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The two weeks that followed Scott's meeting with the enigmatic Vigilante at The Hub had been relatively uneventful. Icon had followed the mysterious man's advice and went to California where he spoke sought the help of The Son of Osiris of West Coast's super hero team, The Immortals. Although he had been eager to help, the Immortal was unable to shed any light on the identity of whoever had declared war on him. 

Things had been relatively quiet in Lost Haven. There had been no meta human attacks in the city in weeks, and whoever was after him had been quiet. There had been no further attacks on Alexa, his mother checked in almost daily, and would be arriving in the morning. Jenny had even returned to Lost Haven, though she had been staying with some friends in Carver. And while things had been relatively quiet for Icon, for the man behind the hero, it had been anything but.
The days had begun to blend together as Scott and Alexa made the final preparations for their wedding, which was now only two days away. Alexa's parents had flown in from Los Angeles the day before and had been staying in Alexa's penthouse, which made things slightly awkward as Mr. Winstone still went out of his way to make sure that everyone knew that he didn't approve of Scott marrying his daughter, only for Mrs Winstone to try and be a buffer between the two men. Alexa told Scott that it was just the way her father was, and that it wasn't personal, he had always been like that. However, deep down, Scott knew that while that may have been the case in the past, Mr. Winstone's disapproval was in fact, very personal. So much so, that Scott was thrilled to take a trip over to the Seaside Gateway, the site of the wedding and reception, to go over some last minute details with the event planner, Amy. 

Much to his relief, everything was set for their big day. The wedding cake and flowers were set to be delivered the next afternoon, and the staff at the venue would take care of all the decorating. Much to his surprise, everything was coming together as planned. The realization that everything was going smoothly began to make him nervous. Things rarely went smoothly for him. While running the club, he found that something always seemed to go wrong. The shipment of booze didn't come in as scheduled, the DJ's didn't show up, masked gunmen barged in and began shooting up the place, or someone opened a portal to Hell and unleashed demons on the city. He wasn't used to things going quite this well, and it was almost as if he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

He made his way back to his apartment, where Alexa had planned to meet him. He wanted to spend some time alone with her without having to worry about her safety, and without having to worry about her parents. He turned down the alley behind The Hub and went into the door that led to his private stairwell. When he got into his apartment, he went into the kitchen and got a glass of water. He thought about how in just under 48 hours, everything would be different. He'd be moving out of the apartment and into Alexa's penthouse in Sherman Square. He'd miss this place, even though living upstairs from his nightclub could be less than ideal at times, this place had been good to him. He'd offered to let Eric take it over, but he'd declined. So he offered it to Jenny, who was more than happy to have her own place. 

Scott then made his way from the kitchen to the roof access door. He'd spent countless nights up on the roof, staring out at the city. Although the view wasn't as grand as the view from Alexa's penthouse, there was something special about it. It made him feel grounded, connected to the city and her people. He'd truly miss it, and the feeling that he got every time he went up there. He stood there on the roof, in what had become his sanctuary, the place that he'd come to think when things weren't going well, and even when they were, completely lost in thought. He thought about the time that he had spent there, about the upcoming wedding, and about the future. Until he was suddenly startled out of his reverie by the feeling of a pair of arms wrapping themselves around his waist, and a kiss on the cheek. He looked back and saw Alexa's smiling face. He shifted a little and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him.

“What'cha thinking about?” She asked as she leaned against him.

“Not much.-” He said. “-And everything.”

“I know what you mean.” Alexa admitted. “It's all happening so fast.”

“I know. It's hard to believe.” Scott told her.

“It really is. But I'm excited.” Alexa said.

“Me too.” 

“Do you have any regrets?” Alexa asked.

“Plenty.-” Scott said. “-But not about this. Not about us.”

“Good. Then-” Alexa said. “No regrets.”

“No regrets.” Scott said as they both looked out over the city that lay sprawled out before them.



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Admiral Keelan stood before the view port of the Arlaaekan mother ship as it led the great Armada across the stars. It had been a long journey, however, the Armada was nearing its next destination. A world which had recently seen the expiration of the Great Concord, and as such, would soon meet the fate that had befallen the thousands of civilizations which had come before it. 

Extinction.

Keelan made it his business to study the worlds that the grand Arlaaekan Armada conquered, and their next target was no exception. Unlike the worlds that had come before it, the planet Earth was a primitive backwater world that held little value in the grand scheme of things. It was a planet who's inhabitants were warlike barbarians, who divided themselves into tribes who fought and killed each other based on the color of their skin or due to the locations of their birth. And while the planet had some semblance of a military, it was no match for the weaponry that the Arlaaekans possessed. The greatest weapon that the Earthlings possessed was a small number of their population, which had been imbued with great power. They looked to these beings as gods, however, as they would soon learn, their faith was misplaced, as the Arlaaekans would soon eliminate these powered beings on their way to the Earth's total annihilation.

This invasion was unlike any other before it, for Earth had earned the ire of the Autocrat, and by extension, the entire Arlaaekan civilization. Not only had the Earth accepted the Great Concord, but among its population hid a heretic. One who had rejected her calling to serve the Autocrat, a coward who abandoned her duty and fled the vast Arlaaekan empire. It was a  slight to the Autocrat that had almost gone unnoticed, up until the moment that the great Armada had entered the star system which the Earth called home. Had it not been for a nearly silent frequency that reached out to the stars from the surface of the planet. The familiar signal from an escape pod, meant to allow the Armada to locate a lost Arlaaekan should they be stranded. It was intended to be a lifeline for a son of Arlaaek who had lost their way, yet it would be instrumental in dooming yet another civilization.

Keelan's gaze remained focused on the view port. A slight smile creased his lips as a small blue orb appeared in the distance before him. 

“We have almost arrived my lord.” Keelan said to the hulking being that stood beside him. At the admiral's words, the Autocrat stared out into the void of space, at the blue planet that seemed so close, yet so far away.

“Indeed we have, Admiral. Look on the Earth, for we will be the last to see it as it appears this day. Soon, nothing will remain but fire and dust.”