[center][img] https://i.imgur.com/2cVYNXa.png [/img][/center] [color=gainsboro]Dennis snored deeply, gravel crunched increasingly loud outside of his bedroom window. A fist banged loudly against the outside of his thin wall.[/color] [color=goldenrod]"Get up."[/color] [color=gainsboro]An old voice said abruptly.[/color] [color=goldenrod]"Today's the day. Every second is lives. I need you airborne in less that ten."[/color] The Day. [color=gainsboro]Words so simple, for a situation so crazy. There'd been a number of conversations about this since the day the man in black had suddenly dropped into their house and turned their lives upside down, but really he hadn't done anything. Just forced the old man to actually be open with the truth. Dennis pulled his arms through the sleeves of his flight suit jacket. Truth meant nothing now, though. Only action would matter. Gravel scattered under heavy footfalls as he ran back to the main house. The old man tossed him the golden rod. Dennis snatched it out of the air with one hand.[/color] [color=goldenrod]"Icon just caught a giant rock that was going to level the city."[/color] [color=gainsboro]The old man briefed him.[/color] [color=yellow][b]"And the carriers have dropped the drones? And the destroyers are getting into position?"[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]Dennis asked, clearly they'd since been open about the general tactics his grandfather had observed in the Pocket-Dimension of Concordat when he had accepted the Golden Rod.[/color] [color=goldenrod]"Yes to the drones, no to the Destroyers. At least not yet."[/color] [color=yellow][b]"Well that's something, at least..."[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]Dennis pulled a pair of goggles from his flight mask over his eyes and connected his bluetooth earpiece.[/color] [color=goldenrod]"Dennis...[/color] [color=gainsboro]The old man opened his mouth to say something.[/color] [color=yellow][b]"Yeah..?"[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]Dennis had the door open and was about to jump clear.[/color] [color=goldenrod]"..."[/color] [color=gainsboro]Alan hesitated, not knowing how to say the thing that regularly went unsaid.[/color] [color=yellow][b]"Me too, grandpa."[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]He took three steps out the front door and took flight. Alan Coghlan watched as his last grandson soared to the city center, where growing billowing clouds of smoke marked the frontline of the invasion he signed off on all those years ago.[/color] [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/pzWrnNW.png?1[/img][/center] [color=gainsboro]Isaac Fontaine was punching a teal creature into oblivion with rights that packed the weight of Formula 1 car accidents, courtesy of the gravity gauntlets wrapped around each glove. Off coloured blood squelched in coagulated blobs upon the city's bitumen. He stopped, looking up to survey the skyline for any allies this fallen alien might have, before walking over to his fallen craft. He tore the buckled rear panel off, revealing in full the fuel tank he knew would be there from his own world. With no small struggle he pried the tank out and lugged it over to his vehicle, opening the car's boot up with the latch by the driver's side. He slung it in the back and slammed it shut. He jumped in behind the driver's seat and went to start the car... and it wouldn't turn over. With an annoyed grunt he tried again, and still it wouldn't start. His mind raced with thoughts of instances where this world's destiny proved hard to push against. He thumped the steering wheel. What were the chances none of tese other cars would get him out of here with the can and his stuff either? He got out of the car with a slam of the door and looked the street up and down, pulling the mask off of the bridge of his nose to alleviate the pressure. They were probably rallying the Guardians somewhere else in the city. Best of luck to those guys. Fate had him pinned down here.[/color] [color=yellow][b]"Looking for help?"[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]A voice he instantly recognized called from above. The Aquilifer landed gently beside him.[/color] [b]"I took that one down easy enough."[/b] [color=gainsboro]The Vigilante responded, pointing to the fallen craft and the pummelled carcass of it's alien pilot.[/color] [color=yellow][b]"Whoa. You... you really let him have it."[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]He commented on the man in black's work.[/color] [b]"Her. It was a her."[/b] [color=gainsboro]The Vigilante said hollowly, through his voice modulator.[/color] [b]"And this isn't what we do. Not normally."[/b] [color=yellow][b]"Ah-huh.[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]The Aquilifer agreed, not really knowing if he believed him. He remembered the fate of Nightmare and his villainous cohorts, afterall. And the chunks Dennis threw up afterwards. The Vigilante wasn't there then, but the others...[/color] [b]"I mean it.[/b] [color=gainsboro]The Vigilante doubled down, hearing the doubt in his voice loud and clear.[/color] [b]"This is an invasion force. A war. The rules of engagement. It's different."[/b] [color=yellow][b]"So what are you doing down here anyway?"[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]He asked, looking to change the subject. The Vigilante snorted out a laugh.[/color] [b]"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."[/b] [color=yellow][b]"Yeah. Yeah, I get it. Because all of this."[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]Dennis gestured to the alien wreckage, the billowing column of smoke and the mothership hanging over the city.[/color] [color=yellow][b]"Tuesday."[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]The Vigilante smiled and shook his head.[/color] [b]"Nope. Still not weird enough."[/b] [color=yellow][b]"Yeah. I bet it was just a day in the life when my Grandpa used to get off the bus and walk down to work just over there."[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]He pointed down the street to a renovated construction site.[/color] [color=yellow][b]"He'd just tip his friendly neighbourhood Arlaaekian doorman, and walk into the office."[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]Isaac followed his finger down the street. Then he looked up and down the street. Skyscrapers enclosed the streets. It was one long corridor. The street only had small one way alleys funnelling in and out on the sides. An idea wormed its way into his head. A strategem.[/color] [b]"Your grandfather used to work down there? Alan?"[/b] [color=gainsboro]He clarified. Maybe the reason he was stuck here could be a positive one.[/color] [color=yellow][b]"Yeah. The old Coghlan Cogs factory used to be down here. They moved when he stepped down from the innerworkings of the board. I think they said it's going to be turned into some kind of a bottling factory now."[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]Dennis explained. A wry grin crossed the Vigilante's face through his balaklava.[/color] [color=yellow][b]"What? What'd I say?"[/b][/color] [b]"Don't worry about it. Help me move some of these parked cars..."[/b] [hr] [Center][img]https://i.imgur.com/YTDvTZf.png[/img][/center] [color=gainsboro]It was horrible. Chrissy Jones blinked around the city, her natural response to the fear and anxiety that she was empathically picking up on, but there was no escape. It was everywhere! She was drowning in it! She flickered between being visible to the naked eye and a ghostlike chameleon. She desperately wanted to stay visible. People were distrustful of the invisible. But they would be distrustful of her regular form as well. She just desperately wanted people to not be afraid. Just to allow some semblance of control to resume. She cried out and blinked to the top of the Chambers building. Far above most of the people it was as close to peace as she could get and still it was a far cry. Cry. Flux wept. Had she brought her people here? Had she brought her father's avarice down on them? No. That wasn't how they operated. They had their ways. They used-- The Rods? Down on one of the streets below. One of the Rod-wielders. Moving cars down on a street below, she could see the glow from the top of the skyscraper. But he was far too young. Probably a descendent. That was generally how these things worked. She felt paradoxical guilt as she felt her guilt relieved that her people had not been sent here after her. No. Their collection of her would just be a 'pleasant coincidence' for her father. Ugh. The thought sickened her.[/color] [color=turquoise]"The ones with Rods tend to be leaders of their planets."[/color] [color=gainsboro]Chrissy reasoned.[/color] [color=turquoise]"Perhaps if I go down there I may find myself an ally?"[/color] [color=gainsboro]She tried to hold back her hopes, and embraced the fear of getting them trampled on. She would need that fear to blink to the street below. The lone friendly Arlaaekian teleported to the street below.[/color] [color=turquoise]"Hello, Your Excellency. I wish to assist you in the fortification of your rebellion force!"[/color] [color=gainsboro]Chrissy said, as cheerily as she could muster with fear overpowering every part of her being.[/color] [color=yellow][b]"Aaaaaaaa--"[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]Dennis shrieked out in fear at his first sight of one of the aliens.[/color] [b]"What the--? Flux?!?"[/b] [color=gainsboro]The Vigilante turned, recognizing his world's old ally, from Dennis' loud - and possibly somewhat girlish - squeal.[/color] [color=yellow][b]"--aaaargh!"[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]His squeal began to contort and become more of an aggressive warcry as the Aquilifer regathered himself, and levelled the Golden Rod towards her.[/color] [b]"Wait-- Hooold up!"[/b] [color=gainsboro]The man in black quickly stepped in front of the teal girl.[/color] [b]"This one's with us."[/b] [color=gainsboro]He calmly explained, looking to de-escalate the situation. His voice hitched slightly behind the voice modulator. The effect of Flux's empathic powers funnelling the anxiety and fear from around them into him, and presumably the Aquilifer as well. This called for as much calm as he could muster.[/color] [color=yellow][b]"But-- How--? How could you possibly--?"[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]Isaac shrugged.[/color] [b]"If I--"[/b] [color=yellow][b]"If you told me I wouldn't believe you... Yeah, yeah. So where do you want this car? That alley?"[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]The Aquilifer finished his sentence before getting back to the task at hand.[/color] [b]"Doesn't matter which. We need all of these alleys blocked. Triple stacked. Hell, four if we've got enough cars. And double stacked on either end of the street, up there, and just this side of the junction with Chester. And we need it now."[/b] [color=turquoise]"Your... Excellency..?"[/color] [color=gainsboro]Chrissy queried as the Aquilifer flew past.[/color] [b]"Not quite, Chrissy. But if you tell him what I'm feeling at any point in time here, you'll kill us all and your father will snatch you back up. So... you know. Try not to do that."[/b] [color=turquoise]"You know my name-- you know my fath-- You know who I am?"[/color] [color=gainsboro]She stammered. She had no idea who this man was. She'd never met him before. How could he know so much?[/color] [b]"Yes. And I'm also one of the few people on this planet who knows you aren't some alien spy who sold us all out... so, let's just keep on keeping on. If you could move some of these cars that'd be great."[/b] [color=turquoise]"I-- I can't. I can only move cars like that when..."[/color] [color=gainsboro]Isaac cut her off and grabbed her face by both cheeks.[/color] [b]"Yes, yes. The fear's overwhelming right? Well don't worry about that. Because I've got this in spades..."[/b] [color=gainsboro]The Vigilante pulled Flux's face close to his until they were touching nose to nose and let her have it. All of it. All of the bottled anger, boiled up frustration and pent up rage he'd held back for so long. He thought of a moon broken in three pieces, a hero's sacrifice, burning buildings, the rage he felt because of the needless fear they'd put in others, he thought of Verseilles and Shenzen and the Western Seaboard. Then for good measure he added his rage about this world's version of himself being such a disappointment and the destruction he'd caused. The rage came easy and once he started it was a torrent. An unstoppable wave of concentrated fury. Pebbles from the street began to levitate and swirl around the pair, and fire hydrants blew. Chrissy's eyes seemed to go blank briefly and her brow dropped to a firm furrow.[/color] [color=yellow][b]"Huh..?"[/b][/color] [color=gainsboro]The Aquilifer noticed as broken glass from the lower cars windows circled dangerously close. He quickly through up a shield construct.[/color] [b]"Alright... I may have given her a little too much to start with."[/b] [color=gainsboro]The air started to feel thick and heavy.[/color] [b]"Yeah, Chrissy, if you could help him move some of those cars now, that'd be great..."[/b]