[center] [img]http://i.imgur.com/PelSvRK.png[/img] [h3][i]with[/i][/h3] [b][h1][color=ed1c24]Oracle[/color] | [color=f7941d]Sandman[/color] | [color=ed1c24]Prodigal[/color][/h1][/b] [img]http://i.imgur.com/S22dL2O.jpg[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/CVR3dxX.jpg[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/rkqNAGN.png[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/gzmZAI4.jpg[/img] [h2][i]An Unfortunate Side Effect[/i][/h2] [color=ed1c24][b]Supreme Commander Cesaro Zepeta - "Tyrannus"[/b][/color] [color=ed1c24][b]Damita Zepeta[/b][/color] [color=f7941d][b]Executive General Aquila Macario[/b][/color] [color=ed1c24][b]Antonio Zepeta[/b][/color] Military Parade - Bogota, Colombia [i]2 Months Ago[/i] [hr] [img]http://i.imgur.com/z0LjkHz.jpg[/img] [/center] Thousands of soldiers marched down the large highways of Bogota, where a parade was being held for the Supreme Commander in celebration of a sweeping victory against one of the militia groups friendly to FARC. Thousands of red berets marched in the streets with Galils and Uzis in hand, wearing formal military wear, as well as full combat gear. Tanks rolled down the streets with them, and so did jeeps, APCs, infantry fighting vehicles and other land-based combat vehicles. Every now and then, a few Kfir fighter jets would fly overhead in a formation of sorts, and as a small fraction of Colombia's military strength marched down the streets of Bogota, everyone waved and cheered as the passed. It was a spectacle, and an amazing sight of the brave men and women in uniform who serve the Supreme Commander and his staff. The Supreme Commander himself was standing on the back of a [url=http://8319-presscdn-0-95.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/IMG_0259.jpg]military jeep[/url], with his wife sitting by his side, his daughter [url=http://i.imgur.com/Ze0Ol7x.jpg]Maria[/url] at the front passenger seat, and a trusted red beret as the driver. Supreme Commander waved to the crowd with his wife Damita as they were riding along in the parade, basking in their victory. His son, Antonio, was driving a flashy [url=http://wallpapercave.com/wp/FelElE8.jpg]red convertible Gallardo[/url] in front of his family's jeep, waving to the crowd as well. The entire family was here, and while they were all easy targets, it was clear that none of them were afraid, and they proudly displayed that. [center]- - -[/center] Macario, on the other hand, was still in the Presidential Palace. He was in his own (quite ornate, large and clean) bedroom, watching the events of the parade unfold on the large flatscreen TV ahead of him. Laying down in bed, he rested against a woman he spent the night with, both of them very naked underneath a set of blankets and sheets. With his arm around the red beret he invited to his room the night before, he watched the parade on live television with her. [b][color=f7941d]"Eres un buen hombre en una multitud, Cesaro. (You're quite a man in a crowd, Cesaro.)"[/color][/b] He said with a soft smile, giving a kiss on the woman's forehead, rubbing her shoulder. [center]- - -[/center] The Supreme Commander continued to wave to the crowds that have gathered along the streets. He and his wife were silent for the most part, until she spoke. [b][color=ed1c24]"La multitud parece amarte, Cesaro. (The crowd seems to love you, Cesaro.)"[/color][/b] Damita said, waving to a group of children in the crowd. [b][color=ed1c24]"En realidad estás obteniendo resultados por aquí, estoy realmente impresionado. (You're actually getting results around here, I am actually impressed.)"[/color][/b] [b][color=ed1c24]"Tenías dudas? (You had doubts?)"[/color][/b] Cesaro replied. [b][color=ed1c24]"Esta era la única manera de obtener resultados, este desfile es mostrar que estamos siendo fuerte después de nuestra victoria. (This was the only way to get results, this parade is to show that we are still strong after our victory.)"[/color][/b] [color=ed1c24][b]"Sí, pero a qué costo? (Yes, but at what cost?)"[/b][/color] Damita asked. [color=ed1c24][b]"Había muy pocas bajas al eliminar el grupo militar hostil en las montañas. (There were very few casualties when eliminating the hostile militia group in the mountains.)"[/b][/color] Cesaro replied. [color=ed1c24][b]"Nuestros espías, así como los aviones no tripulados, indican que el resto del grupo se ha dispersado y abandonado sus puestos. Ellos ya no serán una amenaza. (Our spies, as well as our drones, indicate that the rest of the group has scattered and deserted their posts. They will no longer be a threat.)"[/b][/color] Damita thought for a moment. [color=ed1c24][b]"Qué es exactamente lo que se utiliza para derrotar a ellos? Estoy seguro de que usted no ha utilizado la infantería normal. (What exactly did you use to defeat them? I'm sure that you did not use normal infantry.)"[/b][/color] [color=ed1c24][b]"Metahumans, my love. (Metahumans, my love.)"[/b][/color] Cesaro replied with a smug grin. [color=ed1c24][b]"Uno que podría controlar la vida de las plantas así como uno que podría liberar venenos naturales. Mientras estaban apoyados por la infantería estándar, que eran eficaces en barrer al enemigo. (One that could control plant life as well as one that could release natural poisons. While they were supported by standard infantry, they were effective in sweeping up the enemy.)"[/b][/color] He turned to his wife. [color=ed1c24][b]"Ni siquiera tuvo necesidad de recurrir a la guerra química, que es una ventaja. Quiero mantener mi tierra intacta después de todo esto se acabó. (I didn't even have to resort to chemical warfare, which is a plus. I want to keep my homeland intact after this is all finished.)"[/b][/color] Damita nodded slowly. [color=ed1c24][b]"Bien. (Alright.)"[/b][/color] She looked away, waving to the others. [color=ed1c24][b]"Usted sabe que las armas químicas están prohibidas por las convenciones, verdad? (You know chemical weapons are banned by the conventions, right?)"[/b][/color] She looked around. [color=ed1c24][b]"Sí, pero no son los metahumanos. (Yes, but metahumans are not.)"[/b][/color] Cesaro said with a soft smirk. [color=ed1c24][b]"Con el tiempo he pensado en tener una gran cantidad de ellos dentro del Ejército Nacional de Colombia, para que podamos utilizarlos para derrotar finalmente FARC. Se tomará un tiempo, pero si tenemos cuidado, es posible hacerlo con rapidez, eficiencia y eficacia, sin dejar de tener un ejército permanente para hacer lo mismo en otras naciones ... naciones demasiado débiles para destruir sus propios flagelos del mal . (Over time I plan on having a large amount of them within the National Colombian Army, so we can use them to finally defeat FARC. It will take a while, but if we are careful, it is possible to do it swiftly, efficiently and effectively, while still having a standing army to do the same in other nations... nations too weak to destroy their own scourges of evil.)"[/b][/color] He explained. Damita nodded. [color=ed1c24][b]"¿Qué pasa con los metahumanos en este país que están siendo detenidos y asesinados? (What about the metahumans in this country that are being rounded up and killed?)"[/b][/color] [color=ed1c24][b]"Si usted está hablando de los que son amenazas claro y presente para las personas en nuestra sociedad, entonces sí, que era mía, si eso es lo que le preocupa. (If you're talking about the ones that are clear and present threats to the people in our society, then yes, that was my doing if that is what you are worried about.)"[/b][/color] Damita nodded. [color=ed1c24][b]"Qué pasa con los que tienen poderes benignos? Ellos están siendo detenidos y asesinados también. (What about the ones with benign powers? They are being rounded up and killed too.)"[/b][/color] Cesaro turned to Damita with a look of confusion. [color=ed1c24][b]"Qué? No he pedido que- (What? I did not order that-)"[/b][/color] [b][i]DDDEEEAAAOOWWWWW!!!![/i][/b] A loud thundering shot cut off the Supreme Commander. Blood and gore had splattered all over the bright uniform of the Supreme Commander, and screams were heard almost everywhere. Everything was in slow motion for both Damita and Cesaro as the driver jumped in his seat, and the soldiers standing guard along the sides of the roads were drawing their weapons and looking for the source of the shot. Cesaro looked down, and as he did, he heard his wife nearly scream at the top of her lungs. He looked to the gored head of his daughter, who was sitting at the front passenger seat of the jeep. She was dead. His princess ceased to be. None of them could believe their eyes. He had brought her along for the ride for just once, as she preferred not to be in parades, as he wanted her to experience the joy and power in a victory. And now his daughter was taken from him and his wife, from his son as well... never to live another second on this planet again. His daughter, that he loved very much, gone, from a single shot fired from an unknown shooter. While everyone was scrambling to find the one responsible and to get to cover, Cesaro just stood there while the vehicle was still. His driver had gotten out of the vehicle and taken his hysterical wife to a safe area, but Cesaro stood absolutely still, staring at the remains of his daughter. Looking up from his daughter's bloody corpse, he looked straight to where he heard the shot. In his fury, he sensed the culprit, the culprit's fear, up at the top of a building. Looking up to where he sensed him, his eyes filled with rage as he saw the shooter. Instilling an aura of terror upon the man on the roof, far away, he slowly pointed the finger at the man responsible. [color=ed1c24][b]"MÁTALO!!! (KILL HIM!!!)"[/b][/color] Cesaro shouted, his raging voice of the tyrant made his orders quite clear. Almost immediately, almost all of the soldiers on the ground turned their aim towards the shooter on the roof. After the many deafening shots of the rifles that the soldiers carried, the shooter on the roof was turned into ground chuck. Cesaro watched as the man was shot by multiple soldiers on the ground, firing off into the air. After he was killed, Cesaro looked back to his daughter, a single tear dropping from his eyes. [color=ed1c24][b]"No tengas miedo, María ... los ángeles te abrazará y le muestre el camino. (Don't be scared, Maria... the angels will embrace you and show you the way.)"[/b][/color] He said gently among the cacaphony of terror all around him. And from then, he continued to stand there as soldiers and emergency services rushed to his aid. The nightmare was just beginning.