. Sam jumped to his feet, his hand in the form of the hammer. After a moment, his hand merged back to its normal form.

"Mick! I can't believe you're a meta!" Sam was happy to meet another person like himself.

"No, I'm not Mick- Whoa."

Sam turned to Shirley "Are you?"

"No, but I do have an uncle-"

"This is awsome!" Sam said before noticing the crowd forming around them "Ah, maybe we should get the hell outta here!"

"Good call" Mick said as they all exited the Café, the owner not looking very happy.

"Sam, my friends, the ones I'm looking for, they are also like you..."

[ 02-21-2002: Message edited by: GoozX ]

Mick, Shirley and Sam (with Li'l Jo) are in a car going to the circus where Mick lived with his friends for a while. They know his friends are not there, but they want to ask the circus people if they know how they got kidnapped.
Mick can remember waking up in the middle of the night surrounded by high-tech soldiers. One of them knocked him out... and he woke up in the hospital, with his memories of the last two months gone.

As soon as they pull over near the circus, Mick opens the door and runs away. Li'l Jo follows him.

"Mick!" Shirley yells "Where are you going?! Mick!"

But he doesn't listen, he's almost inside the circus.

"What happened?" Sam asks "He just looked at the circus and ran away..."

"I don't know... how odd..." Shirley says.

As they get closer to the circus they notice something weird. At first they didn't think it was unusual that no people could be seen, after all it was raining, but now they notice the destroyed trailers, the incredible mess, and the bullet holes all over the main tent.

They decide to go into the main tent, where Mick ran. Inside, they see Mick on his knees, next to a clown's corpse, and a big entirely black man that Shirley recognizes as one of Mick's friends standing behind him with a hand on Mick's shoulder.

Shirley decides to get closer, but Sam stays near the entrance, freaked out.

"W-What...? Who...?" she asks, looking at the clown's dead body.

"Bosco" Mick says in a low voice, without raising his head.

"Who did this...?" Shirley asks.

"We can't be sure" Naecken says.

"Where are the others?" Mick says as he gets back on his feet.

"I don't know... It's really confusing... I was kept captive in some kind of high-tech complex... Then I was rescued by someone and sent here... I didn't see the others while I was there, but I guess they are there..." Naecken says.

They all stay silent for a moment, not knowing what to say.

"Uh... I'm Shirley... and that over there is Sam"

"Hi!" Sam says from the entrance, with a short wave. Seeing another metahuman (at least he thinks its a metahuman) impresses him, but the impression of death all over the place is bigger so he doesn't move from the entrance.

"Hello" Naecken says.

"We should go now" Mick says "There's nothing else to see here"

When they are getting to the car, Li'l Jo, that was somewhere else when the others were in the tent, appears from nowhere and jumps into the car.

"You can stay in my house, Mr Naecken" Shirley says as she starts the car "But we're gonna have to move out soon... American citizens aren't allowed here anymore... when we find your friends, that could be a problem... There's not enough place for all of you in my place in America"

"Well..." Sam says "I could help with that! If your metahuman friends need a place to stay outside Mandelovia, I have a place big enough for anything!"

"That is so nice!" Shirley says "Right, Mick? Mick?"

Mick has his eyes closed and doesn't answer. He seems deeply concentrated.

"He's talking to Mxy..." Naecken says "I've seen him do that before"

"Oh..." Shirley says, wondering what he means... (She doesn't know that Mick and Mxy aren't the same person)

"Do you know where they are, Mxy? Nope. I'm as lost as you on this one, buddy! Hmmm... I was hoping that guys from the circus could help me, but... uh... that didn't go well... Li'l Jo doesn't know anything either... The cat?! Yeah, I talked to him the other day... nice guy... Uh... OK..."

“Larry!” she shouts, covering her breasts with both hands.

“Sorry!” says the young man. “I wasn’t looking at your breasts… I mean, not that they not interesting… well, I mean… “ he mumbles. “What I was staring at, it was the fact that a moment you had not your tattoo, and a moment later, the tattoo is back on your body!”

She doesn’t explains anything, and asks: “Larry, give me your shirt. I am naked!”

The boys takes away his shirt, lending it to the woman, that put it on.

Glover, Danny, Tobias and Kristogar arrive, coming out of nearby prisons.

“Anyone figures what kind of place is this?” asks Kristogar?

“Smells of home!” whispers Danny.

"Home?" Tobias turned to Danny, "You mean-"

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions. Who ever took us out, they were strong and quick. But that doesn't mean they were from-"

Danny cut Kristogar off "No, I mean I can't be sure but look around, the architecture, the style."

"I don't know," Larry Lance jumped in "This place reminds me a lot of my last 'home,' and that weren't no future 'mate."

"Yeah, and these men, they seemed just like the creepy Government guys from your country." Sonja added to Lance's comment.

"We be funk'ed." Glover said, everyone was so engrossed in the convo that Pete was the only one to notice the dozens of other metas who were also now lose, and rioting. Although it was pretty lucky that no loose blasts hit the gang.

"Oh damn," Tobias was the first to reply. Alarms sounded and swarms of black clad militant soldiers entered the room, free shooting at the escaped metas, who quickly began to fight back.

"We can talk location later, let's find cover!" Velo yelled as they avoided a few more stray blasts.

Dr. Walker's Office

Walker, scarred by the very time of reality, watched the havoc that he began. It would be over soon enough, he thought, attempting to justify his actions. Pressing a button on his desk, a mirror appeared in front of him. He has lived for so long with the same face, never aging - never experiencing what every man should...Death. Instead he went on to gain leadership of the most powerful nation. His contributions, amazing, yet crippling himself in the process, changing what he has always stood for - changing himself, his mind, heart and soul.

On the screens soldiers are ripped apart, metas killed in return, things going from bad to worse. The small team of metas staying out of battle for the time being, safe for now.

Walker pressed a few more buttons.

Time Displacement Device Activated - Coordinates Needed

Walker pressed a few more buttons.

Year: 2002 Month: February Day: 24 Location: South Mandelovia 33* 42* * * * *

Now, all that needed to be done was directing the 'heroes' to the machine that would bring them home. Walker smiled for an instant then got up from his seat.

"I can't let you do this!"

Walker turned, Reynolds was only feet behind him.

"Jonathan? Where-"

"I read the files, how can you do this? How can you kill us all?"

"I am not killing us, only-"

"Making it so we never existed! It's the same thing."

"No, it is how it should all be."

"Stop this, Sir. Please."

"Jonathan, have I not raised you well? Will you not return the favor now?"

Jonathan pulls out a small device, pointing it towards Walker.

"Don't make me do this..."

"I am truly sorry,"

Walker pressed a button on his belt and a bolt of electricity was sent through the huge man's body, dropping him to the ground.

Prison Cells

"Guy's we need a plan-" Tobias said, "We can't hide forever."

"Just give me a few moments, let me puts everything together, figure out what is going on." Velo snapped at Tobias, who didn't back down.

"I'm sick of waiting!"

The convo was cut short by a sudden statement from Danny "America's dictator?!?"

Walker approached the gang "I perfer title of President better."

Most of the gang was confused, not knowing what to say.

"If you all want to get home, follow me!"

With that one sentence, Walker pulled open a trap door and jumped in.

[ 02-22-2002: Message edited by: GoozX ]

Mick and Mxy had been in conversation the whole time, and the decision to stay and wait hidden in the trees on the farside of the circus had been made. Just incase the gang would be transported back here to the same location.

Naecken pushed the car behind the trees...and they all sat inside waiting...............

I had for all my life.

But I didn’t believe in the devil. If God is so infinitely good, and forgiving, how would be possible the existence of the devil? How can He would let a personification of total evil be existing?

Now I know the devil exists.

I have met him.

I made a deal with him.

His name is Charles Elias Walker.

You see, I have this new body, a gift of the Time Trust’s future technology for the work I did for him. It’s build from the Earth. When I was falling trough the planet, after the destruction of my body, my ghost form (or was it my soul?) did absorbed something. In these days of cold science, they would say I had absorbed what build Earth: minerals, metals, organic compounds. I prefer to say that I had absorbed the body of the Earth, Gaia herself, or at last a small, infinitesimal part of her.

Fact is, now my body is earth, fire, air and water. And when I turn into air, I am the same air you are breathing. You could actually breath myself, and expire me, after. You can’t track me when I am in air form. To do, you should operate in a vacuum environment, using air apparatuses to survive. Quite impractical.

So, you can see that the only way I could be kept in prison is in a sealed bottle. And the first moment you want to “use” me, to perform tests, or to send me into action, I would be free.

But the jail that keeps me imprisoned is stronger than the strongest steel cage: it’s my son, in the dirty hands of Walker.

My son.

When Walker talks about him, he pronounces the word, “son”, with a strange inflexion, like to imply that he is not really my son. Cloned from a sample of my blood, he thinks Eddie is not a true son of me.

He is more.

He is myself.

So, when I heard Walker, conceited and arrogant, talking of his team saying that they are not villain, but only people doing their job, sanctioned by the government and founded by the holy private capital, I smile. A sad, sad smile, a mask over my inner fury.

They keep an innocent baby, only seven months old, away from his only relative, from the only person that the law of this nation, the same nation they pretend of protecting, would rightfully assign to.

Away from his father.

No, they are not villains.

They are demons.

[ 02-24-2002: Message edited by: The Eurostar ]

[ 02-24-2002: Message edited by: The Eurostar ]

Charles Elias Walker, President of the United States of America, led a confused group of what he considered to be renegades through the bowels of his nigh impenetrable fortress.

"What's going on here?" Kristogar Velo demanded, following closely behind Walker.

At his words, the eternally young Walker spun on his heels, jamming an index finger into the man's face.

"Listen to me," Walker said, his salt and pepper hair the only evidence of his having aged at all in the last eighty-one years. "I know you're real name. I'm the man that killed you, okay? Don't get smart with me, young man, because, I assure you, I am much, much smarter."

"Right," Velo said, rolling his eyes into his head. "And how, pray tell, did I die?"

"Right after that one," Walker said, pointing to Larry. "And right before that one," he said, pointing to Pete. All three men looked quizzically at one another.

"I ask you again, how did I die?" Velo asked indignantly.

"I killed you with my bare hands," Walker said. "After the 'ghastly' way I killed Mr. Lance, you begged for a fair fight. No weapons. No tricks. Skill against skill."

"And you beat me?" Velo said, his jaw dropping. "Impossible!"

"Not really," said Walker. "Most every fighter slips into a pattern, even the great Kristogar Velo. Finding the pattern proved difficult, granted... but not impossible." Walker smiled and kept walking as Velo stopped cold, the rest of Revolution halting, blocked by his standing.

"Well?" Walker said, turning back to them. "Do you want to get home or should I kill you all again?"

Kristogar Velo's words seemed to stop reality in its place. Everyone held their positions, not getting between the two titans.

"You say you can kill me, show me."

Kristogar Velo slammed his wrists together, a spark of energy crackled through his armor. Walker was silent, he only smiled. Within seconds, claws formed from his fingernails, red energy crackled from his eyes and he disappeared into thin air.

"What th-"

Before Velo could manage to cuss, an invisible boot slammed into his rib cage, sending him to one knee.

"The metagene is a very funny thing."

Another boot to the stomach knocked him off his knee and onto his back. Velo rolled with it getting back onto his feet, rage filled his eyes.

"Once extracted from a holder's DNA strain, it can be combined with another."

A set of claws ripped through the back of Velo's armor, sparks flew everywhere.

"You have no way to even contemplate what I have become."

Velo is lifted off the ground by his neck, Walker reappears.

"...you are a monster..."

"That might be true Mister Velo, but I am also your only hope to get home."

Velo sent a surge of energy through his armor, shocking Walker, giving him the split second needed to get lose. He followed with a series of kicks. The first connected, but Walker easily blocked the other blows. Punching also had no effect.

"Raw energy only makes me stronger. Let's me counter your attacks."

Walker followed with a series of blows at super-speed, sending Velo flying through the air, landing hard on the ground. Blood dripped down the side of his cheek.

"You have such a narrow mind. You stubborn fool. If you only opened your mind to the improbable, you could have been a threat. Even now, you doubt if you are in the future."

"...if you-" Velo spit up a little blood "If you manage to send us back from this 'future,' then this place will have never existed. You will not exist, the future will not exist. Hence, we were never here."

"Very impressive. Maybe now, your future will be different. You will not fail when the time comes. Maybe just maybe the body count that plagued your conscious will never form. Or maybe you'll screw up again."

"..."

"You are not always right. But you shall learn that for yourself."

No one else knew how to respond, to bud in or to leave them be. Walker was directly in Velo's face, claws at his neck.

"Excuse me, but are you done?" Tobias asked, "Or do you want to be a fucking fortune cookie that bites all of us. If you can send us back, do it. If not, let's see how many of us you can take out before we get you back."

"Mister Christopher. The unstable child indeed. Rage the only thing faster than your speed."

"Send us back, or die-"

Walker appeared in front of Tobias with in .002 of a second. Walker turned intangible and placed his hand into Tobias' chest, grabbing his heart.

"Don't tempt me boy."

The shock on Tobias' face could not be written with words.

"Now, does any one else want to challenge me?"

Everyone was silent, knowing how far out of their league they were.

"Very good, than follow me."

Larry Lance helped Velo back to his feet, Sonja rubbed Tobias' arm, he was still in shock. They all followed Walker, without a sound.

[ 02-25-2002: Message edited by: GoozX ]

"This way," the President said, waiting patiently as each member of the Revolution entered the small passage.

After Walker crawled through, a light activated, revealing a small cabinet-like structure. Walker walked up to the device menacingly, every member of the Revolution cautiously backing out of the way.

Danny Hearn gasped when he saw it.

"Recognize this, Mr. Hearn?" he said, a sneer spreading across his lips. "Well, you should. We highjacked Dr. Feldman's own model and used it as our own. Just another chalk mark under the 'spoils of war' catergory..."

Smiling, Walker pushed a few buttons on the side of the machine. Turning back to the members of the Revolution, he said, with a wry grin: "YOu have thirty seconds to enter this tube and go home."

"Over my dead body," came a voice from above. The bearer of the voice dropped down, revealing himself to be Dr. Jonathon Reynolds.

And he was none too happy.

29

If he fails now, right here in time, than this time will never exist, he will never exist. Standing tall and stern, his eyes stared down the one whom has been all but a father over the years. The only father Jonathan has ever know, or at least the closest thing to one.

28

"Move boy."

"I can't do that... Charles."

27

"I will do what I must."

"As shall I."

26

"Than, I guess fate has brought us both to this point in time, a final fight- struggle. I welcome it."

25

Walker's skin grew more dense as his claws broke through the skin on his hands. His eyes, a red hue, pure energy surging through his veins.

Reynolds was not happy, he stroaked his right hand through his thick beard. He carefully un-buttoned his shirt and took it off. He tightened his fists as his body mass incresased by 100%.

24

Walker signed towards the heroes "The machine is ready, you should all go- time is short now."

23

He then disappears and reappears in front of Reynolds, only to be met with a back hand. He retaliates with a punch to the ribs. Reynolds grins his teeth in pain, but hold it back.

22

"You might be able to increase your muscle mass, but you still have similar 'soft' spots. A few broken ribs can not be feeling good right about now."

21

"No, they don't-"

Reynolds slams his fists into the floor, cracking it apart, dropping Walker down a floor. He began towards the heroes, who were finally set in the machine waiting to go home.

20

Reynolds stopped in his tracks as the floor rumbled.

19

Two hands ripped through the floor, pulling him down through the now partly destroyed floor.

18

They both traded a few blows, neither holding back, yet neither down for the count.

17

Reynolds connects with a powerful punch, breaking Walker's cheekbone in three spots. Blood falls from his mouth.

16

Walker's healing ability kicks in, healing his face bone/structure within a second. His claws grow longer.

15

Walker's claws slam into the huge man's side, ripping through layer after layer of flesh. Shedding blood all over the half-fallen in floor.

14

Reynolds doesn't let it phase him and slams his huge arms on Walker's side, crushing bones to pieces.

13

Continuing his assault, he slams his boot into the Doctor's side, knocking him over.

12

Walker retaliated with an energy blast that floored Reynolds.

11

Reynolds hit the ground hard.

10

Walker got to his feet.

9

Reynolds' body was smoking, half his body with deep 2nd degree burns. No could barely move.

8

Walker signed, not enjoying this, but soon it would all be well.

7

A spark appeared in Reynolds' eye, followed by a desperate smile.

6

Reynolds' hand clutched onto a sharp lead pipe, busted through the damaged floor.

5

With fast reflects, Reynolds jammed the lead pipe through Walker's stomach.

4

Walker dropped to one knee, as Reynolds turned towards the heroes, who were watching this mortal combat in awe.

3

Reynolds ran towards the machine.

2

Only feet separated Reynolds from the time machine.

1

Walker's eyes were cold and stern, "Well... I'll be..."

Reynolds voice filled the air as a bright light travels across the room.

NOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooo*

The light disappears and all is done.

Walker smiles, "...finally, I am free..."

[ 02-26-2002: Message edited by: GoozX ]

2002

Dr. Charles Elias Walker swallowed a few aspirin tablets and chased it with a tall glass of cool water. He had, for some odd reason, developed a terrible headache and needed a little something to soothe him.

He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Enter," Walker said, rubbing his temples.

The metallic door slid away, revealing a young man in a blue bodysuit standing behind it.

Andy Reynolds.

"May I come in... sir?" the rebellious seventeen-year-old said, struggling a bit with the last word.

"Certainly, son," Walker said, massaging his temples with his right hand and beckoning Reynolds to sit with the other.

"I'm not your son, y'know," Andy said as he slid into his seat.

"Yes, I know, Andy," Walker said, rolling his eyes slightly. "I've told you before, it's just a force of habit."

"Yeah, I know."

"So, what can I do for you, Andy?" Walker said, ignoring his head pain and steepling his fingers, ready to talk.

"Well, I just got back from feeding Euro..." Andy's voice wavered as Walker gave him a cold look. "I mean, Cicciotto. I just got back from feeding Cicciotto."

"And?"

"Well, he said something about his... son?" Andy said, obviously confused. "What's he talkin' 'bout, Doc?"

"Cicciotto is a dilluded man, Andy," Walker said, no emotion in his voice whatsoever. "He's a crazy Italian meta who used to be somebody. He was a crack addict. He thinks that his little band of pathetic nothings is going to start a Revolution. He's insane."

Reynolds cocked his head to the side, not understanding.

"His clone," Walker said. "He thinks his clone is his son."

"Wow..." Andy whispered, his eyes getting wide. "What a nutjob!"

"Let me tell you something, m'boy," Walker said, running his hand through his brown hair. "This day in age is no time to be fathering a child. They're nothing but trouble. Plus, with the metagene outbreak being what it is, chances are most likely that he'd be a meta..."

Which means we'd have to put him down... Walker thought to himself.

"I dunno, Doc," Reynolds said, rising from his seat. "I'd like to have a son someday. Obviously not right now, but someday. A LONG time from now. Maybe in another thirty years or so..."

"Really now?" Walker said, raising an eyebrow.

"Jonathon," the kid whispered. "I've always liked the name Jonathon..."

An expensive suite in one of the best hotel of Old Town, Mandelovia. The room is lit only by the lights of the outside street. In the darkness, lying on the bed is a short, oriental man, with long moustaches. “Sitting” over him, is a tall red woman.

“Tell me, Lorelei –humpf- was Cicciotto better than me?”

“I told you, Wong, you are the best!”

“The truth, bitch!”

“It’s the truth!”

“The truth!”

“Well, ok, you know, Edulcore could alter his density at his will, so, you understand…”

“No –humpf- I don’t. It’s –ahh- size that matter, not –humpf- density!”

“As you want, Wong! But, can you explain me why to blown up the circus?”

“Ah! My –humpf- stroke of genius. You see –oh yes, don’t stop, honey- after Cicciotto died, I had to change plans all of a sudden.

“I would have convinced him to join us, if I would had a little more time.”

“Yes, I –ohhh, yeeahhh baby- I know. Cicciotto and his friends would have been easily tricked. The only thing they needed was a good excuse. And telling them that our crimes had the scope of financing the Revolution, and they would have easily fell for it. Imagine? Three, I mean, THREE meta able to phase trough solid matter.”

“Yeah, I know. No bank would have resisted us, Wong”.

“Bank? Thinks about the industrial secrets! That’s why I had planned to start the tour here in Mandelovia…”

“But Cicciotto has died…”

“… and also the activities of agents of various countries around the circus increased to a point it was impossible to keep the true purpose of the circus still a secret –hoo, baby, that’s goo…oohhh ahhh!”

“Wong?”

“Ehy… it was good…”

“Why destroying the circus?”

“Because this way we have cancelled every proof of our past activities, killed all the people that could have known about them, and the blame of what happened is all over Cicciotto’s friends, thanks to those silly suits they wear. It has been easy to have our men dressing up like the Revolutionaries, filming the massacre and selling the footage to the big networks.”

“Still, I think without the cover the circus gave us, it will be difficult to continue with our activities”.

“But circuses are a thing of the past, honey. I am thinking of putting up a show, for theatre. Me, you, the Paskowsky brothers, Dhalia and the Pipistrelle. And don’t forget that we have Cicciotto’s van. Just before disappearing, they have transformed it into a technological marvel. The perfect base for our crimes…”

“So, what will be our next move?”

“Tomorrow we’ll leave Mandelovia, it’s the last day before the foreign ban. The we’ll go in Slovenia, Austria, Italy, France and Britain, and then, in six months or less… Las Vegas!”

“Oh, back in the States…”

“But not for long… after Vegas, it will be very hot for us… so maybe we’ll have to take a vacation”.

“Good… where?”

“What about… the Caribbean?”